Soundwave

SOUNDWAVE
"Cries and screams are music to my ears."
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Communications
First Appearance: Transformers #1

Profile: It's said that SW can hear a fly sneeze. It's also said that beneath his smooth-talking, affable surface beats the generator coil of a blackmailer. Those who know these facts about him are careful about what they say within earshot of him. SW is the ultimate opportunist & will use any- thing he can to advance his status in the eyes of Megatron. He doesn't worry about what others think of him because he knows he's nearly indispens- able. Altho they all despise him, other Decepticons pretend to like him rather than get on his bad side. As Rumble explains, "SW always has the last laugh."

Abilities: Soundwave's sensors can detect radio transmissions of the lowest energy levels. He can even "read minds" by monitoring the electrical impulses inside someone's brain circuitry, if he's standing nearby. He serves as the Decepticons' communications relay station -he can keep them all in radio contact with each other within a radius of 100 miles. His photographic memory is due to the immense information storage capacity of the magnetic disks in his chest. He carries a high amplification directional radio-wave sensor and a concussionblaster gun. He also has great physical strength.

Weaknesses: Soundwave sometimes gets overconfident about his value to the others. At times his hateful personality has resulted in retaliation from them, or worse yet, his abandonment during battle with the Autobots. So far, Soundwave has not only survived these incidents, but has seen to it that his betrayers pay for their actions.

Other Soundwave appearances: It was hard to miss seeing Soundwave as Transmetal Megatron flew over him before enacting his Agenda in the season 2 finale episode! What a great scene and episode!

There is also a "Beast Wars Mutant" character, part of the Beast Machines 2000 toy line named Soundwave. But based on the personality described in the tech spec, he seems like a different individual to me.

You can also get a great idea of what he might have looked like if further animated in Beast Wars/Machines thanks to the 3D renderings by 3D artists:
glmatrix@unicron.com. provides these pics: PIC 1/ (smaller) PIC2.
And Defiant@unicron.com provides these sweet pics!