Waves 14 Plugins Best Official

Waves has invested heavily in AI technology to solve difficult mixing problems.

The S1 is often overlooked, but it is a secret weapon. It allows you to rotate the stereo field, invert phase, or widen the stereo image without collapsing to mono. On synth pads and background vocals, the S1 creates "out of speaker" width. Crucial note: The S1 includes a "Mono Compatibility" meter, ensuring your mix doesn't disappear on phone speakers. waves 14 plugins best

| Plugin | Best For | Why | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | WLM Plus | Loudness compliance | True peak, LUFS, and loudness range metering with presets for Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Netflix. Better than free meters. | | L2 Ultramaximizer | Limiting (legacy) | Still the industry standard for brickwall limiting. Transparent if you push 2–3 dB, aggressive beyond that. | | Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain | Mastering channel strip | Emulates the EMI TG12410 console. Has compressor, limiter, EQ, and stereo spread. Adds weight without harshness. | | Vitamin | Multiband harmonic exciter | Boosts specific bands (low, low-mid, high-mid, high) with adjustable “tone” and “punch.” Good for final polish. | Waves has invested heavily in AI technology to

Pro tip for V14: Use WLM Plus first to set levels, then TG Mastering Chain, then L2. Keep L2 ceiling at -0.1 dB for streaming. On synth pads and background vocals, the S1