SMART:COMP 2 - Sonible did it again? (+ Pro-C2 kind of comparison)

Hello, Ladies and Gents of the Web! Sonible gave me an early access to their Smart:comp 2, so it was obvious that I'll make an in-depth review for you in the day of the plugin's premiere :)
Did Sonible delivered something amazing again? Let's find out!
0:00 Intro
1:50 Session overview
3:10 Pro-C2 premix
5:46 Smart:comp 2 on drums
8:37 Smart:comp 2 on bass
10:32 Spectral side-chain compression
12:15 Smart:comp 2 on synth lead
13:59 Smart:comp 2 on vocals
14:43 Custom compression curves
16:18 Smart:comp 2 on master bus
17:35 Pro-C2 vs Smart:comp 2 premixes
20:09 Summing tha thingz up!

[@FoliaSound]

Helloooo! What do you think about new Smart:comp 2? What do you think about my review? Let me know in the comments!

[@ruddmedia]

witam paul marcin here and this video was awesome thanks alot i demoed this yesterday but will buy it next month for sure! Do you think that i should buy the fabfilter eq pro 3 ive got so many eq's as it is! genki

[@mrnelsonius5631]

I think the value in this is that it places multiple powerful tools at your fingertips (ProC2, Trackspacer, a Spectral tilt, dynamic freq balancing) in a really intuitive and fast interface. My first project with it, even taking the time to let it “learn”… it’s just fast for me. I get where I want really quickly. Strangely, even when I’m not fond of the initial suggested settings, somehow like magic it actually helps me identify what I want instead really quickly. So far that’s mainly been threshold/ratio and release time, both of which are extremely context dependent which of course the plugin can’t know. The original Smart Comp saw the least use for me out of the Sonible lineup, but I see this becoming my “transparent compression” go to now :) great video!

[@FoliaSound]

Agreed, thanks!

[@Cubase-Erklaerbaer]

As always, I love it! Great video about a great plugin!

[@FoliaSound]

Thanks, man!

[@monkmusic5994]

Thanks mate, very informative! Great.

[@FoliaSound]

Thx, be back for more soon! :)

[@caseymason6558]

Thank you, very informative. I didn’t really understand what “spectral compression” was you explained it. I’m also glad to see Sonible set a reasonable intro upgrade price on this.

[@FoliaSound]

Great to hear that all :) Cya soon!

[@johnnyvegas2015]

Great review and definitely worth watching it…cheers

[@FoliaSound]

Dzięki, Johnny! Hi5!

[@davidasher22]

Nice intro! I know you brought it back for me. Much appreciated..

[@FoliaSound]

Yeeea, exactly, sir!

[@MusicianParadise]

Great video, learned a lot from it!

[@FoliaSound]

Thanks, man! Get back soon for more!

[@eddoorn1249]

Thanks for a very cool review, comparing it to Pro-C2 like that. I own Smart Comp 1 and like it, but you show they clearly improved it. That graph on the left side is also a nice new visual Aid. The way the UI is now, it's brilliant. But yes, the AI consistently turns up a very low threshold and a lowish ratio. But it's very easy to pinpoint that and correct it. But most impressive seems to be the improved spectral sidechain compression. Super transparant, and thanks for showing that in your review.

[@FoliaSound]

Yep, it's also my fav and I'm gonna use it a lot, I know it already :)

[@EirikHasselberg]

The difference on that mix of yours was bigger on the cheap monitors I have at work and less with my €4k Dynaudio system. The punch of the kick on the Sonible version really say it all, it punch like there is no tomorrow....

[@Darkl0ud_Productions]

I'm finding that my headphones are doing the same... Not even crazy good headphones, just K240s, but it just seems harder to muddy them up. I have to purposefully put my tracks on crappier equipment to test them lol

[@conrow1157]

Good video ! Thx

[@FoliaSound]

Thanks!

[@soundcore183]

The smartcomp version kick transient is different and more consistent. The hang drum lead sounds subjectively more deeper and fuller with pro c2. Mastering the mix RESO does the trick like soothe

[@who_is_dis]

Wow, was that the spectral side chain creating that seperation / transparency in the final mixdown??? Do you have a comparison video to Soothe2 and Trackspacer on that feature? Would be good to see.

[@FoliaSound]

The vid about another Sonible tool, called Pure:Unmask, just landed on my chan :)

[@davidasher22]

There’s definitely more movement in the Sonible mix. I felt the same way about the low end possibly getting thin but it ended up sounding more spacious. Curious what would have been the outcome without any tweaking.

[@FoliaSound]

Hey, David, good to hear from you! I did your favourite intro especially for you in this vid, man :D Enjoy!

[@davidasher22]

@@FoliaSound I know. That was awesome. You should keep it. Or at least put together a new one. There’s something satisfying about seeing and hearing the same intro every time. It’s like arriving somewhere you feel comfortable. Just like a tv show’s theme song. Your KZbin intro matters

[@larsb.nielsen4481]

I love your youtubes ❤🤩

[@FoliaSound]

Thanks, Lars, hope to see you back soon :)

[@THAMNOS]

15:32 - Tam po prawej (na mierniku masz napisane -60) można ustawić widok kompresora (zmniejszyć i zwiększyć). pewnie do tej pory już ogarnąłeś :D Ale sam to odkryłem dosłownie po paru godzinach zabawy. Nie do końca intuicyjne, ale da się dzięki temu odnaleść te zagubione w czeluściach piekieł kolanka :D

[@giocondaantonelli5758]

When I tried to open it doesn't work. It shows the command line interface for one second and it dissappears. Any ideas? Thank you

[@FoliaSound]

Got no idea what's up, contact Sonible support, they're really competent and responsive!

[@babymixswing2269]

What do drum bus, guitar bus, vocal bus mean? Does it mean that if a drum WAV contains all the elements, just use the drum bus directly?

[@FoliaSound]

Bus is a group in other words, so it contains more than one element of its kind. Can be all in one .wav, can be on separate tracks. Like: kick, snare, hats or: lead vocals and chorus. Or: stereo panned electric guitars. Etc., etc.

[@auxtone1332]

To my ears a 50/50 blend between both results would be perfect. FF is too warm and bold whereas the SC is too peaky, transienty.

[@danielwetzs9317]

I tested it and choosing a profile and pushing learn function is more or less like selecting presets. Latency is a no-go imo

[@FoliaSound]

I have to check out the latency stuff, I didn't notice any issues here and actually when mixing, not producing, I don't care about it too much :)

[@DouglasShibata1]

Thanks, amazing job. 🎛️🎚️🎙️🖥️🚀

[@FoliaSound]

Thanks, man, cya soon!

[@majsterchief]

Słuchałem tych porównań do Pro-C tylko na komórce i urwało mi tyłek przy samej szyi.

[@FoliaSound]

To znaczy? Smart:comp 2 fajny?

[@majsterchief]

@@FoliaSound Rewelacyjny!!!

[@majsterchief]

@@FoliaSound btw dzięki za świetny filmik.

[@FoliaSound]

@@majsterchief , dzięki, zapraszam niedługo na następny :D

[@audiosounddoctor5834]

And where are you from maestro??

[@FoliaSound]

I say this in almost every intro to my vids xD Warsaw, Poland!

[@audiosounddoctor5834]

@@FoliaSound great state and great people....wish you all the best!

[@FoliaSound]

@@audiosounddoctor5834 thanks, man! :)

[@DavidKfilmmaker]

If this replaces soothe I’ll slap my money down

[@FoliaSound]

Give it a try, man. It works kind of different, but it also gives nice, transparent results!