The Ultimate Setup Guide for Dirac Live
Calibrate Dirac Live and get remarkable results – with Loudness Compensation Curves!
Transform Your Home Cinema into a THX-calibrated Theatre.
In this comprehensive manual, Roland, owner and editor of Simple Home Cinema shares his tips and tricks to getting exceptional Dirac Live results.
Dirac Live Calibration Challenges
- Are you confused about what “house curve” to use?
- Have you been messing around with Dirac Live target curves for just to get it to sound right and it still isn’t quite there?
- Do some curves work great for one content but sound totally rubbish for others?
Dirac Live is great – no – amazing, when set up correctly. But – and this is a huge but – it doesn’t have loudness compensation built in. This means you need to mess around with so called “house curves” and you aren’t quite sure if you are getting the correct tonality as the content was meant to be heard.
If you want to LISTEN TO CONTENT AS THE CONTENT CREATORS INTENDED, then this guide is for you…
Dirac Live Perfection Benefits
- Improved sound quality and speech intelligibility
- Maximised subwoofer performance with smoother and tighter bass!
- The walls literally disappear and the sound comes from beyond the walls!
- Gorgeous natural reverberations like in a purpose-built multiplex!
What’s In the Book?
- The 5 Pillars of Reference Playback (new in v2.0) – an overview map with detailed diagrams for each 5 major areas to serve as a map for the guide.
- How to set up your speakers and your room for optimum results to ensure Dirac Live is spending processing on polishing up the sound, NOT correcting setup issues.
- How to integrate single and multiple subwoofers with Dirac Live
- The Dos and Don’t of Dirac Setup
- 5 Microphone patterns in addition to what is available with Dirac Live (new in v1.0)
- Tight, Medium and 2 wide patterns
- On restricted pattern used for troubleshooting bass issues
- Emulate Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Yamaha YPAO Volume and ISO226 Loudness Compensation Solutions with Dirac Live
- Calculate the exact curves based on two blended ISO226:2003 approaches based on hundreds of hours of research, measurement, number crunching and testing.
- Configure and print out your own personalised cheat sheet based on your listening habits that enables you to switch between Dirac Live slots based on volume / content level OR based on input source.
- Calculation spreadsheet (Dirac Live Curve Editor Excel Tool) that
- allows you to switch between base curves
- select loudness compensation strategies and select the compensation amount based on volume and offsets
- add your own custom base curves
- add your own unique corrections based on your room if needed
- edit the Dirac Live Target files with the help of the spreadsheet and included guide
- Customised Dirac Live Target files that are ready to load based on your requirements without having to mess with a spreadsheet (compatible with Dirac Live 3.X)
- A section on Content Mastering for different content (new in v2.0)
- Reworked Loudness Compensation Chapters (reworked in v2.0)
- A section on Volume and Amplification (new in v2.0)
- 100+ pages of dense but easy to understand material
- 30+ diagrams explaining the concepts in a visual manner
- Lots of easy to understand explanations to guide you through each step of the process.
Includes Dirac Live Curve Editor Excel Tool used to implement Loudness Compensation & Dirac Live Loudness Memories Excel Tool used as a cheat sheet!
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Roland's guides are well worth the money. This guide covers more than just Dirac to help you get great sound from your audio setup. Highly recommended.
This guide goes above and beyond into how to get a good result with a Dirac Live room correction system. It not only explains Dirac Live, it explains other factors that can affect your results and provides you with the additional knowledge required so you can give Dirac the possible chance to correct your room properly.
I purchased this guide directly from the author. I had purchased the full-BW Dirac last fall for my Denon X4800H and then the Bass Control when it first became available in December. The Dirac Live provided info was difficult to understand. I already had Roland's s Audysssey guides and I had to get this Dirac guide as well. Really useful information and guidance on how to setup and tweak the Dirac software. I used the Loudness curves as well. and now have an amazing configuration using Dirac Live Bass Control with 3 SVS subs thanks to this guide's information, and details.
This guide was helpful and fun to use! I appreciate the attention to detail and the effort to put a lot of relevant knowledge in the guide that you often wouldn’t get if/when hiring a professional calibrator. Even though I have been a hobbyist for years, I found this to be a handy reference at a great price. Highly recommend - even if just for some fun reading and/or tweaking/experimenting.
I purchased this item directly from the author when I was in the middle of a 'deep dive' on DIRAC and room correction software late last year. The guide is comprehensive and thoroughly explains in clear, easy to follow directions how to get the most out of DIRAC and (critically!) modify the results you achieve to tailor the sound to your specific desires. DIRAC achieves very good results via the standard setup when done correctly, but tweaking the house curve to fit your use case and personal preferences is what truly makes the product worth the price. The guide also gives great advice for combining DIRAC with other widely available DSP solutions to optimize results. I didn't implement this component as I wasn't using DIRAC in combination w/ Audyssey in a home theater, but if you want to use a MiniDSP 2X4, for example, to apply DIRAC to your subwoofers and then run Audyssey or YPAO 'on top' of that solution this guide will help you understand how to do so correctly.
I use Dirac Live for Stereo on a dedicated Mac Mini and stream via USB through a USB reclocker/regenerator to a Gustard R26 DAC that sends the analog signal to my amps. I had set up Dirac on the Mac Mini using Dirac's instructions, but ran into numerous things I found unclear, and results that were less stellar than I had expected. Dirac Live Perfection provided the clarity and detail that I couldn't get from Dirac's setup instructions, and also provided great alternative methods for microphone setup that gave me the results I had expected from Dirac, but hadn't been able to achieve. In addition, the book's section on loudness compensation was an unexpected bonus. Even though I'm using this with a stereo system rather than home theater, music now sounds much better at the low levels I often listen to. Very happy with the purchase.
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I note that the mic pattern are the same for Audyssey and Dirac. I wonder if I can also use those mic patterns with ARC Genesis (Anthem) or if ARC really expect that you follow the exact proposed pattern in the software?
Hi Yanick,
Not quite. I say in the guide that Dirac’s own mic patterns should be used with Dirac as they work very well. The Audyssey mic patterns were left in, in case they are needed for troubleshooting.
I would recommend the same for ARC Genesis: follow their own patterns. However, if you are interested, you can give the tight or medium patterns a go and see if they work well with ARC.
Roland-thank you for your quick response:
I have watched the video you suggested several times and many others prior to this email. I have run Audyssey multiple times. I believe I can run Dirac Live and understand the Dirac process for the most part. I have no problem booking a time to talk with you, but I would like to ask these few simple questions first to see if you think that would be necessary. My plan would be to use option 2. Here are my questions.
1. Filters: Do you load the same filter that is calculated by LM EXCELL TOOL into all speaker groups including subwoofers?
2. Which Dirac filters do you suggest using AUD or SHC1?
3. I believe you have to do this for each input-correct?
4. How do you go about saving the file after you have exported the file to your receiver without having to run Dirac live again for the next input?
5. Don’t quite understand this part. Do you have to load a base curve first? And when do you do this or is this for only using option #1?
6. Adjusting surround speakers: the db’s that are calculated from the LM excel tool-Do you adjust them in levels in your AVR after calibration?
7. Last question how do you save or copy your calibration so in the future you can add different filters or do you have to run Dirac over again?
Hi Mike,
No worries at all. Please see below for the answers to your questions:
1. Yes, you load the same filter into all speaker groups including the subs. Obviously, the subs will not have the curtains pulled full-range.
2. Well, as described in the guide, it is up to you regarding your preference. I would personally use the SHC1 curves as they are fully filtered based on the ISO standard. The Audyssey curves are there if you need a one to one match to Audyssey’s curves as measured on their implementation of XT32. The guide does provide a bit more guidance so I would recommend re-reading that chapter.
3. Nope, the filters are loaded into one of 3 memory slots. So once you select which 3 to load, you can select the one of them per input. You do that on the AVR however.
4. When you run Dirac, you save your run as a project file. You can re-open that file, load a new target curve and save the result into a different memory slot on the AVR. You don’t need to re-run Dirac. I would recommend consulting the Dirac Live 3 manual to find your way around the menus if still unsure. Or just give it a go.
5. Well, if you are using the spreadsheet to calculate your corrections, then you do need to select a base curve in that spreadsheet before you apply the corrections. However, it might be easier to use the pre-made files (there’s ones for SHC1).
6. Yes, you do this in the AVR after calibration. Exactly. Now I believe each Dirac Memory Slot should allow you to have different speaker levels which is helpful. If they don’t, the Quick Select memory function should allow you to change the speaker levels using the options menu and save that. Refer to your Denon or Marantz manual on this function.
7. You save your project file from the file menu after you have run Dirac. I think they should have covered this in the video hopefully. But basically once you completed a run, everything can be saved as a project.
The video we are referencing is below for everyone’s benefit:
https://youtu.be/yKeWxyyNFL0
There’s also a longer webinar about the Dirac Live feature on Denon / Marantz AVRs here:
https://youtu.be/crviN7DrKIQ
Ultimately, it will only start making sense as you give it a go and start doing it step by step and use the software tools. Although I know it’s a bit scary at first. Dirac isn’t exactly going to win awards for being user-friendly.
Is this going to work with Pioneer VSX-LX305?
Hey Mike. Yes, it will. Any AVR with full-band Dirac Live can take advantage of the included curves and guidance.
Great. One more question. Is it possible to import current settings/calibration data from the amp and edit them or I will have to calibrate again to be able to edit curves?
No, you can import new curves, as long as you saved your project! You just open it and do the necessary edits and upload back into the AVR. 🙂
But I recommend you edit the surround volumes for each curve. There’s a spreadsheet there to help you! But you have to read the relevant chapter first.
Hi is this still good for dirac live 3 w multi sub? I just did mine and im disappointed at the lack of low end bass.
Hi Jonathan,
Yes, loudness compensation curves can help. The question is how much of your problem is lack of even bass coverage versus the tone curve. In any case, I can’t listen to Dirac without either proper volume on the dial or a proper curve loaded.
Hello, do you guide work for a Stereo system too? I use a Nad M33 and still wondering if I should upgrade to a full bandwidth version or if I stay with the included limited version..
Hi Philippe,
Yes it does. I would recommend the full bandwidth version to be honest. I prefer full-bandwidth correction myself!
Hi, I’ve just purchased the Dirac Live Perfection for my Denon AVC-X4800 with UMIK-1. It’s a great tutorial and very informative. I have an issue on page 73 (STEP 3. Volume Calibration). The guide details the master output goes up to 100db and gives instructions to ‘Increase Master Output to 75dB – just under the red
line’ However mine only goes up to +18db. Another issue is the mic gain… It says to set mic gain to 100% however my scale does not show any percentage just + or – dB. Also there is no red line at the top (the image in the screenshot shows mic gain goes up to +20db and mine shows 30db. Lastly when playing pink noise through each speaker it shows the scale moving and the mic is picking up the sound, however nothing happens when changing the slider level so I am unable to get each speaker matching levels. I’m running the latest firmware on the Denon and the latest version on Dirac live on Windows laptop. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Hi Matthew,
Sounds like Dirac might have changed the software again or it picks up the relative volume setting from the Denon now. However, the principles are the same…
1. Increase master volume to around 0dB
2. Increase the mic gain to the max without having to override the safety
3. Increase each individual speaker volume so you’re in the -25dB and -10dB range.
I would follow the instructions in the software as much as you can.
But the main thing you are trying to do is getting a high-enough volume to register while not clipping the mic. The software will tell you in the first measurement run if you managed to do that. Sometimes it takes a few tries.
It doesn’t matter if you can’t get all speakers to the same volume. Although it is preferable if you can. Dirac will compensate in any case, unless something is very wrong. In which case, run Audyssey, as it has better volume calibration. See what errors it throws or if it maxes out your trims (+/-12dB). If it does, you have incorrect speaker – impedance – power matching. Hopefully it’s not that. 😉
I have Dirac live on an Integra DRX 3.4. Dirac tunes each set of speakers (fronts, center, rears) with its own curve. You mention that the same curve should be used for all speakers. Would be that a fowngrade from what Dirac does?
The same target curve, not the same correction curve. Dirac uses the same target curve for each sets of speakers, but a different correction curve. I hope that makes sense.
I’m not sure about that. In my case, there is significant difference between the target curve used for fronts and the one used for surrounds. I would post the curves but I don’t see a way to do ot.
Well, I can tell you without seeing anything that you need to use the same target curve for fronts and backs. They shouldn’t be any different.
Looks like Dirac released a new expansion for Active Room Treatment. Is this worth getting? Do you plan to update the guide with this? https://www.dirac.com/live/dirac-live-active-room-treatment/
Yes, it’s worth getting if you have full-range speakers, and especially if you can run front and back subwoofers. It’s especially great if you have a larger setup with multiple rows of seats and 3-4 subs. For anyone else, the improvement might be somewhat limited, but could still be worth it. It’s difficult to know without trying TBH, as it’s been used only for higher-end setups until recently.
We will update the guide at one point. I do have all the background information here from Dirac sitting on my desktop, but it will take time to digest and “translate” into Simple Home Cinema language and layout. Might be 4-6 weeks or 4-6 months. I’m not sure yet.
All I can say is that Dirac Bass Control worked better with MSO pre-calibrated subs. Dirac uses AI to figure out how to calibrate the subs for an even response, but it’s not nearly as good as running the actual simulations 1000x of times and then choosing the best one. Just my experience. Bass Control gave me massive swings in the back row, but with MSO pre-cal it was much more controlled. I would imagine this might be the same, also because Dirac won’t have to work nearly as hard and can correct the smaller remaining issues.
I will personally run two large front-subs and two large back subs, all identical. The front subs and back subs will be pre-calibrated as a group each with MSO so they cover the HT space evenly, while paying very close attention to not messing up the time-domain between each calibrated pair (delay set to below 1ms between them).
Then ART will be overlayed seeing the two fronts as one unit and the back two as one unit. This way the back set can be used to cancel out the front set, while knowing their unified response is as good as it can be. Since I’ll be having full-range speakers all around as well, the rest of the speakers can be used for more detailed corrections.
This will likely emulate Trinnov’s wave-forming a bit better as well, as the front and back subs pairs will act in unison (cough) to launch the bass waves into the room. I’m also not quite comfortable with Dirac deciding how much LFE to send to each sub, as it can affect headroom and distortion quite a bit.
Anyway, hope that helps those who read it. Neither Dirac Bass Control or ART is some magic bullet. They don’t have unlimited processing power on these lower-end AVRs. It’s best to think through your setup if you can.