GoldWave v5.60 Beta Released

Announcements for latest GoldWave updates
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GoldWave Inc.
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GoldWave v5.60 Beta Released

Post by GoldWave Inc. »

Beta Version

This is a beta version of GoldWave, which means more testing is required before it can be used for production work. Do not install this version if you require a stable version of GoldWave. Do not contact GoldWave Inc. for the beta key. Please read below.

New Features
  • Playback/Recording
    This version of GoldWave contains significant changes to the playback and recording code. By default, the new Windows Vista/7 Core Audio/WASAPI is used. Previous versions of GoldWave used DirectX (DirectSound) for all audio input and output. However DirectX has been the source of many problems and has been deprecated on Windows Vista/7 where it no longer provides direct access to the audio hardware. DirectSound support is still included as an option in GoldWave and is used by default for Windows 2000/XP.
  • Media Foundation
    This version of GoldWave uses the new Media Foundation in Windows 7 to access system decoders to handle a wider range of audio and video files. Previous versions of GoldWave used DirectShow to access system decoders. That functionality has not been removed but it is used only if Media Foundation is unable to open a file or on older versions of Windows that do no have Media Foundation.
  • iTunes M4A
    GoldWave can now open and save iTunes M4A files through Media Foundation on Windows 7. Currently there appears to be a flaw in the way Media Foundation handles cover art metadata. Although cover art can be read from a file, any attempt to write cover art results in all metadata being wiped from the file. To avoid this problem, GoldWave only writes text metadata. Cover art cannot be saved in an M4A file for now.
  • Covert Art
    Cover art is shown under File | Information. Click on the image to replace the artwork with another image.
  • Open URL
    A new File | Open URL command has been added to open a file directly from a website using Media Foundation on Window 7.
  • Window Layering
    In previous versions of GoldWave, windows and dialogs could appear on top of other applications. Changes have been made to avoid that. However further testing is needed to ensure that windows and dialogs appear correctly on top of GoldWave's Main window and not behind it, which would make the program appear frozen.
  • VST
    The first beta version of the VST plug-in is included. However, there appear to be numerous stability issues with VST plug-ins. Many plug-ins violate the VST specification in a variety of ways and the specification itself has issues.
What Needs Testing
  • Playback and Recording
    Make sure you have the latest sound driver from the manufacturer! Using the "Update Driver" button in Windows is not a reliable way to get the latest driver. If you don't know how to obtain and install the latest driver, please do not install the beta.
  • M4A open and save
    Cover art will not be supported until Microsoft fixes Media Foundation or at least provides sufficient documentation to explain how to write cover art to a new file without destroying all text metadata.
  • Open URL
  • Window layering
  • Stereo Center effect
  • General overall testing and anything else mentioned in the WhatsNew.txt file
Installation

Download link:(link expired) (5.4MB)
To install the beta version, you must enter a beta key. It is "bt-11". You understand and accept the risks of using this beta software. You are prohibited from posting, e-mailing, or communicating the beta key in any way. You must direct any users to this page so they can read about the risks before installing the software.
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