DOTEC-AUDIO has announced the release of DeeSpeaker, a freeware nearfield monitor speaker simulator in VST/AU plugin formats for Windows and Mac OS based host applications.
There are a number of plugins on the market that are designed to simulate, at least to a certain extent, the advantages of mixing on a pair of nearfield monitors while using headphones. These plugins come in all shapes and sizes, from premium products such as TB Isone Pro by ToneBoosters and the recently released Nx by Waves, to freeware ones like Virtual Studio by Beyerdynamic and this latest freeware offering by DOTEC-AUDIO.
So what do these “virtual mixing room” plugins actually do? Their common goal is to simulate a pair of nearfield monitors set at a 45° angle and at a distance of one meter from the listener. Some advanced plugins also provide additional options for customizing the acoustics of the listening environment, however the simpler ones, such as DeeSpeaker, focus on emulating only the cross-feed and frequency response of monitor speakers. In theory, this should make it possible achieve the same stereo imaging and frequency response offered by a good pair of monitors. In reality, your results may vary, but the truth is I never really felt like I could substitute my monitors for a pair of headphones and get the same (or even similar) results. On the other hand, these plugins could definitely come in handy when there’s no other alternative, for example when you’re traveling and all you’ve got is a laptop and your portable headphones.
Anyways, I’ll let you be the judge of whether DeeSpeaker is worth adding to your workflow or not. During the test, I’ve noticed that it does indeed alter the stereo image of the headphones in a positive way, but it definitely doesn’t sound as natural as what I hear when listening to my speakers. In terms of performance, the plugin is very stable and also easy on the CPU (which makes sense for such a simple utility). It also couldn’t be any easier to use, featuring a single control parameter which is essentially the on/off switch.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s no substitute for a good pair of headphones when hunting for editing mistakes in your tracks. I also often use headphones when cutting/editing samples and working on sound design, because the monitors often tend to hide certain quirks and errors in the editing stage. But for mixing, and especially for achieving a good stereo width in a mix, a well positioned set of studio monitors (and not necessarily a very expensive model!) is pretty much an essential tool to have at your disposal.
Download
DeeSpeaker is available for free download via DOTEC-AUDIO (2.95 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format for Windows & Mac OS).
