User Manual

9
A Brief Tutorial on Studio Monitors
The main purpose of speaker calibration is to ensure that a
specific metered audio level in your DAW or on your mixer
equals a predetermined SPL in your studio environment.
Depending upon the method and reference levels used
during calibration, proper calibration can help reduce
unwanted noise, minimize the risk of damage to your
studio monitors and to your ears, maximize the reference
capabilities of dierent speaker types, and ensure you
hear the audio as accurately as possible.
There are many methods for calibrating studio monitors.
Which method is best for your studio depends on the
nature of your mix environment, gear, clientele, and
audio mixes. If you wish to calibrate your studio monitors
using a dierent method than the one described here, we
encourage you to do so. The important thing is not the way
you calibrate your environment but that your environment
has been calibrated—even if you only use your ears,
common sense, and your favorite recording.
Nearly every calibration method has one thing in common:
test tones. There are many dierent types of test tones.
The one we’ll discuss here is full-bandwidth pink noise.
With full-bandwidth pink noise, every frequency band
is present at exactly the same level, so it is ideal for
speaker calibration, room analysis, and many other types
of acoustic measurements. Full-bandwidth pink noise
samples can be purchased from your local electronics or
entertainment retailer or downloaded from a variety of free
Web sites.
Some DAW applications, including PreSonus Studio One,
feature a tone-generator plug-in that oers a wide range of
test tones, including pink noise. If you are using a DAW for
tracking and mixing, using it as a calibration source is ideal.
Studio One Tone Generator
When calibrating reference monitors in a studio, the
acoustic level or sound pressure level (SPL) should be
measured from the mix position at seated ear height.
There are an assortment of great SPL metering apps on the
market for smartphones, and many are free! You can also
find accurate SPL meters at your favorite local electronics-
supply store.
The SPL meter should be held at arm’s length, with the
microphone pointed at the center point between the left
and right speakers (where your head will be), angled at 45
degrees to ensure an accurate reading. If your SPL meter
is also your cell phone, make sure your finger or cell phone
case isn’t covering the mic!
You should calibrate the right and left monitors
independently to ensure that both monitors are set to
the same acoustic level. This will ensure that your stereo
mixes are balanced and will translate well across dierent
speaker systems.
When two or more monitoring systems are calibrated
using the same method, each system should generate the
same acoustic level when given the same input source.
This is especially important when referencing your mix
on dierent sets of monitors (such as toggling between
Speaker A and Speaker B for comparison). Just like a
single system, the left and right monitors of each monitor
pair should be calibrated independently to ensure that
each speaker is set to the same level.
Level calibration is especially important when you have
two or more speaker pairs because there should not be
a change in loudness level when switching between the
dierent sets of speaker. In an incorrectly calibrated
studio, the acoustic level will jump when toggling between
the dierent systems and lead to a potentially inaccurate
perception of the consistency and quality of your mix.
Calibrating Using 85 dB SPL “Standard”
Reference
This method relies on technical data rather than on
subjective listening and is consequently one of the most
common calibration standards. The goal of this calibration
method is ensure that when the output meters in your DAW
or mixer register 0 dB, the SPL in your mix position is 85
dB.
This section will take you through the basics of “Standard”
Reference calibration. To calibrate your speakers you will
need an SPL meter and some pink noise. If your monitor
Hold SPL meter at arm’s length