I have been lucky enough to receive some money as a gift and am thinking of carefully choosing some waves plugins that I feel I would like. However, browsing their site, I see that you can buy individual plugins, bundles and something called Waves 9 (or 8 or 7). The website doesn't make clear what you get if you buy Waves 9 and I was reluctant to go through the whole purchase thing just to see if they made it clearer.
 
I would want to use the plugins on Sonar, but am looking specifically for the metering and mastering plugins as well as the API and Masseratti plugins.
 
Any clarification would be helpful, thanks.

So there are two things: the version and the package.
 
The number is the version. Higher numbers = newer. Thus better support for new DAWs n' OSes n' such. 9 is current. You get whatever the current version is when you buy.
 
The package is what has the gold/silver/diamond/whatever label. These are collections of plugins. So that is what you actually buy. You can buy individual plugins, or a pack, and those packs contain a bunch of plugins at whatever the current version is.

Sigh.
 
I'll skip my usual anti-Waves tirade. Just know that there are a great many superb products out there that you could spend your windfall on besides Waves. Once upon a time, Waves had some truly unique products and set the standard for quality, but they're no longer the only game in town; nowadays there are plenty of suitable alternatives.
 
So save yourself the aggravation. Shop around before signing up for the soul-stealing subjugation of being a Waves acolyte.
 
(bapu, was that too strong? I'm trying to moderate my vitriol toward Waves for the sake of forum civility.)

You did pretty well bit. :) People got the point, but were not subjected to your extreme hatred of the Waves brand. Good job on the self control! By the way, you're exactly right. Years ago, Waves was THE heavy hitter, and one could justify the high price of their plugins. But times have definitely changed, and there are many excellent plugin s to be had at a fraction of the price.

FWIW, I have the Waves Gold package that I found on sale.  That and some odds and ends plugins from Waves as well.  (I'm a sucker for anything that remotely resembles old gear.)  I haven't found anything that Waves does to me to tick me off.  Maybe time will change that but as of now, I'm OK.

Thanks to everyone - really appreciate it. I think I understand now. You can either buy a bundle or individual plugins and they will come in whatever is the latest version. Or, you can buy a Version 9 and choose from a variety of plugins to go with it...seems a weird way of doing things but okay...
 
Bitflipper - you're hilarious, but I will take your advice and have a look round. I know the kind of plugins I need and I just want to buy a quality product that is reliable...I realise I could spend lots of time trying out 10 different alternatives of a particular plugin...the CA-2A is an example of something that you can find maybe between 5 and 10 versions of from Cakewalk to T-racks to Waves....I can't be arsed with identifying subtle differences I'm afraid!
 
The Poster who said Waves ticks all the boxes is how I basically feel. However, my main issue with Waves is that so many of their displays and readouts are so tiny!! I have a couple of T-racks singles and some iZotope stuff and the displays are clear for my eyes.  So, if I choose something else, ease of use and sight will definitely be a must! 

If you'd like to buy a big bundle of plugins and spend the next three years going through them, get the Meldaproductions Total bundle. 71 plugins (!), free upgrades for life, no authorization hoops to jump through, no planned obsolescence, no version incompatibilities, no WUP, and occasionally goes on sale for half price.

As Bit says, the Melda plugs are top notch...but as he also alludes...it might take you three years to go through and understand them. FabFilter is another company to check out. As is Nomad Factory. As is UAD. As is IK Multimedia. There is no shortage of companies or plugs to peruse. Try every demo you can find and see what works for you...i.e. what you understand and find the easiest to work with that still provides top quality sound. But remember, if you're using the latest version of Sonar Producer you already have a host of top notch plugs built in. So upgrading to the latest version of Sonar is also an option. If you can...try before you buy.

I would advise looking into less expensive alternatives before buying a big Waves bundle.  Many Waves plugins are great, it's true, but there are cheaper ways to acquire a full suite of mixing and mastering tools.  I mean, you could spend THOUSANDS on a big Waves bundle (wait for sales), HUNDREDS on a Melda or FabFilter bundle, or a measly 110 euros on the full ToneBoosters pack, which includes a lot of top-notch stuff.  It's crazy how good those plugins are, and how low they're priced.  Here's the link:  http://www.toneboosters.com/products/
 
Cheers,
Eddie
 

I am an EX Waves user - I own but cannot use any longer Gold / GTR and something else which I have forgotten - I can't use them as I REFUSE to pay their yearly ransom money (WUP) to use MY software.
Perhaps other people are OK with this, I'm not - just my personal view on Waves and their somewhat dubious business ethics and practices.
I would investigate fully, software from Reputable Companies such as those mentioned above - I can thoroughly recommend as good software and good Companies to work with, Tonebbosters, Melda, UAD, Nomad Factory, PSP and iZotope. You shouldn't forget either Hornet(lovely guy Saverio, good products and good prices)  and also some of the Free stuff, especially that from Bootsy (Variety of Sound) and Toyko Dawn
Cheers
Nigel