Sonarworks Reference 4 delivers confidence in sound for everyone

October 2017 - Sonarworks has released its fourth generation acoustic calibration software, Reference 4 - which delivers reliable monitoring to even more sound engineers, producers and musicians.



Adored and relied on by thousands of studios around the globe, Sonarworks software removes sound coloration from monitors in purpose built control rooms as well as more down-to-earth locations. 96% of Sonarworks’ clients agree that they feel more confident working on the gear they already have. With the new Reference 4 even more music creators can focus on creating music instead of worrying about their equipment.

Reference 4 introduces zero latency to the already impressive feature list Sonarworks’ users have grown to love and rely on. No extra latency means that the Reference 4 plug-in can be used for vocal and instrument tracking. Finally, musicians who demand instant response on their input will be able to fully rely on their monitoring.



Our supported headphone library has grown to 101 models. Old profiles have been updated for even better accuracy, due to improved measurement technology and vastly larger measured sample sizes. The speaker measurement module has been improved for even better usability, so everyone can reliably measure their setup in less than 10 minutes. By the end of 2017 the speaker measurement module will be updated with an overhauled averaging algorithm to better account for different sweetspot distances from monitors. All Reference 4 users will get this feature for free.

More information and a 21-day full-functionality free trial is available on the company website: https://www.sonarworks.com/reference

Sonarworks Reference 4 Headphone Edition is available for 99 USD/EUR and the Studio Edition starts at 249 USD/EUR. Both packages now feature Systemwide, making it an even better value. The plug-in for digital audio workstations (DAWs) is offered in AU, AAX Native, RTAS and VST standards and compatible with both macOS and Windows.

About Sonarworks
Sonarworks is a recording studio software development company specializing in acoustic calibration and DAW plugins. Accurate sound is our passion. The company was founded in 2013 and entered the pro audio market in 2015.

Zero latency, Awesome news. I plan on picking this up soon, demo'd it a few months back and was super impressed. Also, please add the Shure SRH940 to the list of averaged headphones.

What is the upgrade price for existing Reference 3 owners, specifically the Headphone and System Wide apps? I bought them earlier this year and it would be a bummer to have to pay for an upgrade so soon.

There's no mention of an upgrade price. I bought version 3 not too long ago and I'm wondering if there's an upgrade path?

Here ya go: upgrade pricing. And very sweet too.

Sweet indeed! They must be in a different office to izotope

We got you covered! Check out our upgrade page. I just hope it works right now, earlier we had some problems.

Thanks Hrodulf!!!

I have sonarworks 3 full (headphones + speakers + calibrated mic) before september 2017. What is the upgrade price for the 4 full? Not much clear to me.

Another question, please:
I don't use it for the headphones, so, is the main news of the speakers version 4 the zero latency mode or are there other news?


Thank you.

On checkout I get this--

Hmmm? I got the upgrade eMail but the download link for Ref 4 isn't working.

Another question, can I use the same calibration files (for the speakers) for the 3 on the 4 or is it better to make a new one?

that's all very nice but what exactly is new in v4? can't seem to find info regarding new features on your website. because from what I see there are a couple of minor GUI changes and nothing else (?) ... if there are no functional changes an upgrade like that should be free.

speaking of changes you really ought to improve on that sector, I've been asking for changelogs/release notes since the beginning of the year, so when you upgrade, change or fix something we know what was that. your customer support guy asked me what's a change log ... go figure.

So back to this upgrade, I have the full ref 3 package. (didn't buy systemwide though, came out after my purchase) so it looks like I could upgrade to the studio edition v4 for 20 something bucks. that's nice, but again, what are the improvements in v4, cause otherwise I'm basically getting Systemwide, which I don't necessarily need.

C.

It should be $19 for your upgrade.
zero latency and they stated better measurements in 4.

Yes you can use version 3 profiles, I am using mine from 3 no problem.
To make a new one is a separate matter altogether. Because they mentioned better measurements I'll be doing new measurements in the near future.

Better or rather, actual changelogs are on the menu for the dev team.

As for meaningful upgrade for speaker guys, currently zero latency filtering for the plug-in is your best bet.

We just also finished R&D for a better measurement algorithm which takes better into account sweetspot distance from speakers. We've committed to adding it until New Year.

One thing that would make the majority of the users happy would be to include some kind of slider, with which you would be able to limit the frequency interval for correction. So one could set it at 250Hz and Sonarworks would only work from 20Hz to 250Hz for example.

As we all know HF corrections are not efficient with equalization since the wavelengths are so short, that even moving a head for an inch can drastically change the response. Besides adjusting HF EQ with narrow Qs might decrease sound quality, so if it would be possible to limit the correction from desired frequency on, this would be perfect!

i got an error to download ref 4 from 3 upgrade email.

oh well, i guess i can wait. im sure itll be fixed soon.

Omg, glad i waited the summer, now i bought only speaker thing after 10 sept. So for 19€ i will get the 4 and systemwide...seem like it.


edit: extra question- are there better mic in the works? Technology seems to be moved along in that area according to competition.

Does anyone know how Sonarworks expects to achieve "zero latency"? Are they finally using ASIO? Because if they're not, this still won't work very well for some people, and "zero latency" would seem to be a pipe dream.

Steve

The eMail download link didn't work for me either, but I went to their site and found where to download it directly. I installed it and entered my new license code and I'm good to go. No charge. Very good.

+1

Yes please!! I very much agree on this. To me if this is meant to be a professional tool, which it is to me:-), I as a professional user should be allowed control over the spectrum Sonarworks is working on.

And thanks for a great upgrade pricing! :-)

+100000000000

If i've understood correctly -

i currently own systemwide which I use primarily for headphones, if I upgrade to reference 4 headphones I'll get systemwide + headphones plug in version for 19 euros?

if so that's great news as I was beginning to wish I had purchased the plugin rather than systemwide previously.

Are the plugins and systemwide now zero latency or just the plugs?

Thanks,
Stu

The plugin is zero latency. Through systemwide there has to be some degree of latency introduced.

Thanks for the upgrade.

download doesnt work

nope - but on the not found page - click on reference 4 link and get the demo. You can authorize this with the code you get by email.

so basically not much.
and how is the CPU% on that new filter type? the min phase in Ref3 is a real CPU hog. it eats up over 20% in 96K on my last gen i7. this is the kinda tool you should set and forget, not impact on your workflow. it would be great to have a "regular" low on CPU min phase, as latency is not an issue for me, and I really don't want to use linear phase on room correction ...

C.

Hmmm... no upgrade email for me... :(

So I dug into the website and found the Upgrade checker. I own Speaker and Headphone and was suprised to see an issue on the upgrade checker telling me my Speaker Calibration key is 'revoked'. Hmm. I entered a zendesk ticket so I'm sure it will sort out and I'll get the 19 Euro price offered on the upgrade policy page.

Eagerly looking forward to the upgrade!