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We’re a few weeks off the huge release of BABY Audio’s newest plugin, Smooth Operator Pro. I’d say it’s high time for a review of it.
In case you’ve forgotten, Smooth Operator Pro is the next iteration of BABY Audio’s famed Smooth Operator. It takes spectral processing (read more about what that exactly is here) to the next level and offers unparalleled control over your mixdowns. Removing harsh frequencies, and having complete control of what you are doing, has never been easier.
Full disclosure here: while I did do the announcement and the interview with BABY Audio’s team, the following review is my honest opinion. I do appreciate the team hooking me up with a copy early, and I’ve had a lot of fun playing with it, but part of my job is making sure you, the reader, spend your hard-earned cash on plugins that you’ll get great usage out of.
With that being said, this plugin does fill a big need for a lot of producers, and I’m looking forward to telling you what you can do with it. It definitely fills a big need for me, and I’ve been using it in my own productions for a few weeks now.
Let’s chat about Smooth Operator Pro!
Editor’s Choice Award
Let me be absolutely clear: you could be my best friend in the world and I still wouldn’t give you one of these if you didn’t deserve it. Smooth Operator Pro entirely deserves an Editor’s Choice Award for so many different reasons: how surgical you can get in your spectral processing, how effective even the baseline spectral processing is, how quick and efficient it is, how easy it makes mixing… the list goes on. I’m going to call this an essential tool for any producer’s library. It can fit any workflow, it can improve any sound, and it can make any song so much cleaner. Let’s talk about how.
Smooth UI
You’re greeted by a fairly simple looking interface when you open up Smooth Operator Pro. The visualizer in the middle shows what frequencies the sound you’re playing are putting out, and you’ll notice that, even without adjusting many settings, you can get this plugin to clean up harsh frequencies easily. Simply drag the big wheel on the left to adjust that white line, and it’ll cut out any frequency going over it without damaging the quality of the sound.
That white line is also how you get complete control over what frequency groups get enhanced and what others get cut significantly as you work. You can add up to 10 more nodes and drag them anywhere in the spectrum that you’d like. The bottom bar gives you even more precise control over what these notes are doing. Think of it as a normal EQ in this way.
The group of six buttons at the bottom right gives you even more control over your sound. Want the high end to be preserved even further? You can do that in setup. If you’d like to make the plugin work super surgically, you can up the amount of detail in focus. The compressor (pictured above) determines how quickly the processing takes effect and how quickly it goes away when it’s done. You can also make your sound mono or stereo, adjust panning, sidechain it to something else, and determine how much processing is actually affecting your sound in the bottom three tiles.
The last major thing to mention are the wide variety of presets that exist to help you get started. Those are pretty much the basics on how to use this plugin. You can get super in-depth with your processing, or just set it and forget it.
Results
BABY Audio talked a big game about this plugin. They were touting how they rebuilt their entire resonance suppression engine and gave unparalleled control to the user, still managing to keep the plugin moving at a fast pace.
That sounded too good to be true, until it wasn’t. Everything they say about Smooth Operator Pro is legit. It’s fast, it’s technical, and it’s wildly effective.
Here’s a quick audio example of it on a guitar loop from Splice (specifically the Tritonal pack – love those guys). The first loop has no processing, and the second loop has an init preset of Smooth Operator Pro with the main knob turned up to around -30db on it. You’ll be able to hear the difference.
Just like that, all of the annoying frequencies in the original sample are gone. Now, I could process this sample further into one of my own tracks, or go even more in depth with what frequencies I want enhanced and squashed. It’s essentially magic.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
It’s really, really, really good.
I simply don’t understand the wizardry required to make this work. How is it possible to remove all of the nasty frequencies in a sound and simultaneously keep the main sound intact? And how on earth does it do it this well? I guess rebuilding their entire engine was worth it, because I’m particularly blown away at how effective Smooth Operator Pro is at its job.
It’ll fit any workflow.
Whether you’re a sound wizard or just want a quick mix down fix, this plugin is made for you. It’s highly technical for pros, yet approachable for beginners. Plus, it’s relatively light on the CPU and runs at lightning speed. Adding this to your workflow will be a piece of cake.
It’s relatively cheap for a spectral processing plugin.
Smooth Operator Pro retails at 79$ USD, and yes, I know that isn’t cheap. But, when you look at what this plugin is capable of, it makes the price tag a little more reasonable. It becomes even more reasonable when you realize just how much other plugins that do similar things cost. They also have a subscribe-to-own model for 15$ a month if you’d rather go down that route.
Cons:
Remember to take advantage of it!
You know the plugin’s good when my only real con is a reminder that this plugin can do so much more than meets the eye. You could set it and forget it if you’d like, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, definitely explore the features it offers. It somehow can get even better if you play with the features a little bit.
Conclusion: Should you get it?
If you’ve got the money, then don’t even think twice. This is a plugin everybody should have, plain and simple. If you want to make your music sound cleaner (which you always should), then this is the tool you’ve been waiting for.
Buy Smooth Operator Pro here.
The post BABY Audio Smooth Operator Pro Review: This Next-Level Spectral Processor Gets an Editor’s Choice Award appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.