Waves Stream

Real-time remote audio collaboration

at industry-leading quality

User Guide
 Introduction
Thank you for choosing Waves Stream, a real-time audio listening tool designed for peer-to-peer remote collaboration.
To quickly get yourself up to speed, please take a moment to read this user guide.
Waves Stream is available through a Waves Creative Access plugin subscription or a subscription that’s specific to
Waves Stream. Before you sign up for a subscription, you’ll need a free Waves Account. If you’ve ever purchased a
Waves product, you likely already have an account. If not, click on the icon in the upper-right corner of any Waves web
page and go from there. Then, visit the Creative Access web page or use Waves Central to start and manage a
subscription.
We suggest that you become familiar with the Waves Support pages. There, you’ll find technical articles about
installation, troubleshooting, specifications, and more. Plus, you’ll find company contact information.

Contents
WHAT IS WAVES STREAM?.............................................................................................................................................. 3
Waves Stream Components ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Views ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3
ESTABLISHING AN AUDIO STREAM ................................................................................................................................ 4
Waves Stream Send Plugin: Create a Stream ................................................................................................................. 4
Waves Stream Send Controls ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Codec and Latency .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
LISTENING TO AN AUDIO STREAM ................................................................................................................................. 9
Option One: Listen Through a DAW Using the Waves Stream Receive Plugin ............................................................... 9
Waves Stream Receive Controls ............................................................................................................................... 10
Option Two: Listen With a Web Browser ....................................................................................................................... 13
TROUBLESHOOTING AND FAQS ................................................................................................................................... 15
Setup ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15
Internet........................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Troubleshooting Tips ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
Operation ....................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Security .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19

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 What is Waves Stream?
Waves Stream lets you stream high-quality audio between collaborators, no matter their locations. Any mix element,
whether a full mix or a buss or a channel, can be streamed from a DAW or NLE (the Sender) to another DAW or to a web
browser (the Listener). 1 The Waves Stream Send plugin is used to initiate the stream. If the listener is using the Waves
Stream Receive plugin, they can listen through the DAW, enabling studio-to-studio streaming. They can also listen via a
web browser, so that an engineer, artist, or producer can check a mix—on any device in any listening environment—or
send it to others. Combining a Waves proprietary adaptive codec and a peer-to-peer connection, Waves Stream
delivers the highest quality audio with the lowest latency that your internet connection can provide.
To start streaming, click the Power button on the Send plugin. When streaming starts, the plugin creates a unique
stream link that is copied to your clipboard. Send this link to the listener. To listen through a web browser—on a
phone, a tablet, or a computer—the listener simply clicks the link to open the default browser and the Waves Stream
player. To listen to the stream in a DAW, paste the link into the box at the top of the Waves Stream Receive plugin.
That’s it.
The Mic feature lets the sender talk to the listener. Any track that has been sidechained to the plugin can be controlled
directly from the Waves Stream interface. There is no need to control separate busses. Waves Stream is compatible
with almost every DAW or NLE. Click here for an up-to-date list of supported hosts and system requirements.

Waves Stream Components

• Waves Stream Send (mono or stereo)
• Waves Stream Receive (mono or stereo)

Views
You can view the Waves Stream plugins in Dark mode or Bright mode. Click on the Dark/Bright toggle
in the upper-right corner to switch between modes.

1
For the sake of brevity, throughout this user guide we write “DAW” to mean “DAW or NLE.”
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 Establishing an Audio Stream
The Waves Stream Send plugin is used to create a stream, whether it will be listened to with a DAW or a web browser.
Using the Waves Stream Send and Receive plugins to listen through a DAW requires a Waves Stream license. To listen
through the Waves Stream web app, you don’t need a license. Click here to learn about subscription options.

Waves Stream Send Plugin: Create a Stream

Use the Waves Stream Send plugin to create a stream and make a stream link
for the listener.
1. Insert one mono or stereo instance of the Waves Stream Send plugin on the
DAW channel that you want to stream.

2. The plugin initially looks like the example on the left.

3. Click the large Power button to begin streaming. Streaming starts immediately
and a unique stream link is copied to the host computer’s clipboard. The
Waves logo now appears on the button.

4. Send the stream link to the listener, who will paste it into the Waves Stream
Receive plugin or click on the link to open the stream in a web browser.

The logo will remain pulsing until the listener opens the stream.

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 5. When the listener has opened the link and is receiving the stream, the power
button displays “Live” and pulses blue. Also, the headphones icon below the
meter icon becomes blue.

STREAM LINK
The stream link enables a Waves Stream Receive plugin or web player to listen to the stream. It is generated
automatically when the sender initiates the stream. The link is a line of text, (a URL) that the sender forwards to the
listener as an email, chat, or similar means of sending text. By default, the stream link is named “My Stream.” To
rename the stream, the sender can double-click on the pencil icon or on the name box. Once streaming has started,
the stream name cannot be changed.

The stream link is valid for one stream only, and since the streaming connection is peer-to-peer, only one listener is
permitted at a time. If either party terminates the stream, a new stream must be established, and a new link sent to
the listener.
If the listener is playing back through a DAW, they will paste the link into their Waves Stream Receive plugin. Those
listening on a portable device or computer without the Waves Stream Receive plugin need simply to click the link to
open the web browser.
Once the listener has connected, the small headphones icon will turn blue. At this point, you can play your DAW.

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 Waves Stream Send Controls
POWER BUTTON
The Power button establishes the stream, creates a stream link, and copies it to the clipboard. It also
mutes/unmutes the stream.

Initial condition: no streaming.

Streaming established. Waiting for a listener. The Waves logo pulses blue.

Streaming established with listener. The button pulses blue and the word “Live” appears.

Mute: click to mute stream, click again to unmute.

STREAMING LEVEL
The Waves Stream Send meters indicate the input level from the DAW to the Send plugin (meter
range: -60 dB to 0 dB). This is the level of the stream you are sending. If you need to change this
level, do so in the DAW. Small blue lines show the peak level.

The fader controls the monitor level of the plugin (in other words, the level that you hear). It has no
effect on the level of the stream (range: -inf to +10 dB).

The headphones icon beneath the Send meters turns blue when a listener has double-clicked on the stream link (for
web listening) or has pasted the link in the Waves Stream Receive plugin (for DAW plugin listening). When the
headphones icon is gray, the link has not yet been activated by the listener.

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 MIC SECTION
The Mic channel enables the sender to speak to the listener while streaming audio. The signal is
streamed with the main signal; there is no need for a dedicated sidechain stream. Patch a
microphone to a buss and assign it to the plugin’s sidechain. Once the Send plugin detects an
active sidechain, the mic section controls are enabled.
A LED indicates signal. It is off when there is no activity on the Mic channel, it flickers green when
level is detected, and it flickers red if the level is excessive.
Use the Gain knob to adjust the Mic level (range: -48 dB to +12 dB).
To engage the mic channel, click+hold the Mic button (microphone icon). This is a momentary switch. Use the Latch
switch (lock icon) to keep the mic open. Engaging Mic does not duck the signal. The Mic channel is not limited to a
microphone; you can send any content through this path. This enables you to, for example, A/B the mix with or
without an additional voice or instrument.
The mic channel is unidirectional, so the listener cannot speak to the sender. To enable two-way communication, the
listener must be using a Waves Stream Send plugin, and the sender must insert a Waves Stream Receive plugin.
This is described in the FAQ section at the end of this user guide.
You can control the mic with an external switch via MIDI. Right-click on the Mic icon to activate the
MIDI learn mode.

QR CODE
When a new stream is created, a unique QR code appears on the Send interface. It enables the
sender to easily listen to the mix outside of the studio (e.g., on a phone, on a computer, in a car).
This time-saving tool eliminates the need to bounce, upload, and download files for offline listening.
Scan the QR code on a mobile device, and the stream is ready to play. The small icon next to the
QR code is another way to copy the stream link to your clipboard.
The QR code applies only to the sender, and not the listener. There is not a QR code on the Receive interface.

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 STREAM WINDOW AND DROP-DOWN MENU
The Stream window displays the name of the current stream. To rename a stream,
double-click on the pencil icon or on the name box. Once streaming has started, you
cannot change the stream name.
The drop-down menu lets you copy the stream link (in case you cleared your clipboard
before sending it to the listener). You can also terminate (close) the stream and start a
new one. Once a stream is ended from the Send plugin, it cannot be reopened.

For additional security, a passcode can be assigned to the stream. The passcode is not part of the stream link, so it
must be sent separately. Passcodes are stream-specific. When the sender creates a passcode, it remains visible on the
sender’s drop-down menu until the stream is terminated.
“Help Center” at the bottom of the menu is a link that connects you with support articles and informative videos.

LEAVE BUTTON
Click the Send plugin’s Leave button to terminate the stream.

Codec and Latency

Waves Stream uses the Waves Falcon codec to provide stable and consistent streaming with unparalleled clarity.
There are, however, times when network instability and other problems can affect streaming consistency. In such
cases, Waves Stream seamlessly changes to a compatible codec to maintain a smooth audio stream without
interruptions.

This automatic adjustment is indicated by the codec icon on the left side of the plugin interface. A blue icon
indicates that the Falcon codec is being used. A gray icon means that an alternate codec is in use.

The Falcon codec provides a stream with very low latency. It adapts to the listener’s browser and the current internet
speed and stability. There is, however, some latency, small though it may be. If you need very low latency, use
Waves Stream plugins on both ends of the stream, and do whatever you can to optimize your internet environment.

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 Listening to an Audio Stream
There are two ways to listen to a stream that was generated by the sender’s plugin:
• Listen with the Waves Stream Receive plugin through a DAW in a studio environment. The plugin provides some
features not found in the web version. The Waves Stream Receive plugin requires a Waves Creative Access
subscription.
• Listen to Waves Stream on a phone, a tablet, or a computer with a web browser. This is a simple, quick way to
hear the program material through different devices. Streaming through a web browser does not require a
Waves Creative Access subscription.

Option One: Listen Through a DAW Using the Waves Stream Receive Plugin
Insert a stereo or mono instance of the Waves Stream Receive plugin on a buss,
channel, monitor chain.

You will receive a one-time stream link from the sender. Paste the link into the Paste
from Clipboard button to establish the stream.

Once streaming is established, the meters will indicate that audio is present, and
show the level of the stream. In this mode, the Power button is essentially an unmute
button. It gives the listener a chance to establish a proper listening level with the
fader, before unmuting the stream. This helps avoid dangerous, or at least annoying,
sound levels when listening begins.

The details of the stream—as defined in the sender’s DAW—are shown in the middle
of the window. These settings cannot be altered by the listener.

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 Click the Power button to listen to the stream. You will now hear the live stream from
the host DAW.

Click the Leave button on the Receive plugin to leave the stream. Once you
have left the stream, you are free to use the link to stream on other devices,
whether it be a different instance of Waves Stream Receive or a web browser.

The stream link remains valid until the sender terminates the stream.

Waves Stream Receive Controls

The Power button displays the streaming status.

Waiting for a link from the sender. Click on the power button to connect to the stream .

Streaming established, initially muted.

Streaming is live, not muted.

Listener has left the stream. Receive plugin waiting to reconnect.

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 STREAMING LEVEL
The Receive plugin’s meters indicate the level of the stream being received. The small blue lines
show the peak level.

(meter range: -60 dB to 0 dB).

The fader controls the monitor level (range: -inf to +10 dB).

LISTENING PRIORITY
Each user has different needs when it comes to streaming. With that in mind, Waves Stream Receive has two
listening modes.
Stream: A very high-quality stream with no dropouts, but higher latency. The Waves Falcon codec
automatically adjusts the stream based on the internet connection, making it ideal for critical listening.
Collab (collaborate): Very low latency, with the possibility of occasional dropouts.

If latency is not an issue and quality is paramount, select Stream. But if, for example, you are playing a reference
track for a voiceover recording—where low latency is very important—Collab is the better choice.

STREAM MENU
This drop-down menu enables the listener to copy the current stream link. There is
also an option to terminate the current stream and begin a new one. This reset is
used if a stream ends, and the sender wants to establish a new link. The Help Center
link connects you to support articles and informative videos.

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 STREAM INFORMATION
The stream name, whether the default name, “My Stream,” or a name provided by the
sender, will appear in the box at the top.
Once a stream is established, certain stream information will appear. This
helps you to set up a DAW session that best conforms to the stream. The
sample rate and number of channels are set by the sender’s DAW and
cannot be changed by the listener.
The bottom line displays the location of the sender’s playhead. This is useful for note taking and coordination
between sender and listener.

ERROR MESSAGES
Error messages and suggested solutions will be displayed in the area beneath the stream Information.

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 Option Two: Listen With a Web Browser
Use the Waves Stream web player to monitor a stream on a mobile device (phone, tablet, and the like), or on a
computer running a web browser. Listening through a browser is useful when, for example, you want to evaluate a
mix outside of a studio environment on a consumer-grade device. Listening to a stream on a web browser does not
require a Waves Creative Access subscription.

Once the stream is initiated, you’ll get a one-time stream link from the sender.

Click the link to open to the default browser and launch the Waves Stream web player. If the
link does not open the player, paste it into the browser’s address bar.

“Click to Connect” to open the stream. If the sender created a passcode for the stream, you
will be prompted to enter it.

When a stream from the sender has been established, you will see
meter activity, as well as the stream name in the box at the top.
Audio is muted until the Power button is clicked. Use the fader to
adjust the stream monitor output if needed.

Stream details are shown in the middle of the window. These

settings cannot be altered by the listener.

The blue icon on the left side shows that the Waves Falcon codec
is being used. The icon is gray if Waves Stream has changed to an
alternate codec

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 Click the Power button to hear the live stream from the sender’s DAW. The button
will now display “Live.” Click here to mute and unmute the stream.

To terminate the stream, close the browser window. The stream is not yet
disconnected, and it can be reopened by double-clicking on the stream link or
pasting the URL into a browser.

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 Troubleshooting and FAQs

Setup
How do I name a stream?
Double-click the stream name or the edit icon to its left and type the name you want. You can only do this before
streaming, as once a stream has started, the name is locked.
The Power button is grayed out.
This means the plugin is not detecting an internet connection. Check your signal, whether Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
The mic section is not visible.
The mic controls are grayed out until you have patched a sidechain to the preferred mic channel or aux in your DAW.
If an active sidechain is not patched, the controls are visible but grayed out.
How do I set up a sidechain?
The Mic feature uses a sidechain to insert a second signal into the stream. The sidechain signal can come from a
DAW channel or buss or a microphone. The sidechain insert is selected in the DAW panel associated with the plugin.
Check your DAW’s help guide to learn how to sidechain a channel or buss to a plugin. Ideally, you want to set up a
channel that has a microphone as the input, then sidechain that channel or aux to Waves Stream. When that signal is
active, the Mic panel is visible. From there, you can control the mic level.
The Mic feature is not limited to a microphone. You can send any content through this path. This signal will be part of
the stream, not a separate signal.
How do I set up a bidirectional mic channel?
To set up bidirectional mic communication, both sides of the connection (sender and listener) must have both the
Send and Receive plugins instantiated in their DAWs. Both users assign a sidechain to their Send plugins, as is done
with one-way mic configurations. Sender and listener both hear the stream with the Receive plugin. It’s really just two
complete streaming setups for each user. We recommend that the Receive plugins on both ends of the connection be
set to Collab Mode for the lowest latency.

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 Send and listen streams are not the same sample rate. What do I do?
The sample rate of the stream is shown in the stream information box. If your workflow will allow it, set the Receive
DAW’s session to the same sample rate as the stream. If you are streaming into an existing session with a different
sample rate, Waves Stream will adjust to the sender’s host sample rate: 96k (host) will be downsampled to 48k
(stream), and 88.2k (host) will be downsampled to 44.1k (stream). However, for highest quality, the sample rates
should be the same for sender and listener.
The sender and listener should communicate before beginning the stream if there is suspicion of a sample rate
mismatch. Streaming sample rate is not an issue when listening through the web player.
Waves Stream’s maximum sample rate is 48 kHz. Higher sample rates will be downsampled to 48 kHz.

Internet
How can I optimize my connection for the best audio experience?
• Use a wired Ethernet connection when possible.
• Make sure to have good upload speeds, particularly when sending audio.
• Run speed and ping tests to ensure your connection is reliable.
• Reduce network congestion by closing unnecessary bandwidth-consuming apps.

Why should I consider a wired connection over Wi-Fi?

Wired connections are usually more stable and faster than Wi-Fi. They offer less interference, lower latency, and more
consistent speeds, making them ideal for high-fidelity audio streaming.

What's the deal with Upload and Download Speeds?

Upload speed is essential when you're using the Send plugin. Faster upload speeds ensure a smoother, higher-quality
audio stream for the listener. Most internet speed tests focus on download speed, but your upload speed is also very
important. For optimal streaming, we recommend an internet connection with a minimum upload speed of 5 Mbps.
This ensures high-quality, low-latency audio for smooth streaming.
Download speed is important when using the Receive plugin. Higher download speeds enable you to receive top-
quality audio with minimal issues.

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 What is Ping and how does it affect my audio quality?
Ping is the measure of latency or delay between your computer and your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It's
measured in milliseconds and can be thought of as the “reaction time” of your connection. Higher ping times can mean
more latency, leading to delayed or even choppy audio.
To find out your ping time, you can run a speed test from various websites or go into the Command Prompt (Windows)
or Terminal (Mac) and use the ping command followed by any website URL.

Why does my audio quality vary between Collab Mode and Stream Mode?
Both modes use the Waves high-definition Falcon codec. The Collab Mode is optimized to have lower latency, but
that optimization may affect quality depending on your connection and that of the sender. Check the internet
speed and quality on both ends of the stream.

Troubleshooting Tips
Audio is laggy.
If you’re experiencing excessive latency, it could indicate a weak or unstable internet connection. Check the internet
speed on the send and receive hosts (ping, upload, download). If you’re using Wi-Fi, check the location of your routers
and Wi-Fi extenders. Usually, a wired connection is more stable than Wi-Fi, but it’s worth trying both Test with both the
Collab and Stream modes.

Audio is breaking up.

Run an internet speed and ping test. If either is subpar, consider switching to Collab Mode, which is less demanding
on your connection.
Waves Stream failed to connect.
Check your firewall and antivirus settings to ensure they're not blocking the plugin's internet access.
Stream is choppy.
Verify that the host’s buffer size is set at 128 or higher. Small buffer sizes will interrupt with the stream
mechanism.

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 Operation
There is no sound streaming.
Your audio is 100% controlled by the DAW on the Send plugin side. Make sure you’re playing the stream. On the
receive side of the equation, make sure you see the audio signal being identified in the meters and make sure you
have unmuted the stream.
Listener Alert icon (headphones icon) not on.
If the headphone icon below the meters is not lit, then no one has successfully connected to your stream. Instruct the
listener to connect.
The Receive meters are moving, but the listener cannot hear the stream.
Make sure the listener has clicked the Power button to unmute the audio. Confirm that the listener’s streaming fader is
turned up and that the DAW track with the Receive plugin is set to input and is not muted.
The stream link is not accepted by the listener’s plugin/web player.
First check that the stream link is the correct, most current link. If necessary, look at the link with a text editor. If it
contains more than URL information—text, including spaces, that was inadvertently added to the link—use the text
editor to remove this unwanted text and try again. If this doesn’t work, ask the sender to either resend the link or
create a new stream.
The listener is hearing a distorted signal.
More than likely, the signal from the DAW to the Waves Stream Send plugin is over-level or otherwise distorted.
Check its level and quality. It is also possible that the return buss from the Receive plugin to the DAW is set too loud.
On both Send and Receive plugins, the level fader controls only the level of the monitors. It does not influence the
level of the stream.
The listener cannot hear the mic from the sender.
The sender needs to double check that the mic is active and that they are pressing the mic button, or have locked it in
the active position, and that there is signal. The listener cannot control this.
What can I learn from the stream information in the listener plugin or web app? (How does it help me?)
The stream information indicates the sample rate of the sender’s stream, the playhead location, and the stream name.

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 What’s the difference between a stream link and a passcode?
A stream link is the link sent to a listener. This is how a listener accesses the stream. A sender can require a
passcode to access the stream. When this is the case, the listener will be asked to enter the passcode that they were
given before they received the stream link. The passcode must be entered before the stream is opened by the
listener.

Security
How can I protect my stream? Can someone use the stream link after I’ve closed it?
When the sender terminates the stream with the Leave button, the link is no longer valid, so no one can open the
stream. The receiver, however, can use the Leave button to remove the Receive plugin from the stream link. This
means that the link can now be used on another device without needing a new link. So, you can move your
listening between DAWs or to a mobile device.
How does the sender use the QR code?
The QR Code is for the sender, not the listener. It enables the sender to, for example, listen to the stream in an
environment other than a studio (typically on a phone or other mobile device). Scan the QR code to open the
stream. The QR information is the same as the URL, but more mobile-device friendly.

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