Introducing ARC System 3

[the-machine]

[quote="Peter - IK Multimedia" post_id=7729054 time=1587062282 user_id=217907]
At this time, the best bet would be AudioHijack or a freeware alternative for systemwide. I believe most options on Windows are free and there are free options on Mac too, though AudioHijack is a very stable and supported product which is why it was first to come to mind.
[/quote]

On windows i have tried them all. Voicemeeter Bannana with EffectRack (paid application) seems to work, but it has its downsides mentioned above. There is equalize APO, but it doesnt see ARC as plugin, dont know why.

I have tried Sonarworks app that i got via focusrite promotion and its very stable.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

If you have trouble with any of the ways you can set up system-wide processing, I'll see if the team can set up an FAQ to assist. It should be easy to have a stable setup on either Windows or Mac with the available tools.

[the-machine]

[quote="Peter - IK Multimedia" post_id=7729149 time=1587066218 user_id=217907]
If you have trouble with any of the ways you can set up system-wide processing, I'll see if the team can set up an FAQ to assist. It should be easy to have a stable setup on either Windows or Mac with the available tools.
[/quote]

That would be very useful.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

2 questions.

How can i obtain the coupon as a Arc2 user?

Has the mic been updated in any way or is it basically the same as the mic that was included with my Arc2 system?

When you are logged into your IK Account that has a qualifying version, you'll see the coupon auto-applied in your cart during the checkout process.

This is the MEMS microphone that we introduced with ARC 2.5, not the previous non-MEMS microphone.

[Jopmanajop]

Variable resolution and smoothing - The correction filter’s resolution can be adjusted to use more or fewer frequency bands, for either surgical correction or a broader, smoother balance.

I guess you used Sharp mode in the previous version, because now Default mode looks much smoother, without radical sharp cuts and boosts. In fact, now i can't tell the difference between my two measurements, one with Reference and other with ARC 3. They both look similar, but ARC doesn't have any sudden bumps and dips, much smoother, but it feels like they have similar resolution
Good thing there is Combined L/R feature, sometimes L/R difference in a measurement is quite distracting and confusing, especially in the low end
Finally we can load calibration files for our mics, so there is no need for further EQing and impulse capturing. I used my Behringer ECM8000, loaded calibration file and now can't decide which plugin is best for the room correction, sound similar

[deastman]

How does this relate to the iLoud MTM calibration, if at all? Will there be an update to the speaker calibration with the improved algorithm?

[dmbaer]

If you have trouble with any of the ways you can set up system-wide processing, I'll see if the team can set up an FAQ to assist. It should be easy to have a stable setup on either Windows or Mac with the available tools.

That would be much appreciated. Please use your influence to make this happen.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Variable resolution and smoothing - The correction filter’s resolution can be adjusted to use more or fewer frequency bands, for either surgical correction or a broader, smoother balance.

I guess you used Sharp mode in the previous version, because now Default mode looks much smoother, without radical sharp cuts and boosts. In fact, now i can't tell the difference between my two measurements, one with Reference and other with ARC 3. They both look similar, but ARC doesn't have any sudden bumps and dips, much smoother, but it feels like they have similar resolution
Good thing there is Combined L/R feature, sometimes L/R difference in a measurement is quite distracting and confusing, especially in the low end
Finally we can load calibration files for our mics, so there is no need for further EQing and impulse capturing. I used my Behringer ECM8000, loaded calibration file and now can't decide which plugin is best for the room correction, sound similar

I apologize if I was in Sharp Mode. Oops, I see what you mean now Thank you for the information, comments, and kind words.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

How does this relate to the iLoud MTM calibration, if at all? Will there be an update to the speaker calibration with the improved algorithm?

One big difference is how iLoud MTM uses a single listening point. One of the improvements in ARC 3 is it's multi-layered measurements. This allows for 3 layers of 7 listening points (ear level, ~6in above ear level, ~6in below), to allow for a more accurate measurement of the room. In particular resonate frequencies and reflects from the ceiling and floor.

Also,there is a lot more that can be done with a full software front and back end especially with regard to some of the more "tunable" features (adjustable correction, 2 phase modes, variable resolution, etc), visual aspects, virtual monitoring, and more.

Edit: one small typo

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

If you have trouble with any of the ways you can set up system-wide processing, I'll see if the team can set up an FAQ to assist. It should be easy to have a stable setup on either Windows or Mac with the available tools.

That would be much appreciated. Please use your influence to make this happen.

Sure thing! Already on it. Now that I'm an influencer, do I have to say things like "smash that like button, subscribe, hit the bell to get notifications of more cool stuff!"? We DO have daily live streams but I'm not hosting them at this time so someone else can cover those types of influence but I'll take a swing at getting some more FAQ info for this.

[the-machine]

[quote="Peter - IK Multimedia" post_id=7729149 time=1587066218 user_id=217907]
If you have trouble with any of the ways you can set up system-wide processing, I'll see if the team can set up an FAQ to assist. It should be easy to have a stable setup on either Windows or Mac with the available tools.
[/quote]

I was checking the price now for Sonarworks kit today and its the same as ARC. I must say for a new potential user, ARC 3 not having system wide is indeed as Funkybot said, can be a real deal-breaker, because on top of that Sonarworks includes Headphones calibration.

[BennyG]

At this time, the best bet would be AudioHijack or a freeware alternative for systemwide. I believe most options on Windows are free and there are free options on Mac too, though AudioHijack is a very stable and supported product which is why it was first to come to mind.

On windows i have tried them all. Voicemeeter Bannana with EffectRack (paid application) seems to work, but it has its downsides mentioned above. There is equalize APO, but it doesnt see ARC as plugin, dont know why.

I have tried Sonarworks app that i got via focusrite promotion and its very stable.

I have managed to find a workable solution for getting ARC working system-wide, but it's a bit fiddly.

I purchased Virtual Audio Cable from here (looks like it is donation-ware now):
https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/

After installing, VAC appears as a new audio driver under Windows sound settings, which means you can then set it as the default playback device for all Windows sounds (web browser, Spotify, etc). Then you just have to send the audio from VAC to ARC somehow...



...My solution was to download the smallest free VST host I could find, which was SAVIHost:
https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm

Here's ARC running within SAVIHost, and the settings I selected to send the Windows audio coming from VAC, through to my Focusrite interface (don't ask me why I'm using MME drivers, it's the only thing that would work - I did try selecting ASIO drivers, but no dice!) :



Voila! All windows audio is now routed via VAC into SAVIHost running ARC and out to my audio interface.

I then added SAVIHost to Windows startup so that I don't need to remember to launch it every time I turn my computer on

[the-machine]

Thanks! im going to check it. Voicemeeter bannana is from the same company and it gave me stutters although ASIO bridge works very stable, but it seems i cant configure it with Savihost, going to try Virtual Audio Cable

EDIT: i have tried virtual audio cable and i can route andi see meters moving inside arc 2.5 but i have no sounds in my windows enviroment.

[BennyG]

Sometimes you have to restart SAVIHost to get it working.

The other problem with all these driver-hijacking solutions is the buffer settings. I find that I get a horrible amount of glitchiness if I set them too low, but noticeable latency (i.e. dialogue out of sync with visuals when watching YouTube) if set too high. My setting of 75 samples above is just the lowest I can get it without any pops or crackles.

[the-machine]

[quote=BennyG post_id=7729936 time=1587130309 user_id=56647]
Sometimes you have to restart SAVIHost to get it working.

The other problem with all these driver-hijacking solutions is the buffer settings. I find that I get a horrible amount of glitchiness if I set them too low, but noticeable latency (i.e. dialogue out of sync with visuals when watching YouTube) if set too high. My setting of 75 samples above is just the lowest I can get it without any pops or crackles.
[/quote]

Its not really savihost problem, Virtual Audio cable itself doesnt produce any sound at all, i can see in the meters (audio settings) sound is coming, but its silence thro my speakers i also checked by googling, apearently im not the only expieriencing this issue and its not been fixed :X