Wavepad 4.52 is FAR INFERIOR to old Wavepad 3.05

[wavepad fan]

I wrote another post a couple weeks ago about this. I've been forced to use Wavepad 4.52 for the past 2 weeks because 3.05 can't run on Windows 7 (and I don't have XP mode). Now I feel even more strongly about this. I can't believe NCH f-ed up Wavepad like this. It is such a shame.

 

Things that are WORSE now:

(1) On 4.52, Wavepad will usually only play the selected region ONCE, and then will jump back to the start of the file. WTF?

(2) Wavepad will often not play the entire selected region when you want to listen to it. It often stops a little short of the end. WTF?

(3) For some reason, after playing a little of the selected region, it plays a little chunk of the middle of the region. WTF?

(4) The equalizer will no longer remember your settings, so if you want to try tweaking an equalizer setting, you have to set it from scratch *each time*. Why, why, why? Also, it seems that the equalizer is less easy to click and drag than before... It feels significantly less precise.

(5) The equalizer automatically adjusts the volume after it equalizes, to keep the overall sound energy the same, I guess. Very undesirable if you're pasting together different sections with different equalizer settings, as *your ear* will perceive volume differences between the different sections. Maybe NCH decided to dumb down the equalizer at the expense of people who want to do serious sound editing. If they want to make a dumbed down version, they should make a separate product called "Wavepad Light" or "Wavepad Jr." or something, and not impair the functionality of Wavepad.

(6) The amplify function no longer lets you type in a precise integer value. You can only choose a multiple of 4 now using a click-and-drag slider. Also, the amplify function takes time to make its adjustments now, whereas in 3.05 it was instantaneous. That's not a big problem with small song files, but it could be a problem if you're editing a long file, like a movie soundtrack.

 

Version 3.05 was a serious editing tool which I loved. I wish NCH would bring it back and make it for Windows 7. Maybe they could call it "Wavepad Classic" and offer it as an alternative to the latest version. Or make Wavepad Classic an option that users can click on in the program, like how Yahoo Mail lets users switch back and forth between Yahoo Mail Classic and the new Yahoo Mail layout.

 

Are you reading this, NCH?