Blue Cat's Re-Head

Name: Blue Cat's Re-Head
Price: 49 USD
Author: Blue Cat Audio

by Blue Cat Audio · Utility · Headphone monitoring simulator

Not rated yet

Re-Head makes headphones sound more like studio monitors, using a head-response model to reduce ear fatigue.

You can set the virtual speaker angle, brightness and room via an IR loader; it costs $49.

Best for: Mix Bus, Mastering. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: reference & monitoring, impulse-response based, bus processing, mastering, mix bus, bright, low latency, simple, full mix, mixing, undo/redo, built-in analyzer, beginner-friendly, MIDI-controllable, smooth, tracking, utility, zero-latency.

What it does

Re-Head is Blue Cat Audio's head response simulator for headphones. It models how your head and skull change the sound of speakers, so a headphone mix sounds more like a studio monitor setup and is less tiring over long sessions.

Head response model: simulates the effect of the head on what you hear, for a more natural headphone tone.
Virtual speakers: adjust the position and angle of the simulated speakers, including their height.
Tone: a brightness control plus a built-in EQ and spectrum analyser.
IR loader: load impulse responses for room simulation or headphone compensation; EQ profiles can also be imported.
Practical controls: left/right channel flip and zero latency.
Standard Blue Cat features: MIDI Learn and automation, undo/redo, a preset manager, copy/paste between instances, smooth bypass and any sample rate.

Version 1.41, per KVR and the product page. The demo is limited to 5 instances per session and bypasses for half a second every minute. Blue Cat's manual warns to disable it on the master bus before exporting a mix.

Source: Blue Cat Audio product page

When to use it

Re-Head is a monitoring aid for people who mix or track on headphones and want a more speaker-like image at a low price. Unlike REFERENCE 3 or Metric AB, it doesn't compare your mix with reference tracks; it changes how you hear the mix itself, and belongs at the end of the monitoring path. Sound On Sound found it less comprehensive than Waves' Abbey Road Studio 3, which models a specific control room, but it is simpler to use. For calibrated correction of a specific headphone model, a tool like Sonarworks SoundID Reference goes further; Re-Head can import EQ profiles and IRs but is centred on its head response model.

Best for: long headphone mixing or tracking sessions, small untreated rooms, and making performers' headphone mixes more comfortable.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you want a modelled control room (Abbey Road Studio 3) or measured correction for your exact headphones (SoundID Reference).
Tip: put it last in the monitoring chain, and if it sits on the master bus, bypass it before bouncing the final mix (Sound On Sound).

What producers say

Seen as a simple, useful headphone aid, though not a replacement for checking on speakers.

Sound On Sound (Paul White, November 2020) found it a "good approximation of working on speakers" and liked the speaker height control, but said you still need speakers to finalise a mix.
Sweetwater users rate it 5 out of 5 from 1 review, calling it "inexpensive and easy to use", especially in small untreated studios.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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