Plug-in Manual
Warning! This is a beta release and may be unstable. Not for production work.
Copyright © 2021 GoldWave® Inc.
April 2021
Do not upload or include this document on a website.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Setup
- Using VST Effects
- Limitations
- Revisions
GWVST allows GoldWave to use 32 and 64 bit VST effects (versions 1.0 to 2.4).
Note that VST Version 3 or later is not supported.
Effects must be selected before they can be used in GoldWave.
Use Options | Plug-in | Effect | GWVST to search and select VST effects.
- Choose the "Search For VST Plug-ins" button.
- Choose Add to add folders where VST effects are installed. VST developers
typically install VST files in their own folder under "C:\Program Files (x86)", such as:
- C:\Programs Files (x86)\Steinberg\VSTPlugins
- C:\Programs Files (x86)\Steinberg\Cubase\VSTPlugins
- C:\Programs Files (x86)\Nuendo\VSTPlugins
Make sure that only VST DLL files are stored in the folder.
Any non-VST DLL files will cause
program failure during the detection of VST effects. This is due to a design flaw in the
specification ('main' is used for the interface function, which is commonly used in many DLLs).
Check the Confirm before opening... box to manually confirm opening each VST during the search.
- Choose Begin Search to search the folders and find VST effects. All compatible VST effects
are listed. During this search, some effects may display windows. Close any windows
that appear so the search can continue.
- Check the boxes next to the VST effects you wish to use in GoldWave or
choose the All/None button to select them all.
- Choose OK and restart GoldWave to update the menus.
After setting up VST effects (as explained above), they appear in GoldWave under
the Effect | Plug-in | GWVST
menu. Use the Options | Toolbar
command to add buttons for these to the effects toolbar.
For more fluid displays and improved responsiveness, be sure to lower the Latency setting in GoldWave.
Use Options | Control Properties, choose the Device tab, then lower the Latency
to 0.1 or less if your system can still play glitch free audio. Use a higher latency if glitches, pops,
or distortion occurs on playback.
Many effects have their own user interface, which GoldWave displays in the VST Editor tab.
•GoldWave also displays a basic, accessible user interface on the Basic Parameters tab.
All VST settings are mapped to a 0.0 to 1.0 range (including on/off settings). The actual
value is shown in a read-only text box on the far right of each parameter.
Note that many effects are provided as demo/evaluation versions. Such effects often play
random tones or silences/dropouts during previewing or after processing. GoldWave is not
the source of these defects. You must install (or license) the full version of the VST
effect (contact the VST vendor, not GoldWave Inc.) to avoid the defects.
The performance and functionality of VST effects varies greatly, depending on the VST developer.
Common problems are listed below.
- Some effects trigger floating
point exceptions (such as division by zero). GoldWave attempts to ignore such errors when possible,
but in some cases the effect terminates. These errors are caused by bugs in the VST effects.
Please contact the VST developer to fix the problem.
- Some effects have meaningless, unused parameters.
- Some effect have inappropriate parameter names, values, or labels.
- Some effects have no presets (programs) or a set of empty presets or fail to use standard VST presets entirely.
- 2021/05/19 Fixed preset loading/saving issue.
- 2020/12/12 Renamed and added 64 bit VST support using a new 64 bit bridge.
- 2017/09/12 Fixed defect in processing quality.
- 2017/07/19 Added threaded processing for improved previewing.
Changed 'Confirm" default setting.
Fixed exception error when VST plug-in stalls in message loop.
- 2017/06/02 Fixed trailing silence.
- 2017/03/02 Fixed initial delay.
- 2016/06/28 Added plug-in list filter.
Added scroll bars for large VST GUIs.
Improved processing and reduced errors.
- 2016/05/06 Improved preview refresh. Fixed size problem.
- 2014/12/09 Updated icons.
- 2014/10/28 Created a cleaner configuration interface. Added confirmation setting.
Retained list of found VSTs even when not selected.
- 2014/10/08 Redesigned plug-in for 64 bit. Added 64 bit to 32 bit bridge.
- 2013/10/10 Fixed height problem.
- 2013/08/30 Added "Unsafe detection..." option for older VST plug-ins.
- 2013/01/23 Minor stability changes.
- 2012/01/19 Improved shellCategory support. Fixed several bugs loading and processing plug-ins.
- 2011/12/06 Added support for more plug-ins, including shellCategory. Improved keyboard navigation.
- 2011/03/02 Initial beta release.
GoldWave is a registered trademark of GoldWave Inc.
VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH