# Sonarworks still good for mixing with headphones? (and other questions)



## Kameo (Apr 26, 2021)

Some questions for the headphone mixers out there.

Haven't heard much about it in a while and I'm gathering up headphones mixing tools. Is it still the one to get? The only cans they have in stock in their shop right now are the HD600 and HD650 with Reference/SoundID calibration so I might go one way or the other (if you have an opinion on either, then feel free to let me know which are the better mixing headphones or if would even matter with the calibration.)

How about this Sienna girl I keep hearing about? Seems like Acustica made their own plugin solution for headphone mixing, how is that going?

Is Can Openers + Sonarworks a good combo? Would it go Sonar -> Cans, or Cans -> Sonar in terms of the plugin chain?

Any answers to any of the questions would be great, thank you.

Disclaimer: No I'm not getting monitors and treating my room, already had a thread on this. Too expensive for the room I'm in. It's the headphone life for me for the time being and using my car speakers and other various sources I know for checking my mix.


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## SupremeFist (Apr 26, 2021)

The Slate VSX system is the daddy currently. I prefer dsoniq Realphones to AA Sienna for use with other cans (I have HD6xx etc) but YMMV. Haven't tried Sonarworks though.


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 26, 2021)

CanOpener then Sonar
Dial to taste - and use always so you get used to it.


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## SergeD (Apr 27, 2021)

vitocorleone123 said:


> CanOpener then Sonar


That is something confusing for me. Music is thrown into an emulated space (CanOpener) and then readjusted for headphones convenience. Why not balance frequencies first (SW) and then throw it into CanOpener?


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 27, 2021)

SergeD said:


> That is something confusing for me. Music is thrown into an emulated space (CanOpener) and then readjusted for headphones convenience. Why not balance frequencies first (SW) and then throw it into CanOpener?


Ultimately it comes out of your headphones or your speakers so it goes “fake space”-> “modifications to your analog output signal”.

If I remember right, canopener->sonar is how sonar recommends as well.


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## SergeD (Apr 27, 2021)

vitocorleone123 said:


> If I remember right, canopener->sonar is how sonar recommends as well.


I found the answer here https://goodhertz.co/canopener-studio/


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## vitocorleone123 (Apr 27, 2021)

SergeD said:


> I found the answer here https://goodhertz.co/canopener-studio/


Sonarworks goes last per Sonarworks, and that also makes sense. CanOpener is simulating a speaker (I wouldn’t put a room reverb last in the chain), Sonarworks is modifying the EQ of the output device. But whatever works best for you - there’s clearly no hard rules.


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## Kameo (Apr 27, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> The Slate VSX system is the daddy currently. I prefer dsoniq Realphones to AA Sienna for use with other cans (I have HD6xx etc) but YMMV. Haven't tried Sonarworks though.


Been doing some reading and listening and I guess I'm going for VSX. /thread


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## Jeremy Spencer (May 2, 2021)

I have Sonarworks and a pair of HD600 (not from SW). I swear by this combo for headphone mixing.


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## SupremeFist (May 2, 2021)

Kameo said:


> Been doing some reading and listening and I guess I'm going for VSX. /thread


You won't regret it!


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## rrichard63 (May 2, 2021)

For the reason why binaural crossfeed (e.g. Can Opener) comes first and headphone EQ correction (e.g. Sonarworks) comes after it, see this post:






POLL: Do you think Sonarworks is effective with headphones?


Yeah seems to work great. I also put it on the FX Monitor in Reaper. I'm using Convology Reverb with it set at 100%. Are you using yours at 100%? Thanks for all your help! Yep. You're welcome. You might want to consider the Melda MConvolutionEZ, which is free. I think it takes less resources...




vi-control.net


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