The Control window is the interface for playback and recording. On the bottom half of the window are visuals that display sound during playback and recording. On the top left area of the window is a standard set of audio controls, including , stop, , rewind, pause, and fast forward. A status visual is located just below these controls. In the top right area of the window are controls to set the playback device's volume, balance, and speed. A level visual is located just below these. Use the expander button on the far right to reveal some of these and other controls. A status visual is located to the right of these controls. A level visual is located in between or below. Volume and speed controls are located in the next row.

The Control window can be resized to change the size of the visuals or to hide them. Use the to rearrange the controls horizontally or vertically. Use the expander button on the far right to change the size of the window. Figure: Control Window
Play 1 Play 2 Play 3 Playback Controls Record Controls Properties Status Visual Level Visual Left Channel Visual Right Channel Visual

The desktop version of GoldWave refers to these settings as "properties". In the mobile version, they are referred to as "settings".

Use Control Properties to configure playback, recording, volumes, visuals, and devices. Settings are described in the following sections. After installing GoldWave, you should take a moment select the playback and recording devices under the Device tab and familiarize yourself with the settings under the Play and Record tabs. Figure: Control Properties
Control Properties

Play tab in or use the Properties button in the window. Playback in the menu.

Use Play Properties to configure the three play buttons, set the speed for , and set the time. Play button settings are given in the table.

Play Button Settings
Setting Image Button function
All All Plays entire sound.
Selection Selection Plays region between start and finish markers (the selected part of the file).
Unselected Unselected Plays regions outside the start and finish markers. This lets you quickly test how a cut or delete will sound without actually changing the sound. When possible, playback is confined to the region shown in the view so that the entire sound does not have to be played.
Continue Continue Continues playback from the current playback position and stops at the finish marker. If the position is past the finish marker, playback begins at the start marker.
Continue to end Continue to end Continues playback from the current playback position and stops at the end of the file.
View View Plays all of the sound currently shown in the view. This is useful if you zoomed in on part of the sound.
View to end View to end Starts playback at the left side of the sound currently shown in the view and continues playback to the end of the sound.
Finish All Plays three seconds just before the finish marker, so you can determine if that marker is in the right place without listening to the entire selection.
Intro/loop/end Intro/loop/end This is a special playback feature that plays the sound in three sections. The beginning of the sound, outside the selection, is played first. Then the selection is played and looped. Finally the end of the sound, outside the selection, is played. Be sure to check the Loop box below to enable looping. This is useful for musical accompaniment, looped instrument samples, or testing loop points.
Loop point Loop Point Starts playback just before the finish marker and loops back to the start marker and continues playing briefly. Use this setting to test the current selection markers for smooth loop points.
Loop Loop If checked, it specifies the number of times playback should be repeated. A value of 1 loops playback once, so the selection is played twice. A zero value loops forever. The loop image appears over the image of a button that has looping selected.


The playback speed of the Fast Forward and Rewind buttons is controlled by these values. A value of 1.00 is normal speed. Entering a value of 3.00 for Rewind speed, for example, means the Rewind button will play the sound backwards three times faster than normal. By entering small numbers (such as 0.1) the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons will play very slowly. This is useful for finding pops or clicks, since the visuals will move slowly through the audio.


Marker preview (scrubbing) plays a very short section of audio whenever a selection marker is moved. Preview duration specifies the amount of time to play just after the start marker or just before the finish marker. Setting the time to 0 disables previewing. Use the drop-down list to select when marker preview is triggered. By default previewing is done only when the marker is moved with the arrow keys. Select the second item to enable previewing after mouse dragging as well.

Record tab in or use the Properties button in the window. Record in the menu.

Record Properties contains all of the recording related settings and features. Use these to monitor the recording sources, start recording automatically when a sound is detected (, delay recording until a certain time (), and more.

To change the recording source or device, use the tab.

Recording Settings
Setting Description
Use new file duration Sets the duration for recording a new sound. See . If this box is unchecked, then a window appears when you choose the Record New Record New button so that the duration may be entered. If the box is checked, the duration given here is used for all new recordings and no window appears.
Dictation mode Allows you to quickly switch between recording and playback (Punch In/Out). The playback marker is moved to the recording marker whenever recording is stopped. Recording starts at the playback marker instead of the start marker. Use this feature to record dictation and rewind (or reposition the playback marker) and re-record to fix mistakes. Use the Record Dictation Record Dictate button to resume recording. This button replaces the Record Selection Record Selection button.

This setting overrides the Recording Mode to use recording and disables loop recording. New audio is recorded over the existing audio, replacing it.

Note that recording is stopped without warning when playback is started. Do not use this mode for live recordings that should not be interrupted.
Connects the recording source to the visuals so you can adjust volume levels before recording. Monitoring works only when the current sounds's sampling rate is compatible with the recording device or no sounds are opened.

See for information about selecting a different recording source and setting volumes.

To hear what is being recorded, enable Windows .
Ctrl key safety Prevents you from accidentally recording over a sound. To record, you must hold down the Ctrl key, otherwise a safety message appears.
Set finish marker at stop Automatically moves the finish marker to the place where recording stopped. This makes it easier to the file after recording.
Show settings window Displays an information window whenever recording is started. The window gives the current recording setup, including the recording device, the selected inputs, and other settings. Click on a label link to change the setup. Recording may be stopped when the setup is changed.
Automatically filters a dc offset from the audio during recording. Use this setting if you see a lot of activity on the low frequency bars and VU meters even when recording silence.
Automatically saves the file when recording ends. recording mode must be selected. If recording is manually stopped, the file is not automatically saved. Use this setting with the setting to save a recording after a scheduled event.

If you start recording in a new, untitled file, you will be prompted to provide a filename so that it can be saved under that name automatically. The is used for the file type and attributes.

If you start recording in an existing file, the original file will be overwritten when recording ends and recording cannot be undone.

Power down system Automatically turns off the computer after saving the recording. Use this setting with the and settings to shutdown the computer after a scheduled recording.

Record Mode
Setting Description
Records within the selection only. Recording stops automatically at the end of the selection. If you stop recording before the end is reached, the rest of the selection is replaced with silence. Use this setting to record for a fixed length of time.
Bounded and looped The is similar to the above setting, but recording restarts automatically when the end is reached and continues to record over and over until the Stop button is pressed. This is useful if you are trying to capture a sound but do not know when it might occur. By loop recording a 1 minute sound, you will always have the last minute of audio stored for recall.
Recording starts at the start marker's position and continues recording until all storage is exhausted or until you press the Record Stop button. The file size is increased automatically to hold the new audio. This is useful if you do not know how long the recording will be.

Delayed Recording
delays recording until the specified time and day of the week. Use this feature to automatically record something at a later time. The time is given in 24 hour time. A time of 06:00:00 is 6:00 AM and a time of 18:00:00 is 6:00 PM. 00:30:00 is 12:30 AM or 30 minutes past midnight. When entering the time, remember to include the seconds. Entering 18:00 means 00:18:00. You must press the Record button to activate the timer. To record for 35 minutes on Tuesday at 7:00 PM:

  1. Choose from the Options menu.
  2. Select the Device tab, then select the recording device you want to record.
  3. If you are using mode, select the Volume tab, then select the input you want to record.
  4. Adjust the recording volume as needed.
  5. Choose the Record tab.
  6. Check the Timer box.
  7. Enter 19:00:00 in the Time box.
  8. Select Tuesday from the Day drop down list.
  9. Make sure the Level activated box is not checked.
  10. Make sure the Bounded to selection Record mode is selected.
  11. Choose OK.
  12. Choose the Record New Record New button.
  13. Enter 35:00 for the Duration.
  14. Choose OK. The elapsed time should start counting down or show 99:99:99.9.

Remember to press the Record button to activate delayed recording (timer or level activated).

Turn off any power management settings that may power down the computer.

automatically synchronizing recording to a sound source or efficiently captures airport or police radio communications containing mostly silence that does not need to be recorded. It starts recording automatically when the sound source is above a given level and pauses recording when the sound is below the level.

Level Activated Settings
Setting Description
Threshold Specifies how loud a sound should be before recording begins. The value must be high enough so that noise does not trigger recording and low enough so that other sounds will. Start with a value around -20dB or record some background silence for several minutes to get a baseline and use effect to get the peak level and set the threshold value above that. Be sure to keep the device recording volume the same. Any changes to that volume will affect the threshold (other Windows program may change the recording volume).
Minimum duration Specifies how long to record after the sound becomes quiet again. Using a value of 3 allows recording to continue for three seconds after the sound goes below the specified threshold. To minimize silence, use a value of 1 second or less, but not zero. A zero value causes recording to continue without stopping once triggered.
Prebuffer Specifies the amount of audio to store prior to activation. When activation occurs, the prebuffer audio is inserted before the currently recorded audio, allowing you to hear the sound slightly before activation.
Time stamp cues Marks the date, time, and position of each recording activation with a cue point. Use the tool to view and edit cue points. Use the edit box to specify the format for the date (this is done using the C strftime function). Some format specifiers are given in the next table and examples in the following table.

Time Stamp Specifiers
Specifier Description
%a Short weekday (Sun, Mon, ... )
%A Weekday (Sunday, Monday, ... )
%b Short month (Jan, Feb, ... )
%B Month (January, February, ... )
%d Day of the month (01 to 31)
%H Hour in 24-hour clock (00 to 23)
%I Hour in 12-hour clock (01 to 12)
%m Numerical month (01 to 12)
%M Minutes (00 to 59)
%p "AM" or "PM"
%S Seconds (00 to 59)
%y 2 digit year (00 to 99)
%Y Year, all digits
%Z Time zone name

Time Stamp Specifiers Examples
Example Cue name generated
%d %b %y, %H:%M:%S 12 Jan 05, 14:23:56
Date: %A, %B %d, %Y. Time: %I:%M:%S%p Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2005. Time: 02:23:56PM
Today at %I:%M%p Today at 02:23PM
%Y-%m-%d at %H=%M=%S
(Easy to sort and safe for filenames) 		2005-01-12 at 14=23=56

Volume tab in or use the Properties button in the window.

Volume Properties is available only when using mode. Use it to adjust recording volumes and select or unselect recording sources. Make sure the Volume device selected is the same as the recording device selected in the tab (it is not matched automatically if more than one recording device is available).

A volume fader, edit box, and checkbox are shown for each source. To select a source, check the appropriate checkbox. If your sound card supports a master control, make sure that the Mute all setting is not checked and that the master volume is not zero.

You can use the Monitor input on visuals setting under the tab to activate the visuals without recording.

Note that volumes are changed instantly remain changed even if Cancel is used to close the Properties window.

To select a different recording device, use the tab.

Visual tab in or use the Properties button in the window. Visuals in the menu.

Use Visual Properties to configure real-time visuals. Up to 10 visuals may be active, depending on the number of channes in the file and the settings selected. The default settings show a status visual, a level visual, and two graph visuals for the left and right channels. The status visual is located at the upper left side. It displays elapsed time and playback and recording status. The level visual is located at the upper right side. It shows the current output or input as horizontal bar meters. The left and right graph visuals display audio in a variety of ways, as described in the table below.

Resize the window to make visuals larger or smaller.

Visual Settings
Setting Description
Visuals Sets the number of visuals to display. The 2 Mixed option combines into stereo. The center and low frequency channels are mixed in with the left and right channels. Usually each channel is graphed separately in each visual. Some visuals, such as the VU Meter or X-Y Graph may use more than one channel.
Sets the number of times per second that visuals are updated and drawn. A value of 60 or less gives good results. Use higher values to get an extra detailed spectrogram or envelope. The actual frame rate is limited by your system's processing power. Use a lower frame rate for older systems or when the Control window is large.
Status,
Level,
Channel... 		Use these drop down lists to select a visual for the status level, or channel graphs. Visuals are described in the below. The number of visuals shown is set by the Visuals setting above.

Some visuals have properties such as axes ranges, colours, display modes, etc. Use the Properties button to the right of the drop down list to set the properties.
Quick Select Menu Use this list to select your favourite visuals. The selected visuals appear in the popup menu when you right-click on a visual in the window.
See for more information about these settings. Minimum dB sets the lowest dB level that visuals will show.

Visual Description
3D Bars 3 dimensional logarithmic frequency 11 band bar graph.
Analog Meter Scaled amplitude needle meter.
Bars Logarithmic frequency 11 band bar graph, commonly found on stereo systems.
Blank Disables the visual and may improve performance on slower systems.
Blowing Inferno Fire coloured, double-sided spectrum graph.
Bulge Symmetrical, colourful frequency graph.
Envelope Amplitude envelope.
Spectrogram Coloured frequency spectrum, with time on the x-axis, frequency on the y-axis and colour as the magnitude. The colours, in increasing magnitude, are black, purple, blue, cyan, green, yellow, red, and white. A cyan point, for example, is higher magnitude than a blue point.
Spectrum Frequency analysis of the sound.
VU Meter Horizontal peak and current amplitude level meter.
Waterfall Flowing, coloured spectrogram.
Waveform Standard amplitude waveform, much like the level in a .
X-Y Graph The sound is plotted with the left channel against the right channel to generate Lissajous patterns. This is often used to see the phase difference between two equal frequency signals. If the left and right channels are in phase, the pattern is a diagonal line running from the lower left to the upper right. If the channels are 90 degrees out of phase, the pattern is a circle. For general stereo sounds, it looks like a crazy scribble. The larger the scribble, the larger the difference between the channels. Monaural sounds always show a diagonal line since the left and right data are the same.

Bulge displays a symmetrical frequency graph where higher magnitude frequencies are shown with taller lines and more intense colours. The magnitudes (heights) are drawn on a logarithmic scale.

Bulge Settings
Setting Description
Colour scale Sets the colour gradient for the graph.
Linear,
Logarithmic 		Sets the scale for the X axis. Use Linear to draw frequencies on a simple linear scale. Use Logarithmic to expand low end frequencies drawn in the center of the visual.
Slow fade Makes the graph fade out gradually while expanding it vertically.

Select one of the listed items to change the colour scale used to display the visual.

Colour scales are used by 3D Bar, which displays a three dimensional frequency bar graph, by Bulge, which displays a double mirrored colour frequency graph, and by Envelope, which displays an amplitude envelope graph.

Colour Scale Settings
Setting Description
Rainbow Uses a full colour gradient. From lowest to highest the colours are: black, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, white.
Cold Uses a white/blue gradient from gray to light blue.
Hot Uses a red/orange gradient from dark red to light orange.
Gray Uses a gray-scale gradient from dary gray to white.
Solid white Uses a solid white colour with no gradient.
Solid cyan Uses a solid cyan colour with no gradient.
Discrete rainbow Uses solid colours for different magnitude or amplitude levels. Changes from one level to the next are more distinct and easier to notice.
Blue Uses a blue gradient from dark blue to light blue.

Use Music Staff to transcribe music. It displays peak pitch information over time on a grand staff. The horizontal axis is time, the vertical axis is pitch (notes), and the colour intensity represents volume of the pitch, explained in Mode below.

This visual works best with simple, monotonic audio. More complex audio will be more difficult to read and it will take time to learn how to interpret the graph. Due to the logarithmic scale of the music staff and the linear scale of the FFT, higher pitches are resolved at much higher resolution than lower ones. Setting higher (13) may improve accuracy for low pitch tones. Use to raise the music by one octave to improve the resolution.

Use to stretch the music. Use filters to remove noises or other sounds or to boost a frequency range to make the visual clearer.

Use the to adjust the overall key of the music to shift the spectrum up or down to more closely align the grid/sharpes.

Music Staff Settings
Setting Description
BPM Sets the measure in beats-per-minute. A vertical line is draw at this interval.
Divisions Set the number of divisions within the beats-per-minute measure. Darker lines are drawn at this sub-interval.
Range
To 		Limits the frequency/pitch range to search. Any pitches outside the range are not shown. Use this setting to narrow down the range for vocals or a specific instrument.
Threshold Sets the minimum volume for the pitch to be detected. Any pitches with a volume below this level are not shown.
Mode Sets the graph mode.
  • Top 5 Peaks shows the highest peak in red (or orange for a sharp/flat note). Other peaks are shown grey-scale (or tinted yellow for sharps/flats) based on the volume relative to the highest peak. Peaks are adjusted to fit the closest note and are more distinct, making it easier to discern sharps.
  • Top 10 Peaks is the same as above, but shows more peaks.
  • Highest Peak is the same as above, but shows the highest peak only.
  • Spectrogram shows a gray-scale spectrogram on the staff, making it easier to follow the flow of notes. Sharps are shown with a tint of yellow. Due to limited resolution, bands of both white and yellow may show for a single pitch. The brightest, middle band is usually the correct one. Switch to one of the Peak modes above for a different view.

Spectrogram displays frequency information over time. The horizontal axis is time in seconds (s), the vertical axis is frequency in Hertz (Hz), and the colour represents the frequency's magnitude (dB). The louder a certain frequency is, the more intense its colour.

Spectrogram Settings
Setting Description
Automatic full frequency range Automatically sets the frequency (vertical) axis range to match the current sampling rate of the file. For a sampling rate of 44100Hz the range is set from 0 to 22050Hz (the Nyquist rate).
Fixed frequency range Allows the frequency (vertical) axis range to be set manually, giving more frequency detail within that range.
From (Hz),
To (Hz) 		Sets the frequency range when Fixed frequency range is selected.
Scroll speed Sets the number of vertical strips to draw , increasing the time resolution of the spectrogram.
Show axis Shows numbers on the horizontal and vertical axes and the colour scale legend at the bottom of the visual.
Gray-scale Uses a gray-scale gradient instead of colours.

Spectrum displays a simple frequency graph. The horizontal axis is frequency in Hertz (Hz) and the vertical axis is magnitude in decibels (dB).

Spectrum Settings
Setting Description
Automatic full frequency range Automatically sets the frequency (horizontal) axis range to match the current sampling rate of the file. For a sampling rate of 44100Hz the range is set from 0 to 22050Hz (the Nyquist rate).
Fixed frequency range Allows the frequency (horizontal) axis range to be set manually, giving more frequency detail within that range.
From (Hz),
To (Hz) 		Sets the frequency range when Fixed frequency range is selected.
Show axis Shows numbers on the horizontal and vertical axes.
Logarithmic Changes the frequency (horizontal) axis from linear to logarithmic.
Solid Fills the area under the spectrum graph with a solid colour.
Peak line Displays a red peak graph showing the highest magnitudes since playback or recording started. Use the button to reset the peak line the next playback or recording is started.
Average line, alpha Displays a yellow average graph showing an approximation of the average magnitudes since playback or recording started. It is not a true average, but a low pass filtered difference of magnitudes in time as follows:

M = alpha * Mprevious + (1 - alpha) * Mnew

Use alpha to change the rate at which the average changes. A value of 0.999 causes the average to change very slowly. A value of 0.800 causes it to change quickly.

Use the button to reset the average line the next playback or recording is started.

Status displays elapsed time and playback and recording status.

Status Setting
Setting Description
Display Changes the elapsed time format to show hours, minutes, or seconds.

Tone Meter plays a tone and displays a solid colour based on the peak amplitude of the waveform. This visual is designed for visually impared users to provide an auditory amplitude meter. playback quality must be selected to allow the visual to generate tones.

The properties include settings for four tiered tones. Each tone has a different trigger level, frequency, waveform, and colour. The value sets the upper limit to trigger the tone. The tone is used only if the peak amplitude is below or equal to the given level. If the peak is above that level, then a tone with a higher level is used. Each level must be higher than the previous level, so the trigger for level 2 must be greater than the trigger for level 1, etc.

Tones are played at a fixed interval. Tone interval changes the time between tones. By default a tone sounds once a second. Duration sets how long the tone plays. Volume changes the volume of the tone.

Sound tone only when Scroll Lock key is on provides a quick way to turn on and off the tone by using the Scroll Lock key on the keyboard as a toggle switch.

VU Meter displays the current peak of the waveform on a horizontal bar with a green to red gradient.

VU Meter Settings
Settings Description
Decay time Sets the amount of time it take for the meter to drop from peak maximum volume to nothing (silence).
Peak hold time Sets the amount of time the peak indicators (the vertical segments that stay on at the top level of the meter) remain at their peak positions before dropping back.
Show axis Shows decibel numbering on the meter.
Reset Clip Clears the red clip detection indicators on the far right of the meter. Clip indicators are automatically reset when playback or recording is restarted. They can be reset by clicking the mouse on them as well.

Waterfall displays a 3 dimensional color frequency graph. The horizontal axis is frequency in Hertz (Hz), the vertical axis is magnitude in decibels (dB). The upward scrolling of the graph is time.

Waterfall Settings
Setting Description
Automatic full frequency range Automatically sets the frequency (vertical) axis range to match the current sampling rate of the file. For a sampling rate of 44100Hz the range is set from 0 to 22050Hz (the Nyquist rate).
Fixed frequency range Allows the frequency (vertical) axis range to be set manually, giving more frequency detail within that range.
From (Hz),
To (Hz) 		Sets the frequency range when Fixed frequency range is selected.
Axis Shows numbers on the horizontal axis.
Grid Draws grid lines on the graph.
Fade Fades the graph as it scrolls to the back.
Logarithmic Changes the frequency (horizontal) axis from linear to logarithmic.
1 second dark transparent walls Draws a dim transparent rectangle every second, dividing the graph into 1 second sections.
Height (%) Changes the vertical height of the graph with respect to the height of the visual's window. A value of 50% makes the maximum, peak magnitude height half as high as the window.
Scroll angle Change the vertical scrolling angle. 90° scrolls straight up.

Waveform displays an amplitude versus time graph. X-Y Graph displays a left channel versus right channel graph.

Waveform Settings
Setting Description
Monochrome line Draws the graph in one colour with lines connecting the points.
Coloured points Draws the graph using coloured points in a green to red scale. The greater the amplitude, the more red the point.
Swap X and Y Switches the horizontal and vertical axes.
Slow fade Slowly fades from one graph frame to the next.
Grid Shows grid lines over the graph.

Device tab in or use the Properties button in the window.

Device Properties contains settings for playback recording, and joystick or pedal devices.

Playback and Record areas show the currently selected playback and recording devices. If more than one device is installed, you can select a different device from the drop down list. You can change playback and recording quality by selecting different from the Quality lists. Use PCM 16 bit quality unless your sound card supports higher bit depths. GoldWave takes exclusive control of the audio device unless you select quality. The Shared setting forces GoldWave to share the audio device with other programs using the sampling rate, channels, and resolution determined by the system. The system attributes are shown next to the "Quality" label. Use the Configure button on the tab to change the system properties of an audio device. Shared quality is not ideal for recording because it may not allow recording at the sampling rate of the file, resulting in resampling.

If you select a LOOPBACK device for recording, select Shared quality for best driver compatibility. See for more information about recording what you hear or Internet streams.

Use the Test buttons to perform a simple test of a device. When testing a playback device, you should hear audio on the speakers or headphones. If not, check the Windows volume settings or select a different playback device. When testing a recording device, you can determine the supported sampling rate and quality and adjust the volume level.

The Playback area has additional settings for latency and initialization. Latency controls the amount of audio stored before sending it to the device. Using a higher value may eliminate gaps and stutters on a slow system, but it increases the delay between changing effect settings and hearing those changes during previewing. Using lower values makes effect previewing more responsive, but may cause gaps and stutters if the system is too slow to process all the audio or emulated drivers are used. This setting does not apply to recording. initialization solves problems with certain drivers and plug-ins. Use this setting if GoldWave freezes when previewing an effect plug-in or if playback does not start properly in general. It begins playback on a separate processor without pausing or holding up the main program. This makes the interface seem more responsive when starting playback.

The Record area has a volume fader and mono settings. The Volume fader (not available in mode, use tab instead) adjusts the volume level for the device. You can adjust the volume anytime during recording. The Mono setting determines the input channel used when recording a mono file using a stereo device. Settings are given in the table below.

Mono Settings
Setting Description
Left channel only Uses audio on the left channel only.
Right channel only Uses audio on the right channel only.
Average light and right Takes the average amplited of both channels: (L+R)/2

The Attributes setting determines the sampling rate and number of channels used when starting a recording with the Record New button Record New.

Attributes Settings
Setting Description
Use device attributes The sampling rate and number of channels is determined by the device. Use this setting to avoid any conversions when recording. The audio data is captured directly from the device without further processing.
Use new file attributes The sampling rate and number of channels is determined by the values last entered into the command. Use this setting to always record mono or stereo or at a specific sampling rate when a recording device supports multiple channels or rates. Audio data is processed (resampled or mixed) to make it compatible with the attributes.

control allows playback and recording to be controlled using a game controller or a foot pedal. The first controller detected is used. The following table lists the modes of operation.

Joystick/Pedal Control
Mode Description
None Joystick/pedal control is disabled.
Foot pedal or buttons A foot pedal or game controller buttons controls playback. Use this for controlling playback in GoldWave while typing transcription in another program. If the pedal has more than one button, they can be assigned to rewind, fast forward, etc. by using the Configure button. GoldWave supports most USB HID devices with simple button inputs, such as the Infinity IN-USB-2 foot controller and most USB HID "joystick" or "programmable" foot switches, such as or .
Game controller The main directional pad controls playback. Left is rewind, right is fast forward, down is pause, and up unpauses. The first button (button 1 or A) starts or stops playback. The second button (button 2 or B) starts or stops recording.

Use the Configure button to configure foot pedal controls. Different brands of foot pedals use different switch combinations. After choosing the button, choose an action button to assign, then hold down the pedal for at least one second.

See Also: ,

Configure button in the Device tab via or via the Properties button in the window. "Foot pedal or buttons (HID)" must be selected for .

Use this window to assign the pedals or buttons to certain actions like playback, rewind, etc.

To assign a pedal, choose the action button to assign, such as Play, then hold the pedal to use for that action for at least 1 second. The pedal indicators turn red during this time, then turn green when the pedal is assigned. If you do not press a pedal within 5 seconds or you choose the action button again, then no pedal is assigned. More than one pedal can be pressed at a time to assign that combination of pedals to an action. If two actions use the same pedal or same combination, then precedence is determined by the order shown (the lower action is considered unassigned).

Foot Pedal Options
Option Description
Toggle Pressing and releasing the pedal starts the action. The action continues until the pedal is pressed and released again. The pedel does not have to be held the for the action to continue (reduces constant foot pressure and fatigue).
Hold The pedal must be pressed continuously to perform the action. When the pedal is released, the action stops.
Hold & skip back The pedal must be pressed continuously to perform the action. When the pedal is released, the playback marker is move back two seconds. Tapping the pedal skips back 2 seconds each time. Use this option for a single switch pedal. Only the Play action has this option.

The Skip actions skip backward or forward 2 seconds with each tap of the pedal.

See Also: ,

System tab in or use the Properties button in the window.

Use System Properties to change the audio interface used for playback and recording and list information about the system. This information can help locate problems with drivers, hardware, or the current setup.

GoldWave supports DirectSound and Core Audio/WASAPI. Core Audio/WASAPI is selected by default, but DirectSound may be used instead if playback or recording probles occur. DirectSound was discontinued in Windows Vista and no longer provides direct access to the audio hardware, so it is not recommended. Using WASAPI in exclusive mode is the only way to play or record audio directly through the sound hardware at the original sampling rate and quality of the file.

Choose the Configure button to display the system's audio configuration window.

Choose the Information button to gather information about installed playback and recording devices.

If a device is listed as disabled, disconnected, or not present:

After opening a sound (see ), use one of the play buttons, such as Play All All, to play it. Each button starts playback at a different place, which can be configured under the 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 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 . See for more information about changing the selection. You can set cue points by using the Ctrl+Q key or the command. To play part of a sound:

  1. Use to open a sound.
  2. the part of the sound to play.
  3. Choose the Play Selection Selection button.
To loop part of a sound:
  1. Use to open a sound.
  2. the part of the sound to loop.
  3. Choose the Properties button in the window.
  4. In the Play 2 area, check the Loop box.
  5. Choose OK.
  6. Choose the Play Selection button, which now has a loop indicator on it.

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

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:

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

While a sound is playing, pause it with the pause 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.

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

Use the rewind Rewind button or fast forward Fast button to quickly move back and forward through the sound. The current position is displayed in the as a white, vertical line on the waveform. You can adjust the speed of rewind and fast forward with the 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.

Most computers have more than one recording input, such as microphone or line-in. To select and adjust a recording input, use the tab (and the tab for mode) of the Control Properties window. To record what you hear (such as an Internet stream), see . Make all connections before running GoldWave. Otherwise some devices or sources may not be listed. To see the input before recording, use the setting under the tab of the Control Properties window.

Use the Record New Record New button to create a new file and start recording. The sampling rate and number of channels is determined by the Attributes setting in . Recording stops automatically when the duration has passed. If you stop recording earlier, the new file is trimmed to the length of the recording. Use the tab of the Control Properties window to set the default new file duration.

Use the Record Selection Record Selection button to record into an existing sound. Audio is recorded into the selection of the replacing any audio that was previously there. Recording stops automatically when the end of the selection is reached () or when no more storage is available (). You can stop recording at any time with the recording stop Record Stop button and the unrecorded part of the selection is filled with silence.

To record dictation and easily switch between playback and recording, check the Dictation mode setting on the tab of the Control Properties window. You can then use the Record Dictation Record Dictation button to resume recording from the current playback position.

Make sure you see activity on the horizontal while recording. The source volume should be adjusted so that it peaks in the orange or low red area, but not all the way. If there is no activity or the level is very low, change the input and/or volume or select a different recording device, explained below.

You can make room for recording in the current sound by using the command.

A recording pause Record Pause buttons appears in place of the record button so that you can pause and unpause recording.

Many recording settings are available in the tab of the Control Properties window. Right-click on the record button to quickly access some of these settings.

Remember to press the playback button on the cassette player, record player, or CD player when recording from an external device. See the for a tutorial.

If you want to record vocals over existing music, you'll need to use two files in GoldWave. You can record in one file while playing the other. After recording, the two files together.

For long recordings, turn off any power management settings that may power down or sleep the computer.

Streaming audio is audio that is playing on the computer, usually from the Internet. There are a few ways to recording streaming audio, depending on the computer and audio hardware.


Select a recording device in GoldWave. GoldWave lists a separate LOOPBACK recording device for every compatible playback device in the system.

The following conditions:



In mode, the streaming source is usually called "What You Hear", "Stereo Mix", "Wave Out", or something similar and that input can be selected on the tab of the window in GoldWave.

In mode, the streaming device is disabled by default (if present at all) and has to be manually enabled. Try using (above) before enabling the device.

To enabled a device:

  1. Choose the Configure button on the tab of the window, then choose the Recording tab.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the device list and select Show Disabled Devices.
  3. Right-click on the disabled device in the list and choose Enable. If no new devices appear, then the computer or sound driver does not support recording steaming audio and a loopback cable must be used.

After the device has been enabled, it can selected for recording on the tab of the window To hear what is being recorded or to avoid echoes or feedback, change the setting for the device in Windows. Turn off monitoring or mute the input to avoid feedback. Turn on monitoring or unmute the input to hear the audio as it records.

  1. Choose the Configure button on the tab of the window, then choose the Recording tab.
  2. Right-click on the recording device you are using and select Properties.
  3. Select the Listen tab.
  4. Check or uncheck the Listen to this device to turn monitoring on or off.

A recording input may be physically connected to the output, so check the following as well.

  1. Choose the Configure button on the tab of the window, then choose the Playback tab.
  2. Choose the playback device you are using.
  3. Choose the Properties button.
  4. Choose the Levels tab.
  5. Unmute or mute the inputs, as required.


If neither software loopback nor hardware loopback work, then a loopback or splitter cable from the speaker output to the line input is required. Splitter Cable

After connecting the cable, select the recording device in GoldWave. Make sure (above) is turned off to avoid feedback and echoes.

If an error occurs when recording, make sure the is selected in GoldWave and the audio hardware is capable of recording at the sampling rate and quality selected.

Try the following:

If your recording device does not support a sampling rate required, record at a supported rate, then use to convert it to the required rate.

If nothing helps, try recording in the Windows Sound Recorder accessory included with Windows (see Windows Help for details) to make sure recording is working on your computer.

Use the top volume fader to change the playback volume. Move the fader right or click the plus button to increase the volume. Move it left to decrease the volume. The current volume is shown numerically in a popup tip window to the left of the fader. A value of 100% is full volume.

Use the middle balance fader to change the left/right balance. Move the fader in the direction you want to shift the balance. Right-click on the fader to display a popup menu to quickly set the balance left, right, or center.

Note that these faders do not change the recording volume. See for more information.

The bottom speed fader changes the playback speed of the audio device. Move the fader right to increase the speed or left to decrease it. The relative speed is shown numerically to the left of the fader in a popup tip window. Right-click on the fader to display a popup menu to quickly set the speed to commonly used ratios. Note that changing the speed also changes the pitch like spinning a vinyl record faster or slower. To change the speed of the file, use the effect instead.