User's Manual

1 - Overview
9
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.
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 engi-
neers 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 cor-
rect the distortion problems caused by room acoustics: The ARC System.