Transcript
Sonarworks Reference 3 Quickstart Guide VERSION 2 (APRIL 2017)
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Table of Contents 1. Download and Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. License Activation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.1.
Online Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.2.
Offline Activation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Plugin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Speaker and Room Calibration Software . . . . 16 5. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Systemwide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Download and Installation 1. Visit Sonarworks downloads page https://www.sonarworks.com/downloads and navigate to the appropriate section of the product you would like to download.
2. Click the download button to download a Reference 3 product.
Run the downloaded file and follow the installation steps.
DOWNLOAD AND INSTALLATION
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2. License Activation 1. When first launching the software you will be prompted for a license key. Click ‘Enter license’ if you already have a permanent or trial activation code available. Click ‘Free trial’ to apply for a 21-day trial activation code. IMPORTANT
We recommend activating the software from the DAW plugin and not the standalone room measurement application.
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LICENSE ACTIVATION
2. Both online and offline activation is available. Complete the fields and press ‘Next’ for online activation or press ‘Offline activation’ if an internet connection is unavailable. ›› Skip to page 6 if you have selected ‘Offline activation’.
LICENSE ACTIVATION
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2. License Activation 2.1. Online Activation 1. Complete the required fields and press ‘Next’: 1. Enter your e-mail address 2. Repeat e-mail address for confirmation 3. Enter your activation code (XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX-XXXXXX).
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LICENSE ACTIVATION
2. Upon successful activation the following window will pop up. Press ‘Let’s start’ to start using the licensed software.
3. If the license activation is not successful, we recommend trying offline activation. If that doesn’t help, visit http://www.sonarworks.com/support and open a support ticket detailing your problem.
LICENSE ACTIVATION
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2. License Activation 2.2. Offline Activation 1. After selecting ‘Offline activation’ in the activation menu (see page 5), press ‘Generate Activation request’. Save the generated .swinfo file on your computer. IMPORTANT
To complete the following steps you will need to transfer the generated license file to a computer that is connected to the internet.
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LICENSE ACTIVATION
2. Visit the highlighted page (https://www.sonarworks.com/store/offline-activation) on a computer that has internet connection and provide the following information: A. Your first name B. Your last name C. Email address used when purchasing the software or applying for trial D. The activation code received via email E. Click ‘Browse’ and select the .swinfo file saved in the previous step
A
B
C
D
E
Click ‘Submit’.
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3. The products included in your license will be displayed. Select which products you would like to activate and click ‘Submit’
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LICENSE ACTIVATION
4. Click ‘Download license file’ and save the generated .swlic file to your computer.
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5. Back in the plugin, press ‘Import license file’ and select the saved .swlic file to finish software activation.
6. The active licenses associated with the software can be reviewed by pressing Sonarworks logo at the top left corner of the software GUI. All active licenses are displayed in green. TROUBLESHOOTING
If you are unable to activate your license using the previous steps, visit http://www.sonarworks.com/support and open a support ticket detailing your problem.
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LICENSE ACTIVATION
LICENSE ACTIVATION
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3. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Plugin 1. Insert the plugin at the end of the effects chain of the Master Bus in your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software.
2. Make sure your license is activated. If not, click on Sonarworks logo on the top left corner to open the activation menu and click ‘Add new product license’. Refer to License Activation chapter of this guide for details.
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3. Select desired calibration mode - speaker interface will change accordingly.
or headphone
. The plugin 4.
3.
5.
4. If calibrating headphones, load a calibration profile for your headphone model into the plugin by clicking the drop-down menu. If there are no headphone calibration profiles in the Sonarworks Projects folder, please re-activate the plugin. TROUBLESHOOTING
Refer to Chapter 2 of this guide for details. If re-activation fails, visit http://www.sonarworks.com/support and open a support ticket detailing your problem.
›› To calibrate your speakers please refer to the ‘Using the Reference 3 Studio Speaker Measurement Software’ section of this guide. 5. You are now ready to test your calibrated system! We recommend listening to some reference tracks to get used to how calibration affects the sound of your system. You can A/B test the sound by using the calibration On / Off button. IMPORTANT
Bypass the plugin completely in your DAW before rendering the mix for playback on a another system.
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4. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Speaker and Room Calibration Software 1. Before beginning the calibration process, please confirm that: A The Sonarworks Reference 3 speaker calibration software is downloaded and installed. Please refer to the Download and Installation part of this guide for details. B The audio interface connected to the system has a calibration microphone connected via XLR connection. C +48V phantom power is turned on for the microphone input channel. D The sampling rate is set to 44.1kHz on all interconnected systems. If possible, use a single audio interface for the calibration process, otherwise making sure that all the system components are synchronized to a single word clock. E If running the software for the first time, make sure to have a valid trial or permanent activation code for the Sonarworks speaker calibration software. 2. Start the standalone Sonarworks Reference 3 software. Make sure your license is activated. If not, click on the key icon in the top right corner to open the activation menu and click ‘Add new product license’. Refer to License Activation chapter of this guide for details.
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3. With an activated license, proceed with speaker calibration by pressing ‘Calibrate your system’.
4. If a Sonarworks XREF20 measurement microphone is available, download its calibration profile at https://www.sonarworks.com/downloads by entering your XREF20 microphone serial number.
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5. Add your microphone calibration profile to the software by pressing ‘Add from file’. If Sonarworks XREF20 microphone is available, select the 30° off-axis microphone profile downloaded in step 3 above. If your measurement microphone has a flat frequency response or you would like to make a test measurement, click ‘Reference grade’.
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6. Select the input channel of your audio interface from the dropdown menu and check if signal is coming through by lightly tapping the microphone. Press ‘Next’ if successful.
7. Select the output channel of your audio interface from the dropdown menu and press ‘Play test track’ to check if L and R stereo channels are mapped accordingly to your speakers.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
If steps 6 or 7 fail, make sure the sample rate of your interface is set to 44.1kHz.
8. Minimize any noise in the room and place the microphone at the listening position to adjust its sensitivity. Set the delay timer if you require time to move the microphone to the sweet spot. Press ‘Start’ when ready.
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Increase gain on the microphone input of your audio interface if low input signal is detected.
Reduce gain on your microphone input on your audio interface if high input signal is detected.
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Reduce background noise and repeat this step if high signal to noise ratio is detected.
9. You are ready to start measuring your system. First the speaker positions must be measured relative to the location of the sweet spot. Place the microphone at a distance no more than 5 cm (2 inches) from the main speaker driver of each channel. Press ‘Start’ when ready.
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Upon completion the software will output the measured distance between the speakers. If the error is more than 15 cm / 7 inches, select ‘Fine tune dimensions’ to manually adjust the value of speaker inter-distance. Continue when ready.
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10. Place the microphone at your listening position at ear-height when seated and start the measurement.
11. The final distances measured will be shown on the screen. Manually adjust the distances as in the previous step if an error of more than 15 cm / 7 inches occurred. IMPORTANT!
The system assumes your listening spot is centered between the speakers. If this is not the case, uncheck ‘Listening spot is centered’ adjust the required distances manually. Continue when ready.
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12. The final step of the measurement process is measuring the speaker frequency response at your specified listening location. A total of 24 measurements will be made. A smaller blue circle will appear on the screen showing the required location of the microphone for the current measurement and turn green when the measurement is complete. Set a delay timer to allow yourself to get into the position for the first measurement and press “Start”. IMPORTANT!
Please ensure that during the measurement process: a. the microphone is placed at your ear-height when seated in the sweet spot; b. the microphone is pointed towards the center point between your speakers.
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13. Upon completion, the software will show the measured frequency response curve of your system. Press “Save” to store your measurement session and generate a calibration profile to be used with the Sonarworks Reference 3 plugin. For information on how to use the plugin, please refer to the Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Plugin section of this guide.
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5. Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Systemwide 1. After the installation is completed, Systemwide will launch immediately. Make sure your license is activated. If not, click on Sonarworks logo on the top left corner to open the activation menu and click ‘Add new product license’. Refer to Chapter 2 of this guide for details.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If the activation fails, please try the ‘Offline activation’ option https://www.sonarworks.com/offline-activation-1
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USING THE SONARWORKS REFERENCE 3 SYSTEMWIDE
2. Click on the ‘SW’ icon in the menubar on Mac OS or taskbar tray on Windows. Click on the cog icon and access Systemwide settings by clicking ‘Settings’.
3. Make sure you have your main sound card output selected under ‘Output device’. Click ‘Play tone’ to confirm that the output is routed correctly.
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4. Open the main Systemwide window by clicking ‘Open Systemwide’ in the menubar / tray menu and load a calibration file for your headphone model or studio speakers. To calibrate your speakers please refer to the ‘Using the Sonarworks Reference 3 Speaker and Room Calibration Software’ section of this guide.
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5. You are now ready to test your calibrated system! We recommend listening to some reference tracks to get used to how calibration affects the sound of your system. You can A/B test the sound by using the calibration On / Off button. TROUBLESHOOTING
If calibration does not seem to be working, check that the Sonarworks Virtual Audio Device is selected as your main system sound playback device.
IMPORTANT
Avoid applying calibration twice by using Systemwide as your DAW output and simultaneously using the plugin on the Master Bus of your DAW session.
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