Vocal Rider from Waves solves one of the most tedious tasks in vocal mixing: keeping a performance at a consistent level without drawing automation by hand. It adjusts your vocal levels automatically, saving you from manually riding the fader or painting every level change into your DAW. The plugin works by analysing the vocal relative to the rest of the mix and applying smooth gain movements, so the result sounds natural rather than compressed. Because it rides level rather than compressing dynamics, Vocal Rider preserves the transient character and natural expression of a performance, making it a useful first stage before conventional compression. It is a long-standing staple in vocal chains and remains one of Waves' most popular tools, with version 16 adding a Hi-DPI interface. A companion Vocal Rider Live version is available for live use. It runs in VST3, AU, and AAX formats on macOS and Windows, and is also included in the Waves Essential and Ultimate subscription tiers. #VocalRider #Waves #VocalMixing #VocalLevel #Automation #LevelRiding #VocalProcessing #Mixing #VocalProduction #MusicProduction #LiveSound #VST3 #AU #AAX #ProTools #LogicPro #AbletonLive #Cubase #StudioOne #FLStudio