Waveform

A waveform is the shape and form of a signal such as a wave moving in a physical medium or an abstract representation.

In many cases the medium in which the wave is being propagated does not permit a direct visual image of the form. In these cases, the term "waveform" refers to the shape of a graph of the varying quantity against time or distance. An instrument called an oscilloscope can be used to pictorially represent a wave as a repeating image on a screen.

To be more specific, a waveform is a set graph that represents an audio signal or recording which shows the changes in amplitude over a certain period of time. The amplitude of the signal is measured on the y-axis (vertical), as time is measured below on the x-axis (horizontal).

Most programs show waveforms to give the user a visual aid of what has been recorded by imagery. If the waveform is low, the recording was most likely soft. If the waveform is large and covering most of the image, the recording may have been recorded with the levels high. Waveforms can vary, they may be small when there is just a vocalist singing, but may become much larger when the drums and guitar come in.