[WAVES Exclusive Interview] Connecting Generations: Studio Verse and the Future of WAVES

2025-06-25

Hello DTMers! Recently, WAVES Product Manager Michael Pearson-Adams visited Japan, and the Sound House DTM team had the chance to interview him!

■ Michael Pearson-Adams – Profile Summary

17 years with WAVES
Position: Director of Development / Product Manager / Content Production Manager
He not only serves as a product manager but also handles artist relations. As the lead in new product development, he also works with artists when creating content.
With a background as a mix engineer, he has worked on projects for renowned artists.

We got to hear a lot of interesting things about the future of WAVES, including the preset-sharing community Studio Verse, and we’re excited to share them with you!

What philosophy or policy do you value most in WAVES product development?: More than anything, I prioritize creating products that make music creators happy. I want to develop products that become more useful the longer you use them.
Which plugin has been the most challenging to develop so far?: The “SSL Series.” It took four years to develop. At the time, there was no precedent for modeling a console, so it was really tough.

WAVES / SSL 4000 Collection
WAVES / SSL G-Equalizer
WAVES / SSL G-Master Buss Compressor
WAVES / SSL EV2 Channel
WAVES / SSL E-Channel
WAVES / SSL G-Channel
If you could only use one WAVES plugin, which would you choose?: MV2. This plugin does a great job no matter what channel you insert it on. From standard mic channels to drum head mic channels, it covers all elements, which makes it truly an all-purpose plugin.

WAVES / MV2
Plugins are generally associated with PCs, but are you considering developing plugins that work on devices other than PCs, like smartphones?: I can’t say anything definitive yet, but we are constantly considering it. There are still technical challenges, such as whether the CPU processing will be sufficient, or if real-time processing will be difficult with limited RAM.
What kind of approach does WAVES have in mind for new user groups such as home recorders and video creators?: Through WAVES user communities like Studio Verse, we focus on educating new users. From Recording methods to mic placement—there’s a lot beginners don’t understand. We strive to provide useful information for them.
It seems that recently WAVES has been focusing on proposing sounds to creators through plugins like “Clarity Vx” and the “Curves series". Will you continue to develop more suggestion-type plugins in the future?: "Clarity Vx" and the "Curves series" are the first steps in WAVES’ AI plugin development. We plan to develop plugins that can manage a wide range of scenarios, from bedroom mixes to professional studio mixes.

WAVES / Clarity Vx
WAVES / Curves AQ
WAVES / Curves Equator
It seems that products with one-button or one-knob user interfaces, such as the "Clarity Vx" and "Curves series," are increasing. Are these developments aimed at new users? Will products with traditional modeling processor interfaces, which have many knobs for detailed sound shaping, decrease?: Recently, we have released products with simple operations, but I don't think everything will move toward the one-button or one-knob direction. WAVES is approaching its 35th anniversary, and we need to create products that reach users across three to four generations. Some users want to spend time playing around with their sound, while others want immediate results . The distribution is diverse, and we aim to cover all of them.
May I ask about "Studio Verse"? Do you think that sharing presets will lead to the creation of new ideas and trends in sounds?: For the past 10 years, we have been distributing plugin chain presets to users through the "Studio Rack" plugin. Covering everything from small personal communities to public professional engineer communities, "Studio Verse" allows sharing even detailed guides, is something I believe will provide opportunities to discover new sounds.
I imagine you receive feedback from users worldwide through operating Studio Verse. Could you share any examples where feedback was utilized in development and any future developments planned?”: Among the feedback, the one that directly led to development was support for VST3. The update allowed Studio Verse to launch VST3 plugins from various brands, even without purchasing WAVES products, which was made possible because of user feedback. "Studio Verse" will continue to evolve by adding features such as AI-based plugin chain suggestions, taking user opinions into account.
Do you think that sharing presets through Studio Verse will increase the value of analog hardware modeling plugins?: That’s right. I think the younger generation doesn’t have many opportunities to actually see, touch, and listen to consoles like the SSL. By sharing preset chains from engineers such as Chris Lord-Alge, Jack Joseph Puig, and Eddie Kramer, who collaborated with WAVES through Studio Verse, modeling plugins are being chosen not just because people like the original hardware, but because they’ve actually tried the sound and liked it. The fact that young EDM artists include modeling plugins in their preset chains clearly shows that Studio Verse is playing an important role as a bridge to convey the appeal of vintage gear

⇒ WAVES Signature Series List
Could you please share, as much as you can, what WAVES considers to be the “ultimate sound” and what the future of WAVES looks like?: The ultimate sound, huh… We haven’t quite reached it yet. We’re always thinking daily about how to improve. Moving forward, WAVES’ development will focus on leveraging user feedback and AI to create valuable products, including for podcasts and phone (online call) applications.