# Waves Plugins? And are there better options?



## Vehrka (Jun 14, 2017)

Hello there, I've been looking at buying some Waves plugins for a while now and was wondering what people thought of them. I mostly do electronic and ambient scoring and I try to do cinematic stuff every once in a while so would you recommend the Waves stuff or are there other plugins out there that are better? This leads into my next question...

Currently, I use mostly FabFilter and iZotope stuff for all of my EQing, Compression, so on & so forth. Would you say that's enough or would certain Waves plugins make a good addition? Are there perhaps better options than Waves plugins? If so, which ones & why?

Thanks for all your help!


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## Parsifal666 (Jun 14, 2017)

Waves SSL is absolutely fantastic, a terrific addition to any in the box studio imo (I should mention, I'm a huge user of Pro-C and -Q as well). It seems to be aging really well, and its uses are manifold (though the SSL seems to work best as a broad stroke).

Rbass is another good one, though you might want to be careful before trying it on your bus track.

I noticed also that L2 Ultramaximizer is now being sold for a truly unbelievable price, it's quite the quick fix (and should fulfill your hybrid/EDM/Dubstep powah needs).

It certainly requires some decision making skills, as it seems you already have excellent tools.

My advice? Get the SSL when it comes down in price (it comes way down at least once a year). Beyond that, you already have some really good tools and probably should learn them through and through before giving into the seduction of GAS.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Jun 14, 2017)

I believe that it matters way less than what people lead themselves to believe, and that if there's something particular that you need, Waves might have something in their line-up that will do very fine. Or some other developer.


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## fixxer49 (Jun 14, 2017)

@Vehrka 
Waves plugins are pro quality and industry-standard. So are all plugin brands you mentioned. What Waves gives you is guaranteed compatibility in your sessions with large commercial studios. If that’s important to you, go with one of the big Waves bundles. Even their older plugins still get a lot of play in today’s sessions. I’m not a fan-boy, and I actually have a pathological need to buy the latest flavor of the month plugin, but two bundles i’ve never regretted having on my systems are: Waves and Soundtoys.


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## lpuser (Jun 14, 2017)

For all of my projects, Waves plugins are absolutely essential. However, I found that for orchestral or cinematic sounds, I prefer the EastWest Spaces plugin over Waves reverb plugins. In my opinion (or for my taste) EW Spaces is better suited for use with the Hollywood series or other orchestral libraries.
That said, Waves are offering so many deals these days that it really is hard to resists. I have done a comparison yesterday with much more expensive 3rd party plugins and came back to Waves. IMO you can´t do wrong, but depending on personal taste and especially your expectations, there will always be other plugins which complement what you have nicely.


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## Vehrka (Jun 14, 2017)

Well, it looks like Im going to be getting some Waves plugins then, probably the Abbey Road Collection and the Platinum Bundle. Thanks for your input :D


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## Joram (Jun 15, 2017)

Vehrka said:


> Would you say that's enough or would certain Waves plugins make a good addition? Are there perhaps better options than Waves plugins? If so, which ones & why?


It depends what you need. Waves makes topnotch plugins that work perfect but not always and not for everyone. So first, find out what you need and than look for the thing you need. As mentioned above, the SSL bundle is very useful. It sounds like the hardware which is so connected to modern day mixes. I like myself the Scheps 73, which sounds very very close to the 1073's I often work with. But there are many more options. I use the renaissance eq, compressor and de-esser very often. Again, just find out what you need, try out a few different plugins and if you like'm, purchase.


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## Thorsten Meyer (Jun 15, 2017)

Waves plugins are good and if you wait long enough at a very low price point.

Beside other plugin mentioned take also a look at kush audio plugins


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## Parsifal666 (Jun 15, 2017)

Thorsten Meyer said:


> Waves plugins are good and if you wait long enough at a very low price point.
> 
> Beside other plugin mentioned take also a look at kush audio plugins



This is why I mentioned Waves SSL. It's a terrific set of tools, but the usual price is retarded imo. A couple of times a year they knock the price down something like 500 US dollars off, and one would be well advised to put some cash away for that in the near future.


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## MarcusD (Jun 15, 2017)

Waves SSL and API sweet are the only plug-ins I actually liked by Waves. FabFilter, Izotope, Slate Digital, Softtube & SoundToys have enough to cover all your needs. As for reverbs, I quite like Valhallaverb. Worth checking out if you've not heard of it!


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## MarcusD (Jun 21, 2017)

speak of the devil. Waves SSL-E channel is on sale right now for 29 bucks.


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## Anders Bru (Jun 21, 2017)

MarcusD said:


> speak of the devil. Waves SSL-E channel is on sale right now for 29 bucks.


I'm probably gonna get it because of the price and people speaking highly of it, but I'm curious about what makes it so good? Currently I'm using stuff like Renaissance, API and Ozone as general mixing tools. Would love some thoughts about why/when people reach for an SSL.


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## MarcusD (Jun 21, 2017)

Anders Bru said:


> I'm probably gonna get it because of the price and people speaking highly of it, but I'm curious about what makes it so good? Currently I'm using stuff like Renaissance, API and Ozone as general mixing tools. Would love some thoughts about why/when people reach for an SSL.



I love the sound, it's full of character, even the compressor built into the channel strip sounds nice + there's a gate. What more could you ask for? for 29 bucks I would snap it up, really is a great all round beast.


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## wst3 (Jun 22, 2017)

I have the Gold bundle - when I bought it I think the name was Plugin Pack 1 & 2<G>. I don't use a lot of them any more, I've replaced them other stuff, a clear case of YMMV.

But there are some gems: 

The C1 and C4 compressors are the most flexible dynamics processors I've used, every aspect is controllable. And they sound - well - they don't, and sometimes that's exactly what I need.

The effects are awesome, I use Doppler, Doubler, Enigma, MetaFlanger, MondoMod and SuperTap a lot. I also like the Hybrid Delay, but I have other delays that I turn to first (PSP, SoundToys). And SoundToys gets used in place of the others sometimes. Lately I seem to be using the SoundToys stuff first, but that changes over time.

The L1 is almost always (maybe always always?) the last plugin at mix time. It just works, and again, it doesn't impart a "sound".

I may be crazy, but I've not been a big fan of their emulations. The SSL is good, but I don't care for their API inspired plugs. For emulations I still stick to UAD.

I did pick up the F6 Dynamic EQ recently, and it is too early to say for certain, but I may have found a new tool for both repairs and creative processing. 

And I do own two of the Celebrity packs - Eddie Kramer and JJP Guitars - I bought them with the hope that this would let me peek over their shoulders, and I have found it to be pretty useful as a learning tool. 

All that to say that Waves sells some really cool plugins, and they have become a bit more aggressive with their sales. The Gold bundles is a great way to get started.


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## gsilbers (Jun 22, 2017)

Vehrka said:


> Well, it looks like Im going to be getting some Waves plugins then, probably the Abbey Road Collection and the Platinum Bundle. Thanks for your input :D



you can sign up for audiodeluxe or plugindiscounts newsletters and they have a ton of sales for waves.

Waves have been trying to go for the low end market with very very low priced deals but their plugins are great.

just keep an eye out on their WUP., that's where they want to make the money.


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## fixxer49 (Jun 22, 2017)

gsilbers said:


> just keep an eye out on their WUP., that's where they want to make the money.



 aaah yes. Discovering WUP for the first time seems to hit some people harder than that childhood-ruining moment of realizing Santa Claus doesn't exist. it's a rite of understanding we must all go through.... (and i have no problem with it, actually.)


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