You replied to a post from 2013...
I was recording from CD with record levels on older version; now have new version.
First... You shouldn't be "recording" CDs. You can read/extract the digital data (commonly called "ripping"). Ripping is faster and you can get the exact digital data repackaged as a WAV file. (Or you can save-as MP3, etc.) And most ripping applications will get the album/song/title/artwork information from the Internet and "tag" the files with that information. The data on an audio CD isn't formatted as regular computer file so it requires a special ripping application. (I use Exact Audio Copy or CueRipper, but GoldWave can also do it.)
With GoldWave you can use
Tool -> CD Reader.
Windows Media Player and iTunes can also rip CDs or
More CD rippers.
What is the conversion from old record levels, say, 8, or 9, or 10, to db?
Decibels are a relative/logarithmic measure. The fact that they are relative means you need a reference.
The 0dB reference for digital audio is 0dBFS (zero decibels full scale) which is essentially
the digital maximum* so digital dB levels are normally negative. 0dB is 100%, -6dB is 50% amplitude, -12dB is 25%, and -20dB is 10% (just some common values I happen to know).
If you try to go over 0dB you'll
clip (distort) your analog-to-digital converter (recording) or your digital-to-analog converter (playback), or the digital audio file/data itself can be clipped. (Nothing bad happens when you get
close to 0dB, only if you try to go over.)
Acoustic loudness is measured in dB SPL (sound pressure level). The 0dB SPL reference is approximately the quietest sound that can be heard so SPL levels are positive. There are other dB references for electrical signals, etc. There is usually no
calibration between digital levels and SPL levels because it depends on the volume control, amplifier, speakers, etc. But there is a
correlation... If you turn-down the digital level by -6dB, the acoustic loudness also goes down by -6dB.
* For example, with 16-bits you can "count" from -32,768 to +32,767. (If you want to count higher, it takes more bits.) If you have a 16-bit file that hits those values on the negative 7 positive peaks, your peaks are hitting 0dB. Normally, you don't see those raw numbers bu i if you go to to
Options -> Window -> Axis numbering you can change see 8-bit or 16-bit values on the waveform scale. Everything is automatically scaled during recording/playback so a 0dB 8-bit files plays as loud as a 0dB 24-bit file. Floating-point (which GoldWave uses internally) uses a different 0dB reference and floating-point audio data can go over 0dB.