Calibra

Calibra

A complete headphone calibration, phase-control and monitoring plugin for your DAW.

Calibra is a VST3 plugin for Windows and macOS designed for users who want full control over headphone correction, phase behavior, calibration workflow and monitoring tools inside the DAW.

Not a closed headphone-profile system.
Calibra lets your correction file define the response.

Load your own TXT correction files, work with measured or AutoEQ-style data, choose between IIR and FIR correction modes, compare calibration setups with A/B slots, and keep your headphone monitoring chain clean, flexible and repeatable.

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What Calibra is made for

Headphone calibration is not always just "apply an EQ curve".

Different workflows need different compromises between latency, phase response, ringing behavior, correction accuracy and monitoring comfort.

Calibra was built to give you direct control over those choices.

• Open calibration workflow — use your own correction files instead of fixed profiles.
• Advanced phase modes — choose between IIR, FIR Minimum Phase, FIR Natural Phase and FIR Linear Phase.
• A/B calibration slots — compare headphones, targets or correction files instantly.
• Crossfeed — reduce extreme left/right headphone separation with hardware-style presets and custom controls.
• Monitoring utilities — width, pan, bass mono, Mid/Side, Left/Right and safety mute in one plugin.

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Core features

Calibration and correction files

• Open TXT correction-file workflow
• Common Equalizer APO / AutoEQ-style TXT support
• FFP preset import and export
  
• Preamp, Filter, GraphicEQ and Include support
• Parametric EQ and graphic correction curve support
• Measured headphone correction workflow
• Personal target-curve workflow
• Project recall with embedded correction snapshot
• Equalizer APO-style null-test oriented validation for supported TXT files

Phase and correction engines

• IIR Minimum Phase correction
• FIR Minimum Phase correction
• FIR Natural Phase correction
• FIR Linear Phase correction
• Segmented FIR convolution engine
• Advanced phase / latency / ringing tradeoff control
• Zero-reported-latency and host-compensated FIR workflows depending on the selected mode

A/B calibration workflow

• Dual A/B calibration slots
• Per-slot correction files and correction snapshots
• Smooth A/B switching with crossfade
• FIR warmup behavior for safer switching
• Fast comparison between headphones, targets and correction strengths

Crossfeed

• Five hardware-style headphone crossfeed presets
• Custom crossfeed mode
• Adjustable crossfeed amount
• Adjustable crossfeed frequency behavior
• Designed to reduce extreme left/right headphone separation
• Useful for more natural long-session headphone monitoring

Monitoring tools

• Input gain
• Pan
• Stereo width
• Bass side cut with adjustable crossover frequency
• Stereo, Left, Right, Mid and Side monitoring
• Panic / safety mute protection

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Correction modes

Mode	Best for	Behavior
IIR Minimum Phase (0 Latency)	Everyday monitoring	Low-latency minimum-phase correction.
FIR Minimum Phase (0 Latency)	Immediate FIR-based correction	FIR correction behavior with zero reported latency.
FIR Natural Phase	Balanced headphone correction	A more natural compromise between phase behavior, ringing and latency.
FIR Linear Phase	Critical checks	Linear-phase FIR correction with host-compensated latency.

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Open calibration workflow

Calibra is designed around text-based correction files.

Instead of locking the user into a fixed profile database, the correction file defines the response.

Supported correction-file elements include:

• Preamp
• Filter
• GraphicEQ
• Include
• enabled / disabled filters
• parametric EQ filters
• graphic EQ correction curves
• relative include paths
• decimal comma parsing

This makes Calibra suitable for AutoEQ-style correction, custom measurements, personal target curves and manually edited headphone calibration files.

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Equalizer APO null-test validation

Calibra has been tested against Equalizer APO-style correction workflows with null-test oriented validation for supported TXT files.

The goal is to reproduce supported correction files inside the DAW with measurable and repeatable accuracy, instead of approximating the curve by eye.

Supported TXT elements include Preamp, Filter, GraphicEQ and Include.

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A/B calibration workflow

Calibra includes two calibration slots: A and B.

Each slot can store its own correction file, monitoring parameters and correction snapshot.

Use A/B slots to compare:

• two headphones;
• two correction files;
• two target curves;
• measured vs AutoEQ correction;
• subtle vs stronger correction;
• different monitoring setups;
• different calibration workflows.

A/B switching uses a smooth crossfade and FIR warmup behavior to avoid abrupt monitoring changes.

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Crossfeed

Calibra includes five hardware-style headphone crossfeed presets plus custom controls.

Crossfeed can help reduce extreme left/right separation when working on headphones.

It is not designed to create a fake room or exaggerated stereo effect. It is designed as a controlled monitoring tool for headphone calibration, mixing and long listening sessions.

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Project recall

Calibra can save the applied correction snapshot inside the DAW project.

This means a session can recall the calibration even if the original TXT file has been moved, renamed or is no longer available.

This is useful for long-term projects, mastering revisions, client recalls and headphone-specific monitoring setups that need to remain consistent over time.

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Recommended use

Place Calibra on your headphone monitoring chain, monitor FX slot, control-room bus or dedicated headphone output path.

Use it for:

• headphone calibration;
• measured headphone correction;
• AutoEQ-style correction;
• phase-mode comparison;
• FIR vs IIR monitoring checks;
• target-curve comparison;
• crossfeed monitoring;
• mono compatibility checks;
• Mid/Side monitoring;
• Left/Right channel checks;
• calibrated headphone mixing and mastering workflows.

Do not export your final mix through Calibra unless you intentionally want to print the headphone calibration into the audio.

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System requirements

Windows

• Windows 10 or later (x64)
• VST3-compatible DAW or host

macOS

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
• Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) supported
• VST3-compatible DAW or host

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Licensing and demo mode

Calibra requires online activation on first launch using your itch.io download key.

An internet connection is only needed for the initial activation — the plugin runs fully offline after that.

Offline activation via a signed license key is available on request for systems that cannot connect to the internet.

A demo mode is available: the plugin is fully functional with a periodic white-noise burst when unregistered.

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Changelog

0.9.0 — 2026-06-26

Early access release.

• First release

Current status

Calibra is currently available as an early access build.

This version is intended for compatibility testing, workflow validation and early user feedback before the full public release.

Please test it in your own DAW and monitoring setup before relying on it in critical production work.

Bug reports, host compatibility notes and workflow feedback are welcome.