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Plugin Boutique
$99.00 $34.99 $64.01 · All time low
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5.0 (2)
$34.99
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5.0 (3)
$33.00

Price History

Based on price data from 3 merchants for "Waves Renaissance Equalizer". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

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Description

Elevate your audio production with the Waves Renaissance Equalizer, a quintessential tool for musicians and producers seeking timeless, polished sound. This EQ plugin is renowned for its vintage character, providing warmth and richness that enhances any mix. Whether you're refining a vocal track or giving your percussion section that extra punch, its versatile design allows for two, four, or six-band equalization to suit any need.

What sets the Renaissance Equalizer apart is its intuitive graphical user interface, making it easy for both novices and seasoned audio engineers to achieve precise tonal control. The clean, user-friendly design ensures you spend less time fiddling with controls and more time crafting the perfect sound. Ideal for a wide range of genres, from rock and jazz to electronic and classical, this plugin adapts to your creative vision flawlessly.

Key Features:

  • Two, four, or six-band EQ with vintage character
  • Intuitive graphical user interface
  • Warm, rich sound suitable for various music styles
  • Easy to use for both beginners and professionals
  • Compatible with major DAWs for seamless integration

Product specs

Available since October 2016
Los artikel / bundelartikel Los artikel
Delay No
Dynamics No
Effect Filter No
Encoder/Decoder No
Equalizer Yes
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 No
Hardware Controller No
Download 1

FAQs

What makes the Waves Renaissance Equalizer different from other EQ plugins?

The Waves Renaissance Equalizer is known for its warm, analog-style sound and vintage-modeled filter curves, making it ideal for achieving a classic EQ tone in modern productions.

Is the Waves Renaissance Equalizer compatible with all major DAWs?

Yes, the Waves Renaissance Equalizer is compatible with most major DAWs, including Ableton Live, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro, making it a versatile choice for any studio setup.

Does the Waves Renaissance Equalizer offer real-time EQ graphing?

Yes, the Waves Renaissance Equalizer features real-time EQ graphing, allowing users to visualize changes as they adjust frequencies, which enhances precision in mixing.

Can the Waves Renaissance Equalizer be used for mastering?

While the Waves Renaissance Equalizer can be used in mastering for its analog-style warmth, it is primarily designed for mixing applications due to its paragraphic EQ capabilities.

Does the Waves Renaissance Equalizer support both Mac and Windows operating systems?

Yes, the Waves Renaissance Equalizer is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems, ensuring wide accessibility for users on different platforms.

Patrick Istefanidis

Patrick Istefanidis

Plug In To Review EP6: Waves Renaissance EQ

Video thumbnail for Plug In To Review EP6: Waves Renaissance EQ by Patrick Istefanidis

Plug In To Review EP6: Waves Renaissance EQ

Patrick Istefanidis

Patrick Istefanidis

Video thumbnail for Renaissance Equalizer from Waves || Tuesday Review Day by Topmop Productions

Renaissance Equalizer from Waves || Tuesday Review Day

Topmop Productions

Topmop Productions

Reviews

PROS

  • Smooth top and bottom end for a musical sound

  • Excellent for finding and dialing in specific frequencies

  • Essential tool for getting tracks to sit well in the mix

  • Simple and easy-to-use graphical user interface

  • Consistently reliable across various applications

CONS

  • GUI could be larger for easier usability

  • May sound slightly metallic to some users

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Waves Renaissance Equalizer.

Software and compatibility

  • Renaissance EQ still works on older Windows setups without updates; Mac users face compatibility issues with OS updates.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • Legacy installers are available for older versions, ensuring continued use on offline systems.

    Source
  • Renaissance EQ includes a frequency analyzer, a feature some users value for precise EQ work, aligning it closer to modern standards like Pro-Q.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • Discounted update plans can significantly reduce long-term costs, especially if purchased during sales through resellers.

    Source

User experience

  • Some users only update plugins every 3-5 years, finding that older versions remain reliable and functional.

    Source
  • Some users transition from traditional DAW EQs to Renaissance EQ for its added features like the frequency analyzer, offering more depth for precision mixing tasks.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Renaissance EQ is still utilized in major albums, demonstrating its lasting relevance and utility.

    Source

Comparisons

  • Prior to Pro-Q's popularity, Waves' Q10 EQ was a go-to for many users, though it lacked a built-in frequency analyzer that Renaissance EQ later incorporated.

    Source
Add

4.5 out of 5

Based on 2 Reviews and 9 Ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
T

Good, but

Unlike their fake plastic emulations plug ins, this is ok. Sounds a little metallic to me.

R

simple effective EQ

Great EQ unit. Worth every penny. simple GUI. Use it in every mix.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Zedd uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Zedd

Music Producer

ARE WE DREAMING

...
Verified via Photo

The REQ 6 is visible in a Cubase effects insert in the far left of this August 23-24, 2011 photo of Zedd's laptop in Interscope Studios for the song "All Because of You". The source can be found here.

See how Alan Walker uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Alan Walker

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via YouTube

you can see the Waves Renaissance plug-in at 6:48 in the video attached

See how Wolfgang Gartner uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Wolfgang Gartner

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via Facebook

if you pause at 0:06 you can spot it between waves C4 and waves L2

See how Toro y Moi uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Toro y Moi

Singer, Guitarist

...
Verified via Emusician

The Waves Renaissance EQ Plugin is used later in the vocal chain to clean up Chaz's vocal tracks.

See how Noisia uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Noisia

Music Producer

Noisia & Pacific

...
Verified via Dogsonacid

"waves bundle fx are very good, we use the C4, the Rcomp, the REQ and the L2 a lot"

See how Four Tet uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Four Tet

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via YouTube

at 5:05 in the video, Kieran pulls up this plugin

See how Drake uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Drake

Singer, Rapper

Young Money

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Noah 40's processing chain for the sawtooth bass synth included Waves' Renaissance EQ and Bass, and Avid's Lo-Fi, a big favourite of his. for drakes mixing

See how The Real Mike Dean uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

The Real Mike Dean

Music Producer, Audio Engineer

Def Squad

...
Verified via YouTube

At 52:14 in the YouTube video titled "MIKE DEAN MAKES A BEAT AND MIXES IN PRO TOOLS USING GAINSTATION WITH KENNY BEATS LIVE ON TWITCH" by Beats & Audio, The Real Mike Dean uses the Waves Renaissance Equalizer.

See how Sub Focus uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Sub Focus

Music Producer

Sub Focus & Danny Wheeler

...
Verified via YouTube

At 3:51, Sub Focus pulls the Waves Renaissance EQ onto his screen.

See how Beyoncé uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Beyoncé

Singer

All Star Tribute

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Used on "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.”

(...) Beyoncé’s lead vocal tracks consist of three aux tracks, four ‘dirty’ and eight ‘clean’ audio tracks. The audio tracks only have the EQ3 on the inserts and a few of them have a send to the Church Reverb. All White’s processing is done on the three aux tracks. “All lead vocals are sent to the ‘B Aux’ track and the ‘B Parra Aux’ tracks. On the former I have the McDSP DS 555 de-esser. I use the Waves de-esser the most, but in this particular track, because I wanted to compress her voice really hard, I felt that the 555 would work the best. I am rolling off until 6144Hz into what it is detecting; it’s like a side-chain filter. The FabFilter Pro-DS is doing a little more gentle look-ahead de-essing.

“After that there’s some pretty heavy EQ from the EQ3, with a high-pass at 142Hz, a 9dB cut at 244Hz and a 2dB cut at 3kHz. My cut at 244Hz is because she is singing in this husky, low voice, so there’s not a lot of energy in that. I get the energy from the RComp compression, and the EQs, including from the SSL E-Channel, are there to make her sit in the track, rather than making it sound filtered. I love the RComp, mainly because it doesn’t sound like compression to me. The SSL E-Channel adds a bit more compression, and the [Crane Song] Phoenix II Tape Emulation is really cool because while it doesn’t actually sound like tape, it smoothes out transients in a signal just like much analogue equipment does. It enables me to get a fatter vocal sound that again makes the vocal sit in the mix. The final EQ3 has a notch at 3.2kHz to take out some harshness. I also have sends to the Verb aux track, which are the D-Verb and [Waves] H-Reverb, and the Delay 1-4 aux, with the EchoBoy.

The other aux track, ‘B Parra Aux’, is a parallel compression track, with the RCompressor and the CLA 76, which I mixed in low. Both these aux tracks then go to the ‘LD ALL Aux’, on which I’m doing some more surgery with the McDSP AE400 [dynamic EQ], which allows you to set a threshold, just like on a compressor. It’s like turning a volume knob down on a frequency the moment it gets out of control. Finally, there’s the Waves C4, for some control, to keep the vocal even. This track has a lot of energy, so this is an example of using compression for energy, mood and attitude. I also worked a long time to get the compression on Bey’s breaths to pump on the beat. I wanted her breaths to be another percussive element in the track, and getting the attack and release on the compressor right was key to getting that feel and pumping effect.”

Five of the 22 Beyoncé ad lib, backing and harmony vocals below her lead vocals also go to the above-mentioned aux tracks, while the rest have their own signal chains. These audio tracks are sent to several aux tracks, often with tons of plug-ins, and all aux vocal tracks in the end get sent to the ‘Voc All’ group aux right at the top of the session, which has an RCompressor, with ratio at 10:1. There are more group aux tracks, like ‘TrackAux’, ‘FX Voc Aux’, ‘FX’ and ‘Music Aux’, which all get sent to the ‘All Aux’. This in turn gets sent to the ‘no limiter’ mix print track, and finally there’s a Stereo Master track.

See how Mark Ronson uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Mark Ronson

Guitarist, Music Producer

Silk City

...
Verified via waves.com

In this article by Waves, Mark Ronson states

"In terms of plugins, Waves have been part of my workflow since I ran my first session in Pro Tools back in 2000 with Nikka Costa. The Waves stuff was our bread and butter on those, especially the Renaissance series. The Renaissance EQ and Renaissance Vox plugins are things I learned on; I know them so well, they’re engraved in me like muscle memory. They’re great, they don’t take up a load of my CPU and I can use them quickly and move along with what I’m doing.

The one plugin I use the most is probably the CLA-3A compressor. That was something I picked up from [producer] Jeff Bhasker when we were working on “Uptown Funk.” You throw it on a vocal or a bass track, and it makes everything a little tougher and also makes the mix just a little more centered."

See how Jay-Z uses Waves Renaissance Equalizer

Jay-Z

Rapper, Music Producer

Roc-A-Fella Family

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Used on "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.”

(...) Jay-Z’s part consists of just two tracks, one lead, and one ad-lib, with an additional ‘reverse’ track, and a ‘jay clean’ track. White: “The main lead vocal track has the SSL E0-channel, Waves C4 multiband compressor for some control, FabFilter Pro-Q2 EQ, with a few notches, and McDSP AE400. Where Jay raps ‘Tell the Grammy’s fuck that 0 for 8 shit / have you ever seen a crowd goin’ apeshit?’, you can hear some stuff in the background, which is another example of me adding flair and energy. That actually comes from the third ‘Voice Sample’ track further up the session, on which I have some automated plug-ins, the ReVibe, Waves S1 Imager, and filter sweep from the EQ3. It’s subtle, but it gives you a little ear candy.”

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 Renaissance Equalizer, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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