Waves’ monitor correction software Abbey Road Studio 3 is a plug-in that recreates the control room of Studio 3 at Abbey Road Studios inside headphones. It includes correction EQ curves for 270 headphone models.
Monitor correction software corrects the quirks of speakers and headphones and the ring of the room so that you can hear sound accurately.
In this article we compare Abbey Road Studio 3 with 8 monitor correction programs and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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Score 2.7 / 5 (average of the 8 products compared: 3.2)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- What it can correct
- Headphones
- Supported headphones
- 270 models
- Correction controls
- Monitor distance only
- Price (store, date)
- Not listed
Summary
Among the 8 monitor correction programs, Abbey Road Studio 3 is rank B. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and B is third from the top. Averaging the scores for the three criteria (out of 5) gives 2.7.
Things to keep in mind
- Correction controls (2 points): there are few controls for the correction.
Who it suits: people who work on headphones and want to check how a mix sounds in the setting of a famous studio.
Main features of Abbey Road Studio 3
The control room of Studio 3
Monitor correction software corrects sound that is skewed by the ring of a room or the quirks of headphones so that you hear it accurately. Abbey Road Studio 3 was made with the cooperation of Abbey Road Studios, and recreates the control room of Studio 3 on headphones with 3D acoustic modeling.
Correction for 270 headphone models
Correction EQ curves for 270 headphone models bring the frequency response of the headphones closer to flat.
Near, mid and far monitors
You can choose the near, mid and far monitors that have long been used. It supports head tracking (optional) and can be used in stereo and surround projects.
Where it is useful
- Working on headphones while hearing the distance of studio monitors
- Checking whether a mix also holds up on speakers
- Sharing the same acoustic space with a team to check
Rating by criterion
What it can correct: 3 / 5
We look at whether it can correct speakers, headphones or both.
It corrects 270 headphone models. It does not correct speakers (it does not measure a room).
Correction controls: 2 / 5
We look at whether you can choose or adjust the correction method and its strength.
There are few correction controls.
If “correction controls” matters most to you, SoundID Reference and ARC X (5 points) are a better fit.
Checking how it sounds elsewhere: 3 / 5
We look at whether it can reproduce how a mix sounds on other speakers, phones and other devices.
In the control room of Studio 3, it can recreate how near, mid and far monitors sound.
How we score (Monitor correction software)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it can correct | Whether it can correct speakers, headphones or both | Both speakers and headphones | — | Either one | — | — |
| Correction controls | Which of the correction method (phase and so on), the target curve and the amount of correction you can choose or adjust | All three | Two of the three | One of the three | None | — |
| Checking how it sounds elsewhere | Whether it can reproduce how the mix sounds on other speakers and everyday devices | 40 or more devices and environments | 20 or more devices and environments | Can reproduce them, but the number is not stated | — | Cannot reproduce them |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: hearing a correctly balanced sound in a home-studio room or on headphones. Scores follow the conditions in the table above. So that speaker products and headphone products can be compared by the same standard, there are three criteria: "What it can correct", "Correction controls" and "Checking how it sounds elsewhere". The number of supported headphones is shown in the table for reference. The basis is official manufacturer information. How well the correction works has not been measured, so it is not scored, and neither are the price or any supplied measurement microphone. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
Abbey Road Studio 3 system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows 10 or later / Mac (Monterey 12 to Sequoia 15) |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | VST, AU, AAX (Windows: VST, AAX) |
| Other | Used with headphones |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on October 17, 2026.
Compared with other monitor correction programs
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | What it can correct | Supported headphones | Correction controls | Checking how it sounds elsewhere | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SonarworksSoundID Reference | A 4.0 | Speakers and headphones | 500+ models | Method, target curve | Cars, phones and more | $249 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| IK MultimediaARC X | A 3.7 | Speakers | — (for speakers) | Phase method, 9 target curves | 20+ | $149.99 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| dSONIQRealphones 2 | A 3.7 | Headphones | 200+ models | Amount of correction | 40+ | $54 (sale; regular $99) [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| ToneboostersMorphit | B 3.3 | Headphones | 666+ models | Amount, target curve | Other headphones, speakers | ≈$43.72 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| WavesNx Virtual Mix Room | B 2.7 | Headphones | 270 models | Room settings only | Virtual mix room | Not listed |
| WavesAbbey Road Studio 3 | B 2.7 | Headphones | 270 models | Monitor distance only | 3 kinds of monitors | Not listed |
| EmbodyImmerse Virtual Studio | B 3.0 | Headphones | Not stated on the official page | Headphone correction amount | Several studios | Not listed |
| SonarworksSoundID Reference Virtual Monitoring | B 2.7 | Headphones | 500+ models | Not confirmed on the official page | 13 kinds of environments | $129 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
Read next
- Morphit: features and rating (rank B)
- Nx Virtual Mix Room: features and rating (rank B)
- SoundID Reference: features and rating (rank A)
- ARC X: features and rating (rank A)
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