Wavelab Elements 9.5 - Software review

A couple weeks ago I was browsing the internet for various software vst's , plugins and so forth . I usually do this about 1-2 times a week as  I might stumble across a special on a specific vst or there might be some new 'holy grail' type software synth that everyone is going crazy over that I would like to read up on.  I eventually came to the home of Steinberg (I am a Cubase user so naturally I always checkout their site) and to my surprise I saw Wavelab 9.5 was released. At the time I was using Wavelab 6 , which I had been using for the last couple years. My main use for it was for basic recording for my radio show and basic mastering. I noticed that the Elements version was only 99 Euro compared to the PRO version which was 559 Euro.  So naturally I was leaning more towards the purchase of the Elements version as there was alot of tools in the PRO version that I was never going to use. 

I thought to myself that for just 99 Euro its worth the upgrade. And boy , what an upgrade it was . Installation was a breeze and registration was just as easy . Steinberg is still using their USB dongle piracy protection for their software , which I am totally on board for . As this means as long as you have an already used USB dongle (as I got one with Cubase ) it will register Wavelab onto that USB. This is so easy compared to other software piracy protectors , Arturia comes to mind with their limited amounts of activations and way to activate their plug-ins  is a nightmare. 

Once it installed and I booted it up for the first time I immediately noticed a HUGE difference from the previous version I was using . Straight off the bat it looks modern and sleek. Gone are those horrible greys, Wavelab is now draped in gun metal black. This is because of Wavelab's new high DPI support of high-resolution displays throughout the whole application. And the user interface is very easy to navigate , transport bar is now in the bottom middle, your master volume is now on the right and is small and not taking massive space on your screen. Their new Spectrogram is now customizable and you can change the colours, the view of it , etc. I always had a problem with version 6, I could never get my recordings to be monitored through my speakers, it drove me nuts. For years I thought it was my soundcard. Upon installation of 9.5 there was no need to to adjust  the audio settings. Eveything was already mapped out and I was 'good-to-go'  to start recording. And guess what , monitoring is now working. So I can now listen to my mixes being recorded live , instead of just on the headphones

Once I delved deeper into Wavelab I was shocked at just how quickly everything was. Rendering of audio from mp3 to WAV and from WAV to mp3 took mere seconds. And as for the audio quality Wavelab brings a 64-bit floating-point audio engine which means your recordings will be done in amazingly high quality. Normalizing processes took less than 2 minutes for a full 1 hour recording which saved me so much time. The  plug-ins included are outstanding considering this is the 'lower' version of Wavelab. You'll find limiter, compressor, envelope shaper, expander, gate, tube compressor and more. All of which have been redesigned and look & work better than previous versions.  The MasterRig has also been updated and has improved functionality. 

Also included is the new RestoreRig which is WaveLab’s new plug-in suite comprising three modules: DeNoiser, DeBuzzer and DeClicker. These are great for restoration of old vinyls. You can open upto 3 tracks at a time , which for me was more than sufficient. You've also got 3D spectrum analysis, Spectroscope, Oscilloscope and Level Meter at your disposal. 

Overall Steinberg have outdone themselves with Wavelab Elements 9.5. For a measly 99 Euro you can get fantastic software that's more than suitable for your recording needs and even get away with some basic mastering, if that's what you're looking for. The plug-ins included are powerful and easy to use. I highly recommend this piece of amazing software to anyone looking to improve the quality of their audio recordings or anyone looking to start mastering their own tracks.

For more information or to purchase click HERE