Is the Waves Abbey Road Collection Worth It For Metal?

The name “Abbey Road” conjures up images of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and legendary vintage gear. It’s a name synonymous with classic rock warmth and analog mojo. So, when Waves drops a collection packed with emulations of that iconic studio’s custom-built hardware, it’s easy to get hit with a serious case of plugin G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

But let’s be real—we’re mixing metal. We’re dealing with high-gain guitars, blast beats, and screaming vocals. Does a collection built on 60s and 70s technology have any place in a modern, aggressive mix?

The short answer is yes, but not in the way you might think. This isn’t a magic bullet collection that will instantly fix your mixes. Instead, it’s a palette of very specific colors. The key is knowing which tools to reach for and, more importantly, why you’re reaching for them.

Let's break down what's in the Waves Abbey Road Collection and figure out where it fits in a heavy music workflow.

What’s Actually in the Collection?

The Abbey Road Collection is a big bundle, but it boils down to a few key categories of tools modeled after the studio’s one-of-a-kind gear:

• Consoles/Channel Strips: The TG12345 Channel Strip and the earlier, tubey REDD consoles. These are your EQ, preamp, and dynamics sections.
• Tape Machines: The J37 Tape and Kramer Master Tape give you the sound of classic analog tape saturation and warmth.
• Compressors/Limiters: The RS124 Compressor and the aggressive Zener Limiter offer vintage-style dynamic control with a ton of character.
• Effects & Saturation: This is where it gets interesting, with plugins like the Abbey Road Saturator, the ADT (Artificial Double Tracking) for thickening sounds, and the famous Abbey Road Reverb Plates.
• Mastering Tools: Includes emulations of the TG Mastering Chain and even a Vinyl plugin for that lo-fi sound.

Now, let's get into how you can actually use this stuff to make your metal mixes hit harder.

Abbey Road Plugins in a Metal Mix: The Good, The Bad, and The Gimmicky

Some of these plugins are niche, while others can become secret weapons on your busses. It’s all about applying them for a specific purpose.

The Consoles: TG12345 and REDD for Vintage Mojo

The TG12345 is the star here for most rock applications. It’s the sound of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. But how does that translate to djent?

Think of this as a "broad strokes" tool. The EQ on the TG12345 is musical, not surgical. You wouldn’t use it to notch out a nasty guitar fizz frequency at 8.2kHz. For that, you’d grab something like FabFilter Pro-Q 3. Instead, you use the TG for wide, musical boosts and cuts.

Actionable Tips:

• Drum Bus Drive: Put the TG12345 across your drum bus. Don't even touch the EQ at first. Just drive the input to get some of that classic console saturation. It can add harmonic richness and help glue your drum shells together in a cool way.
• Bass Character: The EQ is great for shaping bass tone. The low-end bands are wide and powerful. Try a gentle boost at 50Hz to add weight and use the presence bands to help the bass cut through walls of guitars without sounding thin.

This is a perfect example of knowing your tools. If you need precise control, a modern digital EQ is your best friend. If you want to add vibe and color, a character EQ like the TG is a great option. For a deeper dive into modern metal guitar EQ techniques, check out our guide to EQing metal guitars for max impact.

Tape Saturation: The J37 and Kramer Master Tape

Here’s where things get really useful for metal. Tape emulations are incredible for taming harsh high-end and adding weight and cohesion. Digital recordings can be sterile and sharp; tape saturation rounds off those transients in a pleasing way.

The J37 is a fantastic tool for this. It models a four-track machine and lets you choose different tape formulas, speeds, and bias settings—all of which drastically change the sound.

Actionable Tips:

• Tame Harsh Cymbals: Got drum overheads that sound like frying bacon? Put the J37 on them. Try the 815 tape formula at 15 ips (inches per second). This speed typically offers the best balance of low-end punch and a smooth high end. Play with the Bias control to dial in how much saturation you want. It can soften the sizzle of the cymbals without making them sound dull.
• Slapback Vocal Delay: The J37 has a built-in delay. Use it to create a dark, gritty slapback delay for vocals. It won't sound pristine like a modern delay plugin—and that's the whole point. It adds a vintage, textured echo that can sit perfectly behind a lead vocal.

Reverbs and Delays: The Abbey Road Reverb Plates & ADT

Forget clean, pristine digital reverb. The Abbey Road Reverb Plates are all about vibe. Plate reverbs have a dense, bright character that was all over classic rock and metal records.

The ADT (Artificial Double Tracking) plugin is another secret weapon. It was invented at Abbey Road to create the sound of double-tracked vocals without having the singer perform the part twice. It does this with a tape machine, slightly varying the speed to create a lush, chorus-like effect.

Actionable Tips:

• Massive Snare Reverb: Send your snare to an aux track with the Abbey Road Plates. Pick a plate (they all sound slightly different) and crank the decay time. Use the plugin's built-in EQ to filter out the low end (below 100-200Hz) to avoid mud, and maybe dip some of the super-highs to keep it from sounding too washy. Blend it in behind your main snare for a huge, epic sound.
• Widen Guitar Leads: A guitar solo can be taken to another level with the ADT plugin. Put it directly on your lead track and dial in a subtle amount of warble. It instantly makes the solo sound wider and gives it a cool, swirling psychedelic texture that can help it pop out of the mix.

The Compressors: RS124 and Zener Limiter

These are not your clean, transparent VCA compressors. These are colorful, aggressive tools for smashing things in a musical way. In the world of metal, this is gold.

The RS124 is a tube compressor with a "SUPER FUSE" mode that is absolutely insane. The Zener Limiter is based on the solid-state limiters from the TG console and is perfect for adding punch and dirt.

Actionable Tips:

• Explosive Room Mics: Put the RS124 on your drum room mics and hit the "SUPER FUSE" button. The compressor will grab the transients and then release incredibly fast, making the room sound massive and explosive. It's an instant "When The Levee Breaks" sound.
• Parallel Drum Smash: Send your drum shells (kick, snare, toms) to a separate bus and insert the Zener Limiter. Set it to the 'Limit' mode and crank the input until the needle is barely moving. This will create a hyper-compressed, distorted signal. Blend just a little bit of this "smash" bus back in with your main drums to add energy and aggression without losing all your dynamics. Dig into more advanced ways to use compressors with our metal compression secrets guide.

The Bigger Picture: Do You Need the Abbey Road Collection?

Absolutely not.

And that’s the most important takeaway. These plugins are fun. They’re excellent for adding specific flavors and solving particular problems, like taming harsh cymbals or creating a vintage vocal effect.

But they won't fix a bad recording or make up for a lack of mixing skill. The top producers in the game—guys like Jens Bogren, Will Putney, and Nolly Getgood—could get a world-class mix using the stock plugins that come with your DAW. Why? Because they’ve spent years mastering the fundamentals. They know what a sound needs, whether it's more punch, less fizz, or more space, and they know how to achieve it with any tool.

The Waves Abbey Road Collection is a set of awesome crayons. But if you don't know the principles of shading, perspective, and color theory, you’re just scribbling. What really matters are the decisions you make.

Learning why a producer reaches for a tape machine emulation instead of an EQ, or how they set up a parallel bus for compression, is infinitely more valuable than owning the exact plugin they used. It’s about understanding the craft.

That’s why at Nail The Mix, we focus on the “how” and the “why.” Instead of just reading about techniques, you get to download the actual multi-tracks from bands like Lamb of God, Gojira, and Trivium and watch the original producer mix the song from scratch, explaining every single move they make.

If you’re ready to move beyond collecting plugins and start mastering the skills that truly make a difference, check out our full catalog of mixing sessions and see for yourself how the pros build massive-sounding metal mixes.