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GoatandTricycle-
Nah, not smoother, there's just more potential energy in the turbo flywheel so if you ease off for a second it'll keep spinning rather than grind to a halt quickly. With a smaller gear the flywheel is slower so has less energy stored up. If you stop pedalling that energy will run out quicker and it'll be harder to get back on top of the interval. What @cjr means by micro-rests is tiny instances of not applying full pressure to the pedals.
tl:dr - if you're training for flat TTs use a big gear, training for HCs use a small gear. Either way stick to the same gear for all tests and training.
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Maybe slightly, best thing would be to do a workout in erg mode and switch between a big and small gear. See if you can notice the difference.
dbr
cjr
I have a 1x with a 56T at the front, ride in the middle of the block at the back for a straight chain line.
There is plenty of discussion, but in general, a hard gear will be slightly easier as the flywheel has more momentum so you can have micro rests. The little ring is more like riding up a hill, so if you ease up it’s more noticeable.
I can definitely tell the difference so I make sure I stick to the same gear for all my turbo workouts.