Box vs Waves Curves AQ
Box
getbox.audioWaves Curves AQ
waves.comSide by side
| Figure | Box | Waves Curves AQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $29/mo | $20.83/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · AI Audio Mixing Software | 8.2 (#3) | 7.6 (#17) |
| Support | The homepage lists [email protected] as the contact email and includes priority support with Studio. | Waves provides technical support tickets, while phone support is reserved for customers with active Creative Access subscriptions or current Waves Update Plan coverage. |
Plans
Waves Curves AQ
- Perpetual licensePriced on request
- Waves Ultimate monthly subscription$24.99 a month
- Waves Ultimate annual subscription$249.99 a year
In their own words
Box
Box is a macOS desktop companion for Ableton Live that analyzes sessions and offers music-production tools. It scans tracks, devices, and routing, then provides band-by-band EQ suggestions with explanations. Smart Mix compares tracks with genre targets and can apply suggested EQ, dynamics, and level changes in one click. For reference analysis, Box can separate stems, map a track’s frequency spectrum, and indicate ways to narrow the gap. Arrangement tools include a visual drag-to-paint builder, section templates, locators, and clip management. The CHARL:E and ERR.L assistants support natural-language interaction, real-time spectral analysis, and Ableton session control. The maker lists 16 genre profiles. Box requires macOS 10.15 or later and Ableton Live 11 or 12; Windows support is described as coming soon. The free plan includes session scanning, basic mix analysis, and stereo-field view. Pro costs $29 a month, and Studio costs $49 a month.
Waves Curves AQ
Waves Curves AQ is an autonomous EQ plugin that analyzes audio and creates five tailored EQ curves. Users can choose and adjust among five spectral targets, then apply static EQ, dynamic EQ, or both together. MixSense uses sidechain audio to adapt processing and make room for other tracks. Controls include Smart Tilt, curve Offset, four frequency anchors, and global or per-band boost and cut adjustments. A zero-latency live version is included. The plugin page lists support for Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Nuendo, FL Studio, REAPER, and Studio One; supported plug-in formats include VST3, Audio Units, and AAX. It runs on Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11, or macOS Sonoma 14 or later, with 16 GB RAM and 30 GB of free disk space listed. The current requirements specify Intel CPUs from generation 5 onward with AVX; Apple Silicon native support is listed in Waves V17 release notes. Waves Ultimate includes Curves AQ and has subscriptions at $24.99 a month or $249.99 a year. There is no free plan; Waves Creative Access offers a seven-day free period.