sonible smart:chain vs Waves Curves AQ
sonible smart:chain
sonible.comWaves Curves AQ
waves.comSide by side
| Figure | sonible smart:chain | Waves Curves AQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $20.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · AI Audio Mixing Software | 7.8 (#12) | 7.6 (#17) |
| Purpose | smart:chain is an AI-powered mixing plug-in that combines EQ, compression, de-harshing, gating, input riding, saturation, and leveling in one workflow. | Curves AQ is an autonomous EQ plugin that analyzes audio and creates five tailored EQ curves. |
| Support | Sonible provides product manuals and a support site with a request submission option. | Waves provides technical support tickets, while phone support is reserved for customers with active Creative Access subscriptions or current Waves Update Plan coverage. |
| System requirements | Listed minimums include Windows 10 64-bit or OSX 11+, 4GB RAM, an Intel Core i5 or Apple Silicon CPU, and OpenGL 3.2+. | The listed current requirements include Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11, or macOS Sonoma 14 or later, with 16 GB RAM and 30 GB free disk space. |
| Trial | Sonible offers a fully functional 30-day demo after registration. | Waves Creative Access offers a seven-day free period, and the product page lists Curves AQ among products included in Waves Ultimate. |
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
sonible smart:chain
sonible smart:chain has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
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.