Question 1

What is WavePhase?

Accepted Answer

WavePhase is desktop show-control software that turns live audio into light and visuals. You wire analysis sources — BPM, beat phase, frequency bands, envelope, and transients — through a visual logic graph to DMX fixtures, LED pixels, GPU shaders, OSC, and MIDI. One workspace covers mapping, stage layout, live performance surfaces, and optional cloud sync.

Question 2

Who is WavePhase for?

Accepted Answer

Working VJs, lighting designers, club and festival operators, touring LDs, installation artists, and streamers who want audio-reactive control without a separate desk, media server, and patch tool chain. The free tier is a full editor — not a demo — so you can build real shows before buying channel headroom.

Question 3

How is it different from a traditional lighting desk?

Accepted Answer

WavePhase is built around live audio analysis and a node graph, not a cue stack with a fixed fixture sheet. You describe relationships — "kick hits flash the strobes, a bass-band level opens the wash" — and the patch stays reactive. You can still merge DMX input from an existing desk on paid tiers, drive fixtures over Art-Net/sACN, and lay out faders in Live Control when you want hands-on override.

Question 4

What does early access mean?

Accepted Answer

WavePhase is under active development. Core audio-reactive DSP, node-graph mapping, and DMX output paths are production-ready today; newer surfaces like Wavy continue to improve. Builds may change between releases. You are responsible for validating outputs on your rig before trusting them in front of an audience — see our Terms of Service.

Question 5

How does audio-reactive lighting work?

Accepted Answer

WavePhase listens to your selected audio input (interface, loopback, or built-in mic) and runs a Rust DSP engine that tracks BPM, musical key, beat phase, spectral bands, and transients. Those values appear as graph sources you wire to fixture parameters — intensity, colour, pan/tilt, strobe, custom attributes — or to GPU visual nodes.

Question 6

What audio signals can I actually rely on?

Accepted Answer

Lead with the DSP pipeline: BPM and beat triggers, musical key, spectral bands, envelope (peak/RMS), transients, and custom frequency-range levels. Keep MIDI, Web Control, or a desk merge as a manual override for show-critical moments.

Question 7

How fast is the analysis?

Accepted Answer

The DSP path is built for live use and runs off the UI thread so beat-aligned effects stay tight during heavy visual rendering. ASIO is supported on Windows when you need the lowest-latency input path. Always validate timing on your machine and rig — we do not publish a guaranteed millisecond number.

Question 8

Does WavePhase support Art-Net and sACN?

Accepted Answer

Yes. DMX output goes over Art-Net and sACN (Streaming ACN). Patch fixtures to universes, set your network interface, and WavePhase streams channels to nodes, dimmer packs, or software receivers on your LAN. A wired network is strongly recommended for reliable show output.

Question 9

What are Stage 2D and 3D?

Accepted Answer

The Fixtures workspace includes a stage canvas: place fixtures in 2D, aim moving heads with 16-bit pan/tilt in a 3D view with live beam preview, and pixel-map LED bars on the same layout. Screen Out sends GPU generators, media, and WGSL shaders to projectors or LED processors alongside your DMX rig.

Question 10

What is Live Control vs Web Control?

Accepted Answer

Live Control is the in-app surface where you lay out faders, pads, XY controls, and colour pickers — bind any MIDI controller with learn and feedback. Web Control serves the same banks to phones and tablets on your local network via QR code, free on every tier. With WavePhase Cloud, an encrypted internet relay adds password, roles, expiry, and link rotation for remote operators.

Question 11

Can I lock down a rig for installs?

Accepted Answer

Show Lock lets you PIN-protect a show file so unattended installations or festival kiosks cannot be accidentally edited. Operators can still use assigned Live or Web Control surfaces within the limits you configure.

Question 12

OSC, MIDI, and timecode?

Accepted Answer

MIDI input and OSC output are included on every tier. OSC and DMX input for merging with external desks unlock on Artist and above. SMPTE timecode, Art-Net RDM, production export, and the API/MCP server are included on Pro and Studio. Show Lock + autostart are Studio-only.

Question 13

What is Wavy (WI)?

Accepted Answer

WI is an in-app assistant that scaffolds patches from natural language — describe the look you want and it wires audio sources, suggests fixture mappings, and explains what it built. No API key or model picker to configure; it runs through WavePhase Cloud.

Question 14

What does WavePhase Cloud add?

Accepted Answer

Cloud syncs shows and settings across machines with detailed version history, enables WI, and provides a managed Web Control relay over the internet. Local-network QR Web Control remains free without Cloud. Cloud is an optional subscription (€17/month early access — 40% off the €29 v1.0 price, 250 WI credits/month) on top of any base tier, including Free, with a no-card 5-credit trial.

Question 15

Does WavePhase work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mapping, analysis, DMX output, Live Control, and local Web Control all run without an internet connection. Cloud sync and WI require connectivity; your show files stay on disk and keep working if the network drops mid-gig.

Question 16

What's free vs paid?

Accepted Answer

Free (early access) includes the full editor, GPU visual engine, real-time analysis, Art-Net/sACN output for 1 universe (512 channels), MIDI in, project save/load, PatchBay paste, and local Web Control — commercial use allowed during EA. Paid tiers are 40% off announced v1.0 (Artist €119, Pro €299, Studio €659; rise at v1.0) and add universes (Studio unlimited), external inputs, and pro gates (timecode/RDM/export/API on Pro+, Show Lock on Studio). Screen Out, video, shaders, and Web Control stay uncapped during EA.

Question 17

How does licensing work?

Accepted Answer

Licences are perpetual and pay-once. Early-access purchases include 24 months of updates and a 14-day money-back guarantee. After the updates window you can renew yearly at the then-current rate (we notify before rate changes). Pro includes 2 seats; Studio includes 3. Activate through your WavePhase account after purchase or download.

Question 18

What are the system requirements?

Accepted Answer

Windows 10/11, macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), or Linux x86-64. A recent 64-bit CPU, a GPU with Vulkan/Metal/DirectX 12/OpenGL ES support for the visual engine, any audio input device, and a wired LAN for DMX over Art-Net/sACN. See Installation in the docs for platform-specific install notes.

Question 19

Which platforms are supported?

Accepted Answer

Windows, macOS, and Linux installers are available from your account dashboard and the public builds page after sign-in. macOS builds are not yet notarized — right-click Open the first time to bypass Gatekeeper.

Question 20

Can I try WavePhase before buying?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Free tier is a full desktop editor — not a time-limited trial — so you can learn, build shows, and drive real fixtures (1 universe) before purchasing a perpetual license. Paid tiers unlock more universes and pro features — see Pricing. Separately, WavePhase Cloud offers a no-card 5-credit trial for WI.

Question 21

What hardware or interface do I need?

Accepted Answer

Any recent 64-bit computer with a GPU that supports Vulkan, Metal, DirectX 12, or OpenGL ES; an audio input (interface, loopback, or built-in mic); and a wired Ethernet connection for Art-Net/sACN output. No proprietary USB dongle is required.

Question 22

What is the refund policy?

Accepted Answer

If a paid license does not work for your rig, contact support within 14 days of purchase for a refund review. The Free tier lets you validate Art-Net/sACN output on your hardware before buying.

Question 23

Can I transfer a license to another machine?

Accepted Answer

Licences are per seat and tied to your WavePhase account. You can deactivate a seat and activate on a new machine from the dashboard. Pro includes 2 seats (main + backup); Studio includes 3.

Question 24

Is there a community?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Join the WavePhase Discord to learn from other users, share patches, and showcase shows: https://discord.gg/wJQp3pCnNv

Frequently asked questions

What WavePhase is

Audio → light

Output, stage & control

Wavy & Cloud

Pricing, licensing & requirements