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The Key Detector Black Friday deal from Waves is 62% off, which puts this AI key detection plugin at $29.99 until Nov 26, 2026.
Key Detector is a utility plugin that works out the key of a sample, a track or a full mix for you. It replaces the manual job of hunting through a keyboard to find the root note.
The maker says it runs on the Waves Neural Networks engine. For every track you analyze, you get the tonic, whether it sits in a major or minor mode, and a pair of runner-up guesses.
Drop it on any audio and it reports the key it hears. You get one main answer plus two runner-up candidates, so you have somewhere to go if the first call feels off.
Waves says it handles complex material, including full mixes and multi-instrument samples. It also indicates the key when the pitch is off-tune, which matters for loose vocals and live recordings.
Key Detector is made to sit alongside Waves' vocal tuning and harmonizing tools: Waves Tune Real-Time, Waves Tune, Waves Harmony and OVox.
Click the "Transmit" button and the detected key goes out to every active instance of those plugins. That saves you from typing the key into each one by hand.
The related plugins need to be on the latest v14 release for the transmit feature to work. If you use any of them, update first.
The plugin runs on both Mac and PC, in the formats below.
That covers the main hosts on each platform, with AU on the Mac side and VST and AAX across both.
Waves describes it as a time-saving tool for all music makers. Matching a sample to a project, setting up a vocal tuner or choosing a scale for a new part all start with knowing the key, and this plugin handles that one step.
Yes. The Key Detector Black Friday deal is 62% off, taking this Waves utility plugin to $29.99. The offer ends Nov 26, 2026.
Key Detector reports the tonic and whether the music sits in a major or minor mode, then adds two other keys that could also fit. Waves says it runs on its Neural Networks engine and works on any sample, track or full mix, including complex audio.
Yes. Press the "Transmit" button and the detected key is sent to all active instances of Waves Tune Real-Time, Waves Tune, Waves Harmony and OVox. Those plugins need the latest v14 release for this to work.
It comes as VST, AU and AAX on Mac (macOS Monterey 12, Ventura 13, Sonoma 14, Sequoia 15) and as VST and AAX on Windows 10 or later.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.