VST Insert is a way to apply audio effects to your microphone that work the same in every app, without virtual audio cables or per-app configuration.
If you've ever tried to use a voice changer, add an EQ to clean up your sound, or run any kind of audio effect on your mic, you probably ran into the usual problems. The effects only worked in one app. You heard yourself with a weird delay. Or you spent an hour setting up virtual audio cables just to get basic processing working.
VST Insert solves this by routing your audio through Wave Link for processing, then inserting it back into your hardware signal path before it reaches your apps. Set up your effects once, and every app on your computer receives the same processed audio from your microphone.
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Say you want to add an EQ to your voice for streams and calls. Your microphone doesn't process effects on its own, and individual apps don't share audio processing with each other. So you turn to virtual audio cables.
Virtual audio cables are the most common workaround. You install routing software, route your real microphone into a processing app that applies your effects, then output a virtual device that other apps can use as a microphone input. It works, but it adds complexity that tends to break at the worst times.
Your virtual device might disappear after a system update. Apps sometimes lose track of which input to use. You end up managing two or three layers of audio routing just to get a consistent EQ on your voice. And because everything runs through your computer's audio stack, monitoring latency can make it hard to speak naturally while hearing yourself.
The confusion compounds when you're juggling multiple apps. You need to remember which virtual input goes where, and if you accidentally select your real microphone in one app while another uses the virtual device, you sound different in each place.
VST Insert takes a different approach. Instead of routing audio through virtual devices, it uses the dedicated connection between Wave FX Processor and Wave Link to handle plugin processing within the hardware signal path.
Here's the signal flow:
Your microphone still shows up as one device. No virtual routing. No selecting different inputs in different apps. You set up your effects in Wave Link, and your mic sounds the way you configured it, everywhere.
You're playing or streaming a game and want to use a pitch-shift effect for a character voice. You add the plugin to your effect chain in Wave Link.
Your stream viewers hear the effect through your broadcasting software. Your teammates in Discord hear the same effect. If you're recording commentary separately, that audio has the effect too. And you hear yourself with the effect applied in your headphones with low latency.
Every app just uses your microphone normally. Turn off the effects when you're done, and everything goes back to your unprocessed voice.
With virtual cable setups, monitoring usually has a noticeable delay because your audio travels through multiple software layers before you hear it back.
Wave devices with VST Insert keep monitoring responsive because the processing path is optimized between Wave FX Processor and Wave Link. You hear your voice with effects applied, but it feels natural rather than disconnected. This matters any time you need to speak confidently while hearing yourself, whether that's performing a voice, recording a podcast, or presenting in a meeting.
Wave Link also lets you choose how you monitor. You can listen to your raw signal, your voice with hardware DSP effects only, or with both DSP and VST effects applied. Different mixes can use different monitoring points, so your personal headphone mix can prioritize low latency while your stream mix includes the full effect chain.
Add studio reverb for podcast recording without setting up virtual audio cables. Use a voice changer for gaming that works in voice chat, in-game comms, and your stream simultaneously. Apply EQ and compression to improve call quality in Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet without routing configuration. Layer multiple effects and hear the result in real time. Switch between effect presets in Wave Link without reconfiguring any apps.
Elgato Marketplace offers a curated library of audio effects that install directly to Wave Link in a few clicks, from professional tools like noise removal and EQ to creative effects like AI voice changers. You can also use your own VST3 plugins on Windows or AU plugins on macOS.
VST Insert is available on Wave devices with Wave FX Processor and managed through Wave Link:
Wave Link is free to download at elgato.com/downloads.
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The result is processed audio that works consistently across every app, with no virtual devices or forgetting to select the right microphone input. Set up your sound in Wave Link once, and focus on what you're actually doing.
Explore audio effects on Elgato Marketplace to find your sound.