Application Failed to Initialize Message in a Waves Host Application

May 14, 2025

If you encounter an “Application failed to initialize” message in a Waves host application such as eMotion LV1 or SuperRack, follow the instructions described in this article.

Note for Windows users:

Make sure you are logged into an administrator account and that the Windows user-name does not contain any non-English letters.

  • Note: Make sure the computer time and date settings are correct. If the time and date are incorrect, the license might not work properly.

    First, check whether the application license is activated on your computer or USB Flash Drive:

    1. Make sure you are connected to the internet.
    2. Launch Waves Central.
      Windows: via the desktop shortcut or Start Menu > All Programs > Waves.
      Mac: Applications > Waves Central.
    3. Log into Waves Central using your Waves account information.
    4. Select the Licenses page.
    5. Select the Connected Devices tab. Use the arrow on the right to expand the list.
    6. Check if the application license is activated on this connected device.
      • If license/s are activated, proceed to Step #2 below.
      • If license/s are not activated proceed to activate the licenses.

    If you are encountering a license error message on an eMotion LV1 Classic Console, refer to this page for specific instructions.

    1. Launch Waves Central.
    2. Under ‘Install Products’ click on ‘All Products’, then click the search bar and type in ASIO.
    3. Select SoundGrid ASIO / Core Audio Rec/PB Driver, in the same version as your SoundGrid host application.
    4. Click Install.
    5. Restart the computer.
    6. If you need to re-install the SoundGrid driver, or switch between driver versions, you can install the required driver from this location:
      Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)\SoundGrid\Utilities
      Mac: MacHD > Applications > Waves > SoundGrid > Utilities.
    7. Launch your Waves host application and see if the issue persists.

    If issue persists, proceed to Step #3 below.

    • eMotion LV1

      By default, LV1 “Mixer Startup” is set to “Previous Session.” On launch it will try to load the CurrentLV1.emo file. If eMotion LV1 tries to load a corrupt file, it will fail to initialize.

      Refresh the loaded session

      1. Quit all applications.
      2. Go to
        Windows: C:\Users\Public\Waves Audio\eMotion\Sessions
        Mac: MacHD > Users > Shared > Waves > eMotion > Sessions
        And delete the following files:
        • CurrentLV1.dat
        • CurrentLV1.dat-journal
      3. Launch eMotion LV1 and see whether the issue is resolved.
    • SuperRack

      By default, SuperRack “Mixer Startup” is set to “Previous Session.” On launch it will try to load the CurrentSPRK.dat file. If SuperRack tries to load a corrupt file, it will fail to initialize.

      Refresh the loaded session

      1. Quit all applications.
      2. Go to
          Windows:
        • C:\Users\Public\Waves Audio\SuperRack SoundGrid\Sessions
        • C:\Users\Public\Waves Audio\SuperRack Performer\Sessions
          Mac:
        • Mac HD > Users > Shared > Waves >SuperRack SoundGrid> Sessions
        • Mac HD > Users > Shared > Waves >SuperRack Performer> Sessions
        And delete the following files:
        • CurrentSPRK.dat
        • CurrentSPRK.dat-journal
      3. Launch SuperRack and see whether the issue is resolved.
    • SoundGrid Studio

      By default, the SoundGrid Studio application is set to “Load from last session.” On launch it will try to load the CurrentSGStudio.emo file. If SoundGrid Studio tries to load a corrupt file, it will fail to initialize.

      Refresh the loaded session

      1. Quit all applications.
      2. Go to
        Windows: C:\Users\Public\Waves Audio\SoundGrid Studio\Sessions
        Mac: Macintosh HD > Users > Shared > Waves > SoundGrid Studio > Sessions
        And delete the following files:
        • CurrentSGStudio.dat
        • CurrentSGStudio.dat-journal
      3. Launch SoundGrid Studio and see whether the issue is resolved.
    • MultiRack

      By default, MultiRack is set to load an empty session. On launch it will try to load:

      • MultiRack Native – Untitled_native.mrdb
      • MultiRack SoundGrid – Untitled_sg.mrdb

      If MultiRack tries to load a corrupt file, it will fail to initialize.

      Refresh the loaded session

      1. Quit all applications.
      2. Windows:
        • Press [Win key]+R, type %appdata% and hit Enter.
        • Go to Waves Audio.
        • Delete the relevant [.mrdb] file.
        • If an [.mrdb-journal] file exists, delete it.
        Mac:
        • In Finder, click on the Go menu, hold down the [Alt/Option] key, and click on Library.
        • Go to Application Support > Waves.
        • Delete the relevant [.mrdb] file.
        • If an [.mrdb-journal] file exists, delete it.
      3. Launch MultiRack and see whether the issue is resolved.

      If you’ve set MultiRack to “Load last session on application launch” (in Preferences), move the session file to a different location on your computer and launch MultiRack.

    • MultiRack for DiGiCo
      1. Quit to Windows (Alt+F4).
      2. Go to D:\Waves and drag Waves Preferences to the desktop.
      3. Go to D:\SDx and drag Startup.mrdb to the desktop.
      4. Launch the SD software. MultiRack will launch automatically.
      5. If the issue persists, re-install Waves for DiGiCo.

None of the above worked? Contact Technical Support.