Apology or not, we should no longer promote Waves. We should also hit back on all subscription software. Just stop promoting subscription services in general. Push back against em
I must give you HUGE respect for taking the time to do this and the sheer amount of plugins you cover , truly brilliant I am not even a big Waves user but regardless thank you I really appreciate it even if I am not that directly affected by it
Waves have backtracked but they’ve shown their true colours. They’re in self preservation mode now. They’ve shown how they genuinely want to treat their customers with their first decision
Yep. I feel like this quick bandaid fix isn't going to bring them back to where they were. A lot of people are just gonna stick to their guns and move on. Waves may truly never recover from this. The good thing is, Waves' sacrifice isn't in vain. Other plugin manufacturers have been watching and listening and you can bet they won't make the same mistake. Just look at what Solid State Logic did by bringing previously sub-only plugins back to the perpetual option.
@@yannyloyer7177 I think if they wanted to do one better, they would just get rid of WUP altogether. That would go a long way to gain the trust of their customers back and they would see an instant increase in normal sales without a doubt. They wouldn't even need the sub model.
Which is basically already a subscription with the stupid update plan they force you into. At least with a straight up subscription you know what you’re getting into. But I dropped waves a long time ago
Even though Waves have backtracked... This video is still gold. There are many options really, but nothing better than honest, no bullshit recommendations from our favourite audio producer youtuber. Thanks a lot!
Perpetual license is back, but these couple of days made me feel I'm kind of done with waves anyway... And seems there are tons of great alternatives out there!
Yea I'm done with Waves & I use to be an Authorized Dealer of their plugs. I phased out a lot of Waves plugins. Clarity Vx is the only plugin I use & that will soon be replaced.
The tides have turned and Waves is bringing back perpetual licenses alongside the subscription! Now I don't have to switch to an inferior alternative to Clarity Vx! That's the one plugin I was really upset about. Woot! ✊
@@HollerAtcherBoi yes, RUclips videos where often there is background noises. Wind, dogs, doors, beeps, kids, etc. Works like a champ. You can really crank it up with almost no noticeable degradation of the main audio.
Big thank you for doing this *huge* video, lots of nice options for me to check out! I've pretty much stopped using Waves since my update plan expired. It was expensive to renew, and got me really salty on giving them more of my money. I absolutely love Softube and have been using the Console 1 on all my mixes. Got it mainly for workflow purposes, but it sounds amazing. I also love the Harmonic Maximiser (which I think I became aware of from this channel), and wanna try out the Ozone Exciter more in my mixes.
18:18 IK Multimedia Comprexxor is also a really good work horse comp crazy amount of options, TDR Molotok GE is also brilliant too, and TDR Kotelnikov (if transparency is key) and that is free
As n00b as this sounds, when it comes to BLYSS, I like "Classic For a Reason" preset under "M I X B U S S" super-folder and use it as my FINISHING POINT, not just my STARTING POINT, which is the purpose of presets in the 1st place LoLoLoL
Seconded on Blyss, amazing plug-in. Also a big fan of their Omega transformers. The only downside is that they are still not Apple Silicon Native at this time, with no clear roadmap.
This is hilarious. Waves really shot them selves in the foot. Even though they have recanted, many creators are making videos about waves alternatives. Beautiful. Let's keep teaching companies not to mess with audio producers and engineers.
Thanks for this David. I started off in the life with plugins buying Waves plugins - vocal rider, bass rider, and later on Gold upgraded to Platinum pack. I am using some MeldaProductions, TDR and Softube plugins together with Waves. Sadly, I will have to take a hard look at your recommendations especially to F6, Rennaissance and others I use a lot.
i would say in terms of the channel strip i would often grab Plugin-Alliance Lindell Audio 50 Series and switch it to 60 for the EQ but the other EQ's are also included. it has been my go to channel strip alongside Lindell Audio 354E, this combo in particular always give the characteristics i'm looking for but let me say for 354E when Nuke is enabled it just blows my mind every time!
This is, by far, the best audio channel on YT! I look forward to your vids and this was a gem because I'm completely done with Waves. So thanks for this brother!
To replace Waves Api we have PA or Pink from Acustica Audio. Where Waves shines in my opinion is on compressors. I am looking for the Rvox and MV2 replacements.
Thanks so much for doing this, David. There are only a couple Waves plugins that would take me more than a few seconds to replace, but still replaceable with what I already have. Plugin Alliance, Softube, Soundtoys, Valhalla and a handful of others for the most part. If EVERYTHING disappeared, even the built-ins in Reaper plus a few excellent free plugins and I'd be fine. Sad when a company like Waves makes business moves without considering their customer base more thoughtfully.
You can replace the API 560 with the Lindell Audio 50 Series by PluginAlliance, which also has the 560 built in. In general you can replace all the Waves API plugins with the Lindell Audio 50 Series and the Lindell Audio SBC. cheers
Sound Particles do a couple of panner plugs that are a bit similar to Brauer Motion. The multiband transient shaper in Izotope Neutron is a good replacement for TransX.
I think Waves' backpedaling was ultimately a result of videos like this, of well-respected engineers and content creators pointing people to alternative plugin options. The damage has been done though. They've shown their true colors in how they actually view their once faithful user-base. People will just remember them as a bunch of shady clowns now.
Thanks for taking the time to do this David -- incredibly generous of you. I only use a few Waves plugins -- the ones I use the most are the API eqs, CLA-76 and the MV-2. Apparently Waves responded to the WAVE of negativity and criticism (all warranted IMO) and brought back perpetual licenses. Still a super useful video.
I’ve been waiting for this one! No ill wishes, Waves just isn’t for me ever since I found out about the WUP and how they rolled this out. I’m not against subscriptions (I’m part of Plugin Alliance which I love!), it’s just that you loose your perpetual license from waves when you switch to subscription smh.
After updating my studio computer over 15 months ago, I stopped using any Waves plugins and found lots of alternatives (reason was I didn't like their business model). Mostly started using UAD plugins run on satellites, which for EQs, Compressors and plate reverbs works well for me. I was already using Fabfilter and Sonible stuff prior to the upgrade as my go-to mixing plugins. Other stuff I use is Softube plugins (especially the Weiss plugins, which are fantastic for mastering), Leapwing Multiband parallel compressor is fantastic (in fact their other plugins are great too) and they do Root-One which does sub harmonics for bass. Kush Audio plugins (Omega series saturators are lovely), they have some very nice EQs like Clariphonic and some fantastic character compressors. Waves MV2 I replaced with another low level compressor : Ra2 by Dave Hill (Cranesong) which only works in Pro-Tools, and his Phoenix 2 plugin is a mind blowing tape saturator (well it just saturates in a way that makes literally anything sound better - for me it's the ultimate "Betterizer"). I use a few Soundtoys plugins (Love the Echoboy for delay). These replace anything that Waves stuff did. Recently I've been looking into Acustica "Character" Eqs and Saturators. Jam is mind blowing, and they have another few worth looking at. Their Fire Clipper is very simple and transparent to use. These sound amazing, but because they use convolution to get the sound, they can be laggy if you're mixing with them (I tend to freeze tracks with these on them). Vitamin was one I found hard to replace, but I do use WavesFactory Spectre, which isn't exactly the same, but works. A really good bundle I've started using is Elevate by New Fangled Audio, this is excellent and can do a lot of Mastering and mixing duties, and a lot of the stuff in this is quite different to Waves plugins. This is definitely not a detailed list like you've done in the video, but maybe a few interesting plugins here worth looking at.
I'm glad that they reconsidered and will be bringing back perpetual licenses in addition to the sub, but I'm still gonna watch this video to learn about some more cool plugins :)
Thank you for having some integrity and making this and not just being a corporate shill who's afraid of getting black listed for future opportunities with Waves...your integrity is something you can never get back if you lose it
Brilliant information 😮 Cheers David! I find the UAD Fairchild very useful. I have the Puigchild but it lost the battle in a side-by-side shootout and I've never really used it since.
Over a decade ago I used to drool over waves plugins, but when this information came out I realized I can't think of anything of theirs that I honestly NEED. I was phasing them out without even realizing it lol
This video regardless the topic is mind blowing, hard to explain how much it teaches about smart use with the tools, I will take a day or two to map my tools thanks David❤
I think deciding to dump Waves plugins and find alternatives will spark a burst of creativity for most of us. Actually, it's something we should do every so often just because it can help in discovering something new, a new technique or sound. 👌 I agree about that audiothing type A&B plugins. I want to vote in favor of the MD4 again too. 🎶💣😎 And, I have to say that I like the Waves vocal bender, but not always for vocals. I'm sure I can survive without it, though. 😑 This is a great video; I can't think of another like it when we just take a walk through your plugin menus. 🙃
another great idea as opposed to the other RUclips channels on this Waves subject-matter...I have several Waves plugins, but I had decided years ago to purchase Plugin Alliance, Soundtoys, and Solid State Logic plugins as alternatives to Waves, so this whole thing with Waves - though Waves in the last hour backtracked and now permits perpetual licenses to continue - isn't a biggie...anyway, great idea to show the alternatives to Waves plugins, thank you for the share
Maxbass and Rbass replacements, you may want to take a look at Leapwing Rootone. Harmonics in both directions. The first thing I thought about was actually Saturn, since you can isolate specific areas to run saturation on.
24:46 Great Alternative for R-Bass is the Low Control by Black Salt Audio. Gives you the same functionality plus a special compressor option for the low end only.
Awesome video, David this was so comprehensive. Thanks for putting this together! I noticed you didn’t mention any of the Slate Digital but a lot of the options you suggested today are also available there. They also have a Fairchild emulation too the FGMU, which is quite good.
Thank you so much for doing this. I understand that you are in the position to keep on the Waves train and that is totally okay and respectable; anyone who wants to stay is still a friend to me. Good news is that they've decided not to 100% go through with it. People like myself on the low-budget side, with consistent enough work but have to plan the finances months in advance were not in the position to keep our loyalty; I will be abandoning Waves based on principle from their initial intent and will not risk losing all the work I was in the middle of just due to the handful yet key plugins I was using from them. I'm taking this as a huge learning experience and have already began browsing for alternatives. Landed on a lot of the ones you have shown here prior to watching which is comforting, but they are pricey. This is teaching me to push myself harder and has also shed light on how not to be super dependent on certain tools, as well as treat my investments a lot smarter. I am more of a musician than a mixer but mixing and recording are like a second job for me so I tend to look for these sorts of tools rather than more musical based rigs and plugins or hardware. Thanks again, much appreciated.
When i have switched to M1 mac mini as my workstation (last year) , i found myself in the situation where i needed to buy the updates from waves and i tried my most used plugin from waves which was Torque . Bunch of crashes and authorizing issues so i said ...hell yeah ! it is the time to get rid of waves for ever , and i did. I don't miss them at all .
Had I known that Waves was going to reverse course I wouldn't have bothered with alternatives but over the past two days I bought 2. 1. The SLP 538 EQ by Purified as an alternative to the SSL E Channel. 2. As an alternative to the SSL Buss Compressor I bought the Brainworx BX Townhouse Buss Compressor. Oh well, it gives me more choices. They were both on special.
I think the Solid State Logic SSL Bus Comp is the best imo, even better than the Waves. The Townhouse never really did it for me and I feel like it's too colored as a 2-Buss comp. Probably better suited on a parallel drum crush aux.
For the Waves PiE you can use the first Softube FET version (haven't tried the new one) in 10:1 and play around with the side-chain controls until it has the "same" responce.
Obviously, this is old news now but the subscription debacle made me think about what Waves plugs I actually use often and it wasn't much (and a lot of them that I once used have been replaced by things I like better) but I feel like the writing is on the wall and I'm looking for replacements for the last few that I do use.
I hate that I like some of the FF stuff so much, mainly because their pricing is pretty exclusionary to amateurs/hobbyists. ProQ3 is my most used EQ (since ProQ2 actually), and Saturn 2 is slowly becoming one of my most used saturation/distortion tools. It's not even necessarily unique in how it sounds, but it's incredibly easy to operate compared to a lot of other plugins.
It didn’t bother me but that’s because I had only bought a few plugins beforehand and was a subscriber to the Gold package. So for me it was a win because I hadn’t invested tons into licenses. I see the other side tho. Now they’ve doubled back to try and fix it. So I hope everyone gets what they want , but as for me? 25/month doesn’t bother me when I’m making that back on one song I produce.
Thanks for this video. It is a keeper!! Regardless of the doings of Waves, like yesterdays backing down. Perhaps even a theme for future videos - plugin comparison/replacement/alternative/benchmarking. Unlike many of us followers, you have a unique position to do videos like this, with the experience and access to the great amount of plugs. You have something of value to us. Pls share it. /T
Softube tla 100A is a good replacement for cla 2a and 3a aswell I think, depending on how you set the attack and release. Not exactly the same, but it sounds great
I have a bunch of channel strip plugins, but none of them can replace the Scheps Omni channel in terms of workflow. There was an old RS124 from Abbey Road that never made it to 64 bit. It still sounds good if you can find it. I've been using it for a decade now. I have no idea how it stacks up next to the current Waves version though. Also, for API 550A and B, a company called Red Rock Sound makes some pretty great sounding emulations of them. And they're super cheap.
Moot point now in light of today's backtracking; however it did focus my mind on what Waves plug-ins I have that would be difficult to replace and it came down to Brauer Motion, MV2 & MaxxBass
RBass to be honest is hard. There are some plugins alike but not really the same. Bass Mint and a few others but none is exactly the same. CLA Vocals, I don't use any of the signature but they're not hard to replicate: the eq is SSL E/G with HPF at 80Hz, then the bass and trebles are SSL, different frequencies. Compression is 1176, slow attack, quick release, then L1/L2 for brickwall. Tempo delay 1/8, 1/4 then Plate or Room for verbs, and final is chorus/doubler wider processing such as micropitch/microshift
Thanks for this video David.....For years there was a time when you could only get waves plugins as a necessity because there were no alternatives. Now three are so many alternatives ,and many plugins you have covered on your show in recent years. ITs unfortunate that with all the competition waves doesn't' make there plugs more accessible. For years I had the mercury bundle then I would buy other plugins individually.
Hey David, what do you think of Analog Obsession? I’ve been using their SSL G Bus, LA2A, DBX160, Vari-Mu Limiter and Neumann mastering EQ for awhile now. They all have oversampling, too.
It's the same thing corporations have always done, try to get you to pay again for something you already have. I still use real guitar amps for this very reason. Now, this makes me think about getting an outboard bus compressor and EQ.
Best thing to do imo is scout around indie developers and cross your fingers that they don't get scooped up by bigger companies 😒 Toneboosters, DMG Audio, Klanghelm, Airwindows... just to name a few
No experience with the RS124, BUT, i have the Kush Audio AR-1 based on a recommendation from Eric Valentine, who says it's the only plugin that comes close to his Unfairchild. Would recommend checking it out
They should give everyone who has an expired license to renew for free as a sign of good faith. Share this message across if you agree and let’s get this done.
They don't need to do that. I understand the good meaning behind your suggestion, but Waves just made a bad judgement and then they did the responsible decision to come back to offering a hybrid of both perpetual licenses and subscription. Best of both worlds that offers an improvement for everyone compared to the earlier situation. Think about it. For heavy users it will be cheaper and easier to have Waves going forward, and everyone else keeps doing what they did before. There is no harm done to anyone in the community, other than some reputational damage to Waves. I hated the subscription idea, and I would have stopped using Waves even though I love at least ten of their plugins and they are in every mix. But they have said they made a mistake and thats enough. Imagine if Volvo - the car company - went subscription only, the people hated it and then they went back to offering both ride sharing and purchasing cars. Do they own people free rides or free maintenance because of that series of events? Of course not. I'm just happy Waves learned so quickly and it's gonna be good.
@@amusik7 except they should have never made the decision to jump to subscription only in the first place. That's pure corporate greed. It's the reverse of Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice."
I agree! They should do exactly what you suggested. I've dealt with waves before and they gave me a hard time when I accidentally did not deactivate waves on a previous computer that I purchased that became defective. I had to twist their arm to get them to help me deactivate from the detective computer so that I could activate it on my new working computer. It was a pain in the ass. They tried to make me pay money to reinstall or reactivate the software on my new computer. This is not good customer service but in the end I managed to get them to help me get it working.
@@50CalBeats that's a good one - never heard it before. I think you do have a point - upon more thinking, I also start to lean in the direction that they simply can't be so incompetent as to do this by accident. It's way too drastic of a change - and it totally deviates from the way any other company apart from Avid has approached this. They must have thought they could coerce their users to switch over.
They are people. We all make mistake. They trying to survive. Not sure how well the plugin sales are going at the moment. Music industry is having a real rough time at the moment. Spoke with a friend who is sound engineer and has mixed and mastered material for some international artists.
This is a huge help for everyone, been gravitating away from their stuff for a while now. This will help complete the job. Any thoughts on an alternative to NLS?
UAD has released several of their plug ins Native.. LA 3A/API 2500/ Studer A800/Pure Plate Reverb/API vision Channel Strip/Lexicon 224/ 1176 classic limiter collection/LA 2A/Hitsville EQ coll/Fairchild/Pultec
There is global movement to turn property into rental happening across many sectors. This resistance from the people has been a success. This is what we need to do to stand up against these corrupt movements. Numbers + Resistance = Power. Why ? Because they cannot lose their business, they will buckle. And if they do lose their business, it's on them. We can add the Audio community to the Dutch Farmers and the French resistance ! Proud of this community lol.
my alternative for Maxx Bass would be Bass XL by denise. for CLA76 and CLA2A i use Studio One´s Fat Channel plugin which has an 1176 and an LA2A in it. i´ve jumped ship some years ago and don´t regret it. sad to see how their greed got the better of them.
Thank you so much for this video! CAN YOU PLEASE (if possible) find the best FREE alternatives for the following: 1. Smack Attack (transient shaper) 2. F6 RTA (dynamic EQ) 3. Center (M/S) Hopefully you can find these and let me know the best free available options closest to these plugins! It will definitely help my mixes.
Waves Plugins Alternatives
AB Chambers Softube Dual Chamber bit.ly/3nsQ6LP
AB Plates UVI Plate bit.ly/3TT1XyH
RS124 Royal Compressor bit.ly/42N8fE6
Aphex Exciter Type A bit.ly/3JRnnYw
API Bundle Softube American bit.ly/3zycq9L
Brauer Motion Tube Modulator bit.ly/3Kguyec
C4/C6 MCDSP bit.ly/3zcwY7k
Pro-MB bit.ly/40HmaK3
Ozone Dynamics bit.ly/3JSISs2
CLA-2A 3A 76
McDSP 6050 bit.ly/3nrWDGw
Softube Opto bit.ly/3KfZlYu
FET bit.ly/3KdyECT
VCA bit.ly/3JVAsAb
Arturia 76 bit.ly/3lHD6l6
Doubler Eventide 910 bit.ly/3Kg4Eal
Micropitch bit.ly/3M7BwDw
Little MicroShift bit.ly/40nKJft
AVOX Duo bit.ly/3LZQAmU
ENIGMA Insstant Flanger Phaser bit.ly/42RveOD
BL-20 bit.ly/40L1Ibe
F6 NovaGE bit.ly/3nsFOey
MCDSP AE400 AE600 bit.ly/3zcwY7k
EQ1 Weiss bit.ly/40qKxfn
H-Comp Arousor bit.ly/40saE5Q
H-Delay Repeater bit.ly/42M77AP
Echoboy bit.ly/2BpwjSP
EC-300 bit.ly/42Npqpa
IR-1 MCDSP Revolver bit.ly/3zcwY7k
JZ-37 Reelbus bit.ly/3zgwD3A
Tape bit.ly/3nxx5Ig
TAIP bit.ly/3TT2Ebh
Kramer PIE Omnipressor bit.ly/40L1MYO
Dyna-Mite bit.ly/3lVbo47
L1 L2 Pure:Limit bit.ly/40HOGv9
LINEq Pro-Q3 bit.ly/3zitWi1
LINMB Pro-MB bit.ly/42I6XKN
MaxxBass
Harmonic Maximizer bit.ly/3FZqzQB
MondoMod Panorama 7 bit.ly/40BrezW
Morphoder VocalSynth bit.ly/3lNe4B1
Vocoder V bit.ly/3KieEjJ
Antares Vocodist bit.ly/3JTZUpD
NLS Console 1
PS22 Nugen Stereozier bit.ly/3ZjzcMU
DrMS bit.ly/3z2HzQp
PuigTech Softube Tubetech bit.ly/3ZoDYIU
RS24 Curve Bender bit.ly/40qqhdZ
S1 A1 bit.ly/40mx0FR
Saphira Harmonics bit.ly/3TT2K2D
Scheps 73 Arturia tinyurl.com/bdf58xvk
Sibilance Weiss Deesser tinyurl.com/nhhhv24e
SSL G Comp Bus Processor tinyurl.com/4ksnf4p2
SSL Native tinyurl.com/yc664hry
V-Comp Arturia 609 tinyurl.com/2c9aeskd
W43 and noise attenuators RX
Waves Tune Autotune tinyurl.com/55eeu8hh
Melodyne tinyurl.com/4bsekk75
Apology or not, we should no longer promote Waves. We should also hit back on all subscription software. Just stop promoting subscription services in general. Push back against em
I must give you HUGE respect for taking the time to do this and the sheer amount of plugins you cover , truly brilliant I am not even a big Waves user but regardless thank you I really appreciate it even if I am not that directly affected by it
Waves have backtracked but they’ve shown their true colours. They’re in self preservation mode now. They’ve shown how they genuinely want to treat their customers with their first decision
True. But we've also seen the collective power we have by making such an uproar. Amazing to see a corporation panic and shift gears so quickly. 🎉
Yep. I feel like this quick bandaid fix isn't going to bring them back to where they were. A lot of people are just gonna stick to their guns and move on. Waves may truly never recover from this. The good thing is, Waves' sacrifice isn't in vain. Other plugin manufacturers have been watching and listening and you can bet they won't make the same mistake. Just look at what Solid State Logic did by bringing previously sub-only plugins back to the perpetual option.
@@davejohnsonmusic I def dont trust em as much as I did. but I have a ton of cash in waves. glad they did the right thing
Never forget. Never forgive.
@@yannyloyer7177 I think if they wanted to do one better, they would just get rid of WUP altogether. That would go a long way to gain the trust of their customers back and they would see an instant increase in normal sales without a doubt. They wouldn't even need the sub model.
Huge respect for taking ur time to talk about all this plugins
help people and god will help you
AmenRa😉
They just announced they're going back to the old system of perpetual licenses! Huge news
Not really. It’s the least they could do. The subs are still too inflexible and I doubt this will win them much trust.
Wow, the backlash was immense.
Which is basically already a subscription with the stupid update plan they force you into. At least with a straight up subscription you know what you’re getting into. But I dropped waves a long time ago
@@phadrus a company that listens to its customers definitely garners trust.
Yes I saw that. They did the right thing! Give people a choice.
Even though Waves have backtracked... This video is still gold. There are many options really, but nothing better than honest, no bullshit recommendations from our favourite audio producer youtuber. Thanks a lot!
38:20 A good replacement for the Trans-X Multi is the Punctuate plug-in from Newfangled Audio. It also has more bands and settings
Good call
Perpetual license is back, but these couple of days made me feel I'm kind of done with waves anyway... And seems there are tons of great alternatives out there!
Yea I'm done with Waves & I use to be an Authorized Dealer of their plugs. I phased out a lot of Waves plugins. Clarity Vx is the only plugin I use & that will soon be replaced.
Yeah, I think a lot of us have been trying to move away from Waves long before this.
The Lindell 50 channel strip has all three API EQs, including the 560, and the VCA and FET compressor.
The tides have turned and Waves is bringing back perpetual licenses alongside the subscription! Now I don't have to switch to an inferior alternative to Clarity Vx! That's the one plugin I was really upset about. Woot! ✊
Yes, I agree that plugin is special.
@@TreyVittetoeMusic Check their social media accounts and you'll find the statement :)
I'm relieved.
@@TreyVittetoeMusic Yup, it's true.
What do you use it for? Are your recordings really that noisy?
@@HollerAtcherBoi yes, RUclips videos where often there is background noises. Wind, dogs, doors, beeps, kids, etc. Works like a champ. You can really crank it up with almost no noticeable degradation of the main audio.
Big thank you for doing this *huge* video, lots of nice options for me to check out!
I've pretty much stopped using Waves since my update plan expired. It was expensive to renew, and got me really salty on giving them more of my money.
I absolutely love Softube and have been using the Console 1 on all my mixes. Got it mainly for workflow purposes, but it sounds amazing.
I also love the Harmonic Maximiser (which I think I became aware of from this channel), and wanna try out the Ozone Exciter more in my mixes.
18:18 IK Multimedia Comprexxor is also a really good work horse comp crazy amount of options, TDR Molotok GE is also brilliant too, and TDR Kotelnikov (if transparency is key) and that is free
Kush Audio AR-1 is not identical but great for the RS124. Also Kush Audio Hammer and BLYSS are amazing too
u rock bro! 😤
Agreed -- I use a lot of the Kush stuff -- Hammer and Blyss are great, also Silika. I freakin love Omega's and use them all over my mixes.
Kush audio is way too underrated 🤙🏻
As n00b as this sounds, when it comes to BLYSS, I like "Classic For a Reason" preset under "M I X B U S S" super-folder and use it as my FINISHING POINT, not just my STARTING POINT, which is the purpose of presets in the 1st place LoLoLoL
Seconded on Blyss, amazing plug-in. Also a big fan of their Omega transformers. The only downside is that they are still not Apple Silicon Native at this time, with no clear roadmap.
This is hilarious. Waves really shot them selves in the foot. Even though they have recanted, many creators are making videos about waves alternatives. Beautiful. Let's keep teaching companies not to mess with audio producers and engineers.
Lindell 50 buss, 50 channel and SBC are amazing alternative to API pack from waves
Thanks for this David. I started off in the life with plugins buying Waves plugins - vocal rider, bass rider, and later on Gold upgraded to Platinum pack. I am using some MeldaProductions, TDR and Softube plugins together with Waves. Sadly, I will have to take a hard look at your recommendations especially to F6, Rennaissance and others I use a lot.
i would say in terms of the channel strip i would often grab Plugin-Alliance Lindell Audio 50 Series and switch it to 60 for the EQ but the other EQ's are also included. it has been my go to channel strip alongside Lindell Audio 354E, this combo in particular always give the characteristics i'm looking for but let me say for 354E when Nuke is enabled it just blows my mind every time!
Yes. Great on vox
Lindell 50 series is a great alternative to the API, it has different EQ selection and two compressors VCA and FET
I love this on heavy guitars. All the Lindell stuff is excellent.
Sounds veeeery different from the Waves one though... UAD Vision Strip is much closer, slightly better as well imo
Nice for mentioning Audio Thing's Type A & B. Far underrated company.
grazie thank you for the video very useful even if Waves backpedaled.
Agree Maxx Bass is unique and irreplaceable for what it does
This is, by far, the best audio channel on YT! I look forward to your vids and this was a gem because I'm completely done with Waves. So thanks for this brother!
To replace Waves Api we have PA or Pink from Acustica Audio. Where Waves shines in my opinion is on compressors. I am looking for the Rvox and MV2 replacements.
Should have known, you'd be the first person on my feed to give a list, instead of just complaining about it. lol. You rock David.
Thanks so much for doing this, David. There are only a couple Waves plugins that would take me more than a few seconds to replace, but still replaceable with what I already have. Plugin Alliance, Softube, Soundtoys, Valhalla and a handful of others for the most part. If EVERYTHING disappeared, even the built-ins in Reaper plus a few excellent free plugins and I'd be fine. Sad when a company like Waves makes business moves without considering their customer base more thoughtfully.
You can replace the API 560 with the Lindell Audio 50 Series by PluginAlliance, which also has the 560 built in. In general you can replace all the Waves API plugins with the Lindell Audio 50 Series and the Lindell Audio SBC. cheers
Congratulations to Waves Crises management team and to all of us with perpetual plugins!
Sound Particles do a couple of panner plugs that are a bit similar to Brauer Motion. The multiband transient shaper in Izotope Neutron is a good replacement for TransX.
I think Waves' backpedaling was ultimately a result of videos like this, of well-respected engineers and content creators pointing people to alternative plugin options. The damage has been done though. They've shown their true colors in how they actually view their once faithful user-base. People will just remember them as a bunch of shady clowns now.
Thanks for taking the time to do this David -- incredibly generous of you. I only use a few Waves plugins -- the ones I use the most are the API eqs, CLA-76 and the MV-2. Apparently Waves responded to the WAVE of negativity and criticism (all warranted IMO) and brought back perpetual licenses. Still a super useful video.
I’ve been waiting for this one! No ill wishes, Waves just isn’t for me ever since I found out about the WUP and how they rolled this out. I’m not against subscriptions (I’m part of Plugin Alliance which I love!), it’s just that you loose your perpetual license from waves when you switch to subscription smh.
After updating my studio computer over 15 months ago, I stopped using any Waves plugins and found lots of alternatives (reason was I didn't like their business model). Mostly started using UAD plugins run on satellites, which for EQs, Compressors and plate reverbs works well for me. I was already using Fabfilter and Sonible stuff prior to the upgrade as my go-to mixing plugins. Other stuff I use is Softube plugins (especially the Weiss plugins, which are fantastic for mastering), Leapwing Multiband parallel compressor is fantastic (in fact their other plugins are great too) and they do Root-One which does sub harmonics for bass. Kush Audio plugins (Omega series saturators are lovely), they have some very nice EQs like Clariphonic and some fantastic character compressors. Waves MV2 I replaced with another low level compressor : Ra2 by Dave Hill (Cranesong) which only works in Pro-Tools, and his Phoenix 2 plugin is a mind blowing tape saturator (well it just saturates in a way that makes literally anything sound better - for me it's the ultimate "Betterizer"). I use a few Soundtoys plugins (Love the Echoboy for delay). These replace anything that Waves stuff did. Recently I've been looking into Acustica "Character" Eqs and Saturators. Jam is mind blowing, and they have another few worth looking at. Their Fire Clipper is very simple and transparent to use. These sound amazing, but because they use convolution to get the sound, they can be laggy if you're mixing with them (I tend to freeze tracks with these on them). Vitamin was one I found hard to replace, but I do use WavesFactory Spectre, which isn't exactly the same, but works. A really good bundle I've started using is Elevate by New Fangled Audio, this is excellent and can do a lot of Mastering and mixing duties, and a lot of the stuff in this is quite different to Waves plugins. This is definitely not a detailed list like you've done in the video, but maybe a few interesting plugins here worth looking at.
I'm glad that they reconsidered and will be bringing back perpetual licenses in addition to the sub, but I'm still gonna watch this video to learn about some more cool plugins :)
I was thinking they'll probably change their tune and offer purchase ownership in addition to subscription... they got a slap in the face.
Thank you for having some integrity and making this and not just being a corporate shill who's afraid of getting black listed for future opportunities with Waves...your integrity is something you can never get back if you lose it
Great video as always! I jumped on the console 1 bus and haven't had any regrets. . .
Brilliant information 😮 Cheers David!
I find the UAD Fairchild very useful. I have the Puigchild but it lost the battle in a side-by-side shootout and I've never really used it since.
I learned so much from this! I don't need alternatives, but it's really great to know what they are.
Over a decade ago I used to drool over waves plugins, but when this information came out I realized I can't think of anything of theirs that I honestly NEED. I was phasing them out without even realizing it lol
ADPTR Sculpt does the MV1 stuff. Upward/downward compression and more w limited comp ranges. Great code.
I've made a few suggestion and asked a question, but I have to appreciate that was a lot of work, very informative.
This video regardless the topic is mind blowing, hard to explain how much it teaches about smart use with the tools, I will take a day or two to map my tools thanks David❤
Much respect to you for this video. Really great, even in spite of the backtrack by Waves
I think deciding to dump Waves plugins and find alternatives will spark a burst of creativity for most of us. Actually, it's something we should do every so often just because it can help in discovering something new, a new technique or sound. 👌 I agree about that audiothing type A&B plugins. I want to vote in favor of the MD4 again too. 🎶💣😎 And, I have to say that I like the Waves vocal bender, but not always for vocals. I'm sure I can survive without it, though. 😑 This is a great video; I can't think of another like it when we just take a walk through your plugin menus. 🙃
another great idea as opposed to the other RUclips channels on this Waves subject-matter...I have several Waves plugins, but I had decided years ago to purchase Plugin Alliance, Soundtoys, and Solid State Logic plugins as alternatives to Waves, so this whole thing with Waves - though Waves in the last hour backtracked and now permits perpetual licenses to continue - isn't a biggie...anyway, great idea to show the alternatives to Waves plugins, thank you for the share
This is huge informative. I know Waves are taking back they decision, but your recommendation is way more useful than that.
Maxbass and Rbass replacements, you may want to take a look at Leapwing Rootone. Harmonics in both directions. The first thing I thought about was actually Saturn, since you can isolate specific areas to run saturation on.
Good call
21:39 Perhaps Acustica-Audio‘s Viridian suite is an alternative for those Kramer plugins, because it has the Helios EQs and a PYE compressor.
Good call
This compilation of plug-ins is great. Thanks for sharing. I still will be using waves plug-ins as well.
24:46 Great Alternative for R-Bass is the Low Control by Black Salt Audio. Gives you the same functionality plus a special compressor option for the low end only.
Awesome video, David this was so comprehensive. Thanks for putting this together! I noticed you didn’t mention any of the Slate Digital but a lot of the options you suggested today are also available there. They also have a Fairchild emulation too the FGMU, which is quite good.
Thank you for this video. I have pretty much all Waves plugins and it's great to see so many alternatives if ever I need to change. Well done!!!
Thank you so much for doing this. I understand that you are in the position to keep on the Waves train and that is totally okay and respectable; anyone who wants to stay is still a friend to me. Good news is that they've decided not to 100% go through with it. People like myself on the low-budget side, with consistent enough work but have to plan the finances months in advance were not in the position to keep our loyalty; I will be abandoning Waves based on principle from their initial intent and will not risk losing all the work I was in the middle of just due to the handful yet key plugins I was using from them. I'm taking this as a huge learning experience and have already began browsing for alternatives. Landed on a lot of the ones you have shown here prior to watching which is comforting, but they are pricey. This is teaching me to push myself harder and has also shed light on how not to be super dependent on certain tools, as well as treat my investments a lot smarter. I am more of a musician than a mixer but mixing and recording are like a second job for me so I tend to look for these sorts of tools rather than more musical based rigs and plugins or hardware.
Thanks again, much appreciated.
For RBass you can use soundways low leveler. Really love it
For MV2 replacement try Oxford Inflator
What in the world a saturator has to do with a gain leveler? Who the heck evem started putting these two close to each other? Lol
@@mixbustv touché but I have seen some use the inflator as an alternative to upward compression to bring out the details
Also the acustica Acqua Diamond Lift as a possible MV2 replacement
When i have switched to M1 mac mini as my workstation (last year) , i found myself in the situation where i needed to buy the updates from waves and i tried my most used plugin from waves which was Torque . Bunch of crashes and authorizing issues so i said ...hell yeah ! it is the time to get rid of waves for ever , and i did. I don't miss them at all .
it's like catching your wife cheating then she promises to cook you a nice meal as compensation. waves needs to do more than an "oops"
Had I known that Waves was going to reverse course I wouldn't have bothered with alternatives but over the past two days I bought 2. 1. The SLP 538 EQ by Purified as an alternative to the SSL E Channel. 2. As an alternative to the SSL Buss Compressor I bought the Brainworx BX Townhouse Buss Compressor. Oh well, it gives me more choices. They were both on special.
I think the Solid State Logic SSL Bus Comp is the best imo, even better than the Waves. The Townhouse never really did it for me and I feel like it's too colored as a 2-Buss comp. Probably better suited on a parallel drum crush aux.
@@davejohnsonmusicthe new softube bus processor is the best in my opinion. It’s subjective anyways.
Man, you did a great job. Now Waves just changed their mind and reversed their sub-only model.
GOAT 🐐
🙏🙌
For the Waves PiE you can use the first Softube FET version (haven't tried the new one) in 10:1 and play around with the side-chain controls until it has the "same" responce.
Obviously, this is old news now but the subscription debacle made me think about what Waves plugs I actually use often and it wasn't much (and a lot of them that I once used have been replaced by things I like better) but I feel like the writing is on the wall and I'm looking for replacements for the last few that I do use.
RS124: Acustica Cream
Dynamic EQ: Sonnox Oxford
Plate Reverb: T-racks “Sunset Sound”
Helios: Acustica Veridian
MV2: Sound Radix “Powair”
"and if there isn't an alternative we'll find one" this is why you're the 🐐
Damn, option paralysis now lol ...I think Fabfilter is the best and covers most of my needs
FF is okay, for basic stuff
I hate that I like some of the FF stuff so much, mainly because their pricing is pretty exclusionary to amateurs/hobbyists.
ProQ3 is my most used EQ (since ProQ2 actually), and Saturn 2 is slowly becoming one of my most used saturation/distortion tools. It's not even necessarily unique in how it sounds, but it's incredibly easy to operate compared to a lot of other plugins.
It didn’t bother me but that’s because I had only bought a few plugins beforehand and was a subscriber to the Gold package. So for me it was a win because I hadn’t invested tons into licenses. I see the other side tho. Now they’ve doubled back to try and fix it. So I hope everyone gets what they want , but as for me? 25/month doesn’t bother me when I’m making that back on one song I produce.
Loves the positive attitude man!
I actually stopped using Waves plugins back in December of 2021. RVox was my favorite of all the waves plugins. But, I have switched to Klanghelm MJUC
Thanks for this video. It is a keeper!! Regardless of the doings of Waves, like yesterdays backing down. Perhaps even a theme for future videos - plugin comparison/replacement/alternative/benchmarking. Unlike many of us followers, you have a unique position to do videos like this, with the experience and access to the great amount of plugs. You have something of value to us. Pls share it.
/T
Softube tla 100A is a good replacement for cla 2a and 3a aswell I think, depending on how you set the attack and release. Not exactly the same, but it sounds great
I have a bunch of channel strip plugins, but none of them can replace the Scheps Omni channel in terms of workflow. There was an old RS124 from Abbey Road that never made it to 64 bit. It still sounds good if you can find it. I've been using it for a decade now. I have no idea how it stacks up next to the current Waves version though. Also, for API 550A and B, a company called Red Rock Sound makes some pretty great sounding emulations of them. And they're super cheap.
Console 1 replaces that and then some
Plugin Alliance - Amek 9099
Moot point now in light of today's backtracking; however it did focus my mind on what Waves plug-ins I have that would be difficult to replace and it came down to Brauer Motion, MV2 & MaxxBass
Thank you very much for this video, full of great plugins 👍🏿
What would you recommend to replace R bass and CLA vocal plug-in
RBass to be honest is hard. There are some plugins alike but not really the same. Bass Mint and a few others but none is exactly the same. CLA Vocals, I don't use any of the signature but they're not hard to replicate: the eq is SSL E/G with HPF at 80Hz, then the bass and trebles are SSL, different frequencies.
Compression is 1176, slow attack, quick release, then L1/L2 for brickwall.
Tempo delay 1/8, 1/4 then Plate or Room for verbs, and final is chorus/doubler wider processing such as micropitch/microshift
Thanks for this video David.....For years there was a time when you could only get waves plugins as a necessity because there were no alternatives. Now three are so many alternatives ,and many plugins you have covered on your show in recent years. ITs unfortunate that with all the competition waves doesn't' make there plugs more accessible. For years I had the mercury bundle then I would buy other plugins individually.
for the Altec compressor the alternative would be Cream2 of Acustica Audio?
Thank you for this David! Gunna pick up some of these today
Even with waves backtracking, still a very useful video. I hope everyone switches away from them anyways for what they tried to do
Perpetual license is back
Replacement of the RS 149 could be the Cream or Cream2 compressor section from Acustica Audio.
Hey David, what do you think of Analog Obsession? I’ve been using their SSL G Bus, LA2A, DBX160, Vari-Mu Limiter and Neumann mastering EQ for awhile now. They all have oversampling, too.
I'll have to try them because I never did
It's the same thing corporations have always done, try to get you to pay again for something you already have. I still use real guitar amps for this very reason. Now, this makes me think about getting an outboard bus compressor and EQ.
Best thing to do imo is scout around indie developers and cross your fingers that they don't get scooped up by bigger companies 😒
Toneboosters, DMG Audio, Klanghelm, Airwindows... just to name a few
The American Class A from softube is on sale for 70% off FYI.
I agree with you on the brauer motion. It's amazing
No experience with the RS124, BUT, i have the Kush Audio AR-1 based on a recommendation from Eric Valentine, who says it's the only plugin that comes close to his Unfairchild. Would recommend checking it out
They should give everyone who has an expired license to renew for free as a sign of good faith.
Share this message across if you agree and let’s get this done.
They don't need to do that. I understand the good meaning behind your suggestion, but Waves just made a bad judgement and then they did the responsible decision to come back to offering a hybrid of both perpetual licenses and subscription. Best of both worlds that offers an improvement for everyone compared to the earlier situation. Think about it. For heavy users it will be cheaper and easier to have Waves going forward, and everyone else keeps doing what they did before. There is no harm done to anyone in the community, other than some reputational damage to Waves. I hated the subscription idea, and I would have stopped using Waves even though I love at least ten of their plugins and they are in every mix. But they have said they made a mistake and thats enough. Imagine if Volvo - the car company - went subscription only, the people hated it and then they went back to offering both ride sharing and purchasing cars. Do they own people free rides or free maintenance because of that series of events? Of course not. I'm just happy Waves learned so quickly and it's gonna be good.
@@amusik7 except they should have never made the decision to jump to subscription only in the first place. That's pure corporate greed.
It's the reverse of Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice."
I agree! They should do exactly what you suggested. I've dealt with waves before and they gave me a hard time when I accidentally did not deactivate waves on a previous computer that I purchased that became defective. I had to twist their arm to get them to help me deactivate from the detective computer so that I could activate it on my new working computer. It was a pain in the ass. They tried to make me pay money to reinstall or reactivate the software on my new computer. This is not good customer service but in the end I managed to get them to help me get it working.
@@50CalBeats that's a good one - never heard it before. I think you do have a point - upon more thinking, I also start to lean in the direction that they simply can't be so incompetent as to do this by accident. It's way too drastic of a change - and it totally deviates from the way any other company apart from Avid has approached this. They must have thought they could coerce their users to switch over.
They are people. We all make mistake.
They trying to survive.
Not sure how well the plugin sales are going at the moment.
Music industry is having a real rough time at the moment.
Spoke with a friend who is sound engineer and has mixed and mastered material for some international artists.
So good...Thank you! I was hoping you might have replacement ideas for Vitamin (might be another vid?). All the best...
EXCELLENT video! 🤘😎🤘
Lots to learn here whether you use Waves plugins or not.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Softube stuff is just **chef's kiss*
For an RBass replacement: Blacksaltaudio Low Control. You can use it like Rbass only but you it also has a lowend compressor in it as well.
or PA/Unfiltered Audio BassMint
or Tone Projects' Basslane Pro (which MixBusTV here made an excellent tutorial vid on the other week!)
@@TheReal_E.IRIZARRY how do you set BassMint for this purpose?
Even though I flushes Waves plugins for a while, I truly appreciate the work you've done!!
For MV2, I was recommended the KHS Dynamics. Up/down thresholds. Ain't 2 sliders automatic super easy but it's small and powerful
waves just uturned half an hour ago! Perpetual licenses and updates are coming back. They didn't really have a choice did they?
This is a huge help for everyone, been gravitating away from their stuff for a while now. This will help complete the job. Any thoughts on an alternative to NLS?
Console 1
UAD has released several of their plug ins Native.. LA 3A/API 2500/ Studer A800/Pure Plate Reverb/API vision Channel Strip/Lexicon 224/ 1176 classic limiter collection/LA 2A/Hitsville EQ coll/Fairchild/Pultec
Wow this is amazing, thank you so very much for going through all of these plugins and helping us out!
There is global movement to turn property into rental happening across many sectors.
This resistance from the people has been a success. This is what we need to do to stand up against these corrupt movements.
Numbers + Resistance = Power. Why ? Because they cannot lose their business, they will buckle.
And if they do lose their business, it's on them.
We can add the Audio community to the Dutch Farmers and the French resistance ! Proud of this community lol.
Now if we can stop Blackstone from buying up all the homes from AirBnB. LMAO
@@TheReal_E.IRIZARRY lol. Hey one day we will dismantle those top tier conglomerates too.
If they are really that good, why not pay for their plugins.....great tutorial ...you are so good ....thnx a lot!
my alternative for Maxx Bass would be Bass XL by denise. for CLA76 and CLA2A i use Studio One´s Fat Channel plugin which has an 1176 and an LA2A in it. i´ve jumped ship some years ago and don´t regret it. sad to see how their greed got the better of them.
very awesome video 🔥💯 these alternate plugins are top top
Yuri Semenov made a quite good leveler. The MBL Leveler. It does the job and it's free.
Thank you so much for this video! CAN YOU PLEASE (if possible) find the best FREE alternatives for the following:
1. Smack Attack (transient shaper)
2. F6 RTA (dynamic EQ)
3. Center (M/S)
Hopefully you can find these and let me know the best free available options closest to these plugins! It will definitely help my mixes.
Did you happen to find a replacement for Smack Attack?