Waves Center

It’s never too late to fix a “finished” stereo mix—with Center, you can widen or narrow the stereo image, change the balance of sounds panned to the sides or center, raise or lower lead vocals, remix drum loops, minimize “mud,” or bring out the best in bus effects—even when you don’t have access to the multitrack session.

Center distills complex mid-side processing techniques into a convenient, easy-to-use tool. Now you can fine-tune and even “remix” tracks during mastering—from changing vocal levels, to opening up more space for synth pads. If the audio is split between center and sides—Center will give you full control.

Remix Vocal Levels

Most vocals are mixed to center, so changing the center level raises or lowers the vocal compared to the rest of the track. A special Low control preserves the levels of low-frequency sounds (kick, bass) mixed to center.

Improve Your Master’s Stereo Image

A spacious stereo image makes a master more dramatic, and adds clarity by spreading sounds over a wider stereo field. Center expands the stereo image by raising the side levels, and optionally, adding punch and high frequencies.

Remix Drum Loops

Sometimes drum loops have the part you want, but not the mix. Center is almost like remixing the loop’s individual tracks—distribute punch and EQ separately over the center or sides, and change the drum balance.

Shape Your Synths and Pads

Big stereo pads and orchestral sections sound impressive by themselves, but they can obscure sounds mixed to center. No problem—use Center to increase the level in the synth’s sides, and reduce its level in the center.

Drive Your Bus

Use Center to shape the sound going into, or coming out of, bus effects. Create a super-wide reverb sound, while keeping out the kick to avoid mud. Narrow or widen auto-pan effects, or change the image of the overhead mics bus.

Make Vinyl Happy

When mastering for vinyl, it’s crucial to center the low frequencies. Center uses a combination of imaging and equalization to push the low frequencies to center, while maintaining stereo imaging for the highs.