Elgato Wave Link is a free audio routing and effects app for streamers, podcasters, professionals and other content creators. It works with USB and XLR microphones, third-party interfaces, headsets and computer-recognized capture cards. A horizontal routing matrix sends sources to output mixes, with up to five independent mixes and separate routing and volume levels. You can group applications such as Zoom, Teams, Discord, Spotify or Chrome into a channel, then send mixes to OBS Studio, MS Teams or other apps that accept audio input. Effects support VST3 on Windows and Audio Unit on macOS, with unlimited effects per input; plugins are available through Elgato Marketplace or third parties. A Stream Deck plugin can adjust volume, mute channels, toggle effects and switch mixes. The free plan lists up to eight software or non-Wave inputs, four Wave-device inputs and five virtual mixes. Windows requires Windows 11 and 8 GB RAM; macOS requires version 15.0 or newer and 8 GB RAM. ASIO is unsupported, and effects may add latency.
Who it is for
Wave Link suits creators who want to route microphone and application audio into separate mixes, apply effects, and send mixes to streaming or meeting applications. It is available for Windows and macOS.
What is good
- Free plan with no subscription or feature gates
- Supports USB and XLR microphones and other audio devices
- Up to five independent output mixes
- Unlimited effects per input
- Sends mixes to OBS Studio and other audio-input apps
What to know first
- Requires Windows 11 or macOS 15.0 or newer
- ASIO is not supported
- Effects may add latency
Verdict
Wave Link offers audio routing, effects and multiple independent mixes without a subscription. Check its operating-system requirements and ASIO limitation before choosing it.
Elgato Wave Link plans and pricing
All plansCompared on gaming peripheral software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Noise reduction
- Yes
- Equalizer
- Yes
- Audio routing
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS
