IK Multimedia ARC Studio Review - Add room correction to your Studio

[@JulianKrause]

Addition to the forced software registration: According to IK Multimedias EULA (as of May 2024) you can only transfer the license for the ARC Studio hardware to a new owner after 90 days of ownership. This effectively prevents you from selling the ARC Studio in less than 3 months from the point you registered it, as the new owner would not be able to register the product into their IK Account in that time frame. Art 9. Nr. 4: www.ikmultimedia.com/legal/index.php?R=license-agreement

[@ikigai47]

WOW! 😯

[@BandrewScott]

You underestimate us. We are absolutely here for you to talk about 3.5mm barrel jacks for an entire video.

[@JulianKrause]

"The untold story of the 3.5 mm barrel connector" 3.5 h video coming right up :)

[@matthewbcarter]

​​@@JulianKrauseI'm sure you could find a way to make that topic interesting haha. One thing I'd love to see you do is review and evaluate a couple no name generic brand interfaces found on Amazon, eBay, etc. There are some interfaces literally named "2i2" basically trying to trick people into thinking it's a Focusrite product. I picked up a super weird interface called the Icon Pro Audio Duo 22 Live which has really impressive software, but I have no idea how the headphone amp, xlr inputs, noise floor compare to other interfaces.

[@eklipseRomania]

On a more serious note, that was a complete no-go for me, from the start. I have a very bad room (because I'm just an amateur musician), and I would normally be interested in something like this, but I prefer stuff that's more reliable.

[@mycosys]

@@JulianKrause I mean..... if you can make 3.5h of content nerding out on something, i'd probably watch.

[@Studio22mix]

@@eklipseRomania I have a very bad room too, then there some options. Treatment for diffusion and reflection and bass traps, a nearfield speaker that has correction for placement close to walls and a front placement of the bass port. Then apply room correction, this can get pretty expensive. Cheaper solution is headphones corrected to the Harman target and a crosstalk plugin like can opener, or just get Slate VSX 😅

[@AFNacapella]

that registration thing is really a curse

[@lolilollolilol7773]

I encourage customers to enter fake details so that their database becomes completely useless.

[@artysanmobile]

Based on your report, I wouldn’t want this thing free. Price is not at the top of my list for buying decisions. Thank you for your fair and honest review, Julian.

[@JTPiano2011]

The registration situation is dealbreaker for me. Thanks again for another outstanding video..

[@TheOneMonk]

Currently YT is flooded with ARC videos. So it’s always good to see when Julian does a competent, un-influenced review. On this note: isn‘t it funny when other reviewers say „no money changed hand“ when they got the device for free? A couple of points. 1. this looks like a useful tool as it takes away some of the headaches of software-only solutions. 2. I would expect a better microphone at this price point 3. no standby is totally out of touch. I am against excessive regulation but this will be needed if companies ignore the sign o‘ the times. 4. I like the idea of audio interface manufactures integrating room correction.

[@xflow-fc8eq]

NO !!! to IK Multimedia forced registration policy and poor support + extra payment when selling hardware on the secondary market. It is a retrograde unfriendly policy. This company will fail if it doesn’t change their policy. Thanks for the honest review Julian

[@zeitakulobusta]

'will fail'? Think you need to room correct your crystal ball there Nostradamus.

[@stu-po]

This is a great, independent, unbiased review!

[@Alchemetica]

I would not purchase ARC because of the registration process and the common practice of companies to change the terms and conditions of use later. Particularly, changes adding agreement to forced arbitration. If one does not agree to the changes, the company locks one out of updates and/or services. It begs the question have we purchased the item or not? The points you raised regarding the ARC makes me wonder about design decisions made by IK. For instance, the notorious small size barrel jack for the power supply connection that can fail with safe connection and even fall out of the socket on devices with the slightest cable movement. Wattage use is of concern for a modern device, it is like the behaviour of a vintage Class A iron transformer amp that continually draws full power even when no audio is present. Great review as per usual, Julian.

[@AR-bj5et]

Giving a company all your personal data which they may or may not sell or store insecurely just to use a product that you already paid for is also an unnecessary risk to the consumer. We know a lot of companies like to assume that purchasing a product is 'consenting' to have your data used how they like until proven otherwise and sometimes like to deny service after opting out even after you've already 'bought' the product. Standing against this kind of practice is the best way to deter it from becoming the norm more than it already has no matter how good the product may be.

[@mycosys]

If its anything like their other products - they also charge for license transfer, on hardware. Even NI arent that crap

[@blakecasimir]

Having to essentially "activate" the hardware in the way you mention at 5:10 is an immediate fail for me. As you say this process essentially makes it a paperweight without the internet activation. This lack of trust in the consumer makes this a complete no-go IMHO.

[@chassheppard]

Yeah, absolute deal breaker for me too, shame, as I'm a big fan of hardware room correction.

[@Sukimaye]

Exacly and not to mention there are programs that allow you to use a parametric EQ. With no active internet or anything.

[@imdurc]

The hardware DOES NOT need to be registered! It would be nice if we didn't put misinformation out there guys. I've owned the ARC software from around 2012 (version 2 onward) and their software has always registered online. That's been their policy since I bought other IK plugins even back in 2007. I picked up the Arc Studio 6 days ago and when I plugged it in, it didn't require registration.

[@zackersquackers]

You do such a good job of analyzing so many considerations for the devices you review. It never fails that you'll bring up some aspect about a potential purchase that I might not have ever considered or maybe hadn't thought of how significant it was. Those little insights are peppered throughout leaving us much more informed than so many other reviewers. Your reviews are always great, I really enjoy them. Thanks!

[@ganyimiklos]

Using it at my home studio, in a very small room, one speaker in the corner, very basic treatment. Fixed tons of issues and mixes comes ot like charm. Worth every penny. (I only use correction to 20-200hz region, Schroeder frequency rules comes into play about 250-300hz)

[@amyodov]

Now it's time for you to review the newest Audient ORIA, which has the Sonarworks room correction... for Atmos!

[@neilsmith5464]

Another extremely informative and well structured review. Thanks Julian!

[@VigilSerus]

With Sonarworks already working with Audient (and Merging) on correction integrated into the interface, absolutely only a matter of time.

[@JBrm]

I'm using the built in correction of my neumann monitors for a long time now and i really like it. Good to see that there's competition now, which is not tied to a specific monitor/brand.

[@robertjason6885]

Is that the MA software?

[@JBrm]

@@robertjason6885 yes, but it's not just software - it's a hardware solution built into the speakers that's configured via the MA software

[@andresvelazquez2360]

Great review! Would love to see a sound comparison with Sonarworks SoundID Reference. IIRC Sonarwork's target curve is somewhat close to the Harman target in all but treble (inferring from the correction applied to the AKG K371 'phones), so maybe their "flat" curve for monitors is close as well!

[@donit.]

10:50 You say everything via asio bypasses APO? Idk if thats maybe an exeption, but I use FL Studio Asio (in FL Studio) and it works fine!

[@chassheppard]

Thanks for the great review, good to know this product isn't an option for me, as forced registration is an absolute no go.

[@ikigai47]

Just enter false info and use your spam email address

[@robertjason6885]

Julian, my understanding is the "Harmon Curve" was designed mainly for headphone listening. I'm not sure if that would necessarily be advantageous through studio monitors? The LAST thing I'd want would be a lack of mids in the area of vocals, and perhaps snare.y not having a bit flatter curve for mixing and mastering, there is always a chance of overcompensating. From what I've gathered, as you pointed out, the so called corrected room somehow lacks some bottom, with slightly "crispy" higher frequencies. That said, for a couple of reasons, I'm looking at an alternative for my current go to, Sonarworks Reference ID. Yours is an excellent presentation, with much information to ponder. Thanks much.

[@JulianKrause]

Keep in mind, that there are multiple Harman curves. As you mentiond, there is one for headphone but there is also one called "subjectively-preferred steady-state room curve" if you want to have something to search for :)

[@robertjason6885]

@@JulianKrauseMany thanks for that, sir. I will do the research. I’m an old..”if it sounds good…”

[@PetetheSweety]

Thank you for the video. I've noticed that the ARC Studio graph's lower end is 20 Hz. The IK Multimedia page states 120db(A) and a range from 0.5Hz to 40kHz. Is the processing only from 20Hz upwards ? I was thinking of changing my sub room correction with this, but if its lower end is 20 Hz its pretty much useless for me. The 3.5mm barrel jack without any form of locking like the 5.5mm with the 1/4 turn lock have is a joke. 50€ for this "measurement mic" also a joke.

[@donit.]

Can you maybe explain more why you think we shouldnt aim for a flat curve? Or did you just mean for headphones (in which case the Harmann curve is obviously better, but for speakers I would have thought flat is the ideal one).

[@Studio22mix]

There is also a Harman speaker target, some people like to calibrate to that, others use a flat curve. You can try both and listen to which one you prefer. Personally I aim for the Harman target.

[@donit.]

@@Studio22mix how though, that doesn't make sense. I thought the entire point of harman curves is to replicate the sound of flat speakers on other listening devices.

[@orangek9409]

Thanks for test. Can you show decay graph instead of fr graph (via REW) ? It will be more useuful ARC's room management ability.

[@shawnandrewusic]

Hi Julian! Thank you for bringing this great information to us! Cheers

[@MichaelBruceTaos]

Excellent review. Forced registration is a deal breaker.

[@yo3429]

Thanks Julian! Looking for a hardware EQing solution myself. The ARC will certainly do a good job, but then a additional box on the desktop ... I wonder if there are some audio interfaces that have built in DSP EQ for the monitor out path?

[@Joeknowsit-ALL]

What about phase correction, and level correction between right and left speakers ?! Stuff we find in like Sonarworks Soundid. Does the Arc correct that too, or only the frequency response ?!

[@cryptout]

The whole IK Multimedia software download and registration is a real pain and the reason I never used their software. Having said that, I do think this product is exactly what I was looking for in my home studio.

[@iursnitram]

Of course you can use the REW corrections with ASIO and DAWs. Just export the correction as an IR and load it in the DAW's Master/Monitor channel.

[@rodneyjones1539]

Picked up one of these the day it was released with a $100 discount on Amazon (not sure how I managed that one) - testing was quick and results were (WOW). Really wish it had a standby or off switch. Not having the Harman curve was very strange but east to create a custom setting.

[@PinkAsAPistol]

I'm still stuck with my E MU sound card from the mid 00's, which has a DSP for hardware effects that can be applied anywhere in the signal chain. Apart from EQ on the output, I am using a hair of reverb and even the compressor can be useful for listening sessions at very low volumes deep into the night, while everybody's sleeping. It baffles me that modern interfaces not only lack these features, but also, every time I ask somebody if they know of a unit that features hardware EQ on the output, I am told that I shouldn't even require such a thing. As if studio monitors and our listening environments (also called homes) are absolutely perfect and there shouldn't be anything to compensate for. So while this one still does not do everything I'm looking for, at least it seems to steer things into the right direction of showing what we're missing for a long time.

[@nfergistink110]

Thank you Julian excellent as always x

[@KabukiStarship]

If Julian has not, he need to look into engineering school. He's a good fit. Hit me up!

[@g3cd]

Can I use a regular, non-measurement microphone instead of that plastic toy (IK Multimedia offers the Arc Studio on their website for 50€ off without the microphone)? Do you think a better microphone like the Audix-TM1 would improve results?

[@Studio22mix]

All measuring microphones are designed the same way, no coloration of the sound with flat responses. If you measure a lot like different venues and use it on the road a sturdier mic will be better but for once in a time use you won’t need that imo.

[@sortebill]

Could you maybe do a test of the t.racks dsp 4x4 mini? Is it usable for room correction?

[@AJBtheSuede]

Usable - yes - but with much worse noise/distortion performance, and you'd have to make all corrections manually. There's software packages to help you with that, but they all take quite a bit of knowledge/reading up to use. If you use the 4x4mini in a preamp in-out loop (or somewhere before the main volume control of your system) you'd probably be fine.

[@sortebill]

@@AJBtheSuede Thanks for the insights. It would be between my interface and my powered monitors. But that might be a bad idea? Doing things manually is fine, I'm a drummer so I'm used to doing very manual adjustments to things :D

[@AJBtheSuede]

@@sortebill Depending on what routing you do otherwise in your interface, you might be better off buying something like a miniDSP 2x4 HD then... Putting an ARC/4x4mini after your current interface makes your signal chain: source-DAC-cable-ADC-processing-DAC-speaker, and if you use the source as main vol, EVERYTHING in that chain puts their max errors straight to the speaker elements at max gain. A miniDSP chain would be source-processing-DAC-speaker (if you use digital in on the miniDSP), so only one DAC conversion. For very good equipment, multiple ADC-DAC roundtrips can be ok, but especially with low budget, noisier ADC/DACs you should avoid it... It also increases the risk for ground loops (speaker hum)

[@sortebill]

@@AJBtheSuede So I just wanna do room correction for my momitors when using my computer. But I need it to work with asio because i use it for making music.. My interface is an ssl 12 so no digital output sadly. Only balanced jacks.. So im looking for either a software solution or a dsp solution that does balanced. I have an old minidsp but its unbalanced rca comnectors.

[@sortebill]

I also have a umik. So the easiest would be software solution but then there is the asio issue.

[@waedi73]

Great show ! Thanks Julian for good information. No question left.

[@stevewoodyt]

I got IK’s total studio when it was on sale last year for 200 US. It came with arc 3 and I’m finally getting around to using it. I need a mic and I was going to get the IK mic second hand. Should I be looking at other mics? Edit: I’d also like to say for anyone looking into getting any IK software. It’s ok but it can be a pain to use. When I first did installs it would once a week tell me that I didn’t have a license. That stopped with one of the product mangers updates. If you get anything with a sound library and don’t download something with in I believe 6 months you will have to pay for a download ticket that is like $10. Having the experience I have now I would still buy total studio for $200 but not for the regular price. I would not pay anymore than $100 for any smaller bundle that is full. Like buying T-Racks for $80 would be ok but buying one single compressor plugin for $100 would be a terrible idea.

[@alessandrocerri535]

very entry level piece of gear, you don want to add an extra AD/DA in your signal path. if you dont have digital in/out on your interface and monitors assuming you have digital monitors you better use something like EQapo or sonarworks.

[@Kynect2Hymn]

An Extra AD/DA in the signal path is no big deal. Converters these days recreate waves nearly perfectly. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6LMc32Yh6qInbc

[@SaccoBelmonte]

Awesome video as usual. I would like you to try with an UMIK 1 or 2. I tried here (yes I provided the text file from my UMIK2) and the measurement results were not like the MEMS. (Tried with the 7 step on each mic just to try). You have better knowledge than me to tell how good it is if you try with these mics.

[@nickgassman2909]

IK multimedia say that USB mics are not supported with this, but I have seen someone say that they got a UMIK working by using Flex ASIO. How did you get it working?

[@SaccoBelmonte]

@@nickgassman2909 I used ASIO4All in PC and aggregated both my interface and USB UMIK2.

[@hooch1111]

In my experience room correction is only good at frequencies below 1000 Hz or so: I run Audissey built into my Denon receiver, if I let it correct full range measurements look great, but the audio is unbearably bright. Audissey is great for integrating subwoofers though.

[@thomasyoung5680]

I have it i also have sonarworks and they. Both work fine i use arc 4 and vsx for headphones thanks for your honesty

[@mycrazytools9543]

What is the best ?

[@sdanis]

Great review! Thank you!

[@Xelectis608]

Could we expect a review of the MBOX Studio anytime soon here ? :) Would really help ! As always, thank you for your great work !

[@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz]

I'm intending to use ARC4 software only (no rig) for live VST playing (no DAW though), does the ARC4 software add much latency besides sound interface¿? Thanks

[@daveaufradern6658]

Hey Julian, i would appreciate a test of the Rupert Neve RNHP headphone Amp and other dedicated headphone amps.

[@amusik7]

Hey Julian - have you seen that Icon released an interface with Harrison (the 32Ci)? - it looks really promising on the paper but would love to see you do your magic with it.

[@GoldnhourMusic]

Great video! One question: does this product calibrate any speakers?

[@JulianKrause]

You can directly connect it to studio monitors or an amp if you use speakers. But yes it can calibrate all of them.

[@odmusicman]

As a musician and geek, one of my pet peeves is when hardware/software companies make using their products a chore. It ALWAYS tells me they did not likely have ANYONE try out the finalized products in the real world before delivering it. This is a cost saving measure that elicits endless frustrations to the user base. For the opposite experience, when I setup SimpliSafe home security at my house, the hardware and software took a total of 10 minutes to setup and I required NO technical know how to set it up. That shows SimpliSafe tested EVERY permutation of issues that the user would run into that would require a phone call to home base. The ARC seems like the opposite.

[@andivax]

Great product. Unfortunately no digital in/out.

[@edesbalazs]

Finally someone else complains about forced registration to use an offline hardware you purchased. This is a plague and needs to stop.

[@joewolf38]

Julian it was a great video, again! Have you tried measuring back the corrected sound? After all, it is an external DSP EQ box, although I don't understand how in linear phase mode the delay can be 44.1ms, which contradicts the fact that it is a DSP. What kind of EQ is it using then?

[@JiihaaS]

Linear phase EQs always have latency. All EQs intoduce phase shifting, which in minimum phase EQs only happens around the processed frequencies, but with linear phase EQs happens equally on all frequencies. This is what creates the latency.

[@ubacow7109]

Do you think youd be able to compare the correction to a MiniDSP Flex that uses Dirac for room correction?

[@monx]

I'm kinda puzzled why IK chose not to integrate a basic audio interface, or why they included a mic, yet no onboard mic input. anyone who spent more than $500 on speakers could benefit from room correction, and they aren't all content producers with Apogee Duets on their desk already. rooting for them to improve in the next one.

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

Is it of any interest to select one of the listed speakers at 07:19 while choosing a correction name ? Or is it only a visual avatar for the parameters ?

[@ejmikk]

Isn't the Harman Curve just meant for headphones?

[@JulianKrause]

They have an in-room curve and one for headphones.

[@Studio22mix]

The low-end on the ‘in room’ harman target isn’t a single line but has a lot of deviations. I think that’s the reason why they don’t use it.

[@AFNacapella]

would you test the interfaces they build into DJ controllers, pls?

[@willcarter7079]

I would definitely not buy a product with forced registration. Thank you for including that piece of information.

[@VirtuelleWeltenMitKhan]

Did I miss the audio examples "with" and "without"?

[@henninghoefer]

Wouldn't you get a highpass filter if you set the leftmost curve point to the lowest possible level?

[@JulianKrause]

The lowest point possible is sadly only -6 dB and it's more a peak filter and not really highpass. But good idea!

[@qzwxecrv0192837465]

There is a major issue that many producers and sound engineers forget when they use $3k reference monitors and room correction when mixing: that is not the environment the consumer will be in when listening to the mix. I can't tell you how many "professional" recordings i have heard on my car stereo & home stereo only sounded good on a higher end sound system. most music isn't mixed for the consumer environment, though that is what is expected in the pristine, acoustically correct room of the engineer.

[@renek.6434]

I agree but it's still fun to make music in a good room / on a pair of good speakers ;)

[@stewie3128]

In my experience, full-time audio engineers are pretty judicious about a) having well-tuned speakers/room/equipment in order to have the best shot at a mix that translates as widely as possible, and b) keeping an alternate set or two of monitors connected so that you can 2x check things on more challenging equipment. There's no way to craft a mix that is going to sound perfect on AirPods, and nearfields, and soundbars of dubious quality, and random car stereo, a mono Sonos, and someone's set of Cerwin Vegas connected to a 25-year old Onkyo. The only thing you can do is go for a mix that can represent what the artist wants as well as possible on as many kinds of gear possible. Since you can't account for the enormous differences between various low-end gear, you have to presume a baseline quality of... something... and go from there. For example, there's no way to mix for a wide audience AND make sure that guy who has donut hole between 90hz and 250hz on his 2.1 system also has a great listening experience. Companies like Slate make things like the VSX headphone system that theoretically allows you to check you mix in a car, earbuds, Abbey Rd, etc. Even if you believe the simulations, your mix is going to suck on at least one of the scenarios... So we have to rely on the adaptability of the ear in those cases.

[@dumasmario8898]

Hi Julian. what about the phase correction?

[@mycosys]

You didnt mention IK charges to sell your hardware. The buyer has to pay again for the license transfer.

[@clarke.inverary]

I wish they used Adat/optical or Spdif input instead of only XLR but hey its s good start

[@adamcoe]

Damn I didn't know about the forced registration thing. I was ready to pull the trigger on this but honestly you did get me thinking about either interfaces or speakers themselves simply integrating correction. (I have the original, non-connectable Neumanns right now but I know the newer ones have their own correction solution built in which is cool.) And definitely the idea of someone having to pay AGAIN if I decide to sell the unit down the road? Absolutely not. That's a real shame because the hardware box was a big selling point over Sonarworks but if I don't have an internet connection, then I don't get what I paid for? Nope.

[@meistudiony]

How does this not have an integrated pre that is calibrated for use w the system like dBx does. If the preamp has coloration what do you do? I was looking forward to this to replace my aging dbx drive rack studio. Not so much now.

[@JulianKrause]

Hey, this is designed to be put between the output of your interface and your studio monitors. There is no preamp needed in this case, just run the line level signal from the interface into the ARC Studio and off you go.

[@meistudiony]

@@JulianKrause still a calibrated preamp for the measurement would be nice. Again, dbx did it w the drive rack studio. Everything is internal. Was hoping they would have done the same. Using an external pre that is not calibrated to the system kind of defeats the purpose to me.

[@Studio22mix]

@@meistudiony The usb measuring mic has a pre-amp build in. However the mic doesn’t come with calibration files which seems definitely odd to me.

[@meistudiony]

@@Studio22mix yeah i started looking into this a bit more. The further i dive into it, the more i dont trust it.

[@Studio22mix]

@@meistudiony Just to let you know, I looked around for some time and decided to go for the miniDSP DDRC-24 with Dirac and I'm very happy with it. The usb mic has calibration files with it and the results are superb. I use the second pair of outputs for correction of my headphone amp. Great little box, you can test Dirac Live for free for two weeks if you already own a measuring mic, I would definitely recommend testing it.

[@philipp594]

Could you compare this to minidsp with dirac? Some interfaces include dsp features how does this compare in value? Would be nice to see a version that can handle two audiostreams (multiple sets of speakers or headphones).

[@Studio22mix]

MiniDSP has 4 outputs and the possibility to assign a subwoofer separately if you wish 😊

[@Studio22mix]

By the way I tested Dirac Live and bought the miniDSP DDRC-24 and I'm really happy with it. I have two calibrations on it, one for my mains and one for my headphone amp, it works great. It also has audio inputs with usb and Toslink and my mixes translate perfectly at first bounce.

[@victoramicci840]

Would a $15 DSP board from aliexpress do the same thing?

[@JulianKrause]

Would be interesting to check. You have a link to a specific product?

[@victoramicci840]

@@JulianKrause KZbin won't allow me to post a full link (idk why), please search for "BP1048 DSP" and you should find the cheapest option

[@victoramicci840]

@@JulianKrause For some reason i can't directly reply you, but I left another comment stating the search terms for a cheap DSP board =)

[@djunn]

for guys, who want hardware room correction cheaper - there is DIY arduino solutions for fraction of price. With much more ability to tune.

[@ThaRealDawn]

Do you know if this is acting like an AD/DA device by doing some sort of conversion? I talked to IK Multimedia, and they said it is NOT! I use all Lynx AD/DA devices and DO NOT want some crappy conversion going on afterwards! When I read the box, it seems it is doing something, as it is talking about the 120db Dynamic Range etc... What's up with this? I asked about this after they replied to my email and said it is NOT converting, with a follow-up question of why it is saying the 120db Dynamic Range info, and they stop responding! What is going on here?

[@JulianKrause]

Please check 03:00 in the video, there I go over the conversion and even show the chips that are used in the AD/DA conversion. So yes, when the correction is turned on, the audio is converted. This is necessary to make the corrections in the audio. That said, it's a high end conversion and you will not hear the additional AD/DA. But if you don't want additional AD/DA in your signal chain, there is probably no other choice then to run the audio from your Lynx output directly to your monitors.

[@ThaRealDawn]

@JulianKrause awww, yeah I figured. They flat out told me NO it is not doing conversion. I've had my ARC since February but have not hooked it up, only mounted it under my desk. I'm going to do some more looking into it to see if it's still worth it or not. Thnx for the reply.

[@yvanaluz9994]

How come you don't eq the valleys in the frequency response chart.

[@Studio22mix]

Boosting the valley’s will cause the problem to shift to different areas. The best way to solve this is with acoustic panels and bass traps and speaker placement. It’s much better to cut frequencies when applying correction.

[@StevenRayMorris]

Thank you for this.

[@FakeGlasses]

Are there hardware alternatives (even more expensive ones) you’d recommend as alternatives to compare?

[@JulianKrause]

Hey, check out the Flex models from MiniDSP. I hope to be able to test them too but from what I have seen they look like an interesting option.

[@Studio22mix]

@@JulianKrause Yepp, I also go for the MiniDSP, has digital input and four outputs. Possible to use subwoofers too. Perfect 👍🏼

[@PoppRockShop]

Anybody know if it is rack mountable?

[@accidentian]

It's not just IK Multimedia, but Arturia, Kontakt, Steinberg and perhaps many other companies are also requiring registered account and internet connection to download and manange their so software. It's all annoying and especially so users not having ideal connections to their servers. Hope this practice in the industry will change soon.

[@pcAagenes]

Disappointed. I was hoping for a solution to add correction for my hearing loss as well as the room correction. I guess I am not the only musician out there having at least a little dip in the high frequencies. (I love the iPhones built in correction for hearing loss.)

[@Studio22mix]

Everyone older than say 20 years suffers from hearing loss in the high frequencies, it’s natural degradation. I think using reference tracks is the best way to avoid wrong mixing decisions. My ears are not so good either because of my age and the damage they took over the years but using reference tracks sure helps me a lot to not overcompensate the lacking frequencies. If you just want to listen to music then I would suggest a parametric equalizer 😊

[@pcAagenes]

@@Studio22mix But what if I manage better than the reference track? 😉 An eq would need to be placed after the room correction, so therefore i think including a post correction hearing correction eq would be a relevant feature.

[@Studio22mix]

@@pcAagenesyou could apply an eq yourself and could compensate for the frequencies your missing out on. I guess if you let a professional test your ears you can ask them the curves or maybe a hearing aid can help you with that.

[@StratsRUs]

IK Multimedia are an obstacle course.😊

[@axefromrussia]

We need Yamaha AG03/06.

[@jakeah1175]

Does anyone have the iloud MTM speakers with arc built in? Wondering if they run as a ‘hardware only’ (I.e. no latency inducing plugins in daw) just as well as this?

[@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz]

That was my question and looks like yes it's possible, you save the correction filter into the MTM's so you don't need to be running any software besides but it's only available with the new MTM (mk2), not the older model that I own. Also, the software in this case is called X Monitor but it's essentially the same or very similar to ARC4

[@jakeah1175]

@@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz hey thanks for the reply… I checked the website specs for the MKII and it lists ‘Total Latency (TOF): 2.44 ms’ - I emailed ik multimedia and they came back with ‘latency is the same regardless of if you use any of the options on the back of the speakers arc, flat (no correction) or desk profiles. There’s no way to run it without latency’. I think there’s ad da stuff going on all the time then.. I had planned to get them and use arc for mixing and then switch it to flat for guitar playing (to have less latency) but it seems like that may not be possible. For now I’m gonna stick to my Focal Shape 40s in my badly treated room 😄

[@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz]

@@jakeah1175 that's very interesting information, you saved me some emailing. I find 2.44ms is very acceptable for sound processing, you can't perceive that latency if that's your concern. I was hesitant whether to buy the ARC4 software only but turns out that the latency I'd be adding to my playing is above 40ms which is veery noticeable (I find anything above 7ms annoying already) and you have to count with the latency added by the sound interface too but again, if you got a nice sound interface with a good latency (1.5ms in my case) you still have room for additional 2.44ms

[@jakeah1175]

@@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz same.. I have the quantum 2626 which has a rtl of about 3ms.. with this extra 2.4 I suppose it’s not too bad!

[@DavidIzquierdoAzzouz]

@@jakeah1175 absolutely, on top of that, some speakers like MTM mk2 and Adams A series are capable of storing correction filters out of ARC4 and Sonarworks respectively so that you still get same original latency as if you were using in-built filters, the internal DSP processor is the same, thus you'd get rid of the processor consuming software and its 42ms latency in case of linear phase correction, now that's my only doubt now, whether you get linear (and not natural) phase correction with the method mentioned before by storing the filters within the speakers...

[@robertfontaine3650]

In a PC environment I think PEACE / APO is going to provide a better result for no money. ARC needs to work on their software/firmware to provide more robust eq.

[@lolilollolilol7773]

Excellent review, as usual, Julian. And I totally agree that these obligations to have to enter your details in order to download the software are extremely annoying and I encourage customers to enter fake details so that their database becomes completely useless.

[@AJBtheSuede]

Personally I would never leave my full digital speaker management system (phase perfect XO, per-driver FIR correction, full system house presets and then room correction on top), but the subscription-style software registration would probably top me from recommending the ARC even to a casual listener asking for a room correction module. I'd recommend something with Dirac/Audessey even at four times the price. BTW, my NUC endpoint draws on average 11W while processing 6+2 frequency channels with full FIR control and about 1W on PL6 ("sleep") while waiting for input signal.

[@Levibetz]

Now if only someone made this for headphones. The software solutions are unusably bad on windows. I just bodged my own solution using a stereo IR loader guitar pedal and a 20$ headphone amp, and it works!

[@saarin0tsorry]

Is this done with an FIR filter?

[@Studio22mix]

Better get the miniDSP DDRC-24 for that, it has Dirac and FIR Filters and is fully tweakable and works awesome.

[@drumphil00]

I'm still amazed in this age of dirt cheap DSP power, that I still can't buy a cheap audio interface that has hardware DSP room correction. Plenty of cheap units with eq and dynamics and effects on the inputs, which I don't need cause I do all that in my DAW, but basically nothing with a universal hardware EQ on the outputs, that would cover output from all applications, with no need for plugins and software virtual audio device drivers and the problems that go with that, and no extra latency going from an interface to an external unit and then to the speakers through multiple sets of AD/DA conversion and buffers. Why oh why is it so hard?

[@BojanBojovic]

Not sure, but ARC flat is not flat but it has some kind of high roll-off.

[@mcbowler]

It’s a mems mic… it doesn’t need to be high quality, only very consistent, which they are.

[@JulianKrause]

I have no issue with it being a MEMS mic, the issue is that the housing is out of very cheap plastic and the price of this mic alone is not competitive compared to better measurement mics.

[@bugdozer]

Big thumbs up but I stopped watching at 6:12. Already too much pain for me to consider the investment. Hopefully ARC Studio will look at your video seriously and up their game. You always provide very good feedback to vendors. Keep it up!

[@stefangudmund]

Thanks!

[@JulianKrause]

Thank you too Stefan!! 😊

[@stefangudmund]

@@JulianKrause your videos are always really helpful and informative.

[@johnwright8814]

No need for this while miniDSP products exist A bit more expensive but a ton more features, and stand-alone once set-up.

[@jaifarrell]

I understand the practicality of sticking a correction device in this part of the signal chain, but I work on the signal integrity philosophy that once a signal is in the digital domain, it never goes through another AD conversion. I'd love to see something like this with an AES/EBU input.

[@imdurc]

In that case, I'd advise you to watch reviews of working musicians and studio owners who have tested it and don't hear a conversion issue. Maybe that will give you the peace of mind you're seeking.

[@Studio22mix]

If you go 100 times DA/AD you can’t tell the difference 😂

[@deeptanktank9212]

Excellent product. Very effective and transparent in use. Great build quality with a solid feel. The perfect final touch in an already acoustically treated studio. Full marks. People moaning about registration are splitting hairs for nothing and not purchasing this product because of it are the losers. A simple in-line power switch on the PSU works great as an ON/OFF switch. Cost less than $10 - job done.

[@MarkusCologne]

Danke!

[@JulianKrause]

Gleichfalls!!

[@enriquekahn9405]

It feels like this was a good product that was rushed to market before all its flaws could be corrected. Very unfortunate.

[@Decenium]

that account thing is enough for me to not buy the product at all, f that nonsense

[@staticv3570]

Fantastic review! Please, for in-room frequency response measurements, use a vertical range of about 50dB instead of 80. A large vertical range just compresses the graph and makes it harder to read.

[@JulianKrause]

Agreed, 50 dB range would have been better, will keep it in mind for next time.

[@JD..........]

What is room correction? Is it the same as doing EQ yourself? I watched the whole video, but im still somewhat of a noob.

[@Studio22mix]

Yepp basically it’s a dynamic equalizer with some filters 😊

[@musiqtee]

If the IK downloader “needs” the standard download folder, it is already digging the OS API for %x% variables. It shouldn’t. The forced registration is a graft, normalised by prevalence. It shouldn’t. Rent is not always “money”, it may well be information of any kind. That means companies (SoMe, search, media, music…) should “pay” their users for it, and disclose what and why. They don’t. Capitalism is fine if we can just buy things, and own or second-hand sell them. If or when we can’t (EULA) - it’s not even capitalism, is it…? 🤓

[@lambda7652]

The registration BS is a no go.

[@MePeterNicholls]

3:30 and in the uk you’d need a mortgage.

[@Forgetdaoldme]

Im 5 minutes into the video and now i don't want the ARC, thanks!!