Rethinking audio visualizations: Towards better visual search in audio editing interfaces

Abstract

QueryWaveform visualization is a key tool in audio editing. However, the visualization of audio waveforms has changed little since the emergence of the first software systems for audio editing several decades ago. This paper explores how audio is visualized. This paper shows that the commonly used time-domain representation exhibits redundant information that occupies valuable display real-estate in most audio editing software. An alternative waveform visualization approach is proposed that exploits elements from the existing visualization conventions while enhancing features that are important in visual search through digital audio. Alternatively, the method is a means for making more efficient use of the display real-estate. The proposed method is discussed in terms of its suitability for various visualization situations.