Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know - LSA

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

If you are looking for some great waves plugins to add to your collection and searching for some industry-standard plugins that the pros use then you should have these 20 plugins in your arsenal recommended by Lost Stories Academy.

CLA-2A

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This compressor is modeled on legendary hand-wired tube-based compressor Teletronix LA-2A. This is a slow attack compressor and adds some amazing sounding harmonic saturation which works like a charm on vocals, bass, and guitar.

The CLA-2A offers 2 main controls for compression, as well as additional controls for fine-tuning.

  • Using the Compress/Limiter toggle, select Compressor (approximately 3:1 ratio) or Limiter (approximately 100:1 ratio).
  •  Peak Reduction is used to set the amount of compression desired.
  • Gain control is used to adjust the makeup level after the compression.
  • VU Meter is used to monitor Input, Output, and Gain Reduction levels.

CLA-76

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

CLA-76 is modeled on the URIE 1176 a field-effect transistor (FET), the first solid-state peak limiter. This has a more aggressive sound and it’s incredible on almost everything that needs some power.

It has an all-in mode, in which the compression curve becomes extreme and tone-driven. The plugin emulates the two versions of the hardware unit, one is bluey, and the other is blackey.

  • Use the Ratio control to set the compression ratio.
  • Use the Attack and Release controls to adjust the time constants for the type of material you want to compress. (Important): Attack and Release settings range from slowest (1) to fastest (7).
  • Use the Input control to set the amount of compression desired.
  • Check the meter to see the amount of Gain Reduction.
  • Use the Output control to make up for lost gain.

R-Vox

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

To make your vocals sit perfectly in the mix then this is the go-to plugin for you. It consists of three controls gate, compressor, and output gain. With only 3 controls it is a handy plugin to achieve that legendary sound you are looking for.

It also has presets by the top engineers in the industry like Lu Diaz and Michael Brauer to name a few.

Renaissance Eq


Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

Renaissance Eq is a paragraphic eq that gives warmth to your music with its analog sound. It has vintage modeled filter curves and extended internal headroom. It has a real-time analyzer that helps in adjusting eq curves highly impulsive.

It has a total of 6 bands components to choose from in stereo or mono. This is one of the most user-friendly eq you will ever find.

Puigtech Eqs 

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This eq is modeled on Jack Joseph Puig’s classic pultec Eq. It is a tube-style equalizer that emulates the sound and unique character of the hardware. This Eq is capable of producing a resonant shelf, which adds presence and clarity to your tracks. It also has tons of presets by Jack himself.

It lets you boost and cut overlapping frequency bands for a distinctive resonant shelving effect.

C6 Multiband Compressor

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

If you need more control over the compression then this C6 multiband compressor is your friend. It lets you clinically compress different sets of bands including external as well as internal sidechaining.

It has the capability of compressing, Equalizing, limiting, and de-essing. It works in every aspect of audio from post-production, sound design, and creative music production.

SSL G Master Bus Compressor 

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This bus compressor is based on the famous bus compressor of the SSL 4000 G console. This works wonders on drums or gluing your mix together. It also includes the presets from renowned engineer Chris Lord-Alge. This compressor accurately recreates the control, sound, and behavior of the SSL 4000 G Console’s VCA compressor.

You can choose between ratios 2:1, 4:1, and 10:1. The analog button gives you a warm and clean sound.

R-Bass

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This is my go-to plug-in when I want to add the perception of deep bass. R-bass adds harmonics to your audio signal that creates the effect of deep bass, without actually adding low-frequency content to your mix, which tricks the brain into perceiving bass frequencies that are not actually present.

It is a useful tool if you want to add depth in the mix and want to hear the bass on the low-quality speakers which are not capable of producing low frequencies.

Waves Tune

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This plug-in lets you tune your vocal while recording or tracking. It automatically tunes vocals in real-time and has advanced formant correction to retain the natural vocal sound. The simple layout makes everything easier even for those who do not have knowledge of music theory.

Vocal Rider


Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

As we know vocals are the most dynamic when it comes to music production and, we have to manually adjust the volume level of the vocals, but with the help of this intelligent plug-in, the hassle of manually adjusting the level is gone.

It intelligently adjusts the levels and preserves the dynamic of the vocal. It is a great time-saving tool and one should have it in their arsenal.

Unlike compression, it does not add additional coloring to the vocal track. It also writes automation and has the ability to fine-tune the results.

Sibilance

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

To remove harsh frequencies in the vocals this transparent vocal de-esser is the favorite tool for many producers and engineers. It uses organic resynthesis spectral filters to catch unwanted peaks of sibilances. Smooth and glitch-free de-essing allows maintaining the timbre and natural resonance of the vocal.

The easy-to-use controls make it more user-friendly. It also has variable range mode from wide to split-band processing.

H-Reverb

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This Finite Impulse Response technology makes H-Reverb unbelievably rich-sounding reverb and gives an amazing dimension without ruining the mix. It also has an inbuilt eq, compression, modulation, and a lot of controls to shape an amazing reverb tail.

It contains presets by the heavyweights in the industry and presets inspired by vintage and modern classics.

H-Delay

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

H-Delay is by far the most unique vintage style delay available in the market. It is simple to use and has a great sound. The modulation and lo-fi options make it different from its competitors. This hybrid delay gives infinite feedback and delay time ranges up to 3500ms.

With the variable pitch time behavior, one can create truly psychedelic fx. It can be whole another instrument in your mix.

Abbey Road Chambers

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

Based on the chambers of famous abbey road studios that are used for many vintage classics add a unique flavor to the mix. This has a complete recreation of STEED(Send.Tape.Echo.Echo.Delay) setup that expanded the chamber’s native sonic range by splitting the signal and generating a feedback loop from the studio’s REDD console to a dedicated tape delay, through RS106 and RS127 filters, on to the chamber, and back to the console. Lather, rinse, repeat.

L2 UltraMaximizer 

Top 15 Waves plugins every producer should know

This is the industry standard peak limiter and maximizer. This plugin gives you advanced look-ahead brick-wall limiting. This will give loudness to your mix without clipping. L2's Quantize, Dither Type, Link, Release, and Shaping controls help maintain complete control over the sound.

L2’s legendary combination of look-ahead brick wall peak limiting, level maximization, and ultra high resolution gives you the power and extra gain you need with crystal-clear results every single time. 

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