IK Multimedia ARC ON•EAR with FREE DAW Software for Windows
Eligibility: Students, Faculty/Staff & Schools
Finally. Hear the Truth in Your Headphones.
Traditional headphones — even "reference" models — don’t tell the whole truth. Their frequency response is never perfectly flat, and their exaggerated stereo image alters your perception of balance, timbre, and space. The result? Endless revisions, ear fatigue, and mixes that don’t translate.
ARC ON•EAR is a revolutionary standalone headphone DAC and amplifier that instantly corrects your headphone's response and recreates the experience of mixing on professional studio monitors.
For the first time, you can mix, master, and produce with total confidence — anywhere.
Unlike conventional correction plug-ins or virtual control room systems, ARC ON•EAR doesn’t sound artificial or over-processed. Instead, it delivers the precision, depth, and trust of a real control room — inside your headphones.
No Guesswork. No Compromise.
Mixing on headphones has always meant compromise. Even "reference" headphones color your sound, while exaggerated stereo width makes spatial judgment nearly impossible.
ARC ON•EAR solves both problems — restoring a neutral frequency response and a natural stereo image — so you can trust what you hear every time.
It's as Easy as 1-2-3:
- Connect: Plug ARC ON•EAR into your computer using the included USB-C cable — compatible with any PC or Mac, no drivers or setup needed.
- Configure: pen the ARC ON•EAR software, choose your headphone model, and customize the listening experience and presets to suit your workflow.
- Create: ARC ON•EAR is ready and works as a standalone device, usable anywhere to enjoy the clarity, depth, and realism of a professional studio.
ARC ON•EAR Changes the Game
- True-to-life Monitoring: Experience the natural perspective of high-end studio monitors in a properly tuned room.
- Pristine Sound: Advanced acoustic modeling, not flawed convolution, ensures clarity and transparency.
- No Guesswork: Get reliable, "first-shot" mixes that translate across every playback system.
- Consistency: Built-in amplification guarantees stable frequency response, free from amp-induced coloration.
A Reference You Can Trust
Every pair of headphones has its own sonic fingerprint. ARC ON•EAR uses precision calibration profiles, measured with state-of-the-art reference rigs, to ensure accurate, transparent, and reliable sound. With support for hundreds of popular headphone models, you’ll experience your mix exactly as it should sound — clear, balanced, and true.
The graph above shows the wide variation in response curves of over 200 headphones IK profiled, highlighting the challenge of achieving consistency without ARC ON•EAR.
Studio Monitors - In Your Headphones
Unlike plug-ins or impulse-based "virtual rooms", ARC ON•EAR uses advanced physical modeling to recreate how real studio monitors behave in an ideal acoustic space. No artificial reverbs. No timbral coloration. Just the natural depth, width, and clarity of a real control room — right in your headphones.
Effortless Control
Easily setup and fine tune your listening experience with the dedicated ARC ON•EAR Control Software.
- Quick and easy device setup
- Fine tune tonal balance to your preferences
- Save and load presets
- Customize the user button with your favorite functions
- Manage firmware and software updates
Accuracy Begins with the Amplifier
ARC ON•EAR’s amplifier has the lowest distortion across the entire audio spectrum compared to leading high-end interfaces and laptops.
When pushed to their limits, typical headphone amplifiers reveal their weaknesses. The plot shown here compares the total harmonic distortion of leading audio interfaces and high-end laptop headphone outputs with ARC ON•EAR, measured at high volume on a low-impedance (32 Ω) headphone.
The behavior of a headphone amplifier directly affects what you hear. Even high-end audio interfaces and mixers can alter a headphone’s frequency response — sometimes subtly, sometimes significantly — depending on the model and its output impedance.
ARC ON•EAR eliminates this variable. All calibration profiles are created using the exact same amplifier circuit found in the product, ensuring precise, reliable, and repeatable correction across all headphones and listening sessions.
Virtual Monitoring that Goes Beyond
Instantly test your mix on a wide range of playback systems — without taking off your headphones:
- Studio Monitors
- Smartphones
- Smart Speakers
- TV Sets
With a growing library of virtual monitors, you’ll know exactly how your mix translates in the real world.
Standalone Freedom, Zero Latency
No drivers. No plug-ins. No DAW required. ARC ON•EAR is a self-contained hardware system that works with any setup.
- USB-C and 3.5 mm audio inputs
- Compatible with any OS, app, or playback system
- Store up to 5 presets for instant recall
- 4-hour rechargeable battery
Uncompromising Audio Quality
Powered by a 32-bit ESS SABRE® converter, a high-damping-factor, ultra-low-distortion power amplifier, and a digitally controlled analog volume stage, ARC ON·EAR delivers a truly audiophile-grade listening experience — with no compromises.
- Ultra-low output distortion
- No loss of resolution, even at low volumes
- Powers even the most demanding headphones
Built for Practical Everyday Use
- Compact, durable aluminum chassis
- Elegant design, suitable for any environment
- Analog input (3.5 mm) & digital USB-C inputs
- Standard 6.3 mm headphone out
- Includes protective carrying case
The ARC of Confidence
With continuous firmware updates, an expanding headphone database, and a growing collection of virtual monitors, ARC ON•EAR is a future-proof investment in your sound.
Whether you’re producing on the go, mixing at night, or traveling the world, ARC ON•EAR gives you the accuracy and confidence of a professional studio — everywhere.
Click Here for the Latest List of Supported Headphones from AKG, HyperX, KOSS, Pioneer, PreSonus and many, many more.
Specifications:
Audio:
- Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz
- Frequency Response: 10Hz - 80kHz (-1dB)
- Maximum output level +19dBu
- Maximum input level (analog): +10dBu
- High damping factor output stage design
- Dynamic Range (32Ω, 1kHz): 107.9dB
- Dynamic Range (150Ω, 1kHz): 112.7dB
- Dynamic Range (300Ω, 1kHz): 116.9dB
Latency:
- Latency (Phase Align OFF): 1.35ms
- Latency (Phase Align ON): ~ 21.0ms (depends on the selected headphone model)
Power:
- Integrated lithium rechargeable battery (up to 4 hours of use) / USB
Connections:
- Analog input on 3.5 mm jack
- Headphone out on 6.3 mm jack
- Digital audio input on USB-C <>/UL>
- Size: 7.9 cm / 3.11" x 7.7 cm / 3.03" x 3.5 cm / 1.38"
- Weight: 170 g / 5.99 oz
- ARC ON•EAR processor
- Carrying case
- USB C-Type to USB C-Type cable (0.6 m / 23.6")
- 3.5 to 3.5 mm thread-on Stereo TRS cable (0.6 m / 23.6")
- 3.5 to 6.3 mm thread-on TRS adapter
- Minimal: Apple M1 or Intel® Core i5 Processor, 4 GB of RAM, macOS® 10.15 or newer (macOS 11 or newer required for Apple Silicon Processors).
- One free USB port required.
- Minimal: Intel® Core i5 Processor or equivalent, 4 GB of RAM, Windows 10 (64 bit) or newer.
- One free USB port required.
- Updated User-Friendly Interface: more intuitive, customizable, and scalable
- Unlimited Audio and MIDI Tracks
- Over 7,500 loops, sound effects, and samples
- 16 Virtual Instruments and 36 Effects (24 instruments and over 50 effects in the Pro Studio version)
- Vocoder Tracks
- Curved, Tempo, and Pitch Envelopes
- Per-Track Parametric EQ & Oscilloscope
- Live Performance Panel
- Updated Piano Roll, Step Editor, and Music Notation panels
- Video Editing
- New - Integrated Mixcraft Store - additional virtual instruments, effects, loops, presets, drum kits, and more, with new content added regularly
- Improved Plug-In Architecture and Management - Better Search and Organization with an Optional Safe Mode
- Updated Project Start Window with Live Links to News, Videos, and Updates
- Master Tempo Envelope
- Curved Automation
- Gain, Drive, Parametric EQ, Compressor, Oscilloscope, and Spectrum Analyzer Mixer Panels
- Tempo-Synced LFOs For Plug-In Automation
- Rewire Hosting
- New Controller Scripts API for broader support of MIDI control surfaces and devices
- Custom Hot Key Assignments
- Drag-and-Drop Automation
- Track Regions - easily manipulate groups of clips and tracks, including their automations (Mixcraft 10 Pro Studio only)
- Advanced MIDI and Audio Output Recording and Routing (Mixcraft 10 Pro Studio only)
- Natively Integrated Melodyne (Mixcraft 10 Pro Studio only)
- Audio to MIDI Conversion (Mixcraft 10 Pro Studio only)
- Supported by the free Mixcraft Remote app for iOS and Android
- Comprehensive online User Manual with downloadable PDF (English only). Other online translations available.
Dimensions:
What's Included:
System Requirements:
Mac
Windows: With Mixcraft, users can record and mix unlimited tracks to perfection. It features almost universal third-party plugin support and supports audio interfaces and hardware controllers. Mixcraft's loop library has over 7,500 professionally-produced loops, music beds, sound effects, and samples in diverse genres. Additionally, there are a vast library of effects and instruments that include a suite of ToneBoosters reverbs, compressors, filters, equalizers, classic synthesizers, electric pianos, rock organs and sampled instruments. Mixcraft is also loaded with routing and control features, advanced MIDI routing, and clip-based automation tools. Its Performance Panel is ideal for live performance and loop-based composition, and it is also a feature-packed video editing and scoring environment that offers seamless transitions, titles, and scrolling text. Mixcraft offers an all-in-one solution to all your audio and video editing needs in a single virtual studio package. NEW! Features in Mixcraft 10.5 include:
Interface Improvements New in Mixcraft 10.5! The Quick Access panel enables users to quickly add, remove, and reorder instruments and effects on virtual tracks. Project Start Panel
New in Mixcraft 10.5! Preset Project Templates, which offer task-specific presets for podcasting setups, mastering, video editing, and more.
New Plug-In Architecture and Manager
Updated in Mixcraft 10.5: more improvements in stability and plug-in support, making your favorite plug-ins more stable than ever before. And the new Auto-Save feature with user-defined intervals further reduces the risk of projects lost or corrupted due to misbehaving plug-ins.
Mixcraft Store
New in Mixcraft 10.5! The Mixcraft Store tab now offers over 100 items from top brands, including Addictive Drums, Antares, Baby Audio, Blue Cat, Cherry Audio, D16, FabFilter, Kilohearts, Kuassa, PSP Audioware, and more. Soundtrack Loops, Loopmasters, and others also offer a great selection of loops and sample packs. And the new Mixcraft Loyalty Credits program rewards Mixcraft users with points they can apply as virtual cash towards purchases in the expansive Mixcraft Store.
Hotkeys Editor
Improved Piano Roll and MIDI Editing
Enhanced Controller Support
Updated in Mixcraft 10.5: Now providing support for over two dozen popular control surfaces, with more to come!
Refined Mixer Controls
BONUS! ThinkEDU Exclusive Includes Acoustica Mixcraft 10.5 Recording Studio Student/Teacher Edition (Download) (A $99 Value) Absolutely FREE
Mixcraft 10.5 is the latest version of the renowned digital audio workstation for Windows from Acoustica, designed for musicians by musicians. With its unique combination of ease of use and professional features at an irresistible price, Mixcraft has been a favorite among music enthusiasts and professionals since its introduction in 2004.
Mixcraft 10 introduced a fresh, more intuitive interface that remains familiar to fans but is easy for new users to dive in and begin creating. The Mixcraft interface has been revamped to be more intuitive and scalable, regardless of your monitor or resolution. There are more track color options, and you can even give each clip its own individual color. The menus are streamlined, with options to pin pop-up menus open to make multiple changes faster, and batch editing functions are available for any selected MIDI clips directly from the main window. Drag clips and their automation between tracks while maintaining their position in the timeline, and you can temporarily disable snapping. Automation can be dragged, dropped, and copied, and multiple automation points are easier than ever to modify.
The updated Start Panel combines several convenient functions. It gives you everything you need to start a new project, open an existing one, and customize your launch experience. Mixcraft 10 does most of the browsing for you by listing your saved projects in recent order, and provides you with date and project length information. And the search box will help you quickly find just the project you're looking for. A drop-down menu lets you quickly select from your saved templates, and the familiar defaults page now enables you to choose which template to open in Mixcraft. The right side of the Panel also keeps you plugged into Acoustica and the latest Mixcraft content with direct live links to videos, announcements, updates, and tutorials.
Misbehaving plug-ins can be the greatest source of instability in a project. We've taken steps with Mixcraft 10 the reduce the risk of lost projects by redesigning the plug-in architecture and giving you better ways to manage your plug-ins. The robust new 
Finding the right instrument or loop for your latest project can be a time-consuming process, but Mixcraft 10.5 just made the search a whole lot more convenient with the integrated Mixcraft Store. Now, when inspiration strikes, you can quickly and easily browse a wide variety of free and paid products from multiple manufacturers, all from one central location. With an ever-increasing selection of best-in-class sample and loop libraries, virtual instruments and effects, presets, templates, and drum kits, you're sure to find exactly what you're looking for. And with new content being added regularly, you never know what exciting new tools are just waiting to be discovered and made part of your sound.
In Mixcraft 10.5, you can now assign various commands their own custom keyboard shortcuts, consisting of single or multiple keys, which can speed up your workflow. Dozens of hotkey shortcuts are already pre-configured in the default set as a starting point. Assignments can be freely changed and saved, and you can create additional custom assignments. Groups of hotkey assignments can be saved as sets and named. This allows multiple users to save and use their personalized hotkey sets easily and makes moving sets between different computers effortless.
Mixcraft 10.5's Piano Roll and MIDI Step Editor panels have received a significant facelift, making them more intuitive and responsive to your needs. The redesigned interface is now more user-friendly, with clearer notes, and steps can be color-coded according to MIDI channel or note. Users can also view notes from multiple selected clips simultaneously. Advanced note selection functions, such as selecting steps by velocity or duration, are also available. Users can now drag notes vertically without altering their timing, and the snap-to-scale function ensures that new notes stay in key. With new larger handles, editing velocity and other MIDI CC data is now a breeze.
Having the right tools, including hardware, to get to your sound is essential in music production. That's why we're thrilled to announce that Mixcraft 10 has just added a new controller script API built on Javascript. This means that we can now support any MIDI-based control surface device to help bring your music to life. We've already received feedback from our loyal users on some of the most popular controllers out there, and we've added support for them within Mixcraft 10. And the best part? There are even more controllers to come to customize your production experience to your heart's content. With Mixcraft 10's commitment to supporting more control surfaces, creating your music your way is easier than ever.
The Mixcraft 10 mixer controls have undergone a stunning and sharp redesign, making them even more intuitive and accessible. Swapping channels, inverting phase, setting to mono, and adjusting stereo width now takes a few clicks, streamlining your workflow like never before. Plus, the mixing panel is now equipped with a special track icon view, providing more straightforward and intuitive navigation throughout your project. With the added benefit of hiding preview and master tracks, managing your mix has never been smoother. An improved top-of-mixer track meter never scrolls out of view, perfect for keeping a closer eye on the details. And as with the new piano roll, you can easily hide or show panel preferences.
Other Features include:
