sonible

Overview

sonible is an Austrian audio company whose plug-ins put a listening step in front of the controls: the processor analyses the incoming material and proposes its own settings, which are then adjusted by hand rather than dialled in from zero. The smart series covers the main mixing jobs in that form, with smart:EQ 4, smart:comp 3, smart:limit, smart:reverb 2, smart:deess, smart:gate and the smart:chain channel strip, while the cheaper pure series reduces each of them to a single control for quick decisions, including pure:level as an AI level rider and pure:unmask for clearing frequency clashes between tracks. Alongside those sit metering tools such as true:level and true:balance, the prime:vocal chain and the older entropy:EQ and proximity:EQ. Everything is sold as a perpetual licence rather than a subscription, one plug-in or one bundle at a time, and puffer:fish is given away free. The plug-ins load into a DAW on macOS 10.14 and later or 64-bit Windows 10, in VST, VST3 and AAX, plus AU on macOS, with native Apple Silicon support. The company also builds audio interfaces.

Best for producers and engineers who want mixing and mastering plug-ins that suggest a starting point, bought outright rather than rented.

The pitch is aimed squarely at people who can hear that something is wrong but not name it, and the analysis step is what makes that workable: a proposed curve is a starting point to argue with, which is a faster route to a decision than a flat EQ. Buying is the part that needs attention, because the catalogue is priced per plug-in and the same job appears twice, once in the smart series and once, simplified, in the pure series, so working out which tier you actually need is a real step before checkout. Perpetual licences suit anyone who resents renting tools, though they also mean paying again at the next major version. Note the scope: this is mixing and mastering, so damaged recordings that need spectral surgery call for a restoration suite instead.

Key Facts

Features

What it does

AI-assisted mixing and mastering plug-ins that analyse the audio and propose their own settings

Noise removal and repair

Partly: smart:gate for noise and bleed, smart:deess and pure:deess for sibilance. Not a restoration suite for damaged recordings

Mastering and loudness

Yes, smart:limit for loudness targets, with true:level and true:balance for metering

Where it runs

Plug-ins inside a DAW on macOS 10.14+ and Windows 10 64-bit, in VST, VST3 and AAX, plus AU on macOS, native on Apple Silicon

Also included

Audio interfaces (ml:mio, d:16, d:24) alongside the plug-ins

API

No, desktop plug-ins

Integrations

Integrations coming soon.

Deployment and Support

Deployment

• On-premise

Onboarding

• Documentation and knowledge base

Company size

• Freelancers
• Small and mid-sized

Suitability

The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.

Pros and Cons

Pricing

• puffer:fish

  $0

  Free plug-in.

• pure series

  $39

  List price per plug-in (pure:EQ, pure:comp, pure:level, pure:limit, pure:verb, pure:deess, pure:unmask). Perpetual licence.

• smart series

  $129

  List price per plug-in (smart:EQ 4, smart:comp 3, smart:limit, smart:reverb 2, smart:deess, smart:gate). Perpetual licence.

• smart:chain / prime:vocal

  $179

  List price per plug-in. Perpetual licence.

• Bundles

  $99

  pure:bundle lists at $159, smart:essentials at $249, smart:bundle at $399 and the Studio Bundle at $599. The Metering Bundle is the cheapest at $99. Perpetual licences.

Best For

• Media & Creative

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