Sonible smart:chain review for dialogue editing

Sonible smart:chain combines eight processing functions in one audio channel strip. This first look examines its use for podcast dialogue in Hindenburg, with a walkthrough of speech training and the main controls.

The workflow starts with a source type: speech, then a high or low voice setting. The editor presses the training button and plays audio so the plugin can determine its settings. The walkthrough covers gating, input riding, EQ, compression, de-essing and saturation, plus automatic level compensation. Eight plugin states let users compare different settings.

The speaker finds the EQ and compressor close enough to their separate Sonible counterparts to replace them in his chain. In his brief testing, the context-aware gate also performs about as well as smart:gate, though he would prefer access to attack and release controls. He plans to keep smart:deess for client work because smart:chain lacks its plosive control.

The speaker considers the auto-leveling function unsuitable for dialogue because it targets music. He points to the free dxLevel plugin for gain adjustment toward a target loudness in LUFS. For his Hindenburg workflow, combining EQ and compression frees one of the six plugin slots available per track. These are initial impressions; he reserves a fuller demonstration for another video.