Sound Forge is a Windows audio editor from Boris FX for recording, editing, restoring and mastering audio. It works on one audio file at a time rather than arranging many tracks along a timeline. It sits beside a multitrack DAW or a video editor as a place to trim, repair, measure and export individual recordings. It is paid software, sold as a subscription or a perpetual licence, with a fully functional 15-day trial. Two editions exist: Sound Forge and Sound Forge Plus.
Waveform editing on a single file
Each open file appears in its own data window as a waveform. Editing works much like editing text: select a range, then cut, copy, paste or delete it. Zooming reaches the individual sample for the finest edits. WaveColor tints the waveform according to the sound’s pitch, character and saturation, so you can see these properties at a glance before playback.
By default Sound Forge edits destructively, changing the audio in the file itself. An event-based, non-destructive mode is also available. With the Event tool, you can place several audio events in one data window and adjust their edges and fades independently.
Events are kept only in a Sound Forge project file. A project points to the source audio instead of changing it and keeps undo history after saving. It becomes an ordinary media file only when you render it with Render As.
Effects and plug-in chains
The program includes the coreFX and essentialFX suites, a dynamic EQ and the Wave Hammer mastering processor, which narrows dynamic range to raise perceived loudness. You can add third-party VST2, VST3 and ARA plug-ins.
Several effects can run in sequence through the Plug-In Chainer. Effects process in the order shown. You can reorder them by dragging and bypass them individually. Preview auditions the whole chain without altering the file. You can save a complete chain as a preset. For reverb and delay, you can discard the effect tail or mix it into the following audio. You can also insert it so the rest of the file shifts later.
Restoration tools
Sound Forge includes dedicated repair effects for damaged recordings:
- DeHisser reduces steady, low-level hiss and hum from recordings, microphones, preamps or transformers.
- DeClicker/DeCrackler removes single clicks and pops, with a separate algorithm for the continuous crackle of worn vinyl.
- DeClipper repairs digital or analogue clipping by recalculating flattened peaks from the audio around them.
Recording up to 32 channels
Sound Forge records up to 32 channels at once with per-channel input routing, and edits multichannel files. Automatic record start begins a take when the input passes a volume threshold or at a scheduled time. A prerecord buffer keeps the moments just before the trigger so the opening of the sound is not lost.
Metering and loudness targets
The channel meters show peak and VU levels during playback. True Peak and loudness meters, a spectroscope and a phase scope with mono compatibility display are also available. Loudness metering, including a loudness range measurement of dynamic range, helps check a file against broadcast requirements such as the US CALM Act. For audiobook work, ACX Check tests whether a file meets the ACX submission standard. The program provides mastering presets for platforms including YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud.
Batch Converter and Instant Actions
The Batch Converter processes many files without opening each one. You can list files or a folder, build an effect chain, write metadata and mix an optional watermark into every output. Each job can render to several formats at once, such as WAV, MP3 and FLAC. You can also launch saved jobs from Instant Actions or the Windows Explorer context menu.
Instant Actions is a side window of one-click shortcuts grouped by task, from layouts and recording to cleaning, mastering presets and exports. Its editing scripts include Shorten Silence and Word Regions, which mark spoken passages as regions in recorded speech. Rendering runs in the background while editing continues.
Text to speech and CD mastering
A Text to Speech function processes typed text locally, turning it into narration in several languages and voices. For audio CDs, Sound Forge can display time in CD frames and snap edits to frame boundaries. It can also show track numbers and pauses, and burn a disc-at-once master suitable for replication.
Formats and video files
Sound Forge works with a wide range of audio formats, including WAV, AIFF, FLAC, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, W64 and DSF. It also opens video files such as MOV, MXF and MPEG and can render back to video. This lets you repair a soundtrack inside its container.
Extra tools in Sound Forge Plus
Sound Forge Plus contains everything in the standard edition and adds four processors:
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
| Melodyne Essential | Note-based pitch correction, timing adjustment and vocal analysis |
| Vandal | Amp, cabinet and microphone emulation with presets |
| VariVerb II | Reverb with selectable reverb types and presets |
| 3D Reverb | Spatial reverb for multichannel rooms |
