Waves API 550
Talk to our Experts
Talk to our Experts
Have questions about this product? Our team is here to help!
- Call us: (647) 953-1559
- Email: contact@blackoutaudio.com
- Live Chat: Monday-Friday 12:30pm to 7:30pm
Shipping, Returns & Financing
Orders above $199 qualify for Free Standard Shipping.
A few orders are not eligible: items that need specialty shipping (certain cases, stands and other gear that requires special handling), and orders shipping to Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut.
Carriers sometimes charge far more for oversized freight to certain locations. In that rare case, we pay most of the extra and ask you to cover a small part.
For international shipping, please request a quote through the contact form.
| Province | Standard Shipping | Express Shipping |
|---|---|---|
| ON | $19 | $39 |
| QC, MB | $29 | $69 |
| Other | $39 | $119 |
Payment & Financing Options
We accept credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, and PayPal.
Affirm and Sezzle financing are available for most products. For Affirm, select Shop Pay when checking out. Please note that order cancellations or refunds are not available for financed purchases.
Sezzle: eligible customers can split a purchase into 4 interest-free payments over 6 weeks. Approval and payment terms depend on the purchase amount and an eligibility check, may not be available in all provinces or territories, and are shown at checkout. Payment options are provided through Sezzle. For more information, please see sezzle.com/how-it-works.
Affirm: eligible customers can pay over time in monthly instalments. Your rate and available terms depend on an eligibility check based on creditworthiness, your purchase amount, and applicable provincial limits, and may not be available in all provinces or territories. Actual terms, the payment schedule, and any required down payment are shown at checkout. Payment options are provided through Affirm Canada Holdings Ltd. For more information, please see affirm.com/how-it-works.
Description
The API 550 introduced visionary EQ curves. Q varies with gain, so boosting adds a more focused musical quality—while reducing gain provides natural, subtle-to-steep tone shaping. Developed in close collaboration with API, the 550A/B are loving re-creations of these late-60s legends.
Expertly selected frequencies lift instruments up, or place them further back—just as easily as they can sweetly shape a mix’s contour. For individual tracks, buses, or full masters, the 550 defines musical transparency.
Ahead of the Curve
API’s pioneering proportional-Q curve made it a favorite for high-end studios that demanded musicality with transparency, rather than the vintage sound that was the mainstay in the 60s and 70s.
Two EQs, One Coherent Goal
The 550A and 550B are designed to the same exacting standards and sound quality, but offer different EQ philosophies—the 550A’s more general slant, or the 550B’s surgical, problem-solving approach.
All That Changes Is the Tone
API’s EQs bring clarity to the zing of a violin string, the snap of a snare, the intimacy of a vocal, or the contour of a mix. These EQs were engineered to bring out the very best of whatever sound you put through them.
Harness API 500’s Symmetrical Boost and Cut
With Proportional-Q, boost and cut are symmetrical—which works wonders for instruments. You can differentiate two layered guitars solely with EQ: a medium boost on one guitar, a medium cut by the same amount on the other. Now the two "add up" to the same energy in that part of the spectrum. This is easier to do with API than with any other EQ.