
Waves Audio is now shipping Voltage Amps, a collection of guitar & bass amp plugins featuring seven iconic guitar and bass amps.
Waves Audio, the world’s leading developer of professional audio signal processing technologies and plugins, is now shipping Voltage Amps, guitar & bass amp plugins featuring seven iconic guitar and bass amps, optimized for instant tone gratification. These plugins give access to perfect guitar and bass tones, right out of the box. These newly designed amps cover a rich palette of classic and modern sounds, with over 400 presets from the producers and engineers for Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Panic at the Disco!, and more—as well as signature presets from metal legend Dave Mustaine and iconic producer Butch Vig (Nirvana).
Endless tweaking tends to kill inspiration—so with Voltage Amps, Waves has made sure users get inspiring guitar and bass tones, immediately. Voltage amps are designed to deliver satisfying tone in any setting. Select Clean, Overdrive or Lead characters for each amp, choose from six carefully matched cabs, then hone the tone with the Gain, Cab Tone, Tone Stack and Room controls. And, there is a Focus control, which matches the amps’ tone to a user’s individual guitar and pickups. Comparing the different amps in Voltage is easy: just switch amps in the amp selection section of the GUI, and the newly loaded amp will preserve all the settings from the previous amps, for easy comparison.
Voltage Amps includes five guitar amps and two bass amps. Each of the guitar amps delivers an iconic sound, based on classic American and British amps—clean to crunchy, jangly to high-gain aggressive. The bass amps range from smooth vintage to full-spectrum modern.
The following guitar amps are included, each one carefully designed and internally part-matched to deliver a distinct, familiar character:
- 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.
- Vintage Velvet: Vintage style bass amp, velvety and warm.
- Dark Mass: modern-day bass amp, in full EQ spectrum plenty of punch.
Also, enjoy over 100 complete plugin FX chains, made by top artists especially for Voltage Amps, available in Waves AI-powered StudioVerse.
When it comes to bass: whether users want deep, clean bass, an edge that cuts through mixes, or a thick menacing growl, Voltage bass amps give a versatile low end—from the smooth classic tones of Vintage Velvet to the modern full-spectrum power of Dark Mass.
Additionally, Producers and Engineers can go beyond guitar and bass: Voltage Amps offer wild versatility in the studio. Add character to drum loops, presence and power to synth leads, grit to kicks, and beautiful saturation to vocals.
Waves Voltage Amps Features:
- Seven guitar and bass amps, optimized for perfect tone
- Amps cover full sonic spectrum: clean to crunchy, jangly to high-gain aggressive
- Choose from a variety of cabs and cab tones, plus tailor-made IRs
- Stereo room emulation adds authentic ambiance
- Kickstart your creativity with 400+ presets by top artists
- Match amp performance to your own guitar and pickups, with the Focus control
- Use Cab bypass to feed physical cabs. Or, add a separate IR loader
- Go beyond guitars: Add character to vocals, synths, drum loops
- Voltage Amps is included in Waves Mercury, Pro Show, SD7 Pro Show bundles and in Waves Access Ultimate and Essential.
Introducing Voltage Amps ⚡️ Perfect Guitar & Bass Tones
Waves Audio Voltage Amps Guitar & Bass Amp Plugins
Waves Audio Voltage Amps Guitar & Bass Amp Plugins
We’re giving away pedals all month long! Enter Stompboxtober Day 11 for your chance to win today’s pedal from Hotone Audio!
Hotone Wong Press
Cory Wong Signature Volume/Wah/Expression Pedal
Renowned international funk guitar maestro and 63rd Grammy nominee Cory Wong is celebrated for his unique playing style and unmistakable crisp tone. Known for his expressive technique, he’s been acclaimed across the globe by all audiences for his unique blend of energy and soul. In 2022, Cory discovered the multi-functional Soul Press II pedal from Hotone and instantly fell in love. Since then, it has become his go-to pedal for live performances.
Now, two years later, the Hotone team has meticulously crafted the Wong Press, a pedal tailored specifically for Cory Wong. Building on the multi-functional design philosophy of the Soul Press series, this new pedal includes Cory’s custom requests: a signature blue and white color scheme, a customized volume pedal curve, an adjustable wah Q value range, and travel lights that indicate both pedal position and working mode.
Cory’s near-perfect pursuit of tone and pedal feel presented a significant challenge for our development team. After countless adjustments to the Q value range, Hotone engineers achieved the precise WAH tone Cory desired while minimizing the risk of accidental Q value changes affecting the sound. Additionally, based on Cory’s feedback, the volume control was fine-tuned for a smoother, more musical transition, enhancing the overall feel of volume swells. The team also upgraded the iconic travel lights of the Soul Press II to dual-color travel lights—blue for Wah mode and green for Volume mode—making live performances more intuitive and visually striking!
In line with the Hotone Design Inspiration philosophy, the Wong Press represents the perfect blend of design and inspiration. Now, musicians can channel their inner Cory Wong and enjoy the freedom and joy of playing with the Wong Press!
John Mayer Silver Slinky Strings feature a unique 10.5-47 gauge combination, crafted to meet John's standards for tone and tension.
“I’ve always said that I don’t play the guitar, I play the strings. Having a feeling of fluidity is so important in my playing, and Ernie Ball strings have always given me that ability. With the creation of the Silver Slinky set, I have found an even higher level of expression, and I’m excited to share it with guitar players everywhere.”
— John Mayer
hese signature sets feature John’s previously unavailable 10.5-47 gauge combination, perfectly tailored to his unique playing style and technique. Each string has been meticulously crafted with specific gauges and core-to-wrap ratios that meet John’s exacting standards, delivering the ideal balance of tone and tension.
The new Silver Slinky Strings are available in a collectible 3-pack tin, a 6-pack box, and as individual sets, offered at retailers worldwide.
"Very few guitarists in the history of popular music have influenced a generation of players like John Mayer. For over 25 years, John has not only been a remarkable artist but also a dear friend to the Ernie Ball family. This partnership represents our shared passion for music and innovation, and we can't wait to see how John’s signature Silver Slinky strings continue to inspire guitarists around the world.”— Brian Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball
Product Features
- Unique gauge combination: 10.5, 13.5, 17.5, 27, 37, 47
- John’s signature gauge for an optimal balance of tone, tension, and feel
- Reinforced Plain Strings (RPS) for enhanced tuning stability and durability
- Custom Slinky recipes tailored to John’s personal preferences
A more affordable path to satisfying your 1176 lust.
An affordable alternative to Cali76 and 1176 comps that sounds brilliant. Effective, satisfying controls.
Big!
$269
Warm Audio Pedal76
warmaudio.com
Though compressors are often used to add excitement to flat tones, pedal compressors for guitar are often … boring. Not so theWarm Audio Pedal76. The FET-driven, CineMag transformer-equipped Pedal76 is fun to look at, fun to operate, and fun to experiment with. Well, maybe it’s not fun fitting it on a pedalboard—at a little less than 6.5” wide and about 3.25” tall, it’s big. But its potential to enliven your guitar sounds is also pretty huge.
Warm Audio already builds a very authentic and inexpensive clone of the Urei 1176, theWA76. But the font used for the model’s name, its control layout, and its dimensions all suggest a clone of Origin Effects’ much-admired first-generation Cali76, which makes this a sort of clone of an homage. Much of the 1176’s essence is retained in that evolution, however. The Pedal76 also approximates the 1176’s operational feel. The generous control spacing and the satisfying resistance in the knobs means fast, precise adjustments, which, in turn, invite fine-tuning and experimentation.
Well-worn 1176 formulas deliver very satisfying results from the Pedal76. The 10–2–4 recipe (the numbers correspond to compression ratio and “clock” positions on the ratio, attack, and release controls, respectively) illuminates lifeless tones—adding body without flab, and an effervescent, sparkly color that preserves dynamics and overtones. Less subtle compression tricks sound fantastic, too. Drive from aggressive input levels is growling and thick but retains brightness and nuance. Heavy-duty compression ratios combined with fast attack and slow release times lend otherworldly sustain to jangly parts. Impractically large? Maybe. But I’d happily consider bumping the rest of my gain devices for the Pedal76.
Check out our demo of the Reverend Vernon Reid Totem Series Shaman Model! John Bohlinger walks you through the guitar's standout features, tones, and signature style.