APEX
master-bus processorA mastering-grade master-bus processor — console-style glue, a harmonic enhancer and a true-peak clipper in one chain. Drop it on your 2-bus for width, weight and loudness without the guesswork.
- 3 stages — glue, enhancer, clipper
- One-knob WEIGHT macro
- LUFS + true-peak metering
- Per-stage visualizers
- WEIGHT on a mix you already finished. One knob, nothing else. If it improves a mix you were already happy with, that's the story we want to tell at launch — and we'd love to hear it in your words.
- Push the clipper on a mix with hot 808s. How far can you push before you'd back off? That number is genuinely useful.
- Verify the LUFS and true-peak readouts against an independent meter — same ask as Crest, and just as valuable.
- Does bypassing Apex leave you level-matched, so you're judging tone and not volume?
Learn APEX
QUICK-START · 7 MINFinish a mix on the 2-bus — glue, tone, width and loudness — starting from one knob.
- 01
Start with WEIGHT
Drop APEX on the master and turn WEIGHT — the one-knob macro drives the whole chain harder (0–200%). On a mix you already like, 30–60% is often the entire move. Or press AUTO-MASTER and let the analyzer set the chain from your mix.
- 02
Glue it
In the Glue Comp stage, raise COMP for classic bus compression — a 2:1 RATIO with Auto release is the classic setting. Watch the per-stage GR meter; 1–3 dB is glue, more is an effect.
- 03
Shape tone with the Violet EQ
Use the LOW and HIGH shelves (±9 dB) for broad tilt and AIR for top-end lift. Switch PHASE to Linear if shelving changes the punch of the low end; Zero-Lat for tracking and low CPU.
- 04
Control the image
Set BASS MONO around 100–150 Hz so the sub stays centred and translation-safe, then use WIDTH (up to 200%) to open the sides. XFORMER adds output-transformer colour if the mix needs analog weight.
- 05
Clip and limit
In Clip · Limit · Out, raise CLIP to shave 808 and drum peaks with the clipper, PUSH to lean on the limiter, and set CEILING to −1 dB true-peak. Pick QUALITY 4–16× oversampling for the render.
- 06
Verify loudness
Check the LUFS and true-peak readouts in the loudness suite against your target, and confirm the over indicator stays dark. A/B with bypass — the levels should be close enough that you're judging tone, not volume.
- The DRIVE and DENSITY controls in Finish & Drive add vintage console harmonics before everything else — a little goes a long way on an already-dense mix.
- HF COMP is a dynamic de-harsh for the top end — it only works when the highs get spiky, so it's safer than shelving them down.
- The Multiband stage's LOW/MID/HIGH amounts with X-LOW / X-HIGH crossovers let you tighten just the low end without touching the vocal range.
Every control, its range, and what it actually does — the complete APEX manual.
Download manual (PDF)All manualsActivation
iLok (PACE) — machine, iLok Cloud or iLok USBLicense lands on your iLok
Accepted testers get every Wave-1 plugin deposited to their iLok account — machine activation, iLok Cloud or iLok USB, your call.
Open the plugin
Insert APEX in your DAW (AU · VST3 · AAX). First launch asks for activation via iLok License Manager.
You're in until August 30, 2026
Beta licenses run through the round. Your license codes and downloads live in the tester portal.
Not in the round yet? Applications are open — we accept in waves.
Apply for the closed beta