Waveform Cache

Loading a large ADM file the first time takes a while — Orbit needs to analyze the audio and generate waveform displays. To make subsequent opens faster, Orbit caches these waveforms to disk. The next time you open the same file, it loads almost instantly.

Where the cache lives

• In Preview Mode, the cache is written next to your source file as <name>.orbwave (for example mix.wav.orbwave; binary, compressed).
• In a Session, caches live inside the session bundle's Waveforms/ folder instead.
• ADM BWF and IAMF files are both cached.
• Each cache is tied to its source by a content fingerprint (file size plus a checksum of the start of the file), the cache format version and, outside sessions, the source's modification time. If the source changes, Orbit re-renders.

What’s cached

• The 7.1.4 waveforms (for both the virtual studio and your physical speaker positions), per-object and per-bed track waveforms, Ambisonics group waveforms, IAMF mix-presentation waveforms, and the peak data used for zooming.
• Cached waveforms reflect the ADM content at render time; mute/solo is applied live at playback, not cached.

Managing the cache

• Rebuild from the app: View → Rebuild Waveform & Peak Cache (⇧⌘R).
• Safe to delete: remove the .orbwave file next to your source file to force a rebuild on next load.
• Rebuild triggers automatically when the source changes or the cache is missing, invalid or from an older Orbit version.

Troubleshooting

• “Waveform unavailable” after load: ensure the ADM finished preparing; caches render at the end of import.
• If a cache looks stale, use View → Rebuild Waveform & Peak Cache (⇧⌘R), or delete the .orbwave file and reload the file.