Sonarworks SoundID Reference Review
I’ve been making music and recording it in some way or another for 25 plus years. And although speaker calibration software isn’t necessarily new, this was to be my first venture into the realm. In this review we’ll explore what speaker calibration or room correction software is, how it works, when to use it and when it may be necessary. I’ll give you my opinion on how it has worked for me for the last 6 months and if I think it was worth the price. Though there are some options out there, different software and hardware solutions – this post will be regarding Sonarworks’ latest release of ReferenceID. The company has gone from naming their releases numerically (this would have been version 4 or “Sonarworks Reference 4”), to calling the latest showing “Sonarworks SoundID Reference”.
In order to try and understand what speaker calibration is and how it works, you need to have a bit of an understanding of sound acoustics and acoustic treatment. Now, there have been college courses and countless books on this topic, so I won’t try to go down that rabbit hole today.
Every listening space, wether it’s in a bedroom or a studio has multiple surfaces in it that sound waves can reflect off of. Walls, desks, curtains, doors, ceilings, windows, etc. And because of that, no two listening spaces are identical. It’s own sonic fingerprint, if you will. When you crank up your tunes, the speakers produce sound waves that bounce off and onto all those different surfaces that we just mentioned.
When two or more of these waves meet and are in “phase” with each other (at a specific time and frequency), it will create a peak or boost in the sound. When the waves are out of phase, they can create a dip in the frequency or sound.
This is a normal problem in small room like mine, and therefore can make it incredibly hard to get a mix to translate from one room to another. Ever wonder why producers and engineers will take a mix out to the car for a listen or listen on another set of speakers? They want to make sure it will sound good for whoever the listener is and wherever they will be listening.
Room treatment anyone?
Long prior to purchasing Sonarworks SoundID Reference, I made the educated decision to try and “tame” the reflections and standing waves (combination of two waves moving in opposite directions, each having the same amplitude and frequency) in my room. I did my research and little by little I added bass traps, absorbtion and diffuser panels to try and tame the reflections and phase issues I was experiencing. There are so many different products available on the Internet now. I love what I had made by GIK Acoustics. It was extremely reasonable, looks professional and fixed a lot of my acoustics issues. I really recommend you try walking around your own room and listen in different areas and corners. Does the sound change? Bass louder or lower? You can even try hanging heavy curtains or putting a heavy comforter in the corners where bass tends to “build up”. I noticed a big difference in my rom as I slowly added treatment a little at a time. Two large rectangular bass traps, four absorbing rectangles all hanging on the walls. I lastly added some cheap diffusor panels I picked up on Amazon. I didn’t think they would make a big difference, but when I had it all in place the difference was night and day.
Let’s try some correction!
Speaker correction software is essentially an EQ. So let’s get into it! Sonarworks has some options here, and it’ll be up to you how to proceed. They make the software available as a download from their website. I opted to purchase the version they sell that comes with a measurement microphone to handle the “calibrating “. It also come ala cart, if you would like to use it with headphones (that’s right, you can calibrate your headphones too), and they make a version for surround sound (to calibrate multiple speaker channels). I installed the software on my MacBook and followed the instructions. Honestly, Sonarworks makes setup fairly easy. Kudos! Next was to connect their calibration mic to your computers audio interface. I have a Universal Audio Apollo. Pay attention to what the software says here, you don’t want to bleed your ears out with feedback! Essentially you’re plugging into channel 1, or whatever is convenient with your setup. Adjust the level until SoundID Reference says it’s good, and lower the monitoring volume of your channels output, or mute it altogether.
Sonarworks will then ask you to place the microphone right up to each speaker, about an inch away. When you’re ready, and you tell the software you’re ready to go – SoundID Reference will start playing tones out of the speakers. It will have you stand in just about every area of your room, each time watching your video monitor so you can see a picture of where it wants you to stand while aiming the microphone towards the speakers. SoundID Reference is measuring your room and the reflections and phase in different areas while you move around. At the same time it is also plotting where your “Sweet-spot” is, exactly where your ears will be positioned while monitoring audio. The instructions say you can use a mic stand, but it is far easier and just as effective if you hold the microphone by hand. You obviously want to be still and quiet while doing this. You can perform this procedure as many times as you like. Each time Sonarworks SoundID Reference will create a file that you can save and upload. You will be able to quickly call up each output file with the click of a mouse! About 2 months after performing my calibration, I added a subwoofer to my room and had to recalibrate for it. I have settings available for when I want to use the sub, or if I decide no sub today. These files are saved with a pretty long list of available headphone output calibrations that Sonarworks provides you. I have all 4 models of headphones that I own saved to the output menu.
So, what does it sound like?
After the calibration set up was done, it was time to take her for a ride! Now, I want to disclose that I had just purchased these studio monitors (Kali Audio IN8 II’s) only 2 weeks prior to purchasing Sonarworks SoundID, so I was a little familiar with these monitors – but I hadn’t been listening to them for 5 years. I loved the Kali’s immediately, with their 3 way coaxial design. Their sound was full and pleasing. Not fatiguing at all after monitoring with them for hours on end. But, turning them up for the first time with Sonarworks SoundID running in the background……I was in blissful audio heaven! Seriously shocked. The Kali IN8’s really have a phenomenal stereo image, but the fullness and presence that I was missing, that I didn’t even know existed?!? In the SoundID software interface, there is a button in the right lower corner that allows you to enable and disable the software. This product – what it does is nothing short of amazing! You really have to hear it to believe it. Luckily Sonarworks has somewhat made that possible for you by offering a fully functional, 21 day free trial on their website. Grab your favorite pair of headphone and give it a whirl! I will never go back. If you decide you feel the same way, check out my post on what retailers I use to pick up my favorite audio gear.
I think anyone who works with audio, either as a hobby or professionally owes it to themselves to give Sonarworks SoundID Reference a try. Hearing is believing, and I myself am a believer! If you can’t hear it, then how can you mix it? It has made a huge difference to my mixes. I use the app for when I am casually listening to music and I use the plug-in when I am working in Pro Tools (AAX) or Logic Audio (AU). There are settings for latency and “Safe Headroom”. The latter will set an output limit to ensure even the most sensitive frequencies won’t distort.
Sonarworks SoundID Reference Features:
- Calibrates your speakers and headphones to ensure consistent, accurate monitoring
- Delivers a ruler-flat response across all audible frequencies
- Speaker calibration process typically takes less than 20 minutes
- Comes with an XLR measurement microphone with a custom-tailored calibration profile
- 280 ready-to-use headphone profiles for instant headphones calibration
- Permits you to make custom, on-the-fly curve adjustments to your profiles
- Save unlimited profiles for seamlessly moving between different speakers, headphones, and roomsAudition your mixes on more than 20 different simulated devices without leaving your workstation
- 3 filter modes: zero latency, mixed, and linear phase
- Extra DSP processing controls: mono, dry/wet, and safe headroom
- MIDI mapping for various parameters
- User presets for switching between predefined output devices/channel pair combinations
- Includes both DAW plug-in and standalone desktop application components
- Bit Depth: 64 bit
- Plug-in formats: AAX/VST/AU
- Runs on Mac or Windows OS
I will mention that the links above are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase.