Use the waveform display to monitor TX or RX audio¶
The Waveform applet shows a time-domain oscilloscope view of the active TX or RX audio path. Use it to spot clipping, dropouts, and audio level problems at a glance without interrupting operation.
Before you start¶
- The Waveform applet must be visible. If it is not, click the WAVE tray button in the right sidebar to show it.
- Audio must be flowing through AetherSDR (transmitting or receiving) for the display to show a trace.
Steps¶
- Locate the Waveform applet in the right sidebar applet panel. It appears by default after the EQ button.
- Observe the direction tint: a cool tint means the display is showing RX audio; a warm tint means TX audio. The direction also appears in the header readout (for example,
RX RMS -24.3 dBFS PK -18.1 dBFS). - Watch the trace for clipping. Pixel columns containing clipped samples are highlighted in red, and a
CLIPcounter appears in the top-right corner of the display. - Check the header readout for RMS and peak levels in dBFS.
- Check the footer for the current sample rate, the 100 ms time window, and the milliseconds-per-division scale.
- If no audio has arrived recently, the display shows a "No audio" placeholder instead of a trace.
What each control does¶
| Control | Behavior | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Waveform display | Renders the min/max envelope per pixel column with peak and RMS envelope curves. Time window is fixed at 100 ms. | Live |
| Click on display | Toggles pause. The display freezes on a snapshot of the buffer until clicked again. | Live |
| Double-click on display | Toggles the settings drawer open or closed. | — |
| Direction tint | Cool tint = RX audio. Warm tint = TX audio. | — |
| Clipping highlight | Columns containing samples at or above 0.98 full scale are drawn in red. A CLIP N count appears in the header. |
No clipping |
| PAUSED badge | Shown in the footer when the display is frozen. | Not shown (live) |
| No-audio placeholder | Replaces the trace when no samples have arrived for more than 1 second. | — |
| View | Selects the waveform visualization mode: Scope (Graph = min/max + RMS lines), Envelope (peak/RMS filled area), History (horizontal level bars), Bands (frequency band bars via Goertzel filter). | Scope. Located in the collapsible settings drawer below the waveform. Persisted as Graph, Envelope, History, or Bands. |
| Zoom | Scales the amplitude axis; higher values stretch small signals vertically, causing clipping artifacts to appear sooner. Range: 1.0x–6.0x. | 1.7x (170%). Located in the settings drawer. |
| FPS | Controls how often the waveform repaints; lower values reduce CPU load on slow systems. Range: 5–30 Hz. | 24 Hz. Located in the settings drawer. |
Tips¶
- The header readout always labels the source (
RXorTX) so you do not need to rely on the tint alone when working in low-light conditions. - Double-click the display to open the settings drawer and adjust the view mode, zoom level, or frame rate without leaving the applet.
- The Waveform applet resizes vertically with its container. You can drag the applet panel divider to give the waveform more or less vertical space.
- A radio connection is not required for the Waveform applet to open, but live audio data requires an active audio path.
Troubleshooting¶
- Display shows "No audio" message — No scope samples have arrived in the last 1 second. Confirm audio is routed correctly and the radio is actively receiving or transmitting.
- Trace is frozen and not updating — The display is paused. Click the display once to resume. The
PAUSEDbadge in the footer confirms this state. - WAVE tray button is not visible — Open
View > Applet Panelto confirm the applet panel is shown, or useView > Reset Applet Orderto restore the default applet layout.