Waves Abbey Road Studio 3

Monitoring on headphones can be frustratingly different to loudspeakers. This plugin aims to bridge the gap – and throw in a classic mix space, too

Over several decades, Studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios has played host to all manner of high profile projects. Waves Abbey Road Studio 3 (VST/AU/AAX) is the latest manifestation of Waves’ Nx system, using its immersive 3D technology to recreate the control room of this famous space in your headphones. If you’re a newcomer to the technology, see Waves Nx – a recap.

Getting ahead

In terms of functionality, Abbey Road Studio 3 could be perceived as very similar to Waves’ Nx Virtual Mix Room plugin. You start by inserting either a stereo or surround format plugin, depending on which format you’re working in, upon which Nx will translate the balance onto stereo headphones in such a way that sounds like the phantom image is coming from monitors in front of around you, rather than within your head.

The plugin features various settings to influence this. Head Modelling has parameters for head circumference and ear-to-ear distance, both of which you’ll need to measure and enter manually. If you listen while changing parameters, these clearly make quite a difference. Head Tracking uses either your computer webcam, Waves’ own headphone-mounted Head Tracker device or a combination of the two to track your head movements, modifying the sound accordingly.