I recently got a new desktop and have started to reinstall some programmes and plugins.

On my previous desktop, I had a mass of plugins including all the Waves plugins.

IF I look at that old 'collection' of plugins, I see a huge number of Waves plugins listed.

When I ask myself which Waves plugin I really need, I can't answer.

Therefore my question to you: which Waves plugin is really so good that hardly any other can replace it?

 

A little bit of a moot question, since you can only install them all at once anyways (with R2R release, that is, which is the only one working properly), but I'd say that, despite there being good Waves plugins (Hybrid series if you turn the noise off, their later distortion and spatial movement plugins), none of them are irreplaceable.

 

Everytime I install them and essentially doubles my plugin list, several months later I always wonder why I bothered, as although I find some useful, I wouldn't consider any of them essential. There's actually too many to even keep track of or play with and a lot are things I will never, ever use.

 

As others may point out, there are a few gems and favorites to be had with Waves, but I can't recall much said about any one being "the best".
I'm sure there are many who have them in their workflow, and once you become fast at using something it can become a "needed" thing.

But even as a hobbyist who tends to try a lot of things I was not motivated to install them again.
.... wait ... They ARE installed.
Welp, that says something I guess.

Actually, looking at my plugins, I realize I put Waves in their own folder and none are added to my categories within Reaper, Studio 1 or FL Studio. So I have forgotten about them.
I also remember now that I went through and deleted a bunch I would not use to save some space.
(Deleted the particular folders from "Program Files (x86)\Waves\..")

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2024

none actually,
and here's a huge list of alternatives:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1--yRZdWro_d28LmYNvaWsVct7CR6Y_KAULFU8wZ4SEI/edit#gid=0

 

I myself use (and install) the Kramer Tape, Butch Vig Vocals, De-Esser, Aphex Exciter, and the CLA Guitar, Bass and Vocals – but it's mainly the Aphex and De-Esser that I use most.

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2024

i dont but i cant find anything simple and perfect like Lil Tube, i dont like the big brother Magma Tubes i guess?.
it have some clipper this lil tube, cause i can get a really clean sound without great picks, and the of course good perceived volume.

 

i was a waves user in 2006 - 2012 but then i realized other plugins are better.. for example i love UAD plugins.. waves feels now.. obsolete.. overrated.. they are good yes but do you need them all? i only like waves maxxbass and the V-Series equalizers.. the rest is.. so outdated

 

Yes they cannot be replaced. I can't imagine not having them. They have been and continue to be a commercial standard and are still the standard tools of the best mixers. New fancy plugins are useless, always mix them with the classics.

 

I already got used to it. They do the job, been using them since the day I started, it's how I learn mixing. Rbass, Maxxbass, MV2, Puigtec, Vitamin, Renaissance series, L1, L2, the APIs, CLA's & Manny Marroquin plugins to name a few. I can't mix without them. It saved CPU especially when you run a lot of Waves plugins because of how the wrapper works. Also I love the aliasing from the plugins. Same reason why I'm still using Soundtoys plugins. They have a certain sonic that's characterful enough for my needs. Never thought about replacing them at all. I add new plugins to the template, but rarely replacing them because they all works together in combination with other plugins to give me what I want. Only using the old ones, the newer one that I like are the Magma series and CLA reverbs.

 

Last edited: Feb 21, 2024

They are good, even after all these years. But mostly, we tend to install too many of them. So the good ones are diluted by a huge menu of stuff you wont use. If you go in the plugin manager in your DAW, you can make a menu item and only put the ones you really use there. So you do not have a full screen sized menu of them every time you open it. If you have enough ssd space, it's better to install all of them, because if you accept projects from other people your tailored little install of them will be missing stuff. without fail.

there are other ways to trim them down also. You can put all the stuff you never really use into a separate folder, like a backup. Then if you get something where you are missing something to load a project, you can always just move them back.

 

Not correct. Recent releases Waves.Ultimate.2024.1 from VR and Waves.Complete.v2024.02.11.WIN.MAC.Patched.and.Keygen.Only from RET both allow you to download Waves Central and choose only the plugs you require. Both work correctly.

 

But even if true, because some bundles do not have selective install options; you just install them, and delete or move them. I do not know of a single plugin bundle that needs to have everything there after you install. There are a few exceptions where something has to be left there, like iZotope Relay sort of things.

I install "everything" and delete almost the entire thing somewhat frequently. I open the menu in Logic, screenshot it, and then go find them all with a screenshot open of the list.

 

There's a few that i find myself going back to from time to time, Abbey Road and Rennaisance series have pretty cool and useful stuff on them, nothing irreplaceable in today's market, but they'll get the job done.

The only other situations i've ran back to waves was when i was trying to understand what some other dude did using waves plugins, either on tutorials or full on templates. I rarely do that anymore but at the time Waves seemed to be in a lot of templates and stuff.

 

From observing what people seem to gravitate towards when asked this same question on different forums in different ways...
The most common answers appear to be that Waves plugins are like a solid Swiss-army-knife of plugins. They cover nearly everything they need and most are usable on their projects. Apparently some people have only Waves so I guess in that context, their answer made sense.

Personally, I am with a lot of people here, which is that a handful are very good and there are better plugins out there for specific tasks for much of the remainder. The abbey road plate, a couple of the mastering plugins, the renaissance plugins and the bass rider plugin when setup correctly, I found useful for some things. As for the rest, there are others that are good but their SSL's are not as good as plugin alliances and others or many of the EQ's, for me i.e.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 21, 2024

* installed them once because some of them are pretty, some of them seemed useful;
* needed to clean install everything on a new build;
* avoided them when i realized i haven't used any... like... never

 

oh, I don't

 

well, for mixing all you need is the Vertigo line-up..