Sonarworks Headphone Calibration software

[markanini]

   
I'm still wondering what your ideal alternatives for EQ are, since you think the Sonarworks software and EQ guides aren't good enough.
 
Previous quotes included, for reference:
 

 
I discussed a preference of mine that Sonarworks doesn't offer at this time and why I think the team should consider it. I don't equate that to saying Sonarworks is "not good enough", Sonarworks is owning the competition in room and speaker correction right now and the headphone correction is unique and very capable. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I discussed a preference of mine that Sonarworks doesn't offer at this time and why I think the team should consider it. I don't equate that to saying Sonarworks is "not good enough", Sonarworks is owning the competition in room and speaker correction right now and the headphone correction is unique and very capable. 

 
I am asking what I should do to make my headphones as accurate as possible, if the Sonarworks curve and the EQ guides I linked to are not accurate enough, in your opinion.

 

[markanini]

   
I am asking what I should do to make my headphones as accurate as possible, if the Sonarworks curve and the EQ guides I linked to are not accurate enough, in your opinion.

I wasn't sure what you were asking for, it seemed at first like you were asking for an alternative to manual EQ to which I didn't know of any aside from what's been discussed already...Earlier in the thread I suggested 6dB tilt and 4dB bass boost. Or run it flat and use the parametric EQ values I posted to simulate the Harman house curve. Or if you don't mind IEMs get Vsonic GR07BE, they're very close to the target without EQ. I'd love to try Sonarworks correction if they ever make one for them.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I wasn't sure what you were asking for, it seemed at first like you were asking for an alternative to manual EQ to which I didn't know of any aside from what's been discussed already...Earlier in the thread I suggested 6dB tilt and 4dB bass boost. Or run it flat and use the parametric EQ values I posted to simulate the Harman house curve. Or if you don't mind IEMs get Vsonic GR07BE, they're very close to the target without EQ. I'd love to try Sonarworks correction if they ever make one for them.

 
Now I don't even know what you are talking about. I am talking about equalization for any headphone.

 

[RudeWolf]

   
I am asking what I should do to make my headphones as accurate as possible.

 
Get the lowest THD headphones you can, make sure the pads are fresh and send them in for individual calibration. Not only will you get +/-0.9dB (worst case scenario) accuracy, but also calibration for channel to channel level differences across all frequency spectrum. Don't like our reference curve? Pile on just about any EQ plug-in or choose one of the emulation curves.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Get the lowest THD headphones you can, make sure the pads are fresh and send them in for individual calibration. Not only will you get +/-0.9dB (worst case scenario) accuracy, but also calibration for channel to channel level differences across all frequency spectrum. Don't like our reference curve? Pile on just about any EQ plug-in or choose one of the emulation curves.

 
That would certainly be an easier way of going about it, at least for me. So when you do an individual calibration, you're just measuring the headphones and inputting the settings in the software, right? And then there would be an additional preset in the software that I would select?
 
What emulation curves are you referring to?

 

[markanini]

   
Now I don't even know what you are talking about. I am talking about equalization for any headphone.

I have no clue what you are asking about then.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  I have no clue what you are asking about then.

 
I'll break it down.
 

 

I wasn't sure what you were asking for, it seemed at first like you were asking for an alternative to manual EQ to which I didn't know of any aside from what's been discussed already...

 
What has been discussed already, exactly?
 
You seemed to be saying that the Sonarworks curve is not accurate and the EQ guides aren't either, so I was just trying to figure out what I should do to make any given headphone be accurate to your standards.
 

Earlier in the thread I suggested 6dB tilt and 4dB bass boost. Or run it flat and use the parametric EQ values I posted to simulate the Harman house curve.

 
Tilt and boost from what? The stock FR of a particular headphone? A compensation curve? Please be specific.
 

Or if you don't mind IEMs get Vsonic GR07BE, they're very close to the target without EQ.

 
Which target?

 

[markanini]

@Music Alchemist We have gone through this already. There's nothing wrong with Sonarworks accuracy. I just have a different preference for the target, specifically i prefer the Harman target. You should take a closer look at Sonarworks interface where you'll find the tilt, bass boost and emulation controls.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  @Music Alchemist We have gone through this already. There's nothing wrong with Sonarworks accuracy. I just have a different preference for the target, specifically i prefer the Harman target. You should take a closer look at Sonarworks interface where you'll find the tilt, bass boost and emulation controls.

 
Oh, so you're saying tilt and boost in the Sonarworks software after the calibration has been activated. I understand now.

 

[RudeWolf]

   
That would certainly be an easier way of going about it, at least for me. So when you do an individual calibration, you're just measuring the headphones and inputting the settings in the software, right? And then there would be an additional preset in the software that I would select?
 
What emulation curves are you referring to?

 
 
We measure, analyze for measurement artifacts, generate a custom calibration profile and do listening tests to confirm the result. In the end you get an additional calibration profile and a tech passport with before/after graphs of AFR and THD.
 
I was referring to "Simulate" section in the plug-in or the selection of "Predefined" reference curves. Both introduce a deviation from our neutral curve.

 

[Syliano]

Kinda digging this plugin while listening to music with my focal spirit pro, gonna test mixing on them in a bit. Will report back! 

 

[RudeWolf]

Great! We found the Focals to be a bit peaky. With calibration the overall sound and response curve gets a lot smoother.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Great! We found the Focals to be a bit peaky. With calibration the overall sound and response curve gets a lot smoother.

 
Peaky?
 

 
It doesn't even have enough mids and treble to meet either of the two most popular compensation curves. I owned two of them and never thought it was peaky. In fact, it sounded rather dark. The peaks at 10 kHz and above aren't the type of thing you notice as much as, say, at 5 kHz. I would hope that your compensation curve at least increases some of the mids. Too bad I don't have the FSP anymore, but I may end up buying a third one sooner or later.

 

[Syliano]

  Great! We found the Focals to be a bit peaky. With calibration the overall sound and response curve gets a lot smoother.
 

Pretty nice plugin, but do you after you have mixed a song with it keep the plugin activated when listening on speakers or bouncing out a mix or do you turn it off? 
 
I'm seriously considering buying it, the translation is phenomenal. Mixing and sample choice decisions are so much easier.