Sonarworks Reviews

Name: Sonarworks
Address: 3, Smerla street, 3, Smerla street, Riga
Rating: 4.67

4.7 Rating 4,412 Reviews

93 %

of reviewers recommend Sonarworks

4.7

Based on 4,412 reviews


Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Postal Service, Courier
Average Delivery Time	Next Day
On-time Delivery	98%
Accurate And Undamaged Orders	99%
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	6 - 12 Hours
Customer Service	4.6 out of 5

About Sonarworks:

A perfect storm of acoustic know-how and passion for good sound became the software that's currently transforming sound monitoring.

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Sonarworks 5 star review on 3rd May 2024

253

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

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“Used the speaker tuning plugin only once and I can't say that I preferred it to the clean signal. It might involve a learning curve, but that was, in fact, precisely what I was trying to eliminate - the time needed to get used to a room/space. It also seemed to do some weird stuff with the phase, so my mix was way worse than what I did in the first place, without Sonarworks. Again, it could be me.”

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Posted 3 weeks ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! The SoundID Reference flat profile is something that you have to get used to, simply, by using it for extended periods. I'd suggest lowering the dry/wet value and increasing it gradually over time. A good test would be to do two mixes - one with SoundID Reference FLAT profile on and one without SoundID Reference. Then test both tracks on numerous sound systems and see which sounds more balanced! As per phase, SoundID Reference does not affect the phase response! You can learn more about it in our support center here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/articles/4406084354706 I hope this helps!

Posted 2 weeks ago

“Relatively easy to use and set up. Seems to give me a flatter response.”

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Posted 3 weeks ago

“Soporte rápido y eficiente, experiencia de compra satisfactoria, facilidad para encontrar información y activación de licencia correcta.”

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Posted 3 weeks ago

Hello, Thank you for the great review! We really appreciate that our support was fast and efficient. Hope SoundID Reference serves you well. Have a great day!

Posted 3 weeks ago

“I believe this software works, but I'm not sure it's as important as I once thought it was. I view it as simply another tool which can be useful to some but a waste of energy for others. After using Sonarworks/SoundID for several years, I feel that if you spend enough time with your tools to know how they translate, you will be just as equipped to mix accurately as you would be with individually calibrated headphones.”

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Posted 1 month ago

Hello, Thank you for reaching out! If you are used to your speakers for several years, then it would indeed bring great results. However, keep in mind that every speaker and headphone is different so there could be some nuances that might sound great on your particular setup but when transferring the final audio, the results will sound different on other audio devices. By using SoundID Reference you eliminate the issue and you can be confident when transferring the mix to another system, it will sound great! Thats why it is a great tool for professional producers and studios worldwide! I hope this helps!

Posted 1 month ago

“Widens the mix in a strange way. Mixes translate well but I’m very aware that I’m using soundid or not. Can’t work out whether it’s for the good or not…..”

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Posted 1 month ago

Hello, Thank you for reaching out! SoundID Reference will not alter your stereo image and the mix will not sound wider, however, with the Virtual Monitoring addon the left and right channels will be heard on both sides as it is a spatial simulation of stereo studio speakers right on your headphones. I hope this helps!

Posted 1 month ago

“I like your product but I have been waiting for product/customer support to get back to me for months.”

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Posted 2 months ago

Hello Kegan, I hope you are doing well! I have checked the ticket history and can say that all of your requests were responded to in a timely manner. However, if there was a missed ticket, perhaps an issue to which you cannot recall any responses, then please recreate the ticket as it might not have been created in the first place. Thank you!

Posted 1 month ago

“I have several headphones and would love to find a median sonic profile between them. However, while Sonarworks comes close, it doesn't really do the job. The problem for me is that once the changes are enabled for the profile, the headphones don't sound natural -- what's missing is understanding that flat isn't always optimal for a given headphone. What I mean to say is that the anomalies in different headphones often make for what makes them "pleasing". I understand that flat should translate, but it just doesn't translate as well as knowing the idiosyncrasies of your phones and mixing to them -- while always using different pairs to make sure things are as pleasing as possible on all. Removing bass from Apple AirPods Max phones, for instance, does not make them sound like Sennheiser HD's. Removing 5-8 KHz from Beyerdynamic DT770's does not make them sound flat, it makes them uncomfortably unnatural (even though most would agree that without EQ they are far too bright.) Maybe if you could dial in an amout of correction (which maybe you can, but if yes, I couldn't find any way to do it.) Also, on a Macbook Pro with Studio One, there are problems when running the System version. I have not tried it with other DAWs. Lastly, there's a bug (again, maybe only in Studio One) but if you use the AU plug-in then render, it warns you that you're saving with Sonarworks enabled -- this is even if you clearly disable it. The only way to make it stop is to remove the plug-in completely. So, to sum up, Sonarworks is not a bad tool to get a quick look at how a mix might sound in what they see as a "perfect world", but it's not a panacea for testing your mix on various platforms. Remember that your listener will most likely not be listening with Sonarworks, most likely on something like AirPods Pro, and at the end of the day it's most important that your mix sound good on those, and in the car. In my experience, Sonarworks may take you further away from that than get you closer.”

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Posted 3 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! You can dial in the correction simply by using the dry/wet slider available right between the custom target modes and the calibration display window. This will allow you to decrease the calibration amount that is taking place if the suits your workflow. Some headphones, as You've mentioned, might have issues with how they reproduce the flat sound and the biggest drawback is clipping. The safe headroom function has been implemented to combat the issue and, when enabled, the sound should be smooth and as close to flat as it can be without any sound artifacts. The AirPods will not replace your Sennheisers as they have better drivers and were built for a different purpose, but, regardless, the sound will be improved and mixing can be done better with calibration enabled on every headphone. As per any issues mentioned, it would be best to create a support request with more detailed information here: https://www.sonarworks.com/support SoundID Reference is indeed aimed at a music creator rather than a listener, but it is a personal preference and some might find a more pleasant listening experience with SoundID Reference enabled. For this very reason, we have a trial that is available within Sonarworks user account. I hope this helps!

Posted 2 months ago

“Overall very good buying experience, but there were some initial hurdles with getting both the headphone and virtual monitoring licenses activated. It wasn't fully obvious or intuitive how to activate it all through the website to me, but reaching out to the support through the web chat resolved the issue quickly, so I'm happy.”

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Posted 3 months ago

Hi, Thank you for the review! We are happy to hear that our support team has managed to help you with the product activation. If there are any further questions or guides required, please don't hesitate and let us know. Thank you!

Posted 2 months ago

“when i bought it on version three or four, it was a total game changer for me. it really helped me out with my less than ideal room to sound good. it was stable and almost never crashed. a few years down the road, i am rather disappointed. both the systemwide and plugin versions keep crashing on a more or less regular basis. it seems to me, their concentration shifted more towards fancy marketing as for a reliable product. i´d give a five star rating for version 3 and 4, but the soundid product is a 2 for me at best. sorry guys.”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! We are aware that some users might experience a crash with our software but no worries! We have our latest beta release that addresses most crashes. It would be great if you could reach out to us via our support center and we'll be happy to troubleshoot the encountered issue. For creating a support request, please click the following link: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Posted 4 months ago

“Buying and communicating with SOnarworks was very easy. The different versions of the software could have been a little clearer but that's fine.”

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Posted 4 months ago

Hello, We are delighted to hear that you've had an amazing customer experience. About the versions, the product pages should give plenty of information for a particular product, yet if you see where an improvement could be made, please reach out to us via our support center here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Posted 4 months ago

“Highly innovative software creator. I find it indispensable for mixing on speakers and headphones. However, I didn't enjoy the product name change and the strange licensing system, which in my case didn't initially work.”

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Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for reaching out! We have changed the license activation procedure and how the license works to counter piracy. I hope this makes sense. The product name change had to take place since it is a different product with more functionality that Reference 4 did not bring. I hope this helps!

Posted 4 months ago

“.great shopping experience”

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Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! We are trying to do our best to create a satisfactory customer experience. Glad you enjoyed it! If there is anything, please reach out to our support team here: https://www.sonarworks.com/support/ Thank you!

Posted 4 months ago

“Lots of back and forth before I was able to receive solid responses”

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Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! Unfortunately, it might be due to the lack of information for a more streamlined troubleshooting process or it might have required some time for a better understanding. Sometimes the issue is more complicated thus it takes more while to suggest potential troubleshooting steps. I hope this helps!

Posted 4 months ago

“Its all good honestly”

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Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! We are happy to hear that the products we offer you found good. However, I see that the rating is average thus if you have any suggestions on how to improve our product, we'll be happy to hear the criticism. You can reach out to us via our support center here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Thank you!

Posted 4 months ago

“This is a nice tool but it works extremely unstable on Mac OS Monterey”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! It would be great if you could elaborate on the issue by submitting a support request here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Please provide as much detail about the issue and your hardware and we will help you to get started! Hope this helps!

Posted 4 months ago

“The room simulations are not at all what I expected. To few profiles and all a bit weird sounding. Not very useful in my opinion. The systemwide app is not as stable as the reference 4 app, it crashes and is not great together with Logic, so sadly I’m staying with reference 4!”

Helpful Report

Posted 4 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! The Virtual Monitoring Add-on is a new feature within SoundID Reference that will provide more customization options in the future. Currently, it is great for people who are using only Headphones and if you are traveling perhaps. It allows you to bring a studio environment on the go! It would be great if you could let us know the compatibility issues with Logic Pro by submitting a support request here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/requests/new Please provide as much detail about the issue and your hardware and we will help you to get started! Hope this helps!

Posted 4 months ago

“I’ve owned the system wide version for a wile now and find it to be quite good however, I new virtual speaker add on seems to sound a little bit echoey. I have listened to some commercial songs though the new add on and they don’t really sound right. But they sound ok when I put them back on system wide. Also I can’t switch through the different calibrations wile I’m in cubase because it stop cubase for working. I can only pick a calibration, then I have to click back on cubase page to hear it. If I try to put sound I’d on my control room in cubase, it crashes.”

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Posted 6 months ago

Hello, Thank you for reaching out! As per the new Virtual Monitoring add-on, thank you for the feedback. Since it is a new feature, we are looking forward to improving the Add-on in the long term. For the Cubase issue, what you could do is try deleting the config file. See if that helps. For instructions follow our FAQ here: https://soundid-reference.support.sonarworks.com/hc/en-us/articles/4800097682322-Deleting-the-config-file-in-DAW-plugin It would be great if you could reach out to us via our Support center for further information and VM feedback. We'll be happy to help! Thanks!

Posted 6 months ago

“The only reason I upgraded is because you stopped support for reference 4 just as apple silicone was announced and 4 stopped working entirely on Sonoma. Disappointed.”

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Posted 6 months ago

Hello Patrick, I hope you are doing great! Unfortunately, Reference 4 is not supported natively for M-series devices. To run Reference 4 the Rosetta environment is required. However, SoundID Reference, the successor to Reference 4, is natively supported. I hope this helps! If there are any additional questions, please reach out to our support center. We'll be happy to help!

Posted 6 months ago

“Easy purchase and excited to try. I use an RME Fireface UFX2 and it’s driver is not supported by the add on. I didn’t know this when I bought it so basically it’s not useable for me and a waste of $50. I was excited to try it. Just going to keep using can opener after my Sonarworks plugin in Cubase Pro control room. Love my Sonarworks HD650 headphones and software !”

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Posted 6 months ago

Hello, Thank you for reaching out! If you have made the purchase in a 14-day warranty timeframe, then you are eligible for a refund. Alternatively, if possible, it would be great if you could also provide us with more details of the issue and we'll try to address it for you! https://www.sonarworks.com/support/ Thank you!

Posted 6 months ago

“The calibration is really hard to get right. I used a mic stand and did 3 calibrations, all of which sound totally different. I chose the best sounding one but it seems less scientific and more guesswork than I thought.”

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Posted 8 months ago

Hello, Thank you for the review! The calibration can differ between the measurements due to the fact that the microphone could have been positioned slightly higher or lower between the measurements. This can impact the result ever so slightly. Also, increasing or decreasing the input and output levels might also have an impact thus the output level should be set to a conversation level for the most accurate results. If there are any guides or help needed, please reach out to us and we'll be happy to help!

Posted 8 months ago

Sonarworks is rated 4.7 based on 4,412 reviews