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As regular readers will know, I’m a longtime fan of Waves plugins. Founded in 1992, they are one of the earliest developers of widely-used audio plugins and have built up a vast collection of software effects, processors and instruments to choose from. It’s entirely feasible that just a DAW and one of the many Waves plugin bundles could be all you’d ever really need for your productions – but with this wealth of choice it can also be difficult to know which individual plugins or bundles might best suit your purposes. So in an effort to both provide some clarity for those newer to music production in general and Waves in particular, and also as an interesting frame for more experienced producers to consider their own collections and favourites, I posed myself the question, ‘If I had to recommend a handful of Waves plugins that every producer should own (or at least demo), which would they be?’ Below you can find the roundup of some of my all-time favourite Waves plugins.
A true classic, 'Criminal Minded' was included in Vibe Magazine's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th century and finally this legendary album is available in a much anticipated, double-disc deluxe edition. With this now-classic debut album, BDP's hardcore stylings helped to redefine the New York rap music scene. The first disc features the original ten album tracks and is enhanced with the ultra rare video for the 'The Bridge Is Over' with all cuts remastered from the original masters. 'Criminal Minded' elevated the standards and proved that rap could be a dynamic and consciousness-raising medium and since its release, KRS-ONE has gone on to become one of the most prolific and critically-acclaimed artists in Hip Hop history. Boogie down productions criminal minded zip number. KRS-ONE's combination of street slang and Webster's dictionary knowledge backed by Scott La Rock's hard hitting, minimal beats help set this album apart when it was originally released in 1986.
These 14 (I couldn’t keep it down to 10 in the end) are plugins that I’ve naturally found myself coming back to time and time again, and the list includes some of the most distinctive classic hardware emulations and cutting edge audio processors you can find anywhere. By the way, click through on each entry in the list to get more info from the Waves site on which bundles they are included with. (Full disclosure: While the links from GTPS to the Waves site are affiliate-enabled, this article and the editorial selection of this list are entirely ours and independent from Waves. GTPS is based on a firm policy of only recommending software and equipment we actually use ourselves every day, so you can be sure that when we talk about particular companies and products it’s because we genuinely love them!) The original Ultramaximizer, the L1, was really the first Waves plugin to become fairly ubiquitous throughout the studio world, and it’s still a much-loved favourite of many. The L2 iteration offers an even more streamlined control set and look-ahead brickwall limiting, making it the choice for squeezing every ounce of potential ‘loudness’ out of your tracks. Simple but smooth-sounding even when pushed hard. Once I was put onto MetaFlanger it instantly became my default flange/phase effect processor.
I often use it in series with a whole stack of other favourite plugins, and whether you’re introducing some subtle rhythmic movement into a film sound design element or going all out with waves of wooshing phasing on a riser for a club track, MetaFlanger always does it’s thing with a touch of class. The Waves Hybrid Collection (made up of the H-Delay, and ) are each some of the most flexible and satisfying to use plugins in their respective categories, combining simple large knobs and dials with a diverse range of possible sounds, more or less ‘analogue’ to taste. I’ve highlighted H-Delay as the epitome of this combination of simple, intuitive controls which enable you to craft so many different quality sounds and effects very quickly – excellent for keeping the inspiration flowing without getting bogged down under the programming process. From general ‘analogue’-style to an actual model of a specific vintage hardware unit, this stereo compressor plugin (and the rest of the Waves API Collection) was developed in a collaboration between Waves and Automated Processes Incorporated – API. Quite simply, API are responsible for several of the most highly regarded mixing console modules and EQ strips since their inception in 1968, and this software version comes about as close as any classic emulation to capturing the spirit and the sound of the original.