Abbey Road RS124 is here!

[Yishai-Waves]

Hear the Holy Grail of Smooth Compression


Give your music the sound of silky-smooth Abbey Road RS124 compression – the legendary velvety tones heard on every Beatles recording made at Abbey Road.

With two distinct flavors to choose from, this classic tube model is the only software emulation of the ultra-rare RS124s, approved by Abbey Road Studios.

Reg. $199

Limited-time intro

$39.99

BUY NOW

Owner of the Abbey Road Collection?
Get a special price when upgrading your collection

BUY NOW

“The RS124 has been my favorite compressor to put on vocals, bass and guitars for the last 5+ years, so I’m very excited that Waves now give me access to this ‘60s Abbey Road sound in the box.”

“I’ve used the hardware RS124 compressor at Abbey Road, and Waves have absolutely nailed it on this plugin!”

“Waves’ model of the classic RS124 compressor is extremely smooth and responsive—certainly a ‘go-to’ for vocals, acoustic guitars and mangling drum busses.”

[jakeg70888]

Really enjoying the plugin. I’m curious though, there seems to be a massive top end boost on this thing starting at about 5 kHz and peaking at about 20 khz. It’s about a 7-8db boost that narrows as it boosts. Is this a characteristic of the original hardware? I know the chandler version is a bit smoother on the top end but I’m wondering if the vintage units contained this boost.

[OdelWaves]

Hi @jakeg70888

Our version was ‘meticulously’ modeled after the original unit serial number 60070B. No two RS124 units sound precise due to the nature and behavior of tubes.

From feedbacks that we’ve received from engineers who worked with original units and both plug-ins, we can tell they are convinced the Waves version sounds similar or closer to the original unit.

RS124 plugin offers the gain reduction curve, attack or release, and dynamic frequency response of the original hardware. Every parameter matches the behaviors of its vintage counterpart.

More information and background of creating this plug-in can be found in the Abbey Road RS124 Compressor User Guide.

I’m not sure regarding the boost you’re referring to in the high range, yet as I hear it, it works so nicely for drums’ ambiance so it definitely does ‘magic’ in that range.

[simon.a.billington]

Oh yeah, the older the units the more deviation you get in the sound due to tolerances, wear and tear and the maintenance they’ve seen over the years. No two analogue devices sound exactly alike.

So this frenzy that people get into over the web of “what is the most accurate” is really built on faulty logic and false assumptions. It kind of bugs me a little and spend much of my days trying to “educate” people.

I am sure that the Chandler version might sound perceivable smoother, but their plugin was modelled on a different compressor. Most likely one of their own that is an “improvement” on the original design. Although, “improvement” is a relative term. There would definitely still be times that the older design would be more desirable in certain contexts.

Messing with this thing myself, I just love the difference in color it brings to my sound palette. It’s not the kind of compressor you would turn to if you need heaps of control, but it is the type you’d use if your goal is to add weight and presence to a sound in a mix.

[faithoverfearmusic]

Greetings! Do you guys have the “Non-Metal” version of the Abbey Road RS124 & the CLA Epic plugins, for compatibility with older Macs. Thanks