This section explains commands under the GoldWave's File menu. The section provides general information about how GoldWave handles files.

Use New to create a new sound with attributes you specify. These attributes are discussed in . Note that GoldWave allows you to create and edit sounds that may not be playable with your audio hardware. For CD quality, use stereo, with a sampling rate of 44100Hz. Several commonly used settings are provided in the list. Use the Initial file length box to specify the time length of the file (see ). You can alter the length later with the menu or .

To change the default save format shown in the status bar, see . To change the recording , see

Open presents a list of files in your sound folder. The sound folder can be set using the in the Options menu. All recognized file types are listed. After you select a file, a is opened and details about the sound are displayed in the status bar. See the section above if GoldWave could not open the file.

The section explains how the files are stored for editing. Depending on the size of the file, you may want to change the storage setting.

Open URL in the menu.

Use Open URL to enter the location of a remote file on a website to open. An active network connection is required. The file must have a finite duration. If a stream is opened, the program can never finish opening the file.

The URL is similar to a website address and must begin with the protocol, followed by the website, followed by the file's location, such as: 

http://www.somewhere.com/somefolder/somefile.mp3

Only enter URLs of trusted websites. Always be vigilant when accessing any remote content.

This command may not be present on unsupported systems or devices.

Recent in the menu.

This submenu lists recently used files. Select an item from the submenu to quickly reopen one of the files. Use Clear List or to clear the list.

Close in the menu.

Use Close to close the current sound. If any changes were made, you are asked to save them.

Close All in the menu.

Use Close All to close all sound windows. If any changes were made to any of the sounds, you are asked to save each one.

Information in the menu.

Use Information to assign or change text information stored in the file, such as artist, title, copyright, and date. Information is stored in certain file types only, such as .wav, .wma, .aiff, .ogg, .opus and .mp3. Some file types only store a subset of all the items given in the File Information window. Cover art is not supported in .wav files. There is no verification of the information entered. It is up to you how to use these items and to follow any guidelines required for a particular file type.

Do not replace artwork with high resolution photos from a camera! Such photos can easily exceed 3MB in size, which is excessive and completely unnecessary for artwork. Use image editing software (Windows Paint) to reduce the size and resolution of the photo. The artwork must be cropped square. A resolution of 300 by 300 pixels is recommended. The file size should be under 200KB when possible.

Any additional information and metadata within a file not shown in this window may not be preserved by GoldWave.

Use the Copy and Paste buttons to copy information from one file and paste it into another. Use the Clear button to erase all text and the artwork.

The section lists the file formats supported by GoldWave and the level of text information retained. Formats supporting unicode text allow international (non-latin) character sets to be used.

When using or when splitting a large file with , Track number can be set to ## (two pound signs). During processing or splitting, the pound signs are replaced with the sequential number of the file being processed or split.

The sound is saved in a file using its original name and type. If memory or disk space is low, the file may not be saved successfully. GoldWave will inform you if this happens. If Save fails, try deleting some unneeded files or close other applications. Make sure that the file is saved successfully before closing GoldWave, otherwise the changes will be lost. Note that audio from video and movie files cannot be saved. You must save those files in an "audio only" format. You will see the window if you need to save the file in a different type.

Cue points are saved only in certain file types. If you added cue points to a file that does not support them, you can use to save it in a different type or save them in a separate .

An option to confirm saving is available in in the Options menu.

Save As in the menu.

Use Save As to save a sound using a different filename, a different file type, or with a different number of channels. To save the sound using a different name:

  1. Choose Save As from the File menu.
  2. Type in the new name in the File name box.
  3. Choose Save.

Save As can be used to convert a sound to a compressed format, such as MP3, M4A/AAC, WMA, Ogg, etc. To save as MP3, select the "MP3 (*.mp3)" type and choose the Attributes button to select one of the many attributes. The smaller the (kbps number), the smaller the file will be. Note that quality may be reduced as well. To save as M4A (iTunes/AAC), select the "Media Foundations (*.m4a)" type. This option works only on versions of Windows that include the AAC encoder. To convert a sound to a different type:

  1. Choose Save As from the File menu.
  2. Select the type from the Save as type list box
  3. Choose to select specific attributes if required, then choose OK. If the attributes are not set, then common, default attributes are used.
  4. Choose Save.
To convert stereo to mono:
  1. Choose Save As from the File menu.
  2. Choose
  3. Choose "mono" attributes from the list. The attributes should have the same sampling rate as the original file.
  4. Choose OK to close the attributes list.
  5. Choose Save.

Use in the Options menu to assign a default format if you always prefer to use a specific file type and attributes.

The menu provides another way to save the sound in a different format.

Unless the number of channels or sampling rate has changed, GoldWave does not use the compressed audio data after saving. It continues to use the original audio stored in temporary storage. You must close and reopen the file in GoldWave (or play it in a separate program) to hear how the compressed audio sounds. It is strongly recommended that you listen to the compressed file before discarding the original to ensure its quality is acceptable.

The correct type must be selected from the type box. Typing in a different extension by hand for the filename does not convert the sound to the type associated with that extension.

Attributes button in the window.

The Select Audio Attributes window lists all combinations of attributes supported by a given file type. Use the Filters boxes to find the attributes required. Only attributes that match the filters are listed. The and sections explain the different kinds of attributes that may be listed.

An item in the list must be selected before choosing OK.

Use to save and quickly select commonly used attributes. Some presets are included for Wave, MP3, M4A, and FLAC files.

The Encoder Not Found window is displayed when attempting to save in MP3 format and an MPEG Layer-3 encoder cannot be found on the computer. If "ACM" attributes were selected, the Windows Audio Compression Manager (ACM) MPEG encoder must be installed. If it is not, download the LAME encoder and reselect attributes with "LAME" instead.

Choose Download to allow GoldWave to download the LAME encoder automatically. You must have an active Internet connection that does not require the use of a proxy server. Your firewall setup must allow GoldWave access to the network through HTTP.

Choose Browse if the encoder is already installed to provide the location of the encoder to GoldWave.

Choose Cancel to save the file in a different format.

For information about installing the LAME MP3 encoder manually, please see the . A separate patent license may be required to use the encoder. GoldWave Inc. does not provide a patent license.

Save All in the menu.

Save All saves all modified sounds. A confirmation window appears before all changes are saved.

Save Selection As in the menu.

Save Selection As saves the selected part of the sound to a file. Use this command to save parts of a large file. The window appears where you can specify the new filename, type, and attributes for the file.

Converted Save in the menu.

Use the Converted Save submenus to save the sound in different formats. The current format of the sound is not changed. Use to add or remove file types and attributes to the menu structure.

Edit Presets in the submenu.

Use this window to add presets to the submenu. To add a preset, select the file type first, then select the attributes, then enter a name for the preset in the Presets box and choose the add button. To remove a preset, select the file type, then select the preset from the Presets drop down list and choose the remove button. See for more information and using presets. Refer to the and sections for more information about attributes.

Batch Processing in the menu.

Batch Processing is a powerful tool for processing and converting a set of files automatically.

Use Batch Processing to:

Each tab contains settings to configure edits and effects, conversions, destination folder, and file information. These are explained below.

When everything is configured, you can use the controls to save all the settings, then choose the Begin button to start processing all the files. A status window will appear showing the progress and listing any errors that occur.

Files are processed one at a time in the order they are listed. Each file is processed as follows:

  1. The file is opened (if not currently opened) and decompressed or decoded into GoldWave's internal audio format. Memory or hard drive storage is used depending on the setting.
  2. Effects and editing commands are executed in the order they appear on the Process tab.
  3. File information is changed based on the settings on the Information tab.
  4. The file is converted, compressed, or encoded into the file type and attributes specified on the Convert tab and saved in the destination folder specified on the Destination tab.
  5. The original file is overwritten or deleted only if that option is selected on the Destination tab.

To process raw files that GoldWave cannot open automatically, such as .vox or .pcm, use to add a default format for that type.


Use these controls to specify files to process. Select Current Sound window to process the currently active opened in GoldWave. Only items on the Process tab are applied. No other changes are made. The file is not converted and the information is not changed. Select All Sound windows to process all opened Sound windows in GoldWave in the same manner.

Select Files and folders to create a list of files to process. Add files with the Add Files button or drag-and-drop a group of files from Windows Explorer. Add an entire folder (including subfolders) or all the files in a folder of a specific type by using the Add Folder button. Remove items from the list by selecting one or more of them and choosing the Remove button. The Clear button removes all files and folders from the list.


To apply effects or edits to a group of files, use this tab to add a set of effects, edits, or chains to the list. If no effect processing is required, remove all effects by using the Clear button on this tab. To remove a single effect from the list, select the effect and use the Remove button. To change the order of processing, drag-and-drop items within the list or use the Up or Down button.

To add an effect, use the Add Effect button to display a tree list of all effects available and their presets. Select the preset you want to use. If you require custom effect settings, you must create new presets for the effect outside of Batch Processing. To do that, open a file, display the effect window, adjust the settings, then . Chains may be added by using the Add Chain button. Effects and chains are performed on the entire file by default. To perform them on part of the file only, add an edit to set the selection first (see the fade in/out example below).

To add an edit, use the Add Edit button. The Set Marker/Selection edit command sets the part of the file (the ) to use for all subsequent effects and edits during processing. The selection can be specified using time, percent, or cue point names or indexes. If using the Cue option to set the selection, the first cue point matching the given name is used. If a number is given, cue points are searched for a name matching the number. If no such cue point is found, then the number is used as an index in the list of cue points. So if the number 6 is given, for example, a cue point with the name "6" is searched for first. If that name isn't found, then the sixth cue point is used. The Quick selection drop down list contains many examples of selection settings.

To change settings for an edit or effect, remove it, add a new one with the correct settings, then drag-and-drop it to the correct position in the process list (if necessary). If you require effect settings that are not available in any of the current presets, open a file and use the menu or the tool to create a new preset or chain with the settings you require prior to using Batch Processing.

To add or edit a comment, either double click a line in the process list or select a line and press the Ctrl+N key. If you are changing or adding a comment to an existing preset, be sure to update the preset by choosing the preset Add Add button.

Process Example
You have hundreds of songs and want to create a 10 second sample file for each song, with the beginning faded in, the end faded out, and the volume maximized. To set up that processing requires adding eight edits and effects, as explained below.

After performing all these steps, the process list will contain eight edit and effect items. Use the Convert and Destination tabs to set the file type and destination folder for the 10 second sample files (so the original files are not overwritten). Add all the songs in the Source tab and begin processing.

To use clipboard related edit commands, it may be necessary to open a file and copy it prior to using Batch Processing. For example, to paste or mix an announcement at the beginning of many files, first open the file containing the announcement, use , then use Batch Processing and add a Paste or Mix edit command to the Process list.


If the Convert files to this format box is checked, then files are converted to the format specified on this tab. Otherwise no conversion is performed and a processed file will have the same format as the original file, if possible. If the same format cannot be used, then an error is reported.

Use the Save as type drop down list to select the destination format for the conversion, then use the Attributes drop down list to select the specific attributes to use for the destination type. If a save type supports customized attributes, use the Custom button to display a configuration window.

If the attributes allow any sampling rate to be used, you can specify the destination rate to use by checking the Rate box and entering the rate in the box. Some attributes have a fixed rate, so a separate rate cannot be specified for those. If no rate conversion is needed, make sure the Rate box is not checked. In that case, a processed file will have the same rate as the original file.


To stored all processed files in the folder where they currently reside, select Store all files in their original folder.

To store all processed files in a specific folder, select Store all files in this folder and specify a folder in the box provided. You can click on the folder button to browse for a folder.

When adding an entire folder with subfolders by using the Add Folder button, select Preserve subfolder structure to ensure that the relative subfolders are maintained when storing processed files in a different destination folder. If this item is not checked, all files are stored in the destination folder and no subfolders are created. Folders listed in the file list will have double backslashes. The part before the double backslashes will be replaced by the destination folder. For example, if the destination folder is C:\Folder1\ and the added folder (with subfolders included) is C:\Source1\Source2\, then the file list may look something like this: 

 C:\Source1\Source2\*.* C:\Source1\Source2\\Source3\*.* C:\Source1\Source2\\Source4\*.* C:\Source1\Source2\\Source4\Source5\*.*

Note the double backslashes. The destination folders will be: 

 C:\Folder1\*.* C:\Folder1\Source3\*.* C:\Folder1\Source4\*.* C:\Folder1\Source4\Source5\*.*

Taking the last item, the folder is divided into three parts with the following colour coding: the original source root folders, the subfolders, and the pattern.
C:\Source1\Source2\\Source4\Source5\*.*
The destination folder is:
C:\Folder1\
The original source folders are replaced by the destination folder to give:
C:\Folder1\Source4\Source5\*.*

Using the Add Folder button more than once when preserving subfolders is not recommended unless you fully understand how the source folder, subfolders, and destination folder are manipulated.

To overwrite any files having the same name and folder as the processed file, check the Overwrite existing files checkbox. GoldWave fully processes original files before overwriting them. Check the Only if older than the original checkbox to process and overwrite files that have not been processed or modified recently. Files are processed only if the destination file does not exist already or if the destination file is older than the original file. Selecting the Delete original files checkbox removes the original files after processing. Note the warning below.

Overwriting or deleting original files is not recommended. Processing such as MP3 and iTunes M4A reduces the quality. Always keep a copy of the high quality original files.

Use Create log file to save the processing details shown in the progress window to a text log file that can be viewed and searched later (in the Notepad accessory, for example).


Use this tab to control how information is processed. See .

Information Tab Settings
Setting Description
Retain current text information Keeps the file's current information unchanged.
Replace text information Replaces all of the information with new information provided using the Set Info button. Any blank entries are removed from the file.
Replace specified text information only Replaces the information with new information provided using the Set Info button. Blank entries are not removed or changed, except the Title. GoldWave uses the file's name as the Title text when a file currently has no Title.
Remove text information Removes all text information from the processed file. The Title is not set.
Remove text information and pictures Removes text, cover art, and other pictures.

If the Track number is set to ##, GoldWave replaces it with a sequential number based on the order in which the files are processed. The first processed file will have a track number of 01, then the next file will have 02, etc. If the Title is left blank and the file does not have a title, GoldWave sets it to the file's name.

Depending on the settings used, all processed files may have exactly the same information (except for ## track numbering and title mentioned above), so care must be taken when specifying file specific information such as the Title. Also note that not all file types can store information.

When retaining information and converting to a different file type, some information from the old file type may not be valid for the new file type. GoldWave does not verify any information, so care must be taken when retaining information while converting.

Add Folder button on the tab of window.

Use this window to add an entire folder or file type to Batch Processing list.

Enter the folder path in the Folder box or use the folder button to browse for a folder.

Specify the file type in the Type filter box. To add all files in the folder, select the *.* item from the drop down list. To add Wave files only, select the *.wav item. To add MP3 files, select *.mp3. Other unlisted items can be entered manually, such as *.abc.

Use the Include all subfolders checkbox to include all subfolders within the given folder. The entire tree of subfolders will be added to the list for processing. Use the Preserve subfolder structure checkbox on the tab of Batch Processing to maintain the relative subfolder structure when storing processed files.

Add Edit button on the tab of window.

Use this window to add edit commands to Batch Processing list. Supported commands are listed in the Edit command listbox. Additional settings may appear in the Settings area when a command is selected. Some commands do not have any additional settings. To add edits and/or change the selection:

  1. Select the edit command from the Edit command list.
  2. Enter settings, if any.
  3. Choose the Add button.
  4. Repeat the above steps to add more edit commands.
  5. Choose Close to close the window.

When changing the selection, use the Quick settings drop down list to see examples of selections. If using the Cue option, the first cue point matching the given name is used. If a number is given, cue points are searched for a name matching the number. If no such cue point is found, then the number is used as an index in the list of cue points. So if the number 6 is given, for example, a cue point with the name "6" is searched for first. If that name isn't found, then the sixth cue point is used.

For more information about each command, look up the command in the .

See Also: ,

Add Effect button on the of window.

Use this window to add an effect to the Batch Processing list. The tree list shows all plug-in modules. To add GoldWave effects:

  1. Expand the GoldWave* branch to list all built-in effects.
  2. Select and expand the an effect branch under the GoldWave* branch to list all presets available for that effect.
  3. Select one of the presets.
  4. Choose the Add button.
  5. Repeat the above steps to add more effects.
  6. Choose Close to close the window.

To use effect settings that are not available in any of the current presets, open a file and use the effect to create a new preset with the settings you need.

To select an effect from a different plug-in module, scroll down the list and select the module name to expand its branch.

To use the effect on part of the file only, add an to set the selection first.

See Also: , , ,

Add Logic button on the of window.

Use this window to add logic to the Batch Processing list. Construct a logic statement or add labels by using the drop-down list boxes and edit boxes. See the tables below for details. To add logic to skip mono files:

  1. Select "If value of" from the first box.
  2. Select "channels" from the second box.
  3. Select "is equal to" from the third box.
  4. Select "parameter" from the fourth box.
  5. Enter 1 in the edit box below the parameter.
  6. Select "cancel processing this file" from the fifth box.
  7. Choose the Add button.
  8. Choose Close to close the window.
To add logic to paste the clipboard enough times to fill at least 5 minutes:
  1. Select "Label" from the first box.
  2. Enter "Loop" for the label in the right edit box.
  3. Choose the Add button.
  4. Choose Close to close the window.
  5. Choose the button to add a Paste command.
  6. Choose the Add Logic button.
  7. Select "If value of" from the first box.
  8. Select "file length" from the second box.
  9. Select "is less than" from the third box.
  10. Select "parameter" from the fourth box.
  11. Enter 5:00 in the edit box below the parameter.
  12. Select "goto" from the fifth box.
  13. Enter "Loop" in the edit below below "goto".
  14. Choose the Add button.
  15. Choose Close to close the window.
Logic Statements
Statements Description
None Use this statement to unconditionally change the flow of processing by performing a .
Labels are used by the goto to skip ahead or loop back to a specific point in the processing list.
If value of Compares the value of two parameters using the selected comparison operator. Parameters are listed below.
Parameters Description
channels The number of channels in file. This would be 1 for mono, 2 for stereo, 6 for 5.1 surround sound, etc.
sampling rate The sampling rate of the file, such as 44100, 96000, etc.
start marker The position of the start marker in time, such as 00:12.34.
finish marker The position of the finish marker in time, such as 1:23.45.
selection length The duration of the selection.
file length The duration of the entire file.
clipboard length The duration of the audio in the clipboard.
file number The sequential number of the file being processed. The first file processed is 1, the second is 2, the third is 3, etc. Use If value of file number is equal to parameter with parameter set to 1 to do a command for the first file. Or use If value of file number is equal to file count to perform a command for the last file.
file count The total number of files being processed.
parameter Allows you to enter any value for the parameter in the box below this drop-down list.
Command Description
goto Skips ahead or loops back to the given label in the processing list. Enter the label in the box below this drop-down list. Use the statement to add a label in the list.
cancel processing this file Stops processing the current file and starts processing the next file.
error Stop processing and displays an error message. Enter the message in the box below this drop-down list.
terminate all processing Stops all processing. Processing of the current file is stopped and no other files are processed.

See Also: , , ,

Batch Processing on the command line uses presets, so the first step is to use to create a preset that does the processing required.

The -process command line parameter starts GoldWave in Batch Processing mode and processes files given on the . The basic syntax is as follows: 

 "C:\Program Files\GoldWave\GoldWave.exe" -process[:preset] <filespec> [<filespec> ...]

If no preset is specified, then the default (previous) settings are used. The filespec can specify a single file or contain wildcard characters (* and ?). Quotes are required if the filespec contains any spaces. Other parameters include -proclog:filename to set a log file, -region:start,length to set the initial selection for processing, and -clipboard:filename to set the initial contents of the edit clipboard, and -outfolder:pathname to set the destination folder.

To convert all Wave files to MP3 on the command line, for example, first use the Batch Processing command to create a with conversion set to the "MPEG Audio" file type and save that preset as "MP3". On the command line, enter the following parameters: 

 -process:MP3 "C:\My Music\*.wav"

If the preset name contains spaces, use quotes around the entire parameter: 

 "-process:Trim and convert" "C:\My Music\*.wav"

To include all subfolders when processing, include the -subfolders command line parameter: 

 -process:MP3 "C:\My Music\*.wav" -subfolders

Make sure all folder settings under the tab are set appropriately in the preset before using this parameter and specify the absolute pathname of the folder (do not use relative pathnames). To specify a different destination folder than the one contained in the preset, include the -outfolder command line parameter. The Preserve subfolder structure setting must be set in the preset if the hierarchy is to be preserved. Quotes must be used around the entire parameter if spaces are used: 

 "-outfolder:C:\My Music\Batch Destination"

During processing the progress windows is displayed in minimized form, usually just above the Windows Start button. Double-click on it to open it to monitor processing. If no errors occur, the window will disappear and GoldWave will close automatically. Otherwise the progress window opens so that errors can be viewed. To use a log file instead, so that GoldWave always closes regardless of errors, use the -proclog command line parameter to specify the name of the log file: 

 -proclog:filename
Quotes are required around the entire parameter if the filename contains spaces: 
 "-proclog:C:\Log Files\Batch.log"

All messages and errors are appended to the log file in unicode (UTF-16). If you do not require a log file, but still need GoldWave to always close, use nul as the filename: 

 -proclog:nul

To process many commands in a single instance, store the list of command lines in a text file and use the @ symbol to specify that file in the process parameter. For example: 

 "C:\Program Files\GoldWave\GoldWave.exe" -process@batch.txt -proclog:batch.log

If a log file is specified, it will be used by default for all command lines in the list file. A different log file may be specified within the list file too.

Each command line must be stored on a single line in the list file. Do not break a command line across multiple lines. A list file would look like this: 

 -process:Trim *.wav -region:10.0,30.0 "-process:Convert to MP3" "C:\My Music\iTunes\*.m4a" -subfolders -proclog:itunes.log "-process:Match Volumes -18dB" *.wav

Exit in the menu.

Exit closes all Sound windows then closes GoldWave. Any playback or recording is stopped. You are asked to save any changed files.