Genelec’s Aural ID DAW plug-in personalises ‘phones
Posted on: Friday 28th of January 2022
Genelec has now made its Aural ID software technology available in a DAW plug-in format. As well as providing extra features and more flexible purchasing models.
Using video footage supplied by the user via the free Aural ID Creator mobile app, Genelec then analyses 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 the 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, especially those using mobile workspaces or performing critical listening tasks under less than ideal conditions. Genelec says that Aural ID is “unique in its ability to offer a comprehensive and personalised headphone experience unlike those relying on generic HRTFs.”
Furthermore, it adds that “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.”
New to the plug-in version of Aural ID is the ability to compensate for the sound colouration that 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 replicate the performance of their in-room monitoring system, “creating a complete Genelec monitoring ecosystem.”
Users can also create and store a virtual model of the their in-room monitoring set up, allowing the solo and mute of any virtual monitor. 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.
