SMOOTH / learning path

taming harshness in your mix

from understanding why mixes sound harsh to choosing the right tool for the job. eight stages covering everything from basic EQ to spectral processing.

see SMOOTH plugin →

1 6 min

what is resonance

every room, every instrument, every signal chain has resonant frequencies. understanding them is the first step to controlling them.

2 7 min

what causes harshness in audio

your ears are most sensitive between 2-5 kHz. that is not a coincidence: it is where speech lives, and where harshness hurts most.

3 8 min

traditional approaches to resonance

static EQ, dynamic EQ, multiband compression: the tools most producers reach for first and when they fall short.

3.1 5 min

dynamic EQ vs resonance suppressor

4 9 min

how spectral processing works

FFT, frequency bins, magnitude and phase: the math behind tools that can see every frequency independently.

4.1 6 min

ERB scale and psychoacoustics

5 8 min

taming harshness on vocals and instruments

practical techniques for the sources that suffer most: vocals, acoustic guitars, cymbals, and bright synths.

6 7 min

resonance control on the mix bus

resonance problems compound across tracks. mix bus and mastering approaches need different sensitivity than individual tracks.

7 12 min comparison

soothe 2 alternatives

oeksound soothe 2 defined a category. ten years later, the landscape has changed. an honest comparison of every serious option.

7.1 10 min

KERN SMOOTH vs ANINA

7.2 16 min

9 best resonance suppressor plugins in 2026

8 6 min

choosing your approach

EQ, dynamic EQ, multiband, or resonance suppressor: a decision framework based on what you are actually trying to fix.