8 days ago

Music Tutorials ik arc on ear ik multimedia IKM ARC ARC ON EAR review tutorial headphones mixing mastering

Review and demo of the IK Multimedia ARC ON-EAR hardware and software.
ARC ON-EAR is a virtual mix room for headphones. It corrects the frequency response of your headphones and makes them perfectly flat, and it provides you with a "perfectly tuned" virtual recording studio mix room and studio monitors that give you a sense of space and depth - like being in a real room.

The problem with mixing on headphones alone is that you have no sense of space or the way sound works in the real word. The sound is pumped directly into your left and right ear so you don't experience speaker cross-talk, reflections, depth, spatial awareness, etc...

Headphones also often have a boost in the low-end.

All of those issues can result in making incorrect mix decisions that may sound good in headphones, but end up sounding weak, unfocused, and flat when played on other systems or devices.

ARC ON-EAR will correct these issues and allow you to mix like you're in a professional studio while only wearing headphones.

ARC ON-EAR also includes virtual studio monitors and consumer devices like TVs and Smart Phones that you can quickly check your mix on without ever needing to remove your headphones.

ARC ON-EAR includes USB-C and 3.5mm inputs, so you can use the device directly with your computer (like an audio interface), or with your main audio interface (or mixing desk) with the 3.5mm plugged into a headphone output.

It does all the processing on-board, so there is no need to load plugins in your DAW or use software (after initial setup). That means you can also use ARC ON-EAR with any device that has a headphone output - phone, tablet, mixer, Hi-Fi Stereo, TV, and more.

You can save up to 5 presets directly on the unit, and it has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts around 4 hours. That means you can literally mix ANYWHERE using just your headphones and be confident that the mix will sound correct when played on other devices.

Basically, ARC ON-EAR does for headphones, what ARC STUDIO and ARC X do for your room and speakers.

➡️CHAPTERS:

0:00 - ARC ON-EAR Overview
2:50 - Unbox
3:15 - Hardware Overview
3:57 - Register and Install
4:09 - Connect to Computer or Audio Interface
6:46 - ARC ON-EAR Software, Presets, and Buttons
13:45 - Before the demo
14:14 - ARC ON-EAR Sound Demo
21:41 - Final Thoughts