Pinky 2
by Noisebud · EQ · Automatic spectral balancer
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Pinky 2 is a Noisebud stereo spectral balancer that gently steers audio toward a noise-based target curve, from pink to brown, using dynamic correction, static correction or a blend.
Each band moves at most 1 dB dynamically, with L/R or mid/side routing and transient protection; it costs $42 or comes with a $7 Patreon membership.
Best for: Mastering, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: gentle, mid/side, full mix, bus processing, corrective, drums, dynamic, mastering, minimum-phase, mix bus, smooth, wide.
What it does
Pinky 2 is an automatic stereo spectral balancer from Noisebud. It nudges the overall tone of a mix or master towards a noise-based target curve in small, broad steps, and the developer pitches it as a final balancing tool for "material that is already in good shape".
- Tilt target: sets the curve the audio is guided towards, anywhere from pink noise (-3 dB per octave) to brown noise (-6 dB per octave), with -4.5 dB per octave as the default.
- Dynamic mode: keeps making broad corrections as the music changes, limited to at most 1 dB of change per band, using wide minimum-phase bands.
- Static mode: measures the incoming audio and builds a fixed corrective curve from it, like an automatically drawn EQ.
- Dyn/Stat blend: mixes the two, and each section can use its own Tilt target (for example dynamic towards pink, static towards brown).
- Amount, Attack and Release: Amount sets how hard it works; Attack and Release set how quickly the dynamic section reacts and how smoothly it lets go.
- Stereo handling: L/R or mid/side routing, with Band Independence and Channel Correlation controls for how freely bands and channels move.
- Protection: keep the lows (0 to 1500 Hz) and highs (1.6 to 16 kHz) untouched, and transient protection stops it reacting to drum hits.
The developer's page lists version 2.56 (static mode and the Dyn/Stat blend arrived in 2.53). It is sold as a permanent license, which covers minor updates within the major version, or is included in Noisebud's Patreon membership with 40+ plugins. There is a 30-day full trial, after which it runs in a demo mode with periodic noise bursts.
When to use it
Pinky 2 is the pick when a finished master feels slightly too bright, dull or uneven and you want it pulled towards a natural overall slope without drawing EQ moves yourself. Compared with Pro-Q 4 or TDR Nova, it makes no specific cuts or boosts you choose; it decides the broad moves itself and keeps them under 1 dB per band, so it can't fix a single problem frequency. Unlike bloom, which adapts tone through its own character controls, Pinky 2 works towards a clear, adjustable noise-slope target, and its static mode lets you print a fixed curve instead of constant movement. It is also cheap, and it is included in Noisebud's Patreon membership.
- Best for: a last, gentle tonal balance on masters and mix buses that are already close.
- Genres: any.
- Look elsewhere if: you need deliberate, surgical EQ moves (Pro-Q 4), dynamic EQ on chosen bands (TDR Nova), or resonance control (soothe3).
Where to buy
- Noisebud: $42
Tutorials and reviews
- Pinky 2 - Adaptive Spectral Balancer for Mixing and Mastering
- Noisebud Pinky v2.52 - Attack, Release, Static Curve, and more! It's a beast!
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