Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 663)

Waveforms are displayed in the audio tabs of the Viewer.
Waveforms for a stereo
pair of audio items
You can also view waveforms in the Timeline, but you need to explicitly turn them on
(see
“Displaying Waveforms in the Timeline” ).
Viewing waveforms should not take precedence over listening to audio tracks during
playback. When you’re making editorial decisions, the waveform display is no substitute
for your own ear.
For example, even though a particular frame of a waveform may look like a good place
to cut into a drumbeat or a spoken word, the only way you’ll know for sure is to play
through the clip and listen carefully. Setting your edit points even a few frames too early
or too late can make a big difference, and it’s time-consuming to zoom in to and out of
a waveform display repeatedly to see a high level of detail.
663 Chapter 43 Audio Editing Basics