Help using REW software to create custom EQ settings for headphones

[SuperWookie]

Hey everyone, I'm just looking for some detailed help on HOW to use REW software to create custom EQ profiles for my new DCA Aeon X Closed headphones. I was told that you can use REW to create custom EQ's. That you "input" a frequency response of your headphone into the software, then "create" a custom EQ you want, and then it will spit out the exact parametric settings to get it as close as possible to that curve? So sort of like Autoeq, but with the caveat of creating your OWN EQ curve instead of using another headphone to autoeq to.

1. I want to "input" my DCA Aeon X Closed headphones frequency response into REW. I have no idea how to even do that. There are frequency response graphs for my headphones, but no idea how to even input them into REW? So for example, member @Robbo99999, @Resolve and @TheHighContemplator have posted measured frequency responses for the headphones over in its own thread page. And then people like Robbo99999, TheHighContemplator and Oratory1990 have posted their own custom EQ's that are their idea of the "best" EQ for the headphones. And it looks like they are using REW, because I can see photos of the graphs and it's REW. But again, I have NO idea how they input those into REW.

2. Then I want to create my own EQ curve. Something I created. I've been messing around with it, and sort of can figure it out, but it's not as easy as using Peace/Equalizer Apo. So I may need a little bit of help here, but I think I mostly know how to do this part. I think I know "how" to create my own custom EQ curve in REW.

3. Then I want REW to use my custom EQ I just created to "Auto EQ" the frequency response from the headphones I input into the software to spit out the correct values to input into Equalizer APO/Peace to EQ my headphones to my custom created EQ. So it should spit out the frequencies to change, the Q value and the Gain value and any filters just like AutoEQ. But again, using MY custom EQ I created. Not another headphone.

Also, I know how to use Parametric EQ. I understand what adjusting the gain, q and choosing different frequencies does. How to use shelfs and low/high pass, etc. I've actually become fairly proficient and good at identifying how to use it to achieve what I want. To a degree. Lets say Novice or Advanced Beginner level. Not beginner, but not a competent intermediate. Somewhere in between. So just mentioning that, as it's not a reason WHY I can't figure this out. It just has to do with the software and not knowing how to do what I want to do. It's made for speakers and a mic, not headphones. And yet others have figured out how to do this, but I can't find any information anywhere on how to do what I want to do, yet know members here know how. I just can't figure out how to do 1 and 3.

Is anyone able to help me figure this out? I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks

 

[staticV3]

1. I want to "input" my DCA Aeon X Closed headphones frequency response into REW. I have no idea how to even do that.

Frequency response data can be input into REW either as .txt or .csv file.

In your case, you can visit the AutoEQ GitHub repo and download oratory's raw Aeon Closed X measurement directly as .txt file: https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/measurements/oratory1990/data/over-ear

This file you can drag and drop straight into REW.

3. Then I want REW to use my custom EQ I just created to "Auto EQ" the frequency response from the headphones I input into the software to spit out the correct values to input into Equalizer APO/Peace to EQ my headphones to my custom created EQ.

To do this in REW, click on the EQ button with your raw headphone response selected, then load your custom target response as House curve and set speaker type to None.

Then configure the EQ parameters according to your needs and it will spit out the preset which you can export as .txt

To be fair, you can also EQ the Closed X to a custom target response automatically using https://autoeq.app/ and this is a lot more user friendly.

Right from the start as you can just search for Closed X in the headphone search box and load oratory's measurement directly, without downloading and importing files.

Your custom target response you'll still have to import into AutoEQ as .txt/.csv though.

 

[Robbo99999]

Importing Frequency Responses into REW is mostly based on importing text files. So your frequency response will be saved as a csv file or text file (same thing really). You can use VirtuixCAD to trace visual graphs & convert that to a text file or you can download text files of frequency responses for different headphones and target curves from Jaakopasenen's Auto EQ website. It's really quite involved which is why not many people do it. I learnt it all by playing about with the software & using my imagination to realise the flexibility of the software. I can't write a guide for you but those are some pointers. You sent me a DM about it a while back - you just gotta play about with it to understand how "parametric EQ fits together" and how to use these various programs.

 

[SuperWookie]

Frequency response data can be input into REW either as .txt or .csv file.

In your case, you can visit the AutoEQ GitHub repo and download oratory's raw Aeon Closed X measurement directly as .txt file: https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/measurements/oratory1990/data/over-ear

This file you can drag and drop straight into REW.


To do this in REW, click on the EQ button with your raw headphone response selected, then load your custom target response as House curve and set speaker type to None.

Then configure the EQ parameters according to your needs and it will spit out the preset which you can export as .txt

To be fair, you can also EQ the Closed X to a custom target response automatically using https://autoeq.app/ and this is a lot more user friendly.

Right from the start as you can just search for Closed X in the headphone search box and load oratory's measurement directly, without downloading and importing files.

Your custom target response you'll still have to import into AutoEQ as .txt/.csv though.

I'm going to work on this over the next couple of nights after work when/if I have time this week. Thank you SO much for the detailed helpful explanation. I first need to create the custom curve I want to make in REW. That'll take some time. But then I hope it's fairly easy to do the rest of this based on your instructions and see if it works!

Another question that just came to mind. Can I create a custom EQ curve with frequency values, gain values and q values in Peace/Equalizer APO and just export that as a .txt file or .csv file and then import it into REW? Or autoeq if you think that's better? I'm not sure if using autoeq or REW is better for this? I know I've read that even though using autoeq gets you somewhat or pretty close to the target headphone you want, it'll never exactly be like the headphone you're trying to emulate. I get that. But it can get you in a close ballpark, which then allows you to mess around with details and get it almost perfect. But what I don't know is if I should be using REW to do this or autoeq?



I just want to make my own custom eq curve based on what I "think" I want to hear, and then have a program spit out the values to get my headphone as close as possible to that custom eq (based on Oratory's or others measurements, which may or may not be exactly the same as my headphone). And then I'll obviously tinker with those autoeq values it spits out to get it sounding exactly how I want, but just want to experiment. I've been reading lots of reviews of headphones over on DIY-Audio-Heaven. They/he has lots of reviews of headphones and even though it's a bit older, he/they still have LOTS of great reviews of lots of headphones. And in there, he discusses a lot of what I would consider to be more "expert" level information about what frequencies do certain things and how it effects sound. And they/he does this in almost every single review. One example of some extremely helpful info is the following in the review for the Denon AH-D5200: the mids are warm and lush so there is no "aggressive" sound in this headphone. The mids have a gentle downwards (warm) slope. The 'dip' between 1kHz and 5kHz ensures the mids sound "lush" and do not sound "agile" or "harsh". Information like this is gold to me as I am NOT finding ANY websites or videos on youtube that go into super deep detail about EQ and how it can affect sound. They're ALL the same. Simple, for beginners or maybe novice level and don't have expert level info like this nugget of info all over in these DIY-Audio-Heaven reviews.

So after reading just a few reviews and seeing golden info like this, it has given me a LOT of ideas on how I could improve the sound of my headphones through using EQ and hence, I want to learn how to use REW or whatever free EQ software or website I have available to me to create EQ curves with gain and Q values that will change my headphones to sound more how I "think" I want them to sound. And experiment a TON to see what I like and don't like.



And finally, I do have a few further questions in regards to your last few sentences. I'm not sure what you are saying or referring to when you say: "you can also EQ the Closed X to a custom target response automatically using autoeq and this is a lot more user friendly."

I understand how autoeq works to create values you input into EqualizerAPO to make your headphone "sound" more like another headphone. I've read the directions online on the github for autoeq and have done it many times already. But not sure what you mean when you say "I can use a custom target response that is more user friendly"? Can you expound upon that please?

And in general, are you trying to say using autoeq is easier and better than using REW to create a custom eq curve of my choosing? I'm sorry, I'm just not following exactly the last three sentences fully.

I'll report back later this week when I have created my own custom EQ in REW and used all of your instructions. I already downloaded the raw file of my headphones from that site you linked (bookmarked it as well). Hopefully it all goes well. Again, thank you very much. So helpful! Can't wait to work on this and see how it works when I get some time.

 

[staticV3]

Can I create a custom EQ curve with frequency values, gain values and q values in Peace/Equalizer APO and just export that as a .txt file or .csv file and then import it into REW?

Yes, here's how: https://youtu.be/vTLmo8syGRs

Once imported into REW via Import sweep recording, what you will have is simply the EQ response curve, which however is not directly useful for headphone target fitting.

What you can do is import the raw headphone response of the headphone that you used when you created the preset by ear, then do Trace arithmetic->A*B with the EQ response curve and that way you'll get the response of that headphone with your preset applied, which you can then apply as a house curve to match other headphones to (provided that both headphones were measured on the same measurement rig).

I'm not sure if using autoeq or REW is better for this?

REW can do so many things, while AutoEQ is just REW's EQ button but more user friendly.

But not sure what you mean when you say "I can use a custom target response that is more user friendly"? Can you expound upon that please?

https://autoeq.app/ does what REW's EQ button does, but is easier to use.
Both can import custom data (headphone and target) in .txt/.csv format. That's all.