Can I use the SoundID Reference standalone app with my DAW?

Using the SoundID Reference standalone app as your DAW output - pros, cons, and how to set it up.

In this article: 

• Can I use the standalone app with my DAW?
  • Pros
  • Cons
• The standalone app's DAW output availability on Windows
• Setting the output in DAW settings
  • macOS
  • Windows (WASAPI, or WASAPI-to-ASIO)
  • Windows (APO)
  • Windows (ASIO-to-ASIO)

Can I use the standalone app with my DAW?

Yes, the SoundID Reference app driver can be used as your DAW output instead of using the SoundID Reference DAW plugin format. There are notable advantages, as well as trade-offs.

Pros

• You don't have to remember to bypass the plugin before rendering your mix (the render-bypass workflow), as the calibration takes place outside of your DAW (no risk if imprinting the calibration EQ on the exported audio).
• No levelling issues associated with the Safe Headroom feature (no volume jumps that are generally associated with the render-bypass workflow with the DAW plugin)

Cons

• Using the standalone app with your DAW and audio interface may add latency (up to 50 ms, depending on the driver in SoundID Reference), which can be problematic for zero-latency monitoring, unless using the ASIO-to-ASIO driver mode. While the standalone app has the same Zero Latency filter mode as the DAW plugin, it introduces additional latency due to its operation in the OS's audio engine chain.
• Using the standalone app as your DAW output may lead to stability issues. Introducing the SoundID Reference virtual audio driver complicates audio configuration due to varying sample rate formats and output management settings. This can cause unexpected behavior during key actions like adding/removing devices, launching or quitting the DAW, or changing sample rate, etc.

It is generally recommended to use the SoundID Reference DAW plugin format for your critical production work in DAW, as it is purpose-built for DAW use. While it is possible to use the standalone app as DAW output on both macOS and Windows, stability issues are expected. The Virtual ASIO-to-ASIO driver (Windows) is the only recommended and purpose-built format for using the app as DAW output instead of the plugin format. 

The standalone app's DAW output availability on Windows 

On Windows, whether the SoundID Reference standalone app’s output appears in your DAW depends on both the DAW’s driver mode and the output preset used in SoundID Reference. Most DAWs support both ASIO and WASAPI drivers:

• DAWs with multiple driver mode support (like Ableton Live) let you select between ASIO and WASAPI. The DAW will only show output devices that match the selected driver mode. For example, if Ableton is set to WASAPI mode (often marked as "MME", "DirectSound", or "WDM", depending on the DAW - see screesnhot below), it will display only WASAPI-compatible devices, and the same applies for ASIO.
• ASIO-exclusive DAWs (like Cubase) only support ASIO. In these cases, WASAPI devices, including the standalone app’s WASAPI output, won’t appear as options.

Important:

• If your DAW is in WASAPI mode, SoundID Reference must be using a WASAPI-based preset (WASAPI or WASAPI-to-ASIO) for its output to appear. If the app is using an ASIO output instead, it won’t show up.
• If your DAW is in ASIO mode (or ASIO-only), SoundID Reference must be using an ASIO-to-ASIO mode preset. If the app is running a WASAPI-based preset instead, its output won’t be available in the DAW.

Learn more about SoundID Reference driver types on Windows and their expected behavior here: [WIN] Audio driver types in the standalone app

Setting the output in the DAW settings

macOS

The setup is simple on macOS, as the SoundID Reference standalone app only has a single driver mode on macOS. The added latency compared to the SoundID Reference DAW plugin format will usually be around 20-50 ms (the default performance of the standalone app in the CoreAudio environment). This solution can be stable on macOS, but issues are still possible as described above, especially if third-party routing software and/or other virtual devices are present. 

The example below demonstrates the SoundID Reference standalone app driver assigned as Logic Pro output in the DAW audio settings. 

1. Launch the SoundID Reference standalone app and create an output preset.
2. Launch your DAW and navigate to the audio (input/output) settings.
3. Select SoundID Reference as the output device.
4. Launch DAW playback and check the input/output VU meters in the SoundID Reference standalone app - if the signal is being received, the setup has been successful.

Note: After setting it up, the SoundID Reference standalone app should automatically adapt to any sample rate changes made for the physical output device, but various issues are possible as described above.

Windows (WASAPI and WASAPI-to-ASIO)

The WASAPI-based SoundID Reference driver options are a bit trickier to set up on Windows. See the Ableton Live screesnhot example below. Note that any sample rate changes or other device manipulations can cause various stability issues as described above. Compared to the zero-latency performance of the SoundID Reference DAW plugin, the added latency here will be in the 20-50 ms.

1. Launch the SoundID Reference standalone app and create an output preset. Select one of the following options for driver type:
   • Virtual Windows audio driver (WASAPI)
   • Virtual Windows audio to ASIO driver (WASAPI to ASIO)
2. Launch your DAW and navigate to the audio (input/output) settings.
3. If the DAW has specific modes for ASIO or WASAPI, make sure the WASAPI mode is selected as described previously above.
4. Select SoundID Reference as the output device.
   • Note: If the DAW was already launched during Step 1, it might require a relaunch in order for the desired output to show up.
5. Launch DAW playback and check the input/output VU meters in the SoundID Reference standalone app - if the signal is being received, the setup has been successful.

Note: The WASAPI-to-ASIO mode is a WASAPI-based driver type, despite being listed under the ASIO-based options when creating a preset in the SoundID Reference standalone app. It is a hybrid driver format that runs on WASAPI for native compatibility with the Windows Audio Engine environment (which is WASAPI-exclusive), but after receiving the Windows Audio signal, it communicates to the physical output device in ASIO (for the output part only). For this reason, the DAW still has to be running in WASAPI mode in order for the SoundID Reference WASAPI-to-ASIO virtual driver to be visible as an output option.

Windows (APO)

APO is the most complex solution for DAW use on Windows because it doesn't feature a virtual device, and instead, an APO insert on a specific output device. The APO format adds only ~7 ms of latency. 

1. Launch the SoundID Reference standalone app and create an output preset using the APO driver type: Windows audio device insert (APO).
   • Note: There is no SoundID Reference virtual output device involved when using the APO mode. Instead, APO is applied as a Windows Audio Engine insert on the physical output device of your selection. We will use an RME device for this example (see screenshot below), and then use the same device for setting the output in DAW during Step 4, as it will have the APO insert running on it already.
2. Launch your DAW and navigate to the audio (input/output) settings.
3. If the DAW has specific modes for ASIO or WASAPI, make sure the WASAPI mode is selected as described previously above.
4. Select the output device that was used when creating the APO preset during Step 1.
   • Note: If the DAW was already launched during the first step, it might require a relaunch in order for the desired output to show up.
5. Launch DAW playback and check the input/output VU meters in the SoundID Reference standalone app - if the signal is being received, the setup has been successful.

Windows (ASIO-to-ASIO)

The Virtual ASIO-to-ASIO driver is the only recommended and purpose-built format for using the SoundID Reference standalone app as DAW output instead of using the SoundID Reference DAW plugin. As it skips the Windows Audio Engine entirely, it is near-zero latency (limited to the physical device latency only). 

See instructions for setting it up in this dedicated article: Virtual ASIO to ASIO driver (ASIO to ASIO)