Waves Kramer HLS Channel

Waves Kramer HLS Channel - Classic Helios Console Emulation | Recreate the Legendary Rock Sound of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin

The Waves Kramer HLS Channel plugin is your key to the sound of rock's golden age. Developed in close collaboration with legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones), this plugin meticulously recreates every detail of the legendary Helios console from London's Olympic Studios. From fat, warm lows and sweet, captivating analog saturation to an airy high-frequency sheen, the HLS Channel completely captures the soul of this iconic machine, allowing your music to possess the classic rock tone that defined countless legendary albums.

We delved deep with Eddie Kramer to find the original console that best represented the sonic character he achieved on classic rock recordings—the very one later installed in the legendary Rolling Stones mobile studio. Whether used on individual tracks, group buses, or the master fader, the Kramer HLS Channel's Helios console emulation breathes life into your sound. It's more than just an EQ plugin; it's a tribute to the sonic aesthetic of an era. Its unique preamp behavior, coloration, and drive characteristics have been meticulously modeled to ensure the most authentic hardware emulation experience.

Key Features & Applications

Legendary Helios Equalizer
The Helios console's EQ has an incredible magic; almost any signal passed through it sounds more musical. This is due not only to its circuit design but also to its intelligent choice of frequency points and gain/cut options. The HLS Channel perfectly recreates this "Midas touch" equalization capability.

Sweet Analog Preamp Coloration
Accurately reproduces the authentic color and harmonic distortion of the original preamp. Additionally, you can selectively add 50/60 Hz analog noise and hum for the complete original analog character, or turn it off to integrate the pure tone of the Helios Channel into modern digital production environments.

Captivating Mid-Range Shaping
The mid-range is the soul of the Helios EQ. The HLS Channel offers 8 carefully selected center frequencies, combined with gain adjustment and a boost/cut mode switch, allowing you to perform precise and highly musical tonal sculpting on vocals, guitars, drums, and other instruments.

Precise Low-End Control
The clever low-frequency parameter design lets you easily control the foundation of your tracks. You can boost at four key frequencies (60, 120, 250, 400 Hz) or cut from 3 to 15 dB at 50 Hz—a crucial feature for vinyl mastering.

Magical High-Frequency "Air"
Many engineers' secret weapon is boosting at 10 kHz to add air, clarity, and brightness to a track. The Helios Channel's 10 kHz boost (up to 12 dB) is exceptionally sweet and never harsh; of course, you can also use it to tame overly bright sounds.

Features in Detail & Included Software

Tech Specs

• Supported Sample Rates: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
• Channel Components: Mono-to-Mono, Stereo
• Input Source Selection: Mic (-80dBfs to -20dBfs), Line (-40dBfs to +20dBfs)
• Analog Noise Simulation: Selectable 50 Hz, 60 Hz, or Off
• Latency: 0 samples (Zero latency)
• Plugin Formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX Native, AudioSuite
• Licensing: Waves Central online authorization