About

History

• First light 1992

  Waves was first-to-market with audio processing software for sound engineers and music producers. Back then, few experts believed that software could do the job of gear that lined the walls and equipment racks of ’90’s era sound studios. Most were skeptical that a software UI could replace the bright lights, sliders, switches, and big knobs. Then, Waves turned the industry on its head with the revolutionary Q10 Paragraphic equalizer. Q10, and the L1 Ultramaximizer plugin that followed, exceeded quality expectations and offered virtual UIs that opened up unimagined creative workflows.

• Fast-forward to 2007

  In a pivotal year for consumer electronics, Waves launched Maxx. Maxx began with a bold idea to port sound processing algorithms from the Waves professional audio suite to consumer devices. Starting with MaxxBass, Waves developed a comprehensive suite of audio solutions for consumer electronics manufacturers and chip makers. These solutions radically enhanced sound quality and optimized acoustic performance for the small, power efficient speakers systems found in devices like smartphones, laptops, TVs.

• A grand opening in 2009

  The Waves consumer electronics division opened its doors in the Bay Area with a mission to license and promote Maxx technologies.

• Industry accolades in 2011

  Waves was honored with a Technical GRAMMY Award® for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field.

• Finding voice in 2013

  Having established MaxxAudio as the leading output rendering suite in the industry, Waves brought the foundational algorithms for MaxxVoice to market including beamforming, noise reduction, and echo cancellation.

• 2016 brings technical innovation

  While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive ushered in a new era of virtual reality, Waves reached another major technical milestone with the launch of Nx 3D audio.

• 2019 and beyond

  Now, almost three decades since Q10, Waves technologies power enhanced audio and voice in millions of laptops, mobile phones, smart speakers, and more. Waves announced Nx Speakers at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Nx for Android mobile on earbuds featuring patented moving-reference technology launched in Summer 2020. Once again, Waves has set the stage to stun the skeptics and astonish the industry.