C4 Multiband Compressor

4-band multiband dynamics and equalization

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Optimize Your Tracks with
Detailed Multiband Dynamics

The C4 blends an optimum combination of compression, expansion, limiting, dynamic EQ, and standard EQ to edit both dynamics and EQ with ease and accuracy. Whether you need to fix flaws, add intensity, or create character, this multi-purpose, time-tested tool is the answer.

Unlike multiband dynamics processors with rigidly defined capabilities, the C4 is a sonic chameleon that adapts its processing and functionality to your needs, and your tracks.

Apply any type of dynamics to each of the four bands
Bypass dynamics, and you have a four-band focusing equalizer
Mix and match dynamics control on different frequency bands
Choice of release characteristics, or Auto-Release Control
Control individual bands or all bands (master controls)
Unique Range control locks gain control action to limits you set

Watch It in Action

Tony Maserati on Multiband Compression for Vocals

What Top Pros Are Saying

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Great for keeping low mids under control.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":2},{"itemID":2551,"itemGUID":"0db0407f-df9d-4fa5-a980-57fe8176fd26","artistName":"Malay","artistTitle":"Producer, Engineer","credits":"Frank Ocean, Zayn, Sam Smith, Lorde","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/malay.png","quote":"C4 is my glue. I\u2019m able to push so much into it without any compromise, which is especially helpful when I\u2019m working fast and want to keep my mix in check. Worrying about how a new element will affect my balance has become a thing of the past. ","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":3},{"itemID":2820,"itemGUID":"ad1d7b0d-2e5a-48b0-89ae-14b567347de5","artistName":"Stuart White","artistTitle":"Mixing Engineer","credits":"Beyonc\u00E9, Jay Z, FKA Twigs, Autolux","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/stu-white.png","quote":"I love how the Waves C4 (and C6) grabs the sound and I\u2019ll never stop using it.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":4},{"itemID":2682,"itemGUID":"e5275e18-c57f-4408-a97f-6dc4a142f7c5","artistName":"Damien Lewis","artistTitle":"Mixing Engineer, Producer","credits":"Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lennon Stella, The Driver Era","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/damien-lewis.png","quote":"Both C4 and C6 are THE SOUND of modern vocal production. Tonal control and sculpting are effortless. I can\u0027t tell you how many BGVs I\u0027ve used the \u0022Pop Vocal\u0022 preset on.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":5},{"itemID":1846,"itemGUID":"580e6801-4e7b-42ff-b36f-613fcf1d9430","artistName":"Mojam","artistTitle":"Producers, Songwriters, Recording \u0026 Mixing Engineers","credits":"Sam Smith, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sand\u00E9, Plan B","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mojam.png","quote":"C4 Multiband is perfect on our master buss, mainly for subtle compression on the low band to smooth things out.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":6},{"itemID":1616,"itemGUID":"cb6ed45d-6d02-41c2-b791-4d16ee5a1558","artistName":"Bryan \u0022Froggy\u0022 Cross","artistTitle":"FOH \u0026 Monitor Engineer","credits":"The Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera , Sublime","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/bryan-froggy-cross.png","quote":"The C4 is my absolute favorite for female vocals.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":7},{"itemID":1617,"itemGUID":"ddb69f83-afb4-490b-a46f-758e1d6660b0","artistName":"Ross Hogarth","artistTitle":"Producer \u0026 Engineer","credits":"Van Halen, REM, Ziggy Marley, Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/ross-hogarth.png","quote":"I\u2019ve used the C4 on many different tracks. It is a great tool for detailing a vocal sound or taking the harshness away from a source track.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":8},{"itemID":2268,"itemGUID":"09c78e12-bc03-4130-a706-0d4d1a8204c6","artistName":"Mike Exeter","artistTitle":"Producer, Engineer and Mixer","credits":"Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Cradle of Filth","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mike-exeter.png","quote":"C4 is my go-to for shaping a bass DI into a full, heavy and clear bass sound. Then I can add any aggression or distortion to taste, knowing the dynamics are controlled and taken care of.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":9},{"itemID":1618,"itemGUID":"336f8b86-f4a2-4c1e-8c6a-80f8df9d306a","artistName":"Gil Norton","artistTitle":"Producer","credits":"Foo Fighters, Pixies, Stornoway","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/gil-norton.png","quote":"Great for tonal changes to vocals, and for evening stuff out in a better way than just simple compression or EQ. Also great for controlling low midrange in vocals. More flexible than an EQ: it can dynamically remove boominess and help general consistency.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":10},{"itemID":2740,"itemGUID":"005854c2-1e02-400f-882b-e967e8babfbc","artistName":"Marta Salogni","artistTitle":"Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer","credits":"Bj\u00F6rk, Bon Iver, Holly Herndon","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/marta-salogni.png","quote":"C4 helps me keep the lower midrange of vocals in check while allowing them to shine through the busiest arrangements. ","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":11},{"itemID":2380,"itemGUID":"41d98e3f-e3ed-4619-85c2-1fef41c13005","artistName":"Paul \u201CECHO\u201D Irizarry","artistTitle":"Producer, Recording \u0026 Mixing Engineer","credits":"Daddy Yankee, Pitbull, Maluma, London Symphony Orchestra","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/paul-echo-irizarry.png","quote":"In this 808-filled era, I find myself using the C4 to shape the low end of most of my work.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":12},{"itemID":2354,"itemGUID":"8904f9c9-e0cc-4f55-950c-77bacde60c65","artistName":"Adair Daufembach","artistTitle":"Producer, Recording, Mixing \u0026 Mastering Engineer","credits":"Tony MacAlpine, Aquiles Priester, Project46, Rock in Rio","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/adair-daufembach.png","quote":"If a song has high gain guitars, the C4 will be in my session compressing the mids. That\u2019s for sure.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":13},{"itemID":2169,"itemGUID":"b0ccfa16-7683-496f-b4b2-6580ff6dc8f7","artistName":"Dave Martone","artistTitle":"Guitarist, Engineer, Producer, Author","credits":"Nickelback, Jet Black Stare, \u201CShredding the Blues\u201D , \u201CSerious Shred Advanced Scales\u201D","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/dave-martone.png","quote":"I love this. I use it on everything, from guitars, to voice \u2013 even mastering. I could not live without it!","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":14},{"itemID":1619,"itemGUID":"01cd9198-28a9-4ac7-bdc0-622e1034e895","artistName":"Scott Martin Gershin","artistTitle":"Sound Supervisor, Sound Designer, Re-recording Mixer","credits":"American Beauty, Nightcrawler, Maya \u0026 the Three, Pacific Rim","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/scott-martin-gershin.png","quote":"I use the C4 Multiband for so many things to help shape a sound dynamically. It\u2019s different than just an EQ since it is threshold-based.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":15},{"itemID":368,"itemGUID":"34020c4a-859c-4810-9869-4a2437bea1ad","artistName":"Charles Deenen","artistTitle":"Sound Designer","credits":"The Fast and the Furious, Need for Speed","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/charles-deenen.png","quote":"Great for de-noising some sounds (using the multiband gating functions) and awesome for leveling out frequencies on recordings.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":16},{"itemID":1620,"itemGUID":"c9cd5d63-51e6-410a-8b51-28a1d923dc88","artistName":"John Cooper","artistTitle":"Music Mixer, FOH Engineer","credits":"Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/john-cooper.png","quote":"I\u2019ve been working on a restoration project of old recordings from several decades ago \u2013 the C4 has been amazing at bringing these old analog tapes back to life.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":17},{"itemID":65,"itemGUID":"7c0481e7-ac46-4030-a15c-19834566bfa0","artistName":"Dave Aron","artistTitle":"FOH \u0026 Studio Engineer","credits":"Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Sublime","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/dave-aron.png","quote":"I use the C4 on bass, kicks, and snares to shape the sound with multiband compression in a way that an EQ can\u0027t.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":18},{"itemID":2355,"itemGUID":"ab0671b5-8e14-4790-b8c6-7d3870122e84","artistName":"Fernando Argento","artistTitle":"FOH, Monitor \u0026 Studio Engineer","credits":"Los Tekis, Eruca Sativa, Sebasti\u00E1n Yatra, Carajo","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/fernando-argento.png","quote":"In a live mix, the C4 can fix anything! A true Swiss Army knife at the mixing desk.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":19},{"itemID":66,"itemGUID":"ec901831-9ebe-45d6-bb60-487849f71aac","artistName":"Chad Olech","artistTitle":"FOH Engineer","credits":"Fall Out Boy, Shinedown, Deftones, Joe Jonas","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/chad-olech.png","quote":"The Waves C4 and C6 compressors are amazing additions to my mix. Waves plugins truly help me achieve the sonic quality I am looking for.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":20},{"itemID":67,"itemGUID":"5f0bdea0-e9de-41b2-81f6-08b31e089eb6","artistName":"Parker","artistTitle":"FOH Engineer","credits":"Franz Ferdinand, MGMT, Julian Casablancas, Hot Chip","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/parker.png","quote":"Waves plugins have got everything you can possibly need and in particular, you need the C4... audio magic.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":21},{"itemID":2656,"itemGUID":"2f9497f6-ccd3-4ea4-a55c-9e628e90234f","artistName":"Mick Schultz","artistTitle":"Music Producer, Vocal Engineer, Sound Designer","credits":"Rihanna, Jeremih, Kelly Clarkson","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/mick-schultz.png","quote":"I love C4 on my master bus. Set it so you\u2019re not getting too much gain reduction and let it do its thing. It really opens up the music and breathes life into it. Sonically, it makes everything feel alive.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":22},{"itemID":2696,"itemGUID":"01125016-8dd4-43d9-8688-2e2bda11592c","artistName":"Caesar Edmunds","artistTitle":"Mixing/Recording Engineer","credits":"Suede, EOB, Ride","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/caesar-edmunds.png","quote":"I struggle to think of a mix where I don\u0027t use C4 for vocals. It compresses and makes the lead vocal easier to balance tonally.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":23},{"itemID":3662,"itemGUID":"37c81694-0c07-4a4d-9b29-58f9d2c7c1bf","artistName":"DeLorean","artistTitle":"Producer, Musician, Mix Engineer","credits":"Drake, Playboi","artistImage":"/images/artists/1280/delorean.jpg","quote":"If you want your sound to blow up...use C4.","isMainQuote":false,"sortID":9999}]

Mick Schultz
Music Producer, Vocal Engineer, Sound Designer
Rihanna, Jeremih, Kelly Clarkson
I love C4 on my master bus. Set it so you’re not getting too much gain reduction and let it do its thing. It really opens up the music and breathes life into it. Sonically, it makes everything feel alive.
Caesar Edmunds
Mixing/Recording Engineer
Suede, EOB, Ride
I struggle to think of a mix where I don't use C4 for vocals. It compresses and makes the lead vocal easier to balance tonally.
DeLorean
Producer, Musician, Mix Engineer
Drake, Playboi
If you want your sound to blow up...use C4.
Andy Sneap
Producer, Mixing & Mastering Engineer, Guitarist
Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Judas Priest
My go-to multiband compressor. Keeps the lower mids under control on guitars, gets the backing vox sit in a mix, and controls the bass DI pick attack before I re-amp.
Mike Hedges
Producer / Engineer
U2, The Cure, Dido, Manic Street Preachers
C4 is a secret weapon for dynamics. I use it especially on vocals, and it’s really handy for acoustic instruments too. Great for keeping low mids under control.
Malay
Producer, Engineer
Frank Ocean, Zayn, Sam Smith, Lorde
C4 is my glue. I’m able to push so much into it without any compromise, which is especially helpful when I’m working fast and want to keep my mix in check. Worrying about how a new element will affect my balance has become a thing of the past.
Stuart White
Mixing Engineer
Beyoncé, Jay Z, FKA Twigs, Autolux
I love how the Waves C4 (and C6) grabs the sound and I’ll never stop using it.
Damien Lewis
Mixing Engineer, Producer
Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lennon Stella, The Driver Era
Both C4 and C6 are THE SOUND of modern vocal production. Tonal control and sculpting are effortless. I can't tell you how many BGVs I've used the "Pop Vocal" preset on.
Mojam
Producers, Songwriters, Recording & Mixing Engineers
Sam Smith, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sandé, Plan B
C4 Multiband is perfect on our master buss, mainly for subtle compression on the low band to smooth things out.
Bryan "Froggy" Cross
FOH & Monitor Engineer
The Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera , Sublime
The C4 is my absolute favorite for female vocals.
Ross Hogarth
Producer & Engineer
Van Halen, REM, Ziggy Marley, Keb’ Mo’
I’ve used the C4 on many different tracks. It is a great tool for detailing a vocal sound or taking the harshness away from a source track.
Mike Exeter
Producer, Engineer and Mixer
Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Cradle of Filth
C4 is my go-to for shaping a bass DI into a full, heavy and clear bass sound. Then I can add any aggression or distortion to taste, knowing the dynamics are controlled and taken care of.
Gil Norton
Producer
Foo Fighters, Pixies, Stornoway
Great for tonal changes to vocals, and for evening stuff out in a better way than just simple compression or EQ. Also great for controlling low midrange in vocals. More flexible than an EQ: it can dynamically remove boominess and help general consistency.
Marta Salogni
Producer, Mixer, Recording Engineer
Björk, Bon Iver, Holly Herndon
C4 helps me keep the lower midrange of vocals in check while allowing them to shine through the busiest arrangements.
Paul “ECHO” Irizarry
Producer, Recording & Mixing Engineer
Daddy Yankee, Pitbull, Maluma, London Symphony Orchestra
In this 808-filled era, I find myself using the C4 to shape the low end of most of my work.
Adair Daufembach
Producer, Recording, Mixing & Mastering Engineer
Tony MacAlpine, Aquiles Priester, Project46, Rock in Rio
If a song has high gain guitars, the C4 will be in my session compressing the mids. That’s for sure.
Dave Martone
Guitarist, Engineer, Producer, Author
Nickelback, Jet Black Stare, “Shredding the Blues” , “Serious Shred Advanced Scales”
I love this. I use it on everything, from guitars, to voice – even mastering. I could not live without it!
Scott Martin Gershin
Sound Supervisor, Sound Designer, Re-recording Mixer
American Beauty, Nightcrawler, Maya & the Three, Pacific Rim
I use the C4 Multiband for so many things to help shape a sound dynamically. It’s different than just an EQ since it is threshold-based.
Charles Deenen
Sound Designer
The Fast and the Furious, Need for Speed
Great for de-noising some sounds (using the multiband gating functions) and awesome for leveling out frequencies on recordings.
John Cooper
Music Mixer, FOH Engineer
Bruce Springsteen, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow
I’ve been working on a restoration project of old recordings from several decades ago – the C4 has been amazing at bringing these old analog tapes back to life.
Dave Aron
FOH & Studio Engineer
Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Sublime
I use the C4 on bass, kicks, and snares to shape the sound with multiband compression in a way that an EQ can't.
Fernando Argento
FOH, Monitor & Studio Engineer
Los Tekis, Eruca Sativa, Sebastián Yatra, Carajo
In a live mix, the C4 can fix anything! A true Swiss Army knife at the mixing desk.
Chad Olech
FOH Engineer
Fall Out Boy, Shinedown, Deftones, Joe Jonas
The Waves C4 and C6 compressors are amazing additions to my mix. Waves plugins truly help me achieve the sonic quality I am looking for.
Parker
FOH Engineer
Franz Ferdinand, MGMT, Julian Casablancas, Hot Chip
Waves plugins have got everything you can possibly need and in particular, you need the C4... audio magic.

Double Down on Your Sound
by Editing Dynamics and EQ

De-Construct Mixed Drums
Take control over individual elements in drum loops and drum buses—limit the kick, tighten the toms with expansion, compress the highs, energize the snare with upward expansion—all while also EQing the drums.
Easy Editing of Your Dynamics
The C4’s Range parameter is a Waves exclusive. It defines the maximum amount of gain change (positive or negative), while Threshold sets where you want the gain change to start. Editing dynamics processors was never so easy.
Exceptional Equalization
The C4 is also a four-band equalizer with variable band frequencies and crossover slopes. The bands can be wide or narrow, and steep or gentle—and you can also add dynamics processing to any or all of them.
Choose Your Release
Choose the vintage-style, smooth release like optical compressors, or a release that accelerates as the audio decays for a quicker response. Or make it easy on yourself, and dial in the Auto-Release setting.
Artist Presets to Speed Your Workflow
Multiband processors have a reputation of taking time to edit, but with over 50 presets from pros like Dave Pensado, Ross Hogarth, Dave Aron, and Scott Gershin, the right sound is only a couple clicks away.