Waves Audio has introduced Magma Springs, a spring reverb effect for Mac & Windows.
Features:
- Seven spring reverb units modeled
- “Tactile analog workflow”
- Recreate classic Indie, Surf, Motown, Dub, Rock & Roll, Country and many more sounds
- Driven by the “analog Magma tube sound”
- Pre-Delay & Feedback controls for creative FX options
Waves Magma Springs features 7 effects, reflecting unique musical eras and styles:
- 50’s goes back to the birth of rock & roll, tapping into the sound of old Memphis Blues records.
- Twang delivers the Tele-into-Vox sound. This spring reverb style is also magical for electronic music, especially on analog synths and looping arpeggios.
- Motor City – This spring type has serious size and weight and epitomizes that “old-school” soul and R&B sound. (When Motor City is applied to drums, you will experience HUGE results.)
- Classic is a versatile spring reverb sound, designed to make almost any element sit beautifully in the mix.
- California is about maximum vibe, letting you capture the sounds of classic recordings from the 1960s and 70s. Its brighter tone makes vocals “float gorgeously above the mix”. By experimenting with the tone controls, you can also achieve more ominous performances.
- Heavy – If you were to strum a Les Paul into a blown-out Fender cabinet in a large hangar, that would approximate the sound of Heavy. This spring delivers a wonderfully thick cloud above any element.
- Dark Space – Based on a well-loved hardware unit, this spring reverb type is “the essential sound of Dub”.
Waves Magma Springs Reverb Cinematic Demo:
Pricing and Availability:
Magma Springs is available as a single plugin, or in the Mercury, Pro Show, and SD7 Pro Show bundles. It has also been added to the Waves Ultimate plugin subscription, which includes all 230+ Waves plugins as monthly or annual subscriptions.
There really is something so specifically evocative about that spring sound. I don’t think I would “instinctively” reach for it, as I don’t think of it as a “glorious” kind of sound. However, it does really impart a specific style & color to a sound that makes it feel retro. That this plugin has such a high quality version of this sound adds a modern feel to it.
A less-expensive (I assume) alternative is to use a convolution reverb plugin (like Fog Convolver) and load a good spring IR.
If you have an old spring reverb amp around, you could make your own IR, but there are plenty of them out there. You could put some dirt on the signal going in, or post, or both.
Initial thought – this sounds fantastic, and the introductory price is very tempting. Then I remembered that a ‘purchase’ of a Waves plugins gives you updates for one year, and after that you need to join up to a paid plan…. Uh uh, I’m out!
No way am I paying shipping on a VST, this is getting ridiculous. Besides, it’s August, I gotta start stocking up on my autumn reverbs.
Spring verbs are so completely overlooked. It has been a secret weapon of mine for a while now. I especially like it on groups, snares, and even bass.
These actually sound great. I really want this. MOM!!!!