Reference 4 is unsupported and discontinued since 2021. The Reference product line continues with SoundID Reference, learn more here:
→ Reference 4 system requirements and support status
→ What's new in SoundID Reference?
→ Upgrade paths for Reference 3 and 4
Set up with the Reference 4 DAW plugin - installation, load your calibration profiles, streamline your DAW workflow.
In this article:
- Installing the Reference 4 plugin
- Locating the plugin in DAW
- Start using the Reference 4 plugin in a DAW
- Using a dedicated monitoring bus
- Frequently asked questions
Installing the Reference 4 plugin
Sonarworks headphone and room calibration can be applied in DAW (e.g. Cubase, Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, etc.) using the Reference 4 plugin. The plugin can also be loaded in other apps/platforms that feature plugin hosting
capability in one of the formats specified below. For example, some advanced music playback apps, like Audirvana, can host plugins too.
Reference 4 installer (download here) will install the plugins into the common plugin folders on your computer. Here are the Reference 4 supported plugin formats and their respective default install directories:
macOS
Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin.component
Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin.aaxplugin
Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin.vst
Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/HAL/SonarworksSystemwide.driver
Windows
C:\Program files\Sonarworks\Reference 4
C:\Program files\VSTPlugins\Reference4_x64.dll
C:\Program files (x86)\VSTPlugins/Reference4_x86.dll
C:\Program files\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Reference4.aaxplugin
C:\Program files(x86)\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins\Reference4.aaxplugin
C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\Reference_4_x64.vst3
C:\Program files (x86)\Common Files\Avid\Audio\Plug-Ins/Reference4.aaxplugin
C:\Program files (x86)\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE\Plug-Ins\Refrence4.dpm
Note: Custom install locations can be assigned on Windows by clicking on Customize during the Reference 4 installation.
Locating the plugin in DAW
In most cases, your plugin host app (e.g. DAW) will then recognize the plugin automatically on start-up. However, if it doesn't, please make sure that the plugin is located in the correct folder and your host software is scanning the same folder. For more information on troubleshooting plugin issues, please refer to this article.
Note: If the plugin is missing in DAW, make sure you are not mixing up the default VST directory with the Steinberg VST directory:
C:\Program Files\VSTPlugins C:\Program Files\Steinberg\VSTPlugins
Start using the Reference 4 plugin in a DAW
- Create a new session or open an existing one in your DAW
- Find or open your audio mixer view and locate the stereo master bus. If your new session does not have a master bus (e.g. Pro Tools), please create one
- Insert the Reference 4 plugin as the LAST plugin on the master bus.
- Load one of the headphone calibration profiles (pre-made headphone profiles are readily available in Reference 4 Headphone Edition; see the full list of supported headphones here) or a speaker calibration profile (Studio Edition) that can be created using Reference 4 Measure software.
- Follow the onboarding steps - there are some key aspects for using Reference 4:
We suggest that you keep the Reference 4 plugin inserted on the master bus throughout the entire recording, mixing, and mastering process.
Important: Reference 4 plugin functions as a solution for your individual monitoring setup only! For that reason, it should be hard-bypassed, rendering your project (turned off completely in the channel strip), to avoid imprinting your unique calibration EQ curve on the track:
Using a dedicated monitoring bus
For a more effective solution, a dedicated monitoring bus can be created for Reference 4 (not a part of the master output chain). That way, you can avoid bypassing the plugin for rendering and also avoid the volume drop that is introduced by the Safe Headroom feature.
For more information on how to avoid the need to bypass the plugin for mixdown, see this Blog article on how to use the plugin on a dedicated monitoring bus: How To Use Reference 4 In Pro Tools, Logic, and Cubase.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Reference 4 lower my output volume?
The output gain is lowered by default in the Reference 4 Systemwide app and DAW plugin due to the Safe Headroom feature. Safe Headroom lowers the output volume based on the highest peak in the correction curve to avoid clipping (gain staging-related audio distortion).
Safe Headroom is recommended to be used at all times, but can be disabled and the output gain maxed out.
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