Waves StudioVerse

This clever solution for combining processors is much more than just a plug‑in host...

I’ll leave debating the pros and cons of plug‑in subscriptions for another day, but I think it’s fair to say that, for very little upfront cost, Waves’ Essential and Ultimate subscription bundles offer access to a vast array of plug‑in processors and effects. Choice can be a good thing, of course, but novice mixers can also find such bundles overwhelming: just where do you start? Well, one possible answer is StudioVerse.

Chapter & Verse

This new AI‑powered signal‑chain preset library is embedded in their free StudioRack, launched in 2022. This plug‑in sits in a DAW insert slot but is itself a plug‑in host with multiple insert slots, and allows you to load, create and save full processing chains that, thanks to the included Parallel Split and MultiBand Split plug‑ins, can be pretty sophisticated. Crucially, StudioRack has eight assignable macro knobs that can control any parameter(s) in the chain (which, since Waves V14, can include third‑party plug‑ins). You can specify the control range and restrict and/or invert the parameter range too, so you could, for example, use one control to raise the signal level coming into the chain while bringing down the output. Naturally, some presets make far more imaginative use of this! MIDI Learn also makes it a breeze to map hardware controllers to macro knobs.

If you wish to stick to using a preset’s macro controls you can do so, but it’s also possible to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes.

StudioRack always had presets but Waves have now added a StudioVerse search bar that directly accesses an online library of presets, almost 3000 of which have been created by the artists and engineers with whom Waves have developed a relationship over the years. You’ll find chains from the likes of Lu Diaz, Manon Grandjean, Chris Lord‑Alge, Andrew Schepps and more, and there are artist‑based presets too (eg. a Beyoncé vocal chain). Being an online library, I’m sure this will continue to grow, and users can also upload and share the presets they create.

As I said, too much choice can be problematic, but a tag‑based filter makes it super easy to locate suitable presets. Enter a term in the search bar and you’re offered a selection of tags to restrict the search. Enter ‘Drums’, for instance, and you’ll see tags for Drums, Acoustic Drums, Electronic Drums, Sampled Drums and Synth Drums. Choose one, then type ‘Rock’ and you...