IK Multimedia ARC2 Users Manual
User Manual
Correction Plug-In
Measurement
Microphone
ARC System 2 is powered by
Measurement
Software
ARC System 2
P LEASE N OTE
ARC System™ is a trademark property of IK Multimedia Production Srl.
Audyssey®, Audyssey MultEQ® XT 32 are registered trademarks property of
Audyssey Laboratories™ Inc. used under license. All other product names and
images, trademarks and artists names are the property of their respective
owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with IK Multimedia. Use
of these names does not imply any cooperation or endorsement.
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ARC System 2
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ARC System 2
Table of Contents
I Contents pag. 3
II License Agreement pag. 6
III What's New in ARC System 2 pag. 8
What's New in ARC System 2 pag. 8
Chapter 1 ARC System 2 Overview pag. 9
1.1 Introduction pag. 9
1.2 What is the ARC System 2? pag. 10
1.3 How does the ARC System 2 work? pag. 12
Chapter 2 The ARC System 2 components pag. 15
2.1 The ARC MEMS Measurement Microphone pag. 15
2.2 The ARC 2 Measurement Software pag. 15
2.3 The ARC 2 Correction Plug-In pag. 16
Chapter 3 Setup for measurements pag. 17
3.1 What you need to measure your room pag. 17
3.1.1 Audio Interface Requirements pag. 17
3.2 How to set up for measurements pag. 17
3.2.1 Speaker connection pag. 17
3.2.2 Powered Speaker setup pag. 18
3.2.3 Passive Speaker setup pag. 19
3.2.4 Active Subwoofer and Powered Speakers setup pag. 20
3.2.5 How to connect the ARC 2 Measurement Microphone pag. 21
Chapter 4 Using the ARC 2 Measurement pag. 23
4.1 Opening the ARC 2 Measurement software pag. 23
4.2 Welcome to the ARC System 2 pag. 23
4.3 STEP 1 - Microphone Selection pag. 24
4.4 STEP 2 - Set up your Audio I/O pag. 25
4.5 STEP 3 - Put the Measurement Microphone at the main position and adjust levels
pag. 26
4.5.1 Microphone orientation pag. 27
4.5.2 Microphone height pag. 28
4.6 STEP 4 - Take measurements pag. 30
4.6.1 Examples of measurement locations in various room types pag. 31
4.6.2 Take Measurements pag. 36
4.7 STEP 5 - Save your system correction pag. 38
Chapter 5 Using the ARC 2 Plug-In pag. 39
5.1 ARC 2 Plug-In interface pag. 39
5.1.1 Play Window pag. 39
5.1.2 Measurement menu pag. 40
5.1.3 Target Curve menu pag. 41
5.1.4 Virtual Monitoring Feature pag. 43
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ARC System 2
5.1.5 Frequency Response Graphs pag. 43
5.1.6 Speaker Icons pag. 44
5.1.7 Peak Meter pag. 44
5.1.8 Correction ON switch and TRIM knob pag. 44
5.1.9 Other controls pag. 45
5.2 Edit Window pag. 46
5.2.1 EQ points pag. 46
5.2.2 Custom 1-4 buttons pag. 47
5.2.3 Apply button pag. 47
5.2.4 Flat button pag. 47
5.2.5 Combined L/R Correction pag. 47
5.2.6 Full Range Bass Correction pag. 48
5.3 Monitor Control Window pag. 50
5.3.1 Main volume knob pag. 50
5.3.2 Dim switch pag. 50
5.3.3 Mute switch pag. 50
5.3.4 Mode selector pag. 51
5.3.5 MIDI Assign of Remote Controls pag. 51
5.4 Opening the ARC 2 Plug-In in your DAW pag. 51
5.5 Using the ARC 2 Plug-In pag. 52
5.6 Suggestions for the best ARC System 2 usage pag. 53
Chapter 6 Frequently Asked Questions pag. 55
Chapter 7 Troubleshooting pag. 59
Chapter 8 Support pag. 63
8.1 User Area pag. 63
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ARC System 2
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ARC System 2
License Agreement
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR IK MULTIMEDIA PRODUCT
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II - License Agreement
ARC System 2
and license(s) accompany the carrier and (b) the party transferring the media does not retain a copy of the media.
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© 2007-2017 IK Multimedia. All rights reserved.
II - License Agreement
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ARC System 2
What's New in ARC System 2
• New MEMS Measurement Microphone
• Redesigned Graphic User Interface.
• 4X greater resolution powered by Audyssey MultEQ® XT32 room correction technology with 10Hz resolution.
• Less measurements needed for optimum results.
• Improved, precise bass response and focus.
• Smoother midrange and high frequency response.
• Combined L/R Correction option.
• Customizable EQ curves.
• “Virtual Monitoring” feature.
• MIDI remote controllable Monitoring section.
• 64 bit native support.
• Up to 192KHz sample rate support.
• Legacy measurement files support (down to ARC 1.3).
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III - What's New in ARC System 2
Chapter 1 ARC System 2 Overview
1.1 Introduction
The popularity of Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)-based systems have made
them the most used recording and mixing solution for hundreds of thousands
of professional, project and home studios worldwide. While much emphasis is
placed on the gear and tools used for composing, mixing and mastering, one
of the most critical factors influencing the quality of a music production is the
accuracy of the monitoring system. In fact, the combination of speakers and room
acoustics are often the weakest link in the music production chain.
Nearfield monitor systems used in studio environments are designed to deliver
sound without distortion or coloration. However, when monitors are placed in a
room, surrounding walls, ceiling, furniture, and other objects reflect and absorb
their sounds, creating complex distortions specific to the room and causing them
to lose the accuracy for which they have been designed. In other words, you end
up hearing more of the sound of the room than the actual music being produced.
The traditional solutions to this problem so far have been acoustic treatments,
traditional room correction EQ, or lately, advanced self-calibrated monitor
systems. Unfortunately, each of these options has some drawbacks which may
not be the best alternative for today’s DAW-based music production scenarios.
Acoustic treatments require a degree of expertise in their set-up that is not
commonly available among musicians working in project and home studios. At
the same time, it can be extremely expensive for professional studios, especially
when a precise sonic target result is required and the room is not optimally
shaped. A complete and successful acoustical treatment usually means a hefty
price tag for many, making it an option only for a few high-end studios.
ARC System 2
1 - Overview
Traditional room correction EQ and advanced self-calibrated monitor systems
are also expensive, and generally they are only able to correct the frequency
response of a room but not the phase problems that can be introduced by room
acoustics. On the contrary, traditional room correction EQ will alter the phase
response by itself, adding this to the already present phase room alterations. All
these phase distortions summed up is one of the reasons that leads many engineers to turn off equalizers on the monitoring setup after briefly trying them.
Moreover, traditional correction EQ calibrates the response by only considering
one single position in the room (called the “sweet spot”), usually making the
listening experience in other zones of the room even worse. Lastly, all of these
systems fail when it comes to easy portability and mobile situations which is
now the growing trend for laptop-based mobile studios and traveling musicians.
To offer the definitive solution for DAW-based studios, IK Multimedia has teamed
up with Audyssey Laboratories™ Inc., the leading provider of sound equalization
solutions, for the production of an innovative, low-cost, mobile solution to correct the distortion problems caused by room acoustics: The ARC System.
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ARC System 2
1.2 What is the ARC System 2?
The Advanced Room Correction (ARC) System 2 includes 3 components:
1. ARC MEMS Measurement Microphone
2. ARC 2 Measurement Software
3. ARC 2 Plug-In
The ARC System 2 is a combination of a professional calibrated measurement
microphone (figure 1.1), measuring software (figure 1.2), and a multi-platform
plug-in (figure 1.3) – that can be integrated with any DAW-based studio – capable of correcting the distortion caused by room acoustics and able to improve
how a studio will sound forever..
figure 1.2
figure 1.1
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figure 1.3
1 - Overview
ARC System 2
RC System 2 features Audyssey MultEQ® XT32 room correction technology
which measures sound information throughout your listening area in various zones of the room and then combines this information to create an accurate equalization solution for the room’s acoustical problems. The equalization solution then corrects both time and frequency response problems more
effectively and efficiently than any other room correction EQ on the market.
The ARC System 2 represents one of the most advanced solutions to acoustic problems for any DAW-based studio, and it dramatically improves the
acoustics of home and project studios as well as correcting even the most
thorough acoustically treated high-end studio. The ARC System 2 produces
results like you have never heard before to improve the accuracy of your
monitoring system. When you experience the ARC System 2, the perspective
of what you are recording, mixing or mastering becomes immediately clear
and reliable.
The audible results are:
• Low-end alterations (typically added by small rooms) are removed
with better low frequency control.
• More consistent frequency response across the entire range.
• Tonal balance is restored which lets you create more accurate mixes.
And the following advantages are achieved:
• Room defects will no longer divert your attention, and you can focus
solely on the music while also reducing ear fatigue.
• You can mix faster and better, because now you are sure about what
you are hearing.
• Achieve greater consistency on your music productions.
• Create mixes that translate to the outside world without problems.
1 - Overview
Moreover, if you are a traveling musician, you can conveniently bring the
ARC System 2 with you and quickly measure/correct any studio or room so
you can produce music in any environment to maximize your time and fuel
your creative power.
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ARC System 2
1.3 How does the ARC System 2 work?
1) The first step is to measure your room.
To measure your room, just connect the ARC 2 Measurement Microphone to
any phantom powered MIC input in your audio interface, and launch the ARC
2 Measurement software (figure 1.4) from your Mac or PC computer. Then,
ARC 2 Measurement will guide you through 5 easy steps to properly set up
the microphone and measure your room. Thanks to the Audyssey MultEQ®
XT32 room correction technology, the ARC System 2 not only allows you to
measure and correct the sweet spot (usually where the mixing engineer is
seated), but also to measure multiple positions in the room to ensure the
most accurate representation of its acoustical problems in the overall space.
figure 1.4
In fact, instead of applying a standard EQ as all other systems do (that will
be helpful only in the sweet spot and make all other room areas sound worse
than before), the ARC System 2 will analyze all your studio zones such as
your center sweet spot, producer desk or client couch. Then it will provide
a correction curve that effectively works for all of the zones at the same
time. Once the measurement sets have been taken, the ARC 2 Measurement
software will save its results as a file that describes the room acoustics and
its relative correction. If you have various speaker configurations, just repeat
the process by taking multiple measurement sets and saving them in different files. The overall measurement process will take only a few minutes, but
the ARC System 2 will give you a timeless solution.
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1 - Overview
ARC System 2
2) The second step is to apply the correction as a plug-in in your preferred
DAW.
Open your DAW (such as Pro Tools®, Cubase®, Logic®, Sonar®, Live™, Digital
Performer™, etc.), and insert the ARC 2 Plug-In (figure 1.5) on the stereo
master bus, load the measurement file you just saved from the measurement menu, turn the correction on, and voilà, the alterations introduced by
your room acoustics will be corrected. This will allow you to finally trust the
sound of your studio monitors and room.
1 - Overview
figure 1.5
This particular screen-shot of the ARC 2 Plug-In (figure 1.6) shows how
a highly distorted monitoring system is flattened almost perfectly when
MultEQ® XT32 is applied.
figure 1.6
Orange shows the actual room response, green shows the flat-response
of an ideal speakers/room system, and white shows the corrected room
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ARC System 2
response applied by the ARC 2 system. As you can see, the low frequency
extension of the speaker is not pushed beyond the physical limits of the
speaker which is another advantage in comparison to all conventional room
correction EQs (“auto” equalizers).
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1 - Overview
Chapter 2 The ARC System 2 components
2.1 The ARC MEMS Measurement Microphone
The ARC MEMS Measurement Microphone provides an overall higher
quality when compared to low or mid-priced measurement microphones.
Measurement microphones usually exhibit a near flat frequency response at
the expense of poor sensitivity and a noise level that is too high for quality
recording.
The ARC MEMS Measurement Microphone exhibits a compensated frequency response, and at the same time, its sensitivity, noise level and max SPL are
extremely good. This means that you will be able to use this mic not only to
measure your room but also to record various acoustic sources.
In addition, this microphone is omni-directional. This makes the proximity
effect found in typical studio cardioid microphones disappear and instead
sounding very open and natural. This aspect makes it even more useful
when you consider that in entry-level studios, omni-directional microphones are usually not an option
Technical Specifications:
• Type: high performance MEMS element
• Polar pattern: omnidirectional
• Compensated frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 38 mV/Pa (1kHz, 94dB SPL).
• Signal to Noise Ratio: 64 dB(A).
• Max SPL: 124 dB SPL (10% THD).
ARC System 2
2.2 The ARC 2 Measurement Software
The ARC 2 Measurement software is a standalone application that analyzes
your speakers and room system and automatically calculates the best possible correction that will be applied later by the ARC 2 Plug-In.
The ARC 2 Measurement software works by sending test tones to your
speakers and at the same time recording the signal captured in the room by
the ARC 2 Measurement Microphone.
2 - Components
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ARC System 2
2.3 The ARC 2 Correction Plug-In
This multi-platform plug-in is the ARC System 2 component that will apply
the ARC System 2 correction curve measured by the ARC 2 Measurement
software to the monitoring system.
The ARC 2 Plug-In should be inserted on your DAW’s stereo master bus or,
when possible, on the monitoring bus.
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2 - Components
Chapter 3 Setup for measurements
3.1 What you need to measure your room
To correctly measure your room, you need:
• The ARC 2 Measurement software properly installed. This is included
in the ARC System 2 installer and works as a standalone application.
• A high-quality audio interface with at least one XLR microphone
input with +48V phantom power.
• The ARC 2 Measurement Microphone.
• Microphone stand and XLR microphone cable.
3.1.1 Audio Interface Requirements
To correctly measure your room, you need a high-quality audio interface that
can operate at 48 kHz and can reliably record one channel while playing back
two channels (full duplex operation must be supported).
The ARC 2 Measurement software only supports ASIO drivers on Windows
and CoreAudio drivers on Macintosh. Please check that your audio interface
supports these standard drivers.
ARC System 2
IMPORTANT NOTE: considering that the measurement process must be done
at 48 kHz, the ARC 2 Measurement software must set your audio interface
sampling rate at 48 kHz. For this reason, please check that your audio interface
sampling rate is not locked and that 48 kHz is supported and allowed.
The ARC 2 Measurement will try to set the sampling rate to 48 kHz as soon you
select your audio interface. If the audio interface cannot be set to 48 kHz, an
alert message will inform you that the room measurements cannot be taken.
3.2 How to set up for measurements
To properly measure your room, you need to connect the ARC 2 Measurement
Microphone to your audio interface and your audio interface to the speakers.
Usually you will already have the speakers properly connected, so you do not
need to change anything on the speaker connections at all. What is important
is having a pair of outputs of from audio interface going to the speakers with
as direct a path as possible.
3.2.1 Speaker connection
Make sure that your Left (L) and Right (R) speakers are connected directly to a
pair of your audio interface outputs. If anything is present between your audio
3 - Setup for measurements
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ARC System 2
interface and your speakers (like a mixer, a monitor management system, etc),
please check that their settings do not alter the audio signal in any way (e.g.,
no tone controls, no mono switch, phase reverse, etc).
If you use a powered subwoofer that performs bass management, just connect
your audio interface outputs to the subwoofer inputs, and your L and R satellites to the proper subwoofer outputs. This way, the system will still be seen as
a standard dual channel system (with an increased low frequency extension).
3.2.2 Powered Speaker setup
Figure 3.1 shows one possible way to connect your system components
when powered speakers are used.
figure 3.1
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3 - Setup for measurements
3.2.3 Passive Speaker setup
Figure 3.2 shows one possible way to connect your system components
when passive speakers are used.
ARC System 2
figure 3.2
3 - Setup for measurements
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