In the A-Z Of Waves we arrive at G and the choice for G is easy. Greg Wells has worked with Waves to bring us three plug-ins, VoiceCentric, PianoCentric and MixCentric to give us the plugins he wished he had available to him 20 years ago.

Who is Greg Wells?

In this video, producer/composer/engineer Greg Wells (Adele, Katy Perry, OneRepublic, Mika) talks about his inspiring career so far, from producing the first Mika album to being part of Adele's record-breaking album 21. 

Few producers in music can rival the pedigree and resume of Grammy-nominated producer, mixer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Greg Wells. The man The Police’s Stewart Copeland once dubbed “the Swiss Army knife” for his wide range of skills has crafted hits for everyone from Katy Perry and Adele to Timbaland featuring OneRepublic, All American Rejects and Deftones. Wells’ career has transcended sonic guidance, as the fluent guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboard player has mastered the balance between hands-on help and drawing out an artist’s own sound regardless of genre.

In contrast to many of his peers, Wells’ career has never been about creating an aural stamp to imprint a “signature sound.” Despite his vast knowledge and lifelong interest in music, Wells prefers to be a guiding sensei in the studio rather than an overshadowing presence. “You have to jump into the pool with the artist and quickly assess what’s happening,” says Wells. “You want to hear somebody lost in their own performance with a complete lack of self-consciousness. For me, the goal is to shine the best light on the artist themselves and help them be as true to themselves as possible. I’m more the basketball coach than the player.” It’s this philosophy that has helped Wells write and produce some of the best-selling and highest-charting tracks of the past 15 years.

In his collaboration with Waves for these plug-ins Greg seems to have set out to create plug-ins he wished he had had 20 years ago to help his younger self get the sound he was looking for.

Waves Greg Wells VoiceCentric Plugin

Russ takes the Greg Wells VoiceCentric Plug in for a spin. It's pretty simple to use, but does that belie its true power - watch the video to find out.

The Greg Wells VoiceCentric is a user-friendly plugin featuring one main control and three additional controls for Wells’ customised Delay, Doubler and Reverb settings. Designed for those looking for an A-level mixed vocal sound, this plug-in gives you instant access to Greg Wells’ signature sound – a world-class solution for vocal processing.

Greg Wells says of the PianoCentric plugin...

The PianoCentric plugin is something I wish every studio I ever worked in had. The piano is a hard instrument to record and even harder to make sit in the mix properly. I have been playing piano as a studio musician for 30 years. Any time I heard an engineer do something that got me closer to the piano sound in my head, I paid very close attention. Under the hood of the PianoCentric plugin is every technique I've learned over the years of how to make the piano sound amazing in the studio. I designed this plugin to reach two different destinations. One destination is gorgeous punchy piano that will cut through any mix with lots of drums and other elements. The second and opposite destination is more like an old bullet microphone in mono, inside the piano—lo-fi and a little crunchy. Enjoy!

Learn How To Polish A Vocal Using The Greg Wells VocalCentric Plugin

In this free tutorial video from Paul Drew,  hear how the Waves Greg Wells VoiceCentric plug-in can be used to polish the sound of a vocal.

Waves Greg Wells PianoCentric Plugin

Russ takes a look at the Greg Waves PianoCentric plugin, designed to help those mixing piano in pop tracks. Having worked with Greg Wells at Abbey Road studios and seen him record and mix pianos first hand, Russ decides to check it out.

Waves Greg Wells MixCentric Plugin

Greg Wells says of the MixCentric plugin...

This plugin is very special, and much agonizing and experimenting went into it. The MixCentric plugin will quickly get your track sounding like an expertly EQed and compressed mix, using the same techniques employed by many of the best mix engineers.

There is an enormous amount going on behind the deceptive simplicity of the control knob, including many different settings that come in and out and change as you move the knob position. Play with it and discover the incredible power of this user-friendly plugin. There has never been a plugin like MixCentric and I wish I had it 20 years ago!

Russ says this about the Waves Greg Wells MixCentric plugin...

The MixCentric is a bit like an audio version of Coca Cola or KFC seasoning, in the fact that we might know the basics of how this thing is put together but the exact mix of those ingredients is a mystery. The MixCentric uses EQ, compression and harmonic distortion and these are then applied to the source material using the intensity control. You also have a Input and Output control which at first glance are there to help balance the volume between the original and effected signal.

You can read the rest of his review on the Waves Greg Wells MixCentric plugin here.

Learn How To Use The Waves Greg Wells MixCentric On The Pro Tools Master Buss

In this free Pro Tools video tutorial on the Waves Greg Wells MixCentric plugin, Paul Drew demonstrates how this simple mastering plugin works on a Pro Tools mix bus.

More On The Waves Greg Wells MixCentric Plugin

Whether used in mono or stereo mode, this plugin gives you direct access to Greg Wells’ signature sound with the turn of just one knob. This plugin is a quick solution for finalizing your mix. Using EQ, compression and harmonic distortion to process your master buss or groups, Greg Wells MixCentric is designed to enhance and balance the tonality of your mix. Combined with your limiter of choice, it can bring your mix up to par with fully mastered and released material.