Waveform was designed to be transparent and intuitive. Track object controls and parameters are context-sensitive; effects, MIDI instruments, and other software objects can be added to tracks or applied directly to individual audio and MIDI clips using a
drag-and-drop system of
filters. Complex chains of filters can be created, stored, and recalled for later use as
rack effects, analogous to a saved
channel strip settings in a traditional DAW/sequencer. Waveform, as Tracktion, represented a move away from the
modal dialog boxes, multiple menus, and cluttered windows common to legacy MIDI sequencers and digital audio workstations, in favor of a streamlined, single-screen approach that presented the user with minimal options at any time. In this way, Waveform is similar to
Ableton Live, but while the latter has two separate work areas (Session and Arrange), Waveform has fully context-sensitive windows that automatically appear or hide depending on the current task or can be manually togged. Both are also noted for their more abstract visual styles, in contrast to the
photorealistic style of other interfaces (like
Reason) which imitate the appearance of real world recording equipment and
effects units. It also supports user customization of keyboard shortcuts, coding custom shortcuts, and modifying the color scheme, similar to
Cockos’s
REAPER. ==Open source library==