Elgato Wave Next: free Wave Link 3.0, Wave:3 MK.2 and XLR Pro

Elgato, part of Corsair, announced Wave Next on March 3, 2026 in Munich. The company describes it as the largest change to its Wave audio platform since the first Wave microphone appeared in 2020. The launch covers six products: Wave Link 3.0 software, the Wave:3 MK.2 microphone, the Wave XLR MK.2 and XLR Dock MK.2 interfaces, the Wave XLR Pro and the Stream Deck + XL controller.

Wave Link 3.0 becomes free

The redesigned mixing app is now a free download for Windows and macOS and, according to Elgato, works with nearly any microphone, mixer or audio interface. It supports up to five independent submixes, so voice, game audio, chat and music can be sent to separate outputs for streaming, recording, monitoring or calls. Each channel can carry its own VST plugins, a horizontal routing table replaces classic channel strips, and several apps can share one channel. A Stream Deck plugin builds control profiles automatically from the user's setup. With Elgato's own hardware the app also offers guided setup, an Auto Gain Wizard, monitoring mode choice and LED settings. Extra effects from Elgato and third parties are sold on Elgato Marketplace.

A new processing chip and four devices

All new Wave hardware uses the Wave FX Processor, a chip co-developed with Lewitt Audio. Its signal chain starts with Clipguard 2.0, which combines several analog-to-digital converters, 32-bit floating-point processing and limiting to prevent distortion. Five onboard effects follow: low cut filter, expander, Voice Tune, compressor and EQ, running without latency or CPU load. A feature called VST Insert sends audio to plugins on the computer and back into the hardware, so apps receive one fully processed mic input without virtual audio devices.

• Wave:3 MK.2: USB condenser mic with a supercardioid capsule tuned with Lewitt, a dial with LED ring, capacitive mute and settings stored on the mic.
• Wave XLR MK.2: interface for any XLR mic with 80 dB of clean gain, 48V phantom power and 135 dB of dynamic range.
• XLR Dock MK.2: XLR input module that works only with Stream Deck +, controlled from its dials and keys.
• Wave XLR Pro: two XLR inputs with 80 dB of gain each, five hardware mixes, a Maximizer and per-channel ducking, front and rear headphone outputs for headphones up to 600 ohms, USB Aux for a second device and a standalone mode.
• Stream Deck + XL: 36 LCD keys, six dials and a wide touch strip for adjusting levels and mixes.

Elgato general manager Julian Fest said the platform draws on hundreds of thousands of real-world setups. All products except the Wave XLR Pro went on sale on the launch day via elgato.com and Corsair retailers; the Wave XLR Pro was scheduled to ship in the second quarter of 2026.