I use CLEAN
originally from Steinberg (the people who brought you Cubase and Nuendo[sic?]), now handled by Pinnacle. Provides the "silence removal" function you describe, and because it supports VST (natch!) plug-ins, you can add some really nice sound processors. Comes stock with all the pop, scratch, noise and rumble filters you'd expect for an LP cleanup utility (which is what it's target is), but also supports such niceties as 3-D expansion, an octave graphic Eq, compander, some sound effects (phase shift, reverb), and a stripped down version of Wave-lab. They even have a version with a pre-amp for a turntable.
jb4
shrub●bish (Am., from shrub + rubbish, after the derisive name for America's 43 president; 2003) n. 1. a form of nonsensical political doubletalk wherein the speaker attempts to defend the indefensible by lying, obfuscation, or otherwise misstating the facts; GIBBERISH. 2. any of a collection of utterances from America's putative 43rd president. cf. BULLSHIT