Since 2004
SoundShifter
A lighter surface, rounded value fields and a stronger Ratio fader.
Project Overview
In a year with few new releases, the Waves site ran sale after sale, and launches were the only breaks between them. I proposed an internal concept: refresh the look of older plugins, so the calendar gets new launch moments without building a new product.
Design Challenge
Change how they look, not how they work. These plugins have been in producers’ sessions for 20 to 30 years, so every control had to stay exactly where users expect it.
01 — The idea
A launch without a new product
A typical year has around five launches, usually including one in Black Friday month. This year there were only three, so sales filled the calendar.
A typical year · 5 launches
- SaleJan
- LaunchFeb
- SaleMar
- LaunchApr
- SaleMay
- LaunchJun
- SaleJul
- SaleAug
- LaunchSep
- SaleOct
- LaunchNov
- SaleDec
This year · 3 launches
- SaleJan
- SaleFeb
- LaunchMar
- SaleApr
- SaleMay
- SaleJun
- SaleJul
- SaleAug
- LaunchSep
- SaleOct
- LaunchNov
- SaleDec
With UI refreshes · 3 launches + 5 refreshes
- SaleJan
- RefreshFeb
- LaunchMar
- SaleApr
- RefreshMay
- SaleJun
- RefreshJul
- SaleAug
- LaunchSep
- RefreshOct
- LaunchNov
- RefreshDec
Illustrative calendar, not the real schedule.
02 — The rule
Same layout, new skin
Users have known these plugins for decades. The refresh had to feel new without anything to relearn.
What stays
Everything a long‑time user relies on
- Layout and control positions
- Control names and labels
- Workflow and signal flow
- Sound and features
What changes
Only the surface, so it reads as new
- Color and contrast
- Typography
- Meters and displays
- Surfaces and depth
Released between 1995 and 2005
- c. 1995S1 Stereo Imager
- 1999DeEsser
- 2000L2 Ultramaximizer
- 2004SoundShifter
- 2005DeBreath
03 — The refreshes
Five classics, refreshed
Same controls in the same places. Only the surface changes.
Since 2000
L2 Ultramaximizer
A dark, high-contrast skin with clearer meters and an outlined IDR switch.
Since c. 1995
S1 Stereo Imager
A brighter frame and cleaner faders. The display and every control stay where they were.
Since 2005
DeBreath
A dark theme with flatter meters and cleaner displays, so the waveforms read faster.
Since 1999
DeEsser
Controls grouped into clear panels, with sharper meters. Same controls, same order.
04 — The case for it
A new-product moment, without the build
The idea was to get the effect of a launch for a fraction of the work.
- 01
No new DSP
The audio engine stays the same. Only the graphics change, so there is no development cycle.
- 02
Nothing to relearn
Every control is where long‑time users expect it, so the update feels familiar on day one.
- 03
More breaks between sales
Each refresh is a reason to talk about a product again, between one sale and the next.
In short
Same plugins. A new reason to look again.
A low-effort way to give the calendar more launch moments, while every long‑time user still feels at home.
