Wednesday, January 24, 2018 – Anaheim, CA — European audio software developer Sonarworks [Booth 16300, Anaheim Convention Center] will be demonstrating its award-winning Reference 4 studio monitor and headphone calibration software during the 2018 NAMM Show this week. Reference 4 — the latest generation of the acclaimed Reference 3, which is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems, was launched last October. The latest update — which is available now — includes average calibration profiles for 13 new headphones, bringing the total to 114 headphone models altogether.
The new headphone calibrations include popular professional models from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, Sony, Bowers & Wilikins and others.
“The biggest opportunity in any professional production environment is the monitoring,” commented Martins Popelis, co-founder, VP of Professional Products, Sonarworks. “Despite years of innovation in our industry, the single greatest challenge an engineer faces is ensuring his or her work translates well – sounds good also when played outside studio. Following years of research and application, our advanced Reference 4 software solves this problem by providing a common sonic reference.”
According to a recent Sonarworks-conducted poll of over 400 studios, 67 percent of music creators admit that their studio monitors and headphones cannot be trusted. The issue becomes exacerbated when engineers are mixing for a vast range of uncalibrated listening devices at the consumer level — including both headphones and loudspeakers. So engineers end up making compromises by mixing for what they think will sound good on ‘most devices.’
Digitally resolving a widespread, age-old problem
Sonarworks’ algorithms are now used in thousands of commercial recording facilities around the world, enabling engineers the opportunity to finally record and mix to a common reference sound.
Sonarworks’ Reference 4 solution works equally well in both studio rooms and on headphones. After an acoustic analysis of any given room or applying a pre-set measurement profile for headphone , the software employs a complex DSP-based filtering scheme using up to 4,000 points of correction — with the end result being a flat, studio reference sound. The software works effectively from virtually any location in the studio or on 114 headphone models, automatically compensating for tonal anomalies across the entire frequency range.
Reference 4 consists of three primary elements: a DAW plug-in (compatible with AU, AAX Native, RTAS and VST formats), a Systemwide app, and room measurement software. In addition to including calibration for the aforementioned headphone models, Sonarworks Reference 4 DAW plug-in also features zero latency — so engineers can track instruments and vocals with full confidence in their monitoring system. The software system takes less than ten minutes to set up, and the Reference 4 Studio Edition — which includes a room calibration microphone — costs just $299. Customers looking to try the software before they purchase can access a free 21-day trial here.
For more information about Sonarworks’ Reference 4, please visit https://www.sonarworks.com/reference
