Calibrating Speakers with Pink Noise in Pro Tools: A Comprehensive Guide

When it comes to getting the best sound from your audio production software, properly calibrating your speakers is crucial. This ensures an accurate representation of your mix, which can make all the difference in achieving professional-quality audio. One widely used method for calibrating speakers is utilizing pink noise, and in this guide, we'll show you how to do that in Pro Tools.

What is Pink Noise?

Pink noise is a type of random noise with equal energy per octave, making it an ideal calibration tool for audio professionals. Because it covers the entire frequency spectrum, pink noise is useful for testing speakers and acoustic spaces to ensure proper frequency response.

Steps to Calibrate Speakers with Pink Noise in Pro Tools:

1. Open Pro Tools and create a new session.

   
   



2. Create a new stereo audio track.

   
   



3. Load the Signal Generator plug-in onto the new audio track: go to the Inserts section, click on a free insert slot, then navigate to Plug-ins > Other > Signal Generator.

   
   

1. Set the Signal Generator to generate pink noise: click on the waveform dropdown menu and select Pink Noise.

   
   



2. Set the output level of the Signal Generator to your desired reference level, typically between -20 dBFS and -12 dBFS.

   
   



3. In the mixer window, pan the audio track hard left and hard right respectively. This will ensure you are calibrating each speaker individually.

   
   

1. To calibrate each speaker, play the pink noise and adjust your speaker or audio interface volume until the pink noise measures at your desired SPL (Sound Pressure Level) on an SPL meter. Common SPL reference levels for mixing are 85 dB SPL or 79 dB SPL.

   
   



2. Repeat this process for the other speaker, ensuring both are calibrated to the same SPL.

   
   



3. Double-check your calibration by (a) bringing the pan of the audio track back to center, (b) setting the share output to mono, and (c) making sure the combined volume of both speakers is 3 dB louder than the individual speaker volumes.

   
   

By calibrating your speakers with pink noise in Pro Tools, you can ensure that your mixes translate well across different playback systems. Remember to check your calibration periodically, as it may change over time due to speaker or room variables. Happy mixing!