Sonarworks Reference 4 Headphones Edition Review 🎧 | How To Mix Better with Headphones

Рет қаралды 9,306

3 жыл бұрын

For many of us, mixing on headphones is not only our best option, it's our only option. Unfortunately, even when mixing with a great set of headphones, there's some issues that will get in your way.
The good news is that there's a utility plugin that will help balance out your headphones so that you can make better mixing decisions. It's called Reference 4 Headphone Edition from Sonarworks.
I've been using this plugin for about 6 months, and I can't imagine mixing without it now. I know that sounds like a gross salesy thing to say, but I'm serious.
In this video you'll learn everything there is to know about Sonarworks Reference 4 Headphone Edition, and hopefully get a better understanding of why mixing on headphones might actually be your preferred way of mixing.
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TRY REFERENCE 4 HEADPHONES FOR 21 DAYS
Sonarworks Reference 4 21 Day Trial:www.sonarworks.com/soundid-reference
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TIMELINE
00:00 Sonarworks Reference 4 Headphones Edition Review | How To Mix Better with Headphones
00:35 Why Mixing With Headphones Can Actually Be Better Than Mixing on Studio Monitors
02:25 The Problems That Come With Mixing With Headphones
03:27 How Reference 4 Works
06:44 Setting Up Reference 4 + A Plugin Tour
10:12 A Very Flawed Demonstration
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#SonarworksReference4 #HomeStudio #Headphones

Пікірлер: 58

@ThisIsOnesto 3 жыл бұрын

Hey 👋, fellow producer. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Here's that question I asked in the video: What's something that constantly gets in your way when mixing a song? Answering this really helps me know what to share next.

@nopeoplecorp Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. Using IK Multimedia TRacks and Izotope mixing and mastering software correctly is something I am working on.

@shaunf2601 Жыл бұрын

TILT feature will help if you find that your mixes lack highs or lows then tilt them down and it will force you to overmix them so they stand out more.

@TheSteveSteele Жыл бұрын

Tilt filters allow you to boast or cut the high or low end without introducing any phase issues or resonances. Sometimes a +3 Db high tilt filter centered at a particular frequency does exactly what you need, without causing other problems in the process.

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

I had no idea. Thanks for filling that knowledge gap.

@bradferguson9840 2 жыл бұрын

Really helpful - thanks!

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

Nice!! It's always good to hear that these videos are helpful.

@_stevenfoster 3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant. Didn't even know this existed.

@ThisIsOnesto 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah it's a great product. Your headphones sound so much better. It's hard to want to live without it.

@drlostcause4427 3 жыл бұрын

I can’t imagine how my mixes would sound without sonarworks haha. Great video btw (:

@ThisIsOnesto 3 жыл бұрын

Me neither! This was one of those plugins where I doubted if it would be worth it. It sounded like such a gimmick. But then you try it... And suddenly you don't want to mix without it

@drlostcause4427 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto yeah that’s true. But when my headphones has some roll off on low end, when I bypass the plugin, the bass kind of seem to go away lol

@ThisIsOnesto 3 жыл бұрын

@@drlostcause4427 yeah same, reference 4 does bring back that bass that's lost in my headphones. I have another plugin I use to make sure my low end is where it should be in my mixes. Maybe I'll cover that one in a different video.

@drlostcause4427 3 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto ohh I don’t do any processing after that. That’s a great idea. I searched this for so long but haven’t found any answer for this

@jaketidd9198 Жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto great video man! Could you share what the bass plug-in is, please?

@citizenworld8094 7 ай бұрын

Great video. So do you work on your old mix by "comparing" it to the new curve on your master bus? Or do you just mix away and "ignore" the plugin until you bypass when rendering? I'm struggling with the concept here and would be grateful.

@ThisIsOnesto 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, and that's a great question. I start using the plugin the moment I start mixing until I'm done mixing. However, whenever I listen to the mix on my monitors, I'll bypass the plugin. And when you render/export your track, you'll need to bypass the plugin too. Pretty much only use the plugin when listening on the headphones that it's adjusting the curve for. And bypass it whenever you're listening on anything else besides those headphones. Hope that helps!

@lars6581 2 жыл бұрын

thanks for the video! do you also have a solution for creating a stereo image on headphones?

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome, glad you liked the review! To shaping the stereo image on headphones I would look into a couple of plugins from iZotope. Ozone 9 has a module called Imager that lets you really shape the stereo image of your entire mix. I really like using this one. And also check out Neutron 3. There's a plugin that it comes with called Visual Mixer and Relay which together allows you to set the stereo image of individual elements.

@lars6581 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto thank you so much, i will definitely look into the mentioned plugins! :D Subbed!

@minutemaid123 9 ай бұрын

Does this work only within the daw as a plugin? Can you enable/disable the EQ in the windows operating system outside of daw?

@ThisIsOnesto 9 ай бұрын

I'm not familiar with windows. But with Mac, you can open the Reference Application and click disable. I wouldn't be surprised if you can do the same thing in Windows.

@LukeSly91 Жыл бұрын

I mostly use audio technica m50's to mix, and I will will so those DO NOT translate well to most other systems. One of of the biggest problems I have is when listening back on another pair of speakers, the high end frequency if transient sounds especially snares ends up being way too much. Then I'll double check in my m50's and everything sounds great. Just goes to show that even these overhyped 'professional' headphones really leave much to be desired

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

I have the M50s too and although they may sound great, they are not neutral at all. What you're talking about is exactly what I encountered too. But I will say, with Reference 4, things do translate better. And since this video, Reference 5 has been released and it's worlds better, so check it out if you can.

@LukeSly91 Жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto I actually started the trial immediately after finishing your video. Unfortunately they don't support m50 calibration, only m50x 😑

@CanarySoundsMusic 2 жыл бұрын

Can one get appropriate frequency curve and correction for unbranded headphones?

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

Good question, I believe that in the most recent version of SoundID Reference, you can create custom profiles. But when it comes to unbranded headphones there may not be a specific curve made for it. Headphones have such different frequency responses with one another that Sonarworks, can't really make a one size fits all curve. Hope that helps.

@iionas 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this dude,

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome and thanks for watching!

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

They also updated this product and it's even better, so I highly recommend it

@iionas 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto i think i have the latest yeah my man! My akg702s have come to life with these things

@iionas 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto this thing oops

@iionas 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto also last question for you my man. I’m going to daily use the correction for everything. What do you think? Worth daily driving this setting? Like while I work / play games / listen to music

@nopeoplecorp Жыл бұрын

The buy link is not working for me, but they are on sale now 18/01/23

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

Sorry about that broken link, thanks for letting me know. I'll fix it up right now.

@mystikrebel1089 Жыл бұрын

Onesto can this plugin work well with Neutron 4 in some combination ?

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

Great questions, I do use Reference 4 + Neutron 4 together. In fact, I recommend it, that way you're mixing and shaping tone in a flatter listening environment. For example, my headphones are very detailed but pretty bright, so Reference 4 helps tame those highs.

@JezzaDJ8 Жыл бұрын

yep .. definitely turn it off pre-render.. he he.. I forgot and was mix-reffing in the car and "where's the bottom end gone?" ! =o

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I still make that mistake sometimes whenever I make these videos. When that happens I have to do make like a reverse EQ curve to counteract Reference haha! Fortunately it works enough.

@keveydaking 2 жыл бұрын

If you're goinf to bypass Reference 4 when you export, then what exactly is the point of it?

@mehmetcangider 2 жыл бұрын

it is for you to get a flat response from your headphones. you mix your track as if you have a good monitoring. after the mix is done...well the mix is done.

@keveydaking 2 жыл бұрын

@@mehmetcangider but you won't have a flat frequency response if you bypass?

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

That's a great and common question! What Reference is doing is placing a corrective EQ curve on your master to give your headphones (and only your headphones) a flat response. So for example, Reference boosts the lows and tames the highs on my headphones. This means that my headphones sound much more flat and balanced, which allows me to make better mixing decisions because I can hear what the audio really sounds like. But it also means that if I were to export without bypassing Reference, that corrective EQ would be applied to the final product (boosted lows, and tamed highs). I definitely don't want that, which is why I bypass Reference when I'm ready to export.

@oinkooink 2 жыл бұрын

@@ThisIsOnesto And so theoretically I should be able to do my mix with sonarworks and mix it down then disable sonarworks completely then play my mix back on the same headphones I mixed it on and it'll sound great. Right?

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

@@oinkooink pretty much. However, once you disable sonar works after your mix down, it might sound a little out of balance because your headphones are a little out of balance. It'll sound good, but not as great when sonar works was on. I think sonarworks ' goal is for the mix to sound more balanced on other systems, since it gave you a more flat starting-point in your headphones. I think in Reference 5 there's options for simulate other listening scenarios in your headphones like car speakers, Airpods, and other common sound sources

@johnnywonka1211 Жыл бұрын

how is it on cpu load ?

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

I found the CPU load to be very very light. I never had a problem with it getting in the way of a big project.

@Fifavin14 2 жыл бұрын

You still recommend it tho?

@ThisIsOnesto 2 жыл бұрын

I upgraded to SoundID which is their next version and that's a lot better. There's more to customize and you can even simulate different listening environments , I believe so at least. I moved my studio to an even smaller space so I can't use my monitors anymore, so I only use headphones. So if you have a situation like me, or primarily use headphones, I strongly recommend.

@tendingtropic7778 Жыл бұрын

this or slate vsx in 2023?

@ThisIsOnesto Жыл бұрын

I haven't tried Slate VSX, but from the looks of it, it's more comprehensive solution, especially because you get a specific set of headphones from Slate Audio. So I'd expect the calibration and integration between headphones and software to be perfects. Sonarworks on the other hand is more affordable and approachable. The software can be used with lots of different headphones, so no need to buy a bespoke pair. Sonarworks also offers the option to buy a pair of calibrated headphones from them directly, but it's pretty expensive this way. All that to say is that Sonarworks References is great for an affordable flat sound in headphones, but Slate VSX is probably better if you have the cash to spend.