-
Where can I get the latest version?
- The latest version of GoldWave is available on the
GoldWave download page.
-
When will the next version be released?
- GoldWave Inc. does not announce potential software release dates.
Minor updates will likely be released throughout the year. Please
check on the
main website for updates.
-
How do I upgrade GoldWave?
- To upgrade GoldWave, download the latest
self-installing file and run it. Install it into your existing
GoldWave folder to replace all the older files. If upgrading from
a beta version, it is recommended that you uninstall the beta version first.
Otherwise it is best to install over the existing version so that all
your settings and presets are retained. Later you can safely
uninstall any
older versions listed under Add or Remove Programs in the Windows
Control Panel.
When upgrading from v5 to v6, settings and presets are not transferred automatically due to
potential incompatibilies. Use the Transfer Settings From v5 button on the GoldWave Setup
window to force settings to be transferred. GoldWave Setup can be found on the Windows Start menu.
-
What is GoldWave Infinity?
-
GoldWave Infinity is a new kind of app that is compatible with all modern mobile devices and computers.*
Technically it is a
Progressive Web App
and runs within a modern web browser.
However GoldWave Infinity does not require a network connection
or use remote servers once it is installed.
All recording and processing are done directly (locally) on your
computer or device. You retain full control of your audio.
Our goal is to have all of the features of the desktop version available in GoldWave Infinity
so you can enjoy the same experience across all your computers and devices!
-
Can GoldWave record tapes, vinyl records, or dictation and can it
remove background noise?
- You can use a stereo cable to connect your cassette player or
amplified turntable output to the Line-in socket on your computer.
For dictation, connect a microphone to the Mic socket. Once
connected, use GoldWave to record audio to your hard drive and
enhance/restore it. The Pop/Click and
Noise Reduction filters help clean noisy vinyl recordings. After
restoring the audio, use CD-R software to write the files to a
disc. For more information about recording audio, see
this link. For more information about
creating CDs, see this link. Also see Appendix D
in the manual (Help | Manual in GoldWave) for a step-by-step
tutorial explaining how to record and restore vinyl records.
-
Is GoldWave available on CD or in stores?
- GoldWave is available by
download
only. The file is under
20MB and takes only a few minutes to download.
Although you are welcome to make a backup copy on a CD, you can
always download a copy from the website when needed. Since upgrades
are free, it is best to download the latest version
rather than using an old CD or backup copy. Since there
is no real advantage to providing a CD, that option is
not offered.
-
What are the system requirements?
- The desktop version of GoldWave requires a 64 bit version of Windows 10 or later.
Older versions of Windows may not run recent versions of GoldWave,
but you can install version 6.80, version 5.70, or even version 4.26
on old systems.
GoldWave Infinity runs on all devices that support a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari).
-
Is GoldWave available for the Mac?
- GoldWave Infinity is available for the Mac. A modern web browser
is required. For similar native Mac software, please try these links:
-
Is GoldWave available for Linux?
- GoldWave Infinity is available for Linux. A modern web browser
is required.
-
Is GoldWave available for Android, iOS or other mobile devices?
- Short anwser: GoldWave Infinity is available for most mobile devices. Most web browsers from 2023 and later will support it and install it.
Long answer: In 2020 we released native versions of GoldWave for Android and iOS. During development it quickly became clear that
creating and maintaining apps for Google Play and the Apple App Store was absolute hell and excessively time consuming for a small company. How this development and distribution model has endured so long is perplexing until you realize that developers have no other options. If you want your software to be available to everyone, you have no choice but to support these horrible platforms. And being forced to host your software on these platforms, all internet traffic and revenue is channelled through these giant corporations, further entrenching them. It is a vicious cycle [seriously it is even worse than you'd believe]. So we said "No Thanks!"
Enter WebAssembly. With WebAssemble we were able to reuse most of our existing C++ code to create a portable version of GoldWave that ran locally on all major platforms. Instead of using a hacked up development environment that bridged the weird languages and APIs that Google and Apple forced on us, we could use open, consistent standards and free development tools. Development suddenly became vastly simpler and quicker. GoldWave Infinity now has almost all of the same functionality as the old native versions and even more in some cases.
So for those of you asking us to reconsider native support for Android and iOS, we are sorry, but no. Instead we ask that you help us
make GoldWave Infinity better with helpful feedback and suggestions.
-
Is GoldWave free?
- No. You can download
and try it for free, but you are required to
buy a license if you decide to
keep using it. The evaluation version expires after a certain amount of use.
-
What is the unlicensed usage counter in the status bar?
- The status bar counter gives you a good idea of how much you use
GoldWave. It keeps a running total of all the commands you have
used since installing GoldWave. The counter is completely removed
when GoldWave is licensed.
-
How do I buy GoldWave and how much does it cost?
- See the Buy Now page for details.
-
Is phone support available or can I buy by phone?
- Sorry, GoldWave Inc. currently does not provide phone support/purchasing.
For support options, see the Support page.
For purchasing options, see the Buy Now page.
-
How do I print waveforms?
- In Windows you can capture the active/top window by using the
Alt+Print Screen keys (near the F12 key). The window image
is copied to the clipboard. You can then start the Windows Paint
accessory and Paste the image for editing and printing.
In Windows 7 or later use the Snipping Tool to capture part of the
screen and save it to a file.
-
Where can I find more help?
- Most of the commands in GoldWave include a Help button.
You can use the Help | Contents menu command to find
additional information. A detailed manual is located under the
Help | Manual menu. If you've encountered a problem,
try the Troubleshooter. Also check
the forums. For books
on the subject, search on
Amazon.com for "computer audio
editing".
- Does GoldWave require administrator privileges?
- No. GoldWave works for basic users with minimal privileges. It is recommended
that GoldWave be installed by an administrator so that it can be installed
in the standard Program Files folder. However, it can be installed by a
basic user provided it is installed in a folder that the user has write access to
(basic users do not have write access to the Program Files folder).
When the program is installed
by the administrator, basic users will be prompted to install the default presets and
settings when they run the program for the first time. Elevated privileges are
not required to run the program.
-
How do I install GoldWave?
- Simply download the self-installing file
and run it. It will ask you where to install GoldWave and whether
or not to create shortcuts and menu items. If you need to work
with MP3 using older versions of GoldWave please note that the LAME
MP3 encoder may be required. If you have any trouble
installing GoldWave, try the
Troubleshooter.
Administrator privileges may be required on some
versions of Windows during installation to install it in the Program Files
folder. GoldWave does not require administrator privileges after it is installed.
-
How do I uninstall GoldWave?
- Use "Add or Remove Programs" under
Start | Settings | Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs,
then select the GoldWave item and choose the Remove button.
If you've upgraded GoldWave, there may be several entries. It
is safe to remove all older entries without affecting the current
version. If you are upgrading, it is best to
install the upgrade before
uninstalling the older version. That will retain your current settings.
-
How do I move GoldWave to a new computer?
- Download and install
the latest version of GoldWave on the new computer.
Enter your license into the program after it is installed.
Be sure to uninstall
GoldWave from the old computer.
To transfer settings and presets to a new computer, use
Start | Programs | GoldWave | GoldWave Setup and choose the
Backup Settings button on the old computer to save all settings to
a file on portable or network storage (USB drive, memory card, etc.).
If you backed up settings using v5, then you must install v5 on the new computer to restore the settings (v5 and
v6 store settings differently and are not compatible).
Use the Restore Settings button on the new computer to copy
the settings from that file. You must reselect the
playback,
recording,
and volume devices (press F11, Volume tab) in GoldWave to match
the new computer's hardware.
To copy settings from v5 to v6, use the Transfer Settings From v5 button in GoldWave Setup in v6.
-
How do I replace my lost copy of GoldWave?
- Download and install
the latest version of GoldWave.
Enter your license into the program after it is installed.
Your current license will work in the latest version. Use
this link
to request a copy of your license information.
-
What is the beta key?
- If you are unable to find the beta key, please do not install the beta. You are unqualified to
use it. If you contacted GoldWave Inc. requesting the beta key (despite being asked not to), you will be
directed here. The ability to read all instructions and follow them is a mandatory requirement for beta testers.
-
How do I change where GoldWave stores temporary files?
- By default, GoldWave uses the standard Windows temporary
folder to store audio while editing. Use the Options |
Storage command in GoldWave to change the Temporary folder
setting to a different hard drive and folder or use RAM instead.
-
How do I set up a foot pedal, foot switch, foot controller, or other USB HID devices and joysticks?
- GoldWave supports a number of foot controllers, such as the
VEC Infinity IN-USB-2
foot controller and the
Delcom USB HID "joystick" or
"programmable" foot switches. To set up foot control in GoldWave:
- Use Options | Control Properties (or press the F11 key)
- Select the Device tab
- In the "Joystick/foot controller" box, select "Foot pedal or buttons".
- Choose the Configure button to assign the pedals (or buttons).
-
Why do I get an "emulated driver" message during installation?
- GoldWave uses DirectX to play and record audio. If your
system does not have a DirectX compatible sound driver, Windows
will try to emulate DirectX functionality using your current
driver. This may cause stuttering or intermittent
playback/recording on some systems. It is best to upgrade your
sound driver to a DirectX compatible version. If one is not
available, you can increase the Latency setting in
GoldWave. To do that, use the Options | Control Properties
command (or press the F11 key), then select the Device tab, then
move the Latency fader to the right. Also see if any other
non-emulated playback devices are available in the drop down list.
-
Why do I get an error when installing the program?
- Your system may need updated sound or video drivers.
Try the Troubleshooter to find a solution.
You may have received an incomplete download. Try downloading another
copy.
An old version of GoldWave may still be running. Be sure to close
GoldWave before installing an update or try restarting your system.
You may need to log in as "administrator" or change the User Account Control
setting. GoldWave does not require administrator privileges after it
is installed.
-
How do I record for more than 60 seconds?
- When creating a new file (File | New), the default duration
is one minute. Select or enter a longer time in the Length
box in the New Sound window. If you do not know how long
recording will last, you can enable the Unbounded recording
option under the Control Record Properties (press the F11 key then
choose the Record tab). You should still specify an ample length when
creating the file, otherwise you will not be able to see recording
update past the initial length (even though recording will continue).
-
How do I record from the line-in or microphone? or
How do I adjust recording volumes?
- To record in GoldWave, you need to make some connections,
create a new file, select the recording input, adjust volumes,
then start recording. If you want to record
from a CD, use the Tool | CD Reader command instead.
Step 1
Connect the cassette deck, amplified turntable output, radio,
or other audio device to the computer's Line In socket (usually
blue). Or connect a microphone to the Mic In socket
(usually pink). Do not connect an line output
to the Mic In socket because that will cause distortion and may overload
the sound hardware.
Step 2
Use the File | New command to create a new file. For CD
quality recording, use stereo and a rate of 44100Hz. You can
enter the recording duration in the Length box.
Step 3
Once the file has been created, you need to select the
recording input on your computer and adjust the volume.
Windows Vista, 7, or later
- In GoldWave use Options | Control Properties or
press the F11 key.
- Choose the Device tab.
- In the Record area, select the device you want to record
(Line, Microphone, etc.). If the device isn't listed, make sure it is connected
and turned on.
- Use the Volume fader to adjust the volume level at any time.
- Optional: Use the Test button to test the device and adjust the volume.
Troubleshooting information related to Vista, 7, and later, can be found
here.
Windows XP or earlier (or DirectSound mode)
Method 1: Setting Volumes Using GoldWave
Use the Options | Control Properties command or
press the F11 key and choose the Volume tab. It
displays recording sources and volume levels. See the
help for more information. Select either the Line item or
the Microphone item, depending on the connection you
are using. Use the Monitor input option on the
Record tab to activate the visuals and level meters.
Method 2: Setting Volumes Using Windows
To start the Volume Control accessory, double click the
speaker icon in the Windows Start bar tray or choose
Start | Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Volume
Control. Follow these steps (see illustrations
below):
- Choose Options | Properties from the menu.
- In the Adjust volumes for rectangle, click
on Recording.
- Make sure that "Line" and "Microphone" (or other sources of
interest) are checked
in the Show the following volume controls list.
- Choose OK.
You should now see volume controls again, but these will
be for recording sources instead of playback. Each source
has a Select box. Check the box (5) for the source
you want to use and make sure that the volume is not at
the bottom (6). You should uncheck all other
Select boxes to prevent noise on those source from
being recorded.
Important! Make sure the volume controls title
changes to Recording Controls. If not, then you
must go back and follow the above steps.
If you find that the recording volume is too low or too high,
no matter how you set it, check to see if your sound card (or
external device) has a master recording volume control and adjust
that volume. In some cases, you may need to adjust the playback
volumes as well. Some sound cards feed the volume of the playback
into the recording, making it necessary to adjusting both
controls. To view the playback volume controls, right-click on the speaker icon
in the taskbar and select "Open Volume Mixer" or "Open Volume Control".
Step 4
Choose the red Record New button on the Control window or press
F9 to start recording. To record into an existing file use the Record Selection
button or Ctrl+F9.
-
How can I monitor or hear what is being recorded?
-
Warning! Be aware of potential feedback issues. If a microphone is placed too close to amplified speakers, feedback will occur,
resulting in poor recording quality or damaged equipment or hearing.
In recent versions of Windows (Vista, 7 or later)
To hear the live recording on your speakers or headphones (whatever the default Windows playback device is):
- Choose Control Properties from the Options menu in GoldWave.
- Choose the System tab.
- Choose the Configure button.
- Choose the Recording tab.
- Choose the recording device you are using in GoldWave.
- Choose the Properties button.
- Choose the "Listen" tab.
- Check the "Listen to this device" box.
A slight delay/latency in the playback may occur using this method. Some devices (not as common now) have a direct
analog connection between the recording input and the output. In that case you simply need
to unmute the input so that is passes directly to the output. This method is preferred (if available) since no latency occurs
and the recording device remains inactive.
- Choose Control Properties from the Options menu in GoldWave.
- Choose the System tab.
- Choose the Configure button.
- Choose the Playback tab.
- Choose the playback device you are using in GoldWave.
- Choose the Properties button.
- Choose the "Levels" tab.
- Unmute the input you want to hear. If no "Unmute" items are listed, this method is not supported by your computer.
Windows XP or earlier
If you are not using an external USB device, then use the Windows
Volume Control accessory under
Start | All Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Volume Control to make
sure the source you are recording is not muted. Some sound card drivers will mute
the input to prevent feedback whenever you start recording, so you may have to unmute
it again after recording starts.
If you are using a USB audio device for recording
and a sound card for playback, there is no direct audio
connection between the two. You'd need to connect speakers to the
USB audio device (if possible). Another alternative would be to
configure GoldWave to allow playback and recording at the same time.
Use Start | All Programs | GoldWave | GoldWave Setup and check the "Allow playback
while recording" box. After you start recording,
wait about a second, then start playback to hear what's being recorded.
One other option is to get a splitter cable so that the
audio output can be connected to separate speakers and the computer's input or the USB
audio input at the same time.
-
How can I record 24 bit and 192kHz quality?
- A 192kHz sampling rate for audio is
mostly a waste of space and may even lower quality.
See this article for details.
192kHz files will not sound better, will take much more storage space, and will be much slower
to process. Such a high rate only makes sense for special applications, such as recording
bat or dolphin ultrasound. Standard rates such as 44.1kHz and 48kHz are recommended. If you
require a different rate and the rate is supported by your hardware, you'll need to turn off "Shared"
quality and select "PCM 16 bit" or "PCM 24 bit" instead (explained below). Create a new file
with the sampling rate required, then use the "Record Selection" button (not the "Record New" button,
which uses the device's default rate).
To select 24 bit quality in GoldWave, choose Options | Control Properties
(or press F11), choose the Device tab, then set the Recording quality to "PCM 24 bit". Not
all devices support that quality, so you may get an error when trying to record. If so, try
"PCM 16 bit" instead.
-
How can I record on a laptop without a line-in? or
Why is the record volume always too high?
- A line-level output must be connected to the computer's line input (blue)
for best quality. If you connect a line-level output, such as headphone or stereo
RCA outputs, to the microphone input, that will
overload the microphone input, causing excessive
volume and distorted recording.
Some modern microphone inputs are dual purpose and can be configured
to accept a line-level or microphone-level signal. You may be prompted to select the purpose when you plug
something in or you may have to configure it under Control Panel. Some computer microphone inputs
are mono and cannot receive stereo audio.
If you have a laptop that does not have a line input, you will
need to purchase a USB audio device that has one.
When searching for similar device,
make sure it has a line input (sometimes light blue). Most have just a microphone input (sometimes pink).
-
How do I record Internet audio or the speaker output?
- In recent versions of Windows, select the "LOOPBACK" recording device in GoldWave.
If no loopback devices are listed, make sure that "Core Audio (WASAPI)" is selected by using
Options | Control Properties and selecting the System tab.
See "Recording Streaming Audio" in the GoldWave help for more information.
For Windows XP and earlier, select the "Stereo Mix",
"Wave", "Wave Out Mix", "What U Hear" or similarly labelled source or device
(the actual name depends on the sound card and driver).
Some computers do not have
any way of recording the audio directly. You will need to buy a short
stereo splitter cable to connect the speaker output (green)
to the Line-in (blue), then select
"Line" as the source (or device). Another alternative is to use a virtual sound driver like
Total Recorder.
Short Stereo Cable
Splitter Cable and Stereo Cable
GoldWave Infinity does not support loopback recording yet. You'd need to use an external USB audio device
that allows you to connect the output to the input.
-
Why isn't GoldWave listing my "Wave", "Stereo Mix", or "What You Hear"
recording device in Windows Vista/7?
- Vista/7 hides or disables recording devices such as
"Stereo Mix", "Wave", "Wave Out Mix", and "What You Hear" and some Vista/7 drivers do not
include them at all. Select an appropriate LOOPBACK recording device instead. See "Stream Recording"
in the GoldWave help index for more information.
-
How do I record phone calls?
- Unless you have a special sound card that has a phone jack (and
a phone source), you will need to purchase a
telephone recording adapter.
Connect the adapter to the Microphone socket (pink) on the sound card and
select "Microphone" as the source
(Caution: you may need to
connect to the Line socket, depending on the adapter).
Another alternative is to purchase a
USB telephone recorder, then select that device in GoldWave
for recording (press the F11 key, Device tab).
-
How do I select a different sound card for recording?
- Use the Options | Control Properties command (or press
the F11 key), select the Device tab, then select a different
recording device from the drop down list.
-
How do I record vocals over background music or
record and play at the same time?
- To record and play at the same time, such as playing music and recording
vocals, you need to use two files as follows:
- Open the music file.
- Create a new file for recording the vocals with a
length at least a few second longer than the music file.
- If you cannot hear the microphone input on your speakers,
set up monitoring for the microphone device.
- Select the correct recording source.
If your sound card has a "LOOPBACK", "Stereo Mix", "What U Hear", or
similar source that records whatever you hear on your
computer speakers/headphones, select that source. That
allows you to record both the music and the vocals at
the same time. If not, select the microphone source for
the vocals.
Tip: Use headphones to prevent echo and feedback
caused by the microphone picking up output from speakers.
- Start recording by clicking the red Record Selection button (or press Ctrl+F9).
- Click the mouse on the window containing the music and start
playback (press F4). You are now playing and recording at
the same time.
- If your sound card had a "LOOPBACK" source, you are done.
The window used for recording should contain a mix of both.
- If you used the microphone recording source, you will need
to copy the music and mix it with the recording after
recording is finished, as explained in the next few steps.
- Use Edit | Copy to copy the music.
- Click on the window containing the recording, then use
Edit | Mix.
- Adjust the start time and use the preview button to align the audio.
- Choose OK to mix the music.
To add commentary over music with automatic fading of the music, use Effect | Voice Over.
-
How can I avoid skips, gaps, and stuttering in recordings?
- The following suggestions may help:
- Select on the Device tab under
Options | Control Properties
and make sure you have the correct recording device selected
and that the device is not listed as "emulated".
- Defragment your hard disk.
- Restart your system before recording.
- Disable your virus scanner (temporarily).
- For long recordings, disable the screen saver and power management.
- If you have a large second hard drive, use
Options | Storage in GoldWave to set the Temporary
storage folder to that drive (such as D:\).
- Try switching between RAM and hard drive storage in GoldWave (use
Options | Storage).
- Contact the sound card manufacturer and request an updated driver.
- Disable or enable DMA or UDMA for the hard drive (BIOS setting).
- Set a fixed amount of "virtual memory" in Windows. Configure
the minimum and maximum virtual memory limits to 1GB, for example.
See the Windows Help for more information.
-
Why is Windows sluggish after a long recording?
- Some sound drivers are unstable and cause poor performance in Windows
when used for long periods of time. Restart your system and
install an updated driver to correct the problem.
-
Why is recording not working?
- Most recording problems are caused by setup problems or bad drivers.
Try the Troubleshooter to find a
solution. Also use the Test button in GoldWave, which is
located on the Device tab of the Control Properties window (press
the F11 key).
-
How do I open or create cda files?
- CDA files are artificially created by the Windows CD-ROM driver.
They do not exist on the CD itself. They are only 44 bytes in
size and do not contain any audio. They hold track times and
provide a file based mechanism for referring to specific tracks.
They make it possible to drag-and-drop a track for playback in
programs like Media Player.
To copy audio tracks from a CD in GoldWave, use the
Tool | CD Reader command. To
create audio tracks, separate CD-R software
is required.
-
How do I edit or convert iTunes?
- If your iTunes are in M4P format, then you must upgrade then to
iTunes Plus to change them into M4A files.
M4A files can be opened and converted in GoldWave (see the question below). You can use GoldWave's
File | Batch Processing command to convert your entire iTunes Plus library to any file type
that GoldWave supports.
-
Why do I get an error when opening FLAC files?
-
Some FLAC files may be corrupt or saved incorrectly. Use Options | Plug-in | File | FLACFile to allow GoldWave
to handle such files.
-
Does GoldWave support mp4, m4a,
mov, or aac files?
- Support for these file types depends on the version of Windows you have and the encoding contained in the file.
All these file types should open in GoldWave v6 on Windows 10. You may need to use File | Save As to save
the audio in a different format after editing.
GoldWave v5 supports these files provided you
have QuickTime installed. Files can be opened and
converted, but cannot be saved directly. Use File | Save As to save
in a different format.
Note that encrypted files (such as m4p) are copy protected and cannot be opened
(see the question above), but they can be upgraded in iTunes.
-
Does GoldWave support RealNetworks ra, ram,
or rm files?
- These files are created by
RealNetworks software.
RealNetworks has a strict license prohibiting the use of software
capable of converting files to other formats. Therefore GoldWave
cannot support these files. The only solution is to play the file
using RealNetworks' software and record the
sound output using GoldWave.
-
Does GoldWave support DSD files?
-
No. DSD audio
cannot be processed directly, therefore Goldwave will not support it directly.
Use other software to convert the DSD data to Wave PCM. Recent versions of GoldWave support
sampling rates up to 500kHz, which will handle the converted data.
-
Does GoldWave support MIDI files?
- GoldWave is a digital audio editor, but most MIDI files do not
contain any digital audio. They are like sheet music.
They only have information about how
to play music and not the music itself. Essentially, they contain
a set of instructions that determine what instrument should be
played, the pitch it should be played at, and when and how long it
should be played.
The audio for each instrument is actually
stored in your sound card hardware or synthesized by the computer,
which means that MIDI files do not need to hold any audio at all.
While MIDI files cannot be converted directly to digital audio,
they can be translated indirectly by MIDI players and by some MIDI
programs. You can play the file in Windows Media Player and
record the sound output in GoldWave.
-
Does GoldWave support Olympus DSS files?
- GoldWave does not support DSS files. Use the Olympus DSS Player software to
convert the file to Wave format.
-
Does GoldWave support Audible files?
- On May 24, 2004, GoldWave Inc. received a
"cease and desist" letter from Audible Inc. claiming that
information on this website was being used to circumvent copyright
protection under the
"Digital Millenium (sic) Copyright Act" and demanded
that all references to Audible be deleted.
Therefore all Audible information has been removed or censored.
GoldWave Inc. will not answer any questions or provide any support related
to that format.
GoldWave was never designed to decode Audible files specifically and contains absolutely no
code to circumvent DRM. Its ability to do so originated entirely and exclusively from the flawed
design of the Windows decoder developed and installed by Audible Inc.
For those unaffected by the DMCA wishing to transfer their legitimately purchased media to
a more convenient format, basic stream recording may be
an option.
-
How do I compress a sound file to save hard drive space?
- GoldWave supports many files types, such as
Ogg Vorbis, MP3,
Windows Media Audio,
FLAC, and others. Use the
File | Save As command
and select one of those file types. Different attributes will be
displayed depending on the type. In most cases, a kbps
number will be shown. Selecting attributes with a smaller
kbps value will give greater compression,
but lower quality.
Caution: If you intend to edit the
file later, do not save it in a compressed format. Quality is
lost each time a compressed file is opened and re-saved unless a
lossless format is used (such as FLAC, or WMA with Lossless
attributes).
-
How do I save files in MP3 format?
- To save and create MP3 files the LAME MP3 Encoder must be
installed. Recent versions of GoldWave include the encoder. Some older versions download it automatically if you
have an active Internet connection when you save the first MP3 file. However due to a change in the the web server,
older versions of GoldWave may not be able to download the encoder automatically.
To manually install LAME:
- Download the LAME_ENC.DLL encoder
- Copy the LAME_ENC.DLL file into your Documents folder. If you downloaded the 64 bit version, rename the file from LAME_ENC64.DLL to
LAME_ENC.DLL.
- Now when you try to save a file as MP3 in GoldWave, use the Browse button instead of the
Download button on the Encoder Download window to specify the folder where the
LAME_ENC.DLL file is located.
To save in MP3 format, use File | Save As and
select the MP3 type or ("MPEG Audio" for older version of GoldWave) and one of the listed MPEG attributes.
Use bitrates of 160kbps or higher and a sampling rate of 44100Hz for
high quality.
If you get an error message, make sure that the
LAME_ENC.DLL file is installed correctly.
Notes:
- See this link for additional information
about working with MP3 files.
- GoldWave supports only Layer 3 MPEG. It does not support
Layers 1 and 2.
- To save an MP3 file in CD compatible Wave format, see
this link.
-
Why do stereo MP3 files open as mono, silence, or noise?
- This is caused by an outdated or missing MP3 decoder module.
Make sure you have the latest version of
Media Player
installed on your computer. It includes the required MP3 decoder
used by GoldWave. If you are using the N or KN version of Windows, you'll need
to install the
Media Feature Pack.
-
Why do I get a "no codec" error when saving MP3 files?
- You must have a copy of the lame_enc.dll
file on your computer. See this link for more information.
-
Does GoldWave support mp3PRO files?
- GoldWave does not support mp3PRO files. Estimated demand for
a reasonably priced mp3PRO plug-in for GoldWave is less than the
minimum royalty
of $15,000 per year. However, third party developers who already pay
mp3PRO royalties are welcome to
create and sell an mp3PRO plug-in for GoldWave.
-
How do I recover a temporary (gw???.tmp) file?
- If a power failure or Windows crash occurs while using GoldWave, you may
be able to recover the temporary file provided you are not using
memory storage.
In GoldWave v6
Use Options | Storage to determine if Memory is selected (default). If it is, then
there are no temporary files. Everything is stored in memory and cannot be recovered. If
Hard drive is selected, then temporary files are stored in the folder indicated. See
the instructions for v5 below.
In GoldWave v5
Use the Options | Storage command to determine
the location of the temporary folder.
Use File | Open and browse to the folder to open the
gw???.tmp file in GoldWave. If the "File Format"
window appears, select the Raw file type and the "IEEE float signed 32
bit, little endian" attributes with either "mono" or
"stereo". Set the rate for the file (44100 for CD).
In GoldWave v4
Use the Options | File command to determine the
location of the temporary folder. Open the
gw???.tmp file in GoldWave. You'll need to
select the PCM format and the "16 bit signed" attributes
with either "mono" or "stereo". Set the rate for the file
(44100 for CD).
GoldWave Inc.
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