Dirac Live v2 & v3

Note: This page will be updated in the future when new information becomes available. Last update 13.02.2026

How-to guides for Dirac Live v2 & v3

Target Curves for Dirac Live v2 & v3

Dirac Live's default target curves are known to sound bass-shy. Here's a choice of target curves based on Harman research. These target curves can be directly loaded from within Dirac Live 2/3. They differ in the amount of bass boost.

Note: Use the same target curve for all speakers, including the subwoofer. Do not apply different target curves to speakers and subwoofer(s) in the crossover region, as this will result in a combined response that deviates from the intended curve. Adjust the high-frequency roll-off based on your speakers' in-room response, or limit the upper correction frequency to approximately 500Hz. There is evidence (see Toole, Sound Reproduction) that room correction applied above the Schröder frequency can do more harm than good when the speaker's anechoic response is not taken into account.

Target curves for Dirac Live v2.5.2/3 and later:

A bit of history...

Dirac Live 2

After a lengthy development process and missed launch in Q1 2018, Dirac Live 2.1 has finally been released on 23.11.2018. It features a completely new user interface while no major new features - like simplified test signal/mic level setting, automated crossover selection or crossover splice optimization - have been added. Some major bugs from version 1 still exist in version 2, e.g. wrong speaker distance detection of upward firing Dolby enabled speakers. Some new bugs have been introduced.

Dirac Live is first and foremost a tool for automated room correction, so user experience and user interface should be paramount. Unfortunately Dirac Research chose to prioritize cross-platform support and looks over functionality. While beauty certainly lies in the eye of the beholder, a software user interface also has objective functional aspects ("Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." – Steve Jobs). Here Dirac Live 2 shows a strange tendency to favor decorative/less important elements while functional user interface elements are non-native, dimmed down, hidden, unreadable or even missing. As a result some tasks are actually harder to accomplish than in version 1. Some features have even been crippled (e.g. test signal/mic gain adjustment) which makes Dirac Live 2 less useful to the user.

Good news is that Dirac Live 2 is available as a free upgrade to existing users. See https://live.dirac.com/download/

Version 2.1.1 has been released on 10.12.2018 with usability improvements and bug fixes but generally all of the above still applies.

Version 2.1.2 has been released on 21.12.2018 with usability improvements and bug fixes but generally all of the above still applies.

Version 2.2.0 has been released on 26.02.2019 which finally provides a way of getting test signal and mic input level right.

Version 2.2.1 to 2.3 has been released during 2019 with usability improvements and bug fixes but some fundamental issues are still unresolved.

Version 2.4 has been released on 07.02.2020 with usability improvements and bug fixes but generally all of the above still applies.

Version 2.5.2 has been released on 08.04.2020 fixing a severe bug in the gain compensation algorithm. Earlier versions should not be used. This is the first version that can be considered ready for prime time since its first public release in 2018. It still can't handle upfiring Dolby Atmos enabled speakers though...

Dirac Live 3

Version 3 has been released on 03.06.2020. The user interface is virtually the same as in version 2 but it comes with a new feature, "Bass Control" (although technically "Bass Control" was already available in 2.5.x). "Bass Control" encompasses a number of tools for optimizing the crossover region between sub(s)/sats and seat to seat differences when using multiple subs.

"Bass Control" requires the AVR/P to run Dirac's own bass management DSP code. If the hardware supports it additional controls become available in the Dirac Live app.

Maybe there has been a hiccup in Google Translator from Swedish to English but the additional features couldn't be named in a more obscure and counterintuitive way. Here's a brief explanation what each button does:

"Off": Regular single speaker optimization. Bass management has to be configured by the user in the AVR/P.
"Upmix Only": Dirac bass management replaces the AVR/P's bass management. Still regular single speaker optimization including sub(s), although the output of each sub is reduced based on the number of individual subs. Visualization of crossover splice between sub(s)/sats.
"Full Bass Optimisation": Same as "Upmix Only" but adds optimization of the crossover splice if a single sub is used (also applies to AVR/P's that split a single subwoofer signal to multiple outputs). If the AVR/P supports individually addressable subwoofer outputs "Bass Control" additionally reduces seat to seat differences besides optimizing the crossover splice.

Now that Dirac has the user thoroughly confused about what option to use in his or her particular setup, here's a list from best to good:

"Bass Control" with multiple subwoofers on individually addressable subwoofer outputs
"Bass Control" with single sub or subwoofer cluster on a single subwoofer output
"Regular" DL or "Upmix only" with single sub or subwoofer cluster on a single subwoofer output

Avoid at all costs:

"Regular" DL or "Upmix only" with multiple subwoofers on individually addressable subwoofer outputs

Naming has been changed beginning version 3.5.1. Upmix only = Bass management, Full optimisation = Bass Control.

If you're using Dirac Live "Bass Control", make sure you're running the latest version as there have been quite a few serious bugs along the way which made sound quality worse instead of making it better.

Dirac Live – ART (Active Room Treatment)

Announced in 2014 Dirac "Unison" is finally coming to consumers. The new name is ART – Active Room Treatment. ART was in beta testing for StormAudio users and available for licensing to other companies after a 10 months exclusivity period ending in October 2023 (source). Dirac Live 3.6.5 is the first version officially supporting ART.

ART became more widely available only at the end of 2025.

Latest software changes can be found in the Dirac Live changelog.

Bugs and quirks

Over the years, the software has suffered from numerous bugs and interface quirks. The UI remains fairly counterintuitive, particularly where the original speaker-centric design was awkwardly adapted to work with ART's input-channel-focused approach. Below is a list of the major issues with Dirac Live:

Dirac Live is incompatible with Dolby Atmos speakers that fire toward the ceiling
Dirac Live is incompatible with tactile transducers, also known as "butt kickers" or "bass shakers"
The calculated optimization results sometimes fail to match the actual in-room response, particularly at very low frequencies below 20Hz
Low-frequency hump in the subwoofer response
Increased group delay in the subwoofer response when using Dirac Live Bass Control
Settings in the "Volume Calibration" tab are reset when returning from another tab
Speaker levels are determined from the average of all microphone positions, which can lead to imaging issues
The Shelf Editor allows boosts of up to 20dB, while the standard Target Curve Editor is limited to 10dB
The Shelf Editor applies boosts beyond the configured curtain settings
ART is limited to 20Hz, with a high-pass filter applied below that point
The "Infra" option in ART introduces peaks and dips around 20Hz
ART's factory default settings can push speakers into distortion