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Waves NLS Non-Linear Summer Is FREE For 48 Hours!

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Waves Audio and Help me Devvon offer the NLS Non-Linear Summer ($299 value) plugin as a FREE download for 48 hours!

NLS Non-Linear Summer is an analog summing utility that emulates three legendary mixing consoles: the SSL 4000G, Neve 5116, and EMI TG12345. Waves attempted to emulate the non-linear behavior of each channel and amp, porting some of the analog magic into the digital audio domain.

How can you use the NLS Non-Linear Summer in your mix? It’s not a plugin that will magically make a bad recording or a muddy mix sound great. However, it is an excellent tool to spice up the audio and add interest to a well-made, clean-sounding mix.

From my experience, plugins like the NLS Non-Linear Summer work best when used on multiple buses across the mix. You should be looking to get the cumulative effect of numerous plugin instances working simultaneously to add harmonics and slight non-linearities to various sounds. It’s an effect that is almost intangible, but you’ll definitely notice when it’s removed from a mix.

NLS Non-Linear Summer includes the NLS Channel plugin and the NLS Buss. The two interfaces are pretty similar, consisting of a console selector, a Drive knob, VCA Group controls, and switches for Noise, Bypass, and Mic control parameters.

While using the plugin, you’ll notice a substantial difference between how the three console models sound. You can choose to use a single console type across the entire mix or add more interest by using different modes for added color and contrast.

To get a more aggressive sound from NLS Non-Linear Summer, boost the input gain for added saturation. The sound can get quite distorted if you push the plugin harder, which works very well for certain music styles.

Watch the video below for a quick introduction to NLS Non-Linear Summer.

NLS Non-Linear Summer typically costs $299 (currently on sale for $29), but you can get it for free for a limited time. The free download offer ends in less than 48 hours.

For your free copy of NLS Non-Linear Summer, visit the promo page linked below and click the blue “GET NLS NON-LINEAR SUMMER FREE” button. Please note that you’ll need to log in to your Waves Audio user account first. Also, remember that you’ll need to install the Waves Central software to download and activate the plugin.

NLS Non-Linear Summer is compatible with digital audio workstations on Windows and macOS.

Get the deal: NLS Non-Linear Summer (OFFER EXPIRED)

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About Author

Tomislav is a music producer and sound designer from Belgrade, Serbia. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief at Bedroom Producers Blog.

43 Comments

  4. Simbarashe Motsi

     on

    This year Waves has done good freebies:

    1. Renaissance Reverb
    2. NLS Non-Linear Summer

    I wonder what else will follow

    Reply

  10. Mike

     on

    June, then July, then briefly June again before August comes around. Now possible with Waves Nonlinear Summer.

    That aside, this is the first Waves plugin on my computer. Will it work indefinitely? I have heard Waves likes to invalidate paid plugins and make people re-buy them again yearly.

    Reply

    • Christopher Marlowe

       on

      It will work indefinitely, *as long as* you keep it installed on your system…and you don’t update your OS to the point where you’ll need compatibility updates in the future 😒 which is what they’re counting on with their “update plan” thing.

      Reply

      • Tony

         on

        That’s very misleading, You don’t have to keep them installed and you can reinstall whenever you want,
        I have some very old Waves plugins that have continued to work through many WINDOWS updates.
        The problem you describe only really arises for Mac users, as it’s new Mac OS that tends to break things… people should be more annoyed at Apple than Waves, tbh.

        Reply

        • mx

           on

          if waves had a different system, like other plugin developers do, there wouldnt be a problem.

          macs work great for many reasons, and the price you pay is a less open hardware and software system and some consequences like the one you explained.
          but there are very good reasons to use macs, especially for audio production, and these reasons are enough for me and many other people to enjoy working on a mac.
          not that it cant be done on a windows pc, but there you have other problems.

          in my opinion it is a bit off topic to blame apple for the strange pricing and licensing model that waves has. sure it is an interesting point of view to discuss,
          but nothing more than that.

          Reply

            • mx

               on

              i grew up on windows, just changed to mac some years ago…. so i know both systems and the advantages and disadvantages that i personally have to deal with in my work.
              i dont say that one of them is better for everybody, but the differences between the systems make one or the other better for certain purposes or use cases.

              my point was more, that this sidenote of tony was not very suitable here, when it is really waves that is behaving differently than most other plugin companies.

              but you can understand whatever you want from all of that, if that is enough for you to just sum it down to simple windows or apple bashing.

              Reply

  12. alex

     on

    Off topic:

    Anyone know who to write to in order to request Waves account deletion? They do not specify that on their web site, have a bunch of support emails and no one cares to respond. I’m already pissed as hell.

    Reply

  15. Mar

     on

    So, we should add an instance to each channel, and each channel will have small differences like the analog desks. Interesting.

    Reply

  16. Sound Design

     on

    OK, I just saw the note and it does let you get the free plugin in Firefox but doesn’t work in Chrome or Opera browsers.

    Reply

  19. Science

     on

    whew….made me download firefox (edge is great, but mozilla is still a must), anyway it worked like a charm and i’m on my way to self-learning summing…thanks!

    Reply

  20. Jacob Jabang

     on

    It’s free now, but later ull have to pay for any upgrades/updates.
    Waves are nothing but a scam.
    They will never see a penny out of me again.
    By far, the worst plugin company out there.

    Reply

  21. Love Waves

     on

    Except Waves SSL E all the other 18 plugins I got from waves are free. The first one I got in 2020 Trueverb still works fine without any update. One great thing about Waves plugin is that it consumes much lesser CPU compared to others, thats the sole reason I bought Waves SSL. Its so efficient to throw it on all tracks. I dont understand why so much of hate is there for Waves. So far I’ve got these plugins for free

    HComp
    Trueverb
    Rverb
    Liltube
    Super tap
    R Vox Comp
    R bass
    One knob wetter
    Dbx comp
    Sibilance
    Lofi space
    One knob Phatter
    One knob Louder
    Manny Maroquin Tone shaper
    IRL Convolution reverb
    Maxxvolume
    Studio Rack ( now supports 3rd party VST)
    Waves NLS

    Reply

    • alex

       on

      No hate for Waves, people just figured out that the company actually sells a couple of good and a bunch of mediocre plugins at high prices and make them pay for any updates. They were relevant back in the 90’s and 00’s. They actually made the first commercially available plugin in ’92 (Q10). I was LMAO when people were still buying it for $99 like 10-15 years ago even though it wasn’t any better than any DAW stock eq. At some point they came up with one knob series (people used to call them “plugins for idiots”, while they actually were just overpriced one trick ponies) and then with signature series and started using famous mixers’ names to sell plugins (which reminds me on 2013, when Pro Tools finally got the 64 bit engine at the point when all other DAWs including free ones had already had it for a long time – they paid some pure guys to stare at it amazed stating it was sounding so great, like nothing else ever – it was just sad). But that’s what big companies do and they’re here to stay. Anyways, IME: the installer doesn’t let you choose which versions of plugins you want to install and installs plugins all over the computer. Last time I downloaded the version I was entitled to use, installed the plugins and Waves Central which then wouldn’t let me login to activate them and when I wanted to uninstall them I needed quite some time to manually delete all the left overs including the stupid Waves shell that remained in the plugin folder trying to crash Reaper on the plugin scan. That alone is enough for me to decide to never use their plugins again without even mentioning paying for updates, inability to use different versions at the same time (maybe they solved that by now, but I’d be surprised because it’s a good way to make people upgrade all of their plugins) and bad customer support. But, to each their own and all that…

      Reply

      • Mike

         on

        Alex, thank you for writing about your experiences. I uninstalled NSL and all the Waves stuff after reading. No need for more predatory companies whose files are impossible to get rid of (Adobe was the last one).

        Reply

  22. origin makers

     on

    It can provide the essential GLUE for the Digital Mix.

    In simple terms it’s equivalent to Color grading in video to produce a Cohesive Visual.

    Reply

  23. PureFire

     on

    Thanks so much Tomislav, BPB & Waves, an awesome product.
    It’s good that a new NLS V14 licence, can activate a V11 (non metal gpu version), as NLS came out a few years ago.

    Reply

  24. Mike

     on

    Sounds nice. However, after a bit of research I found that this “non-linear summer” does no summing at all. None. It’s just a saturator/eq/whatever. I would have been mighty angry if I’d paid for it.

    What’s amusing is the verbal acrobatics in Waves’ sales pages hype and manual to avoid admitting that it’s not a summer.

    Airwindows Console is a summer, and looks like I’ll keep using that. I always did think Waves was overpriced and overhyped, but this NLS one really is a scam. Happy I didn’t have to pay money to learn that.

    Reply

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