Genelec thinks that it's cracked headphone monitoring, and all you need is your smartphone

Genelec has announced a brand new service that it says will “redefine headphone monitoring”.

This is based on the new Aural ID software technology. The tech works by gathering all the essential information required to calculate an individual’s Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF).

Your HRTF is the acoustical properties of your head, upper torso and external ear: elements that interact in complex ways to affect sounds reaching the eardrums.

Historically, obtaining this information has been rather an arduous task, which is where Genelec’s Aural ID software comes in.

By utilising your smartphone’s camera, the app can record all the data required to create your own HRTF signature. Upload the recorded video to the web-based service, and a detailed 3D model of your head, torso, shoulders and, most particularly, ears is recreated.

All the information is then crunched and compiled into downloadable SOFA file, a format which is standardised by the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and supported by many VR systems.

Genelec Managing Director Siamak Naghian says: “In the same way that our monitor loudspeakers established the sonic reference for professional audio monitoring, and GLM calibration software revolutionised the way studio monitors could be optimised for any acoustic space, we are determined to help bring standards of sonic truthfulness to headphone reproduction. With an increasing number of audio professionals relying on both in-room monitors and headphones, Genelec Aural ID is a significant first step towards the use of headphones for actual reference audio monitoring and listening.” 

The Genelec Aural ID system will be available in the next few months, and more information can be found on the Genelec website.