IK ARC STUDIO: Flat Monitors in ANY ROOM! 🤯

[@akagerhard]

I'm glad you mentioned the transparency of the unit. ADDA conversion usually is not much of an issue anymore anyway, but I can picture some people being scared to add an additional conversion to their chain if they invested into a great interface. However, I doubt there is a room so perfect, that the effect correction has is less relevant than the ADDA conversion. Given that this one seems to be a good one, there should be zero doubt remaining. I waited for an affordable hardware solution for room correction for a long time.

[@gavmurray7398]

i feel like this product will be cool when it gets another couple generations along. at the moment you need a box for every set of speakers i think they release a monitor controller of this thing in the future so you just need 1 box connect 3 pairs of speakers and your sub and you can switch between them all being caliberated by the IK monitor controller arc studio (patent pending). could also caliberate the headhone output.. this is what everyone actually wants.

[@TheChromaticz355]

And must be more flexible when changing speakers position or room !

[@Shawneverette]

I was looking for something like this for the longest and the Trinnov system was insainly exspensive. These are the tools we need. Great video.

[@StotheEtotheB]

Sorry but you can't compare Trinnov to the Arc System. Its a completely other universe. Btw, this is not the first company doing a stand alone hardware box for a reasonable price. MiniDSP partnered with DIRAC for example.

[@Shawneverette]

@@StotheEtotheB Yes Trinnov is super expensive also. . MiniDSP is consumer.

[@StotheEtotheB]

@@Shawneverette MiniDSP is just the company that included DIRAC into a small DSP stand alone System. DIRAC is also used in professional environments and MiniDSP just give you a tool to use it stand alone. Its not just a consumer product. From my point of view its more professional than the ARC Studio System. Btw, the new Trinnov Nova isn't too expensive anymore. At some point I will definitely give it a try this year. Just need to finish some work before.

[@Studio22mix]

@@StotheEtotheB I’m on the same boat, using REW for measuring and use acoustic treatment for solving problems. The MiniDsp has far more options imo a far better solution 👌🏼

[@Rhekluse]

Brilliant! I was hoping you would demo this product & approve its practicality & quality. This would fit my setup nicely. Cheers David!

[@aaronthomas7790]

I wish this had digital in from aes or spdif so it didn't need that extra conversion layer. One thing I don't see in the details on their website is if ARC is just frequency based or does anything with time alignment?

[@millionhertzbeats2352]

just when i was considering saving for the nova !!! This comes ina perfect time , have had the normal software version and it helped me a lot ,i guess tjis would take out the load of the cpu engine for better results and it s fairly priced imhoc

[@iamkxtv]

I picked it up a month ago.. it’s worth every penny. Sucked the excess low end right out of my space. I wanted to be careful not to get so caught up in designing the perfect listening environment that I forget the point is to become a better mixing engineer… This tool helps you get back to what you love to do!

[@SaccoBelmonte]

I ordered one, now waiting for the delivery. I have been waiting for minidsp to do proper studio correction units, which they recently released, but the price (without mic) is around 700 or 800 USD which puts me down every time I check their website. I use an UMIK-2 + REW + Equalizer APO / EQs in my DAW with great success until now but I'm glad there is an alternative that is not close to 1K in price so I can forget about disabling the EQs in my DAW or installing EQ APO.

[@PrincipalAudio]

Honestly, I don't know why nobody made one of these cheaper hardware room correction systems before! Trinnov absolutely dominated the market with their hardware room corerction, but I see this will definitely eat into some of their market share. Competition is always a good thing. I guess IK will eventually build larger systems for multi-monitor setups as well as Atmos soon. It's the only logical course. Game changer for us smaller studios! Thanks for demoing it. Think it'll definitely be my next purchase, even though my Neumann monitors have built-in room correction. My Neumanns are awesome, but software control of room correction is quite lacking.

[@AlexLapugean]

You know why? Because a box like this needs another AD/DA stage. Think about the price and what it contains, so figure out the quality of the converters it can possibly have. If you have a moderately expensive converter, you basically shoot yourself in the foot whith this and it basically becomes a bottleneck for your DA conversion.

[@fantaztikbeatz]

I said the same thing. If someone came out with a more affordable option with the same high quality they would corner the market immediately.

[@GeryRydell]

Dont know why you say nobody made them? Because over 15 years ago there was for example a tool from KRK called "ERGO" that did just that? :D And this solution wasnt "breaking the bank" either. Of course it was not as advanced but as far as i know it got pretty decent reviews :)

[@cowabungaw9958]

KRK had one years ago in the ERGO, but it was 16 bit, 41.1k/48k I think. I'm curious how this system compares to the ARC 3.0 plugin system. I suppose one advantage is DSP offloading but - the Achilles heel may be the converters

[@fantaztikbeatz]

@cowabungaw9958 yes I'm sure it is the convertors.

[@djjuno106]

Really love my ark been using it for years and it really does help. If you cant afford the hardware then keep eye on the software version its exactly the same but goes on sale few times a year.

[@patrickalphenaar]

Seriously very good pricing! Thats a true bargain. However because i am “canceling out” and “Redirecting” standing waves in my Treated Room With diffusors all those software correction like my Arc 3, Dirac and “demo of Sonarworks” they all do more harm to the final results as good……. In my living room without treatment it works very good but in my treated Room its bad. Arc 3 tho was better than Dirac and Sonarworks but still its just “phase Eq’ing” what they are doing so it sounds unnatural to my ears very quickly. However for a lot of people it might work like a charm! So thumbs up for Correction software and especially Arc. I did liked the correction of my Iloud MTM’s altho it tried to push the subs too much so it started to cramp out the whole signal. Nice vid Thanks! And again for sure this is a great solution for loads of people! Just not for me personally….. Cheers

[@thebouncers]

Exactly the same for me! Please be aware of this.I ended up never using corrective systems because of the unnatural sound and phasing problems it creates. Dive into what is acoustic first! Diffusion, absorbtion, reflexions, bass trapping, room mods etc. Take measures of your room with a cheap dedicated mic (costs less than 50 bucks) and analyze the results in a tottaly free software called room eq wizard. It takes a lot of time but in the end, you' ll KNOW what it's all about. And will for sure train your ears as well. And will make you better at what you do. 100%

[@patrickalphenaar]

@@thebouncers Yea 100% Agree! I took the same route and have the same opinion. Took me 4 years tuning my room the best i can. And now it sound so natural and very accurate. Not nice if the mix or master isn’t. Whenever I listen with my Sennheiser HD800s i always have to check if my speakers are off as it sounds the same……. Ofcourse not the crossfeed speakers have, but the rest is the same. Yea took me at least 3 years to get that close and still tweaking small things and the result is having translating mixes and Masters! Cheers bro!

[@speakingcolors]

Wouldn't it sound unatural simply because you're ears aren't used to it yet? Have you tried using it for various weeks to try and hear the difference?

[@thebouncers]

Man i tried for several YEARS and tried my best to convince myself i needed more time to get used to it. Tweaked every paramters for ARK nor Sonarworks to find what would get the best results. Always ended up the same way, somthing was wrong. But feel free to try for yourself! If it works for you, good. But be aware it's not that simple. Cheers@@speakingcolors

[@patrickalphenaar]

@@speakingcolors Sure if you give it time your Ears eventually will adapt. But it will adapt to an unnatural sound………. My Ears are very sensitive to phasing and its “Rotation” somehow. Our brains calculate phase from left and right speaker very well but to me in many ways it wil be unnatural unless you proper treat acoustics and excellent positioning of the speaker “which can take months already”……. Cheers

[@realraven2000]

I have been using the ARC3 system for the last number of years, I think it's quite good. Transferring it hardware makes a lot of sense - even better would be pairing it with a monitor switcher so we could have multiple speaker paris / flavors that are room corrected. I bet it's going to come. My ARC3 lives in Cubase Control Room as an insert on the stereo bus, so I do not need to switch it off when I render music, I only need to do that if I use headphones on my analog desk (Mackie). Having the hardware directly in front of the speakers would be even more convenient.

[@fantaztikbeatz]

It's funny you said this because I was thinking of how to implement one of these into my monitor controller system so I can switch between my different monitors. My only concern is the quality of the converters

[@realraven2000]

@@fantaztikbeatz if you have a monitor controller system you would probably need one box (ARC device) per speaker pair. Economically it would make way more sense if both functions could be combined into a single box. IKM would be absolutely crazy not to follow up with a system with multiple output pairs. A lot of us enthusiast engineers may be on the fence buying a monitor switching system, but with built in room correction it becomes a no brainer. I am also hoping on an upgrade for existing ARC users (we already have the mic and the software license) where we can just buy the "box", for maybe 120 - 150$.

[@realraven2000]

of course you also could put the correction in front of your monitor controller but it would be hard to implement switching between the different profiles every time you switch over. If they could "talk" to each other that would be the perfect solution, but you would have to lobby hard to get IKM devoting resources here.

[@LaidbackSounds]

@@realraven2000 the upgrade path existso n the website already yes with only the box, you will pay 300 instead of 350 euros

[@anthonydallarosa8314]

I’m pretty sure this saves multiple calibrations so set it up in front of your switcher and then toggle snapshots that correspond with your current speakers?

[@timepainter6831]

So good this video. People don't fool yourself. If you build a home studio. You probably end up with a good speaker system, do some sound treatment. But, here's the thing, low frequencias are long waves, just do a little math and ask yourself "how successful can I be in balancing this room" . As many home producers, I have a nice room, but small and far from perfect. There are mathematical/physical impossibilities. Now you say, okay, I learn where my system is, I check thru headphone. But that kind of defeats the purpose of you having monitors isn't it? Today I installed this and immediately looking at the curve, listening I heard where my productions tend to have problems. If you're studio deviates that much, if listening experience is always subjective, if you know that your room has this problem it should be a no brainer. Home producers, I've heard this also from others...we start with making music and we so much underestimate treatment of the room and you might need these corrections on the signal. To much guys on the internet telling you "it's important, but not that much because I can do"...bs...thanks for channels like mixbus letting go of what holds you back...

[@lauriseppala4646]

I cant believe the price! 🤯 Awesome product and great demonstration, David! I'm getting one asap.

[@joe_dell_infinito]

Does this also work with a setup of 2 monitors and 1 center subwoofer?

[@gullcreekstudio1391]

I would assume you would have to make a profile for each set of monitors due to different monitors pushing different amounts of air

[@SaccoBelmonte]

From the manual you can see how to hook up to a system with a Sub.

[@robertjason6885]

Smart move with the tape

[@richardharmon9596]

Ok Definitely going to buy this today after work !!! Thank you

[@Harrysound]

It’s that time again when every video in my feed is about one product. This is quite interesting but I have sonarworks that does headphones too. I’ve started to not use it to really learn my speakers. Does this thing have latency?

[@tommcwilliams3911]

I'd like to hear an opinion of this vs. sonarworks. I like the stand alone app and that it lives outside of the computer between the monitors and interface. If the correction is as good as sonarworks, I may move over to this. I think sonarworks does a nice job, however their emulations of ns10's and other speakers are useless in my opinion. I'd like to hear feedback on how good of a job arc does there as well.

[@sunstreetstudios6475]

I’ve been on sonarworks for years and have an arc unit on the way, I’ll keep you posted 🖤

[@tommcwilliams3911]

@@sunstreetstudios6475 Thanks!

[@sunstreetstudios6475]

Used sonarworks for years… really like it, can’t mix without it, have to bypass it for tracking in the control room (latency) which bugs me… upgraded to sound ID, never managed to get it stable… went back to sonarworks. I use it on a loop back (reasonably high end adda) so that I can correct my analogue desk too and still use its monitor section Works really well. Can also bypass it at the push of a button by changing the monitor input source on my desk (ssl matrix) Got an arc unit on the way, if it’s as good or better than sonarworks it stays!! Shall i continue to save for Trinnov after that!?

[@tinodadon]

I got to scoop this! Should be so helpful mixing in my untreated apartment.

[@ilkiller6809]

I Need this for headphones with crossfeed for mobil Mixing. My studio lives with Trinnov unbeatable

[@Studio22mix]

I use Canopener with eq correction to the Harman target 😊

[@komet1536]

We have a deal! This is definitely the next purchase for my home studio.

[@allenslaughter7957]

I bought and set up and love! Only thing I did not see where it told you to use phantom power with the included mic so... I couldnt get enough gain ... But I got it!

[@wavkingz]

I never even thought of something like this haha, rad

[@ProducerStefanSchnabel]

great opening tune! Best, Stefan

[@onetoo5899]

For having both, find that sonarworks does it better (no hardware needed though), but the trinnov we got a the studio is the best (but it costs way way much)

[@77advanced]

I also have both arc and sonarworks and arc is far more natural than sonarworks.

[@IntheDAW]

Well let's keep in mind this is used as a hardware units so you don't need to deal with swapping profiles when you use headphones then speakers. I've actually used some ik speakers for about a year now and the correction you can load into them is so impressive. Plus sound ID is so buggy nowadays. I'm not even able to activate my account on a avarage basses so I just dropped sonarworks.

[@IntheDAW]

Trinnov isn't fair tho. It time aligns phase aligns corrects frequencies. Even gives you back rubs

[@onetoo5899]

​​​@@IntheDAWhahahaha ! We use sonarworks in the tiny boothes (mac running live/logic thru r.m.e interfaces into small genelecs or some incredible ik mtm speakers for e.d.m, hip hop, editing etc) Sonarworks did a better job vs arc (though it wasn't the 4th iteration) to our ears. But imma say Trinnov is way way above (we use it in the bigger rooms, we're based in France and.luckily Trinnov is a french company). Dirac was second one and half year ago. But I wouldn't bypass our Burl and Prism converters for one more a/d then another d/a conversion in such a cheap box.

[@IntheDAW]

@onetoo5899 I think we all know trinnovis going to beat anyone of these guys out. But I think what IK has done with there new version of the software is outstanding. I only used the ik speaker since they had the calibration software integrated but get amazing results. Sound ID in no way suckes. But I like the new hardware unit ik made because it's like trinnov. If I use headphone I don't need to go into a menu to turn of the calibration the system is calibrated separate from my other outputs and headphone Jack's. If sonarwoks made a version of this with hardware it would probably be a very strong competitor. The microphone sonarworks uses is actually very good to. Testing the IK mems vs sonarworks one with a microphone calibrator for smart systems, I found mems to not be as accurate. But it seems they compensate for it somehow

[@AlexisGitarre]

Natural Phase mode: 1.4 msLinear Phase mode: 42 ms

[@doradayeh1550]

Hello David, Thank you for the great content. I see that you have the Wes Audio NG76, which I really liked not just in terms of features but also in sound. I had the impression that you didn't liked it that much and that you preferred the Stam Audio. Is there something that later worked for you and made you decide to keep it/buy it?

[@mixbustv]

I have the Ng76 and 3 Stam, 2 blue stripe ADG and one D+ Tube and the Mimas as well lol I love them all. I'm not sure what made you think I didn't like the Ng76, is an amazing, very unique version of the 76. Not only I love it but right now it's in the new studio because everyone loves it for tracking too given the sc and the other options. We were actually considering getting another one so, yeah. Stam 76's are a different thing Wes is not 1:1 the vintage units, they are their own twist, Stam are 1:1 (the only ones out there) the vintage units PLUS they have crazy things like a tube inside. But they don't have sc or mix knob etc.. which is perfect for me because when I want that sound, I want that sound no extras but the Ng76 is also great because you use it where you wouldn't use the Stam(s)

[@eddyvilar]

It’s awesome to see things like released. Interested to test one out. I’ve always been suprised that they don’t recommend that the engineer sit up against the mic to emulate what would happen while you mix since our bodies are a natural part of the equation. 😊 thanks for being willing to do all of these tests so we can get a slight idea of how it works. 🙏🏼

[@mixbustv]

You know that is actually something that bugs/bugged me because your own body does play a role, and I actually thought about having Mike sitting there lol but it's just not how it works if you think about it. Probably we should measure with a dummy head mic then to simulate even better but in the end the truth is, the human brain and ears are on one hand an amazing example of bioengineering but on the other, we give ourselves way too much credit, we are not THAT precise and also remember we move. Listening to your mix 2 inches on the left or slouching or being half foot away will change way more our perception than those differences.

[@eddyvilar]

Yeah very true.@@mixbustv

[@joe_dell_infinito]

Hey Dave... at first... thanks to you for your excellent content. You really pushing me forward! But to talk about this product: You tested it in an accousically treated room... but what to expect in an average Studio of an intermediate producer?

[@fantaztikbeatz]

It definitely will help in an untreated room. They mentioned this on the IK Arc 4 KZbin video.

[@mixbustv]

It will make a massive difference in an untreated room. Of course you won't have a world class mixing room without proper treatment, this doesn't dampen reverb or reflections, but arguably more difference in an untreated simply because you will have bigger issues there

[@jimchaney1537]

David, Always enjoy your videos and the info you share. I see you use the Drawmer MC controller. Do you suggest putting the ARC unit between the converter and the monitor controller so if you increase the volume of the monitor controller it will not overload the ARC? Or what's your suggestion?

[@mixbustv]

It doesn't really matter as you need to have the output volume at zero (meaning all the way up) coming out from your converters/interface going into the monitor controller, the controller volume is an attenuator, not an amplifier. But it depends instead what you measured: if you measured with a monitor controller in the chain you NEED to put the ARC after the controller, before the monitor because unless you have a passive controller like the SPL, the controller colored the sound when you measured and it's getting corrected. If you plug the ARC before, now you have the controller color on top of the correction you did WITH the controller in the chain.

[@jimchaney1537]

David thanks for the quick reply. That does make sense and good point about keeping everything where it was during calibration. Even though the Drawmer is supposed to be transparent, I'm sure there is some effect even though subtle.

[@nathanieljohnsonjr775]

Just ordered this!

[@meadgarfield8320]

I remember using this type of system years ago with JBL speakers I believe they are 4328P. JBL has this system.

[@nolanchiat3810]

Dear All, an please be aware that tools of this nature are unable to address the issue of nulls. They can assist with peaks and troughs, but they can do *not a single thing* to deal with the issue of nulls. This means that they may trick you into believing they get you to a flat response, but in fact, the missing (nulled) frequencies)are unaccounted for...

[@devilseyestudio]

How do you calibrate and does it work with 2.1 system with sub ? Thanks !

[@user-ot8we3or3m]

How it is work with 2.1 system, also with subwoofer?

[@protobaby1]

wondering the same

[@TrevorOuellette]

@@protobaby1 If you route your L&R speakers through the sub (crossover), it works just fine. That's how mine are routed to the ARC Studio box. Otherwise route out of the audio interface into the ARC Studio (good if you have one set of speakers).

[@protobaby1]

@@TrevorOuellette cool :) aaand are you happy with the arc ?

[@TrevorOuellette]

@@protobaby1 Yeah, certainly for the price it does everything it should. balances the room out nicely.

[@JK_EU]

This hardware goes out of the window when you're using calibration on both your speakers and headphones. Because you still need to use software for your headphones. And working on just headphones or just speakers is unnecessary harakiri. So this has some advantage over Sonarworks SoundID, but at a cost, which imho is not worth the price and missing features.

[@mixbustv]

You forgot to say "for me" . I have used my headphones a total of 5 minutes in the past 7 years.

[@GhostInTheAtticChannel]

David, It makes me nervous to plug my Focal Trio11 Be monitors into a $300 box. Is that box transparent and accurate enough for such high end monitors? Thanks for your input. Ghost

[@sonicpulp9417]

I got one but the analysis won’t show any signal. Checked everything - there must be a software compatibility issue for me

[@theclaverman]

Listen…Just get Trinnov Nova and be done with the calibration once and for all. The problem with both sonarworks and arc is that both only use a single capsule calibration mic. This means that both systems are pretty much incapable of fixing timing and phase issues in your listening position. To fix the frequency response is good, but only solves one problem and it does nothing to improve the stereo image

[@mixbustv]

Phase issues, ok. What phase issues? And you really think the human ear and brain are THAT precise? You realize you move your head 1" and it's all different right? Go check out the comparison between this and Trinnov. And I'm not saying either Trinnov is not amazing nor that is not different than this, but how different is the point, and how much difference will make in someone's mixes compared to this and an even smaller point. And then all this keeping in mind that you still need a proper treated room. So when you say "listen" keep in mind there's 4K difference. You take a 4K eq and compare it with a 300 one let me know how it goes :D

[@theclaverman]

@@mixbustv You really asks two questions Nr. 1." What phase issues?": In any room (specially the common rectangular home studio) you are prone to have polarity issues in your monitoring envinronment. This is mainly caused by timing issues between the direct sound (from the monitors) and the indirect sound (coming from your reflections). And this is of course also causing the dips and buildup in the frequencies. The way both ARC and Sonarworks is compensating for this, is by applying a filter (EQ) by boosting and cutting. When you in. ex is doing Sonarworks calibration, it send a sine sweep through each speaker individual (not at the same time) and then compensate for the dips and buildups in software. So now after calibration is done the software has compensated for that nasty buildup you may had in the 50Hz region . The only issue though is that there is no way for the system to actually now if the filter applied for each speaker is phase coherent with each other. Do this: In logic (or any other DAW) pull up a test oscillator plugin and manually and slowly swipe a sine-wave from 30Hz and up to 200Hz. (do not have any room correction software enabled in this test) How does it sound like? Yes it probably has some nasty dips and buildups at some areas. But the sound should at all times during the test sound like it is coming from one singular razor-sharp point in the center of your stereo-image. If the sound at any moment during the test starts to wander to the left or to the right, separate or maybe are just impossible to locate at all (it may sounds like it is almost coming from outside the speakers or inside your head) this is due to phase issues (its not merely frequency errors). Then insert Sonarworks or ARC after the oscillator and put them into linear phase mode. Do the same test again. Did the software fix the problem? No??? Just what I thought...But THIS IS WHAT TRINNOV WILL FIX. Question nr. 2: "And you really think the human ear and brain are THAT precise?": Answer: Of course it is that precise!! You may fool your ARC software (or Trinnov for that sake), but you won't fool your brain and ears. Without this preciseness you would be unable to localize any sound in the stereo field.

[@abzee733]

@@theclaverman You seem quite literate in this topic. Did you check out the Neumann KH150 with their MA1 calibration system? As fas as I can see, you can get rid of "phase issues" with these, too. I own a pair of Dynaudio Lyd7 and I can't decide between getting the Neumanns as speakers or staying with the Dynaudios and reaching for the gold, which would be the Nova. Any suggestions from your side?

[@felixdorn21]

Hi, very interesting unit, but how do you switch between multiple monitors then? Even with a monitor controller, switching the monitors on there doesn’t switch the different captures which you saved. So you would have to load it / change it every time you switch monitors, when you want to have the correction of both inside the plugin? Or can you use 2 boxes for two different monitors? When i listen to mixes i like to move fast back and forth between my speakers. That would be impossible with this right? Best regards

[@StotheEtotheB]

Actually if you have good room acoustics and decent speaker you dont need to switch speaker that often. Maybe a small BT Speaker for back checking thats it.

[@StotheEtotheB]

Did you any comparison to other systems? How does it compare to DIRAC, Sonarworks or Acourate for example? What about latency? The reason why I would not use it is the ADDA. If they would offer a digital IN and OUT it could be an option otherwise not for me. The idea i would use this after my Crane Song or RME ADI PRO FS converters makes me laugh.

[@mixbustv]

If you have Crane Song why would you use a $300 box? If you have 10K or 20K or 30K in monitors and your whole system is on par with the DA converters you have then you should probably have a good sounding room FIRST and no need for any software correction. Comes without saying it. If you do then you probably have the cash for a Trinnov (even tho' the differences in the comparisons appeared minimal)

[@StotheEtotheB]

@@mixbustv No worries my room is pretty good but if you have a good room it doesnt mean that you dont use a room correction. I know a lot of professionals working in really good rooms and still using room correction for the perfect result. Do you really think ppl buy a Trinnov and use it in unthreaded rooms? :) Btw, why you didn't answer my question? Did you any tests to compare it to other systems like Sound ID, Acourate or DIRAC for example ? I can tell you from my own test that every system sounds different. For my needs Acourate is the best even if it introduce a pretty big latency. Since I'm not recording that much its not a big deal for me. Would be interesting how the ARC System compares to the other systems. Thats all.

[@djtuff514]

Great video as usual, would it make sense to put this in front of my dangerous or lynx hilo convertors or would the sound degrade ? But you did mention it was transparent and sonically invisible I'm going to give it a shot, thanks as usual

[@mixbustv]

We didn't notice any coloration whatsoever. And if there's any, it's less than pretty much any monitor controller

[@harrynak22]

Im wondering whether to go for the arc 4 for a cost-effective big step up or save the money for an upgrade from Adam A7 to Eve sc3070... 🤔 I guess 299 dollars is anyway money well spent isn't it

[@maurodimario1423]

Ciao, I have ARC 3 with iLoid Micro Monitor, is there any benefit to upgrade from 3 to 4 version ? I studied the manual but no clear how to set the trimmer setting, I mean it influences the input signal AND the output one with the SAME pot set ! More there is an other Volume control Pot, so I decide to set the trim in such a way I work with high signal value to get a full correction but remaining under clipping in pre meter mode (x Input) and then I choose the settnig for the output only using the Volume pot in monitoring page of ARC 3. Is it correct x You ? Have a Great Day

[@ousamanaber]

On my presonus central station I have three setups; 1) a pair of Adam A7s (full range) 2) adding a sub 8 while cutting of the lows on Adams 3) JBL 8 inches. So I have to do calibration for all three setups And saving three different profiles, right?

[@mixbustv]

Yes

[@gullcreekstudio1391]

Get rid of that central station...your mixes will be easier and thank you

[@abzee733]

I got a pair of Dynaudio LYD7s and a well treated room (with no software correction yet). I wonder, if getting a pair of Neumann KH150s with their MA1-calibration would be a better choice, since they do actually address phase issues as well. What do you think, David?

[@mixbustv]

I haven't tried the 150s but other Neumann monitors I've tried (except the super tiny ones) I found to be great monitors and their software is usually insanely good (see MT48) and I happen to be not a big fan of Dynaudio, you might be better off with the second choice

[@sestomantra4445]

hi, thanks for this video....I would like to know something, is it possible to load two profiles on the hardware and recall them only from the box?

[@mixbustv]

Nope

[@rebluecrow]

What about correction for headphones? Despite this is a good solution, it’s not complete yet. An upgraded version with digital i/o and headphone model calibration at a near price point would be very welcomed.

[@mixbustv]

"At a near price point"

[@BennyFade]

Nice video. Does it add latency?

[@jmizzbeatsj-jigga7888]

Def do a vid on ik monitors 🔥 video always 🫂💜💯

[@mixbustv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4uriIiKZsZkZs0si=2WBOzxeE2a7ssGEV

[@jmizzbeatsj-jigga7888]

@mixbustv thank you highly💜🫂💯

[@brysava]

How would this be for a live gig PA system?

[@mixbustv]

Might work, it has the option for a large listening area

[@sunstreetstudios6475]

Oooh interesting idea! The old DBX drive racks attempted this years ago, be an interesting experiment

[@mrmorpheus9707]

Is it now using arc convertor or your convertors?

[@hypersonicnl]

Is the algorithm different than ARC3's? That's what I am curious about the most... Otherwise it may just be ARC 3 in a box.

[@LoveMeBack]

Getting a little tired of Sonarworks bugs. Was looking for a alternative.

[@JK_EU]

What bugs?

[@LoveMeBack]

@@JK_EU One of them that happens constantly is that it often resets to a very old measurement when I open my DAW. If I don’t pay attention I’m working with an old measurement and have to start over again.

[@czorakownik]

What bugs? Mever had any problem…

[@HKprod90]

does it act on the temporal like dirac or trinnov? or just on the eq?

[@phenominalblak9797]

Will this work properly with my subwoofer??

[@danymalsound]

This is what I wish SoundID would give us! Having a box is probably way better

[@onetoo5899]

Why ?A box more means an a/d then d/a more. So 2 another chances to degrade the signal... Considering the price of the whole arc system i'd rely on my prisms and burls rather then these ones for accuracy.

[@koothka]

The best sound id thing was the monitor build in or in the audio interface. But a box can be great. It depends of the latency.

[@Lychegsye-nc6td]

@@onetoo5899 smn1 with brain finally. additional ad da conversion will always b detrimental. thats why RME or Sonarworks have correction eq before the first DA conversion.

[@danymalsound]

@@onetoo5899 I don't have prisms or burls. I have an original apollo, so that's a non-issue to me haha

[@fantaztikbeatz]

Only with high quality converters will it benefit the sound reproduction. Better components means increasing the price.

[@MichaelBriggs3]

It would be great if they made a version with a built in monitor controller and volume knob.

[@mixbustv]

You mean a monitor controller with this built-in? 😅

[@MichaelBriggs3]

@mixbustv Yes, either way.

[@melissabuyschannel]

Hi David, thanks for the video. If I have two sets of monitors running through a monitor controller to do A/B comparison on mixes, then the ARC Studio would go between my DA and monitor controller? Just run two sets of profiles and be able to switch between A/B in the software and then on my monitor controller?

[@philburns5656]

As you can see at 4:27 in point 4, it is intended to sit directly before the speakers, but a monitor switch in between these two would theoretically be possible. Since it just has "correction on/off", you can't switch immediately between profiles. You would have to have a USB cable connected between your computer and the ARC Studio, and push the new profile each time you switch between the speakers, I guess. If you switch regularly, Sonarworks might be the better option, I guess. Going one step further, with Sonarworks, you could have two direct outputs in your DAW (if your DAC allows for that) and put the each profile on the direct out. Then it is only switching in your DAW. I'm doing it like that. As far as I understand, ARC Studio and Sonarworks are basically the same in terms of signal processing. ARC Studio is as much a digital processing EQ as is your computer with Sonarworks on. So I don't expect any of the two to sound massively better than the other one. Also, the measurement and calibration software very much look the same. The only advantage I see for ARC Studio, and David mentions that, is that you don't have to bypass anything, as opposed to when you have Sonarworks directly on your mixbus. (Which I have not, it is after the mixbus. So no advantage for me.)

[@melissabuyschannel]

@@philburns5656 Thanks for the info. I’ll definitely check out the other options. In practice then, the fastest way would probably be to have an ARC studio for each pair of monitors. Or go the software route.

[@andivax]

Unfortunately no digital in/out

[@PeaKock-be]

Damn it David... you made me spend again!😅 But this looks like a no brainer!

[@mixbustv]

😁

[@claytonrfs]

Does this product work internally with an IIR or FIR filter? In my opinion, if it's an IIR filter, it's not worth the price! Unfortunately, manufacturers hide this information and rely on people's ignorance on the subject.

[@mixbustv]

Or, you just listen and see if your mixes translate better or not because at the end of the day that's what is supposed to do.

[@braxal6983]

Dave, Are you now using this device in your studio permanently or are you using a Trinnov or equivalent?

[@onetoo5899]

Trinnov rules !

[@isaaccivitello8055]

Hows the latency for tracking? Im a happy Sonorworks user but its not usable while tracking

[@williamillington]

There’s no latency it’s hardware

[@isaaccivitello8055]

@@williamillington that box has to have some dsp and take some time to process the I coming signal

[@audimaxx]

Natural Phase 1.4ms , Linear Phase 42ms.

[@StotheEtotheB]

@@williamillington 🤣 Some ppl really amaze me. If you have no idea what you are talking about why do you try to answer?

[@kervondebisette6740]

I purchased this exact system and I’m having one issue. After I’m done analyzing, saving and then quitting; I then go to the arc 4 software and it remains neutral with no data from my analysis. It says my results are not being saved to my device. Can u please help me?

[@mixbustv]

I'd contact IK, you're gonna have to give them the specs of your system

[@kervondebisette6740]

@@mixbustv thanks bro I’ll do that

[@andrewrice9383]

Something I can tell you is that I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in my life calibrating speakers to sound their best. If I ever do make a KZbin video on the subject, it’s probably something I will cover. Short answer is yes these room correction systems make a difference - I would say the best one is Dirac live because it includes impulse response correction - but the critical factor is going to be the types of drivers used in the speakers, metal tweeters versus air motion, etc. And there are lots of things room correction can’t properly capture and correct and often times a flat frequency response is not correct in terms of the psychoacoustic presentation of the sound, for various reasons, such as the tweeter type, and the battle step in the speaker, listening location in the room. Any nonlinear acoustic phenomena will require some manual tweaking by a trained ear although there is no doubt these correction solutions can be very powerful. Often times the solution for that frequency dip is to slightly angle the speakers or to move around in the room. Believe me I got so frustrated trying to fix something with correction software that was just a simple addition of a acoustic foam here and there or a slight angling of the speaker.

[@philburns5656]

That's interesting. I think not everybody wants to investigate so much time into correction. So for the "average" audio engineer, this tool is great, would you say so? And what do you think when comparing this to Sonarworks?

[@andrewrice9383]

@@philburns5656 I don’t know the ins and outs of Sonarworks or ARC, from what I can tell Sonarworks is software where ARC is hardware and Dirac can be both. I believe Dirac is the only one with impulse response correction so it’ll be a bit more open with more clarity and will do a better job compensating room acoustics. However, there’s no substitute for speaker driver type and room acoustics. I learned that the hard way trying to EQ when really, I needed a different set of tweeters. Tweeters have an enormous impact on the sound characteristic.

[@philburns5656]

@@andrewrice9383 Agreed, except for the opposition of "is hardware" vs "is software". That does not make a difference as long as the processing element inside "the hardware" is digital, hence IS software. That is the same for both, ARC Studio and Sonarworks. There is no analog processing inside ARC Studio, or did I miss something?

[@andrewrice9383]

@@philburns5656 oh, all I was saying is that one is hardware one is software. I’m just saying that one runs in a box outside of your computer, one runs in your computer, the other can be run on both, i’m not claiming any superiority, although hardware tends to be more versatile because you can run multiple sources through it outside of your computer, more easily, although, technically, you can do that with a plug-in too.

[@philburns5656]

@@andrewrice9383 Functionally, it is both software. "It is hardware" often makes people believe that something is better. With digital processors, that's misleading. "More versatile" is also a bit optimistic, I guess. More modular, perhaps. But definitely not more flexible (only 2x2). Instead, you can say for sure that one does not need to buy the hardware when using a plugin correction system, because 99,999% of today's audio engineers do own it already.

[@santiagorestrepo6063]

IF you say... I believe

[@LaidbackSounds]

How surprising an Italian company sends it to you first 😜dope !!!

[@JBPROJECTSTUDIO]

it possible tu use it saving preset on hardware? without usb after calibration?

[@mixbustv]

Yes you can but you can't change the preset/profile. You need the connection to change the calibration file

[@JBPROJECTSTUDIO]

perfect, thankyou!@@mixbustv

[@madwin.official]

I really don’t understand why they didn’t include digital ins and outs ! Most of us already own converters or sound cards! So why an other unnecessary conversion stage ?

[@mixbustv]

The correction happens digitally of course. And there are not many monitors with a digital input, you'd still need DA, and at this point an extra digital card for I/O would probably bump the price to 500 or more. Of course this is meant for people who already have interfaces and converters, that's not really why.

[@380stroker]

How much are they paying people to shill this item?

[@hampsonpaul3531]

FL Studio in the other room..Cool.😊

[@TheChromaticz355]

Will the hardware work if disconnected from computer?

[@mixbustv]

Yes

[@TrevorOuellette]

You can even plug another computer in... if you friend brings over his laptop for example to mix in your studio. It's pretty nice having the hardware box separated from computer software.

[@jeffsalvatore7441]

Does this bring the volume of your output level down like sonar works does? I hate that

[@mixbustv]

Nope

[@cheintz44]

Very easy to disable this feature …I set mine at just .1 db below zero but you can disable it completely if you want

[@jorgecarmo9028]

For 2 pairs of monitors it will be needed 2 IK Boxes ???

[@mixbustv]

No of course not, you just do two calibration and switch the file you load

[@Quinlan.Monroe]

@@mixbustv on the hardware side wouldn't you have to disconnect one pair and connect the other?

[@jeffsnider9869]

Oh hell yeah

[@defrigge]

The only problem is that this adds an additional stage of AD/DA converters not on the same level as high quality sound cards.

[@mixbustv]

I don't think if you have a Dangerous or Lavry your market is in the $299 bracket.

[@defrigge]

@@mixbustv No, just a normal home studio here, using soundcards from UAD (actual generation) and Neumann, but I'm still concerned...

[@BlackenedNL]

Can I use this if I have a sub in my studio?

[@mixbustv]

It's got 2 outs, so..

[@BlackenedNL]

@@mixbustv and what about the crossover point on my sub? I’m pretty interested in this

[@travislee9662]

@@BlackenedNLyeah I have 2 sets of monitors and a sub in the center all controlled by an Audient Nero to switch between everything. I love my current setup, but would really like to get everything calibrated. Really curious how I would calibrate and integrate everything correctly in my current setup if possible.

[@podolskimusic]

From IKM Website: If the subwoofer is handling the crossover and feeding the main speakers, or if you are using an external crossover the system will be seen as a normal 2 channels setup, so you can use ARC 3 without any issue.

[@marcusgarveyson]

Do you still need room treatment?

[@mixbustv]

Of course you do, there's more than a flat response to a room. Reverb, reflections etc... but not only this will improve (greatly) even untreated rooms but it will also fix nagging issues in treated rooms which would be otherwise very expensive. Sometimes you have a close to perfect room with a nasty dip or bump that would require an extra 40% of what you spent to do the entire room, just for that

[@BeatsAndMeats]

That intro song was fucking cool!!! What was it?

[@mixbustv]

One of Bella Kelly's Throat remix, the remix album is on Spotify

[@BeatsAndMeats]

That shit slams!!!!

[@zakaroonetwork777]

There is a Strange Clicking sound in your Audio…. 😮

[@duncan.o-vic]

That room needs more bass trapping though.

[@happyshadow]

It's a shame they haven't added a systemwide. Arc is great, far better than Sound ID

[@JK_EU]

Sounds like you're contradicting yourself quite well.

[@happyshadow]

@@JK_EU because Sound ID has a systemwide app? Unfortunately it crashes about 10 times a day.

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@TheOneMonk]

„Flat monitors in every room?“ Nonsense. Of course treatment of the room comes first as otherwise this box will try to fight the room - which will result in accoustic mayhem.

[@mixbustv]

So you tried it right?

[@TheOneMonk]

@@mixbustvYep, and it has its place. But of course it does not give flat monitors in every room.

[@ignacedhont9816]

"Room" correction.. without treating the room. Yes that makes sense ;)

[@realraven2000]

it actually does... But you can do both :) in my case one corner of the desk is near to the room corner so there is bass build up there. But I can look outside the window behind my screens so it is way nicer as a project studio :)

[@mixbustv]

It's called treatment. Correction is done with tools like this. Now, can you point out when in the video or anywhere else was said this would be substitution for treatment? We'll wait. Also if you want to sound smart and in the know, it would write room "correction" , the quotes go on the word correction, not room. Other you sound dumb.

[@nocuelatio9798]

hahahah you killed him ahahahha@@mixbustv

[@ignacedhont9816]

Well obviously people are misled by suggesting this is a fix for your room problems. One reaction on your post literary asks if room treatment would still be necessary. Please explain how this software gets rid of comb filtering from your desk for instance? I'll wait.. @@mixbustv

[@ignacedhont9816]

I see my response was removed.. apparently didn't had an answer to my question. Well so be it.

[@Flimpy74]

What a coincidence, just saw the review of the same product dropped in the time spam of a few hours from a bunch of other Mixing influencers. Its a bit funny, since all of those people have top notch studio setups anyway, but they are selling us this quick win solution, that will fix everything. For us amateur home producers 300 bucks is a lot of money, its a difference between mediocre and decent studio monitors. Or getting a quite decent room sound insulation... Nooo... that cant be a PR spin and paid Marketing Campaign, right David?

[@mixbustv]

Let me school you here before making a video on your stupid comment. Did you figure it out yourself that companies do promotion for their new products like any other business or it was the "includes sponsored content" message IN THE VIDEO ITSELF? You realize how stupid you sound trying to "catch" something that's stated in the video? Now, let me also explain to you something else that everyone else gets and only few geniuses don't put together: I have not one but two studios in LA. Do you think you can buy me? Try. I don't, never did and never will, feature anything I don't think it's great or useful for my audience. And that's WHY people trust me, because I'm honest and I have been, always. And I also realize(just like everyone but you) that not everyone has the opportunity of having a fully flagged studio so even if something is not to use to me PERSONALLY I still present it to people. And lastly if $300 is a lot of money for you, audio ain't your game. Or, drop your Starbucks and you will be able to afford it. You're welcome.

[@Flimpy74]

Dear David, Yes, could it be that I missed "includes sponsored content", my bad. But honestly, always comes later that statement "my sponsorship doesn't affect my judgement", didnt see that not with u, or any other influencers. I wonder, if we met in a pub somewhere, would you still recommend me to buy this? Because i remember lectures from your previous videos, they went in the direction "nothing can replace good room sound proofing". But now, oh!! magic box, magic microphone can do that And lastly, when you say 300 is not for me to be in Audio? Well I'm not sure what your KZbin target audience statistics are or whome are you trying to address (I'm pretty sure Rick Rubin is not watching it)...I come from eastern europe. Not far from south Italy For us 300 is a lot. But we still love to follow your channel as our motivation. Trying to do our thing in with our limited means... (edit: beatles made their albums on 8 tracks, Eilish and Finneas made Grammy album in the cellar) @@mixbustv

[@Flimpy74]

one more thing, please don't take my criticism as an attempt to diss u. We need influencers like you, you have knowledge and a will to pass it down. Just please be honest... If you f... us up, we will eventually leave you and there will be nothin more to sell. @mixbustv

[@rickythethird]

i want to get this i need 300 :/

[@retardeddank6960]

Should compare to sound id reference

[@onetoo5899]

Sonarworks does it better to me (also have the Trinnov system here, and Trinnov is clearly the winner)

[@nocuelatio9798]

Trinnov is the winner? of course... at that price point no wonder! @@onetoo5899

[@Marco0402]

I'm finding that product a bit critical to be honest... First of I'm a fan of ARC and am using ARC3 at the moment. But the need for a hardware unit just to hear the correction outside of the DAW is just stupid. That would be easily and cheaper solved with proper software development. If ARC wouldn't only be a plugin but also a Standalone Software to be inserted before the System Output the problem that IK created themselves would not be a problem at all. There is a program for Mac users called SoundSource (which costs around 40-50 bucks) that will simply let you put plugins before your output or input devices (also great for getting nerdy insights while listening to music). So no need to turn the plugin of unless you're switching to headphones. But that is also just one click with SoundSource. And Windows will also have a lot of options for this. Also pretty much all modern interfaces, also the cheap ones have almost no coloration and are super clean. This just sounds like IK trying to make more money and letting the customer pay more for their development errors.

[@czorakownik]

Everybody forgot about sonarworks?

[@yucafries7681]

So called room correction doesn’t actually improve intelligibility

[@tyeblee23]

Thank you again for another awesome demonstration. This is something I would love to own and the price is 🤌🏼❤