Press Kit
PHON 1.0.17 · Neutral & Natural Audio · Updated 19 October 2026
PHON is a studio monitor controller for macOS. It sits between the digital audio workstation and the speakers, and does what the monitor section of a console does: volume, speaker switching, comparison with a reference, and loudness compensation at low listening level. Everything on this page may be reproduced freely.
In one paragraph
PHON is a studio monitor controller for macOS, published by Neutral & Natural Audio. It gives a real volume control without touching the master fader, three stereo outputs for mains, alternates and headphones, two sources so a mix can be compared with a reference at the same loudness, and loudness compensation based on ISO 226 that follows the actual calibrated listening level. It installs no driver and no virtual device. A full 14-day trial is available without a card; the licence costs €69 once, for two Macs. Neutral & Natural Audio is the software side of Neutral & Natural Acoustics, an acoustic design practice in Provence, France.
The facts
| Product | PHON, studio monitor controller for macOS |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.0.17, available now |
| Price | €69 once, VAT included. One licence covers two Macs. No subscription. |
| Trial | 14 days, the complete application, no card required |
| Requirements | macOS 13 or later. Capturing another application in real time requires macOS 14.2 or later. |
| Architecture | Universal binary, Apple silicon and Intel. Signed and notarised. |
| Installs | The application, and PHON Send, an optional VST3 and Audio Unit plugin that routes a DAW track to PHON. No driver, no kernel extension, no virtual audio device. |
| Product page | neutralandnaturalaudio.com/phon.html |
| Download | neutralandnaturalaudio.com/download.html |
| Manual | User manual (PDF, 32 pages) · Quick start (EN) · Démarrage rapide (FR) |
What it does
- Volume, away from the master fader. The level is set in PHON, so the mix bus is never touched. The fader reads in decibels from a reference the user sets once, and shows dB SPL after calibration.
- Three stereo outputs. Mains, alternates and headphones, each with its own volume, trims, routing, high-pass filter and safety limiter. Switching between them is one click.
- Two sources, and MATCH. A mix and a reference — a streaming service, a browser, a hardware input — compared at the same loudness, so the louder one stops sounding better. Nothing is imported or exported; the reference is whatever is already playing on the Mac.
- Loudness compensation from ISO 226. Below the reference level, PHON restores the low end the ear stops hearing. The amount follows the real calibrated listening level, not the position of the fader, and is remembered per source.
- Low cut, mid and side, mono checks. Three low-cut presets, each freely set between 20 Hz and 1 kHz with its own slope, to hear what a small speaker keeps. Left, right, mid and side on their own.
- Calibration. With a sound level meter and five minutes, the fader reads in dB SPL. The reference used in the manual is EBU Tech 3276, which gives 85 − 10·log10(n) dB(A), that is 82 dB(A) for a stereo pair.
- Nine themes, MIDI learn, and a web remote. One theme per major DAW plus dark, light and white. Any MIDI controller can drive the volume. A phone or tablet on the same network becomes a remote, with no application to install.
What it does not do
Stated plainly, because it is easy to assume otherwise:
- It is not room correction. PHON does not measure or correct the acoustics of a room. A room is treated physically; PHON is what you then listen through.
- The compensation is in the low end only. There is no high-frequency compensation, and none is claimed.
- It is macOS only. A Windows version is under study, with no date.
Images
High-resolution, free to reproduce with the credit Neutral & Natural Audio. Download them all (ZIP, 3.9 MB).
Each theme is also available on its own: Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, Pro Tools, Reaper, FL Studio, dark, light, white.
Who makes it
Jean-Pierre Baroni is an acoustic designer based in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Provence. Under Neutral & Natural Acoustics he designs control rooms, mastering rooms and recording spaces. Neutral & Natural Audio is the software side of that practice: PHON, AudioBridge and NNA Virtual Audio.
PHON comes from a problem met in the field. A room can be made accurate and the engineer will still mix at the wrong level, compare against a louder reference, and lose the low end as the evening goes on. The controller exists so that what the room gives is not undone by how it is listened to.
Coverage
- KVR Audio, news, 16 October 2026
- Noizefield, news, 17 October 2026
Review licences and contact
A licence for review is sent on request, with no conditions attached. Three things are worth trying first: MATCH against a streaming reference, turning the volume well down to hear the compensation, and switching between two pairs of speakers mid-phrase.
Write to support@neutralandnaturalaudio.com. Answers are sent within 5 working days, usually the same day. Interviews, additional images and technical questions are all welcome.