Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Interactive e-book
The A-Z Of Waves is a free 10,000 word interactive e-book including hundreds of hours of free videos
covering interviews, Waves plug-in reviews and tutorials by Production Expert.
A is For Abbey Road 5
Abbey Road Studios 6
Abbey Road Plug-ins 6
B is For Broadcast 7
Waves WLM Plus Loudness Meter Review & Tutorial 7
C is For Chris Lord Alge 8
CLA Guitars Plug-in 8
CLA-76 Compressor Plug-in 9
Mixing Drums Using CLA Signature Series Plug-ins 9
D is For DiGiGrid 10
NAMM 2016 - Introducing Waves DiGiGrid Interfaces And I/O 10
Waves Digigrid iOS 10
Review Of Waves DiGiGrid iOS 11
Setting Up Waves DiGiGrid DLS With Pro Tools HD And HDX 11
NAMM 2015 - Waves DiGiGrid iOX and iOC Preview 11
DiGiGrid IOX 12
DiGiGrid IOC 12
E is For EQ 13
Waves Manny Marroquin EQ On Vocals 13
Waves EQ In Music Radio Audio Post Production Workflows 13
Waves V-EQ3 in Action 14
Getting to Know the Waves H-EQ - Parts 1 & 2 14
Waves H-EQ On The Drums In PreSonus Studio One 14
Using Waves V-EQ4 Plug-in To Enhance Voiceovers Part 3 14
F is For Forensics 15
Who Is Phil Manchester? 16
G is For Greg Wells 18
Who is Greg Wells? 18
Greg Wells VoiceCentric Plug-in 19
Greg Wells PianoCentric Plug-in 19
Greg Wells MixCentric Plug-in 20
Greg Wells ToneCentric Plug-in 21
H is For Harmonic Enhancers 22
Andrew Scheps 73 Plug-in 22
Cobalt Saphira Advanced Harmonics Shaping Plug-in 22
Vitamin Plug-in 23
Aphex Aural Exciter Plug-in 24
Abbey Road is perhaps the most iconic recording studio on the planet, partly because it
was the place where many of the Beatles tracks were recorded by producer Sir George
Martin. However, Abbey Road has also the place where many technical audio legends
have worked. A lot of the technology created at Abbey Road is still used today and some
the basic design concepts are emulated in modern product design.
Waves have been working with Abbey Road for several years developing emulations of
classic mixing consoles, effects and reverbs. Pro Tools Expert has featured many of
these plug-in emulations as reviews
and demos of how to use them.
Creating a product endorsed by
Abbey Road is a long process as they
guard the Abbey Road name jealously
making sure nothing is done to
compromise it. Abbey Road work
closely with every manufacturer to
make sure anything bearing the
Abbey Road name is right before it
sees the light of day - you can't
simply put the Abbey Road name on
any plug-in.
In broadcast workflows, one of the most important topics is loudness. Loudness is
important so that listeners of video content don't have to dive for their remote controls
to adjust the volume between content and programs.
Waves WLM Plus Loudness Meter
There's an in-depth interview with Chris Lord Alge on the Waves website, when asked
about his thinking behind his signature series plug-ins he says;
"I wanted to solve a problem. I thought there was a real problem for the musician, for the
first time engineer, for the guy that just wants to go. Basically, it's like a miniature
console on each channel, a plug-in that does everything you want, in one plug-in. They
give you just enough of everything, so you're not trying to set up auxes and returns.
These plug-ins are completely designed based on my work technique and the simplicity
in organization. I like to focus on the music and not the route getting there, just focus on
the thing that makes the song happen. I would say my workflow is built right into the
design for the Artist Signature plug-ins."
Below are links to Pro Tools Expert videos to help users get the best from Waves CLA
signature and other CLA plug-ins.
The Waves CLA76 is based on the much loved vintage 1176 compressor hardware. Both
the Blacky and Bluey CLA76 plug-ins are based on Chris' own hardware units. The
CLA76 can be used on a variety of sources such as vocals, bass and drums. Watch our
free video tutorial to hear how the CLA-76 plug-in from Waves can be used to compress
a snare drum.
Mixing Drums Using CLA Signature Series Plug-ins
In this free video tutorial you will learn an approach to mixing real drums using Waves
CLA Signature plug-ins. The first in a two part series covers the foundations of mixing
drums including Kick, Snare and Toms using the Waves CLA Signature plug-in to
produce a solid mix.
DiGiGrid is the collaboration between Waves and DiGiCo/Soundtracs that provide the
audio market with processing and networking solutions based on the Waves SoundGrid
platform. DiGiGrid offers audio interfaces for native DAWs, Pro Tools systems, Waves
MultiRack and MADI-enabled consoles.
Waves produced a short video showing four of the major DAWs Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic
and Ableton Live working together using their Waves DiGiGrid IOS audio interface.
The video shows two musicians playing virtual instruments via Cubase and Logic, the
performance being mixed via Ableton Live and then recorded in Pro Tools.
The DiGiGrid IOS consists of two parts, the DiGiGridIOS hardware and the Waves
SoundGrid Studio software. The hardware is an 8 x 8 audio interface and SoundGrid DSP
server in a single 2U rack unit. Reconnection to the computer is via a Cat 5e/Cat 6
Ethernet cable.
Need more I/O? A single Cat 5e or Cat 6 Ethernet cable is all you need to connect
additional SoundGrid components to your network via the built-in network switch.
Summary: Whilst there's been a lot of talk about the technology behind the Waves
DiGiGrid IOS platform this may have overshadowed an equally important discussion
which is the sound. The sound is very good, in fact so good it left me a little shocked, I
plugged in a Shure SM7 and then my headphones on one of the two headphone sockets
and was simply blown away by the sound. On talking to the team at DiGiGrid it
transpires that both the input stages and the headphone stages come from the Digico
SD7 console, I'm not sure how much is being made of this right now, but if you are
choosing some new I/O then find a dealer that has the units in stock and then simply
listen to the units.
Russ got his hands on the Waves DiGiGrid DLS and shows how it is set up with a Pro
Tools HDX/HD system. Our system is a single HDX1 card with an Avid Omni, our card is
sitting inside the Sonnet Thunderbolt Chassis.
For the Waves DiGiGrid DLS hardware to work it needs three connections - a network
connection to the host computer, in this case a Mac Pro.
Read the full article Setting Up Waves DiGiGrid DLS With Pro Tools HD And HDX.
NAMM 2015 - Waves DiGiGrid iOX and iOC Preview
Pro Tools Expert met up with Michael (MPA) Adams and talks about Waves DiGiGrid iOX
and iOC audio interfaces. With 12 mic/line inputs and 6 line/4 headphone outputs,
DiGiGrid IOX is the perfect high-count I/O interface for your studio's
performance/recording room. This all-round audio interface features 34 analog and
digital ins/outs. Watch the full interview here.
DiGiGrid IOX
DiGiGrid IOX is a high-count I/O interface for your studio’s performance/recording room.
This audio interface features 12 mic/line inputs with broadcast/studio-quality preamps
and 6 line outputs. The IOX delivers high-resolution monitoring in the studio and the
control room alike, with four headphone outputs allowing independent mixes for each
musician. With your IOX and a dedicated SoundGrid DSP server, you can run hundreds
of SoundGrid-compatible Waves and third-party plug-ins, all fully integrated within your
DAW of choice.
DiGiGrid IOC
Designed for the control room, the DiGiGrid IOC audio interface offers a range of
connectivity options, including 2 mic/line inputs with broadcast-grade preamps, 8 line
inputs/outputs, and 16 AES and ADAT inputs/outputs, plus two powerful headphone
outputs.
With the IOC and a dedicated SoundGrid DSP server on your network, you will be able to
run hundreds of SoundGrid-compatible Waves and third-party plug-ins, all fully
integrated within your DAW of choice. Just plug the IOC into your SoundGrid network
using a single Ethernet cable, and you will enter a new world of real-time tracking,
mixing and monitoring, with extremely low latency of only 0.8 milliseconds.
The A-Z Of Waves Copyright © 2017 Production Expert
12
E is For EQ
Waves have a huge selection of EQ plug-ins covering a wide range of applications and
styles. We could spend forever featuring all the different Waves EQ plug-ins so instead
we are going to look at a selection that have grabbed our attention of the years and
show you how we use certain Waves EQ plug-ins in what we do. Although a number of
this videos are using other DAWs the tips and tricks with the Waves plug-ins are just as
useful whichever DAW you use.
Waves Manny Marroquin EQ On Vocals
The Manny Marroquin EQ has been modeled
using different hardware EQ’s for each band
including the SSL 9080 XL K for its high and
low pass filters, Quad 8 or Neve 1073 for the
low end, Quad 8 or Motown for lows/low
mids, Motown, 1073 and API 550B for
mids/high mids and Avalon 2055 for the
silky high end. Watch our free video tutorial
to learn how to use the Manny Marroquin EQ
plug-in on a vocal track. Also watch our 15
minute mix challenge where we use the
Manny Marroquin EQ plug-in on a selection
of tracks in a mix session.
Waves EQ In Music Radio Audio Post Production Workflows
Check out Part 2 of our Radio Post Production Mastering Plug-in Chain series to see
where Waves EQ plug-in fit into audio post production for music radio documentaries.
In this free video tutorial you will learn how to use the Waves V-EQ3 plug-in as a general
tonal shaping and character adding tool on a pair of layered synth keyboard tracks.
Getting to Know the Waves H-EQ - Part 1
In part 3 of this series of 4 free video tutorials, you will learn how to remove certain
frequencies that have become excessive and how to add overall shaping to the
voiceover EQ curve to better suit the mix – watch here.
Waves have a plug-in bundle for audio forensics specialists - The Phil Manchester
Waves Forensics Package that includes nine Waves plug-ins chosen especially for their
precision in covert audio investigation. This package is ideally suited for law
enforcement agencies and includes the following plug-ins:
• W43 Noise Reduction Plug-in
• X-Noise
• X-Crackle
• X-Hum
• X-Click
• C1 Compressor/Expander
• Q10 Paragraphic Equalizer
• PAZ Frequency Analyzer
• L1 Ultramaximizer™
Phil has been in forensic audio from the ground floor. His work was an indispensable
part of the prosecution’s case against Parviz Khan and four others convicted in an
infamous 2007 plot to kill a British Muslim soldier. Phil explained that one day he may
be in a position to publicly comment on exactly how Waves' tools provided him with the
arsenal to deliver results in this complicated investigation and others, but what he will
say is that Waves processing technologies are without a doubt providing him with the
finest tools available to allow him to continue as a world-leading expert. Phil
continues...
“Waves Audio tools were used to identify, restore and evidentially provide critical audio
for bringing to justice those responsible for high level criminality. Thanks to Waves, I
was able to succeed where other law enforcement agencies had failed.”
Manchester sees the use of plug-ins and audio restoration software by forensics
investigators as a growing trend.
“These plug-ins and methods will have a huge impact on how investigators approach
their craft. For too long, audio forensics has been about racks and racks of equipment in
laboratories. And law enforcement might tend to lag behind on certain developments –
most police officers still record to tape, for instance. But the fact is now, with the power
of a modern laptop, I can perform restoration that will exceed that of the most expensive
laboratory systems, and it is only a matter of time before this type of investigation is the
norm.”
Grammy Award winning Producer & Mixer Greg Wells teamed up with Waves to develop
a selection of plug-ins he wished were available to him 20 years ago – VoiceCentric,
PianoCentric, ToneCentric and MixCentric
Who is Greg Wells?
Watch our review of the Greg Wells VoiceCentric plug-in. The Greg Wells VoiceCentric
plug-in has a user-friendly interface featuring one main control and three additional
controls for Wells’ customised Delay, Doubler and Reverb settings. Designed for those
looking for an A-level mixed vocal sound, this plug-in gives you instant access to Greg
Wells’ signature sound – a world-class solution for vocal processing.
Watch our free video tutorial to learn how to polish a vocal using the Greg Wells
VocalCentric Plug-in
Greg Wells PianoCentric Plug-in
Watch our review of the Greg Waves
PianoCentric plug-in. This plug-in is
designed to help users mix piano in pop
tracks but it also very powerful when
used on other keyboard instruments.
Below is what Greg Wells says of the
PianoCentric plug-in:
Whether used in mono or stereo mode, this plug-in gives you direct access to Greg
Wells’ signature sound with the turn of just one knob. MixCentric provides a quick
solution for finalizing mixes. Using EQ, compression and harmonic distortion to process
your master buss or groups, Greg Wells MixCentric is designed to enhance and balance
the tonality of your mix. Combined with your limiter of choice, it can bring your mix up to
par with fully mastered and released material.
The MixCentric is a bit like an audio version of Coca Cola or KFC seasoning, in the fact
that we might know the basics of how this thing is put together but the exact mix of
those ingredients is a mystery. The MixCentric uses EQ, compression and harmonic
distortion and these are then applied to the source material using the intensity control.
We also have a Input and Output control which at first glance are there to help balance
the volume between the original and effected signal.
Read our full review of the Waves Greg Wells MixCentric plug-in.
“This plug-in is very special, and much agonizing and experimenting went into it. The
MixCentric plug-in will quickly get your track sounding like an expertly EQed and
compressed mix, using the same techniques employed by many of the best mix
engineers.
There is an enormous amount going on behind the deceptive simplicity of the control
knob, including many different settings that come in and out and change as you move
the knob position. Play with it and discover the incredible power of this user-friendly
plug-in. There has never been a plug-in like MixCentric and I wish I had it 20 years ago!”
Watch our free video tutorial to learn how to use the Waves Greg Wells MixCentric on the
Pro Tools master buss
Greg Wells ToneCentric Plug-in
The Greg Wells ToneCentric plug-in by Waves adds rich analog tone to individual tracks
or entire mixes in studio or live environments. The ToneCentric was based on Greg’s
favorite pieces of analog gear.
We produced a free video tutorial showing how to use the Waves Greg Wells
ToneCentric plug-in on vocals and a mix bus. Watch to hear how well this plug-in places
a vocal in a mix.
Watch also our 15 minute mix challenge where we mix an entire full band production
using only the Greg Wells Signature Series plug-ins by Waves.
We have several plug-in choices from Waves that include some form of harmonic
excitement including Andrew Scheps 73, Cobalt Saphire, Vitamin and Aphex Aural
Exciter plug-ins.
Andrew Scheps 73 Plug-in
Vitamin Plug-in
Watch another free video tutorial showing you how Vitamins sweetens tracks in a folk
mix.
Modeled on one of only a few tube-powered units ever made, the Waves Aphex Vintage
Aural Exciter plug-in has been designed to deliver the unique character of the rare
original hardware unit, with all the advantages of software.
When it was originally introduced in the mid-1970s, the Aphex Aural Exciter brought its
distinctive sound to select sessions by leading recording artists, traveling from studio to
studio as an exclusive (and expensive) rental unit. It was highly regarded for its ability to
increase and enhance presence, brightness, and vibrancy on vocal and instrumental
tracks alike. It was even credited as a "session player" on best-selling albums by the
likes of Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, engineered by Val Garay,
who worked closely with us on the development of the plug-in.
In this free video tutorial you will learn some Waves Vintage Aural Exciter mix tricks.
Watch the video to learn two different mix modes that can achieve entirely different
results.
In our A-Z of Waves I stands for image - or more accurately image control. Waves have
three great plug-ins for imaging duties, the Waves S1 for stereo work, S360 for 5.1
manipulation and the Waves Center for boosting or reducing center audio content in
stereo audio content.
S1 Imager Plug-in
Waves claim the S1 is "ideal for stereo
tracks as well as full mixes, the S1 is a
unique and powerful set of tools that uses
psycho-acoustic spatial imaging techniques
to enhance and alter stereo separation".
That said, the Waves S1 is based on
recognized engineering principles and does
not purport to create a three-dimensional
sound field from a two-loudspeaker system
or to create a pseudo-stereo master from a
mono source. S1 Imager offers a high level
of mono compatibility with minimal side
effects because it is based on established audio engineering principles.
The Waves S1 provides the means to readjust the stereo level-balance of a mix and has
the ability to dramatically widen an existing stereo image, again without introducing
significant side effects. For example, an asymmetrical mix can be adjusted so as to re-
balance the left and right components without affecting the position of the centre image
or, alternatively, the center image may be panned left or right without affecting the
balance of the stereo components of the mix.
The A-Z Of Waves Copyright © 2017 Production Expert
25
S360 Surround Tools Imager And Panner Plug-ins
The Waves S360 is engineered for the precise manipulation of imaging, distance
panning, and spatial enhancement for surround sound.
The Waves S360 is a Surround Panning and Imaging tool for 5 or 5.1 channels. It offers
an alternative to surround X/Y panners, designed to provide better control of Phantom
images, and provides better localisation as well as an enhanced sweet spot. The S360°
Panner lets you set the Rotation and Width for a Mono, Stereo, 5-channel or 5.1-
channel, Surround source in the surround mix.
The S360° Surround Imager and S360° Surround Panner plug-ins can also generate
early reflections and can use shuffling to increase low frequency width and perceived
depth.
In the first part of a series of free video tutorial on the plug-ins in the Waves Surround
Tools Bundle we show you how you can use the Surround Panner and Surround Imager
plug-ins in audio post production workflows.
Center Plug-in
Waves designed their Center plug-in to be ideal for
final mixes and mastering, Waves Center separates
phantom Center content from Side (L/R) content.
With Center, you can zero in on the phantom center
and bring out or bring down the vocals without
affecting everything else. Waves say it is perfect for
post-production engineers and DJs as well. Center
enables users to reposition, isolate, and even
eliminate elements in a mix.
Using a unique dynamic engine that considers the
amplitude, frequency, and time envelope of stereo
sources, Center is designed to give users the power to
radically re-balance spatial imagery. Adjustable
The A-Z Of Waves Copyright © 2017 Production Expert
26
punch, high frequency, and low frequency controls means we can focus on Center or
Side elements.
Waves Center is ideal for a wide range of audio applications:
Post-Production:
J is for JJP, short for Jack Joseph Puig. Waves offer a large range of JJP signature
plug-ins in their portfolio. We have produced a number of free tutorials about the JJP
signature series plug-in that can be found below:
Using JJP Cymbals And Percussion Plug-in
In this free video tutorial, you will learn how to use the JJP Cymbals & Percussion plug-
in on some loops and cymbals. This plug-in includes a lo-fi effect which is great for
fattening up shakers and can scoop out mid-ranges on tambourines to make them
sound brighter.
For over five decades Eddie Karmer has painted the rock landscape with his aural and
visual brush working with some of music history’s biggest names such as The Rolling
Stones, David Bowie, Bad Company and The Beatles, just to name a few. Still, Kramer is
best known for three long-term associations - Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Kiss. He
not only produced and engineered music for these legendary artists that continue to
influence rock musicians and producers of our times, but he also has set standards for
rock production today.
Below are four free tutorials that will help you understand the Waves Kramer series
plug-ins
In this free video tutorial, you will learn how to set up Waves Kramer Master Tape plug-
in on a parallel mix buss on drums and bass. Often this technique is used with
compressors but we show you what happens when using it with tape compression and
saturation. Find out how to set it up and listen to the results.
When it comes to Low End Waves have it pretty well covered with specific low end plug-
ins such as MaxxBass, Renaissance Bass and LoAir.
Waves MaxxBass and Renaissance Bass are similar yet different at the same time with
Waves LoAir different again. What these plug-ins all share is that they enhance bass in
audio without using EQ but instead use the creation of harmonics based on the signal to
create the enhanced low end effect. We have four free tutorials that will help you
understand each of these Waves Low End style plug-ins.
Renaissance Bass Plug-in
In this free video tutorial, you will how to get the best out of the Waves LoAir plug-in and
the differences between this and the other Waves Low End plug-ins.
Manny’s humble approach and creative music production technique have positioned
him among the elite in the industry having graced nearly 250 million albums worldwide.
His ear for sound has helped earn him over forty #1 albums and one hundred Top 10
albums on The Billboard 200. Add to that another twelve Hot 100 #1 singles and over
forty singles in the Top 10. Waves and Manny have developed a number of plug-ins
bearing the Manny Marroquin seal of approval. Watch our 15 minute mix challenge
video where we mix an entire song using all the plug-ins with the Manny Marroquin
signature series bundle.
Waves Manny Marroquin Plug-ins
The A-Z Of Waves Copyright © 2017 Production Expert
34
N is For Non Linear
Non linear is often described as all those nice
sounding processes usually produced by even
harmonics. It is often those very even harmonic
processes that produce warm sounding effects
like valve processes and tape emulation. Watch
our review the Waves NLS (non-linear summer)
plug-in to hear how Non Linear plug-ins such
as these warm up audio.
The Waves NLS plug-in features three models
of anolog console. What makes NLS special is
that Waves spent a lot of time modeling over
100 individual channels from these three
consoles. The results of this mean NLS has all
the unique characteristics of each and every
input channel and summing bus amp true to the
original consoles.
The A-Z Of Waves Copyright © 2017 Production Expert
35
O is For OneKnob
Waves have designed the OneKnob series of plug-ins to make mixing easy, featuring the
best of Waves processing technology in a collection of audio plug-ins, each of which is
controlled by a single knob.
OneKnob Phatter
From light parallel-style compression to heavy compression. Watch our free video
tutorial to learn how to use the OneKnob Pressure on a drum mix.
OneKnob Pumper
OneKnob Driver
The Waves OneKnob Driver is inspired by famous guitar overdrive pedals. OneKnob
Driver is capable of everything from light overdrive to full-on distortion. Watch our free
video tutorial to learn how to use the OneKnob Driver as this plug-in isn’t only just for
guitars - it also sounds great as an effect for vocals, piano, synth, drum, bass track and
more.
Waves Tune
Waves Tune is a monophonic pitch
correction plug-in that has a
workflow not too dissimilar to MIDI
piano roll editing. It works in-sync
with the Pro Tools timeline using
ReWire taking control of the Pro Tools
transport and playback. The most
common application for Waves Tune
is vocal pitch correction as it delivers
very transparent results with the GUI
being very easy to use. This isn't to
say that Waves Tune is only good a
getting transparent tuning results, oh
no, it is also very good at producing
very creative tuning effects. A stand
out feature of Waves Tune is the ability to create vibrato. Let's say a vocalist failed to
sing with vibrato in the performance - Waves Tune can take the straight pitch and
produce vibrato after the fact very quickly.
Watch our review of Waves Tune Real-Time and hear how it performs on a lead vocal
and bass guitar.
SoundShifter Pitch
Waves SoundShifter Pitch is a very good global
audio tuning tool. Say you have an acoustic
guitar recording that is overall a little sharp in
pitch - Waves SoundShiter Pitch can gently
flatten the overall pitch of the guitar to be more
in line with the tuning of the mix. It is also very
good for tuning drum hits such as snares, kicks
and toms. Waves SoundShifter can pitch plus or
minus one octave either in semitones or cents
for fine tuning.
Q-Clone is a very powerful plug-in by Waves that expands our studio outboard gear
capabilities in our DAWs.
Let's say you have one very nice outboard EQ in your studio - You want to use this EQ
multiple times in your mix but you can't as you only have the one physical EQ unit in
your rack. Q-Clone will enable you to model the characteristics of that outboard EQ
meaning enabling you to use a digital clone of that EQ across many instances in your
mix. Q-Capture takes a snapshot of the outboard EQ curve which is then used in the Q-
Clone plug-in on any track within your mix.
Watch the our free video tutorial below to learn how to setup Q-Catpure and Q-Clone in
Pro Tools.
Renaissance Compressor
The Waves Renaissance Compressor is a very handy
compressor plug-in. It features a simple set of controls that
are easy to set for achieving transparent compression
results. Renaissance Compressor has two different
compression modes - vintage opto and modern electro, both
add subtle changes to the compressor characteristics.
What's nice is that the Renaissance Compressor has a key
input, this enables the use of sidechaining when pumpy
compression is needed to be driven from a different track
such as a dance kick compressing a synth pad.
Renaissance Bass
Waves Renaissance Bass does one thing - It effortlessly
fattens up low-end. It achieves this in a very different way to
low-end boosting with EQ. Renaissance Bass uses Waves
MaxxBass psycho-acoustic technology. Renaissance Bass
fattens up low-end by creating higher harmonics from
existing bass within your tracks - this in turn, tricks your ear
into hearing bigger bass. This is a very useful tool for
exaggerating bass within tracks in your mixes for smaller
playback systems. A great application for R Bass in on close
mic drum toms that sound thin. Tune the frequency to the
fundamental of each tom and increase the intensity to taste.
Element 2
Waves Element version 1 was the first virtual instrument Waves released. Element 2 is
the latest version of the dual oscillator analog based synth by Waves. Element is quite
an in-depth synth featuring VCF, VCA, built in effects, 4 LFOs and Mod Matrix just to
name a few. We produced a free four part video tutorial series showing how to use
Waves Element.
Part 1 of 4 - In this free video tutorial, you will
learn how the oscillator section works in Waves
Element 2. Watch to learn how to build a simple
synth bass sound.
Part 2 of 4 - In this free video tutorial, you will
learn how to use the voltage controlled filter
section of Waves Element 2. In the video, you
will hear how the envelope parameters,
keyboard & velocity tracking and other
functions influence the sound of the filter.
Part 3 of 4 - In this free video tutorial, you will
learn how the LFOs are assigned within the
instrument. Learn how to modulate various sound shaping parameters in the oscillator
and filter sections.
Part 4 of 4 – In this free video tutorial, you will learn how to create rhythmic patterns
generated by the arpeggiator and how to create irregularly repeating patterns using the
step sequencer functions.
Waves Abbey Road J37
The Waves Abbey Road J37 tape saturation
plug-in was Wave's follow up tape style
plug-in to the Kramer Master Tape featuring
similar controls for tape speed, bias, noise
and wow & flutter. The main difference is
that the J37 includes three oxide tape
formulas providing extra signatures sounds
of the original machine at Abbey Road. Like
the Kramer Master Tape, a tape delay unit is
also featured.
Watch our free video tutorial - Using The
Waves Abbey Road J37 Tape Emulation To
Add Width To a Guitar
Waves Abbey Road Reel ADT
The Waves Abbey Road Reel ADT claims to be the first plug-in to successfully emulate
Abbey Road Studios’ pioneering process of Artificial Double Tracking. The effect that
would become an integral part of Abbey Road’s signature sound was initially created at
the famed studios in the 1960s to meet the needs of some very special clients: The
Beatles.
It features the combination of tapes and valves from a vintage Abbey Road machine,
even better it offers other tape based modulation effects such as phasing and flanging,
as well as tape saturation.
Waves developed the Kramer Master Tape plug-in in association with legend Eddie
Kramer. The Kramer Master Tape plug-in was Waves first tape emulation plug-in based
on a vintage 1/4" reel-to-reel machine. It features adjustable tape speed, bias, flux, wow
& flutter and noise controls with an extra slap-back style delay.
Watch our free video tutorial to hear how it performs in a parallel processing application.
UpMix is the process commonly used when stereo audio, such as a mixed stereo music
file, needs to be upmixed to multi-channel such as 5.1. Upmixing a stereo music track to
multi-channel is a quick and useful workflow when an impression of a multi-channel
mix of a stereo music file is required and the stems of the stereo music track are not
available for mixing in multi-channel.
There are slight differences between the two plug-ins, the main being inclusion of the
sub channel in UM226. Users should use either or plug-in, not both.
• UM225 - 5.0
• UM226 - 5.1
Using Waves UM225 & UM226 in Pro Tools
The Waves Abbey Road Vinyl plug-in provides users with the vintage warmth of vinyl
records played on classic turntables and needles. Waves Vinyl is a precise model of
Abbey Road Studios’ vinyl cutting and mastering gear.
Watch our review of Waves Abbey
Road Vinyl.
For added authenticity and creativity
Abbey Road Vinyl even lets users
move the location of the tone arm
across the record, changing the
frequency response and distortion
like in the real world. Users can add
vinyl noise and crackle, apply a
gradual slow-down/stop turntable
effect, and add wow & flutter effects
for extra analog warmth.
Watch our free video tutorial to learn
how to use Waves Abbey Road Vinyl
in a mastering application.
The W43 Noise Reduction plug-in was based upon a popular denoising hardware unit
that has been used for decades by professional audio mixers in the post production
industry – The CAT 43.
The W43 plug-in is a very good tool for removing backing ambient noise such as wind,
hiss, hum and air conditioning in DAW workflows. The W43 features four fixed
frequency bands that delivers users with clear and quality denoising with very little in
the way of unnatural artifacts
Of course we know Nx doesn't start with the letter X, we are slightly cheating here,
however, Nx is a very powerful headphone technology and we feel it is well worth
featuring in the A to Z of Waves.
What Is Waves Nx?
At the core of Nx is a headphone dependent
software/hardware system that provides users
with an acoustically balanced virtual mix room
through standard studio headphone monitoring.
The Waves Nx plug-in requires access to computer
webcams for real-time head tracking. The head
tracking feature does exactly what it says on the tin
- It tracks user head movements creating the sonic
illusion of how sound changes when moving one's
head naturally around a mix position (sweet-spot) between physical monitors.
The Nx plug-in works with stereo content but also extends to multi-channel audio as
well. The magic within the software enables users to mix multi-channel content through
stereo headphones. All the combined features in Waves Nx result in very realistic mix
room conditions.
For the letter Y Pro Tools Expert Deputy Editor Dan Cooper chose not to talk about a
particular set of Waves plug-ins, instead, he shared his reasons behind why he loves
using Waves plug-ins in music production.
My Introduction To Waves Plug-ins – By Dan Cooper
In 2008 the band I was in at the time booked into a very plush studio in West London to
record and mix a handful of songs. The studio was running Pro Tools HD TDM and the
engineer used only Waves plug-ins found in the epic Waves Mercury bundle. My little
bedroom studio in 2008 was running a very basic Pro Tools LE system with DIGI 003
interface. I couldn't afford third-party plug-ins so I used only the Pro tools plug-ins that
were bundled free.
I remember watching the engineer very closely as
he mixed our music using only Waves plug-ins. I
learnt quite a lot about mixing by watching him
work but what the engineer did for me without me
even noticing at was he opened my eyes to what
appeared to be an endless pallet of mix
opportunities in Pro Tools using Waves plug-ins. In
short, I was instantly hooked on Waves and told
myself "One day I'll own a Waves plug-in bundle."
Some Years Later
In 2012 my business was one year old and work
was going well. I had developed a strong list of
returning clients in a short amount of time and
Z-Noise is a real-time broadband noise
reduction plug-in by Waves that enables
users to quickly remove the following
artifacts from noisy audio:
• Tape hiss & vinyl
• Wind
• Air conditioner noise
• Ground hum
• Computer fan noise
If the characteristics of the noise changes over the course of the audio clip then Z-Noise
has an "Adaptive" mode that changes the noise profile along with the changes of the
noise in real-time.
Z-Noise also features a de-noise monitor section that enables users to hear either the
de-noised results or the difference. This is a very useful feature as it enables users to
hear if areas of the denoised audio are being harmed during real-time denoising - a
great feature for fine tuning the controls.