Comparing GoldWave vs. Audacity: Which Audio Editor Wins?

Top 10 GoldWave Plugins and Settings for Cleaner Sound

Cleaning up audio in GoldWave is straightforward when you pair the right plugins with focused settings. Below are ten essential plugins (including built-in effects and third-party tools) plus specific settings and usage tips to help you achieve clearer, more professional-sounding audio.

1. Noise Reduction (built-in)

• Purpose: Remove steady background hiss or hum.
• Settings:
  • Capture Noise Profile: select a silent portion (1–3 seconds).
  • Strength: 30–60% (start lower to avoid artifacts).
  • Sensitivity: 10–25.
  • Smoothing: 3–6.
• Tip: Preview in small segments; reduce Strength if audio sounds “watery.”

2. Click and Crackle Removal (built-in)

• Purpose: Eliminate transient clicks, pops, and vinyl artifacts.
• Settings:
  • Click Sensitivity: low to medium for voice, medium to high for old records.
  • Window Size: 1–3 ms.
• Tip: Use on a duplicate track so you can compare before/after.

3. Equalizer (Graphic/Parametric)

• Purpose: Shape tonal balance and remove rumble or harshness.
• Settings:
  • High-pass filter: 80–120 Hz to remove rumble (voices); 40–60 Hz for full music.
  • Low-mid cut: 200–500 Hz (-2 to -4 dB) to reduce muddiness.
  • Presence boost: 3–6 kHz (+1.5 to +3 dB) for clarity on vocals.
  • Sibilance management: reduce 6–8 kHz slightly if harsh.
• Tip: Make subtle changes and A/B test.

4. De-Esser (plugin or use EQ narrow cut)

• Purpose: Reduce sibilant “s” and “sh” sounds in vocals.
• Settings:
  • Frequency: 4–8 kHz (adjust per voice).
  • Threshold: -20 to -12 dB.
  • Reduction: 2–6 dB.
• Tip: If GoldWave lacks a dedicated de-esser, use a narrow-band EQ cut automated or applied selectively.

5. Compressor

• Purpose: Even out dynamic range for more consistent volume.
• Settings:
  • Threshold: -18 to -12 dB for spoken word; lower for soft recordings.
  • Ratio: 2:1 to 4:1 (voice), 3:1 for music.
  • Attack: 5–20 ms.
  • Release: 100–300 ms.
  • Makeup Gain: adjust to match original perceived loudness.
• Tip: Use gentle compression and soft knee to avoid pumping.

6. Limiter

• Purpose: Prevent clipping and control peaks.
• Settings:
  • Ceiling: -0.5 to -0.1 dB.
  • Release: 50–200 ms.
• Tip: Place after compression; use sparingly to preserve transients.

7. Noise Gate

• Purpose: Remove low-level noise between phrases.
• Settings:
  • Threshold: -40 to -60 dB (depending on noise floor).
  • Attack: 1–10 ms.
  • Hold: 50–200 ms.
  • Release: 50–200 ms.
• Tip: Use sidechain or manual gating for complex material to avoid cutting syllables.

8. Spectral Editing (Visual tools)

• Purpose: Visually identify and remove isolated noises (clicks, breaths, pops).
• Settings/Workflow:
  • Zoom into spectrogram, select offending frequencies/time slices, attenuate or replace.
• Tip: Work at high zoom and small selections for precise removal.

9. Restoration Suite (third-party VSTs)

• Purpose: Advanced removal of hum, broadband noise, and interferences.
• Recommended types: De-hum (⁄₆₀ Hz), broadband denoiser, and adaptive noise reduction.
• Settings: Follow plugin presets then fine-tune attack, release, and reduction amount.
• Tip: Use restored audio as the base and apply lighter built-in effects afterward.

10. Stereo Imaging / Mono Compatibility Check

• Purpose: Ensure clarity in stereo field and that important elements remain clear in mono.
• Settings/Workflow:
  • Check phase correlation and mono-sum occasionally.
  • Narrow low frequencies to mono (below ~200–300 Hz).
• Tip: Collapse to mono to test vocal clarity and fix phase issues early.

Quick Workflow (Recommended Order)

1. Duplicate original file (keep backup).
2. Spectral edit for obvious clicks/pops.
3. Remove hum and steady noise (De-hum, Noise Reduction).
4. Click/Crackle removal.
5. Equalize (HPF, remove mud, gentle presence boost).
6. De-essing.
7. Compression, then Limiting.
8. Noise Gate to clean gaps.
9. Stereo imaging and mono check.
10. Final normalize and export.

Export Settings

• Format: WAV for masters (44.1 or 48 kHz, ⁄₂₄-bit).
• Bit depth: 24-bit for more headroom during processing; dither when reducing to 16-bit.
• MP3: 192–320 kbps for lossy distribution.

Final Tips

• Always work on copies and use ear-based A/B testing.
• Make subtle adjustments; aggressive settings introduce artifacts.
• Reference a clean commercial track to match tonal balance and loudness.

If you want, I can create a ready-to-use GoldWave effect chain file with these settings for voice or music—tell me which.