Beyerdynamic Headphone Lab: Free Studio Simulation Worth Using?

In this video, I take a detailed look at the new Headphone Lab plugin from Beyerdynamic—a free software tool that promises to transform any Beyerdynamic headphone into a virtual studio monitoring environment. I walk you through the interface, including the headphone correction feature and the speaker and room simulation options, and explain why properly setting your interaural time difference is absolutely crucial for getting accurate results. I also demonstrate the plugin using my DT 990 Pro headphones so you can hear what kind of difference it makes.

While I appreciate that Beyerdynamic is offering this software for free, I do have some criticisms. The plugin is stereo only, the headphone correction lacks a blend slider to retain some of the original sound signature, and inexplicably, the original DT 1990 Pro isn't included in the supported headphone list. I compare it to Neumann's RIME plugin and discuss who might actually benefit from this software—and who might be better off skipping it altogether.