Waves Delivers MaxxBass Bass Enhancement Plug-In

September 26, 1997 -- WAVES LTD., the leading supplier of DSP software for the professional audio and multimedia markets, today announced the development of a new Plug-In based on patent pending technology called MaxxBass which delivers high quality bass sounds to any audio speakers. Neither consumer level or most "audiophile" speakers are capable of covering the full dynamic range of most music. The MaxxBass is a virtual sub-woofer that utilizes proprietary algorithms based on psycho-acoustic research that allows bass sounds to come through clearly. MaxxBass is essential to mastering enhancements for site-specific mixing.

According to Gilad Keren, president and CEO of the company, "MaxxBass,is a bass enhancement technology that is appropriate for processing of,audio content that will be played on any consumer product which has speakers. All speaker systems, including those with sub-woofers, have a low end cut-off. In small speakers, this cut-off frequency can be higher than 150Hz," explained Keren. "MaxxBass can extend the bass response to include frequencies two octaves below (about 33%) of the original limit."

MaxxBass analyzes the audio signal which is below the low-frequency limit of the system and then adds a series of harmonics to the signal. These harmonics stimulate psychoacoustic effect which enhances bass perception. MaxxBass will not try to compensate for poor bass response by boosting the bass. MaxxBass completely avoids the problem by creating a signal that lies above the problematic frequency region, and still conveys a low-frequency experience to the ears. In this way, the bass frequencies are greatly enhanced, without traditional EQ or bass compression, but instead by adding specific harmonics of the bass you want to enhance. Taken to the extreme, you can actually remove the original bass signal completely, and the ear will still "capture" the fundamental from the added harmonics. MaxxBass will enhance the performance of both low and high quality systems.

MaxxBass plug-in will support all the different platforms supported by Waves including: Digidesign ProTools , SDII-NuBus, Waves MultiRack as well as all the Native platforms supported by Waves: Steinberg VST, Macromedia DeckII and SoundEdit 16, Adobe Premiere, Opcode StudioVision, MOTU Digital Performer, and Bias Peak on the Mac and Steinberg VST and WaveLab, Sonic Foundry SoundForge and Twelve Tone Systems CakeWalk on the PC. Samples of analog ASICs should be available by the end of Q4 1997, plus MaxxBass will be available for licensing to DSP vendors.

For more information, visit their web site at www.waves.com.