What is StageWave?
StageWave is a software-based wireless monitoring system that leverages the evolution of digital audio, the development of Wi-Fi technology, and the power of today's smartphones to bring audio from the mixer to musicians' phones so they can listen and control your personal monitoring mix right from your own phone.
You can use StageWave with the equipment you already own, a digital console (or audio interface), a computer, a WiFi router, and your smartphone.
Downloading StageWave
Before starting to connect everything, you must create a StageWave account, if you do not have one you can create it here, when you enter your account on our website you can download the desktop server application (StageWave Server) by going to the "Downloads" section of the home page, choose the version for Windows or Mac as appropriate. On your phone just go to the App Store or Play Store, search for “StageWave” and press “Install”.
With your account created you can access the desktop application, the mobile application does not need a user account.
Connections
With StageWave you need far fewer cables than with a traditional monitoring system:
- Connect your console or audio interface to your computer. If you are using Windows, make sure you have the drivers for your console or interface installed and that they are ASIO compatible.
- Connect your computer to your router using a network cable. If your computer doesn't have a gigabit ethernet port, you can use a USB 3.0 or USB-C Gigabit Ethernet adapter. You must use a certified network cable at least CAT6 and make sure to configure your router to avoid interference, check how to do it in this video.
- Connect your smartphones to your router via WiFi. Make sure you turn off Bluetooth, and GPS, and turn on airplane mode. Then turn on WiFi and connect to the router's 5GHz network.
With just two cables you have already connected everything you need to have a stereo and independent monitoring system for each musician. If you don't know which router to use, check out this article called "Everything you need to know about wifi routers for StageWave".
Using StageWave Server
Once you open the desktop application with your account and have a license or subscription, you can connect phones to the system, but if you do not have a subscription or license you can use the "Test Mode" with which you can test StageWave in sessions of 10 minutes as many times as you want.
The StageWave Server desktop application has 4 sections: “Audio Devices”, “Band Devices”, “Mixes Bank” and the Mixer, let's talk a little about each one.
- Audio Devices: Here you can choose the input and output audio devices that you will use within StageWave.
- Band Devices: Here you will see the phones connected to the system, if you click on the name of the phone you can listen to its mix and control it remotely from the Mixer section. You can also send them mixes or save them in the “Mixes Bank”.
- Mixes Bank: In this section, you can save different board configurations and on each board save mixes that you can load into the mixer or send directly to the phone of a member of the band.
- Mixer: Here you can configure your board, establishing names and icons for each channel, as well as being able to link and block channels. The mixes you make here can be heard directly from the output you have chosen as “output” in the Audio Devices section.
Mobile app
Definitely, the most fun part of the system is the mobile application, with it, each musician will have the power to control their own monitoring mix and listen to it by connecting their headphones directly to their phone.
Once the desktop application is open, you must connect your router phone and when you open the application, it will automatically connect with the StageWave Server desktop application. Once linked, each musician will have their own mix with volumes, channel groups, effects, and independent panning for each phone.
It is very important that when using the application you follow our recommendations, use the phone in airplane mode, turn off Bluetooth and GPS, close all other applications and if you use iPhone, it will be a good idea to deactivate Airdrop. But if you need help you can go to our help center or write to us directly in the chat on our website.
Try StageWave for free with the equipment you already own and join the wireless monitoring revolution.