Sonarworks Headphone Calibration software

[RudeWolf]

VSTHost is anything but intuitive!
 
So you need this - http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm
 
It will make an emulated environment which will be able to use VST plug-ins.
 
And this - http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Cable/
 
It's a utility which will make it possible for your system to communicate with VSTHost and treat it like a DAC, while actually it will be a proxy between a DAC and your audio output.
 
Keep in mind that our plug-in will introduce a minimum of 1.13ms of delay, which makes it clunky to use for video. Tidal on the other hand should be just fine! We currently have a zero latency in the works, so stay tuned!

 

[Music Alchemist]

  VSTHost is anything but intuitive!
 
So you need this - http://www.hermannseib.com/english/vsthost.htm
 
It will make an emulated environment which will be able to use VST plug-ins.
 
And this - http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Cable/
 
It's a utility which will make it possible for your system to communicate with VSTHost and treat it like a DAC, while actually it will be a proxy between a DAC and your audio output.
 
Keep in mind that our plug-in will introduce a minimum of 1.13ms of delay, which makes it clunky to use for video. Tidal on the other hand should be just fine! We currently have a zero latency in the works, so stay tuned!

 
Yeeeeaahhhh...no clue how to work with any of this. I need to know how to do it, step by step.
 
I don't need an external DAC, do I? (I sold all my amps and DACs for now.)

 

[interpolate]

Essentially vst host act as go between host; a bridge if you like. So you would set up the asio driver in foobar2000 and add the sonarworks plug-in to vst host. The returning output should be the callibrated audio. Although this isn't the primary application for this program.

 

[markanini]

   
Yeeeeaahhhh...no clue how to work with any of this. I need to know how to do it, step by step.
 
I don't need an external DAC, do I? (I sold all my amps and DACs for now.)

20 seconds of google brought me to this guide: https://nirklars.wordpress.com/tag/vb-audio/

 

[Music Alchemist]

Essentially vst host act as go between host; a bridge if you like. So you would set up the asio driver in foobar2000 and add the sonarworks plug-in to vst host. The returning output should be the callibrated audio. Although this isn't the primary application for this program.

 
I'm talking about how to use it with videos. I already got it to work with foobar2000.
 
(Guess you didn't read my earlier posts in this thread about that.)
 

  20 seconds of google brought me to this guide: https://nirklars.wordpress.com/tag/vb-audio/

 
Thanks. Still looks way too complicated, though...

 

[markanini]

 
Thanks. Still looks way too complicated, though...

Find some free time and brew a pot of coffee. You can do it, I believe in you. 

 

 

[interpolate]

If anything takes more than 3 or 4 steps it probably is.

 

[dakanao]

VSTHost doesn't work? I get a weird error with a lot of text if I try to open VSTHost.

 

[Music Alchemist]

@RudeWolf
 
How do I change the headphone calibration profile to a different headphone? When I try to, it just shows my desktop now. I don't know where the files are. When I first installed the plugin, it had a list of profiles to choose from. I have been looking through my program files folders and cannot find any of the files I need. Where are the files located?
 
Just found the files. They were in Documents, Sonarworks Projects.

 

[Music Alchemist]

Meh. Don't like the M50x preset at all. Just makes it sound more clinical. Then again, I'm not impressed by the M50x in the first place. Sounds pretty inaccurate with or without the calibration, but more enjoyable to me without. Guess I was hoping for too much when I bought it, despite being spoiled by much more expensive headphones. The Focal Spirit Professional and Yamaha HPH-MT220 easily outperform the M50x, and those aren't even examples of expensive headphones. I was delighted to hear that the FSP will have a preset soon. I've owned two of those, but probably won't buy it a third time. Anyway, the Sony preset remains awesome!

 

[RudeWolf]

Enjoyable sound was never our promise. If you straighten out a U-curved headphone the first impression will be a 'clinical' sound, no way around it. We're okay with that, because it will result in more enjoyable mixes.

 

[interpolate]

@RudeWolf
It's not often I get to communicate with one of the developers on a public forum, so here it goes.
 
It's the same question as before although asked in a different way.
 
I am a Sonar Platinum user and will be using Reference 3 on a Master Bus, so my question is how do I use it with my mix process, Do I mix through the plug-in and bypass it on render? The reason I ask is because of the cut in gain it applies by default or will I turn of the prevent clipping and control any volume transients using a limiter elsewhere on the Master bus.
 
To keep this relevant I will be using the AKG K702 Average profile.
 
Nobody seemed to address the question when I asked earlier.
 
I would ask on Sonar forum although there seems to be a lot of one-up-manship on there at the moment.

 

[markanini]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by interpolate /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Do I mix through the plug-in and bypass it on render?

Yes.
 

 The reason I ask is because of the cut in gain it applies by default or will I turn of the prevent clipping and control any volume transients using a limiter elsewhere on the Master bus.

Do limiter (and all other)processing and level monitoring before the plugin and you will have zero chance of unexpected results.

 

[RudeWolf]

What he said.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Enjoyable sound was never our promise. If you straighten out a U-curved headphone the first impression will be a 'clinical' sound, no way around it. We're okay with that, because it will result in more enjoyable mixes.

 
I meant clinical in a bad way, as in synthetic and artificial, not accurate. But it's the headphone's fault more than anything. Sounded mediocre to me either way. I thought the software made the 7506 sound much more accurate, on the other hand. The compensation curve could still use some tweaking, I'd say.