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Description
The Waves API 2500 Compressor is your gateway to achieving that classic, punchy sound revered by audio professionals worldwide. This powerful plugin is a faithful emulation of the legendary API 2500 hardware compressor, known for its ability to impart warmth and character to any mix. Developed in collaboration with API, this plugin maintains the integrity and musicality of the original analog unit while offering the flexibility and convenience required in today’s digital production environments.
Whether you're looking to tighten up your drum bus, add sustain to guitars, or bring vocals to the forefront, the API 2500's versatile tone shaping capabilities make it an indispensable tool in your sonic arsenal. Its unique Thrust control allows you to manage the compressor's frequency response, giving you unparalleled control over the dynamics of your mix. With both a feedback and feed-forward mode, the API 2500 can switch from smooth and transparent to aggressive and punchy, adapting to a wide range of musical genres and styles.
Seamlessly integrated into your DAW, the Waves API 2500 Compressor provides a world-class compression experience that bridges the gap between the iconic sound of analog and the precision of digital.
Key Features:
- Emulation of the classic API 2500 vintage compressor
- Developed in collaboration with API for authentic sound and performance
- Unique Thrust control for managing frequency response
- Feedback and feed-forward modes for versatile dynamic control
- Compatible with all major DAWs and available for download
Product specs
| Available since | October 2016 |
| Los artikel / bundelartikel | Los artikel |
| Delay | No |
| Dynamics | Yes |
| Effect Filter | No |
| Encoder/Decoder | No |
| Equalizer | No |
| Guitar amps/-effects | No |
| Channel Strip | No |
| Metering / Analysis / Correction | No |
| Modulation Effects | No |
| Multieffect / Plugin-Host | No |
| Overdrive/Distortion | No |
| Preamp / Saturation | No |
| Psychoacoustic tool / Enhancer / Exciter | No |
| Restauration | No |
| Reverb | No |
| Special FX | No |
| Summer / Mixing Consoles | No |
| Tape Simulation | No |
| Pitch Shifter / Harmonizer / Timestretching | No |
| Transient Processing | No |
| Vocoder / Vocal effect | No |
| Mastering Tools | Yes |
| Hardware Controller | No |
| Download | 1 |
FAQs
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What type of compressor is the Waves API 2500?
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The Waves API 2500 is a stereo bus compressor plugin known for its ability to shape the punch and tone of mixes with precision, featuring API's "thrust" circuit for enhanced low-end impact.
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Is the Waves API 2500 suitable for mastering?
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Yes, the Waves API 2500 is suitable for mastering, offering versatile control over dynamics and the ability to fine-tune the overall punch and tone of a mix.
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Does the Waves API 2500 Compressor offer variable release times?
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Yes, the Waves API 2500 Compressor provides variable release times, allowing users to adjust from 50 milliseconds to 3 seconds for precise control over dynamics.
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Can the Waves API 2500 be used as a dual mono compressor?
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Yes, the Waves API 2500 can function as two separate mono compressors, providing flexibility for processing individual channels with a single compression setting.
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What is the main feature of the Waves API 2500's "thrust" circuit?
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The "thrust" circuit in the Waves API 2500 enhances the low-end punch of a mix, making it ideal for achieving a powerful and impactful sound.
Videos
Studio One Expert
Review Of Waves API 2500 Compressor Plug-in
Reviews
PROS
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Emulates hardware API 2500 with warm, voluminous sound
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Versatile, fits well in master bus and group compression
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Adds punch and life to drums and tracks
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Easy to use with a range of sound options
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Enhances transients, accentuates drum impact
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Can sound both vintage or modern, depending on configuration
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Highly recommended for various genres: metal, rock, hip hop, EDM
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Faithful emulation compared to other brands
CONS
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May not perfectly mimic the real hardware sound
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Release setting may not go low enough at times
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Waves API 2500 Compressor.
Comparisons
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The Lindell 50 from Plugin Alliance includes the API 2500 along with other modules and can be more cost-effective when on sale.
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The Lindell SBC offers more features than the Lindell 50, closely resembling the Waves API 2500 with options similar to UAD's version.
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Cytomic The Glue is recommended for users seeking soft clipping features similar to API 2500, with additional benefits like oversampling and clearer feature descriptions.
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Software and compatibility
Value and pricing
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The $36 price for the Waves API 2500 is seen as reasonable by some, but Waves' pricing strategies often involve frequent discounts.
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User experience
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Some users feel Waves plugins are inferior in quality to offerings from TDR, Softube, Plugin Alliance, and UAD.
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Some users express frustration with Waves' WUP system, citing unexpected fees to maintain plugin functionality over time.
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Users report that the API 2500 performs well with hyperfast attack/release settings, maintaining clarity where other compressors may falter.
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Use cases and applications
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The Lindell 50's comprehensive channel strip is appreciated for its versatility, but some prefer simpler, dedicated compressor plugins like the Waves API 2500.
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Some users employ the API 2500 as a limiter with fast attack/release settings, finding it effective for soft clipping before applying a dedicated limiter.
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Features and functionality
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The Waves API 2500's analog mode is noted for providing a soft clipping effect, enhancing the stereo field subtly without adding audible noise, unlike other Waves plugins.
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The API 2500 lacks a ceiling feature, requiring users to manually adjust the master fader to avoid clipping during final output.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 31 Ratings
787
Doesn't sound exactly like the real deal, but gets the job done.
The Waves API 2500 plugin doesn't sound a lot like the real deal, but it works, and I think it stands out among Waves best plugins. IT covers a whole range of sounds whether you are producing metal, rock, hip hop, edm, you name it. This plugin can help in any situation. I highly recommend it.
463
Wonderful for sidechaining
I use this for a majority of my sidechain compression, it's very nice and can sound both vintage or modern depending on how it's configured. Only downside is that the release sometimes (though rarely for me) can't go low enough.
3582
Instant big smile after putting it on the drumbus...
I bought the Waves API bundle during a Waves promo after reading the review of SOS (without even properly demoing it). When I put it on the drumbus of the track I was working on, it instantly put a big smile on my face :-D
I still have it on (almost any) drumbus and after all these months it still puts a big smile on my face.
193
Bruh
I've never been so happy with a compressor (with the exception of Ableton's Glue Comp, and DMG's Trackcomp). It sounds good on everything, and adds a level of aggression and punch that some of my tracks can't do without.
139
My go to compressor
Wonderful for compressing drums and bass same with vocals a great all arounder!
Artist usage
Add artistIn a user-uploaded photo, Deadmau5 can be seen using the Waves API 2500 Compressor plugin on his screen.
At 0:55 in the video, the Waves API 2500 compressor plugin can be seen on the left of Virtual Riot's screen.
In this video at 35:28 can see Waves API 2500
At 35:36 min Tom says "This is been my favorite compressor scince the moment they release is, must a been 9... 10 years ago"
The API 2500 plugin is something I often use to ‘excite’ a droopy vocal in the mid/high register. I actually have the original hardware, but I use the plugin just as much if not more – it has the ‘teeth’ you would expect from anything API. On 1922, I used the API 2500 to remove unwanted ‘girth’ on low-end bass and percussive instruments, for example on my processed celli – and it was literally like giving them a facial!
Andrew Bayer confirmed his use of the Waves API 2500 Compressor in his production work on the album featuring "Lose Sight", stating on Reddit: "I used a lot of the Waves API 2500 compressors on the samples on that album. Like super smashed to get a really over-compressed sound."
In a photo on Instagram, Timmy Trumpet's left monitor displays the Waves API 2500 Compressor, indicating its use in his setup.
As for some of the other gear and outboard… UBK Clariphonic parallel EQ and an API 2500 for the master buss.
“For Daniel's vocal, I use the C6 [multiband compressor] and API 2500 [compressor]. The C6 is my go-to for every vocal. I reach for it before my channel EQs.”.
Mentioned by sound engineer Trevor Muzzy in this Sound on Sound interview about the production of "Starships".
"You can see that the pre-chorus and chorus vocals have a lot of timing and comp edits. They were imported directly from the session I cut the vocals in. I did not merge or consolidate them, they just are the way they are. There's quite a lot going on with the vocals. I tried to create a nice basic vocal sound using the inserts, and once they sat well in the track, most of the sonic variations between the sections came from the sends. There was no tuning on the rapping, but the sung vocals in this track had a fair amount of tuning with the Logic Pitch Corrector plug-in on the inserts. The tuning is part of the sound of the record, with vocals needing to be very, very precise. In some cases, we pitched them up or down for vocal effects. Logic Pitch Corrector is a little harder-sounding than Auto-Tune, but it has its own distinct sound that we liked for the vocals in this track. It really fits the song.
"The other inserts on most of the vocals were all Waves: the C1 compressor, SSL Channel, Renaissance Channel, De-Esser, Renaissance Compressor, API 2500, and the Logic Channel EQ. The C1 compressor is the first in line on several lead vocals, and it does the same Pensado trick I used on the guitars, which is to compress a specific band — in the case of the verse lead vocal, around 2849Hz — focusing on notes that sounded a little harsh. It smooths this problem out more elegantly than using an EQ. Then the signal goes through the R Channel with some basic EQ, cutting significantly at 281Hz. Again, it was a matter of removing some less pleasant things to let the nice aspects shine. I bypassed the compressor in the R Channel. I needed a bit of de-essing, and the Waves De-Esser is a great all-purpose de-esser, in this case working at 5634Hz with the side-chain set to high-pass.
"There were two more compressors on her vocal. There was no science behind this, it was just a matter of experimenting to find a unique sound. The first is the Renaissance Compressor, which I love and which is set to a fast attack time and takes off about 6dB, so quite subtle, not too intense. The API 2500 is set pretty aggressively and you can hear it pumping a little bit on the vocal. It was already in the session — it had been used on the demo vocal. I pulled it over to Nicki's channel and liked what it was doing, so I adjusted it to fit her vocal. Finally, the Channel EQ notches quite a lot around 600Hz and a little bit more around 235Hz, just carving out some low-mids to make the vocal sit better in the track.
"Regarding the sends, there are some really distinct things happening here. The main lead vocal was similar throughout the song, but I tweaked it as it went along. The pre-chorus and chorus vocals all have Bus 1, which went to the same Altiverb effect that I had on the drums, to add some ambience to the vocal. The rap verses are much drier. Bus 35 is the Waves Doubler, which gives a bit of spread to the lead vocal — I used this on the rap as well as on the sung vocals. Bus 4 is the Waves CLA with a drastic telephone effect. That was another effect that was there from the demo version and added a cool quality. Bus 50 is the [Sound Toys] Echo Boy, which is the main plug-in I use for delay throws, whenever I want to repeat a word. In this case it's on a quarter-note Echoplex setting. It's a single, mono echo that I panned a little bit to the side. Bus 7 has the Waves VX1 Maserati Vocal Enhancer, and that was, again, a plug-in I inherited. It is set to a very compressed, bright vocal sound that I brought in and out to add some sparkle to the sound when necessary.
"Bus 6 has the main reverb in the track, which you are hearing in the pre-chorus and chorus, and which is a Lexicon Plate plug-in on the 'VocalPlate2' preset. It's a really bright, over-the-top plate sound that is not trying to blend in but that's actually brightening the vocal up a lot. It's loud and wet. Busses 16 and 29 are different stereo delays: the Waves SuperTap was already in the session and I kept it, and the other is a standard Logic stereo delay that I use all the time on vocals. Bus 3 is the Logic Bitcrusher, which gives the vocals a grainy sound. The vocals already had an aggressive sonic quality to them because of the 251-TG2-1176 chain, and the Bitcrusher enhanced that. It's nasty, there's nothing nice about a bit-crusher, and it adds a bit of attitude. I used it on some of the background vocals as well, like in the second verse, where you have the pitch effects. You can hear it in the very processed harmony vocals that come in. That was something we added when we were doing the final vocal comp and arrangement. It gave that second verse some more life and helped the track build. The background vocals are a very big part of the hook vocal sound as well, and, for example, track 140 has many effects on it. That actually contains the vocals of the demo singers. Nicki's lead and background vocals are dominant, but in the chorus the background vocals from Mohombi and Wayne Hector added to the crowd feeling. The chorus vocals are really big in this track, and they were part of that.”
In this Twitch stream, Sega Bodega shows some of his effect chain, in 19:32 we can see the Waves Api-2500 Compressor, being launched by Sega.
Used for Quavo and Offest's features on Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "Apeshit", as stated by producer Stuart White in this September 2018 Sound on Sound interview.
The first four aux tracks feature SoundToys effects, namely Little Microshift, two EchoBoy delays, and a delay from the Little PrimalTap. Next are a Hall Reverb aux and a Church Reverb aux, both using Waves’ RVerb, an EMT plate from Audio Ease’s Altiverb, four aux tracks with the Waves H-Delay and various other plug-ins on them as well, and four more reverb auxes with the Avid Revibe II, two Avid D-Verbs and another RVerb.
White: “I use the Little Microshift in pretty much every mix, with the left-right micro pitch-shift effect that’s similar to the classic effect in the Eventide H3000 shift where you pitch one side down six cents and one side up six cents to create width. It’s a good way to get your vocals wider without them being out of phase. It thickens up vocals, and is kind of like a doubler. I do quite a lot of filtering on some of the EchoBoy delays, for example with the Waves REQ, and I am adding colour with the SoundToys Devil-Loc, which is great if you want to colour the delay so it is separate from the main vocal, and compress it with the UAD LA3A and mix that in to taste.”
(...) “The Migos vocals came in as seven audio tracks, with the Avid D-Verb on each of them. Putting a D-Verb on a track before EQ is not something I normally do, but it sounded great. So I adjusted them a bit, but otherwise left them as they were. The tracks also came in with the Aux track above, and the EQ3, with a high pass at 60Hz and notches at 430Hz and 1.41kHz and a high boost, the Waves API 2500 compressor, the RComp, the Waves Q10 EQ, following a slightly similar curve to the EQ3, the Waves De-esser, the Waves Aphex Aural Exciter, and the Avid Dyn3 expander/gate. I added the EQ3, with another high-pass filter at 144Hz, and the RComp, with a ratio of 10:1.”
Album Usage
The Waves API 2500 Compressor has been featured on the following albums:
Angel On My Shoulder
Sega Bodega (2021)
1922 Original Score
Mike Patton & Mike Patton (2018)
Edge EP
Neonlight (2015)
Where I Belong (Radio Edit)
Daddy's Groove (2015)
Riptide
Wrechiski (2015)
Beast
Borgeous & Thomas Gold (2014)
Remember
Thomas Gold (2013)
Lose Sight
Andrew Bayer (2013)
Pink Friday ... Roman Reloaded
Nicki Minaj (2011)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Waves API 2500 Compressor, it is most commonly used with the following gear.