Virtual Monitoring Add-On for SoundID Reference plugin by Sonarworks

Virtual Monitoring Add-On for SoundID Reference: Headphone Speaker Simulation

Rated 4.7/5 on Plugin Boutique (136 ratings)

Virtual Monitoring Add-On for SoundID Reference is a plugin by Sonarworks that lets headphone users simulate the stereo space of studio speakers. It requires SoundID Reference software and runs as AAX, VST2 or AU on Windows and macOS.

VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS

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01Overview

Headphone mixing is popular, but headphones usually deliver a narrower stereo field than speakers in a room, which makes spatial decisions harder. Sonarworks designed this add-on to bring the stereo image of studio monitors into headphones. It includes several speaker emulations, including popular near-field and mid-field models, so you can check your mix against a familiar listening setup. It is an add-on for SoundID Reference and does not run on its own.

Best for

Headphone mixing
Stereo width checks
Translating mixes to speakers
Mixing on the go
Near-field speaker simulation

Developer: Sonarworks
Category: Referencing Tools
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Simulates studio monitor stereo space in headphones
Multiple popular field-size speaker emulations included
Built on calibrated, flat SoundID SR reference sound
Supports more than 500 headphone models
Available in AAX, VST2 and AU formats
Runs on Windows 10+ and macOS 11.5+
Requires SoundID Reference software

03In depth

Speaker Emulation for Headphone Mixing

The add-on is loaded with multiple studio speaker emulations at popular field sizes. Sonarworks says that enabling them lets you recreate the effect of listening in front of regular studio monitors, so you can make stereo decisions with more context than headphones alone provide.

The emulations are built on the calibrated SoundID SR reference sound, which Sonarworks describes as flat. That baseline is meant to keep the speaker simulation consistent across the headphones you use.

Compatibility and Requirements

Virtual Monitoring is supported on Windows 10 or higher and macOS 11.5 or higher, in AAX, VST2 and AU formats. It works with more than 500 supported headphones.

Because it is an add-on, you need SoundID Reference software installed. Plan your setup around that dependency before buying the add-on.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Sonarworks
Type	Plugin
Category	Referencing Tools
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is Virtual Monitoring for SoundID Reference?

It is an add-on from Sonarworks that simulates the stereo space of studio monitors in headphones. It includes several speaker emulations at popular near-field and mid-field sizes.