AXE FX III taking control over Sonarworks

[GlennO]

The problem is you don't have any input on usb channel 5. In Logic, do you see input activity on the track meter when you press the Test button? If it's taking input from channel 1 properly, the meter should show activity.

 

[Steven Persson]

The problem is you don't have any input on usb channel 5. In Logic, do you see input activity on the track meter when you press the Test button? If it's taking input from channel 1 properly, the meter should show activity.

Yes, I do have activity in the track meter in Logic when pressing the Test button in MLSTool.

 

[GlennO]

It looks like the problem is the plugin inserted in the 5/6 bus is blocking the audio. You should be seeing activity on the output meter, but instead it's dead. As a test, try removing that plugin.

 

[Steven Persson]

It looks like the problem is the plugin inserted in the 5/6 bus is blocking the audio. You should be seeing activity on the output meter, but instead it's dead. As a test, try removing that plugin.

Ok, I tried removing the Sonarworks plugin and still no activity in the RTA in the Axe.

I got Sonarworks also on my Mac OS system which basically corrects any sound when I listen to Apple Music, YouTune etc via the Axe FX acting as an audio interface. Could there be any problem with that?

EDIT: Tried to shut it down but it didn't help either.

 

[Steven Persson]

I tried to enable Software Monitoring in Logic and now the RTA in the Axe shows activity. But still no guitar sound in my AXE when I create IR:s from MLSTool and loading them into the IR Player block.

 

[GlennO]

Assuming you got activity on the MLSTool input meter when you did the capture, you now have an accurate capture of the plugin. As I mentioned above, it sometimes helps to verify it by loading the IR into a cab block and going to the align page to see the waveform. If you don't see anything there, I'd guess there's a problem in the plugin.

 

[laxu]

Ok, I tried removing the Sonarworks plugin and still no activity in the RTA in the Axe.

I got Sonarworks also on my Mac OS system which basically corrects any sound when I listen to Apple Music, YouTune etc via the Axe FX acting as an audio interface. Could there be any problem with that?

EDIT: Tried to shut it down but it didn't help either.

View attachment 126560

Which output you use on the system should not matter, just the audio device in the DAW.

 

[Steven Persson]

Well, somehow, when I fired it up this morning - it worked!

However, when altering between the IR:s in the IR player block there's a significant loss of treble in the newly generated IR "MLS_left and MLS_right" compared to the from Auto EQ I normally use ("BD DT 1990...". My idea is that it should not differ that much since both AutoEQ and Sonarworks corrections are both specifically for the BeyerDynamic 1990 PRO headphones I use. With the MLS IR:s it sounds a bit like the classic "blanket over the cab".

Here's two clips comparing the two:

BD IR from AutoEQ by Jaakoo Pasanen


MLS generated IR





This how it looks in the Cab blocks Align page comparing the MLS IR with the BD IR.

 

[laxu]

When I made IRs out of the Sonarworks plugin, I had to compensate with the IR player level control to avoid volume loss. This might be an issue with how I made the IR though.

 

[GlennO]

Well, somehow, when I fired it up this morning - it worked!

However, when altering between the IR:s in the IR player block there's a significant loss of treble in the newly generated IR "MLS_left and MLS_right" compared to the from Auto EQ I normally use ("BD DT 1990...". My idea is that it should not differ that much since both AutoEQ and Sonarworks corrections are both specifically for the BeyerDynamic 1990 PRO headphones I use. With the MLS IR:s it sounds a bit like the classic "blanket over the cab".

I just tried a MLSTool capture through Logic and it worked fine. Make sure you have normalize output turned on (I can't see that setting in your screenshot) and try a threshold of -60 dB. When you're done, it should sound the same as the plugin.

 

[ccc118]

Well, somehow, when I fired it up this morning - it worked!

However, when altering between the IR:s in the IR player block there's a significant loss of treble in the newly generated IR "MLS_left and MLS_right" compared to the from Auto EQ I normally use ("BD DT 1990...". My idea is that it should not differ that much since both AutoEQ and Sonarworks corrections are both specifically for the BeyerDynamic 1990 PRO headphones I use. With the MLS IR:s it sounds a bit like the classic "blanket over the cab".

Here's two clips comparing the two:

BD IR from AutoEQ by Jaakoo Pasanen


MLS generated IR


View attachment 126587
View attachment 126588

This how it looks in the Cab blocks Align page comparing the MLS IR with the BD IR.

View attachment 126589

If you're wondering if the IR you made came out right, there's a program called IR Workshop that you can load it into and look at the curve and see if it matches the one in Sonarworks. You can also import it into Room EQ Wizard if you have that. Just make sure to turn off smoothing.

https://github.com/ValdemarOrn/IRWorkshop

Also, if you run the Axe-FX III audio into your DAW with Sonarworks on and live monitoring enabled, it should sound the same other than some latency.

If the IR seems ok, then it might just come down to personal preference between Auto EQ and Sonarworks. I have different headphones (HD650) and have a Sonarworks IR and found it to sound different than Auto EQ. I prefer the way Sonarworks sounds with my headphones. You may have just gotten used to the extra brightness of the Auto EQ one. Another option is that instead of using the flat setting in Sonarworks, you can use the custom target setting and adjust whatever you don't like about it and run the IR software again.

 

[GlennO]

+1 on using Room EQ Wizard as a utility for working with IR's. In fact, I use REW instead of Sonarworks for correction. It has the distinct advantage that you can export the correction IR. No need to capture anything.

 

[Steven Persson]

When I made IRs out of the Sonarworks plugin, I had to compensate with the IR player level control to avoid volume loss. This might be an issue with how I made the IR though.

If you're wondering if the IR you made came out right, there's a program called IR Workshop that you can load it into and look at the curve and see if it matches the one in Sonarworks. You can also import it into Room EQ Wizard if you have that. Just make sure to turn off smoothing.

https://github.com/ValdemarOrn/IRWorkshop

Also, if you run the Axe-FX III audio into your DAW with Sonarworks on and live monitoring enabled, it should sound the same other than some latency.

If the IR seems ok, then it might just come down to personal preference between Auto EQ and Sonarworks. I have different headphones (HD650) and have a Sonarworks IR and found it to sound different than Auto EQ. I prefer the way Sonarworks sounds with my headphones. You may have just gotten used to the extra brightness of the Auto EQ one. Another option is that instead of using the flat setting in Sonarworks, you can use the custom target setting and adjust whatever you don't like about it and run the IR software again.

Thanks, but it seems to be a Windows app? I'm on Mac though.

 

[ccc118]

Thanks, but it seems to be a Windows app? I'm on Mac though.

I believe Room EQ Wizard will work on Mac, but I'm not sure about the other program I suggested. The important thing is whether the IR sounds the same as it does when routing the Axe-FX through your DAW with Sonarworks enabled. I was just suggesting looking at the curve of the IR since you weren't sure if it came out right. Feel free to PM me the IR and I can try to take a look at it if you want.

 

[Steven Persson]

I believe Room EQ Wizard will work on Mac, but I'm not sure about the other program I suggested. The important thing is whether the IR sounds the same as it does when routing the Axe-FX through your DAW with Sonarworks enabled. I was just suggesting looking at the curve of the IR since you weren't sure if it came out right. Feel free to PM me the IR and I can try to take a look at it if you want.

Thanks!

 

[Steven Persson]

When I made IRs out of the Sonarworks plugin, I had to compensate with the IR player level control to avoid volume loss. This might be an issue with how I made the IR though.

Yeah, volume is compensatable but as I mentioned earlier, the MLSTool IR:s are way darker than those from AutoEQ and i struggle to believe that should be the case.

Haven’t tried it yet but if I was about to compensate for the loss of treble in my Axe presets, the recorded sound would probably come out pretty harsh when listening in my Apple AirPods for example. I only use the IR Block for monitoring but record dry so Sonarworks in Logic can do it’s correction on the recorded sounds.

My presets sounds pretty good as is with AutoEQ but I hear a difference between Sonarworks and AutoEQ that I’d like to bridge the gap to as I like the Sonarworks sound better.

 

[GlennO]

Yeah, volume is compensatable but as I mentioned earlier, the MLSTool IR:s are way darker than those from AutoEQ and i struggle to believe that should be the case.

The question you need to answer is: does audio that is sent through your captured IR sound the same as it does when it is sent through the plugin?