by Rob Puricelli | 4,6 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 3 Minutes
IK Multimedia ARC Studio & MEMS Mic

IK Multimedia ARC Studio  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Analysis

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Analysis  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Correction

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Correction  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC Studio

IK Multimedia ARC Studio  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Correction

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Correction  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Speaker Emulations

IK Multimedia ARC 4 Speaker Emulations  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

IK Multimedia ARC Studio & MEMS Mic

IK Multimedia ARC Studio & MEMS Mic  ·  Source: IK Multimedia

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IK Multimedia’s new ARC Studio hardware and ARC 4 software might be setting a new benchmark for room correction software. Are the days of multiple monitors and plugins for ARC gone?

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Do you remember seeing pictures of studio control rooms with a variety of speakers on top of the console? A pair of Yamaha NS-10‘s. A single Auratone Sound Cube dead centre? It was all well and good if your mix sounded amazing through the control room’s main speaker rig, but that was never representative of how the music would be heard outside of the studio.

Source: Wikipedia

In The Good Old Days

Many artists or producers would finish a mix, dub it to a cassette and then jump in their car to see how well it sounded there. If it sounded good in your Ford Sierra, you knew you had nailed it. Today, we have so many listening mediums of which some are good, some are great and some are downright awful. I mean, what is it with young people listening to music through their mobile phones? (waves fist at sky!)

So how does the music producer on a budget ensure their mixes will sound good on an iPhone and a well-appointed HiFi? The answer is room correction software and speaker modelling. IK Multimedia have just made that even easier to do than ever before.

IK Multimedia ARC Studio to the Rescue

ARC Studio is a hardware solution. All of the processing is done, latency-free, in a separate box. The benefit of this is that you no longer have to insert an ARC plugin within your DAW environment. Using the supplied ARC 4 Analysis software and ARC microphone, you measure your room’s environment.

Source: IK Multimedia

The software emits a series of audio signals and the microphone, placed in the position that your head normally resides at your desk, measures the room’s responses to these sounds. Using this data, it is uploaded to your ARC Studio. This is where the magic happens.

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All in the Box

Now that the box knows the sonic characteristics of your room, it can make corrections to ensure the most accurate response. Furthermore, the software has a range of virtual speaker models. Drop down the list and choose from a range of speakers to hear what your mix sounds like. Want to know what your mix sounds like on a flat screen TV? Check. Smartphone? Check. Floor-standing HiFi speakers? Check. There are also a ton of well-known studio monitors for you to choose from.

Source: IK Multimedia

Once you’ve got everything set, just simply upload the profile to your ARC Studio and that’s it. The ARC Studio sits in between your audio interface outputs and monitors using the XLR connections on the rear. Data is transferred to the unit via a USB-C connection and the unit is mains powered.

Source: IK Multimedia

The Verdict?

The results are astounding with zero CPU hit as the hardware does all the heavy lifting. I’ve been testing this for some time and my little IK Multimedia iLoud’s, impressive in their own right, have never sounded better.

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IK Multimedia’s ARC Studio is available now for just €349 EUR which includes the hardware processor, MEMS microphone and ARC 4 correction software. The ARC 4 correction software with the MEMS mic is available separately for €229 EUR.

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IK Multimedia ARC Studio & MEMS Mic

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