Waves MV2

The MV2 has both high and low level compression, the interface of this plug in couldn’t be any easier to use and understand. You only have a low level fader, a high level fader and an output fader. That is all, the MV2 installs very quickly and it has never crashed on me. It supports RTAS, Audio Suite, VST and AU modes. You can use it on your PC or your Mac and almost any DAW that takes VST’s (which most do). The low level compression is 0 to +48 and the high level compression is 0 to -48 DBFS. Waves does offer a demo version of this plug in so you can try it before you buy it, but there is no doubt in my mind that after you try it you will want to purchase it right away. It is very inexpensive but still a powerful compressor to have in your arsenal. I have been using this compressor since 2008 when Waves released it, It was released around the same time as the MV360. The MV360 is just much more complex an dof that matter it wil cost you more.


SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

You can see the MV2 in almost any of the Waves bundles. If you already own any of the popular Waves bundles (Diamond, Platinum , Gold and Mercury) you can download MV2 for free if it didn’t come with your bundle because you got your bundle before the release of MV2.

The MV2 works great and has never gave me any issues on my Macbook or my PC. I have been using it for 4 years and continue to use it from time to time. It is very stable and simple to use.



OVERALL OPINION

For the price, you have nothing to lose. It is a very affordable compressor that will work on your system and with your DAW. Not to mention how easy it is to use and still get high quality compression. It is a better compressor that comes with most of the DAW’s and programs that you already use. It is always a good idea to have a good external plug in for compression when using it in programs like Cubase and Ableton. Those Programs come with some really bad compressors.

Compression has been the effect of choice for nearly everything ever since the 60s. This is actually a very simple compressor compared to some of the other plugins out there, including the other Waves plugins. All you have is a slider for low level, high level and overall output. The plugin is basic, but that's kind of the charm of the actual plugin. It's for those who just want that basic compression sound without having to go through tons of options to get the sound they want. To use this, simply enable it on whatever buss you're looking to use it on. This plugin really needs to manual, and I couldn't tell you how well written the Waves one is because I never used it.

SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Waves is really one of the best companies out there when it comes to implementing solid plugins with no real fuss. These plugins are always rock solid and super stable; this plugin is really no different. I've never experienced a single crash or hiccup while using this plugin. The plugin is also cross platform compatible, so Windows and OS X users alike can use these without any problems. There is one issue that I always gripe about, however. These plugins are 32 bit for OS X. Right now, I'm using a 64 bit DAW, and for me to utilize these plugins, it needs to launch a special bridge application. I'm not a huge fan of the way my DAW utilizes these, so I'm hoping they update these in the future. I've been using the Waves Mercury bundle for the past six or so months, and it's been a very enlightening experience to say the least.


OVERALL OPINION

The plugin is very basic, but it still delivers a solid compression sound. I've used it successfully on both guitars and drums in the past. However, when dealing with very high gain guitars, I don't like it as much because it's not as versatile. I've also never tried it on drums before, so I can't comment on that. I wouldn't use it on electronica music, but this can work pretty cool on the master buss for some overall volume increase.

The Waves Ltd. MV2 wasn't hard to install at all and only took a few minutes from start to finish.  I didn't have any compatibility issues or any other problems and was using the plug-in within a couple of minutes of starting the installation process.  The interface of the software really couldn't be any easier to decipher and only took me a few glances to get the hang of it.  The plug-in simply has sliders for low level input, high level input, and output.  The interface looks a lot like Waves' classic L2 and L3 and while it can do a lot of the same things, it is more aimed at use during mixing rather than mastering.  Since the plug-in is so easy to use I never needed a manual so I can't speak to how well put together it is or not.


SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE

Thus far, I've never had any problems running a few of these plug-ins at a time during a session.  I've been able to run about three or four at a time and could possibly do more but I've never tried.  I am running the plug-in on a Mac Book Pro that has a 2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM.  I run the plug-in in Pro Tools LE 7.4 that runs with a Digi 002 R audio interface.  Within this configuration the plug-in has always run smoothly, but this really all depends on what type of machine you are running the plug-in on.


OVERALL OPINION

So far while using the Waves Ltd. MV2 I really don't have any complaints.  The plug-in is super easy to use and it has a really clean sound that can be used in a variety of applications.  The only downfall about the Waves Ltd. MV2 is that the only way you can get it is through buying one of Waves' plug-in bundles, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it will just cost a fortune!  The price aside, this is a great sounding plug-in that can be used on pretty much anything because the parameters are incredibly easy to follow and the plug-in is pretty fool proof overall.  If you are looking for a really easy to use dynamic processor plug-in, definitely take a look at the Waves Ltd. MV2 and the bundles that they have to offer with it.