Since we often get asked about monitor calibration 😀
Here are the instruction for monitor calibration! This is for K-14, which i prefer. It can also be done with K-12 or K-20, it depends on your genre.
- Turn the volume of your monitors all the way down. Do not just mute it.
- Create a empty session in your main daw.
- Create a audio track and insert a noise generator and set it to pink noise with a level of -14dB peak.
- All faders have to be at unity level.
- Now you need a hardware SPL meter, or a SPL Measurement app for your smartphone (Settings: A-wighted, slow response)
- Both works well.
- Now, pan your audio track in your DAW all the way left, and rise the monitor level on your controller until you read 83dB SPL on your SPL meter.
- Now pan right, and check SPL again, it should also show 83dB.
- Now pan center and read the SPL meter, it should show 85dB SPL now. The integration of a sub should be done by reading 79dB or 76dB (depending on the room) on the SPL meter.
- Adjust the sub always separate from the main monitors, and don’t touch the volume know of the monitor controller.
- Done.
- Make a mark on your monitor controller to find the right spot later again. Now start mixing. Many DAWs support the k-14 setting on the meters.
- Use it on the master bus only. Now you are ready to mix, and you will never have headroom problems again. You can close the session or save it for later recalibration... 🙂 but usually this has only to be done once... unless you change the volume of your system.
Calibration Checklist
Calibrated monitors only tell the truth in a treated space: your listening environment shapes frequency response more than the speakers do. Pair calibration with basic room treatment, sort out bass management if you run a sub, and re-check levels seasonally, rooms drift as furniture and life move around them.