It looks like the plugin is built around a specific frequency: 3.2kHz. Damping is a relatively steep bell cut at 3.2kHz. And Presence is a high shelf above that. And modulation, as the name suggests, modulate the cut. Saturaton adds 2nd and 4th order harmonics. All in all, refinement is far less sophesticated than soothe in that regard. Although often sold at a discount, the refinement's original price of $199 is on a par with that of Soothe 2.
Great analysis, my friend! One of my viewers pointed out that it's basically just a cut at 3.2k, and I verified this in Plugin Doctor. So yeah...it's kind of a gimmick, and only worth it if it's cheap, or you get it as part of the PA subscription. There is no world where I'd recommend this at $199!! NO way. Get DSEQ or soothe at that price. Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios No, it's not just a cut at 3.2K and no it's not a gimmick. The fact that it accentuates the frequency cut around the 3.2K area does not mean that's all it does. You should watch a video called "Brainworx bx_refinement [Analyzing Mixing Plugins]"
@@musicproductionclips8928 Thanks for bringing this up! I watched the video, and, while I think there may be a point here, I suspect simply soloing the filter isn't the same as what the plugin is actually doing to the signal. But, I want to test this further. I've been meaning to post a follow-up, this is good inspiration! And to be clear: i'm a big fan of bx_refinement; even if it is a simple EQ notch, I still reach for it-because it works! Thanks so much for your comments; stay tuned for the follow-up soon!
It's also important to note that the refinement is marketed as running through tube circuitry to achieve its sound, whilst Soothe2 is dynamically surgically EQ cutting the signal; saying Soothe2 is more natural like the comments are below, to that I say: "well no shit!" 😅 Be mindful of the source material you apply it on as if your material is already heavy tube-driven, then Soothe2 may be the better go-to to keep it transparent. Definitely adding this to my toolkit!
Thanks for your insightful comments! I will point out that as long as you do not engage the saturation section of bx_refinement, it's a perfectly clean ~6 dB cut @3.2k. As fat as I can tell, that's all bx_refinement really is, with saturation, dynamics, and a strange LFO added. It's a fun, fast tool though; sounds great in a pinch! Cheers!
Useful review, thanks! That was a pretty dramatic cleanup even listening on semi-good Bluetooth headphones. I agree that Soothe 2 could do the same, and could do more besides, but it's a tool that can do as much damage as good if you're not sure what you're doing. bx_refinement seems like an Easy Button for at least this specific kind of harshness.
Yes, it's definitely an "easy button" for sure! There's a lot to be said for something that can do the job quickly during a mastering/mixing situation. bx_refinement is not an outright replacement for soothe2, but can really deliver at that price point (when it's on sale). Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the great comparison ! Excellent plugin and excellent tutorial ! And you made this AB comparison with "The Shooting Star" by Gojira 🤘 from my favorite album of the band 😁
The interesting thing is if you look at the "solo" button signal in a spectrum analyzer and do the same with the "solo" feature in Soothe 2 (called "delta" I believe), these are not the same at all. It seems like soothe2 has a more controllable attack phase prior to it's surgery, whereas bx_refinement is generally prickly.. What do you think? I think they're similar in function, but I wouldn't pass up a change to own Soothe2 necessarily. Often when I hear the resonance removal that people are doing with these things (including Gulfoss) there's a real taste factor that comes into play.
I'll tell you right now: I can't shake this suspicion that bx refinement is merely a steep cut at 3khz. The developers reassured me that there's more going on, but I'm not sure. But at the end of the day, it's very effective at reducing resonances in that region, so I still use it. Although Deres has stolen that crown, as of late. Thanks so much for watching and commenting-cheers!
I bought this a few days ago and I do like it, but after doing a few bench tests on it I’m starting to wonder if it’s kinda snake-oily and far more simple than it seems. I may be wrong, but I think it’s just a glorified single-band EQ rather than a much more complicated resonance suppressor like Soothe: I think it pretty much just cuts at about 3.2k, with the presence control boosting frequencies above 3.2k. I.e. as far as I can tell it doesn’t really do much you couldn’t do with a dynamic EQ. Which is okay, it does something useful in a quick and easy way, but yeah.
You know what? I discovered the same thing a few days ago. I was testing a few resonance suppressors to recommend for work (we went with soothe2, natch), and I didn't see much happening except for a dip around 3k, like you noticed. I've never thought that it did anything in the spectral realm, or anything, but I assumed it was doing something more than an EQ notch! I'm going to write them to verify. Thanks for pointing this out!
@@palebluedotstudios Like I say, I think it’s still a valid tool, in as much as it does something useful fast (it’s a hell of a lot quicker than setting up a single band in Pro-Q, and I think the gain is non-linear and changes the Q).. just, yeah. Really glad I didn’t spend $200 on it, put it that way! Personally I really, really like Gullfoss. I suppose for resonance suppression it’s not as fully-featured as Soothe, but I really love the combination with the unmasking.
@@CLaw-tb5gg You know, it's funny: I've noticed that Brainworx has a 3.1k notch filter in Masterdesk (along with a few other fixed notches) that was really good at fixing resonances. I ran them both through Plugin Doctor-and guess what? They are both a cut precisely at 3.1k, except Masterdesk's is a fixed, narrow notch, while refinement is a broader parametric cut. Screen-grab here: postimg.cc/JGM5q0t9 So nothing really fancy going on inside bx_refinement at all, apart from being to quickly fix a very common problem area. Great for beginners or for when it just works. I might have to post a follow-up! Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios That's very helpful. Can you let me know what you were running through to get that - i mean what generated the white noise for you. I've never used plugin doctor is the reason I'm asking. (My personal choice for this is Soothe 2 for harshness, and as C. Law said above, Gulfoss is pretty good for unmasking (probably needs to be kept at lower settings for a final mix or it could hurt rather than help).
@@jesussaddle There's actually a great free plugin from Bertom called "EQ Curve Analyzer" that will generate the test signal for you. Insert one instance of EQ Curve Analyzer, then bx_refinement, then a second instance of EQ Curve Analyzer right after, and you'll see a dip at 3.2k. bertomaudio.com
Love this plugin! It was one of the few from PA I had to have. It seems to work about half the time where I want it to. I just wish you could hone it in on a specific range to be like... FIX THIS! I rarely go past 2 on it though.
I would pretty much agree with that; it's just right, on the right material. And keep it conservative. The mix knob can help dial back in some realism too! Cheers!
I would say bx_refinement is a one-trick pony compared to DSEQ. bx_refinement is great for quick fixes, but really only works in a fixed frequency around 3k, which is generally where a lot of harshness can build up in a mix. DSEQ allows you to work in the spectral domain, with full control over what frequencies you want to fix, plus it's dynamic, can do EQ-matching...it's a real beast! On the same level as soothe2.
Thanks for asking! I'm currently remixing my LP "Automat6n", by Arkana, and putting it back up on streaming. I'll post and update when it's ready! Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios Hello! Where can I find the whole track, I really liked it, I typed Slivers of Silver Arkana into the search engine - I didn’t find anything ((
@@maxon8010 Argh! I took my tracks down for remastering (the original master was AWFUL), I need to get them back up. Stay tuned, I'll make an announcement when it's up; many viewers have asked! Thanks so much for asking, glad you liked the track!
Eh, I dig it no doubt, but it removed too much too quickly. Yes you have to push soothe harder, but that’s the point. It’s easier to get carried away with bx refinement, and to fool you into thinking it’s better. Soothe did it much more natural, and I preferred soothe in your example because it didn’t absolutely neuter the mix like refinement wanted to immediately.
I agree with that. You have to be very careful with bx_refinement because it's quite broad, and you have no control over specific frequencies. Soothe sounded more natural until I started pushing it hard, and it again shows how good soothe 2 really is. Thanks for commenting! Cheers.
@@palebluedotstudios He did just a couple of days ago, yeah. I didn’t even know about the plugin because I haven’t really scoped out brainworx store yet, honestly the dream is so big that I might not’ve got around to bx refinement. I don’t own soothe, so the only adaptive EQ’s I have are SmartEQ and Neutron (I believe they’re more mixing inclined). I am very stoked to have found and acquired an alternative to soothe, I’ve been at this for 5 years and do everything myself (music theory for a decade now). I just wanted you to know that some chump didn’t get it for free when you had to pay for it, honestly I’m disabled so the stuff Rob does really means alot to me. Thanks for the upload man, solid video
It's quite limited compared to Smooth Operator, or indeed any other spectral correction plugin. bx_refinement basically only corrects in the 3.2 khz range, whereas with Smooth Operator, you can choose which frequencies to target.
Plugin Alliance bx refinement - Secret Soothe 2 Alternative? - bx refinement!!!!! Because 0 latency in real time, Soothe it's + 34 Latency.... Bad for realtime playing.
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Don't know why more people don't talk about Bx Refinement, love this plugin
Amen. It's a real magic tool! Cheers!
Been using this forever, it just works, and does so very quickly. I've never needed Soothe for that matter.
Glad to hear it! It's a nice, simple solution. Cheers!
It looks like the plugin is built around a specific frequency: 3.2kHz. Damping is a relatively steep bell cut at 3.2kHz. And Presence is a high shelf above that. And modulation, as the name suggests, modulate the cut. Saturaton adds 2nd and 4th order harmonics. All in all, refinement is far less sophesticated than soothe in that regard. Although often sold at a discount, the refinement's original price of $199 is on a par with that of Soothe 2.
Great analysis, my friend! One of my viewers pointed out that it's basically just a cut at 3.2k, and I verified this in Plugin Doctor. So yeah...it's kind of a gimmick, and only worth it if it's cheap, or you get it as part of the PA subscription. There is no world where I'd recommend this at $199!! NO way. Get DSEQ or soothe at that price. Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios No, it's not just a cut at 3.2K and no it's not a gimmick. The fact that it accentuates the frequency cut around the 3.2K area does not mean that's all it does. You should watch a video called "Brainworx bx_refinement [Analyzing Mixing Plugins]"
@@musicproductionclips8928 Thanks for bringing this up! I watched the video, and, while I think there may be a point here, I suspect simply soloing the filter isn't the same as what the plugin is actually doing to the signal. But, I want to test this further. I've been meaning to post a follow-up, this is good inspiration! And to be clear: i'm a big fan of bx_refinement; even if it is a simple EQ notch, I still reach for it-because it works! Thanks so much for your comments; stay tuned for the follow-up soon!
@@palebluedotstudios Hey, a more in-depth follow up would be amazing! Will be looking forward for the video, keep up the good work :)
@@musicproductionclips8928 Thanks so much! I'll get to work on that follow-up! Thanks so much for watching!
Good stuff and perfectly explained, especially the Dynamics section. Some of the older BX range are studio GOATS.
Wow! thanks so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. bx stuff RULES! Their amp sims are secret treasures, to name a few...
It's also important to note that the refinement is marketed as running through tube circuitry to achieve its sound, whilst Soothe2 is dynamically surgically EQ cutting the signal; saying Soothe2 is more natural like the comments are below, to that I say: "well no shit!" 😅 Be mindful of the source material you apply it on as if your material is already heavy tube-driven, then Soothe2 may be the better go-to to keep it transparent. Definitely adding this to my toolkit!
Thanks for your insightful comments! I will point out that as long as you do not engage the saturation section of bx_refinement, it's a perfectly clean ~6 dB cut @3.2k. As fat as I can tell, that's all bx_refinement really is, with saturation, dynamics, and a strange LFO added. It's a fun, fast tool though; sounds great in a pinch! Cheers!
Useful review, thanks! That was a pretty dramatic cleanup even listening on semi-good Bluetooth headphones. I agree that Soothe 2 could do the same, and could do more besides, but it's a tool that can do as much damage as good if you're not sure what you're doing. bx_refinement seems like an Easy Button for at least this specific kind of harshness.
Yes, it's definitely an "easy button" for sure! There's a lot to be said for something that can do the job quickly during a mastering/mixing situation. bx_refinement is not an outright replacement for soothe2, but can really deliver at that price point (when it's on sale). Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks for the tips, I will use this in my future masters if needed !!!
So glad to hear that! Always happy to help. Stay tuned for more tips. :)
Thank-you very much! I didn't know how good Bx refinement is.
It's great! Although, at this point, I'd say get Deres. It's fantastic, dirt-cheap, and much more tweakable!
I was listening on my mixcube, refinement does sound more natural and indeed better than soothe.
Ooh, good to know! I don't have a mixcube (envy), but I find bx is amazing for killing the nastiness in guitars. Cheers!
Thanks for the great comparison ! Excellent plugin and excellent tutorial ! And you made this AB comparison with "The Shooting Star" by Gojira 🤘 from my favorite album of the band 😁
Dude, that song is amazing!! Haha. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for watching, cheers!
Amazing review thank you. I’m going to buy it right now haha 🔥
Amazing! Glad this was helpful! Cheers!
The interesting thing is if you look at the "solo" button signal in a spectrum analyzer and do the same with the "solo" feature in Soothe 2 (called "delta" I believe), these are not the same at all. It seems like soothe2 has a more controllable attack phase prior to it's surgery, whereas bx_refinement is generally prickly.. What do you think? I think they're similar in function, but I wouldn't pass up a change to own Soothe2 necessarily. Often when I hear the resonance removal that people are doing with these things (including Gulfoss) there's a real taste factor that comes into play.
I'll tell you right now: I can't shake this suspicion that bx refinement is merely a steep cut at 3khz. The developers reassured me that there's more going on, but I'm not sure. But at the end of the day, it's very effective at reducing resonances in that region, so I still use it. Although Deres has stolen that crown, as of late. Thanks so much for watching and commenting-cheers!
Beautiful song. Didn't find it anywhere. Why don't you share it on Spotify or somewhere else? :)
Thank you! I'm going to upload this album soon, was just remixing it. Cheers!
Thank you for the review man! 🙏
Thank you! Always a pleasure. Cheers!
I bought this a few days ago and I do like it, but after doing a few bench tests on it I’m starting to wonder if it’s kinda snake-oily and far more simple than it seems. I may be wrong, but I think it’s just a glorified single-band EQ rather than a much more complicated resonance suppressor like Soothe: I think it pretty much just cuts at about 3.2k, with the presence control boosting frequencies above 3.2k.
I.e. as far as I can tell it doesn’t really do much you couldn’t do with a dynamic EQ. Which is okay, it does something useful in a quick and easy way, but yeah.
You know what? I discovered the same thing a few days ago. I was testing a few resonance suppressors to recommend for work (we went with soothe2, natch), and I didn't see much happening except for a dip around 3k, like you noticed. I've never thought that it did anything in the spectral realm, or anything, but I assumed it was doing something more than an EQ notch! I'm going to write them to verify. Thanks for pointing this out!
@@palebluedotstudios Like I say, I think it’s still a valid tool, in as much as it does something useful fast (it’s a hell of a lot quicker than setting up a single band in Pro-Q, and I think the gain is non-linear and changes the Q).. just, yeah. Really glad I didn’t spend $200 on it, put it that way!
Personally I really, really like Gullfoss. I suppose for resonance suppression it’s not as fully-featured as Soothe, but I really love the combination with the unmasking.
@@CLaw-tb5gg You know, it's funny: I've noticed that Brainworx has a 3.1k notch filter in Masterdesk (along with a few other fixed notches) that was really good at fixing resonances. I ran them both through Plugin Doctor-and guess what? They are both a cut precisely at 3.1k, except Masterdesk's is a fixed, narrow notch, while refinement is a broader parametric cut. Screen-grab here: postimg.cc/JGM5q0t9
So nothing really fancy going on inside bx_refinement at all, apart from being to quickly fix a very common problem area. Great for beginners or for when it just works. I might have to post a follow-up! Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios That's very helpful. Can you let me know what you were running through to get that - i mean what generated the white noise for you. I've never used plugin doctor is the reason I'm asking. (My personal choice for this is Soothe 2 for harshness, and as C. Law said above, Gulfoss is pretty good for unmasking (probably needs to be kept at lower settings for a final mix or it could hurt rather than help).
@@jesussaddle There's actually a great free plugin from Bertom called "EQ Curve Analyzer" that will generate the test signal for you. Insert one instance of EQ Curve Analyzer, then bx_refinement, then a second instance of EQ Curve Analyzer right after, and you'll see a dip at 3.2k. bertomaudio.com
Thanks for indication.
You are most welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the review
My absolute pleasure! Thanks so much for watching. Cheers!
Love this plugin! It was one of the few from PA I had to have. It seems to work about half the time where I want it to. I just wish you could hone it in on a specific range to be like... FIX THIS! I rarely go past 2 on it though.
I would pretty much agree with that; it's just right, on the right material. And keep it conservative. The mix knob can help dial back in some realism too! Cheers!
Thanks for the video 👍
My pleasure! Thanks for watching! Cheers.
This just saved me from getting sooth 2
Awesome! Of course you can do more with soothe 2, but bx_refinement gets you there really quickly. Cheers!
How would you compare this to TBProAudio DSEQ? I already have the bx_refinement plug in the mix&master bundle.
I would say bx_refinement is a one-trick pony compared to DSEQ. bx_refinement is great for quick fixes, but really only works in a fixed frequency around 3k, which is generally where a lot of harshness can build up in a mix. DSEQ allows you to work in the spectral domain, with full control over what frequencies you want to fix, plus it's dynamic, can do EQ-matching...it's a real beast! On the same level as soothe2.
@@palebluedotstudios thank you, and especially for the quick reply. Glad you monitor this channel, unlike some other YT channels.
@@thomasfokas My pleasure, and thanks! I love to keep the conversation going, always great to hear everyone's thoughts and opinions! Cheers!
What's the track dude?
Slivers of Silver, by my band Arkana. I'm currently remastering to get it back on Spotify. I'll share a link. Thanks!
where can I hear the rest of that song?
Thanks for asking! I'm currently remixing my LP "Automat6n", by Arkana, and putting it back up on streaming. I'll post and update when it's ready! Cheers!
@@palebluedotstudios Hello! Where can I find the whole track, I really liked it, I typed Slivers of Silver Arkana into the search engine - I didn’t find anything ((
@@maxon8010 Argh! I took my tracks down for remastering (the original master was AWFUL), I need to get them back up. Stay tuned, I'll make an announcement when it's up; many viewers have asked! Thanks so much for asking, glad you liked the track!
Eh, I dig it no doubt, but it removed too much too quickly. Yes you have to push soothe harder, but that’s the point. It’s easier to get carried away with bx refinement, and to fool you into thinking it’s better. Soothe did it much more natural, and I preferred soothe in your example because it didn’t absolutely neuter the mix like refinement wanted to immediately.
I agree with that. You have to be very careful with bx_refinement because it's quite broad, and you have no control over specific frequencies. Soothe sounded more natural until I started pushing it hard, and it again shows how good soothe 2 really is. Thanks for commenting! Cheers.
Just got this for free from Rob Mayzes, what a G
Rob Mayzes has a deal on bx refinement?
@@palebluedotstudios He did just a couple of days ago, yeah. I didn’t even know about the plugin because I haven’t really scoped out brainworx store yet, honestly the dream is so big that I might not’ve got around to bx refinement. I don’t own soothe, so the only adaptive EQ’s I have are SmartEQ and Neutron (I believe they’re more mixing inclined). I am very stoked to have found and acquired an alternative to soothe, I’ve been at this for 5 years and do everything myself (music theory for a decade now). I just wanted you to know that some chump didn’t get it for free when you had to pay for it, honestly I’m disabled so the stuff Rob does really means alot to me. Thanks for the upload man, solid video
What's this like compared to Smooth Operator?
It's quite limited compared to Smooth Operator, or indeed any other spectral correction plugin. bx_refinement basically only corrects in the 3.2 khz range, whereas with Smooth Operator, you can choose which frequencies to target.
What song is this that you mixed/fixed?
It's "Slivers of Silver", by my band Arkana. I'm currently remixing the album, will be on streaming soon.
@@palebluedotstudios thank you. Looking forward to checking it out when it’s done.
@@thomasfokas Thanks, man! I'll let you know when it's ready (reminds me to get back on that)!
Y’all better get it now it’s on sale 🤣😂
Dams I wish I had a Time Machine 😢😂
No worries, guys. It goes on sale often!
It is free right now with the $20 off
@@iamtorrego Awesome! I highly recommend it for free, even though you can get similar results with an EQ dip at 3.2khz. Cheers!
if you wanna get rid of the awful noise, why not just turn the track off?!?! :P
You could be right! Or just re-record with a not-noisy guitar. Always a better option than processing your entire mix. :)
Just got it for $19.99 😋
Oh, look at that: Summer Sale! Great news! Cheers.!
Plugin Alliance bx refinement - Secret Soothe 2 Alternative? - bx refinement!!!!! Because 0 latency in real time, Soothe it's + 34 Latency.... Bad for realtime playing.
Good call! bx is great for low-latency solutions. Resonance in your guitar? Slap it on! Thanks for watching. Cheers!