WAVES Plugins are now SUBSCRIPTION ONLY

Get a windows computer. You’ll never have to worry about subscriptions. Mac=Subscription Machine

Glad I ditched the company. I solely use OZONE now, and haven't looked back.

Sorry, but you lost me. So one day I opened up old production files and found them constantly crashing because my Waves plugins were now subscription after I had paid for them less then two years prior. It wasn't even a favorite plugin, just one that I threw up on scratch files, but now, it crashes every time I try and open it telling me I have this plugin issue when even after I deleted and changed them, WTF. Waves in their greed, essentially has cost me days and days of time trying to open up files, that constantly crash just because of the ghost of some crap plugins I never left in the FINAL mix. I don't NEED Waves, infact, I use about twenty other brands much more, because they are BETTER. Yet Waves has by far caused me the most Waste of Time, frustration, and pure HATE. I encourage all people to look elsewhere! Waves were good maybe back in the old days. . . before dozens of companies came out with just better stuff! BTW. their support is non existent. Sorry, but Fabfilter, Soundtoys, NI, etc etc etc. . . . I will this lifetime never use another Waves Plugin again, not even if you give it to me free and pay me to use it. BYE

🤮 done with waves

Seems like PirateBay era is back! We'll get the newest versions only there by now.

Wasn't waves always subscription. Every plugin has always like a 3-5 subscription... Because it stops working after some years as operating systems require new updates. Waves forces the purchasing the updates (unlike slate, or others)

It’s a reneging on an agreement. Sure you can do it. But no one should trust waves ever again. This is only the beginning of the scam.

PERPETUAL IS BACK !!! by popular demand, they would have lost over 50% of customers!! good thing they are listening to the customers!!!

Waves just shot themselves in the foot! 😂

write as much as you can in the support contact page...

This renegade and unpredicatable decision to abandon and pull the plug on their loyal customer base overnight without warning in the way that they have done does demonstrate that Waves Audio clearly have no integrity as a company and cannot be trusted to behave in a consistent manner and in the best interests of their customers. They have clearly put making a short-term fast buck as a main priority at the expense of their reputation, causing long term and irreparable damage to the brand.

Waves Crises management should react fast because I have never seen so negative customer feedback!

Waves could have kept the purchase separately option, but they were too greedy. They could have made a sub where you pick the plugins you want, or existing owners get a discount, or different levels of subscriptions, or they could have made it super affordable, or they could have given kick backs like plugin alliance does with their subscriptions. The bottom line is Waves does what’s good for Waves.

Here's the main issue. I own over 100 Waves plugins. Most came in a bundle, and it was cool to check them out, etc., BUT. In reality I only regularly use maybe 5 to 7 plugs. I'm absolutely not going to subsidize 200 plus plugins to have the few I actually use. I'm sure I can find alternatives to the Waves plugs I often use, but why on earth would they not give existing customers access to paid updates for the plugs they already purchased!?!? Waves is off my list now. You're correct that PA did the subscription model right! Give customers options vs. lose them forever? Waves really sh*t the bed with this one. :(. PA, IK Multi, Izotope, etc. get my money now.

I get to work on music.....not that often. I work full time and have a family. I buy a new plugin every once in a while. Subscriptions don't work for me. I feel like I just got robbed. Not supporting them from here on out. Good chance to see what else is out there.

This is a shitty deal, how ever you look at it and you dont own nothing. In my opinion this is scumbag behaviour. I have no sympathy for thes companies.

the more one has spent on waves already ,, the worse this subscription deal is.

Goodbye waves another business run by woke idiots who don't comprehend legitimate pricing.

Check whether the video creator you are watching is an affiliate seller - is there a link in the subscription? Voice your concerns directly to Waves Audio : Gilad Keren, Nir Kozlovsky, Meir Shaashua, Yoad Nevo and others. Real people. Real decisions.

I have spent a lot of money with them over the years. I have Mercury as well. Now I get treated as though I never spent a cent with them. At the lest, they could give me rental credits to the value of what Ive spent. This is how they treat their customers like shit.

This is the funniest thing that has happened so far in 2023.

They sold me new update plans less than 2 weeks ago, knowing this was coming. If I get the subscription, the money I spent on the updates is just wasted. So I will get the subscription, after ALL of my update plans have expired, which will be April '24.

you’re right. i have a pro tools perpetual license and an update plan to stay current. i hope waves will opt for the same, cuz i own about 75-80% of their plugins.
affiliates received a message about the change last week, but (longtime) customers received a mail after launch.
at least it exposed their intentions..
glad uad and plugin alliance give you the freedom to choose

Waves has to give the consumer the ability to buy an on-sale plugin without a subscription, period.

i love waves

Really sad to see Waves going this direction. It's okay if they made sub an option but for people like me who own tons of their plugins, I feel shafted. Will most likely be moving on from them unless they re-add the WUP plans. I've invested a lot of money into Waves and they could care less about their customers.

How incredibly stupid of them. Goodbye Waves...

Had several Waves plugins from Version 9 to the most recent. Every time Waves Central was updated they sneakily tried to force me to subscribe to the update program, which was expensive and at the same time worthless on a PC. As I plan to continue music production for many years, my choices are to pay $3000 over a ten year period to use a few plugins from the Ultimate bundle, or use alternatives from other companies, who in all likelihood will provide free updates. Really simple decision.

This is where I separate from Waves

I'm a mercury owner and it sucks to be me.

I "own" Mercury, SSL collection, Keys, Abbey Road Collection since 10-15 years. I've payed for WUP a few times but far from every year. Do you want to know what I think of this? Well, I'll probably miss their plugins for a while, but eventually I will have forgot about them. I will NOT pay for a subscription! It sucks.

Quitting waves.. Do you think T Racks 5 Max for 99 € is a good Deal??

Goodbye Waves. R.I.P. unscrupulous dirty company. I'm filing for a divorce

re-calling old mixes might be an issue.

The sticking point is that we are using the Waves plugins on three computers at the same time. But not all 220 but only 10, which are only in the most expensive version for $24,95. In order to receive updates we would now have to use the subscription model 3 times for a total of $74.85 per month. For something that we have already paid dearly for. Waves just dug her grave. Write on your tombstone: We kicked our regular customers' ass.

I am gone. I will of coarse use my existing plugins until my computer packs out, but I will start the transition now. The other deal breaker is the AI. This takes the creative exploration out, and engineering in itself is at risk, much like film composing and writing. Not a good direction adios Waves. As an exercise, I will use stock plugins with Logic, to start the transition, that and focus on tracking different sounds going in. I will try to use this as positive.

Yeh they have just shit all over long using customer's

I will completely unsubscribe and say bye to Waves!

Waves has lost me with this. No way this makes sense for me.

R2R we need you🙏🏽

doesnt that make updating much cheaper now? If I can cancel anytime, I can just buy waves ultimate for a month, update and cancel. They can't take the perpetual licenses from me, can they?

A good reason to give them a kick in the ash… I did kick iZothope RX10 advanced after they did start their cooperation with Native instruments.

what a lousy action of Waves! I own a lot of their plugins, I think I have them almost all but from now on I won't buy anything anymore from them. No way of transferring to a subscription model!.. Hopefully all users will follow this buyers strike and let's see what Waves has to say then! Would be good to have a list of alternatives for Waves plug ins available!

Honestly I think everybody should be infuriated. Let's just go back in time. Biggest plugin company in the world, charging all the way up to$10,000 for their bundles. They've got the best stuff, and if you want it you're going to pay. Fast forward....tons of great competition forces Waves to lower their prices. They're probably not happy, so in my opinion that's when they came up with the idea for this s**. So they start selling their plugins dirt cheap, people start buying them, and when they get to the point where they watch the sales start to tail off, because everybody has them, they realize now it's time to f** everybody again. They start giving away some of their plugins. They gave away as you know, quite a few plugins in the last year or two. So we have to now look back at that and realize, they were only doing all of that, to get people invested in their plugins. This isn't just like a good business move, this is literally dirty, underhanded s***. I personally see it as somebody trying to be your friend, but they're real intention is to bang your girlfriend. 😂😂
Personally I think we should all abandon them and watch them crash and burn. They are essentially abandoning people that have spent quite a bit of money with them. They seriously need to adjust this model, and they need to do it really quickly. That's just my two cents.

I was done with Waves before this happened. Bottom line, they will have to offer a hybrid as you suggest. Imagine how a customer who only recently bought a diamond or mercury bundle is going to feel about this new business model. UAD and Plug-in Alliance, which are better plugins IMO, offers individual purchases along with subscription. Waves will have to do the same or they will hemorrhage. In the end, they will bend knee or cease to exist. That said, I will never be a customer again.

So no benefits for existing customers at all?
At least previously bought products should receive updates, and get at least 2 devices support.
Sadly this is my breaking point with this company.

Will it be cloud based or can I use the plugins offline after paying for the monthly subscription?

All program subscription services and recurrent monetization systems are garbage. Own, don't rent if you value your money. There are plenty of terrific plugin makers out there, so let's not encourage this deplorable business practice!