Shure WAVETOOL Wants to Catch Live Audio Problems Before the Audience Does

In live production, an audio problem does not need to last long to become a big problem. A failing microphone, unexpected RF issue, or questionable audio channel can quickly send a production team searching for answers, all while the show keeps moving.

At IBC 2026, Shure introduced WAVETOOL, audio listening software designed to give production teams greater visibility into their audio systems during live shows and productions. The software supports monitoring of up to 192 audio channels and allows users to review recent audio when something goes wrong.

For production teams, the interesting part is not simply listening to more channels. It is being able to investigate an issue without losing sight of the live show.

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Audio Monitoring Built for Showtime

Shure positions WAVETOOL as software built specifically for the demands of live production, supporting both wireless and wired audio channels.

“WAVETOOL is audio listening software. I would say it’s showtime software,” Timo Liski of Shure said. “During the show, you want to listen [to] any audio channel that you might have in your show, wireless or wired, and WAVETOOL lets you listen [to] up to 192 channels. You can go back in time up to 30 minutes and troubleshoot if you happen to have issues and solve those before they become real problems in your production.”

That 30-minute audio history may be one of WAVETOOL’s more useful capabilities. In a traditional live workflow, identifying an intermittent problem can become a race against time. If a dropout or unexpected noise has already disappeared, determining exactly what happened can be difficult.

Being able to move backward through recent audio gives production teams another way to investigate an issue while the production continues.

Monitoring Doesn’t Have to Stay Behind the Console

Live audio responsibilities do not always stay at the mixing position. Microphone coordinators and technicians may be backstage, handing microphones to talent, moving through a venue, or checking wireless systems while the mixing engineer remains at the console.

WAVETOOL is designed to extend monitoring to those users as well.

“People who distribute the microphones to talent, to actors, to speakers, they want to have a tool where they can listen to the audio and simultaneously monitor the RF levels, battery life, and quality of their system,” Liski said. “And they can be mobile while doing that.”

An iOS app connects to the WAVETOOL server, allowing users to monitor audio while moving around the venue. Alongside listening, users can keep an eye on RF levels, battery life, and overall system quality.

For microphone coordinators, that means monitoring can stay with them as they work instead of requiring repeated trips back to a central position.

That mobility could be particularly useful in theater, broadcast, touring, corporate events, and other productions where wireless microphones are distributed across multiple people and locations.

WAVETOOL Doesn’t Demand a Dante-Only Workflow

Adding another monitoring application is only useful if production teams can integrate it without rebuilding their existing audio workflow.

WAVETOOL provides multiple options for bringing audio into the system. Dante can be used with compatible digital Shure receivers, allowing audio to move directly into the software over the network. The system can also receive audio from a mixing console through MADI, while multiple audio devices can be connected.

That flexibility matters because live production environments are rarely identical. A broadcast facility, theater, touring system, and corporate production may all handle audio differently.

As Liski put it, connecting multiple audio devices “really gives you the flexibility to integrate it to your existing system, not just for Dante streams.”

Instead of requiring one transport method, WAVETOOL is designed to work alongside existing production infrastructure.

Subscription or Perpetual License?

Shure is offering WAVETOOL through several licensing options.

According to the information provided at IBC 2026, the software is available through a one-month subscription for approximately $70, a one-year subscription for approximately $600, or a perpetual license for close to $2,200.

The different options give production teams flexibility based on how frequently they need the software. A company supporting a limited production season could choose a short-term subscription, while a facility planning to use WAVETOOL continuously may find the perpetual license more appropriate.

WAVETOOL is available now, with Shure also offering a 30-day trial. According to the information provided, the trial does not require a credit card and allows users to run WAVETOOL without software limitations during the trial period.

The Bigger Value Is Finding Problems Faster

The headline number may be 192 channels, but channel count alone is not what makes WAVETOOL interesting.

Its more practical value is giving production teams another way to answer the question that matters when something suddenly sounds wrong: What just happened?

The combination of wired and wireless channel monitoring, up to 30 minutes of audio history, RF and battery information, mobile access, and integration with existing audio infrastructure is aimed at shortening the distance between hearing a problem and understanding its cause.

Live production will never eliminate unexpected audio issues. The more realistic goal is catching, diagnosing, and fixing them before they become noticeable to the audience.

That is where WAVETOOL is designed to fit.