true:balance by Sonible

Achieving a professional, balanced mix that translates perfectly across all playback systems can be a challenge, especially in less-than-ideal monitoring environments. Sonible true:balance is a dedicated metering plugin designed to provide you with the necessary information and guidance to optimize the spectral balance and mono compatibility of your audio. It acts as an essential tool for sound engineers and producers looking for reliable insights into their mix's frequency distribution and spatial characteristics.

At its core, true:balance offers a powerful real-time spectrum analyzer that visualizes the frequency content of your signal. This includes a long-term average spectrum line, which is calculated over approximately 10 seconds and uses a perceptually motivated frequency summing to better represent how critical level differences are perceived by the human ear. By providing a detailed view of the frequency spectrum, true:balance helps you identify potential problematic frequencies or imbalances.

A key strength of true:balance is its ability to compare your mix against various spectral references. You can choose from an extensive list of predefined genre-based references, covering common musical styles like Hip Hop, Electronic, Rock, and more. This makes it easy to check if your track aligns with the typical spectral characteristics expected within a specific genre. For more tailored comparisons, you can also load up to 8 of your own custom reference tracks to create personalized targets. The plugin displays a visual reference zone in the spectrum display, along with target indicators and numerical difference values for the low, mid, and high frequency ranges, showing how your mix's average levels compare to the chosen reference.

Beyond just spectral balance, true:balance offers crucial insights into your mix's stereo width and correlation. The dedicated channel data section provides values for the overall mix as well as for the low, mid, and high frequency regions. This information is vital for assessing your mix's mono compatibility and identifying potential spatial balancing issues. Avoiding negative correlation values is important, as they indicate out-of-phase components that can lead to unwanted phase cancellation when a stereo signal is summed to mono.

Whether you are a professional or an ambitious bedroom producer, true:balance is designed to assist you. The Balance Check feature analyzes your signal against the chosen reference and provides text-based suggestions for modifications, such as adjusting levels in specific frequency ranges. Similarly, the Mono Check feature will point out potential problems regarding your mix's mono compatibility.

By providing clear visual feedback and helpful guidance, true:balance empowers you to make more informed EQ and mixing decisions, leading to a more polished and professional result that sounds great wherever it's played.

Optimize your workflow and gain confidence in your mixes. Try Sonible true:balance today!