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Waves Update Plan

The Waves Update Plan is your complete care plan for perpetual plugin, bundle, and application licenses.

When you purchase a Waves software product, you get one free year of the Waves Update Plan for that product. This gives you updates for your covered products, 2nd licenses for covered plugins and bundles, plus all the benefits listed below. The products you own remain yours forever, even after your plan expires. To enjoy updates and benefits, renew your plan at any time.

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Your Benefits

Plugin Updates

Enjoy new plugin updates and ongoing compatibility with your DAW, OS & hardware.

2nd Licenses

Get second licenses for your covered plugins and bundles, for use on different devices. 1

New Plugins Added

Receive plugins added to select bundles since you bought them and during coverage. 2

Waves Coupon

Get a coupon valid toward your next Waves software purchase. 3

Renew Now

How much does the Waves Update Plan cost?

The cost for one year of Waves Update Plan coverage depends on the number of products you own and their prices. Updating coverage per year ranges between $12 and $240 if you own one copy of each product.

Which Updates Do I Get?

Here are just some highlights of the new features and improvements added in recent versions (for the complete list, see our Release Notes):

  • New Features & Usability Improvements

    • New in all Waves plugins: MIDI Learn added, plus the ability to save MIDI map presets as a separate layer than plugin presets.
    • New in over 70 plugins (see list): You can now lock the Input and Dry/Wet parameters when scrolling through presets, for seamless A/B comparison.
    • New in all Waves plugins: Favorites Presets – Save and manage your favorite settings and access them easily through the Preset Browser.
    • SSL G-Master Buss Compressor: High-pass sidechain filter added.
    • H-Delay: Dual Mode added for separate control of left and right delay times.
    • New Hi-res HiDPI graphic interfaces added for CLA Epic, CLA EchoSphere, H-Comp, Scheps 73.
    • New: StudioVerse Instruments, adding instrument chain presets to StudioVerse.
    • Revamped: StudioRack has been renamed StudioVerse Audio Effects, with new features including enhanced search abilities.

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    In addition to the list below, Mercury owners with an active Waves Update Plan also receive the Waves Stream audio sharing service at no additional cost, for the duration of their Mercury Waves Update Plan coverage.

    See all V15 release notes

  • Compatibility & Support

    • All Waves plugins: VST3 support in Reason 12.5.1, Maschine 2.16, and Komplete Kontrol 2.8.

    Performance Enhancements

    • All Waves plugins: Faster load times.
    • Better CPU usage on Apple Silicon for Abbey Road Studio 3, Abbey Road Vinyl, CLA MixHub, CLA Nx, J37 Tape, Nx Ocean Way Nashville, Nx Virtual Mix Room, Reel ADT; and on all Macs and PCs for H-Reverb.

    New Features & Usability Improvements

    • All Waves plugins: Quick drag-and-drop presets added.
    • Waves Tune Real-Time: Ability to duplicate root, scale, and note behavior across multiple plugin instances added.
    • Clarity Vx Pro: 6-band control, limiter, and auto-reset added.
    • Mix and Trim controls added to API 2500, CLA-2A, CLA-3A, CLA-76, Renaissance Compressors, SSL G-Master Buss Compressor.
    • New Hi-res HiDPI graphic interfaces added for Abbey Road Chambers, API 2500, API 550, API 560, CLA-2A, CLA-3A, CLA-76, OVox, PuigTec EQs.
    • All Nx Plugins: EQ correction added for over 270 headphone models.
    • COSMOS: Added the capability to drag and drop multiple samples; Apple Silicon native support for the standalone app; and improvements in neural network key detection, scanning, search tag results, and view loading times.
    • WLM Plus: Presets for Disney deliverables added.
    • All Waves plugins run within the new StudioVerse preset library, with thousands of chain presets.
    • Easy access to licensing and activation directly from the demo plugins.

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    See all V14 release notes

  • Compatibility & Support:

    • All Waves plugins: Apple Silicon support on compatible DAWs.
    • All Waves plugins: Windows 11 support.

    Performance Enhancements:

    • SSL G-Channel: Smoothing algorithm added to eliminate click artifacts during parameter changes.

    New Features & Usability Improvements:

    • New hi-res HiDPI graphic interfaces for Abbey Road RS124, Scheps Omni Channel and Kaleidoscopes.
    • All Waves plugins: Unicode support enabling use of non-English characters in track names, preset names and locations of sample libraries.

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    See all V13 release notes

  • Compatibility & Support:

    • All Waves plugins: Retina-ready graphics enabling improved fonts and graphs on HiDPI and retina displays.

    Performance Enhancements:

    • Smoothing algorithm added to eliminate click artifacts during parameter changes in the following plugins: Abbey Road Studio 3, C6, L3-LL Ultramaximizer, Nx Ocean Way Nashville, SSL E-Channel, SSL G-Channel, X-FDBK.

    Usability Improvements:

    • All Waves plugins: Graphic interfaces support resizing.
    • All Waves plugins: Preset Browser system added. (Exceptions: GTR3, GTR Solo, IR1, IR360, IR Live, Q-Clone, X-Noise.) Users can now search for presets by text for quicker browsing, and audition & compare presets quickly while playing audio.
    • New artist presets added to Scheps Omni Channel and Abbey Road Saturator
    • Analog Noise On/Off control added to the top bar menu of Greg Wells MixCentric, PianoCentric, and ToneCentric
    • New hi-res HiDPI graphic interfaces for SSL E-Channel, SSL G-Channel, SSL G-EQ, SSL G-Master Buss Compressor, Waves Tune Real-Time

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    See all V12 release notes

  • New Features & Usability Improvements

    • All Waves plugins: "Set as default preset" function added.
    • All Renaissance plugins: New graphic interfaces + 700 artist presets added.
    • Renaissance EQ and Renaissance Channel: Real-time frequency analyzer added.
    • Renaissance Channel interface completely revised for more intuitive use.
    • NKS support added for over 40 plugins.
    • EQ Curve support on Pro Tools and Avid S6 added for the following plugins: AudioTrack, eMo F2, eMo Q4, F6, GEQ, H-EQ, LinEQ, Q10, Renaissance EQ, Renaissance Channel, RS56.
    • Over 700 presets by leading producers & engineers added to multiple plugins.
    • CLA MixHub and Scheps Omni Channel: MultiMod Rack can now be inserted as a module inside both plugins.

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    See all V11 release notes

  • Performance Enhancements:

    • All Waves plugins: Graphic interface responsiveness improved.
    • Waves Tune Real-Time: Improved CPU performance.
    • CLA MixHub: Channel View and Bucket View can now be opened simultaneously.

    New Features & Usability Improvements

    • Abbey Road Chambers: New presets added.
    • CLA MixHub: Lite (Mono and Stereo) components added for optimized CPU performance; 250 artist presets added; any individual CLA MixHub module (Input, EQ, Dynamics) can now be added as an extra insert plugin inside the CLA MixHub Insert slot.
    • F6: Global control mapping to Avid S3 added.
    • WLM and WLM Plus: Preset added for Netflix deliverables.

    Plugins added to major bundles: See the next section below.

    See all V10 release notes

New Plugins Added to Waves Bundles

With your Waves Update Plan, you get any plugins added to your bundle since you bought it, at no extra cost. See the added plugins (the most recent additions to each bundle are listed first):

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The Waves Update Plan provides the following benefits for your covered products, for the duration of your coverage:

    • Plugin updates to ensure continued compatibility with your current DAW or OS version
    • A second license for any covered plugin or bundle, for use on a second computer. This allows you to use two licenses of a single product, on two different computers at the same time, without having to move licenses between computers. (Please note that the 2nd license benefit applies to licenses for plugins and bundles only; it does not apply to Waves applications such as eMotion LV1, SuperRack, MultiRack, SoundGrid Rack for VENUE and SoundGrid Studio).
    • New features, components and performance improvements added to your plugins
    • Any new plugins added to select bundles
  • Whether you renew is up to you. If you wish to use your Waves product in the version you already own—without updating—you can continue to do so, as long as that version remains compatible with your DAW and computer operating system. (Please note, however, that after your Waves Update Plan for a given product expires, you will be able to use only one license of that product, on one computer at a time; you will no longer be able to use a second license on a different computer simultaneously.)

  • Yes, the Waves license version you purchased will continue to work, as long as your DAW version and computer operating system remain compatible with it. When you purchase a perpetual Waves license you get a permanent authorization for the version you purchased.

    You will need to update, however, if you wish to get a newer, updated version of the Waves product you purchased.

    (Also: Please note that after your Waves Update Plan for a given product expires, you will be able to use only one license of that Waves product, on one computer at a time; you will no longer be able to use a second license on a different computer simultaneously.)

  • We are committed to ensuring that the same plugins you are using in your sessions today, will continue to serve you 5, 10, 20 years from now—always and without limitation. We have been providing updates to keep our plugins compatible since 1992, and are committed to continuing to do so. When you use Waves, you can be confident that your sessions will open the way you want them, now and in the future, with your plugins and your sound fully intact.

    To achieve this, we invest countless hours to be able to support as many platforms and third-party version updates as possible. We have entire teams of employees dedicated to the ongoing compatibility of our massive plugin catalog with every major operating system and every significant DAW.

    By renewing your Waves Update Plan, you help us help you stay fully compatible as these platforms undergo updates – all while keeping our extremely affordable plugin pricing, which makes our products accessible to all producers, engineers and musicians out there.

  • Yes. Each time you purchase a Waves plugin or bundle, you get one full year of the Waves Update Plan, free of charge. During this year, you get free access to all the above benefits.

  • Simply go to your personal Waves account page, select the licenses you want (this will calculate your cost), and click “Renew Update Plan.”

  • Yes. As part of your Waves Update Plan coverage, you get a second license of any covered plugin or bundle, which you can activate on a second computer simultaneously. You will be able to continue using the second license on a different computer, as long as your product is covered by the Waves Update Plan.

    (Please note: This benefit applies to perpetual licenses for plugins and bundles only; it does not apply to Waves applications such as eMotion LV1, SuperRack, MultiRack, SoundGrid Rack for VENUE or SoundGrid Studio.)

  • When you purchase a Waves product, you get one free year of the Waves Update Plan from the date of the license registration.

    As part of your Waves Update Plan coverage, you will have access to any updates that Waves releases for your covered products during the coverage period. If your Waves Update Plan for a certain product expired, you will need to renew it in order to get access to newer versions of that product.

  • Yes, you can always renew your plan, no matter how much time passed since you last updated your products. Waves still allows updates from Version 3 and higher.

  • The annual cost of Waves Update Plan renewal depends on which products you own, and how many. It can be as little as $12 per year for a single product, and is capped at $240, if you own just one license of each product.

    The annual cost can exceed the $240 cap per account, if you own more than one license of a product (for example, if you are renewing the plan for two separate eMotion LV1 licenses).

Important to Know

  1. Waves applications (eMotion LV1, eMo IEM, SuperRack, SoundGrid Rack for VENUE, Dugan Speech, SoundGrid Studio) are excluded from the 2nd license benefit. Your 2nd license for a product remains valid only as long as your Waves Update Plan for that product remains current; the 2nd license will expire when your Waves Update Plan for that product expires. The 2nd license is for use by the owner of the main product license only. See all 2nd license terms & conditions.
  2. The Abbey Road Collection is excluded from the “New Plugins Added” benefit. Waves Update Plan coverage will NOT add newly released plugins to this bundle.
  3. Every time you renew your Waves Update Plan, you will get a coupon worth 10% of the amount you spent on the plan – with a minimum coupon value of $5, and a maximum coupon value of $20.
    • This coupon can be redeemed only on purchases of $50 or more.
    • This coupon can be applied toward the purchase of any plugin/s, bundle/s, or upgrade/s, application/s, except Abbey Road Studio 3.
    • This coupon is valid for 45 days.
    • Each coupon can be used only once (one transaction only) and does not carry a remaining balance.
    • This coupon is not valid toward purchases of courses, books, hardware, hardware/software combos, Waves Creative Access subscriptions, or additional Waves Update Plan coverage.
    • This coupon is non-transferrable.