Waves Nx and Abbey Road Studio 3 simulate studio loudspeaker monitoring through headphones. With head tracking from a camera or an Nx Head Tracker, they can create a natural, speaker-like listening experience. For home producers with limited monitoring options, this can help when judging depth and frequency balance while working with reverb, EQ, and compression. This review describes our experience with the products in 2020.
Virtual Studio Monitoring Through Headphones
In this review, we explore Waves Nx, a loudspeaker simulator built on Waves technology, and Abbey Road Studio 3, which uses that technology to model the control room at the renowned British studio.
These Nx-based tools address familiar home-production challenges: wanting to use monitor speakers without making too much noise, working in a room that is poorly suited to speakers, or having to rely on headphones because of practical constraints.
The accompanying video demonstrates the sound and explains ways to use these tools while mixing. Watch it alongside the article.
Waves Nx Series: Video Review
Selected Questions and Answers from the YouTube Video
Does Abbey Road Studio 3 have no effect on its own? If it requires Waves Nx first, that makes it seem like a bundled add-on rather than a standalone plug-in.
Abbey Road Studio 3 can be used on its own; you do not need to buy the separate Nx plug-in. As shown in the video, head tracking can use a built-in or external camera.
Product Purchase Links
Historical offer — expired July 15, 2020: the promotion offered an additional ¥1,000 off the sale price shown at the time.
WAVES Nx Head Tracker for Headphones was ¥3,800 before tax (¥4,180 including tax) under that offer. These are historical Japanese-store prices, not a current offer.
• Coupon code: WAVESNX1000 (expired)
• Store: MI Online Store.
• Eligible customers at the time: everyone, including non-members.
• Usage limit at the time: none; the coupon could be used repeatedly during the promotion.
• Eligible product: WAVES Nx Head Tracker for Headphones.
• Expiry date: July 15, 2020. This offer has ended.
How the Historical Coupon Was Redeemed
1. Add the eligible product to the cart and proceed to checkout.
2. Near the bottom of the page, find the coupon information section and select the option to enter a coupon code.
3. Enter WAVESNX1000 and continue. These instructions describe the expired 2020 promotion.
- Original product link: visit the store
Setting Up Nx
Setting up Nx is straightforward.
Install it through Waves Central as usual. Opening the Nx plug-in automatically launches the head-tracking application.
With a built-in or external camera, the application detects your face and follows your head movements.
Face forward. If the head graphic in Nx does not match your orientation, press SWEET SPOT to realign it.
Adjust other settings as needed, including head measurements, headphone EQ, and the virtual room and speaker settings.
Once configured, we found that the sound seemed to come from in front of us. Combined with head tracking, this created such a convincing illusion that it was easy to forget we were wearing headphones.
We also found the listening experience less tiring than conventional headphone monitoring.
Nx Head Tracker
In addition to camera tracking, Nx can use the dedicated Nx Head Tracker device.
Attach it to the headphone headband and connect it to the computer via Bluetooth.
After pairing, connect it in the head-tracking application.
Then select Nx Tracker in the Nx plug-in.
In our testing, it followed head movements more responsively and accurately than the camera.
Historical Reader Offer: ¥1,000 Off Nx Head Tracker — Expired
The original article offered readers the coupon described above. The promotion ended on July 15, 2020.
Abbey Road Studio 3
Abbey Road Studio 3 is another plug-in built on Nx technology.
Developed with Abbey Road Studios in the UK, it recreates the acoustics of Studio 3, where countless recordings have been made, through headphones.
It lets you work with a virtual version of this renowned control room without having to be at the studio.
Setup is broadly similar to Nx. Use CALIBRATE for the function called SWEET SPOT in Nx.
A key feature is the choice of three speaker modes: NEAR, MID, and FAR.
Compared with Nx, we felt that Abbey Road Studio 3 sounded tighter and made fine details easier to assess.
Being able to switch speakers was particularly useful. We could choose a mode to suit what we were checking, then aim for a balanced result across all three to refine the mix.
Using the Plug-ins While Mixing
Reverb
Vocal reverb is one task where speaker monitoring can be particularly helpful.
With ordinary headphone monitoring, the reverb can feel widely separated to the left and right and detached from the vocal. Through speakers, it tends to envelop the vocal instead.
Abbey Road Studio 3 gave us a similar speaker-like impression, making it useful for choosing a reverb type that suited the vocal.
Equalization
Nx technology can also help when making EQ decisions.
The video uses kick and bass as an example. On conventional headphones, the kick appears centered while the bass spreads to the sides, so they can seem separate. Through Abbey Road Studio 3, we heard them interact while also gaining a sense of depth: the kick toward the front and the bass farther back.
In this example, we could also judge the kick as occupying a higher frequency range than the bass and use that relationship to guide the EQ.
FAR mode, which simulates the large monitors, made the low end particularly easy to assess. We also enjoyed the sense of weight in the low frequencies while working.
Compression
As well as controlling levels, compression can influence the perceived depth of a sound.
The video compares faster and slower attack settings on a kick compressor, examining whether depth is easier to judge with ordinary headphone monitoring or with Abbey Road Studio 3.
In our test, Abbey Road Studio 3 made the difference clearer. The way the kick moved forward or backward was particularly striking in the full arrangement.
For checking the depth of individual tracks, we found MID mode suitable because of its moderate sense of room ambience.
Surround Monitoring
Waves Nx and Abbey Road Studio 3 support monitoring of surround formats up to 7.1 through headphones.
The video demonstrates a surround source and touches on a simple surround mix.
We found that sounds intended to come from behind were convincingly placed behind us, creating an immersive sense of being surrounded by sound.
For producers who need to work on surround mixes, we felt these tools offered a useful way to monitor without a fixed multichannel speaker setup.
Product Purchase Links
Recreating a World-Class Monitoring Environment Through Headphones: Waves Nx and Abbey Road Studio 3 Review
These Nx-based tools support home producers facing challenges such as wanting to use monitor speakers without being able to play them loudly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can headphones really simulate speaker monitoring?
Nx-based processing and head tracking can create a spatial impression of speakers in front of you through headphones. In our review, it felt markedly different from conventional headphone monitoring and was less tiring to listen to.
Q2. Is the dedicated Nx Head Tracker required?
No. You can use a computer webcam instead. In our testing, the dedicated Head Tracker followed head movements more responsively and accurately.
Q3. How does Abbey Road Studio 3 differ from Nx?
Abbey Road Studio 3 models the acoustics of the famous studio and offers NEAR, MID, and FAR speaker modes. We found its sound tighter than Nx and useful for refining mix decisions.
Q4. Does it support surround mixes?
Yes. The plug-ins support surround monitoring up to 7.1 through headphones. In our test, rear sounds appeared convincingly behind us, creating an immersive monitoring experience.
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