Waves just dropped a new plugin called Curves Resolve, and it's already changing how I approach mixing worship music. If you've ever struggled to get vocals sitting on top of a dense mix, or fought to get your kick drum punching through the low end, this plugin might be exactly what you need.

What Is Curves Resolve?

Curves Resolve is a sidechain plugin that uses AI to analyze frequency conflicts between tracks and automatically create space for the most important elements in your mix. Think of it as smart, dynamic EQ that only cuts when it needs to—automatically making room for whatever you sidechain to it.

The key benefit: It reduces the need for extensive automation. Instead of manually riding faders or drawing in EQ moves, Curves Resolve creates space in real-time.

How It Works

The workflow is simple but powerful:

1. Insert Curves Resolve on the track you want to carve space out of (instrument bus, bass, room mics, etc.)
2. Sidechain the important element you want to create space for (vocals, kick, etc.)
3. Hit "Learn" — The plugin analyzes the frequency content of your sidechain source
4. Adjust the amount of reduction with the master control and individual band controls

The plugin splits the frequency spectrum into four bands and shows you exactly where the conflicts are happening. You have independent control over each band, plus a "precision" knob that acts like a Q control—tightening or widening the frequency range being affected.

Three Ways to Use Curves Resolve in Worship Mixes

1. Make Vocals Pop in a Dense Mix

The Problem: You've got keys, backing tracks, guitars, bass, and drums all competing with the vocal. The vocal needs to sit on top, but you don't want to destroy the instrument mix.

The Solution:

• Put Curves Resolve on your instrument bus
• Sidechain it to your vocal bus
• Select "Vocals" as the sidechain content type
• Hit Learn and let the plugin analyze

The plugin identifies where the vocal lives (typically around 1kHz) and dynamically pulls those frequencies down in the instrument bus whenever the vocal is present. The result? The vocal naturally pushes through without you having to aggressively EQ your instruments.

Pro tip: Use the "Dynamic" setting rather than "Steady." This ensures the reduction only happens when the vocal is actually singing, keeping your mix full during instrumental sections.

2. Clean Up Low End (Kick vs. Bass vs. Synths)

The Problem: Your kick drum isn't punching through. The bass guitar and synth bass are masking it, creating a muddy low end.

The Solution:

• Put Curves Resolve on both your bass guitar track and synth/keys bus
• Sidechain both to your kick drum bus
• Select "Kick" as the sidechain content type
• Hit Learn on both instances

The plugin analyzes the kick's frequency content (especially the sub-100Hz range) and dynamically carves that space out of the bass and synths whenever the kick hits. The result is a kick drum that punches through with authority without you having to statically cut low end from your bass instruments.

What I heard: With the plugin engaged, the kick immediately felt more powerful. I could feel more of the low end impact in my headphones—even without changing the kick drum's level.

3. Fix Room Mics with Mid-Side Processing

The Problem: Your room mics capture the congregation, but they're also picking up out-of-tune vocals from the stage. When you blend them in, they create width but also bring tuning issues into the mix.

The Solution:

• Put Curves Resolve on your room mic bus
• Sidechain it to your lead vocal (or all vocals)
• Switch the Balance control to Mid-Side mode
• Pan the Balance all the way left (to target only the center/mid information)
• Hit Learn

This setup is brilliant. By using mid-side processing, Curves Resolve only reduces the center channel of the room mics—where the vocal bleed lives—while leaving the sides intact. This maintains the width and ambience of the room mics while clearing out the vocal conflict in the center.

The result: The room mics sound wider and cleaner. The vocal bleed is reduced automatically, and the room mics actually make your lead vocal sound wider than it is because the sides remain untouched while the center is dynamically managed.

Key Features Worth Knowing

Precision Control: This acts like a Q knob on an EQ. Lower settings create broader cuts; higher settings target specific frequencies more precisely. I've found 20-40% sounds most natural for most applications.

Attack and Release: You get full control over the timing. I prefer faster releases so the plugin doesn't "hold on" to the reduction longer than necessary.

Dynamic vs. Steady: Dynamic mode only reduces when the sidechain source is present. Steady mode maintains a more constant reduction based on the learned profile. Dynamic is usually the better choice for natural-sounding results.

Individual Band Control: Each of the four frequency bands has its own reduction control. If the plugin is being too aggressive in one area, you can pull that specific band back without affecting the others.

Content Presets: The plugin includes presets for different source types—vocals, rap, dialogue, choir, bass, brass, guitar, kick, piano, snare, and full range. These help the analysis engine focus on the right frequency ranges.

Who Is This For?

Curves Resolve is perfect for:

• Worship mixers who need vocals to consistently sit on top
• Live recording engineers dealing with dense, full-band arrangements
• Anyone mixing with limited time who needs quick, effective results
• Producers tired of drawing automation for every vocal phrase

The Bottom Line

Curves Resolve isn't a magic fix-all, but it's an incredibly useful tool for creating clarity in dense mixes. It's like having an assistant engineer who rides the faders for you—automatically making space for what matters most.

The plugin was free for the first 48 hours after release, but even at its regular price (or as part of the Waves subscription), it's worth considering if you mix worship music regularly. The time it saves on automation alone makes it valuable.

If you want to hear it in action, I'm giving away the full multitracks from the video so you can practice with the same material. The link is below.

Want to try it yourself? Get Curves Resolve from Waves here →

Want the free multitracks? Grab the Be Loved Gathering multitracks from my previous video to practice these techniques.

Want my mixing template? Get my Live Worship Recording Mixing Template here →