Baby Audio have announced the launch of Smooth Operator Pro, a new and improved version of their popular spectral balancing plug-in. Four years in the making, the latest iteration of the renowned processor delivers a wealth of new features as well as boasting improved audio quality.
The company say that the plug-in remains as intuitive as its predecessor. Users can simply set a target curve and adjust the global Threshold control, and Smooth Operator Pro will begin rebalancing the incoming signal, removing ‘fatiguing’ energy and improving the overall clarity of the audio. As it relies on spectral processing, it’s said to control harmonic material more effectively than traditional EQ and dynamics plug-ins, and offers surgical control over a signal’s tonal balance with fewer side-effects than alternative processors.
Despite the initial simplicity, the plug-in still offers plenty of in-depth controls for those who want to fine-tune the results. It’s possible to adjust parameters individually for any of the active frequency nodes, with the applied values overwriting the global settings, allowing users to precisely target specific issues — tackling harsh-sounding cymbals or applying softer compression to vocals, for example.
Smooth Operator Pro introduces per-node settings that overwrite the global control values, allowing users to fine-tune the plug-in's processing and target specific elements of a signal.
What’s New?
Baby Audio have developed the new version of Smooth Operator in response to user feedback, and have implemented the following features:
- Enhanced performance and sound quality.
- Full control over all dynamic and imaging parameters.
- Users can now freely add and remove nodes across the spectrum.
- Individual dynamic processing profiles per node.
- Two cutting-edge correction algorithms: Even and Skew.
Smooth Operator Pro comes loaded with 184 factory presets that have been created by some of the world’s top engineers, including Craig Bauer, Max Jaeger (Ariana Grande, Drake, Diplo), Preston Reid (Usher, Muni Long) and Ryan ‘Skinny’ Shanahan (Zedd, Lady Gaga).
Compatibility
Smooth Operator Pro is supported on PCs running Windows 10 and above, and Macs running macOS 10.11 and higher. VST, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Smooth Operator Pro is available now, and is currently (8 April 2025) being offered at an introductory price of $79, reduced from its full cost of $129. Those who own the original version of the plug-in can upgrade for $29.
