New in 1.0.8: the Planner and Listening Geometry

Plan your ART settings before you calibrate.

ART Coach turns your speaker layout, speaker limits, and listening goals into a starting plan for Dirac Live® Active Room Treatment: speaker groups, support settings, and a target curve file. You review the plan and enter it yourself.

Read the planning guide

An independent planning app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It does not measure your room, create correction filters, or connect to Dirac Live.

ART Coach 1.0.8 on iPad: the Planner's Parameters step, listing each speaker group with its Fsiso and supporters, and the LFE Reference. — ART Coach 1.0.8 on iPad and iPhone: the values to enter for each group, and System Setup.

Works with: Dirac Live® with Active Room Treatment (ART), on a compatible processor or receiver. Dirac Live, ART, and Bass Control licenses are sold separately by Dirac.
You enter: Your speaker layout from stereo through 9.4.6, each speaker’s -3 dB point and placement, your seats, and a listening intent.
You get: Speaker groups and support relationships; Fsiso, Support Level, and F-support values; a .targetcurve file; and a Setup Sheet or Technical Reference.
Runs on: iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 18 or later, and Mac with macOS 15 or later. Android is coming soon as part of an upcoming release.
Price: Free to download, including the complete planning workflow. Optional Pro upgrade: a one-time purchase, not a subscription.

What you get

What you take into calibration.

Every plan ends in references you can use at the processor: support settings for each group, a target curve file, and a sheet for the session.

Support settings for every group

Each group lists its Fsiso and one row per supporter, with the Support Level and frequency band you enter in your calibration software.

Setup Sheet excerpt · Front Left/Right

> FRONT LEFT/RIGHT
  Fsiso: 110 Hz
  Within group
    Support Level:     -5 dB
    F-support Low:     45 Hz
    F-support High:    90 Hz
  Center
    Support Level:     -5 dB
    F-support Low:     55 Hz
    F-support High:    90 Hz
  Subwoofer Group
    Support Level:    -21 dB
    F-support Low:     20 Hz
    F-support High:    90 Hz

A target curve file

One House Curve for every target-bearing group, or a bass-only curve when you keep your speakers' voicing. Export it as a .targetcurve file.

House Curve · Movie Everyday Volume

Apply the same file to:
  L/R, Center, Surrounds,
  Surround Backs, Heights,
  Subwoofer Group

  20 Hz ........ +4.8 dB
  31.5 Hz ...... +4.8 dB
  50 Hz ........ +4.8 dB
  63 Hz ........ +4.7 dB
  80 Hz ........ +3.9 dB
  100 Hz ....... +2.9 dB
  120 Hz ....... +2.0 dB
  160 Hz ....... +0.8 dB

A reference for the session

A condensed Setup Sheet for entry, or a fuller Technical Reference with explanations and optional room notes. Save as PDF or text, or copy it.

Setup Sheet header

ART COACH · SETUP SHEET
Intent:  Theater Reference
Layout:  7.2.4
Rec. Fsiso: 110 Hz
Groups:  7
Sound Strategy:
  Balanced Reference
LFE Reference:
  Center (timing target)

Sample system: 7.2.4 with two front subwoofers, default speaker capabilities, one seat, Theater Reference intent. Excerpts from an ART Coach 1.0.8 Setup Sheet. Your values depend on your own system and choices.

How it works

Seven steps in the Planner.

Start with the system you actually have, choose how you want it to sound, and review every value before you export it.

Step 1: System Setup
Match your AVR/Processor
Set bed, subwoofer, and height counts and the number of seats. Listening Geometry, an optional notebook for room notes, starts here.
Step 2: Speaker Capabilities
Enter -3dB frequencies and placements
Enter each speaker's low-frequency limit with the slider, a quick preset, or an exact value, mark its placement, and confirm the specifications you have checked.
Step 3: Strategy & Intent
Set your bass strategy and pick a playback goal
Choose a Sound Strategy and one of seven Movie and Music presets, or build a Custom intent. Preset cards show the bass contribution and Fsiso range for your system.
Step 4: Groups
Verify groups and support assignments
Review the speaker groups and who may support whom before any values are entered.
Step 5: Parameters
Values to enter in your ART configuration
Read Fsiso, Support Level, F-support Low, and F-support High for every relationship, with notes on what each one permits.
Step 6: Target Curve
Based on your selected intent
Choose House Curve or Keep Speaker Voicing, shape the bass with Curve Shape, and review where the curve applies.
Step 7: Export
ART configuration ready for export
Save a Setup Sheet or Technical Reference as PDF or text, copy it, or export the .targetcurve file.

Where ART Coach fits

Planning is one part of an ART calibration. The measurement and the correction happen in Dirac Live.

ART Coach

Plans

Organizes the decisions that come before the session and suggests starting values from the layout, speaker limits, and listening goals you enter.

Dirac Live

Measures and corrects

Measures each speaker at your listening positions, applies its own defaults, and calculates the ART correction filters.

You

Decide and verify

Enter the values, compare them with Dirac Live's defaults and your measurements, listen, and adjust one setting at a time.

ART Coach’s values are planning suggestions, not measured requirements. How ART Coach builds a plan

What’s new in 1.0.8

Clearer presets, exact values, and room notes.

The Wizard is now the Planner, with a Listening Geometry notebook, exact speaker frequency entry, and seven clearer listening presets. For iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Wizard is now the Planner.

The name better reflects how you build and refine a calibration plan. The same seven-step setup flow remains.

Keep room notes with your plan.

Listening Geometry is a notebook for room dimensions, seating positions, speaker distances, and notes. You can include it in Technical Reference reports. It is a reference and does not change recommendations.

Seven clearer presets, plus Custom.

Preset cards show the bass contribution and the calculated Fsiso range for your system. Older preset selections move to the closest retained option, with an explanation.

Exact values and clearer layouts.

Enter exact speaker frequency values and mark specifications as reviewed. Controls are easier to read, including at larger text sizes.

Read the full 1.0.8 release notes

ART Coach 1.0.8 on iPad: the Strategy & Intent step, with the Theater Reference, Cinematic, and Slam movie presets, Custom, and emphasis options. — Strategy & Intent in 1.0.8: three Movie presets, four Music presets, and Custom.

Free and Pro

The planning workflow is free.

Pro is an optional one-time purchase for saving, comparing, syncing, and fine-tuning plans. It adds convenience and depth, not better sound. Dirac Live and its licenses are sold separately by Dirac.

Free

Complete planning workflow

The complete seven-step Planner, from stereo through 9.4.6
Automatic speaker groups and support relationships
Three Sound Strategies, seven Movie and Music presets, and Custom intent
Fsiso, Support Level, and F-support values for every relationship
House Curve or Keep Speaker Voicing, with Curve Shape bass controls
Setup Sheet and Technical Reference as PDF, text, or clipboard text
.targetcurve file export
Listening Geometry notebook for room dimensions, seats, and distances
Room Noise Check, Background Noise Monitor, and UMIK-1/2 calibration file import
Measurement layout references and the built-in Guide

Pro

One-time purchase

$7.99

Everything in Free, plus

ART Library for saved plans, with folders and templates
iCloud Sync through your private iCloud account
Version history and side-by-side comparison
Pro Bass Shaping and the Target Curve Editor
Custom group names and configuration notes
.artcoach import and export
Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Spotlight Search, and Siri Shortcuts

Not a subscription. Restore purchases in the app; Apple handles refunds. Price shown is the US App Store price. Local prices can differ.

Guides

Learn the decisions behind the values.

Plain-language guides to planning an ART configuration, useful whether or not you use the app.

Planning an ART configuration

What to collect and decide before an Active Room Treatment calibration: layout, speaker limits, groups, support settings, Fsiso, and the target curve.

ART terms

Plain-language definitions of the Active Room Treatment terms used in Dirac Live and ART Coach, with which software each term belongs to.

Target curves

How ART Coach's two target approaches differ, which groups each file applies to, how to import a .targetcurve file, and what to check before and after.

FAQ

Common questions.

What does ART Coach do?

It helps you plan a Dirac Live® Active Room Treatment (ART) calibration. You describe your speakers and listening goals. ART Coach suggests speaker groups, support relationships, and Fsiso, Support Level, and F-support values, and prepares a target curve file. You review the plan and enter it in your calibration software.

Does ART Coach measure my room or create correction filters?

No. It does not play test signals, measure acoustic response, or calculate filters, and it does not connect to Dirac Live or your processor. Dirac Live measures and corrects. ART Coach's microphone tools only check background noise before you measure, using relative input levels rather than calibrated sound pressure level.

What do I need besides ART Coach?

Dirac Live with Active Room Treatment on an ART-capable processor or receiver, the Dirac Live application, a measurement microphone, and the licenses Dirac requires, including Bass Control for systems with subwoofers. Requirements can change, so check Dirac's ART FAQ for your hardware.

Are the suggested values final settings?

No. They are planning suggestions and starting points. Compare them with Dirac Live's defaults and your measured results, then adjust by listening. Results depend on your room, placement, equipment, playback level, and measurement quality.

What is free, and what does Pro add?

The complete planning workflow is free, including every export and the .targetcurve file. Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds a library for saved plans, iCloud Sync, version history and comparison, finer bass shaping, custom group names and notes, and widgets, Spotlight Search, and Siri Shortcuts. It is not a subscription.

Which devices does it run on?

iPhone with iOS 18 or later, iPad with iPadOS 18 or later, and Mac with macOS 15 or later. Android is coming soon as part of an upcoming release.

Can I use it for my first ART calibration?

Yes. The Planner takes the decisions in order, and the built-in Guide explains each term. Experienced calibrators use it to keep repeat sessions consistent and documented. The planning guide covers the same process without the app.

What happens to my data?

Planning runs on your device. ART Coach has no advertising or third-party analytics SDKs and no cross-app tracking. Optional iCloud Sync uses your private iCloud account, and microphone audio is analyzed in real time and never recorded or stored. See the Privacy Policy.

Introduction

Watch a short introduction.

Why calibration planning gets complicated before measurement begins, and how ART Coach organizes the decisions.

Recorded with an earlier version of ART Coach, so some screens and labels differ from version 1.0.8. The preview image is hosted here; YouTube is not contacted until you choose Play, and playback uses the privacy-enhanced youtube-nocookie.com domain.

Start your next calibration with a plan.

Free to download, with the complete planning workflow included. Pro is optional.

Compare Free and Pro

Plan your ART settings before you calibrate.

ART Coach at a glance

What you take into calibration.

Support settings for every group

A target curve file

A reference for the session

Seven steps in the Planner.

Step 1: System Setup

Step 2: Speaker Capabilities

Step 3: Strategy & Intent

Step 4: Groups

Step 5: Parameters

Step 6: Target Curve

Step 7: Export