Fix Your Speaker Sound: ARC Studio Room Correction System

[@billsmith5166]

I'd also like to suggest the purchase of a receiver that has Dirac (receiver price of $600+ or so) or one of the other self contained room eq solutions (available on nearly every receiver these days). Most people just don't realize the quality of audio that they can get streaming from a PC so they don't think they need to buy a reasonably good receiver. The downside is that it could tempt one towards buying better speakers, a subwoofer, etc. Just remember that it can all be done in stages. I think most of the people that read this (considering the audience) would find it a really enjoyable and rewarding rabbit hole.

[@TheReelport]

What's the cheapest receiver (>5.1) would that be?

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks Bill. Would love to see a walkthrough of your setup.

[@billsmith5166]

@@TheReelport Pretty much every receiver over $250 street price will offer auto room EQ. If you're not sure that the receiver you're considering has it, look to see if you can find if it comes with a small calibrated mic. Results on inexpensive receivers are mixed but mostly favorable. Some brands are better than others and my experiences on about 5 or 6 receivers in that price range are good. Dirac is the equalizer that I like the most, it's automatic and takes about 45 minutes for it to go through the mic placements and calibrations. It tells you what to do. It's licensed by manufacturers like, say, Windows is on a PC. It's available on Pioneer, Onkyo and Marantz and my understanding is that the manufacturers pay a license fee of $200 for each receiver. All three of those companies are owned by the same parent and are very similar. The Pioneer LX505 is the lowest priced Pioneer that has it. Wait for a sale. Adorama has these for $675 or so occasionally. The Onkyo TX-NR7100 is around $600 on sale. Marantz is much higher for the same features. Buy the Pioneer if you can find it on sale. Best of luck!

[@billsmith5166]

@@curtisjudd Everything in my Home Theater (kinda strange to call it that because I stream movies and music - no cable and no DVD) is Definitive Technology except for an SVS subwoofer. I Have a DT center (forgot which one) pairs of D15 and BP30 floor front speakers that I've tricked Dirac into thinking are one speaker on each side, and then I have Promonitor 200 speakers in the rear. My music room has Polk SDA SRS Signature L & R and nothing else. I was SO LUCKY to find them. I only paid $500 for the pair (and they were mint), but I had to have a couple of guys move them for me. They're HUGE and HEAVY. I've also got a bunch of other speakers in an unused room that haven't been touched for several years. It's way too much fun buying used speakers on Facebook Marketplace. It's easy to find very high end speakers for $300, but the best ones are usually pretty big, so they're certainly not for everyone. Best wishes.

[@TheReelport]

@@billsmith5166 amazing info! Thank you I'll look into those

[@lorenzsieger]

Very interesting! Thanks for the video. Do you know if there is such an option for multi-channel mixing like 5.1 or 7.1?

[@curtisjudd]

I haven’t looked into that but I have to imagine there is.

[@ebenezer357]

Hello dear Curtis! Quick question not related to this video: How can I increase the output level of the Rodecaster pro I? When I livestream it looks like the output signal it sends to my Mac is kind of low, and since the mixer doesn’t have a master fader, when I increase the mics channel fader it starts distorting even though the Gain is setup properly. Any tips on this?

[@sonusartis]

Well, dang it... I just bought Sonarworks last week and it should be here sometime next week. I'll see if it works in my system. One concern that I have is about any additional latency created by the ARC Studio. Wouldn't that create possible audio/video sync issues in postproduction? Thanks again for an excellent review!

[@curtisjudd]

Haven’t noticed any issues. Latency is likely 3-5ms max based on what I’m seeing/hearing.

[@JimRobinson-colors]

Sounds like a good price for something that is so important. In the really old days, I remember the pink/white noise generators and graphic EQs to flatten a room in studios. Basically seeing a spectrum frequency analyser and using a graphic EQ, the engineers would first use a mirror to walk around the control room and while sitting in the sound chair, if you could see the person's head - then the idea is that the reflected sound would then alter the hearing position. Then every place that was figured out would be measured and either a baffle or something would be literally glued to the wall or dealt with. And it was not a cheap fix. A graphic EQ in those days ( a good one ) was 500 to 800 dollars. So being able to deal with it for 299.00 sounds like a bargain to me. I think the headphone part of that should be provided at the store that sells the headphones. The flat response is however something that a normal listener might not want. But the person recording and mixing, I think is really important. Much like a colorist using a calibrated monitor to nmake color grading decisions. The engineer requires to be able to hear things with no "color" in the EQ. Thanks Curtis. Great review as always.

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks Jim. I used a mirror when setting up my acoustic broadband traps. 😅

[@skymakai]

I wonder if this would work for a PA system with multiple speakers. And I wonder how it works with subs. I’d love a video covering calibration for PA’s.

[@curtisjudd]

Cool. I’d love that too!

[@indie12]

thanks Curtis. excellent information . question , can i use arc studio in a completely untreated room ? please let me know

[@curtisjudd]

Yes. Every little thing helps (except acoustic foam. Don’t bother with acoustic foam).

[@indie12]

@@curtisjudd thank you. you mentioned "don't bother with acoustic foam" does this mean that i can avoid treating walls with acoustic foam and simply use ARC studio in a untreated room?

[@curtisjudd]

@@indie12 ARC Studio will work fine without acoustic treatment, and will improve the sound in your room, but will not solve ALL problems. Acoustic treatment will help further. But if you do acoustic treatment, I would NOT recommend foam as it can actually make the problems worse.

[@indie12]

​@@curtisjuddthank you.i understand now

[@FilmIn5D]

Nice review Curtis. Personally I’ve had no issue with sound ID.. though this does look more convenient. Would you say the ultimate result was identical between the two? Would be surprised given the cheaper looking measurement microphone with the ARC. Side question: I have a sub as well and currently have my focal 6 be monitors running through the sub crossover into my audio interface. SoundID sees this as a 2.0 system (which may be the best I can do given my hardware). Do you have any suggestions on 2.0 (with crossover) vs true 2.1 and the hardware that would be required to make the “upgrade”? Cheers.

[@curtisjudd]

I have the exact same set of speakers and sub and it works nicely with this. Yes, the results seem, subjectively, very similar between SoundID Ref and this.

[@PavanRChawla]

This is a great piece of equipment. I use a smallish room for my recording with a oaiof r near-field Yamaha HS5 studio monitor speakers, and use Shure, Rode and Austrian Audio mics for the most part, along with a DJI wireless 2tx - 1rx mic occasionally. Ive used cheap and cheerful carpets and rigs and thick dense furniture upholstery curtains that are pretty absorbent, but that's it. You've walked me through the ARC Studio really well (as always), so thanks again, Curtis. Now let me try and find out where I can get this in a Mumbai, India. I have some good supplier friends who will let me try before I buy, but I'm hoping they have it in the first place.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@Chips-Lab]

Great explanation and content Thanks ! Adam Audio A series does have sound correction included in speaker

[@curtisjudd]

That's pretty cool. And it looks like some of the other higher end monitor systems are adding it as well. Genelec, for example.

[@mr_randomenjoy]

Hello Curtis, please can you review the Allen & Heath CQ digital mixers. Like a deep dive of everything about the console Thank you❤

[@curtisjudd]

That sounds fun!

[@daxterquiny]

If we're working with more than 2 speakers (say, mixing for 5.1), what would be a good solution, in this case, then? Because, I think having to buy 3 units to get it, doesn't sound like the best plan. Do they offer a version with more INs/OUTs? I ask, honestly without no experience of SoundID, so I don't know if we were able to do that before either...

[@bernardobento5943]

With SoundID you can calibrate up until some Dolby Atmos Configurations. It works well on my 5.1 setup! Apart from a few bugs

[@curtisjudd]

Not sure.

[@0dB_]

Hey, great work there, I just wanted to know if you noticed any delay that the Arc could induce in your setup ? I think it would be negligeable but the more I add audio gear, the less I want to interfere with the stability of my config. Cheers !

[@curtisjudd]

Haven't noticed anything but will keep an ear out.

[@aristotle_4532]

Headphones are ideal for sound design. dynamics and anything non linear due to their low distortion. Speakers are the only way to eq with precision and mix stereo and surround due to their flat resonse and stereo and surround field. We will always need speakers.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@chrisjohnston964]

Wow, super interesting video. I thought you had to buy into the Sonos ecosystem or something similar to access room correction.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@CodyAvant]

I could see this making waves in the HiFi space. Wish it had digital inputs to bypass the onboard sampling, but it’s hard to complain about given this price point. Solid product.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@RobertJacksonb-roll]

Hi Curtis, Robert here! Its's been a while since we last spoke. I hope this note finds you well. While viewing your ARC Studio review video I noticed you have an UA Apollo in your rack. I have the UA Apollo X8 and I want to use it to create a mix-minus. Routing my Shure SM 7B to a analog channel of the Apollo and sending to my computer for Zoom, minus hearing the mic come back to my monitors. Do you know how to set this up? I've looked on UA support and I can't find anything. By the way! I orderd the ARC. I can't wait to let you know what I think.

[@curtisjudd]

Yes, in the UA console app, mute the first channel. 👍🎙️🎧

[@camhcom]

i agree that soundID can be finicky. the bigger issue to me though: i HATE how it has to call home to stay licensed. big privacy issue, and can't run it on a dub stage. makes it useless in a truly professional environment. and it could be so useful! this pro-sumer hardware option seems nice if you're only running stereo and never move your rig. but i will wait and hope someone does exactly what soundID does, except with offline EQ curves and iLok licensing.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@krzysiek5209]

Great video as always! I'm wondering what you think about using studio monitor speakers just for listening to music or playing video games in a relatively small room. I'm thinking of buying either the PreSonus Eris Studio 8 or the Edifier S2000MKIII. I do have a Topping DX3 Pro Plus, so I don't care about Bluetooth. What would you recommend? Thanks!

[@curtisjudd]

Sure, I listen to music on mine all the time 👍

[@krzysiek5209]

@@curtisjudd Thank you for the quick reply! 😊 One more question: I’m considering buying a larger speaker (Eris Studio 8), which might be overkill in terms of loudness for me. However, it has a wider frequency response. Would you recommend going for the bigger speakers like Studio 8 and listening at lower volume, or opting for smaller speakers like Eris Studio 5?

[@curtisjudd]

@@krzysiek5209 For monitors in the $250/per speaker price range, the additional bass is achieved with ports and usually isn't super well controlled. But if you love to hear bass, the 8" will deliver more of that (and since you're not monitoring for mixing, maybe that'll be fine.) My advice is to go listen to a set. If there's a "pro audio" store anywhere in your area, see if you can hear them there.

[@aristotle_4532]

@@krzysiek5209 JBL lsr series the cheap 308 model. Nothing comes close. Consider 8 inch a minimum. The distortion in all cheap speakers is very high and they cannot really achieve realistic sound levels Expect to pay more than 3000 a pair for something with low distortion. enough power and good translation.

[@krzysiek5209]

Thanks!

[@JanKlier]

Interesting system, worth considering. Thanks for the review. I've been using SoundID Reference for a long time. I don't apply it to the OS though, I apply it inside the DAW. They have a few integrations with audio interfaces like Avid MTRX2, where the Sound ID Reference data is processed inside the audio interface, not unlike what ARC does. Unfortunately they have yet to integrate with UAD Apollo interfaces, which is what I use. Unfortunately ARC is not a complete solution for me, as my room is 7.1.4 rather than just stereo. But for just stereo setups it seems like a fine starting point.

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@FatherRabbitt]

Would this still be useful in a room that isn’t (and can’t be) treated at all?

[@curtisjudd]

Yes, it won’t solve all the problems, but it will help.

[@NaviRetlav]

In my experience, in most cases the SOUND ID REFERENCE crashes when I change the SAMPLE RATE of the system audio. Sometimes SOUND ID can't handle that and is stuck on different sample rate. It often happens when I change the sample rate in DAW it triggers to automatically change the sample rate of the system audio temporary. It's a bit annoying as I often change the DAW sample rates for different projects, but in most cases changing the sample rate back to default fixes the crashing. Hopefully this helps someone :)

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks for sharing! In my case, I suspect the Universal Audio software is a factor.

[@TimurGirindraWardhana]

0:59 listening to this on headphones and now I can't stop being aware of wearing headphones 😅

[@curtisjudd]

🎧😳

[@filmbenjamin]

want to give some much deserved love for this topic. i did this is my studio a much more manual way with REW wizard and sound source by rouge amoeba. it took much longer (having to test over a over again after making EQ adjustments) but it was fun and i learned a lot and now my studio sounds great! this is also a much much cheaper solution compared to this. maybe this would be another video idea for you to explore! love the videos

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@mo_kin]

One con for me: Arc studio doesn't seem to have a cut only/no boost setting, unlike Sonarworks.

[@curtisjudd]

Interesting, thanks for sharing. What's the thinking behind that feature?

[@frameguide]

I for one couldn't even start sound Id reference for the first time because it always crashes when first setting up. The support couldn't help me either. Now I have the microphone just laying around and can't even use it...

[@curtisjudd]

That stinks. 😔

[@csgband]

Does it address subwoofers?

[@curtisjudd]

If the sub runs the L&R speakers through it. I have the Focal sub which takes L&R inputs and then passes through to the L&R monitors. That works fine.

[@tatv2316]

I had the same with sound id, the plugins work , then they dont work. And they abandoned Linux alltogether, so it is sad...

[@curtisjudd]

Yeah. Need to get some consistency in my work. Can’t be waiting for updates half the time.

[@HiddenDriveways]

I reviewed the original IK Arc 14 years ago! Egad... where does the time go? And why is my album not finished yet! 🤣 I'm so glad they brought this product back to the market. It's on my "gotta get" list, but a bit of a ways down. And don't think I didn't notice that Rupert in your rack. Nice!

[@curtisjudd]

LOL! I will say this is a useful little tool. No go finish that album, friend! 😉

[@MohammedMehdiTBER]

I use only frequency correction for headphones and I thought that was enough 😅

[@curtisjudd]

👍

[@Mopsie]

1:36 that speaker placement tho 💀

[@curtisjudd]

?

[@DavinciGirl]

When I bought the Fairlight EVO it comes with Genelec 8341 AP speakers and the Genelec 9320A Reference Controller and the Genelec GLM Set so at least same like the Set you use from IK Multimedia GLM is approx same pricepoint. I told you including Fairlight the 5000 € I did pay for was a Nobrainer. By the way Blackmagic have a high risc Security Bug in their glib libary not fixed and this way a downgrade does not help. For the moment the use of Davinci Resolve is not recommended.

[@curtisjudd]

Thanks for the info.