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The Abbey Road RS56 Passive EQ Black Friday deal takes 79% off this Waves EQ plugin, which brings it to $29.99 until Nov 26, 2026.
The RS56 is a stereo equalizer built around the first parametric EQ ever made. Waves developed it in close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios and modeled the rare hardware used on classic recordings.
The maker pitches it for loops, drums and synths, or for the whole mix bus.
The original unit appeared in the early 50s as a mastering tool and saw heavy use in vinyl cutting rooms. Abbey Road's recording engineers then found it beat the basic tone controls on the consoles of that era. The maker says it became a go-to option and is famously heard on the Beatles' recordings.
The plugin carries that design into the box. Waves describes the sound as the velvety, transparent character of passive equalization.
Despite its small footprint, the interface offers plenty of flexibility, with three bands that each give you four frequency points to choose from. Every band lets you pick between six filter shapes, and you can run the whole unit on a stereo signal, as two independent mono channels, or in mid-side mode, which lets you shape the center and the sides of a stereo bus on their own. A graph displays the curve as you adjust it, 37 presets demonstrate the classic character of the RS56, and the original design has been updated with modern additions. Dual mono gives left and right their own settings.
The graph is a visual check on what the filters are doing, which is handy when you are working by ear and want a second opinion on where the curve sits.
The plugin runs on Mac and Windows:
If your DAW hosts VST, AU or AAX plugins on one of those systems, it can load the RS56 as a VST plugin, an AU or an AAX.
The maker positions the RS56 as a silky, powerful and musical EQ. In practice that means a three-band tool you can drop on a drum bus, a synth loop or the stereo output and shape with the filter types and frequency steps listed above.
Yes. The Black Friday deal takes 79% off the Waves Abbey Road RS56 Passive EQ, which brings it to $29.99 until Nov 26, 2026.
You get a stereo EQ plugin with 3 bands, 4 frequencies per band and 6 filter types per band. It also has an EQ graph, 37 presets and modern enhancements to the original design.
Yes, it comes as VST on both platforms. On Mac it also comes as AU and AAX, and on Windows it is available as VST and AAX. Mac needs macOS Monterey 12 through Sequoia 15, and PC needs Windows 10 or later.
Yes. It processes in stereo, dual mono or mid-side. The maker also says it suits loops, drums, synths and the whole mix bus.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.