Waves Plugins
Need I Say More?

L1 - L2 – L3

Designations synonymous with Waves Plugins.

The company that started it all and one of the first to seriously address music mastering software, they also set the standard by which all the rest and the best are judged.

Because they've been around a long time now, they have their share of fans and foes alike.

Many feel that with the onset of plugin's like the L1 and L2, (brickwall peak limiters that provided incredible loudness capabilities without distortion), the beginning of the so-called loudness wars started.

In online forums, complaints pop up from time to time of the lack of colouration or warmth off these plugins. In the case of the mastering bundle (which includes the L2, Lin MB and the Lin EQ), this is a compliment as that is the primary goal of this software.

You want colouration, go with the Renaissance bundle!

Whatever choice I need to make, I really appreciate having the options, especially if I need to make them quickly, yet carefully.

In many cases just putting audio through produces magic.

And I like the accuracy of the high pass filters in the Lin EQ.

With the L2, I find I'm happier with the sound when there's still some dynamic activity happening.

Like iZotope's Ozone plugin, I get better results when I don't push the Waves plugins too far, because I generally aim for transparency when mastering.

Even when I'm reaching for one of the Renaissance plugins, especially then I still prefer a very gentle approach. It works wonders when I use the Renaissance EQ or Compressor.

But it's good to know that like iZotope, or any of the better software plugins I use, I can drive things when I need to and still get excellent results.

The main attraction for me with Waves mastering plugins, is that for the majority of them there are just a few controls to adjust.

When there's little time to experiment, the starting presets and control contours have been optimized for mastering work.

Of course, there is a trade off.

These plug ins sell at a premium price level.

This has created a healthy, competitive market for mastering software from a variety of notable companies.

And this has made it possible for people like me to provide various emerging and independent artists with a professional CD master at an affordable price.

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