GoldWave* File Plug-in Options

Menu Command: Options | Plug-in | File | GoldWave*

The GoldWave* file plug-in is a built-in plug-in for handling many different file types.

Many file types are handled directly, but some are handled through external (operating system) decoders installed on the system. These system decoders may cause problems for raw file data or non-standard or unusual audio types. The options control when the decoders should be used and for what file types. DirectShow decoders were widely used in versions of Windows prior Windows 7. Media Foundation has replaced DirectShow as of Windows 7.

The MP3 encoding settings control how MP3 files are encoded. Usually these do not need to be changed.

Use the dither setting to mask quantization distortion caused by converting high quality audio to low quality 8 bit. A triangular dither masks the distortion with white noise. Keep in mind that 8 bit quality is inherently noisy, so the white noise is quite audible, but usually less distracting than quantization distortion. Dithering only affects the quality of the audio saved to the file. GoldWave maintains high quality audio internally, so it is never dithered even after saving. You must close and reopen the file from the drive to hear the 8 bit audio quality.