Sonible Smart Chain review: EQ and mix balancing

Matty Harris tests Sonible Smart Chain on stems from John Banton's "Stand On It." The plug-in combines EQ and compression with controls for saturation, de-harshing and mix balancing across instances. Harris says Sonible supplied it free, but did not sponsor the review.

The drum test exposes his main reservation: he hears too much compression on a hip-hop kick that should hit harder. He reduces compression, tries the clipper controls and adds smooth saturation. His assessment is that the processing cleans up the signal, though the result still feels tighter and brighter than he wants.

Harris then processes percussion, bass and a music stem containing Rhodes and horns. He compares bypassed and processed playback, adjusts compression on the horns, and explores groups that place parts toward the front or middle of the mix. He acknowledges that he has limited experience with the plug-in and is unsure about parts of its workflow.

In the auto-leveling test, Harris prefers the earlier Universal setting without leveling, saying it preserves harder drums and more front-to-back separation. His conclusion is qualified: Smart Chain can provide a useful starting point for further EQ and compression, but he would not trust its automatic choices alone to finish a mix.