If you need to edit audio files, clean them up and apply special effects, this editor can do the job
WavePad is an audio editor that runs in all versions of Windows from 32-bit XP up to 64-bit Windows 10. Aimed at both home users and professionals, it can be used to edit music files and podcasts, to clean up tracks converted from old vinyl records and to mix your own music.
It's fairly cheap too, with the Standard Edition costing just over £20, and the Master’s Edition around £33. The difference is not in the software or the features, but the more expensive version comes with VST plug-in support and a sound effects library. There are numerous VST plug-ins available for audio editors, and they add a wide range of extra features and functions. It gives WavePad almost unlimited capabilities.
On test here is the Standard Edition without the extensions or SFX library. The software has a good range of functions and is a step up from free software like Audacity.
All the basic editing functions you need. You can load multiple audio files, and cut, copy and paste whole files or selected sections. Audio can be mixed when pasting, so you could mix a spoken or sung voice track with a music backing track. Files can be inserted at the cursor point, the start or end. Silence can be trimmed from the start or end, and fade in and out can be applied. The volume can be increased or decreased, and the level can be normalised. Audio tracks can be split into two or more files at any point, such as at the cursor, at bookmarks you place in the track, or wherever there's silence.
There are many special effects, such as echo, reverb, phaser, flanger, tremolo, vibrato and more. It's possible to remove the voice from a music track with a couple of mouse clicks, leaving just the music. You could make your own karaoke tracks or mix a different voice with the music. The speed of the audio track can be increased or decreased, but it goes further than this: the speed can be changed with or without affecting the pitch, so you can make it faster without the pitch rising, for example.
Clean-up tools include noise reduction, which is useful for enhancing poor audio recordings. There are several options, such as noise gate, auto spectral subtraction, click-and-pop removal and so on.
WavePad has an interface that makes all these tools easy to use. It's modern, and it places nearly all the functions you need on a ribbon toolbar. There are home, edit, levels, effects, tools and other tabs. When using a tool or effect, the controls are easy to use, and there are often preset settings to choose from or sensible defaults.
It seemed quick, although I was running it on a Core i7 with 8GB of RAM, which might have something to do with it. It also seemed a bit easier to use than Audacity, and there are more effects and functions. Definitely recommended. Roland Waddilove
Feature-rich and great to use.