{"id":28509,"date":"2023-07-03T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/?p=28509"},"modified":"2025-10-12T09:54:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T13:54:55","slug":"does-sonarworks-actually-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/does-sonarworks-actually-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Sonarworks (actually) Work? | SoundID Reference Review for Home Studios"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Does Sonarworks (actually) Work? | Start to Finish Home Studio Room Correction\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iG-LtHGssDM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_6 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i>Like this video?<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_7 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light\">\n<div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\">\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47\ud83d\udc47<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"et_pb_button_module_wrapper et_pb_button_0_wrapper et_pb_button_alignment_center et_pb_module \" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"et_pb_button et_pb_button_0 et_pb_bg_layout_dark\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/raytownproductions?sub_confirmation=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel!<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sonarworks SoundID Reference is room correction software that measures your studio and applies EQ to fix problems. But does Sonarworks <em>actually<\/em> work?<\/p> <p>In this start-to-finish walkthrough, I test the accuracy of Sonarworks room correction, explain the setup, and share results so you can decide if it\u2019s worth it. Spoiler: it helps your mixes translate better outside your home studio.<\/p> <h2>What Is Sonarworks SoundID Reference?<\/h2> <p>Sonarworks SoundID Reference is a calibration tool for speakers and headphones. It measures your room\u2019s frequency response, then applies corrective EQ to reach a chosen target curve.<\/p> <p>For producers, mixing, and mastering engineers working in untreated or imperfect rooms, Sonarworks room correction can be a game changer\u2014used correctly.<\/p> <h2>Does Sonarworks Room Correction Work? My Results<\/h2> <p>I measured an uncorrected response, applied the SoundID \u201cFlat\u201d target, then compared overlays of corrected vs. uncorrected curves. The corrected response tightened low end, reduced harshness, and improved overall balance.<\/p> <p>Translation improved across different headphones, car stereos, and speakers. Some modal issues remained, but overall Sonarworks SoundID Reference delivered a clear improvement.<\/p> <h2>Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Sonarworks in a Home Studio<\/h2> <h3>1) Prepare Your Gear<\/h3> <ul> <li>Install Sonarworks SoundID Reference (<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/42FvXAQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">download<\/a>).<\/li> <li>Use a measurement mic (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3N2qTkn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UMIK-1<\/a> or Sonarworks mic).<\/li> <li>Connect your audio interface and studio monitors.<\/li> <\/ul> <h3>2) Configure Inputs &#038; Outputs<\/h3> <ul> <li>Select the measurement microphone input and set healthy levels.<\/li> <li>Assign the correct monitor outputs and confirm left\/right speakers.<\/li> <\/ul> <h3>3) Measure Your Room Acoustics<\/h3> <ul> <li>Follow the on-screen prompts to take multiple mic positions around the listening spot.<\/li> <li>Keep the room quiet; avoid touching the mic or stand during sweeps.<\/li> <\/ul> <h3>4) Apply Calibration &#038; Choose Targets<\/h3> <ul> <li>Load the measured profile into SoundID Reference.<\/li> <li>Start with the \u201cFlat\u201d target or try a <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3qFuSvS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">custom target curve<\/a> for genre-friendly voicing.<\/li> <li>Use \u201cTranslation Check\u201d to audition consumer playback profiles and refine decisions.<\/li> <\/ul> <h3>5) Latency &#038; Filter Types<\/h3> <ul> <li>Mixed vs. Linear Phase: Linear can add latency and potential pre-ringing; Mixed balances phase and latency for tracking.<\/li> <li>Choose lower latency for recording; switch to higher accuracy for mixing\/mastering.<\/li> <\/ul> <h2>Sonarworks Headphone Calibration<\/h2> <p>SoundID Reference also supports headphone calibration. This is useful for late-night mixing and cross-checking translation.<\/p> <p>Use Sonarworks\u2019 pre-calibrated models or custom-calibrated headphones to get closer to a neutral reference.<\/p> <h2>What Sonarworks Can\u2019t Fix<\/h2> <ul> <li><strong>Room modes &#038; nulls:<\/strong> Deep cancellations may persist.<\/li> <li><strong>Early reflections:<\/strong> Treat first-reflection points with absorption.<\/li> <li><strong>Speaker\/listener placement:<\/strong> Optimize before calibration for best results.<\/li> <\/ul> <h2>Tips for Better Mix Translation<\/h2> <ul> <li>Use Room EQ Wizard (<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3cn82Po\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">REW<\/a>) to verify in-room response.<\/li> <li>Save multiple SoundID target presets (e.g., flat, slight low-end tilt, gentle high-shelf).<\/li> <li>Level-match before A\/B to avoid loudness bias.<\/li> <li>Cross-check on headphones and consumer speakers using Translation Check.<\/li> <\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2> Free Stuff and Links <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5 Download My FREE Mixing Cheat Sheet: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3gCF7rS\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3gCF7rS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5SOFTWARE\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udd17 Sonarworks SoundID Reference: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/42FvXAQ\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/42FvXAQ<\/a><br>\ud83d\udd17 My Custom Sonarworks EQ Target: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3qFuSvS\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3qFuSvS<\/a><br>\ud83d\udd17 Room EQ Wizard: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3cn82Po\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3cn82Po<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5HARDWARE\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udd17 Umik-1 (room eq wizard usb microphone): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3N2qTkn\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3N2qTkn<\/a><br>\ud83d\udd17 Sonarworks Microphone: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/34quyWB\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/34quyWB<\/a><br>\ud83d\udd17 Sonarworks Custom Calibrated Headphones: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/43WFlRY\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/43WFlRY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5COURSES\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2cLearn to Edit Your Guitar\/Drums\/Bass\/Vocals Like a Pro: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3vQ4dg4\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3vQ4dg4<\/a><br>\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udd2cComplete Home Studio Mastering Course (Rock &amp; Metal)<br>\ud83d\udcb010% OFF: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3q5HGZr\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3q5HGZr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5LET&#8217;S WORK TOGETHER\ud83d\udca5<br>Get a customized mixing and mastering package for your music!<br>\ud83d\udd0a <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/2y1T78h\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/2y1T78h<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5MY GEAR\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udd0aStudio Monitors &#8211; Genelec 8030c: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3ehDq2N\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/3ehDq2N<\/a><br>\ud83d\udcf7Sony ZV-1 Camera: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3rqG2ma\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3rqG2ma<\/a><br>\ud83c\udf99Shure Beta 57 Microphone (Video): <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3prXseo\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/3prXseo<\/a><br>\ud83d\udddcBoom Stand for Mic: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2YYjn0O\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/2YYjn0O<\/a><br>\ud83d\udca1Ring Light: <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2Yj6qzB\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">amzn.to\/2Yj6qzB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5SOCIAL\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udcf9 Twitch (Watch LIVE!): <a href=\"https:\/\/twitch.tv\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">twitch.tv\/raytownproductions<\/a><br>\ud83d\udd17 Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">facebook.com\/raytownproductions<\/a><br>\ud83d\udcf7 Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/raytownproductions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">instagram.com\/raytownproductions<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udca5CONNECT\ud83d\udca5<br>\ud83d\udc4b Private FB Community: <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/hsftgroup\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bit.ly\/hsftgroup<\/a><br>\u2b50 Blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.raytownproductions.com\/blog<\/a><br>\ud83d\udce7 E-mail: <a href=\"mailto:bobby@raytownproductions.com\" class=\"autohyperlink\">bobby@raytownproductions.com<\/a><br>\ud83d\udc99 Website: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.raytownproductions.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Please help support this channel! Some of the links are affiliate links which doesn&#8217;t cost you anything extra. At the same time, I also receive a small tip from each sale (basically like buying me a cup of coffee \u2615 for helping you out with these high-quality videos).<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a win win, and I very much appreciate it \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u231aTIMESTAMPS\u231a<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">00:00 &#8211; Sonarworks Home Studio Calibration [Start to Finish]<br>00:43 &#8211; FREE STUFF!<br>01:05 &#8211; What is Sonarworks SoundID?<br>01:56 &#8211; My Recommendation for Using Sonarworks<br>02:42 &#8211; Sonarworks Headphone Correction<br>03:21 &#8211; How to Set Up Sonarworks<br>04:10 &#8211; Setting Microphone Input<br>06:33 &#8211; Assigning Outputs and Speakers<br>07:20 &#8211; Preparing for Measurements with Sonarworks<br>08:02 &#8211; How to Measure Room Acoustics with Sonarworks<br>10:22 &#8211; Sonarworks Measured In Room Response<br>10:49 &#8211; How to Apply Sonarworks Calibration to Speakers<br>11:26 &#8211; Loading EQ Corrected Profile into Sonarworks SoundID<br>12:25 &#8211; SoundID EQ Correction Targets<br>13:03 &#8211; Sonarworks Latency Considerations<br>13:49 &#8211; Correction Filter Types &#8211; Mixed and Linear Phase<br>14:23 &#8211; Possible Pre-Ringing with Linear Phase Filters<br>16:14 &#8211; Setting Up Custom Targets In Sonarworks<br>18:35 &#8211; Checking Your New Profile (and my suggestions)<br>19:42 &#8211; SoundID Translation Check &#8211; My Recommendations<br>21:49 &#8211; How Well Does Sonarworks (actually) Work?<br>22:22 &#8211; Analyzing In Room Response<br>22:51 &#8211; 100 dB!<br>23:27 &#8211; How to Read Frequency Response Plots<br>24:33 &#8211; Weird Peaks in High Frequency<br>25:01 &#8211; Measuring Sonarworks &#8220;Flat&#8221; Target<br>25:56 &#8211; Overlaying Uncorrected and Sonarworks Corrected Responses<br>27:01 &#8211; Problems Sonarworks Didn&#8217;t Fix<br>27:38 &#8211; In Room Response of Custom Target Curve<br>28:06 &#8211; Final Thoughts and Summary<br>29:12 &#8211; Lots of FREE Downloads In Description!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does Sonarworks room correction work? We test SoundID Reference in a home studio and share setup tips, custom targets, and translation advice for better mixes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28516,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[126,247,246,245],"class_list":["post-28509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-review","tag-room-correction","tag-software","tag-sonarworks","et_post_format-et-post-format-video","et-doesnt-have-format-content"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28509"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29023,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28509\/revisions\/29023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.raytownproductions.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}