Sound ID Reference / audio monitoring and frequency correction tools

[makeuswhole]

Does anyone here use anything like Sonarworks’ sound ID reference when they are producing/mixing/mastering?

I got this late last year, so far I haven’t calibrated my room, but I’ve been using the profile they have for my headphones (I have a mediocre pair of Beyerdynamic Custom Studios).

I was pretty surprised by the difference between the raw headphones and the “flat response” profile. Never realized how tinny they sounded before, like listening to music through a soda can.

I feel like my mixes sound better now in the car and on my phone since I’ve been using this software. Tracks that I mixed before I got them sound a little dull now, bosted mid-lows and cut highs (which I guess makes sense considering what my headphones actually sound like)

I’d be curious to know if anyone else has used this software (or other similar software if there is any) for their monitors or headphones.

If so, what do you think about this type of thing?

[Manton]

I have looked into it by recommendation from my mate. However ever since I bought a pair of AKG K612 Pros I feel as though they don’t need any correction as their response is very neutral, I highly recommend these open-back headphones. They are also the most comfortable headphones I’ve owned.

As for my monitors, I have a pair of Yamaha HS8’s which are great but still colored, particularly in the mid bass. I also have very limited space, so they are corner loaded (which is very bad positioning, particularly for rear ported speakers). I tune speakers for a living, so I made several measurements and an FIR filter for them and run the output of my Audient iD14 interface through an external DSP which runs the filters. Using FIR, you can make best effort to filter out the frequencies most excited by the room acoustics without effecting the phase reponse. Though, this is difficult for room modes below 120 Hz. They sound pretty flat now and I’m super stoked. You wouldn’t be able to get that kind of response using speaker correction software because that doesn’t account for the room. It only accounts for the factory spec’d EQ on the speakers.

All that to say, my mate uses this correction software and ever since using it his mixes are coming out way more balanced.

[makeuswhole]

I’ll have to look into these headphones. I’d like to get a new pair, specifically wanna try out open backs.

[ACRE]

I’ve been using Sound ID Reference since day 1 & trust me … it really makes a difference. I remember using HIFI headphones which were in the list of the supported headphones back then, i needed a flat frequency response to work more accurate mixes & this tool does it perfectly. That being said, this tool is not a swiss army knife or a magic tool. It just gives the most neutral frequency response needed to get good mixes. There is a workaround to avoid paying the price of this plugin. Get the frequency response curve of your headphones, should be supplied somewhere on the manufacturer website … get an EQ … curve the EQ the opposite curve as the response you get from the specifications & there you go … flat response … i’ve done it & it works… the thing is that not so many manufacturers supplies the frequency response curves of their headphones, specially now that sonaworks is in the game … but this tool really works …

The only thing to consider, & is pretty important, is that, according with the chosen setting of the filter type (which is an entire part of the tool) you get a different result & for some, are pretty audible …

I always set it to MIXED so you get a balanced of the three filter types & then a not so audible artefact.
So now, after all this, to make sure i introduce as little phase issue as possible i put an other plugin after Sound ID Reference on my MASTER & this one is a real game changer …

BASSLANE PRO

This plugin is a real game changer …