There are many ways in which the perceived sound level at any given frequency can be changed, and even moving your listening position slightly can have an effect – so there is lot that can go wrong.įrequency response analysis of the reviewer’s monitoring environment before calibration with Reference 3 The ‘sound’ of your monitoring is, in reality, a combination of both the acoustics of a given space and the speakers you place in that acoustic environment. More specifically, audio accuracy is the degree to which the audio generated in your DAW (or mixing desk) remains unaltered before arriving at your ears. It is true that upgrading the sound in your studio may not appear to deliver immediate dividends in terms of pure creativity, but it can be a game changer for the quality of your mixes – which will, eventually, feed back into the writing process.

Acoustic treatment and studio monitoring, for many, fall into this latter category.

We’ve all fallen prey to this, but sadly it’s often the less immediately glamorous items that can make the most difference. It’s all too easy to get lured into buying the next great synth, plugin or other piece of tech kit in the vain hope that it’s the missing link to production nirvana. Though it's been a long time, we're happy to say that the concept of re-balanced headphones for confidence in accuracy, translation and mobility has been worth the wait.The third version of Sonarworks’ calibration software promises to help you get the most out of your monitoring setup. Sonarworks are a new company on most people's radar, but we first heard of their headphone calibration system back in 2011 through their prototype system on show at the NAMM. Another option is to keep checking your work on headphones as this removes the room from the equation, but in many cases, headphones exert their own character through their frequency response curves which can create difficulties when you need accurate judgement.

After choosing speakers to best suit your budget and tastes, along with room treatment, room measurement and calibration systems can really help your speakers and room work together and not against each other. The neutrality of your speaker system and room response play a big part in how well you can assess and shape your music production for professional results.

Sonarworks reference 3 update