Audio software developer Waves has been bringing delight to sound engineers and producers all over the world for about 25 years! The very first product, Q10, was released in 1992. Since than the company designed a huge amount of plugins and doesn’t seem to show any signs of stopping!

When you install the full pack, a DAW displays a long list of units. And it is not always clear from the titles, what each plugin is for. 

For example, there are abbreviations like IR1, J37, MV2, NS1, W43; more readable names but they don’t reflect the sense: Saphira, Enigma, Vitamin, Renaissance Axx, MondoMod, also there are vintage equipment emulations, and their titles partly coincide with the originals, but if a user is not familiar with this hardware, he or she is unable to recognize them: CLA-76, PuigTech 670, API-2500, dbx-160. But still there are some units with titles that reflect the common idea of a plugin: H-EQ, RDeEsser, S1 Imager, SSLComp, MaxxBass.

It is obvious that after a full pack installation you should go through all the plugins in order to get acquainted with them and try to remember their purpose, so that during your work it would be possible to find a needed device quickly. Sometimes you may find out the real purpose (and surely the proper use) of the plugin only after reading a reference guide.

However, the list is so vast that you can drown in it; it is really hard to remember each plugin. And it is pretty sad, because it leads you to use Waves products less, not realizing its true worth. This is bad news,  as everybody knows that Waves is one of the leading developer in this area.

A nice idea came to our mind - to create a sort of cheat sheet, a text where each plugin is described in short. And, of course, share it with the audience.

Abbey Road Plates - modeling of four reverb plates

Aphex Vintage Exciter - 402 Aural Exciter emulation

API 550A - API 550A emulation (from 1960s), a 3-band parametric EQ, 5 fixed cutoff frequencies

API 550B - API 550A emulation (from 1960s), a 4-band parametric EQ, 7 fixed cutoff frequencies API 560 - API 560 emulation (1967), 10-band graphic EQ

API 2500 - API 2500 emulation, FB and FF compressor, adjustable knee and sidechain’s tone; attack 0.03-30 ms, release 0.5-2 sec + variable, stereo/dual mono modes

Audio Track - 4-band EQ, compressor and gate

Bass Rider - bass auto-leveler, 42 ms latency

Bass Rider Live - bass auto-leveler, 5 ms latency

Butch Vig Vocals - multi-effect for vocals; filters, compressor, de-esser, EQ, saturation

C1 - compressor/expander, no sidechain setup

C1 comp-gate - compressor/expander and gate, no sidechain setup

C1 comp-sc - compressor/expander, sidechain setup

C1 gate - gate/downward-expander, no sidechain setup

C4 - multi-band compressor, 4 bands

C6 - multi-band compressor, 6 bands

C6-SideChain - multi-band compressor, 6 bands, external sidechain setup

C360 - compressor (surround)

Center - mid/side handling

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Next there are 6 multi-effects for different groups of instruments and 3 emulations of vintage compressors. Designed in collaboration with Chris Lord-Alge.

CLA Bass, CLA Drums, CLA Effects, CLA Guitar, CLA Unplugged, CLA Vocals

CLA-2A - emulation of the electro-optical tube compressor Teletronix LA-2A, attack 10 ms

CLA-3A - emulation of the solid-state compressor Teletronix LA-3A, attack 1,5 ms

CLA-76 - emulation of the FET-compressor Urei 1176, attack 0,05-1 ms, release 0,05-1 sec

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CODEX - granular/wave-table synthesizer

dbx-160 - emulation of the FF VCA-compressor dbx 160, sidechain setup, Stereo/Duo(L/R)/MS modes

DeBreath - reduction of unwanted noises from vocals

DeEsser - de-esser

Doppler - Doppler effect

Dorrough - emulation of the devices by Dorrough Electronics, level meters

Dorrough360 - surround version

Doubler2, Doubler4 - doubler, sound enhancement by copying an input signal and modulation, 2 and 4 copies accordingly

DPR-402 - compressor, limiter, de-esser, BSS DPR-402 emulation

DTS Neural DownMix, Mono2Stereo, UpMix - convert signal between mono, stereo and surround

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Next there are 5 multi-effects for different groups of instruments. Designed in collaboration with Eddie Kramer.

EKramer BA, EKramer DR, EKramer FX, EKramer GT, EKramer VC

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Element - subtractive synthesizer

EMO-D5 - gate, leveler, de-esser, compressor, limiter

EMO-F2 - stereo (L/R) LP and HP filter with 18 dB/oct slope

EMO-Generator - generates test-tones: pink and white noises, sine (20-21k Hz)

EMO-Q4 - 4-band parametric EQ

Enigma - flanger/phaser

GEQ Classic - 30-band graphic stereo EQ, «Proportional Q» filters (the more its gain, the narrower the band)

GEQ Modern - 30-band graphic stereo EQ, «Flat-Top» filters (permanent band width)

GTR Amp - guitar amp and cabinet emulation

GTR Solo Tool Rack - guitar multi-effect: amp/cabinet, 4 stomps, tuner

GTR Stomp 2, 4, 6 - virtual stomps, 2, 4, 6 slots accordingly

GTR Tool Rack - guitar multi-effect: 2 amps/cabinets, 6 stomps, tuner

GTR Tuner - tuner

GW MixCentric - master-buss processor; eq, compression and harmonic distortion under one control

GW PianoCentric - easy piano enhancement

GW VoiceCentric - vocal processor with compression, delay, doubler, reverb

H-Comp - compressor, emulates behavior of several hardware units, attack 0,5-100 ms, release 3-3000 ms, Punch and Dry/Wet controls

H-Delay - delay, Ping Pong mode, pitch modulation, LP and HP filters, LoFi mode

H-EQ - 7-band EQ, L/R and M/S modes, emulation of 5 hardware EQs, spectrum analyzer, notes and frequencies correlation

H-Reverb - algorithmic reverb, up to 6 sec tail

H-Reverb long - algorithmic reverb, up to 12 sec tail

IDR - bit-depth setup, dithering

IDR360 - surround version

InPhase, LT - phase correction between tracks, 20 ms latency

InPhase, LT Live - phase correction between tracks, no latency

IR-L - convolution reverb, simplified version of IR-1

IR1 - convolution reverb

IR360 - surround version

IRLive - convolution reverb, low latency

J37 - tape-recorder emulation

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Next there are 6 multi-effects for different groups of instruments. Designed in collaboration with Jack Joseph Puig

JJP-Bass, JJP-Cymb-Perc, JJP-Drums, JJP-Guitars, JJP-Strings-Keys, JJP-Vocals

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Kramer HLS - channel strip from Helios console emulation, 3-band EQ, preamp coloration

Kramer PIE - buss compressor/limiter Pye Telecom emulation, release 0,1-3,2 sec

Kramer Tape - tape-saturation emulation

L1 - limiter

L1+ - maximizer, bit-depth setup, dithering

L2 - maximizer, bit-depth setup, dithering

L3 MultiMaximizer - multi-band maximizer, 5 bands, bit-depth setup, dithering

L3 UltraMaximizer - maximizer, different modes, bit-depth setup, dithering

L3-LL Multi - low latency version

L3-LL Ultra - low latency version

L316 - 16-band maximizer, bit-depth setup, dithering

L360 - limiter (surround)

LFE360 - LP-filter (below 250 Hz)

LinEQ Broadband - linear-phase EQ, 6 bands, full spectrum

LinEQ Lowband - linear-phase EQ, 3 bands, low spectrum (below 600 Hz)

LinMB - linear-phase multi-band compressor, 5 bands

LoAir - low-end handling, subharmonic generator

M360 Manager, Mixdown - surround handling

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Next there are 6 multi-effects by Manny Marroquin

MannyM Delay - delay, simplified reverb, distortion, doubler, phaser

MannyM Distortion - crunch-distortion with envelope

MannyM EQ - 4-band EQ + LP and HP filters

MannyM Reverb - 6 types of reverb, 3 room sizes + EQ, compression, phaser and distortion

MannyM Tone Shaper - 4-band parallel compression, EQ, stereo-enhancement

MannyM TripleD - DeEsser, DeBoxy (low-end noise reduction) and DeHarsher (harsh high-end reduction)

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Next there are 7 multi-effects for different groups of instruments by Tony Maserati

Maserati ACG - for acoustic guitar

Maserati B72 - for bass

Maserati DRM - for drums

Maserati GRP - for group processing

Maserati GTi - for electro guitar

Maserati HMX - harmonic generator

Maserati VX1 - for vocals

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MaxxBass - adds harmonics to low-end

MaxxVolume - dynamic processor (gate, compressor, leveler)

MetaFilter - multi-mode filter with modulation by LFO, envelope, seq, + delay, distortion

MetaFlanger - flanger, phaser, chorus

MondoMod - AM, FM, pan modulation (tremolo, vibrato, rotator)

Morphoder - vocoder

MV2 - dynamic processor, upward and downward compression

MV360 - surround version

NLS Buss, Channel - analog summing emulation of three legendary consoles: SSL 4000G, EMI TG12345 Mk 4, Neve 5116

NS1 - noise reduction

NX - virtual monitoring room

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Next there are 8 plugins from OneKnob bundle - FXs, set up by only one control

OneKnob Brighter - adds brightness, mid-highs

OneKnob Driver - overdrive/distortion

OneKnob Filter - LP filter with different amount of resonance

OneKnob Louder - makes a signal louder by means limiter

OneKnob Phatter - adds low-end with LowShelf filter

OneKnob Pressure - compression

OneKnob Pumper - pumping imitation (similar to side-chain compression)

OneKnob Wetter - adds extra space

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PAZ- Analyzer - spectrum and phase analyzer, Peak/RMS meter

PAZ- Frequency - spectrum analyzer, Peak/RMS meter

PAZ- Meters - Peak/RMS meter

PAZ- Position - phase analyzer, Peak/RMS meter

PS22 Spread - stereo-enhancement by frequencies panning (up to 22 bands)

PS22 Spread(10) - stereo-enhancement by frequencies panning (up to 10 bands)

PS22 Split - stereo-enhancement, more strict frequencies splitting: rectangular band shape unlike a sine one in Spread

PS22 XSplit - PS22 Split + adds delay for comb-filtering

PuigChild 660 - Vari-Mu compressor Fairchild 660 emulation (mono). Time Constant:

1 - attack 0.2 ms release 0.3 sec

2 - attack 0.2 ms, release 0.8 sec

3 - attack 0.4 ms, release 2 sec

4 - attack 0.4 ms, release 5 sec

5 - attack 0.4 ms, auto-release depending on signal (2 sec for individual peaks, 10 sec for multiple peaks

6 - attack 0.2 ms, auto-release depending on signal (0.8 sec for individual peaks, 10с sec for multiple peaks, 25 sec for constant high levels

PuigChild 670 - stereo version

PuigTec EQP1A - Pultec EQP-1A EQ emulation, 3 bands, full spectrum

PuigTec MEQ5 - Pultec MEQ-5 EQ emulation, 3 bands, mid-frequency spectrum

Q-Capture, Q-Clone - plugins for capturing and applying a hardware EQ settings

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Next there are 7 EQs from Q-series. Number in a title reflects the amount of bands

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R360 - algorithmic reverb (surround)

RBass - adds harmonics to low-end (based on MaxxBass with some upgrades)

RChannel - channel strip from Renaissance bundle. Consists of REQ4, RCompressor, RVox

RCompressor - compressor/expander, combines C1 and L1, auto-release, 2 types of character (smooth/warm) and behavior (opto/electro)

RDeEsser - de-esser, combines С4 and Renaissance VOX

REDD17 - channel strip from REDD.17 console emulation

REDD37-51 - channel strip from REDD.37 and REDD.51 emulation

Reel ADT - tape-recorder emulation, double-track phaser and flanger imitation. ADT=Artificial Double Tracking

Reel ADT Live - low-latency version

Reel ADT2V - two Reel ADT in one

Reel ADT2V Live - low-latency version

Renaissance Axx - compressor for instruments like guitars, bass and so on

REQ 2, 4 ,6 - EQs from Renaissance bundle, 2, 4 and 6 band accordingly

RS56 - RS56 Universal Tone Control emulation, passive 3-band EQ

RVerb - algorithmic reverb from Renaissance bundle, based on TrueVerb

RVox - compressor/gate with auto-makeup, minimum controls

S1 Imager, Shuffler - stereo image handling, narrowing/widening

S1 MS Matrix - transforms stereo(L/R)-signal into M/S-signal

S360 Imager - pan and width handling (surround)

Saphira - harmonic generator

Scheps 73 - 3-band EQ, emulation based on channel and preamp Neve 1073

SoundShifter Pitch - changing pitch within an octave

SSLChannel - channel strip from SL4000 E Series emulation

SSLComp - buss compressor from SL4000 console emulation

SSLEQ - channel EQ from SL4000 console emulation

SSLGChannel - channel strip from SL4000 G Series emulation

Sub Align - control over sub and top alignment 

SuperTap 2-Taps, 6-Taps - delay with flexible settings of each copy, 2 and 6 copies accordingly

TG12345 - channel strip from TG12345 console emulation, 3-band EQ, compressor, limiter

The Kings Microphones - emulation of the three mics, which were used by English royal family during public speeches

TransX Multi - multi-band dynamics, transient processor

TransX Wide - dynamic processor (full spectrum), transient processor

TrueVerb - algorithmic reverb

UltraPitch 3 Voices, 6 Voices - creates copies and changes their pitch within an octave, changes formant and pan, adds delay, 3 and 6 copies accordingly

UltraPitch Shift - changes pitch and formant of a signal

UM225/226 - common settings of a surround channel

VComp - buss compressor, limiter, de-esser, emulation based on NEVE 2254, attack 1 µs - 1 ms, release 0.4 sec - 1.5 sec + auto-release

VEQ3 - 3-band EQ + HP filter, emulation based on NEVE 1073 and 1066

VEQ4 - 4-band EQ + LP/HP filters, emulation based on NEVE 1081

Vitamin - multi-band harmonic generator + stereo enhancement

Vocal Rider - auto-leveler (for vocals)

Vocal Rider Live - keeps an additional control Spill - separates vocal from an unwanted noise for more accurate processing

W43 - multi-band noise reduction, 4 bands

WavesTune - vocal tuner

WavesTune Lite - vocal tuner, simplified version

WLM Meter - volume meter, supports ITU, EBU, ATSC; Momentary, Short Term, Long Term, True Peak meter

WLM Plus - WLM Meter + True Peak Limiter

WNS - multi-band noise reduction, 6 bands

X-Click - click reduction

X-Crackle - crackle reduction

X-Hum -  hum reduction (50/60 Hz)

X-Noise - noise reduction

Z-Noise - noise reduction

 

Text: Anton Anru (Backstage Secrets).