We are absolutely thrilled to share that Dynamic Grading 2 has received a nomination for the 2026 Sound on Sound awards. SOS is one of the most widely recognised and respected audio production publications, so we are honoured to be among the line-up of nominees in the Software Plugin category.
The nomination follows Trevor Michael’s review of Dynamic Grading earlier this year, in which he said…
“I have to admit that I approached this plug-in with a healthy dollop of scepticism because judging it on first appearances it struck me as being little more than a fancy-looking compressor/ expander. I have plenty of those already, of course, so I didn’t initially see the point… But once I began to examine Dynamic Grading in more depth, I quickly changed my opinion and began to appreciate the benefits it offers.
Dynamic Grading is way more detailed than a standard compressor, and neither should it be confused with a multiband compressor. Playfair Audio aren’t reinventing the idea of dynamic shaping exactly, but they are certainly enabling us to think about it in a different way. Being able to control the main body of the sound either without affecting the transients, or while separately enhancing them, is incredibly useful. And at the same time, you’re able to reduce the noise floor, while keeping the body of the sound intact.
[…] I reckon this could well become the tool I reach for from now on to breathe new life into the over-compressed audio files I sometimes receive for mixing.”
If you believe Dynamic Grading 2 is one of the best software plugin releases of the last 12 months, we’d love your support! Voting is open now across a range of software and hardware categories and closes at 23:59 PST on 30 November 2025.