Interesting point. They mentioned "AI search" in their ads, but, haha, that sounds like a search engine. Empty buzz words! Thanks for watching!

Totally agreed, Xantux. But it's mostly-all-or-nothing now, dammit.

I think it's time for most people to move on. Many production houses may not have a choice; in my last job, the vocal chain consisted of mostly Waves plugins, and it needs to sound exactly like the old VO from 15 years ago, so...

Exactly! If I was going to subscribe, I need to choose the plugins I really use; not their random selection. Thanks for watching!

@@palebluedotstudios Yes!! :)

I am now joining you, my friend!

There are so many choices now! And Waves lost their advantage after the mid-2000s. Cheers!

It's a weird choice, eh? Everyone's favourite mediocre LA-2A clone, and it's not in the lower tier. Bizarre choices here. Cheers!

@@palebluedotstudios Indeed. I've always associated the LA-2A with waves, to the point where I started calling it CLA-2A now. It's scummy, they know loyal users need it so they put it in the Ultimate tier to boost sales.

@@mobthegamer5391 Yeah, they got to snag the life-long professionals. Time to start making my list of what to replace my favourite Waves with...

Great points, Real Music. I suspect this will be the straw on the camel’s back for many, many customers. I’m sorry to see them go too. Cheers!

@@palebluedotstudios My suggestion, IMHO, keep a spare pc that is Waves compatible and be sure you put all of your Waves licenses on a backup flash drive to hopefully ensure continuous access. I still have Win XP, Win 7, And Win 98se Computers that I still use because some of those plugins, and software are still quite useful. Worst case, since I actually paid for all of my plugins, I would not feel guilty if I were to just get a crack version of the waves software,

@@realmusic4you Great suggestion, I might do that with my old PC and those old plugins that don't work. But at this point, I'll probably just move on from Waves. Cheers!

It's time, my friend! Cheers!

Oh yes, I remember the expensive days. They were the only game in town in the early 2000s, and they made you pay for it. Companies like Waves and Avid have made the wrong moves, and I think they're going to lose their grip after this. Cheers!

@@palebluedotstudios totally agree and this subscription model is proof they've been out of touch with demand and technology for a very long time.

​@@Mclennnan Good point. I felt like they made some right moves in drastically lowering their prices, but now that's history.

Exactly! Cheers!

Why should I pay for plugins I already own for a monthly subscription then if I cancel my subscription I lose all of my plugins. Highway robbery.

Yeah, get those perpetual licenses! Right now, Slate is get only plugin sub I have, because I’m locked in annually, but you do get an insane amount of plugins for the price. I may cancel next year, we’ll see…in the meantime, I’m hoping to put out a full Waves alternatives video soon. Thanks for watching!

Damn. I feel you. I was only a few plugins shy of Mercury and now I have to pay $300 USD/year? What a waste.

Me too. Only I invested in more than Mercury. Almost every Waves plugin. What they did is not right.

@@southernman2 For sure. Waves needed to change their systems, but at least we could pick up the plugins we wanted for cheap before now. #sad.

Yes, most Waves plugins have something equal or better out in the wild. There are a few classics that I use every day, but I'm certain I can replace them. Now is the time!

Great stuff! I started with that one. Cheers!

I agree, that I think they'll see a mass exodus of the common users, but what I suspect is: they'll make plenty of money from big production studios who simply HAVE to have backwards compatibility. Most places I've worked, 60-80% of the vocal chains are Waves plugins, and you need commentary audio to match the talent from previous years and sessions.

Cheers! Thanks for watching!

I hear ya. I'll stick with Mac, but probably not Waves. Cheers

I know! Why not offer perpetual, or subscription. Mind you, I get the feeling that most people weren't renewing their WUP, so they needed to show their shareholders more growth. Or something like that, haha. Thanks for watching!

Exactly, and there are so many better ways to do subs. Like let people choose the plugins they want in the sub. Make it more affordable. Give discounted subs to existing users. Offer different size subs. Give people a kick back like Plugin Alliance does. Etc.

@@phadrus Good call. Yes. Waves has such a massive library, you should be able to choose what you want. Sad.

That’s what I thought

Ah yes: I meant that other videos I watched didn't point out that you have to be lucky, and have all the plugins you want on the lower subscription tier, otherwise you're forced to get ALL the plugins in the more expensive tier. Cheers!

Me too, my friend. I want them gone before my next computer upgrade. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Correct! Thanks for commenting!

You are no longer able to update plugins without a subscription. And if your plugin is in the more expensive sub then you would have to get that. Everyone loses.

That's right: whatever version you have now is the final version you can run, until your OS no longer supports them. If you still have WUP, then you can upgrade until that WUP runs out, then you're stuck with that version.

@@palebluedotstudios so there is more then enough time for users to fade them out, i like Waves plugins but they are famous for been very simple so simple alternative should pop up now that the market is open for them. thank you for the explenation

@@PhilipRikoZen Cheers! Yes, there is plenty of time to still use the plugins and find alternatives. Just don't upgrade your machine! Haha!

You're seriously going to talk to an attorney? That's very interesting. Please keep me up to date on that. Where I think they have potential legal issues too is where they hold your plugins hostage if you buy a new machine and simply forgot to de-authorize them from your old machine-then you have to write a handwritten letter begging them for your plugins (that you paid for). However, software companies have great latitude with their End User License Agreements, so who knows. Anyway, please let me know how that goes!

I agree: Plugin Alliance is INSANE value. You get so much amazing, extremely professional stuff with it. That is one sub I miss a lot; I'll probably reactivate it when times are better. Cheers!

There is indeed great backwards compatibility with most audio things in Windows. It's been a disruptive couple of years in the Mac world. Cheers!

Also, keep a backup waves compatible PC. I still have a working Win 7 PC and a Win98se computer that has some great software and plugins that are still useful.

@@realmusic4you Oh man, that's a great idea. So many cool softwares from the Win98/NT/XP days I'd love to have access to. Maybe I'll run a Boot Camp...cheers!

@@palebluedotstudios I will look forward to that boot camp, That Will surely be helpful, and beneficial.

@@realmusic4you Certainly will!

This is definitely the "Web3" of plugins, haha. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

It's not looking good for them...cheers!

Hahaha. I hear ya! Cheers!

That's a good point: offer something to loyal customers. I've spent THOUSANDS since the year 2000 on these guys. Give us a carrot...

@@palebluedotstudios thing that scares me from now on is that I know the rules could be changed at any time. This came out of nowere. There’s a good amount of trust issues right now.

I’d say, if a new user has never used Waves and they want to test everything out for awhile, it may be an option. But I suspect they’ll make the bulk of their income from pro/broadcast customers, anyway. Cheers!

@@palebluedotstudios Update: Waves went back to the way that things were ...too much public backlash!!

@@dannydaniel8975 That's right! I posted a video that morning, and I suspect they've lost a lot of the public's trust, after this.

@@palebluedotstudios I know right

I feel the same. Waves was finally affordable, but now...

I think it was a misguided attempt to replace WUP. Whoops!

It's a shame, because they had lowered their prices and become quite popular. Cheers!

Definitely time to look at other options. They misplayed their hand on the subscription model. Thanks for watching!

I feel like voting with our wallets and speaking our minds is probably the best thing. Or we can toilet paper the head office..? 😂

Yes. I think many will feel that way. Thanks for watching!