SmartStem
Gain staging that holds the line.
SmartStem stages every channel to a target RMS level, then checks the output against that same number after your FX chain. You stop guessing what your plugins did to the level.
Two instances. One target.
Drop one stage at the front of your chain and one at the back. They share a target level over a link, no manual matching required.
What each stage does
Both stages share the same controls, except Boost, which lives on the Channel In where it drives your chain.
Automatic gain staging
Each channel is brought to a target RMS level. Set it once per session, or per channel if a source needs it.
Output matching
The output stage reads the input stage's target through a live link and corrects for it, regardless of what your chain did in between.
VU, Peak, and PPM metering
Switch ballistics per stage. The target sits at a fixed reference line, so you can see how far off you are at a glance.
Mono check, correlation, and Auto Align
Audition mono without committing to it, read L/R correlation in real time, and let SmartStem listen for delay or polarity problems and correct them on its own.
Try Auto Align below →Manual trim and boost
Trim adjusts either stage up to 24 dB in either direction. Boost pushes the Channel In up to 24 dB hotter into your chain, and the Channel Out takes it back out, so your plugins see more level and your fader doesn't.
Freeze
Lock the gain once you're happy with it. Trim and boost still work on top, so you keep adjusting without losing the calculated baseline. Freeze either half of a pair and both hold.
It only fixes what's actually broken.
Auto Align listens to L/R, finds the delay or polarity problems that are actually correctable, and fixes those. It won't narrow a mix that was never broken — pick a scenario below and run it.
Where it runs
VST3 is the primary target. AU and AAX follow on the same linking system, adapted for how each host sandboxes plugin instances.
SmartStem 1.2.0 is out.
$39 for the first 100 licenses, $59 after. Windows VST3. Every update included.
On a Mac? Leave your email and I'll tell you when the build lands.
