Buyer’s Guide: Monitor Management and Calibration Tools

A close-up of the Trinnov 3D Measurement Microphone with a blurry speaker and 500 Series studio gear in the background.

When it comes to mixing and mastering, every aspect and detail of your space, from speaker placement to the type of carpet on the floor, has an impact on what you're hearing. Monitor management and calibration tools are essential for fine-tuning your setup and optimizing your sound, and while the concept is simple, there are a lot of things to consider before choosing your approach.

In this Buyer's Guide, you'll learn about the different types of monitor management and calibration tools available, how they work, and how to implement them in your studio.

Monitor Controllers vs. Calibration Tools

While monitor controllers and calibration tools both fall under the “monitor management” category, they aren’t always the same thing. Sure, some monitor controllers also have calibration capabilities, but these tools ultimately serve different purposes.

Monitor controllers are an easy way to organize, expand, and customize your setup—basically the steering wheel for your studio rig. They act as a master volume control, enable you to switch between different sets of monitors or add a subwoofer, set up cue mixes, and more. There’s a plethora of great monitor controllers to choose from, like the Grace Design M908, Crane Song Avocet IIA, and Antelope Audio Satori, just to name a few.

On the other hand, monitor calibration tools optimize your studio monitors for playback in your specific listening environment. We’ve written about the benefits of monitor controllers in the past, so let’s dive further into monitor calibration.

What Are Monitor Calibration Tools?

Any given space, from a professionally designed control room to a humble bedroom studio, has its own unique frequency response. Monitor calibration tools help counteract the peaks and valleys in your room’s response by applying a custom EQ profile to your audio output.

When you hear about famous studios having a certain “magic” to them, it’s because they have a pleasant sonic profile for recording and making music. Even if you somehow took all of the gear out of Abbey Road Studios and set it up in your basement studio, it won’t sound the same because of that difference in listening environments.

Of course, a room’s frequency response can also be a disadvantage while recording or mixing. Stop us if this sounds familiar: Your mix sounds great in your home studio, but when you go to play the bounce somewhere else, it sounds off—or at least, not what you intended. Maybe it suddenly sounds muddy, too thin, too squashed, or generally unbalanced. This scenario is caused by your listening environment, which colored your mix to the point where its absence is heard in your track.

If this is happening to you, the first thing you should do is make sure your space is properly treated. Not only will treating your space make the biggest difference in your overall sound, but it will also make it easier for the monitor calibration tools to do their job. Just like with mixing and mastering, the less work the EQ needs to do, the better it will sound in the end.

Calibrating your monitors helps reduce fatigue during long mixing sessions and gives you the confidence that your mixes will translate to any environment or speaker. Next, let's take a look at how the process actually works.

How Monitor Calibration Tools Work

The monitor calibration process is surprisingly simple with the right tools. First and foremost, your calibration hardware or software should come with a measurement mic, which is designed specifically for capturing your listening environment’s sonic signature. Your calibration tool of choice will come with specific directions, but usually, you’ll set the measurement mic at the main listening point in your room (e.g. your desk or console), and the tool you’re using will play various tests and tones through your monitors. Some tools will also have you take multiple measurements from different parts of the room to create a sum measurement, which makes for a more accurate reading.

Next, the tool compares your room’s frequency curve to a target—usually a flat line, but some tools have custom “profiles” available to match different environments like clubs, car interiors, and even famous studios. Finally, the tool matches your room’s curve to the target using EQ adjustments, and viola: You have successfully calibrated your speaker monitors. Next, let's take a look at some of the best monitor calibration tools on the market.

The Best Monitor Controllers and Calibration Tools

When it comes to which calibration tool you should use, there are plenty of viable options made by trusted audio brands. Here are a few of our favorites:

Trinnov Nova monitor calibration processor.

Trinnov Optimizer

Found in units like the Nova processor and D-Mon monitor controller Trinnov’s Optimizer technology has been around since 2006, making it one of the longest-running and highest-regarded room calibration options on the market. Using the specially designed 3D Measurement Microphone, the Optimizer will get you comprehensive and accurate results in minimal time.

Genelec 9401A monitor calibration processor controller.

Genelec 9401A

This versatile reference controller not only supports immersive audio systems, but it also comes stock with Genelec’s specially designed Smart Active Monitoring (SAM) calibration technology. This calibration tool not only adjusts monitors to your room, but it also matches all of your speaker and headphone inputs to each other for seamless transitioning. Check out our Genelec Buyer’s Guide to find the right speakers to pair with your controller.

Neumann MA1 measurement microphone bundle with KH 750 DSP subwoofer and a pair of KH 80 DSP monitors.

Neumann MA 1 Bundles

Co-created with audio processing experts Fraunhofer IIS, this is a budget-friendly option for optimizing your monitors for your space. For the full Neumann experience, you can also get the mic as a bundle with a KH 750 DSP subwoofer, a pair of KH 80 DSP monitors, or all three speakers.

Merging Technologies Atmos Bundle with Anubis interface and Sonarworks SoundID Reference monitor calibration software.

Merging Technologies Atmos Bundle

This bundle from Merging Technologies gives you everything you need to jump into the immersive world of Dolby Atmos, including the easy-to-use SoundID reference mic and software plus the best-selling Anubis audio interface.

Sonarworks SoundID Reference for Speakers and Headphones

If you just want software to use with your existing monitor setup, then you can’t go wrong with Sonarworks’ SoundID tool. Calibrate speakers and headphones for your space in just 20 minutes, upload and save different profiles, and select from over 200 presets to road-test your mixes without ever leaving your desk.

If you’re interested in purchasing monitor calibration tools for your studio, we're here to help! Contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.