Waves intros FLEX subscription/rent-to-own plan for its plug-ins
Following in the steps of Slate Digital, Eventide, SSL, and many others, Waves introduced an interesting subscription system that also incorporates a rent-to-own option. The plan is called Wave FLEX and lets customers assemble their own suite of 10 Waves plug-ins + 3 bonus Waves plugs for a limited time. This means you get broader choice when shopping from Waves and looking to buy plug-ins in bulk for a discounted price. But it’s not without its flaws…
Your options are no longer limited to pre-made bundles, as you can now build your own with the exact products you need for the industry-standard USD 20 per month. Waves has over 85 plug-ins in its catalogue, so limiting your choices to ten is pretty sensible.
Still, perhaps a better option would have been giving away the entire catalogue for a monthly subscription and letting you choose which Waves plugs you want on a whim. But that probably didn’t make sense from a commercial standpoint. A nice part of the arrangement is that you get to own the plug-ins you selected after being a subscriber for 24 months.
Furthermore, you can activate a secondary Flex plan with 10 additional plug-ins, and pay off both, so you are not limited to your initial preferences. During the introduction period, you get three bonus plug-ins for free on both plans, which is a good offer to consider.
The subscription plan includes free updates, tech support, and an extra one year of free updates when the two-year FLEX plan is completed. The subscription can be cancelled at any time, but you cannot change plug-ins mid-subscription. That would have been a bit more flexible. Additionally, the subscription can’t be paused and resumed. Each time you cancel, you have to start from scratch, even if you choose the exact same plug-ins you initially rented. Bummer, but that’s how it is.
For more information or selecting a bunch of Waves plug-ins and subscribing, head here.
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