Discover Smile by Noisebud: The Intelligent De-Harsher for Your Mix
In the world of audio production, achieving the perfect balance and pleasant sound is a key task. Often, one of the challenges is combating unwanted harshness, which can arise in various elements of the mix or manifest during final mastering. This harshness is usually associated with excessive energy in certain high-mid or high-frequency ranges, which becomes particularly noticeable at high volume levels and quickly leads to listener fatigue.
It is precisely to solve this problem that Noisebud, known for its innovative approaches to sound processing, created the Smile plugin. Smile is a specialized VST effect, a branch from their earlier and more comprehensive tool, Fletchy-Muncher. The main idea of Smile is to use knowledge about the characteristics of sound perception by the human ear to create more musical and less tiring mixes.
How it Works: Fletcher-Munson Curves at the Service of Sound
The foundation of the Smile plugin’s operation is the application of the principles embedded in the Fletcher-Munson equal-loudness curves (or the more modern ISO 226:2003 curves, which are based on their research). These curves illustrate how our subjective perception of loudness of sounds at different frequencies changes depending on the overall sound pressure level (SPL). Simply put, at quiet levels, we hear low and high frequencies worse compared to mid-range frequencies, while at loud levels, the frequency response of perception becomes more linear.
Smile intelligently analyzes the incoming audio signal and applies processing that simulates or compensates for the effects described by the Fletcher-Munson curves, with an emphasis on reducing harshness. The plugin doesn’t just “cut off” certain frequencies, but does so dynamically and taking into account how our ear perceives these frequencies. This effectively reduces excessive energy in “problematic” areas of the frequency spectrum, making the sound more balanced and comfortable.
One of the key advantages of Smile is its ability to do this while maximizing the preservation of transients that are important for the “liveliness” and “punch” of the mix. Percussion instruments, synthesizer attacks, or other short, dynamic sounds remain clear and expressive, while the general background or sustained notes become less harsh.
Features and Benefits of Smile
The Smile plugin from Noisebud offers a targeted tool for improving the quality of your sound, focusing on one specific but very important aspect – reducing harshness.
- Effective reduction of harshness: Uses psychoacoustic principles (Fletcher-Munson curves) for intelligent processing of high-mid and high frequencies.
- Preservation of transients: Designed to minimize the impact on dynamic attacks and signal details.
- Improving listening comfort: Helps to create a mix that is more pleasant to listen to for a long time, especially at high volumes.
- Two versions for different needs:
- Free version: Provides the basic de-harshing functionality.
- Donate Version: Additionally includes powerful Mid/Side processing functionality, allowing you to independently process the central (mono) and side (stereo) parts of the signal for even greater control over the mix space and focus.
Compatibility
The Smile plugin is currently available for Windows operating system users in VST (32-bit) format. Before installation, make sure your DAW supports this plugin format.
Whether you are working on music, podcasts, or other audio content, fighting harshness can significantly improve the overall impression of your product. Smile by Noisebud offers a unique and intelligent approach to this problem, based on how our hearing actually works. Try Smile to make your mixes sound smoother, more balanced, and professional.
