Music software company Waves has introduced a new plugin subscription service called Creative Access, which replaces its previous model of perpetual license sales. With this new subscription-based model, users can only access Waves plugins through the Creative Access service.
Creative Access offers two subscription plans: Waves Essential, which costs $14.99 per month or $149 per year, and Waves Ultimate, which costs $24.99 per month or $249 per year. Both plans include access to a wide range of industry-leading plugins, with Waves Essential offering 110 plugins, while Waves Ultimate offers over 220.
One of the standout features of Creative Access is StudioVerse, an AI-powered community for plugin chains. StudioVerse includes thousands of plugin chains created by a community of producers and engineers, all accessible inside the DAW. The Musical AI search function within StudioVerse recommends the best mixing chains for a project based on the audio track’s sonic character.
Additionally, all plugin updates, features, and new products are now included with the Waves Creative Access subscription plan, as the company has removed the Waves Update Plan from its business model.
Although Waves has received some criticism for its endless plugin sales and continuous email newsletters, the company’s move to a subscription-based model has been seen as a positive step by some users. It brings Waves in line with other music software companies like Avid and Roland, which have also introduced subscription-based models.
However, it’s worth noting that Waves Creative Access doesn’t include Waves live sound applications such as eMotion LV1, SuperRack, SoundGrid Rack for Venue, and Dugan Speech. Nevertheless, for those looking to access Waves’ extensive library of plugins, Creative Access offers a comprehensive subscription service.
