You have a vocal that turns into an ice pick on every loud note. Or a fizzy electric guitar, or cymbals that stab through the mix and never sit right.
So you reach for a static EQ cut, but it dulls the whole track, because the harshness only shows up on certain notes.
Notch it out permanently, and the source loses its life. Leave it in and your ears bleed.
The plugin built for exactly this problem is Oeksound Soothe 2, a dynamic resonance suppressor that hunts down harsh frequencies and reduces them only when they spike.
This review covers what it does, how it sounds, what it costs, and whether it still earns a place on your chain now that Soothe 3 has arrived.
TL;DR
- What it is: a dynamic resonance suppressor that automatically tames harsh frequencies in real time.
- Best for: harsh vocals, sibilance, fizzy guitars, harsh cymbals, and smoothing a mix or master.
- The verdict: yes, it is worth it. Few plugins solve a problem this cleanly or save this much time.
- Price: $209.99 or £179, and it frequently drops to around $139 to $149 on sale.
- Note: Soothe 3 is now the current version, but Soothe 2 remains a capable, widely used tool.
Keep reading for how it works, where it shines, and how it compares to the alternatives.
What Is Soothe 2?
Soothe 2 is a dynamic resonance suppressor made by the Finnish company Oeksound.
In plain terms, it listens to your audio in real time, finds the harsh, resonant peaks as they happen, and notches them out automatically.
All of that results in a smoother and more balanced signal.
The magic is that it only acts when a problem frequency spikes.
A static EQ cut is always on, so it dulls the sound even during the passages that were fine.
Soothe 2 reacts moment to moment, which is why it can tame harshness without stripping the life out of a source.
It is like an intelligent, self-adjusting bank of dynamic EQ bands working across the whole spectrum at once.
How It Works
Under the hood, Soothe 2 constantly analyzes the incoming signal and applies reduction wherever resonances cross a threshold you set.
You are not drawing fixed EQ curves.
You are telling it how aggressively to hunt and how much to pull down when it finds something.
A handful of controls shape the behavior.
The main depth and sharpness controls set how much it reduces and how narrowly it targets each resonance.
The Soft and Hard modes switch between transparent, gentle processing and a more reactive, aggressive response.
The standout is the Delta button, which lets you solo exactly what is being removed.
That single feature makes it easy to hear whether you are catching the harshness or accidentally eating the good part of the sound.
Key Features
Soothe 2 expanded significantly on the original, most notably by working across the full frequency range instead of just the high end.
The table below covers the features that matter most in daily use.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dynamic resonance suppression | Finds and notches harsh peaks in real time, automatically |
| Full-spectrum range | Works from around 20 Hz to the top, not just the highs |
| Soft and Hard modes | Transparent and gentle, or more reactive and aggressive |
| Mid-side processing | Target resonances by channel, overall or per band |
| Delta monitoring | Solo exactly what is being removed to dial it in |
| Sidechain and low latency | Trigger externally, and run it with minimal delay |
Ease of Use
This is where Soothe 2 wins people over.
For a plugin doing something this sophisticated, it is remarkably simple to get a great result.
Load it, pick a preset close to your source, and you are usually most of the way there in seconds.
The presets are genuinely useful starting points for vocals, guitars, drums, and full mixes, and the interface makes it obvious what is happening.
Because the Delta feature lets you hear the reduction directly, dialing it in becomes a quick, intuitive process rather than a guessing game.
Even an intermediate producer can get professional results on the first try, which is not something you can say about most surgical tools.
Where It Shines
Soothe 2 is one of the most versatile plugins you can own, because harsh resonances turn up everywhere.
It earns its keep across the whole mix, not just on one source.
On vocals it tames harshness and sibilance, and many engineers use it as a smarter de-esser than a traditional one, an approach that pairs with the techniques in vocal de-essing.
On electric guitars it melts away fizz and ice-pick highs, exactly the harshness targeted in how to mix an electric guitar.
It smooths harsh cymbals and drum overheads, controls resonant synths, and on the mix bus or master it takes the edge off a whole mix without dulling it.
It overlaps a lot with dynamic EQ, so it is worth understanding how dynamic EQ works to know when to reach for which.
Price, Versions, and Alternatives
Soothe 2 retails for $209.99 USD, or £179 GBP, which is a serious investment for a single plugin.
The good news is that Oeksound discounts it regularly, and during Black Friday and seasonal sales it often drops to around $139 to $149.
If the full price gives you pause, waiting for a sale is a smart move.
It is also worth knowing that Oeksound has since released Soothe 3, which is now the current version.
Soothe 2 remains a fully capable, widely used tool, and many studios still run it every day, so buying or keeping it is far from a mistake.
On the alternatives front, a general dynamic EQ like TDR Nova can do some of the same work manually, while Trackspacer solves a different problem by ducking one track against another.
Nothing quite matches the automatic, set-and-forget resonance control that made Soothe famous, and understanding how to EQ like a pro helps you judge when you even need it.
Is Soothe 2 Worth It? The Verdict
Yes. Soothe 2 solves a common, frustrating problem faster and more transparently than anything else, and it does it on nearly every source you will ever mix.
For harsh vocals alone it can pay for itself in saved time, and the fact that it works on guitars, drums, synths, and masters makes it one of the most-reached-for plugins in a modern chain.
The only real downside is the price, and even that is softened by frequent sales.
If you regularly fight harshness, resonance, or sibilance, and most producers do, it is an easy recommendation.
Buy it on sale if you can, and consider Soothe 3 if you want the latest version, but Soothe 2 remains a genuinely great tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions below come up most often about Soothe 2. Short, direct answers follow.
Is Soothe 2 worth the money?
For most producers, yes.
Soothe 2 solves harshness, resonance, and sibilance faster and more transparently than any manual method, and it works on vocals, guitars, drums, synths, and full mixes.
The $209.99 price is high for a single plugin, but it goes on sale regularly for around $139 to $149, and the time it saves on problem sources justifies the cost.
If you frequently fight harsh frequencies, it is an easy recommendation.
Is Soothe 2 a compressor?
No. Soothe 2 is a dynamic resonance suppressor, closer to an intelligent dynamic EQ than a compressor.
A compressor reduces the overall level when the signal gets loud, while Soothe 2 reduces only specific harsh frequencies when they spike, leaving the rest of the sound untouched.
It works across many narrow bands at once, automatically, which is what makes it so effective at taming harshness without dulling the whole track.
Is Soothe 2 good for mastering?
Yes, it is popular in mastering for gently smoothing harshness across a whole mix.
Used lightly on the master bus, it can take the edge off a bright or harsh master without the dulling effect of a static EQ cut.
The key is restraint, since heavy processing on a full mix can suck the life out of it.
The Soft mode and small amounts of reduction are the usual approach at the mastering stage.
What is the difference between Soothe 2 and a de-esser?
A de-esser targets a single, narrow band of sibilance, usually in the 5 to 8 kHz range.
Soothe 2 hunts harsh resonances dynamically across the entire spectrum so it can act as a de-esser and much more.
Many engineers prefer it for de-essing because it follows the sibilance more musically than a fixed-band de-esser.
For heavy or complex sibilance, Soothe 2 often does a smoother, more natural job.
What is the difference between Trackspacer and Soothe 2?
They solve different problems.
Trackspacer carves space for one track by ducking another, using a sidechain so that, for example, the bass gets out of the way of the kick.
Soothe 2 works on a single track on its own, hunting and reducing its harsh internal resonances.
Trackspacer is about the relationship between two sources, while Soothe 2 is about cleaning up one. Many mixes use both for different jobs.
Should I buy Soothe 2 or Soothe 3?
Soothe 3 is the current version, so if you are buying new, it makes sense to look at the latest release first.
That said, Soothe 2 is still a fully capable, widely used plugin, and if you find it at a strong discount or already own it, it remains an excellent tool.
Check Oeksound’s current pricing and any upgrade or grace-period offers before deciding, since the value depends on the deal available when you buy.
The Bottom Line
Soothe 2 earned its reputation by solving a universal problem, harsh resonance, more cleanly and quickly than anything before it.
It is genuinely easy to use, works on almost every source, and consistently makes mixes smoother without dulling them.
The price is the only real hesitation, and sales take care of most of that.
Whether you grab Soothe 2 on a discount or step up to the newer Soothe 3, a resonance suppressor like this belongs in a modern mixing toolkit.
You can read the full specs on the official Oeksound page.
I have tried it and this is a great plugin.