Waves will be releasing a brand new plugin for PC and Mac on Black Friday. The plugin will be delivered as a free download to all users who sign up for the freebie on the Waves website.
It has become somewhat of a tradition for Waves to give away a freebie on Black Friday every year. Unless I’m mistaken, it all started when the company offered the OneKnob Louder plugin as an exclusive Black Friday freebie back in 2012. They followed it up with Renaissance Bass in 2013 and OneKnob Pumper the year after. At that point, it became obvious that Waves freebies on Black Friday are here to stay, so we had the chance to grab a free copy of TrueVerb in 2015 and SuperTap in 2016.
What’s interesting, though, is that Waves are claiming to release a brand new free plugin this year. Instead of offering an older product as a free download for a limited time, which was the case with TrueVerb and SuperTap, this year we will see a completely new offering. Chances are that it will also be free for a limited time and then converted into a paid plugin, as was the case with OneKnob Louder ($29) back in 2012.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any additional info about the plugin except for the fact that it will be released on Friday this week. The signup page doesn’t offer any hints, nor does the teaser video posted on Waves’ official YouTube Channel (unless the forthcoming plugin is some sort of software designed to make audio waveforms jump out of the DAW and then push the monitor off the table – not quite sure if I’d download that). We will update this article as soon as the offer goes live on Black Friday and also release a test/demo of the plugin. If you sign up now, you will probably receive the installer (via email) as soon as Waves launches the plugin.
Do you guys have any predictions on what the plugin might be? Perhaps a new addition to the OneKnob product series, or something completely new and different? We’d love to hear your thoughts about this – feel free to post them in the comments section below!
Sign up for free at Waves (the plugin will be released on Friday, November 24th).
20 Comments
Loosewiggbass
onI’ll never get any WAVES plugin again. I bout a bunch a couple years back come to find out I can’t even use what I paid for without renewing the lease and for all the plugins I bought was renewal was expensive. I’m not gonna support a company that makes you annually pay for something you already bought no matter how good the plug-ins may be. So I’d imagine this free plugin is just to rope you in, then charge you for something later. It’s a crying shame.🤔
Really, I am NOT paid by Waves for anything! ;-)
onnobody forces you or anyone else to get a commercial plug-in for free.
There is NO need or requirement to pay anything for that Waves Update Plan!
The plug-ins do keep working, after that first free year of the Waves Update Plan has expired! Since OneKnob Louder, I´ve collected all of their Black Friday plug-ins and never paid anything. In spite of that, all of those plug-ins still work without any problem.
Please, do not spread such “fake news” again! Thank you!
Harriosn
onI agree. It’s crazy that they charge you to use what you have already paid for.
animus
onYou don’t have to pay to keep using waves plugins you already own; the update plan is only for future updates. I was confused by that at first too.
I love VU meters and having an extra one can’t hurt. If you don’t want or need it, simply ignore it and move on.
Thundergunner
onI hope this free plugin is better than last year’s. Was rather disappointed by SuperTap I must say :(
Really, I am NOT paid by Waves for anything! ;-)
onActually, it´s a bit different:
This year, Waves let´s the customers vote which ONE plug-in from the list below they make available for free on Black Friday – for a link to the “survey”, go to Waves´ FB page:
Brand New Plugin
Q10 Equalizer
MetaFilter
Manny Marroquin Reverb
C4 Multiband Compressor
L1 Ultramaximizer
whatever that mysterious new plug-in may be, at least Q10 or C4 should be useful…
Slightly Foxed
onThis is VU meter… nice…
Dome
onIts thursday but i guess its a free Waves VU Meter. Take a look at the site now.
Dome
onyes its available since today. i was hoping on q10, L1 or C4.
Danila
onSad.
Respirator
onSorry, I know it’s free…but this year’s giveaway is absolute weaksauce.
Kim Christopher
onI agree! depressing… :(
WhiteAxxxe
onFinally we now have a VU-meter. And its fropm Waves. After a short test the Waves-metered tracks have obviously a new quality to them, its subtle, but its definetely there. I wished for exactly that king of plugin for years, but never could find anything, let alone one of such outstanding audio finesse.
Thanks Waves!
:-( Seriously, are they b*********g their customers? That is a little bit worse than giving away a blind plate for free. Anyway… I dont care.
Michael Jackson
onI HATE Waves License Center. Had a hard time authorizing my software with the new version. Was lucky to have found an older version that worked. No Thank You; I’ll pass on this.
Jan W.
onpure waste of time and brainpower
was hoping 4 something special..
what did i get
a VU meter.. those folks gonna be ignored from now on.. idiots…
Adam - Division One
onWell – here we go. I know many of you expected something big, lush and very expensive.Something that will be the “one” plug you all waited for sooo long time.That big , lush looking buton with huge name ” read my mind and make the best music that I can think of “.But let’s go serious .After many years of giving actually very nice tools , Waves gave you the best plugin you can have – yes I’m totally serious . It’s all self explanatory if you will watch video. I was in the same place long time ago , barking that “every big company should have free tools for everyone”. And after years I realized that I am missing the point . What was it , you may ask ? “Tools” is the key word. Nothing more and nothing less.You don’t take hammer to open can with Tuna , but you take glasses to see text better , have wider perspective on something or hide your eyes from too strong light. And that’s what you get this year – “glasses” to have better perspective on your levels (and they are the most important part of any mix ).
KIM CHRISTOPHER
onSorry Adam, I did not expect anything lush, but a VU? This tool is already included in any DAW. Instead of hammering the waves gave me a sticker to leave my hammer of another color … Actually do not think the waves should give anything for free, but if the proposal was this, they should do it right. Soundtoys provided an incredible reverb plate for free, thus showing the quality of its plugins, stimulating the customer to buy the other effects of the company … I think that is the goal of any serious company.
subcon
onalways so many issues with waves central licensing
will pass, but thanks for sharing
Roman
onI never even got mine. Not a single email was sent to me except their black Friday spam.
SirAngusMcBeef
onI never paid a dime in the first place , loose wig! Shoulda listened.
This free edition is identical , but more stable.
That is a shame though, all my stuff has to be reregged everytime i have to change daws etc.
Thanks for the plugins and amazing stuff bpb!!!