Following the success of Waves’ Curves Equator, the resonance suppression plugin, and the first in the “Curves” series presenting an evolution in EQ technology, Waves Audio, the world’s leading developer of professional audio signal processing technologies and plugins, is now shipping Curves AQ, the world’s first autonomous EQ plugin.
Unlike other “smart EQ” offerings which rely on a rigid “take-it-or-leave-it” preset curve with extremely limited adjustment & control, Curves AQ breaks boundaries with its generative AI Spectral Targeting Technology.
The Curves AQ plugin is cognitive — just click “Learn,” and it does your EQ work for you, significantly improving your overall sound quality and accelerating your mixing workflow.
AQ’s Neural Network analyzes your audio, determines its ideal sound profile and creates five unique curves for you to choose from. These are not presets, but original spectral curves tailored to the natural qualities of your audio, whether it’s vocals, instruments or full mixes.
The white curve on the plugin represents the sound destination, referred to as the ‘Spectral Target.’ Adjusting the Spectral Target resembles working with a regular EQ; however, the adjustment modifies the EQ’s destination, and the processing adapts accordingly to get you there.
Next, AQ offers reimagined and powerful EQ controls to personalize and perfect your sound and tweak it to your taste, including:
- “Boosts & Cuts” AQ refines your sound to adapt to the “Spectral Target” through boost & cut processing. Adjustments on either boosting or cutting can be made globally or per band.
- “Static / Dynamic Slider” AQ offers static and dynamic EQ, giving you the flexibility to work entirely statically, dynamically, or with a mix of both.
- “Smart Tilt” reshapes the spectral target with powerful tonal adjustments, while “Offset” shifts the target curve along the X-axis, repositioning the fundamental frequency and harmonics for creative effects.
- “MixSense – EQ in Context” AQ resolves frequency clashes between tracks. By sidechaining any audio and turning on MixSense, AQ adjusts its processing to resolve only conflicting frequencies between two parts.
- “Adaptive Mode” AQ works straight out-of-the-box even without the “Learn” function, providing dynamic balancing using a flat spectral target, with adjustable processing via the main knob.
- “4 Frequency Anchors” With each instruments “Learn”, the Neural Network creates 4 anchors tailored to the frequency spectrum of your track, to control the low end, fundamental, harmonics & air of your track.
- “Traditional EQ” For those who like to work “old-school”, AQ offers the ability to add nodes on the Spectral Target, shape Qs and add HP & LP filtering.
For live performances, Curves AQ LIVE offers zero-latency processing with the same capabilities as Curves AQ.
Waves Curves AQ Features:
- AI-powered EQ – you click learn, AQ does the rest
- Creates five unique EQ profiles you can choose from
- MixSense – AQ adjusts processing to resolve mix conflicts
- Adjusts boosting and cutting, globally & per band
- Includes Curves AQ LIVE – zero-latency version
- Uses generative AI technology to create original target curves
- Offers five reimagined EQ controls for full control over your sound
- Control amount of static EQ vs. dynamic EQ, or any combination
- Smart Tilt control for overall tonal balancing
- Offset feature adjusts curve along X-axis, changing focal point of processing
Curves AQ is included in the Waves Mercury bundle. It has also been added to the Waves Ultimate plugin subscription, which includes the comprehensive Waves plugin catalog (over 240 plugins) as monthly or annual subscriptions.
Videos:
- “Introducing Waves CURVES AQ: The World’s First Autonomous EQ”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOCTMrO3nbc
- “QUICK Start with CURVES AQ: Hear it in Action!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C10SahGWr00
About Waves Audio Ltd.:
Waves is the world’s leading developer of audio DSP solutions for music production, recording, mixing, mastering, sound design, post-production, live sound, broadcast, commercial and consumer electronics audio markets. Since its start in the early ‘90s, Waves has developed a comprehensive line of over 250 audio plugins and numerous hardware devices. For its accomplishments, Waves received a Technical GRAMMY® Award in 2011; an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy® Award for its Waves Clarity Vx Pro plugin in 2023; and a 2024 NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity Award for its Clarity Vx DeReverb Pro plugin. Additionally, its early flagship plugin, the Q10 equalizer, was selected as an inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame.
