Waves Audio are to introduce Waves Nx, a Virtual Mix Room plug-in that aims to give you the optimal acoustics of a great mix room, but by using headphones. It’s certainly not the first system to attempt this, but Waves claim their Nx technology lets you hear, on headphones, the same natural depth, natural reflections, and panoramic stereo image you would be hearing from speakers in an actual, physical room. Advantages include portability, affordability, privacy – with all the acoustic benefits of a great-sounding, fully professional mixing facility, say Waves.
If the system lives up to the marketing hype, the advantages include no more cross-referencing between Speakers and headphones and longer listening sessions without ear fatigue. According to Waves, mixing for 5.1 is also possible with the new system, and all of this without colouring the sound.
The system even goes so far as to offer real-time head-tracking, taking advantage of your computer’s camera or the Waves Head Tracker unit, to give you a real sense of being headphone free.
