In a major development, Sonarworks announced the launch of SoundID Reference for Multichannel, the latest addition to the SoundID Reference speaker and headphone calibration product family. The new solution extends the well-known stereo calibration of SoundID Reference to multichannel setups, meeting the fast-expanding requirement of immersive/spatial audio creators, while also introducing new technology to further enhance the immersive sound experience on the whole industry/audio ecosystem level.
After a decade of supporting music creators with its calibration software, Sonarworks has created the simplest way to calibrate multichannel studios with set-ups up to 9.1.6. With the need for surround/immersive audio growing in film, gaming, recorded music and live productions, studios all over the world are racing to update their monitor setups to meet the demand for immersive audio production – including already in home and project studios – there was a clear need to deliver the same level of speaker calibration and monitoring consistency in those multichannel environments.
The objective of SoundID Reference for Multichannel is to enable anyone to calibrate their multichannel system on their own, in a simple, reliably accurate and consistent manner within an hour. As the Latvian company explains, thus improving the quality and speed of the creative work, enabling considerably better translation of spatial mixes between studios and to end-user devices.
Sonarworks started off with great success in the professional audio space in 2012, but the company is now on a mission to expand its SoundID audio personalization technology also to consumers, leveraging data-driven machine learning technology integration into consumer electronics devices and music database platforms. Sonarworks’ audio software and patented technologies are now used in more than 70,000 studios globally, and contributing to major productions for music, movies and any other type of audio content – but until now, it’s use was limited to conventional stereo monitoring.
SoundID Reference for Multichannel is an intuitive guided software that minimizes human error and delivers consistent and accurate speaker measurements and calibration for audio systems from stereo up to 9.1.6 channels. A DIY affordable solution for anyone looking to calibrate and measure multichannel setups in any environment.
“Calibration of multichannel setup is crucial for efficient and accurate monitoring. If the frequency response of the speakers in the room is not matched, sound objects change their sound as you pan them across the room. If delays of the channels are not aligned, sound from speakers arrives to your ears at different times inevitably destroying the soundstage. If your multichannel setup is not calibrated, it’s difficult to produce content that translates well outside your personal room,” says Martins Popelis, Co-founder and CPO of Sonarworks. “That’s what drove us to create this product that allows anyone to calibrate multichannel system on their own, thus improving the quality and speed of the creative work, enabling considerably better translation of spatial mixes between studios and to end-user devices.”
Achieving accurate, and reliable sound from multichannel systems is difficult, but SoundID Reference for Multichannel is designed to make it easier for those mixing at home and in professional settings. Creators will now be able to measure and calibrate their multichannel setup using Sonarworks’ intuitive software that simplifies speaker measurement with patented microphone location technology and a streamlined process
SoundID Reference for Multichannel also offers versatile application via plugin and allows to export calibration profile to the most popular multichannel hardware, including AVID MTRX with SPQ DSP, AVID MTRX Studio, DAD AX32 with SPQ DSP, Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite, and more hardware support expected later during 2022.
According to Sonarworks, the new software is available for purchase as an upgrade for users of SoundID Reference for $249 or Reference 4 for $299. The software with the measurement microphone is available for $549, and $499 without the microphone. Anyone can try out the multichannel version 21-day free by downloading the latest product version! For the existing stereo users, Sonarworks also added M1 native support as a free update.
www.sonarworks.com
