I’ve finally managed to get SoundID Reference Measure to complete a calibration with my system,but I ran into some unusual behavior and would like to confirm whether I did something wrong or if this is simply a limitation when working with large cinema-style speakers.
Let me start iwth my setup
- Computer: Mac Studio (macOS Sequoia 15.7.1)
- Interface: Avid MTRX Studio thunderbolt via Core Audio (48 kHz, 64 ch 32-bit float)
- Mic: Sonarworks XREF 20
- Software: SoundID Reference 5.8.x
- Speakers: Klipsch KPT-435 B/M (LCR) + Klipsch surrounds
- Room size: well above 150 m³ (cinema-style space)
- Listening distance: approx. 7 m from front speakers
- Distance between speakers: ~6.8 m (center-to-center)
- Alignment: DADman/Pro Tools calibrated so –20 dBFS pink noise = 85 dB SPL (C)
What happened:
- During the “Hold the mic 1–2 cm from the driver” step, SoundID kept showing “signal too noisy.”
I could only pass this stage when the mic was ~10 cm away from the speaker.
- The sweep at that distance was extremely loud — far above standard reference level —
and I had to lower the monitor trim manually to avoid clipping or damaging the speakers.
- The full measurement finally completed, but I’m not sure whether the calibration results
are valid given these conditions.
Questions:
1. Is it expected that SoundID Measure plays sweeps near 0 dBFS
2. For large-room or high-SPL setups like this, is there an official workflow to prevent mic overload and extreme playback volume?
3. Does moving the mic ~10 cm away during the near-field step affect calibration accuracy?
5. Are there any recommendations for running SoundID in rooms larger than 150 m³ (cinema stages, dubbing theatres)?
Additional notes:
- Room was silent (HVAC and projectors off).
- After measurement I restored the DADman monitor trim to 0 dB,
matching the 85 dB SPL @ –20 dBFS reference
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