WaveSurfer

WaveSurfer is a straightforward utility which gives you the possibility of playing and making some modifications to audio tracks. It supports a bunch of file types, including WAV, MP3, RAW, AU and AIF.

This app does not come with a setup pack, so WaveSurfer is portable. It means that it can be saved to a USB flash drive or similar storage unit, and directly run on any computer.

More importantly, the Windows Registry does not receive new updates and no leftover files can be found on the hard drive after program removal. Also, you can carry WaveSurfer with you whenever you're on the go.

The interface of the application is based on a standard window and uncomplicated layout. Loading an audio track into the working environment can be done with the help of either the file browser or "drag and drop" function.

You can choose the configuration between demonstration, HTK, IPA, TIMIT or standard transcription, spectrogram, speech analysis, standard and n-waveforms, as well as standard mode; it can be set as default.

You can play and pause the respective sound file, enable looping mode, as well as transform it by converting the sample rate, sample encoding method and channel mode. You can amplify or normalize the volume, apply a fade in and out effect, adjust the echo levels and mix the channels. But it is also possible to invert or reverse sound, and to apply silence, aside from zooming in and out and selecting the master sound device.

From the Preferences screen you may tinker with the program settings concerning the pop-up menu event, maximum zoom-in level, default configuration, time display format, skin, input and output device, print and preview command, sound storage and temporary directory, just to name a few. These options may be restored to their default values.

The simple-to-use application needs a moderate quantity of CPU and system memory, has a good response time and is backed by user documentation. We have not come across any difficulties in our testing; WaveSurfer did not hang, crash or display error notifications. Although the application comes bundled with some advanced functions, these can be seamlessly discovered by less experienced users.