Wave Presenter

A Quick Start Guide

This guide helps you use Wave Presenter to manage and visualize your audio.

Wave Presenter

A quick start for presenting audio with sections and time-synced notes.

The screen

The header shows Wave Presenter and the current file name. To the right: + Section, Focus mode, the theme button, and the ⋯ menu for project actions and Settings.

Below that: the waveform (click to jump the playhead), a timeline in MM:SS, and the sections bar. Notes sit under the waveform. Transport controls sit at the bottom, with Recent Projects underneath.

Load audio

  1. Open ⋯ and choose Load Audio.
  2. Pick a file from your computer (MP3, WAV, and other browser-supported formats), or paste a direct URL to an audio file.
  3. Click Load. The header updates to the file name. Loading new audio starts a fresh section list.

Playback

  • Time shows current position / duration.
  • Replay jumps to the start without stopping.
  • Play / Pause is one button; the icon switches while audio is playing.
  • Stop stops playback and returns to the start.
  • Click anywhere on the waveform to seek.

The ⋯ menu

  • New Project clears audio, sections, and notes. You will be asked to confirm if anything is loaded. Settings and Recent Projects stay.
  • Load Audio opens the audio picker.
  • Save Project (ZIP) packs the audio plus all sections and notes. You name the project; the download is wave-presenter-project.zip.
  • Load Project (ZIP) restores a saved project.
  • Settings opens display options (saved in this browser).

Sections

Sections mark spans of the track. Click + Section after audio is loaded. A new colored block appears with a lettered title (Section A, B, …).

  • Select a section by clicking its block. You need a selection to add notes.
  • Move it by dragging the block. Notes inside it scale with the new range.
  • Resize by dragging the circular handles on the left and right edges.
  • Edit with the edit icon on the block: title, description, color, notes, or Remove. Description is stored on the section but is not shown on the bar.

Colored dots and lines mark start and end on the waveform. A tinted overlay covers the same span. If sections overlap, the one that starts later (then the shorter one) is treated as current.

Notes

Select a section, then press + in the Notes header.

  • The first note covers the whole section. Later presses split at the playhead — keep the playhead inside the section, and not right on an existing edge.
  • Type in the card. Changes save as you type.
  • The × on a card deletes that note. Neighbors expand to fill the gap.
  • Each card shows the section title and time range. During playback, the active card is marked playing.

In the Edit Section window you can also change note start and end times (MM:SS.hh). The first note’s start and the last note’s end stay locked to the section.

How notes follow the playhead

  • List shows every note. The active card stays pinned to the top of the panel.
  • Replace shows only the note under the playhead (or the one you stepped to).
  • With Notes follow playhead on, the active note tracks playback automatically.
  • Turn follow off to browse: use up / down in List, or left / right in Replace, or click a card. Then + still splits at the actual playhead, not the note you are reading.

Settings

  • Show notes hides or shows the notes panel.
  • Notes follow playhead as above.
  • Show notes mode — List or Replace.
  • Highlight only the active block dims every section except the one under the playhead, while audio is playing.
  • Defaults restores those four options.

Focus mode

Use this when you are presenting. Most chrome fades away: titles, + Section, the ⋯ menu, markers, handles, timeline, recents, footer, and Help. Theme and Focus stay visible but dimmed. Transport stays usable, also dimmed.

Only the section under the playhead stays lit on the waveform and sections bar. Only the current note stays visible. This works even when paused. Click Focus mode again to bring everything back. Nothing moves — the layout stays put so the waveform does not jump.

Recent Projects

The last 10 projects you saved or loaded in this session appear here. Click a name to reopen it, or × to drop it from the list. Recents live in this tab only; keep a ZIP if you need the project later.

Theme

The moon / sun button switches light and dark. Waveform colors update with the theme.

Messages and windows

Short toasts appear at the top right to confirm actions or warn you (they dismiss on their own). Load Audio, Edit Section, Settings, and this Help window sit on top of the app until you close them — click Cancel / Close, or click the dimmed area outside the window.

Download the source at – https://github.com/petesteege/wave-presenter/tree/main