With sonible smart:chain, the processing chain draws information from multiple instances in your DAW, giving you unprecedented control.
The Austrian developer sonible is known for its AI-assisted processing plugins for mixing and mastering. Under the Audiotonix umbrella, the company is a sibling of SSL and Harrison Audio, recently collaborating on projects like the SSL autoSeries.
sonible smart:chain
This time, sonible has expanded its flagship smart Series content-aware processing plugins, adding smart:chain, an intelligent mixing processor that functions as a multinode system across your DAW. The plugin combines compression, EQ, gating, saturation, gain riding, de-harshing, and auto leveling in a straightforward way that lets you prioritize the key elements in your mix from a single interface.
We’ve all used channel strip plugins before, but smart:chain takes things in a new direction. Rather than each processing chain operating independently, each instant of the plugin works together to provide the ideal starting points for each module. In addition, there is intelligent depth layering allowing you to push different elements to the front, middle, and back of the mix to create balance, separation, and depth.
There is also a useful Auto Leveling function that works session-wide, creating an appropriate rough mix for the style of music based on the relationships between the different elements in the mix. Meanwhile, the dedicated trim controls let you adjust each channel individually for more precise control. Within smart:chain, you can navigate individual channels, manage channel groups, and make adjustments to each plugin instance from the central session control interface.
Overall, the competition in this space is getting exciting, as FabFilter’s Instance List feature currently gives you quick access to all plugin instances in your DAW. However, sonible has taken this concept a step further, with functionality that acts on the mix as a whole, rather than individual plugins working on separate processes.
Pricing and Availability:
The sonible smart:chain plugin is available at an introductory price of €99 (reg. €179) until September 28, 2026.
There is also a crossgrade option available from any smart series plugin.
More about sonible smart:chain:
- Official Product Page
- Browse sonible on Thomann*
- Browse sonible on Sweetwater*
- Read more about sonible on Gearnews
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