Waves have introduced Voltage Amps, a collection of plug-ins that model seven iconic guitar and bass amplifiers. Both classic and modern sounds are catered for, and the collection comes equipped with over 400 presets created by professional producers and engineers which promise to deliver perfect guitar and bass tones right out of the box.
Waves say that they have designed the plug-ins to ensure that users are able to find their desired tone quickly and easily, recognising that the need to endlessly tweak settings often kills inspiration. A simple interface offers a choice of Clean, Drive or Lead settings for each amp, along with a choice of six cabinet models. Gain and EQ controls are provided, and a Focus control allows users to tailor the overall sound of the plug-in to their particular instrument and pickups.
A row of icons along the top of the GUI provides access to the different amp models, and the plug-in will retain settings when switching between them, allowing for quick and easy comparisons between models. Further control over the tone is then available thanks to Cab Tone and Room parameters in the cabinet section, and master Depth and Presence controls in the main amp display. It is also possible to bypass the cabinet section entirely, allowing the plug-in to be used to feed a physical cabinet, or be used alongside a third-party impulse response loader.
A total of five guitar amps and two bass amps are included:
Guitar
- Silverado: Classic American smooth-sounding guitar tones, excelling in clean and punchy sound, with fat drive channels
- Arena: Stadium-rock tone of the 70s-80s, featuring timeless British crunch
- Royal-X: British chime and sweetness, ranging from vintage Beatles to modern-day indie
- Blue Flame: Modern boutique high-gain amp, from hard-rock to scorching fusion tones
- Aggro: Vicious, metal-forward, high-gain beast
Bass
- Vintage Velvet: Vintage style bass amp, velvety and warm
- Dark Mass: modern-day bass amp, in full EQ spectrum plenty of punch
Compatibility
Voltage Amps is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or 11, and Macs running macOS 10.15 and above. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Voltage Amps is available now, and is currently (3 May 2023) being offered for an introductory price of $29.99, reduced from its full cost of $99. The collection is also included in a number of the company’s bundles, including the Waves Mercury, Pro Show and SD7 Pro Show bundles, as well as Waves Access Ultimate and Essential.
