the essential core of sound.
five audio tools. one problem each. solved completely.
built from published research. no magic buttons. no iLok. no subscriptions. 14-day refund.
the rules i build by.
one thing, done right.
every plugin does one job. when a feature would give it a second one, it goes in a different plugin or nowhere.
no iLok. ever.
permanent license. works offline. no account required. no dongles. no subscriptions. yours forever.
cpu is respect.
under 3% at 44.1kHz on macOS (hardware-accelerated FFT). Windows may use more. your CPU is for making music.
if it needs a tooltip, it failed.
five knobs at most, and every label says what it does. if a knob needs a tooltip, i got it wrong.
start here, free
CHECK
see where your stereo falls apart in mono, before a club system or a phone shows you.
free. no account. no iLok.
spectral correlation curve
a curve across 40 bands, so you see which frequencies collapse in mono and which hold.
bass-weighted scoring
low frequencies count more because that's where mono collapse actually hurts. clubs, phones, Bluetooth.
instant MONO / SIDE monitoring
hear the damage in mono. solo the difference signal to find what disappears.
SMOOTH
dynamic resonance suppression that hears like you do.
tame harsh resonances and ringing frequencies across your mix. SMOOTH finds and suppresses them based on how your ears actually hear. turn DEPTH and you are most of the way there. the other three knobs are for when you want it exact.
psychoacoustic precision
40 bands spaced the way the ear resolves frequency, so it works where you hear the harshness.
dual character modes
resonance mode for sustained harshness. transient mode for percussive spikes.
M/S routing
process mid and side independently. tame vocals without touching the stereo field.
real-time spectral display
the display shows what it takes out, band by band, while it happens.
WARM
tape, tube and transformer.
three saturation characters, each with its own harmonic signature, and you choose how much of each harmonic you get.
three real characters
tape, tube and transformer, each with its own harmonic signature.
precise harmonic control
you set the level of each harmonic yourself.
program-dependent response
drive follows the input level, so quiet passages stay clean and loud ones push harder.
K-weighted auto-compensation
loudness-matched output. you hear the character, not the volume boost.
WIDE
stereo width that works with your mix.
make your mix wider without losing mono compatibility. frequency-aware expansion that puts the most width where your ears are most sensitive.
psychoacoustic width curve
decorrelation follows human perception of stereo width. most expansion where your ears are most sensitive.
three stereo modes
STEREO for natural width. M/S for mid-side balance. HAAS for delay-based widening.
mono-compatible by design
per-band correlation feedback keeps every frequency safe for mono. no phase cancellation surprises.
frequency-focused expansion
the FOCUS knob targets width to a specific frequency range. expand just the highs, just the mids, or the full spectrum.
PUSH
the step before your compressor.
three compression characters across 40 perceptual bands. SETTLE glues, TIGHT grips, DRIFT lifts the detail no broadband compressor can recover. sit PUSH before your final compressor and watch it do less, sound more like itself.
three compression characters
SETTLE for bus glue. TIGHT for transient grip. DRIFT for upward compression no broadband comp can do. one knob each, three opinions.
per-band across 40 ERB bands
compression decisions made per perceptual band, not broadband. catches stray peaks your single-band compressor would average away.
the step before your compressor
sit it ahead of your final Pro-C, 1176, or SSL bus comp. PUSH shapes the signal so the final stage has less work to do and more character to give.
K-weighted auto-comp
AUTO matches output loudness to input loudness so your A/B comparison is honest. you hear the character, not a volume change.
OPEN
a reverb that hears the mix.
algorithmic reverb for electronic music. OPEN analyses the dry signal across 40 perceptual bands and shapes the tail per band, so it ducks out of the way of the source instead of burying it. one BLOOM knob takes it from invisible to an infinite drone.
it listens to the dry signal
per-band ERB analysis shapes the tail so loud bands get shorter reverb. the reverb ducks under the source instead of masking it. no decay-EQ, no ducker to set up.
invisible to exposed on one knob
BLOOM morphs from a mix-aware reverb that sits under the source, through a flat classical reverb, out to an infinite drone built from the source’s own spectrum.
three characters
ROOM for a bright short space. HALL for natural-hall absorption. CLOUD for a dark drifting drone. each one re-voices the whole engine.
built for synths and drum machines
tuned on electronic sources, not sampled concert halls. pads bloom, drums keep their transients, where plate emulations smear.
learn the science behind the sound
i write down what i learn while building these.
51 guides from the same papers the plugins come from. free to read, and nothing to sell you at the end.
why mixes sound harsh and what to do about it. from basic EQ to spectral processing.
17 articlesthe physics of analog warmth. tube, tape, and transformer characters explained.
9 articleshow your brain hears width. allpass decorrelation, Haas effect, and mono compatibility.
8 articlesdynamics control with character. spectral compression, upward expansion, and mix bus glue.
8 articlesthe physics and craft of artificial space. why cheap algorithms ring metallic, reverse swells, and voicing reverb for synths.
7 articlespricing
50 papers. 5 knobs. $29.
no iLok. no subscription. no account.
SMOOTH
one-time. yours forever.
tame harsh resonances across your mix
- + permanent license
- + all future updates
- + no iLok or account
- + works offline
- + macOS + windows
- + VST3 / AU / AAX
14-day refund policy. no questions.
WARM
one-time. yours forever.
three saturation characters. tape, tube, transformer.
- + permanent license
- + all future updates
- + no iLok or account
- + works offline
- + macOS + windows
- + VST3 / AU / AAX
14-day refund policy. no questions.
WIDE
one-time. yours forever.
stereo width that stays mono-safe
- + permanent license
- + all future updates
- + no iLok or account
- + works offline
- + macOS + windows
- + VST3 / AU / AAX
14-day refund policy. no questions.
PUSH
one-time. yours forever.
three compression characters. settle, tight, drift.
- + permanent license
- + all future updates
- + no iLok or account
- + works offline
- + macOS + windows
- + VST3 / AU / AAX
14-day refund policy. no questions.
OPEN
one-time. yours forever.
algorithmic reverb. room, hall, cloud.
- + permanent license
- + all future updates
- + no iLok or account
- + works offline
- + macOS + windows
- + VST3 / AU / AAX
14-day refund policy. no questions.
soothe 3 lists at $259. a single SMOOTH license is $29. different tools, and your ears get the deciding vote.
THE KERN BUNDLE
all five paid plugins. one license key.
SMOOTH cleans. WARM adds character. WIDE places stereo. PUSH glues it together. OPEN puts it in a space. the full chain.
"I just discovered the kernaudio.io plugins. super precise and elegant. Kudos on this masterful work."
plus CHECK: my spectral mono compatibility analyzer
free for everyone. no account needed.
download freeby the numbers
what you get for $29.
40 bands / <3% CPU* / 5 knobs / 155 presets / 51 guides / $29 once
*macOS at 44.1 kHz with hardware-accelerated FFT. Windows CPU may be higher.
Field Notes from KERN Audio.
6,000+ producers reading. weekly Tuesday email + new plugin announcements.
one mixing or DSP idea per issue. ~5 minute read. no spam, easy unsub.
check your inbox and click the link to confirm.
no spam. unsubscribe anytime. opens and clicks are counted, details.
the series
five plugins. built with you.
WARM, WIDE and PUSH were community-funded. OPEN came through a beta instead. all five paid plugins are now available.
SMOOTH
dynamic resonance suppression
available now / $29WARM
harmonic saturation
available now / $29 / fully fundedWIDE
psychoacoustic stereo expansion
available now / $29 / fully fundedPUSH
three compression characters
available now / $29OPEN
algorithmic reverb
available now / $29also shipping inside Steam games
KERN plugins are in the audio pipeline of The Bornless (400,000+ wishlists) and HAM: The Game (#4 trending on Steam at launch).
what people are saying
WARM by KERN Audio — Tape, Tube & Transformer Saturation / satyatunes
KERN Audio Plugin Review: SMOOTH, WARM & WIDE / Edizon
Plugin Demo Pt. 2 — KERN WARM, SMOOTH & WIDE on a full mix / Edizon
84% mono safe on a full drum session / community member
This FREE Plugin Fixes Your Mix Instantly / CoinxDaProducer
This Mono Compatibility Analyzer Is FREE — CHECK by KERN / Free VST Plugins