How to Connect Auratone Monitor to Daw
Nobody tells you about the little white boxes until you’ve already spent a small fortune on glossy studio monitors that sound incredible in your pristine, acoustically treated room but make your mixes sound like a dumpster fire everywhere else. I bought into the hype, hook, line, and sinker. My first pair of ‘pro’ monitors cost more than my rent that month. Turned out they were about as useful for real-world translation as a pair of noise-canceling headphones are for mixing.
Then came the Auratones. These things look like they were designed by a committee that hated aesthetics. Cheap plastic, basic drivers, zero flair. Yet, they’re the secret weapon for a reason. Figuring out how to connect Auratone monitor to DAW is simpler than you might think, but the setup matters more than you’d expect.
This isn’t about fancy cables or digital wizardry; it’s about a philosophy of sound. It’s about hearing your mix the way 90% of people will hear it – on something decidedly average.
Why These Little White Boxes Are a Big Deal
Honestly, the whole idea of using Auratone-style monitors feels almost like a joke when you first hear about it. Most people, especially those just starting out, are chasing the ‘ultimate’ sound, the clearest detail, the widest frequency response. They see those sleek, expensive monitors with their fancy waveguide designs and think ‘that’s the path to a perfect mix’. I was definitely one of them, convinced that more expensive equals better. My first setup involved a pair of Adam A7X monitors, which are fantastic in their own right, but they painted such a rosy picture of my mixes that I’d get into my car and panic. The bass was always too much, the highs were always too harsh. It was infuriating.
Then, a seasoned engineer, a guy who looked like he’d been mixing records since before I was born, took one look at my setup and just grunted. He pointed to a pair of beat-up white cubes on a shelf. ‘Those,’ he said, ‘are more important than all that.’ He was talking about Auratones, or more accurately, the concept they represent: a reference speaker that mimics consumer playback systems. They’re designed to have a limited frequency range, intentionally so. This forces you to make mixing decisions that translate. You can’t rely on them to tell you if your sub-bass is perfectly tuned; you have to trust your ears for that. What they *will* tell you is if your mids are balanced and your vocals are sitting right. That’s where most music lives and dies for the average listener.
Getting Connected: The Physical Setup
So, you’ve got your Auratones, or a similar cube-style reference speaker. Now what? How do you connect Auratone monitor to DAW without turning your entire setup into a spaghetti monster of wires? It’s usually pretty straightforward, but there are a few ways to skin this cat, and some are better than others. The most common and frankly, the easiest, method involves your existing audio interface. Most interfaces have at least one, often two, pairs of outputs. You’ll typically use your main studio monitors on Output 1 and then route your Auratones to Output 2. This lets you switch between them easily. But here’s the catch: you can’t just plug them in and expect magic. You need to configure your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to send audio to both outputs simultaneously, or at least have a quick way to switch them.
I remember the first time I tried this. I just plugged the Auratones into the second output and expected them to play. Nothing. I fiddled with drivers, checked every setting in my interface’s control panel. It turns out my DAW, Reaper in this case, wasn’t set up to output to multiple outputs by default. It was a simple routing issue, but it took me about an hour and nearly a full bottle of cheap whiskey to figure out. The key is understanding your interface’s output mapping and your DAW’s software routing. It’s not about the quality of the cable, mind you; it’s about the signal path. Monster Cables? Forget it. Any decent quality speaker cable will do. You’re not trying to impress anyone with your interconnects here. (See Also: How To Connect Lenovo Yoga 910 To Monitor )
Daw Routing: Where the Real Work Happens
This is where things can get a little fiddly, but it’s absolutely worth the effort. Think of your DAW as the conductor of your audio orchestra, and the outputs on your interface are the different sections. You need to tell the conductor to send the same music to the violins (your main monitors) and the trumpets (your Auratones) at the same time, or at least make it easy to switch between them. Many DAWs have a dedicated ‘Output Routing’ or ‘Monitor Setup’ section. For example, in Pro Tools, you’d set up an ‘Output Bus’ that feeds both your main monitor pair and your Auratones. In Ableton Live, you can often achieve this using the ‘Audio Output Configuration’ settings, sending your master output to multiple outputs simultaneously.
Now, some folks will tell you to buy a fancy monitor controller. And sure, they’re nice. They give you knobs to turn, shiny lights, and sometimes even built-in talkback mics. But, for simply connecting Auratone monitor to DAW and switching between them? It’s often overkill, especially if you’re on a budget. I’ve seen people spend $300 on a monitor controller just to switch between two pairs of speakers. Honestly, after my fourth attempt at trying to make a monitor controller work seamlessly with my setup, I went back to using my interface’s direct outs and a simple switch on my desk that reroutes the signal. It’s less elegant, but it works reliably. My friend, who’s been in the game for over twenty years, still uses a simple passive switcher he built himself for about $25 worth of parts. He swears it sounds cleaner than any active box he’s tried.
Setting Up for Simultaneous Playback
Here’s a common method that works across many DAWs:
- Ensure your Auratones are plugged into a secondary set of outputs on your audio interface (e.g., Outputs 3-4 if your main monitors are on 1-2).
- Open your DAW’s audio preferences or settings.
- Locate the ‘Output Routing’ or ‘Master Output’ section.
- You’ll typically see options to assign your master output to specific interface outputs. Instead of just assigning it to outputs 1-2, you’ll want to assign it to BOTH outputs 1-2 AND outputs 3-4. This sends the same signal to both sets of speakers.
The trick is that you need to configure your DAW to send the master output to multiple physical outputs. Not all interfaces or drivers support this directly, so you might need to do a bit of research specific to your hardware.
The Auratone Philosophy: Hearing the Truth
This isn’t about having the best sound system in your studio; it’s about having the *worst* sound system. Sounds counterintuitive, right? But think about it like this: If you’re baking a cake, and you only ever taste it with the finest Belgian chocolate and exotic spices, it might taste amazing to you. But then you give it to your neighbor who only has basic pantry staples, and it tastes like cardboard. Your Auratones are that neighbor’s pantry. They strip away the fancy gloss. They force you to confront the fundamental balance of your mix.
You learn to listen for things that matter universally. Is the vocal clear? Is the kick drum hitting hard enough without being boomy? Are the guitars muddy? When you listen on your Auratones, and then switch back to your main monitors, the difference should be subtle. If your mix suddenly sounds amazing on the big speakers after sounding decent on the Auratones, you’re on the right track. If it sounds completely different, you’ve got work to do. It’s like test-driving a car on a bumpy, unpaved road instead of just a smooth, sterile test track. You discover its true handling characteristics, its weaknesses, and its strengths. (See Also: How To Connect Two Monitor In One Desktop )
| Monitor Type | Pros | Cons | Verdict (My Take) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-End Studio Monitors | Detailed, wide frequency response; good for critical listening on their own. | Can be misleading; masks translation issues; expensive. |
Great for *final* checks, but I don’t start my mix on them. They’re too forgiving and can make you overcompensate. |
| Auratone-Style Reference Monitors | Reveal mix translation issues; force focus on mids; affordable. | Limited frequency range; can sound harsh or unpleasant on their own; poor for detailed low-end work. |
Indispensable. You absolutely need these. They are the reality check. Don’t let their cheapness fool you; they’re the closest thing to what most people hear. |
| Consumer Hi-Fi Systems | What most people actually use; can be a good reference if you know them well. | Highly variable quality; often colored sound; not always practical for studio use. |
If you have a specific car stereo or home stereo you know well, use it. But Auratones replicate the *compromise* of consumer gear better than a single consumer system. |
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
The biggest mistake I see people make, and one I definitely made, is treating the Auratones as their *only* reference. That’s not the point. They are a *complementary* tool. You need your full-range monitors to hear the sub-bass, the extreme highs, and the stereo width. But without the Auratones, you’re flying blind on translation. Another common issue, as I mentioned, is not setting up your DAW routing correctly. You end up just switching outputs back and forth, which is a hassle and interrupts your flow. My interface has a ‘mono’ button for its main outputs, which is also a handy trick for checking mono compatibility, something the Auratones excel at revealing anyway because their stereo image is practically non-existent.
Then there’s the temptation to EQ your Auratones. Don’t. Resist it. The whole point is their uncolored, limited response. If you start trying to ‘fix’ them, you’re defeating the purpose. I saw a guy once in a forum thread bragging about how he’d ‘tuned’ his Auratones with a parametric EQ to sound ‘smoother.’ I wanted to reach through the screen and unplug his computer. You’re supposed to hear the harshness, the muddiness, the lack of definition. That’s the information you need. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in their role of regulating broadcast standards, has implicitly supported the need for common playback references through regulations that encourage clarity and intelligibility across various audio mediums, underscoring the very principle Auratones embody.
Frequently Asked Questions About Auratone Setup
Do I Need Special Cables for Auratones?
Nope. Any decent quality speaker cable will do. You’re not trying to impress anyone with fancy interconnects. The sound comes from the speaker itself, not the wire leading to it. (See Also: How To Connect External Monitor To Macbook Air M2 )
Can I Just Use One Auratone Instead of a Pair?
You can, and many engineers do, especially for checking mono compatibility. However, for general reference, using a stereo pair will give you a better sense of the overall balance, even if the stereo image is minimal.
My Auratones Sound Terrible. Is That Normal?
Yes, absolutely. That’s the point. They’re designed to sound bland and unfocused compared to modern studio monitors. If they sound amazing, they’re probably not working as intended, or you’ve got them connected incorrectly.
Should My Auratones Be Louder or Quieter Than My Main Monitors?
This is a personal preference, but a common practice is to set them at a slightly lower volume than your main monitors. It’s about getting a quick check without being overly fatiguing. Some engineers even run them at a very low, almost conversational volume to check dialogue intelligibility.
Verdict
So, you’ve wrestled with the routing, you’ve plugged in those humble white boxes, and you’ve heard your mix in all its unvarnished glory. It might not have been pretty, but that’s precisely the feedback you were seeking. The journey to connect Auratone monitor to DAW isn’t about high-tech solutions; it’s about a low-tech philosophy that cuts through the noise.
It’s easy to get lost in the technicalities, but remember the core principle: your mix needs to sound good on average gear. Don’t overthink the cables or the exact dB level for the first week. Just start listening. Switch back and forth. Make a small adjustment on your main monitors, then check it on the Auratones. See how it holds up.
Now that you know the basic setup, take a few minutes today to get them patched in. Don’t wait until you’re ‘perfectly’ set up. The real setup happens when you start using them on your current project.
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