Rawstyle producers often struggle with reverb tails that mask the kick. A clean kick is essential for the punch that defines the genre, and keeping the tail under control does not require a separate bus or a compressor. Hardwave Studios offers two plugins that address this workflow directly.
WettBoi - reverb and delay with built-in sidechain ducker WettBoi is a VST3/CLAP effect for Windows 64-bit and macOS Universal. It combines reverb and delay and automatically ducks the wet signal against the incoming kick. This eliminates the need for extra routing when you want the reverb tail to stay out of the way of the kick. The plugin is sold for EUR 19.99 introductory (regular EUR 29.99) and is also included in a Hardwave Pro subscription. Delivery is handled through the Hardwave Suite, so there is no external download link.
Hardwave Analyser - kick-focused spectrum and LUFS meter The Analyser is a free VST3/CLAP plugin for Windows and macOS that arrives with any Hardwave account. It shows a full spectrum view, LUFS, RMS and true-peak levels in a single window. Unlike generic analyzers, it reads the fundamental frequency of the kick and provides sub, punch and tail balance information. This gives you the loudness data you need for mastering while still letting you see how the kick interacts with the rest of the mix.
Why the combination matters When you place WettBoi on a reverb/delay chain, the sidechain ducker keeps the tail from overlapping the kick. The Analyser then lets you verify that the overall loudness stays within the target LUFS range for streaming platforms. Together they close the gap left by standard reverb plugins that lack ducking and by separate spectrum or loudness meters that do not provide kick-specific data.
Practical workflow
- Load your rawstyle kick and a synth or vocal track.
- Insert WettBoi after the synth, enable the sidechain input from the kick channel.
- Add Hardwave Analyser on the master bus to watch the kick's fundamental frequency, the sub/punch balance, and the integrated LUFS reading.
- Adjust the reverb parameters in WettBoi until the tail no longer masks the kick, then fine-tune the mix to stay around -14 LUFS for streaming.
Using these two Hardwave tools keeps the kick clear, the reverb tight, and the loudness in check - all without extra routing or multiple free plugins.