Retro Fi is a lo-fi effects chain that brings the hiss, surface noise, hum and wobble of vintage audio into modern productions.

Instead of the usual distortion or bitcrushing, it offers original effects that blend into an organic, analog character as a carefully matched chain. Two independent Wow and Wobble engines, cassette and vinyl sounds, a large library of dynamically controlled lo-fi noises and a smart noise generator whose textures keep changing and never sound like a pre-recorded loop provide convincing degradation. Reverbs and delays from the early days of digital, the Squash control for upward and downward compression, plus ducking and gating for percussive effects complete the picture – from subtle vintage charm to experimental extremes.

Features

• Original effects, not just the usual distortion or bitcrushing
• Two independent Wow and Wobble engines
• Smart noise generator with ever-changing textures
• Large library of lo-fi noises plus cassette and vinyl sounds
• Reverbs and delays from the early days of digital
• Squash compression plus ducking and gating for percussive effects

Technical details

• Operating systems: Windows, macOS
• Plug-in formats: VST3, Audio Unit (macOS only), AAX
• Architecture: 64 bit
• Licensing: licence key, machine-bound or USB flash drive (via Waves Central)

System requirements

• macOS 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia, 26 Tahoe or 27 Golden Gate (Apple silicon or Intel)
• Windows 10 64-bit (version 22H2) or Windows 11 (Intel or AMD, x64)
• 16 GB RAM
• 30 GB free disk space on the system drive

The licence is registered with the manufacturer at https://www.waves.com/downloads/central. You will receive your serial number and the download link by e-mail immediately after purchase.