KVR Audio

Caine123 · Post by **Caine123** » Sat May 23, 2026 9:37 pm

needa check this myself, no WOW for me here, and i doubt if this is really SO MUCH better sounding you wont hear it in a mixed/mastered song. so lets check.

JasonSpatola · Post by **JasonSpatola** » Sat May 23, 2026 9:50 pm

I wouldn't say they are going downhill either, but between this and Bloom I'm getting pretty heavy modern iZotope vibes.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Sat May 23, 2026 11:13 pm

JasonSpatola wrote: Sat May 23, 2026 9:50 pm I wouldn't say they are going downhill either, but between this and Bloom I'm getting pretty heavy modern iZotope vibes.

Sometimes a dev just has a good idea for an audio product and successfully productizes it and thats it. all devs are not the same.

JasonSpatola · Post by **JasonSpatola** » Sat May 23, 2026 11:16 pm

Uhhhhh

Dr.Gunjah · Post by **Dr.Gunjah** » Sun May 24, 2026 7:25 pm

I agree that on first glance the update seems quite underwhelming. However it looks like there were many improvements under the hood that are not quite obvious by looking at the GUI. Especially the detection algorithm seems to make much more sense now and needs less fiddling around. Can't tell yet if the actual processing really sounds better but I definitely get better results faster than with Soothe2. Also, the new bandpass option is great for problem fixing. I'll most likely update.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Sun May 24, 2026 9:51 pm

Dr.Gunjah wrote: Sun May 24, 2026 7:25 pm I agree that on first glance the update seems quite underwhelming. However it looks like there were many improvements under the hood that are not quite obvious by looking at the GUI. Especially the detection algorithm seems to make much more sense now and needs less fiddling around. Can't tell yet if the actual processing really sounds better but I definitely get better results faster than with Soothe2. Also, the new bandpass option is great for problem fixing. I'll most likely update.

Yes I agree with you there. Soothe 3 seems better "behaved" in terms of what is being visualized. When I compared them side by side using the same source, I was left on the fence because I didnt hear any artifacting issue differences and the difference in over-all sound between 2 and 3 didnt leave me feeling 3 was better than 2. I didnt make a conclusion however - I think I need to try some different sources. For me there wasnt an instant improvement heard but that can be the nature of these kinds of tools.

swilow11 · Post by **swilow11** » Mon May 25, 2026 3:25 am

I would never pay this much for a plugin.

I've got Smooth Operator v1, Curves Equator and Polarity's version of the open source Spectral Compressor which is free. I'm sure Soothe is doing something these processors aren't doing but over $400AUD worth of something? Not so sure about that.

HcDoom · Post by **HcDoom** » Mon May 25, 2026 10:47 am

I bet in blind test no one could tell a difference between Soothe and major competitors.

Funky40 · Post by **Funky40** » Mon May 25, 2026 12:26 pm

i found for my live play -single instrument- patches TBTechs Future-MB to be a very capable solution. Sold as a multiband compressor. I use it with different things in mind.

The peak resonance supression looks more like an adon. But it`s immensly powerful, for example on synths. It has supression and "neighbour"-enhancement.

worth to check

kernaudioio · Post by **kernaudioio** » Mon May 25, 2026 8:23 pm

re: alternatives and blind testing.

full disclosure: i make KERN SMOOTH, so take this with that context.

the alternatives list above is solid. Smooth Operator Pro, Curves Equator, and Polarity's Spectral Compressor are all legitimate tools. i'd add ANINA (free, surprisingly capable for zero cost) and SMOOTH ($29, ERB-domain processing, M/S routing, no iLok) to the list. different approaches to the same problem.

on the blind test question: i actually ran one during development. A/B'd SMOOTH against soothe2 on 8 different stems with testers who didn't know which was which. the honest result was that on most material the differences were subtle enough that source selection mattered more than plugin choice. the category has matured to the point where several tools get you 90% of the way there. the last 10% depends on your specific material and workflow preferences.

soothe 3 at $259 is a real tool from a team that invented the category. the zero-latency mode is genuinely new and useful if you're tracking or mixing live. for producers who don't need multichannel or zero-latency, several of the alternatives listed here will do the job at a fraction of the cost. worth demoing a few and deciding with your own ears.

kernaudio.io/smooth if anyone wants to try the free demo

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Mon May 25, 2026 8:58 pm

kernaudioio wrote: Mon May 25, 2026 8:23 pm soothe 3 at $259 is a real tool from a team that invented the category.

They did not. Melda Spectral Dynamics, zynaptiq Unfilter, ProAudio DSM and others were out before Soothe. Another good alternative is Voxengo TEOTE, very nice sounding. Its just under 60 euro reg price, there are often sales and quantity discounts. https://www.voxengo.com/product/teote/ It's good to have a few of these type of tools as they all react and sound differently. Once you get to know them you can pick and choose more choices based on intent.

Dr.Gunjah · Post by **Dr.Gunjah** » Tue May 26, 2026 12:33 pm

tbh, as a hobbyist there's no way I'd buy it at full price and I can absolutely understand people who go for a cheaper alternative. Even for someone already owning Soothe2 it's not exactly a no-brainer. Still, the update to me is significant enough to consider buying it as I use v2 often and it looks like v3 improves exactly those areas that I use it for.

jinotsuh · Post by **jinotsuh** » Fri May 29, 2026 6:40 am

perox wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 9:17 am
jinotsuh wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 8:17 am I would say don't sit on the fence here, at the very least grab the demo, (I'm assuming there is one, I just bought it as soon as it dropped) if you spend some quality time with the demo, and maybe even God forbid RTFM, I highly doubt you will not hit the 'Buy It Now' button. For those wondering if it is better, sounds better than S2, the answer is yes on both accounts IMO of course, but I am not alone there, and it's not just slightly better.

Do yourself a favor and have a read of the thread over at Gearspace for some other opinions.
https://gearspace.com/board/new-product ... othe3.html
Are you some oeksound salesman?

Yes, could you tell?

jinotsuh · Post by **jinotsuh** » Fri May 29, 2026 6:42 am

PieBerger wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 9:26 am
perox wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 9:17 am
jinotsuh wrote: Wed May 20, 2026 8:17 am I would say don't sit on the fence here, at the very least grab the demo, (I'm assuming there is one, I just bought it as soon as it dropped) if you spend some quality time with the demo, and maybe even God forbid RTFM, I highly doubt you will not hit the 'Buy It Now' button. For those wondering if it is better, sounds better than S2, the answer is yes on both accounts IMO of course, but I am not alone there, and it's not just slightly better.

Do yourself a favor and have a read of the thread over at Gearspace for some other opinions.
https://gearspace.com/board/new-product ... othe3.html
Are you some oeksound salesman?
It's very offbrand for KVR I know, but some people are actually enthusiastic about the products/tools they use and want to share that good energy with others

You've got the prize

jinotsuh · Post by **jinotsuh** » Fri May 29, 2026 6:59 am

Of course as with everything, YMMV.

For me it's a win, as for comparing side by side 2 and 3, it can't be done 1 to 1.

The Dev dude also said when asked about whether Soothe 2 would still be supported, and if it was possible to have both 2 and 3 in the same plugin kind of thing, that they will be supporting Soothe 2 for a long time yet, he was talking years, and no to the other question because of the differences in 3.

I'll see if I can find the link.

Oeksound Soothe 3 (Available Now)