How SonarWorks Reference 3 Helped Me Improve My Room's Acoustics

As a music producer, I've often found myself wondering how to ensure that my monitors accurately represent the sound of my tracks. It can be challenging to know what 'flat' sounding monitors actually sound like in your room, especially if you're working with untreated acoustics. This is where SonarWorks Reference 3 comes in – a software solution designed to help you correct for room resonance and frequency imbalances.

I recently purchased the Behringer ECM8000 microphone and was eager to put it to the test with SonarWorks. But before I began, I realized that I had no flat reference point for my monitors in my specific room. Without this reference, how could I truly know if the software was working effectively?

To get around this issue, I decided to use a professional-grade microphone stand and take the time to calibrate the mic properly. This took longer than expected, but it allowed me to capture the most accurate results possible.

Using SonarWorks Reference 3, I went through the measurement process and received EQ suggestions for flattening out the sound in my listening spot. I then recorded a frequency sweep using the Behringer ECM8000 – once with the SonarWorks EQ bypassed and once with it enabled.

The results were surprisingly good. While it didn't completely eliminate all room resonance, it did help to flatten out some of the more egregious peaks. In particular, it helped tame the huge peak at 120Hz that I had noticed previously.

However, upon further inspection, I did notice that some bits of the frequency sweep seemed to have gotten worse – specifically the very high end, which appeared to be unnecessarily boosted. This left me wondering if SonarWorks Reference 3 should be doing more to correct for these issues.

I've since tried out SoundID and their microphone, and I'm extremely pleased with the results. I'd love to hear from others who have used the software – did they experience similar results? Should I expect better performance from SonarWorks in the future?

For now, while SonarWorks Reference 3 has helped me improve my room's acoustics, it's clear that there is still work to be done. I'm looking forward to continuing to experiment with different solutions and techniques to achieve a truly flat sound.

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