Genelec Promises The Ultimate In Personalised Headphone Monitoring

US Aural ID software technology available in an easy-to-use DAW plug-in format 26/01/22

Genelec has made its Aural ID software technology available in an easy-to-use DAW plug-in format. They say that, as well as providing extra features and more flexible purchasing models, the new Aural ID plug-in integrates smoothly into every audio professional's workflow - delivering a more truthful, reliable and completely personalised headphone listening experience, from stereo to immersive. Here's the details in their own words...

Using simple video footage supplied by the user via the free Aural ID Creator mobile app, Genelec will then analyse the way the user's head, external ear and upper body affect and colour the audio arriving from all directions. This effect is totally unique to every individual and is called the Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). Aural ID's cloud-based calculation engine then models the user's own head and upper torso features to calculate their personal HRTF, and this information enables precise rendering of audio in any direction within the Aural ID plug-in, which is available in VST, AAX and AU formats for easy integration into any DAW.

Aimed primarily at audio professionals working in music, film, broadcast, game audio design and academic research, Aural ID is unique in its ability to offer a comprehensive and personalised headphone experience unlike those relying on generic HRTFs. Furthermore, Aural ID delivers headphone listening with a natural sense of imaging that is modelled on in-room loudspeaker monitoring, enabling more reliable headphone mixing decisions than ever before. For mobile audio professionals who regularly work remotely in ad-hoc environments, Aural ID is a godsend.

New to the plug-in version of Aural ID is the ability to compensate for the sound colouration that any headphones will introduce. There are two modes for achieving this, the first and most accurate being a corrective EQ individually tailored for a library of specific headphone models within the plug-in, while a second mode offers a more generalised response that supports any professional headphone model.

The Aural ID plug-in also allows users of Genelec Smart Active Monitors to import calibration files directly from Genelec's GLM loudspeaker manager software. This helps the user to closely replicate the performance of their in-room monitoring system, creating a complete Genelec monitoring ecosystem with a more natural and satisfying connection between personalised in-room and headphone monitoring. This connection is further enhanced by the ability of the plug-in to create and store a virtual model of the user's in-room monitoring set up, allowing the solo and mute of any virtual monitor in an intuitive way. Users can also perform fine adjustments of the virtual monitor spatial location, level alignment, listener orientation in azimuth and elevation, and total system equalisation.

The Aural ID plug-in is available directly from the Genelec Cloud platform via a cloud-based subscription service, giving continuous access to the latest updates, future Aural ID features and immediate help desk access. Pricing options for both individuals and corporate/educational group licences are available.

Genelec Managing Director Siamäk Naghian told us, "While we firmly believe that in-room loudspeaker monitoring is unrivalled during the recording and mixing process, high quality headphones play an important role as a supplementary monitoring tool. Aural ID empowers headphone users by giving them the confidence to switch between monitors and headphones freely, delivering mixes that translate consistently to the outside world. We're also proud that Aural ID technology achieves this in a totally sustainable way, requiring no hardware changes or using otherwise precious natural resources. We feel sure that audio professionals will warmly embrace the new features, usability and flexible purchasing models that the Aural ID plug-in now offers."

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