Wave Copilot - A WAV file utility for production sound (Mac, Windows & Linux)

[Matt Nantel]

Hi everyone,

 

Like a lot of you, I've been searching for a modern WAV utility that keeps up with how we actually work, large files, 32-bit float, poly workflows. Wave Agent hasn't seen much development lately, so I ended up building my own with a couple of extra features. After a couple of months of development and some really helpful feedback from early users, I'm happy to share it with the community.

 

Here's what it does:

 

Conform Backup Recordings to Timecode

This one is for anyone running a second recorder, belt packs, or a safety rig alongside their primary. Three modes:

 

• File-to-file: Trim each backup file to cover exactly the same timecode range as its corresponding primary file; sample-accurate alignment.
• Custom TC range: Specify a timecode IN and OUT point and extract that window from all selected backup files. Files outside the range are skipped; partial overlaps are trimmed.
• Replace Track: When a channel in your primary poly file recorded unusable audio, wireless interference, a dropout, a dead receiver, this mode swaps out that specific track with the clean backup audio. The primary file stays intact; only the bad channel is replaced.

 

All three modes include a Normalize to -1 dBFS option. Especially useful for 32-bit float backup recordings captured at very low levels.

Original files are never modified. Wave Copilot always writes new output files.

 

Polyphonic File Management

• Handle WAV files with up to 32 channels. Split any poly WAV into individual mono files with one click, or combine mono files back into a single polyphonic WAV. Drag-and-drop track reordering lets you remap channels before combining.

 

Large File Support (RF64)

• Read and write WAV files larger than 4GB with full RF64 support. Automatic RF64 detection and creation. 

 

32-bit float support

• Handles everything from 44.1kHz to 192kHz, 16 to 32-bit float.

 

Batch Metadata Editor

• Edit Broadcast WAV (bEXT) and iXML metadata across multiple files simultaneously. Update project name, scene, take, track names, notes, and timecode in bulk. Full timecode support with automatic calculation.

 

32-Track Mixer & Playback

• Play back any WAV file up to 32 channels simultaneously. Per-channel gain, pan, solo, mute, and phase invert. Pre-fader metering with clip indicators. Waveform display with timecode ruler.
• Lock your mixer settings and carry them forward to the next file. Useful when reviewing a full day of recordings without reconfiguring your monitoring setup each time. Export Mix bounces your current gain, pan, solo, and mute settings to a new WAV... a quick rough mix without opening a DAW.

 

Format Conversion — Without Losing Metadata

• Convert sample rates and bit depths, or export to MP3/AAC for client deliverables. Most converters strip your bEXT/iXML and break your timecode on conversion. Wave Copilot preserves all metadata, recalculates timecode correctly for the new sample rate, and embeds ID3 tags in MP3 exports. Professional dithering (TPDF and Lipshitz noise shaping) included. Clipping detection built in.

 

Sound Reports

• Generate PDF or CSV sound reports. Customizable columns and layout. Save templates for recurring productions. Configure once, reuse every day of the shoot.

 

Platform:

• Windows 10+ 
• macOS 10.13+ (Intel and Apple Silicon)
• Linux 64-bit distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora 36+, or equivalent)
• More info and download: https://1khz.ca/en/prod/wave-copilot-2

 

Happy to answer questions. Still actively developing it, so feedback is welcome.

 

I haven't covered everything on video yet, but here's a playlist to get you started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3GVZo3t5Xg&list=PLFGIGJFfMP6xASY8_StCb-qjOwPPcOP0Y

 

[Bouke]

No 24 bit support? (I don't see any mention of that...)
 

 

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

18 minutes ago, Bouke said:

No 24 bit support? (I don't see any mention of that...)

 

I can't answer for Matt personally, but "... 16 to 32-bit float" is I expect 24 bit support. I guess it's still what's generally used by many if not most.

 

Jez

[Matt Nantel]

5 hours ago, Bouke said:

No 24 bit support? (I don't see any mention of that...)
 

 

Yes of course 24 bit is supported and conversion between sample rates and bit depths as well 

 

Here are the specs of what is supported : 

Sample Rates : 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192 kHz

Bit Depths: 16, 24, 32-bit integer & 32-bit float

[inspire]

Does this also include some AI stuff? The price seems reasonable, and managing poly WAV would indeed interest me! So far, I have been using Reaper for this.

[Matt Nantel]

21 minutes ago, inspire said:

Does this also include some AI stuff? The price seems reasonable, and managing poly WAV would indeed interest me! So far, I have been using Reaper for this.

What do you mean by AI stuff? You can split poly WAV and combine mono files and route the tracks as you want. The metadata are preserved in the process. 

[inspire]

I wanted to ask: does the software use any kind of AI features? The name “Copilot” made me curious if there is any intelligent automation involved, or if the name is more about assisting the production sound workflow.

A few technical questions as well:

• Is there full support for 32-bit float WAV files? The old Wave Agent unfortunately does not support 32-bit float files, which is my preferred recording format.
• Have MixPre II and Zoom F6 files been specifically tested?
• Is metadata preserved 1:1 during processing?
• Is poly WAV → mono split → recombine bit-perfect?
• How does the software handle large files over 4 GB?
• Does Wave Copilot fully preserve metadata and timecode when handling 32-bit float polywav files from MixPre II and Zoom F-Series recorders?

I’m planning to try the Free Trial soon, but these are some preliminary questions I was curious about.

One additional question that is quite important for my workflow:

When working with multichannel/polywav files, does Wave Copilot fully preserve the original channel layout, routing, and channel assignments during split/recombine operations?

One thing I do not like in REAPER is that it can sometimes reset pan settings or reinterpret channel routing, which means I have to manually go through everything again and remember exactly how the channels were originally configured.

For production sound workflows, it is very important that channels are preserved exactly as recorded, without the software automatically changing or reinterpreting the channel mapping.

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

Brilliant!  I've been wanting to get around to something like this, and you beat me to it.  And did a better job I'm sure.

Feature request:  Have it detect and auto-ingest mounted SD cards from Zaxcom transmitters (Can use commandline ZaxFile utility to convert to WAV), then trim and sort to match a master recorder.  I was planning to do this as a shell script, but would be a great feature-add.  Best if it can be as automated as possible:  Set up a single day, then every card mounted after that gets ingested and matched to that day.

[inspire]

I decided to purchase it and start testing it in my workflow. The perpetual license and reasonable pricing made it an easy decision to support the project.

[inspire]

I just wanted to share some early impressions after purchasing and testing Wave Copilot.

So far, I am genuinely impressed.

In my first test, I took a 4-track 32-bit float recording from a Sound Devices MixPre (MixPre-002.WAV), and within three clicks I was able to split it into four individual mono files:

• MixPre-002_1.wav
• MixPre-002_2.wav
• MixPre-002_3.wav
• MixPre-002_4.wav

The process was extremely fast and straightforward. I also appreciate that I could preview the files before committing to the split, and selectively choose whether to export all channels or only specific ones.

The presence of a “Combine” function also strongly suggests that the reverse workflow (mono files back into a poly WAV) is supported, which makes perfect sense for production sound workflows.

At this stage, I cannot yet comment on pan/channel mapping behavior in detail, since in this test all channels were centered. However, I will be testing more complex routing scenarios next.

Visually, I also find the interface very clean and well designed.

Overall, my first impression is very positive. It already feels like a very useful and efficient tool for daily production sound file handling.

[Matt Nantel]

7 hours ago, inspire said:

I wanted to ask: does the software use any kind of AI features? The name “Copilot” made me curious if there is any intelligent automation involved, or if the name is more about assisting the production sound workflow.

A few technical questions as well:

• Is there full support for 32-bit float WAV files? The old Wave Agent unfortunately does not support 32-bit float files, which is my preferred recording format.
• Have MixPre II and Zoom F6 files been specifically tested?
• Is metadata preserved 1:1 during processing?
• Is poly WAV → mono split → recombine bit-perfect?
• How does the software handle large files over 4 GB?
• Does Wave Copilot fully preserve metadata and timecode when handling 32-bit float polywav files from MixPre II and Zoom F-Series recorders?

I’m planning to try the Free Trial soon, but these are some preliminary questions I was curious about.

One additional question that is quite important for my workflow:

When working with multichannel/polywav files, does Wave Copilot fully preserve the original channel layout, routing, and channel assignments during split/recombine operations?

One thing I do not like in REAPER is that it can sometimes reset pan settings or reinterpret channel routing, which means I have to manually go through everything again and remember exactly how the channels were originally configured.

For production sound workflows, it is very important that channels are preserved exactly as recorded, without the software automatically changing or reinterpreting the channel mapping.

Hi, 

 

To answer your questions, the name is more about assisting production workflow. There is no AI involve in this. 

 

• 32 bit float is fully support and RF64, which means file over 4GB, as well.
• I have tested the app with the Sound Devices MixPre and 8 serie. I haven't tested with the Zoom F series but is should work without any problem.
• The metadata is preserve (iXML and BEXT)... Everything that was supported in Wave Agent is supported in this app. Timecode and metadata is preserve while converting, splitting and combining function. 
• Split and combine will do it bit perfect.
• When splitting and combining, by default the original channel layout will be preserve, but you can route the channel order as you want with the routing matrix. 
• The panning information is not preserve in the metadata, so there is no way of saving that information in a poly Wav. So if you play a poly wav, you will have to reset the panning information in the mixer. But there is a function (lock icon) where you can keep the mixer settings from file to file so you don't have to set the mixer every time. 

6 hours ago, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

Brilliant!  I've been wanting to get around to something like this, and you beat me to it.  And did a better job I'm sure.

Feature request:  Have it detect and auto-ingest mounted SD cards from Zaxcom transmitters (Can use commandline ZaxFile utility to convert to WAV), then trim and sort to match a master recorder.  I was planning to do this as a shell script, but would be a great feature-add.  Best if it can be as automated as possible:  Set up a single day, then every card mounted after that gets ingested and matched to that day.

I'm not familiar with the Zaxcom workflow, but this is something I could check. Would you be willing to provide me some test files? Are you talking about only automating the wav conversion from the Zaxcom format ?

4 hours ago, inspire said:

I just wanted to share some early impressions after purchasing and testing Wave Copilot.

So far, I am genuinely impressed.

In my first test, I took a 4-track 32-bit float recording from a Sound Devices MixPre (MixPre-002.WAV), and within three clicks I was able to split it into four individual mono files:

• MixPre-002_1.wav
• MixPre-002_2.wav
• MixPre-002_3.wav
• MixPre-002_4.wav

The process was extremely fast and straightforward. I also appreciate that I could preview the files before committing to the split, and selectively choose whether to export all channels or only specific ones.

The presence of a “Combine” function also strongly suggests that the reverse workflow (mono files back into a poly WAV) is supported, which makes perfect sense for production sound workflows.

At this stage, I cannot yet comment on pan/channel mapping behavior in detail, since in this test all channels were centered. However, I will be testing more complex routing scenarios next.

Visually, I also find the interface very clean and well designed.

Overall, my first impression is very positive. It already feels like a very useful and efficient tool for daily production sound file handling.

Thank you for your review. 

[fieldsound]

Matt,

 

I trialled your software recently to re-conform a full day of 32 bit body pack recordings to my main recorder files. I got the job done and it worked splendidly, so I wanted to thank you for your hard work putting together Wave CoPilot. It’s really essential these days to be able to trim and deliver bodypack recordings quickly and efficiently when required. 

 

One thing that would make the workflow faster for me would be to offer more options to intelligently sort the backup recording files to match the mixer metadata. Right now the criteria for “matching” files is rather strict, which I can understand. However in my case this feature only recognized a portion of the files and I had to reconform dozens of files one by one.
Based on this experience I feel it would be helpful to offer users the ability to choose the specific criteria for auto conforming themselves. In my case, being able to generate a “template” of files based purely on timecode In/Out (and nothing else) wherein I could quickly edit the metadata of the new poly files before processing would be great.

 

Another feature that would be cool as a quality of life thing is if the software could auto detect and flag backup reconformed ISOs that contain no audio. Eg. I have a transmitter accidentally running on record in my case for a few hours with no mic plugged in. When I go to reconform the files, Wave Copilot could mark the files that appear to be dead air with a symbol thus helping users avoid such files being collapsed into new poly files erroneously. 
 

These are just some ideas I had during my last project that may or may not be feasible to implement. In any case once again I appreciate your work and will be purchasing the software  

[Matt Nantel]

8 minutes ago, fieldsound said:

Matt,

 

I trialled your software recently to re-conform a full day of 32 bit body pack recordings to my main recorder files. I got the job done and it worked splendidly, so I wanted to thank you for your hard work putting together Wave CoPilot. It’s really essential these days to be able to trim and deliver bodypack recordings quickly and efficiently when required. 

 

One thing that would make the workflow faster for me would be to offer more options to intelligently sort the backup recording files to match the mixer metadata. Right now the criteria for “matching” files is rather strict, which I can understand. However in my case this feature only recognized a portion of the files and I had to reconform dozens of files one by one.
Based on this experience I feel it would be helpful to offer users the ability to choose the specific criteria for auto conforming themselves. In my case, being able to generate a “template” of files based purely on timecode In/Out (and nothing else) wherein I could quickly edit the metadata of the new poly files before processing would be great.

 

Another feature that would be cool as a quality of life thing is if the software could auto detect and flag backup reconformed ISOs that contain no audio. Eg. I have a transmitter accidentally running on record in my case for a few hours with no mic plugged in. When I go to reconform the files, Wave Copilot could mark the files that appear to be dead air with a symbol thus helping users avoid such files being collapsed into new poly files erroneously. 
 

These are just some ideas I had during my last project that may or may not be feasible to implement. In any case once again I appreciate your work and will be purchasing the software  

Hi,

 

Thank you for your review and your comments. I really appreciated it.

 

For now, the matching criteria is based on the track name and filtered by the timecode comparing the main recording to the iso track TC. So if your track name on the iso file is the same as in your main recorder, It should match and be pre-selected automatically in the channel assignment section. I would be curious to know what other criteria you would like the app to match in order to help your workflow or what you think would have make you save some time in that process. 

 

I will keep in mind your comments about detecting silent recording and maybe warn the user about it before conforming and continue thinking on how I can improve that feature.

 

Thanks

[inspire]

I agree with this suggestion. In real production workflows, it is actually quite common to intentionally leave a backup recorder armed and recording even if a microphone is temporarily disconnected or not in use, simply because it is safer than accidentally missing a recording entirely.

I also noticed that in the Playback view it is already visually quite easy to spot tracks that contain only silence or near-dead air (see attached screenshot). Because of that, I think some kind of optional visual flag or warning indicator for likely empty/silent ISOs could be a very useful workflow enhancement.

Not necessarily anything complicated — even a small icon, marker, or “possible dead air” indication could help users quickly avoid accidentally reconforming empty tracks into new poly files.

Also, thank you for the clarification regarding panning information and poly WAV metadata. That explanation was very helpful and clarified a lot for me.

Interestingly, I have noticed that with the Tascam Portacapture X8, the pan information seems to carry over correctly between files. However, the Portacapture X8 does not record in poly WAV format, so that may explain the difference in behavior.

[Matt Nantel]

1 hour ago, inspire said:

I agree with this suggestion. In real production workflows, it is actually quite common to intentionally leave a backup recorder armed and recording even if a microphone is temporarily disconnected or not in use, simply because it is safer than accidentally missing a recording entirely.

I also noticed that in the Playback view it is already visually quite easy to spot tracks that contain only silence or near-dead air (see attached screenshot). Because of that, I think some kind of optional visual flag or warning indicator for likely empty/silent ISOs could be a very useful workflow enhancement.

Not necessarily anything complicated — even a small icon, marker, or “possible dead air” indication could help users quickly avoid accidentally reconforming empty tracks into new poly files.

Also, thank you for the clarification regarding panning information and poly WAV metadata. That explanation was very helpful and clarified a lot for me.

Interestingly, I have noticed that with the Tascam Portacapture X8, the pan information seems to carry over correctly between files. However, the Portacapture X8 does not record in poly WAV format, so that may explain the difference in behavior.

 

On the playback tab, each channel shows its peak dB level in the top-right corner. Thank can give you an indication if the track has some data, but I agree that it would be nice to have an notice when conforming to make sure you don't replace the track with something empty.  

[Derek H]

Someone should compare this to the other one that was released recently. Meta sound tools? Maybe in a different thread. 

[r.paterson]

Meta sound tools at moment only mac, I've been using Wav copilot since it's initial release and it is excellent IMHO I don't use wave agent at all now, it's also  being updated with firmware updates based on users feedback, Matt has been great in adding some new or amended features I would  like in the app. As a Pc user it's been an excellant choice for me. 

[igomarsound]

I was hoping for a windows/linux version of the meta sound tools or any updated waveagent software with 32bits capabilities etc since ages, i finally had the project to vibe-code myself a tool out of despair of not seeing this being released on my working OS but this thing looks nice, i'll gladly try it and avoid the headaches with claude.

 

any linux version in the future ?

 

 

[Matt Nantel]

3 hours ago, igomarsound said:

I was hoping for a windows/linux version of the meta sound tools or any updated waveagent software with 32bits capabilities etc since ages, i finally had the project to vibe-code myself a tool out of despair of not seeing this being released on my working OS but this thing looks nice, i'll gladly try it and avoid the headaches with claude.

 

any linux version in the future ?

 

 

The Linux version should technically work. I would only have to compiled it and test it. But for now I don't have the environment to do the tests. I could look into it.

[inspire]

Out of curiosity, when was Wave Copilot originally released? I could not find much historical information about the project online, so I was wondering how long it has been in development and how long it has been publicly available.

[Matt Nantel]

 

1 minute ago, inspire said:

Out of curiosity, when was Wave Copilot originally released? I could not find much historical information about the project online, so I was wondering how long it has been in development and how long it has been publicly available.

I started to developpe it in 2025. The initial release was done in February 18, 2026. You can find more about all the releases that have been done since in the help menu / Release notes.

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

2 hours ago, Matt Nantel said:

The Linux version should technically work. I would only have to compiled it and test it. But for now I don't have the environment to do the tests. I could look into it.

Please!!!  

[Matt Nantel]

On 5/9/2026 at 9:09 AM, fieldsound said:

Matt,

 

I trialled your software recently to re-conform a full day of 32 bit body pack recordings to my main recorder files. I got the job done and it worked splendidly, so I wanted to thank you for your hard work putting together Wave CoPilot. It’s really essential these days to be able to trim and deliver bodypack recordings quickly and efficiently when required. 

 

One thing that would make the workflow faster for me would be to offer more options to intelligently sort the backup recording files to match the mixer metadata. Right now the criteria for “matching” files is rather strict, which I can understand. However in my case this feature only recognized a portion of the files and I had to reconform dozens of files one by one.
Based on this experience I feel it would be helpful to offer users the ability to choose the specific criteria for auto conforming themselves. In my case, being able to generate a “template” of files based purely on timecode In/Out (and nothing else) wherein I could quickly edit the metadata of the new poly files before processing would be great.

 

Another feature that would be cool as a quality of life thing is if the software could auto detect and flag backup reconformed ISOs that contain no audio. Eg. I have a transmitter accidentally running on record in my case for a few hours with no mic plugged in. When I go to reconform the files, Wave Copilot could mark the files that appear to be dead air with a symbol thus helping users avoid such files being collapsed into new poly files erroneously. 
 

These are just some ideas I had during my last project that may or may not be feasible to implement. In any case once again I appreciate your work and will be purchasing the software  

I'm still thinking about improving the workflow, but I just wanted to let you know that I added a flag for silent recording detection in the Track Replace / Channel Assignment section.

On 5/10/2026 at 10:54 AM, inspire said:

I agree with this suggestion. In real production workflows, it is actually quite common to intentionally leave a backup recorder armed and recording even if a microphone is temporarily disconnected or not in use, simply because it is safer than accidentally missing a recording entirely.

I also noticed that in the Playback view it is already visually quite easy to spot tracks that contain only silence or near-dead air (see attached screenshot). Because of that, I think some kind of optional visual flag or warning indicator for likely empty/silent ISOs could be a very useful workflow enhancement.

Not necessarily anything complicated — even a small icon, marker, or “possible dead air” indication could help users quickly avoid accidentally reconforming empty tracks into new poly files.

Also, thank you for the clarification regarding panning information and poly WAV metadata. That explanation was very helpful and clarified a lot for me.

Interestingly, I have noticed that with the Tascam Portacapture X8, the pan information seems to carry over correctly between files. However, the Portacapture X8 does not record in poly WAV format, so that may explain the difference in behavior.

Silent recording detection in the Track Replace / Channel Assignment section of the Conform tab is now part of version 1.0.10.

On 5/11/2026 at 5:22 AM, igomarsound said:

I was hoping for a windows/linux version of the meta sound tools or any updated waveagent software with 32bits capabilities etc since ages, i finally had the project to vibe-code myself a tool out of despair of not seeing this being released on my working OS but this thing looks nice, i'll gladly try it and avoid the headaches with claude.

 

any linux version in the future ?

 

 

Linux version is now available!

On 5/11/2026 at 11:56 AM, The Documentary Sound Guy said:

Please!!!  

Linux version is now available!

[callou]

just had a run with the demo , and everything looks greati just a few wish ; ability to drop folders to scan files would be great and also a 1 step  way  to conform on-board tx recordings to the the main recorder and combine them into poly files, ( like the Sound devices app does). really wish i have that for Zaxcom and wisy trabsmiter. ( As a sound mixer and a as a dial editor as much). Maybe i missed something but it seems like a  2 step process for now  (comform then combin) and something i ll be reluctant to do at wrap

[Matt Nantel]

11 minutes ago, callou said:

just had a run with the demo , and everything looks greati just a few wish ; ability to drop folders to scan files would be great and also a 1 step  way  to conform on-board tx recordings to the the main recorder and combine them into poly files, ( like the Sound devices app does). really wish i have that for Zaxcom and wisy trabsmiter. ( As a sound mixer and a as a dial editor as much). Maybe i missed something but it seems like a  2 step process for now  (comform then combin) and something i ll be reluctant to do at wrap

Hi,

The ability to drop an entire folder for scanning is definitely a great suggestion and something we’d also love to see improved.

For the conform options, I’m not sure I fully understand your workflow, but here’s how the current system works:

There are currently 3 conform modes available:

1. Match Reference
   This mode trims your TX files based on the timecode range of your main recorder files.
2. Custom TC Range
   This allows you to trim TX recordings using any custom timecode range you define manually.
3. Track Replace
   This mode lets you either replace tracks in the main recorder files with the TX recordings, or add the TX recordings as additional tracks. The result is exported directly as a ready-to-use poly WAV file in a single step.

To help automate the matching process, TX recordings are filtered and matched using both timecode and channel names.

So unless I’m misunderstanding your request, the “Track Replace” mode should already handle the conform + combine process in one operation.