GoldWave Manual

GoldWave Manual > Using GoldWave > Control Overview > Playing Sounds

Control Properties > Waveform Visual Properties Control Overview > Recording Sounds

Playing Sounds

After opening a sound (see File | Open), use one of the play buttons, such as Play All , to play it. Each button starts playback at a different place, which can be configured under the Play tab of the Control Properties window. Right-click on one of the play buttons to quickly change the settings.

To start playback at any point in the sound, click on the time line under the waveform in the Sound window or right-click on the waveform and choose the Play From Here command from the popup menu. You can right-click-and-drag to select a part of the sound to play as well.

While a sound is playing, it is displayed on the visuals. The current position is displayed in the Sound window as a moving vertical line on the waveform (playback marker). You can move the start and finish selection markers to the playback position by using the bracket keys, [ and ] or Edit | Selection | Move Start.... See Editing Overview for more information about changing the selection. You can set cue points by using the Ctrl+Q key or the Edit | Cue Point | Add Cue Point command.

To play part of a sound:

Use Open to open a sound.
Select the part of the sound to play.
Choose the Play Selection button.

To loop part of a sound:

Use Open to open a sound.
Select the part of the sound to loop.
Choose the Properties button in the Control window.
In the Play 2 area, check the Loop box.
Choose OK.
Choose the Play Selection button, which now has a loop indicator on it.

If you do not hear anything during playback, check the following:

Make sure the volume and balance faders in the Control window are set to full volume and center respectively.
Make sure the speakers or headphones are turned on.
Make sure the speakers or headphones are connected to the correct socket (green).
Double-check all connections.
Make sure the Windows system volume is not muted.
Make sure you see activity on the level meters and visuals in GoldWave. If not and the elapsed time is counting up, the sound contains silence.
Try selecting a different playback device.

Playback Errors

If an error occurs during playback, make sure the correct playback device selected and the audio hardware is capable of playing at the sampling rate and quality of the file.

Try the following:

Stop recording, if any file is recording.
If you are using an external USB audio device, make sure the device is plugged in and powered on before running GoldWave.
If the error occurs during effect previewing, the effect may have a problem. Process the effect and try playing it after processing completes.
Select a different playback device
Make sure your device has the latest OS updates.

If nothing helps, try playing a file in Windows Media Player to make sure playback is working on your computer.

Pausing Playback

While a sound is playing, pause it with the pause button. Remember to use either play or stop later. Pause freezes the visuals and the current position marker so you can see the shape of the sound in the visuals or move the selection markers.

Stopping Playback

Playback can be stopped immediately with the stop button. Note that recording is stopped using a different button.

Rewinding and Fast Forwarding

Use the rewind button or fast forward button to quickly move back and forward through the sound. The current position is displayed in the Sound window as a white, vertical line on the waveform. You can adjust the speed of rewind and fast forward with the Play tab of the Control Properties window, as described previously. When one of these buttons is used to start playback, the region played is determined by the Play 3 setting.

Control Properties > Waveform Visual Properties Control Overview > Recording Sounds