Breeze vs Waves Curves AQ

Breeze is a vocal-processing plugin that builds a chain of reverb, EQ, saturation, and compression from a vocal take, with the main processing controlled by one knob. Its neural engine analyzes a take’s mood, style, and tempo and fits a chain to it. The built-in reverb adapts its size and decay to the vocal’s rhythm and words, with Space and Span controls for adjustment. Breeze sets EQ automatically; Crisp adds high-frequency lift, Heat adds analog-style saturation, and Makeup raises level while compressing the vocal. The maker says the plugin runs locally and offline, uploads no audio, requires no account, and does not train on user audio. Each license includes the Shout expansion with 20 vocal presets. Breeze works in DAWs hosting VST3 or AU plugins and supports macOS 10.15 or newer and Windows 10 or newer, with at least 4 GB RAM. The license is perpetual, with three activations and lifetime updates. A seven-day trial starts from the plugin; an email is required to begin downloading.

Waves Curves AQ is an autonomous EQ plugin that analyzes audio and creates five tailored EQ curves. Users can choose and adjust among five spectral targets, then apply static EQ, dynamic EQ, or both together. MixSense uses sidechain audio to adapt processing and make room for other tracks. Controls include Smart Tilt, curve Offset, four frequency anchors, and global or per-band boost and cut adjustments. A zero-latency live version is included. The plugin page lists support for Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Nuendo, FL Studio, REAPER, and Studio One; supported plug-in formats include VST3, Audio Units, and AAX. It runs on Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11, or macOS Sonoma 14 or later, with 16 GB RAM and 30 GB of free disk space listed. The current requirements specify Intel CPUs from generation 5 onward with AVX; Apple Silicon native support is listed in Waves V17 release notes. Waves Ultimate includes Curves AQ and has subscriptions at $24.99 a month or $249.99 a year. There is no free plan; Waves Creative Access offers a seven-day free period.