Sonarworks Reference 4, Reaper, and unsupported interface!

Recording, Mixing and Producing Plugins
Sonarworks Reference 4, Reaper, and unsupported interface!
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#1

I had heard/read a lot of good things about Sonarworks, so on Black Friday I grabbed the Headphone Edition on a discount. It is a limited version of the software that doesn’t include speaker calibration, but I already have a tool for that (IK’s ARC). It’s compatible with Reaper as far as I can tell, but it doesn’t like my audio interface. I have an old Digi 003 interface, and their support desk is telling me (in so many words) that there have been problems with supporting that and that it likely won’t work at all. When I tried to load the “Calibration profile” in the plugin, to use the software, I got the BSOD (multiple times) and diagnosed the error to the interface through the Windows BSOD Minidump.

They don’t seem to have any documentation on which audio interfaces work with their software, only supported headphone models that are profiled.

To be more detailed, there is a “Systemwide” component as part of the software install that I allowed (though I think you can cancel or bypass that part of the install), and this is what connects the software to load the Calibration profiles. There is an Offline Activation option, which can download an activation file with all the profiles inside, which would probably work if my interface was supported … but apparently it’s not. That would bypass having to use Systemwide to pull down the profile(s). Systemwide is a program that runs on Windows, but can be inactive until using the plugin to load the “Calibration profile”. When trying to load the profile for the headphone, it prompts me to “Open Systemwide”, which is when the BSOD occurs. Presumably that tells Windows to launch the program, and that program doesn’t like my interface.

I am angling toward a refund on the purchase, but if I’m stuck with the software I’m trying to figure out the options. Getting a newer interface would probably solve it (specific models being one of my pending questions to the support desk). I’m not planning on that though, ATM. And I can probably use it with my computer soundcard, but don’t really have a need for it there, per se.

Just wondering what others have experienced, and any suggestions or recommendations going forward. Thanks.

#2

I can’t offer much help other than to say that I use systemwide with my focusrite scarlett without any problems, and I use it in Reaper as a monitoring FX. Also, systemwide only works for 44.1kHz sampling rate.

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#3

I’m sure a lot of newer gear and popular brands will work fine. The last supported drivers for Digi 003 on Windows was 2014, and while it does also support Windows 10 (I’m on Win7), this would probably be considered ‘legacy’ gear and drivers. I can kind of understand why there might be a problem, but I think they should be more up front about gear that’s not supported with their software. They don’t seem to publish this at all, and it should at least be somewhere in specs or system requirements IMO.

I did see that. I believe my system sound card is set to 48k, so it’s possible that could have something to do with it. Though their support did tell me flat out that Digi 003 is a problem for them. The plugin may require that too, but I’d have to go back and check. That now raises the question in regard to what if the DAW is set to 44.1, but Systemwide is set to the computer sound card at 48k. For instance, calling Systemwide for the plugin Calibration profile. I’ll have to ask them about that on the next email.

#4

Update on this, if anyone is interested. It looks like I have a workaround, which Sonarworks support offered after all the problems. I don’t see this documented in their user manual at all, and it would have been nice to know as an alternate method. Maybe they just want you to depend on Systemwide?

What they suggested I do is click on the SW logo (in the VST plugin), and then click on the “Check for Headphone Profile Updates”. This downloads the headphone profiles directly into a Sonarworks folder that can then be located with “Open Profile” under the Calibration Profile menu. I still have some playing around to do, but it seems to be working now and not crashing the computer.

I asked this question of support when I responded that the workaround did the job for me. I’m still curious about it. It may not matter now, as I may not use Systemwide now that I don’t have to, but I’m still curious about the sample rate situation with Systemwide and how it might interact with the DAW (and plugin) of a different rate.

#5

i use Systemwide also on my widows audio so i don’t see why you had a problem. Works with my M box too

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#6

I presume your M Box connection is USB? Most Windows audio interfaces are, I think. However, the Digi 003 was a Firewire 400 connection, and I originally used it with a Mac. When I moved to Windows, I had to install a “TI spec” Firewire 400 PCI card for it. So I have Windows drivers, but it’s a Firewire 400 device. Those are “legacy” now I’m sure, so if I had to venture a guess it’s that Firewire 400 has something to do with it.