In October 2019 Sonarworks released an update of their popular Reference speaker and headphone calibration software. 4.4 is a free update for all current Sonarworks users downloadable from the Sonarworks website.

There are some substantial differences in this update compared to previous versions including some cool new user features that claim to help users customise their Sonarworks monitoring environment. What are these new features in Reference 4.4 and how can they help you?

A More Complex Interface - What's New?

The interface has grown with a new sidebar to the left within Systemwide to include new Devices and User Preset menus. Both of these additions within Reference 4.4 expand user experiences as in previous versions of Systemwide routing options were slightly limited.

It was simple enough for users to select their preferred audio interface with fixed outputs (example: channels 1 and 2) along with their calibration profiles for monitors and/or headphones but often users had to change each section one at a time if they needed to switch between different monitor profiles.

This basic functionality worked for many though engineers who have demanding monitoring setups perhaps needed more flexibility. This is where Systemwide 4.4 comes into its own. Thanks to its new Devices and User Preset sections, flexible routing and user-defined presets that users can recall with a single mouse click is at the core of this update. Let's take a closer look at these menus to understand how both work.

What Are User Presets In Sonarworks Systemwide 4.4?

The new User Presets menu in Systemwide 4.4 enables you to do so much more in Systemwide than before. Users can choose to have one or more audio interfaces set up and ready to go, which was sort of possible in previous versions but the process of switching between devices wasn’t the most elegant of solutions. Consider User Presets in 4.4 as a well thought out management system for saving and recalling multiple calibrations, outputs and DSP settings.

If you use multiple interfaces in your studio you can configure all of your available outputs between your interfaces ready to work with your collection of calibration profiles, sound exciting? Let’s explore some of the benefits of setting up User Presets in 4.4.

Example Of How User Presets Can Help You In Sonarworks Systemwide 4.4

Users could not save a global preset for their devices (audio interfaces), output channels, calibration profiles and DSP settings which included headroom level in previous versions of Systemwide, now you can. If you wish, you can assign multiple presets to a single interface. This is useful if you have more than one set of headphones or monitors connected to your audio interface. This new feature in 4.4 makes it incredibly easy to switch between the two. If you change any of the settings within the UI in any of your user presets such as Filter Mode or Limit Controls these value changes now save automatically ready to use the next time you load the preset.

Presets can also be useful if more than one engineer uses the studio. One engineer may prefer a heavily calibrated sound, the other may not. With presets, each engineer can store their own settings that they can recall depending on who takes control of the listening position.

How To Save And Recall Your User Presets In Systemwide 4.4

Click Add Preset from the left sidebar to configure and save a new User Preset. Next, select your calibration profile (this can be for your main monitors). Next, assign your preferred audio interface and the output channels you wish you to use (this can be your main audio interface with output channels 1 and 2 for monitors left and right). After naming and saving your preset (this can be called “studio main monitors”) you can move on to make another user preset if your studio has a second or even third set of monitors that will have different calibration profiles.

If you use more than one set of monitors connected to different output pairs on your audio interface, user presets can make use of them. Ensure you select the correct outputs from the list of available outputs (these could be outputs 3 and 4) in the add preset menu. Both these presets will appear in the User Preset menu list which you can click on to switch between.

If you use headphone calibration as well as speaker calibration you can also set up a preset for those. Presets for headphones is particularly useful if you use several sets of headphones each with their own calibration profile or, like monitors, use different headphones over different outputs in your audio interface.

As you can see, setting up User Presets is not only simple but also very configurable to make the best possible use of any available output channels you may have in your audio interface.

What Is Devices and How Does This Differ From User Presets In Systemwide 4.4?

The term Devices relates to available audio interfaces in Systemwide including the option to use your computer’s built-in output audio if desired.

Devices and User Presets in Systemwide 4.4 are similar, but they provide slightly different purposes which can be a bit confusing to understand.

User Presets can be managed in two separate view options being Devices and Presets. In Devices mode, you will see your presets listed based on the output devices they are assigned to. The Presets view is based on the calibration profiles and DSP setting you are using. Presets can be added for any routing and/or calibration combination you want to use.

Let’s put this into context. In the example below you will see how the preset named 'KRK 6' (assigned to Scarlett 6i6 USB interface) is displayed in both views

4.4 introduced a new automatic preset hierarchy which automatically applies calibration to a different device if an output device (audio interface) loses connection with your computer. This feature automatically switches back to the device at the top of the list if that device becomes available again. All of this is based on the presets you created and used previously.

Note the orange/red 'Device Unavailable' icon next to the disconnected M-Track unit in the above image. The system will notify you and help you through unfamiliar situations such as these providing options to deal with new preset scenarios, such as connecting a new device:

In summary, the new User Presets and Devices menus in 4.4 work together to provide more flexible routing and monitoring options that you can configure using the gear you already own.

Another automatic feature that can save you time and hassle switching between multiple monitoring devices is called Default Output Device. This can be engaged within the Audio menu under settings:

Keep Systemwide the default system output device - Systemwide will remain as the default output and set your chosen device as its output device when changing your computer system’s audio output devices.

The feature works best when used with user presets. This system aims to keep your monitoring experience smooth and seamless by automatically reverting to itself as the default output device if you're trying to select a different one. Automatic take-over is On by default. If automatic take-over is off you will get notifications with a handful of choices. Either do nothing or set the chosen device as output in Systemwide (which doesn’t take over the system output either way). A smaller checkbox will also give you the option to take over system output this time only. The choice is yours.

In short, Systemwide 4.4 has grown as an application with some new features which we feel are very handy to have. If you use Sonarworks and have updated to version 4.4 we hope this article has demystified the new menus.

Follow This Easy Step-By-Step Demonstration To Understand Devices and User Presets

A simple real-world way of learning how to exploit these new features is to try the following test for yourselves:

Let’s say that we have a simple 2in/2out interface. The interface is hooked up to a set of studio monitors over outputs 1 and 2. Setup a new preset in the Devices menu of Systemwide 4.4. Follow the simple instructions including the calibration profile for your monitors, followed by output device. Select left channel to Output 1, right to Output 2. Name that preset and save. So far so simple. You should now be monitoring through Systemwide with calibration.

Now, setup a headphone calibration, but we won’t be using the interface. Instead, we’re going to use the built-in headphone output on the computer. Go back to devices, add preset and choose Built-in Output from the device list. Ensure you have a profile selected for your headphones from the average calibration list and that left and right are selected on outputs 1 and 2. Play some music from your desktop and switch between the two presets in Systemwide.

You will notice how easy it is to switch not only between monitors and headphones but how seamless it is to switch between totally different output devices.

Here’s the punchline: Systemwide 4.4 is now a virtual monitor controller that can demand more from whatever outputs you have available in your studio rig. If you followed this demonstration you should be able to apply your own custom virtual routing setup for yourself.

Another point of interest for Windows users ASIO support which can benefit users with ASIO exclusive devices such as AVID HDX. We’ll take a closer look at this in a future article. Check out the Sonarworks FAQ for more information about ASIO in 4.4.

We’re interested to know how you setup your Systemwide 4.4 routing, let us know in the comments below

Visit Sonarworks for more information. If you have yet to try headphone or speaker calibration by Sonarworks, download the demo to see and hear if it could fit your workflow.

If you want to test speaker calibration, don’t worry about investing in a measurement mic for the purposes of demoing the software. By measuring your monitor’s response using whatever microphone you have at your disposal in your studio you will get a good general sense of what Sonarworks speaker calibration can do for you.