This week: sonible's intelligent channel strip with session-wide mix awareness, a resonance-scanning dynamic EQ from Nolvra, a hybrid granular synth from W.A. Production at intro price, a dual-chain multi-effect with Linux support, and a 39-engine polysynth from indie developer Våld Labs.
smart:chain, sonible
$99 intro (regular $179, intro ends September 28)
Channel strips have been around since the early days of DAWs, but they've always worked the same way: you configure EQ, then compression, then gate, then saturation, each processor unaware of what the others are doing. sonible's approach with smart:chain is different. A single signal analysis runs across the entire chain before any parameters are set, and that shared understanding informs EQ, compressor, de-harshener, gate, input rider, saturation, and auto-leveler at the same time. The processors adapt to each other rather than competing over the same frequency regions.
The most notable feature is session-wide scope. Each smart:chain instance talks to every other instance in the project. Auto Leveling analyzes the relationships between all learned tracks and generates a genre-aware rough balance across the session. Depth Staging lets you assign tracks to Front, Middle, or Back layers for perceptual spatial separation, with all instances controlled from a single window. It is closer to a session-wide mix assistant than a per-track processor.
The foundation is sonible's Sonic Intelligence engine, trained specifically for audio mixing rather than adapted from a general-purpose model. Early reviews suggest the initial analysis lands close on typical program material, though complex material with heavy bleed may need manual adjustment.
Runs on macOS 11+ and Windows 10+ as VST3, AU, and AAX. 14-day trial available.
For whom: mix engineers who want a fast starting point for every channel and want session-wide auto-leveling to handle the rough balance pass before they start making decisions.
Supra, W.A. Production
$14.90 intro (regular $59.90, intro ends October 4)
Supra is a monophonic hybrid granular synthesizer built around six sequential DSP stages: an analog-drifted triangle-core oscillator, high-frequency FM, a granular engine, a state-variable morphing filter, a feedback-delay pitch shifter, and a final output section with a multi randomizer. Each stage feeds the next, so modulation at the oscillator stage compounds through every downstream processor.
W.A. Production developed it in collaboration with psytrance producer darkInteger and the Algebra Within project, which explains the design priorities: unstable, evolving textures rather than clean pads. The dual-macro modulation system sweeps multiple parameters simultaneously from a single control, and the dual randomizer creates real-time, glitch-free patch variation without manually cycling through presets.
The granular stage and morphing filter cover enough ground for industrial, ambient, and film scoring work alongside psytrance. At the intro price there is not much argument against trying it.
Runs on Windows and macOS as VST3, AU, and AAX. No Linux support.
For whom: sound designers working with evolving, unstable textures; producers in psytrance, ambient, and experimental electronic genres.
RIDGE, Nolvra
$89 (10% off until September 20, regular $99)
The standard workflow for taming resonances is: loop the problem section, sweep a narrow bell through the frequency range, find the offending frequency by ear, then set a dynamic EQ to trigger only when that frequency exceeds a threshold. RIDGE automates the detection step. Press SCAN, play the take, and the plugin listens, marks up to eight resonances, and places each on a time axis. A ring marks a frequency; its position shows when it occurs.
The underlying logic: a sung note also produces a narrow peak above its surroundings, but resonances persist across multiple time windows while musical content shifts. RIDGE identifies resonances by temporal stability rather than amplitude, which keeps it from flagging held notes as problems.
Twenty-four bands, each switchable between static and dynamic. Six filter shapes including notch. Ten slope options from 6 dB/octave to a 192 dB/octave brick-wall. Five stereo modes including mid-side. Zero latency. Per-band controls cover threshold, range, attack, release, and a sidechain filter. All 453 parameters are published and permanently locked across updates, so sessions with automation will not break after a plugin update.
What it deliberately excludes: spectral dynamics, surround routing, vintage models, and saturation. It is a focused tool.
Runs on macOS 11+ (AU, VST3, standalone, Apple Silicon native) and Windows (VST3). 7-day trial with no credit card required.
For whom: mix engineers dealing with resonant rooms, instrument body resonances, or live recording artifacts that need time-aware dynamic treatment rather than static cuts.
Dualite, 23DSP
$15
Dualite runs two independent effect chains in parallel, processing either left/right channels or mid/side. Each chain holds up to eight effects in any order via drag-and-drop. The 24 included effects cover EQ, filter, saturation, clipper, bitcrusher, phase distortion, noise, compressor, limiter, gate, transient shaper, gain, reverb, convolution reverb, delay, granulator, tape stop, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, ring modulator, and frequency shifter. Four modulation slots, each configurable as LFO, envelope follower, or ADSR, map to any control in either chain. Eight host-automatable macros handle broader parameter groups across both chains.
The mid-side routing is the most immediately useful part. Applying a filter, compressor, or reverb to the side channel without touching the center is a workflow that otherwise requires a dedicated M-S utility or routing workarounds. Here it is one dropdown. For Linux users, it is one of the more capable multi-effect options available at any price point, with VST3 and LV2 support on that platform.
Runs on Windows 10+, macOS 11+, and Linux. Sold directly through 23DSP's site via Gumroad.
For whom: producers and engineers on Linux who need a capable multi-effect chain, and anyone who regularly works in mid-side and wants to avoid routing gymnastics.
Tresse, Våld Labs (indie pick)
$19.99 intro (regular $29.99, intro ends September 30)
Tresse started as an iOS synth built around Mutable Instruments' Plaits synthesis library, then moved to desktop as a full-featured VST. The engine count is its main selling point: 39 synthesis algorithms spread across two independent eight-voice layers. Twenty-four of those engines derive from Plaits (FM, wavetable, additive, granular, speech synthesis, chord generation, resonator models, drum synthesis), and Våld Labs added 15 proprietary engines: Karplus-Strong physical modeling, bytebeat formulas, formant synthesis, modal resonators, sympathetic strings, supersaw, drawbars, and a multi-waveform FM engine.
Both layers run their own TPT SEM-style filter with LP/BP/HP/notch morphing, independent envelopes, and three LFOs. Seven generative sequencing algorithms, including Euclidean patterns, wave interference, and random walk, let you build evolving sequences without recording MIDI. Built-in delay and reverb are included. Each preset encodes to a short text string or QR code for instant sharing with anyone who has the plugin installed.
At this price, switching between 39 different synthesis approaches without leaving the instrument is worth trying even if you already have dedicated synths for half the categories.
Runs on Windows and macOS as VST3, AU, and standalone. iOS version not yet released.
For whom: sound designers who want to explore a wide range of synthesis approaches inside one instrument, and producers interested in combining Mutable Instruments-style algorithms with generative sequencing on desktop.