Abbey Road Studio 3 by Waves studio monitoring plugin interface

Abbey Road Studio 3: Studio Monitoring Plugin by Waves

Rated 4.8/5 on Plugin Boutique (6 ratings)

Abbey Road Studio 3 is a Waves monitoring plugin that recreates the Studio 3 control room at Abbey Road Studios for mixing on headphones. It aims to make headphone mixes translate to speakers.

VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS

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01Overview

Abbey Road Studio 3 brings the acoustic character of the Studio 3 control room into a plugin, built in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios. Waves developed it to help producers and engineers hear a mix as if they were sitting in front of studio monitors. Correction EQ curves for 270 headphone models flatten each headphone's response so the sound is more neutral. The plugin is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats for Windows and macOS.

Best for

Headphone mixing
Mix translation checks
Team project monitoring
Stereo and surround mixing
Remote collaboration

Developer: Waves
Category: Utilities
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Recreates the sound and feel of studio monitors on headphones
Developed in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios
Correction EQ curves for 270 headphone models
Choice of classic near, mid, or far monitor placements
Aims for headphone mixes that translate over speakers
Shared acoustic space suited to team projects
Neutral, accurate sound for all types of productions
Optional head tracking for immersive mixing

03In depth

Monitoring Realism on Headphones

Abbey Road Studio 3 is designed to give headphone mixing the sound and feel of sitting in front of studio monitors. Waves says it was created in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios.

The plugin includes correction EQ curves for 270 headphone models, which flatten the response of each headphone. The developer says this helps mixes made on headphones translate over speakers.

You can choose between classic near, mid, or far monitor placements to change how the room sounds. Optional head tracking is available for a more immersive, spatial monitoring experience.

Workflow for Team Projects and Varied Productions

A shared acoustic space is useful when several people work on the same project. Because the room is modeled rather than physical, everyone on a team can monitor against the same reference sound, wherever they are working.

The neutral, accurate sound is aimed at all types of productions rather than one genre. Waves positions the plugin as a monitoring tool, so it sits in your session as a reference layer rather than a processor that changes the sound of your instruments.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Waves
Type	Plugin
Category	Utility
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is Abbey Road Studio 3 used for?

It is a monitoring plugin for mixing on headphones. It models the Studio 3 control room at Abbey Road Studios so your headphone mixes can sound closer to studio monitors.

Which formats and operating systems does Abbey Road Studio 3 support?

Abbey Road Studio 3 is available in VST2, AU and AAX formats. It runs on Windows and macOS. The listed system requirements cover macOS Monterey 12 through Sequoia 15 and Windows 10 and later.