Sonarworks measurement microphones and calibration profiles

Where can I download the microphone calibration profile? Sonarworks measurement microphone specifications, user manuals, calibration profiles, and downloads explained.

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Sonarworks measurement microphones

Calibrated measurement microphones have been an integral part of Sonarworks speaker calibration technology since the initial release of the Reference product line. Featuring individual calibration profiles, Sonarworks measurement microphones allow for a ±0.9dB measurement accuracy when used with the Reference software (SoundID Reference and Reference 4).

The frequency response of each measurement microphone has been individually measured, and a Microphone Profile is provided containing the calibration data. The Microphone Profile is associated with a unique Profile ID, printed directly on each microphone unit.

There have been three iterations of the Sonarworks measurement microphone. See full user manuals for each version here:

SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone

The SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone is available for purchase from Sonarworks Store and third-party sellers. The current version (released in 2024) can be identified by a Profile ID of 38L194 or higher in alpha-numerical order; it features a new microphone capsule and a lighter chassis design. It is fully compatible with SoundID Reference and Legacy versions of the Reference software.

All SoundID Reference microphones and microphone product bundles include these components:

Measurement Microphone: for SoundID Reference, Reference 4, or third-party software/hardware measurements.
Microphone Profile: 0°, 30°, and 90° individual microphone calibration profiles.
Microphone Clip: 21mm diameter clip.

Note: The product elements may differ for third-party sellers and past purchases. See seller's product descriptions for the exact product contents.

SoundID Reference Measurement Microphone (2024).png

Sonarworks XREF 20 Measurement Microphone

Sonarworks XREF 20 Measurement Microphone is the first Sonarworks measurement microphone iteration (released in 2015). It is fully compatible with SoundID Reference and Legacy versions of the Reference product line.

Sonarworks XREF 20 microphone includes these components:

Sonarworks XREF 20 Measurement Microphone: for Reference 4, SoundID Reference, or third-party software/hardware measurements.
Microphone Profile: 0°, 30°, and 90° individual microphone calibration profiles.

Loading the microphone profile in the Reference software

Loading the profile in SoundID Reference

For optimal measurement results with the SoundID Reference software, the profile must be loaded in the SoundID Reference Measure app during the speaker measurement process.

Once the microphone profile is loaded, the correct angle profile(s) are applied automatically, based on the speaker configuration selected during a previous step in the Measure app. SoundID Reference employs the 30° profile for 2.0 stereo measurements, while 2.1-9.1.6 multichannel measurements employ both 30° and 90° profiles.

Click on the SoundID Reference microphone option during the Hardware Setup stage in the SoundID Reference Measure app.
Enter the microphone Profile ID and click Next to load the profile.

Loading the profile in Reference 4

For optimal measurement results with the Reference 4 software, the profile must be loaded in the Reference 4 Measure app during the speaker measurement process. Once the Profile ID is entered, the profile is applied automatically. Reference 4 employs the 30° profile for all measurements.

Select the Sonarworks XREF 20 Measurement Microphone option during the Hardware Setup stage in the Reference 4 Measure app.
Enter the microphone Profile ID and click Next to load the profile.

Microphone profile downloads

For offline use, third-party software/hardware use, or general backup purposes, the microphone profiles can be downloaded as a ZIP archive from the Sonarworks website:

Go to the Sonarworks Downloads page.
Navigate to the Measurement microphone profile downloads section.
Enter the microphone Profile ID and click on Download profile.
Extract the downloaded ZIP archive to access the files.

The download will contain two files in the Sonarworks-native SWMIC format and three files in TXT file format for third-party use:

30° profile in SWMIC file format
90° profile in SWMIC file format
0° profile in TXT file format
30° profile in TXT file format
90° profile in TXT file format

Offline and third-party use

For Sonarworks-native offline use, the Measure app allows for the microphone profile to be loaded manually, in case there is no internet access on the computer used for the measurements at the given moment. The process is the same for SoundID Reference and Reference 4:

Download and extract the profiles as shown above.
Transfer the files to the needed computer using a USB flash drive or another method.
Click on Different measurement microphone > Next during the Hardware Setup stage in the Measure app.
Click on Browse and select the microphone profile TXT file.
- For 2.0 stereo measurements, use the 30° TXT file.
- For 2.1-9.1.6 multichannel measurements (SoundID Reference only), use the 90° TXT file.

Note: For optimal measurement results with SoundID Reference, 2.1-9.1.6 multichannel measurements require both 30° and 90° profiles to be used, which can only be done by entering the Profile ID in the Measure app as described above: Loading the profile in SoundID Reference. Loading only the 90° TXT file manually will result in reduced measurement accuracy.

Different measurement microphone.png

Load microphone calibration profile Browse.png

For third-party use, the microphone profiles can be downloaded and employed in TXT file format as described above: Microphone profile downloads.

Note: It is the user's responsibility to resolve any compatibility issues with third-party use of the microphone profiles. Should any issues arise, we recommend consulting the respective third party's legal guidelines, support documentation, customer service, or other available resources. Sonarworks can't guarantee optimal measurement results when used without the microphone profile.