Specifications

 

​ARCADES’ MasterBusListen is a great sounding, low-latency audio streamer for your DAW or computer audio system. It just works !

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Audio Quality Settings

The plugin (Server) gives you 3 audio quality settings: GREAT, AWESOME, and PERFECT. Any quality setting should work fine on most Wi-Fi networks.

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• PERFECT: Uncompressed PCM @ 48k (Quality over latency).

• AWESOME: OPUS at 192Kbps (Low latency with awesome sound).

• GREAT: OPUS at 128Kbps (Lowest latency with good sound).

 

Latency Modes (iOS/Android)

MasterBusListen on mobile gives you 4 latency modes: DANGER, LOW, NORMAL, STABLE. This is where you can test your Wi-Fi/network stability.

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• When latency is not an issue, just leave it to NORMAL.

• Use STABLE on bad Wi-Fi.

• DANGER and LOW will run smoothly only on solid 5GHz Wi-Fi or more!

 

Web Browser Client (Listener)

Press the LISTEN button and scan the QR code to open the web client in your favorite browser. Or, manually use your DAW’s IP:Port (Ex: 192.168.0.151:5150).

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• The web browser offers great sound but with slightly more latency.

• Clicking the Sun VU Meter will open the "About" overlay where you’ll find LO, MED, and HIGH latency settings.

 

iOS/Android Client

Use the app for best latency performance and ease of use. It auto-finds the server and lets you play the audio in the background. iOS has the best latency. Android app will be as fast as your device own hardware.

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• Download free on the App Store or Play Store.

• You can activate Demo Mode by entering the IP 5.1.5.0. Try it and you’ll hear ARCADES’ 11th Dimension!

 

Multi-Client

MasterBusListen is Multi-Client. Many users can connect and listen at the same time.

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• Note: Beware of having many clients on PERFECT settings, as each user gets their own stream! 7 clients will have the network spit 30Mbps

• Use settings AWESOME or GREAT when 10+ users are connected of if the network/WiFi has little hiccups.

 

Time Machine

MasterBusListen has a function that activates when clicking the DeLorean.

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• The Time Machine mode lets you go back in time 15 minutes into the stream session!

• The memory stays available even after terminating the session.

 

Standalone

Instead of using VST3, AU, or AAX, you can use Windows low latency WASAPI or Mac ScreenCaptureKit to stream your desktop audio. Wasapi works at hardware level and gives you the greatest latency.

 

How I Use It Personally

The Real-Life Check

The obvious one is listening to my session live to see how the work feels on my cellphone. We consume so much media through our iPhones that there is a value to the "real-life" test—walking around your house listening to your track on a snack break. I turn the monitor off and loop my session… or use the Time Machine!

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The Windows/AirPods Fix Every owner of AirPods using Windows knows how much of a pain it is to make them work well on a PC. I find myself loading the Standalone app on my PC and the client app on my iPhone just to listen to my PC audio (like YouTube) in close to real-time. It’s silly, but it works flawlessly.

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Other Scenarios

• Producers: I thought of a scenario where many producers all have an instance on their master bus, allowing them to share audio easily over the network.

• Education: A studio lab where a professor can monitor any student while they work with their headphones.

• Recording: A session with many collaborators—if a singer is recording in the control room with speakers off, attendees can join in on the sound with their own earbuds and phones.

FAQ
 

Here are good habits to adopt for the app to work great.

MasterBusListen uses your local network; it does not rely on the internet. You guessed it: the stability of MasterBusListen is conditional on your Network/Wi-Fi.

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• First, if your DAW is blocked by your firewall, unblock it!

• Unless you have some intense security on your LAN, it'll work fine.

• On Mac, for the standalone to work, make sure you authorize the screencapture in your system security (the software only use system audio but it's through Apple's screen capture technology!)If you get no VU, erase the rule, close the software and restart the security process. 

• The system CAN work realtime on the DANGER settings with around 10ms latency, but the network condition must be perfect. With the DAW wired and a client on a recent iPhone using the ios App on a clean 5ghz wifi, I got it to be so good you could say it its realtime ! 
  Just use NORMAL or STABLE if you do not need realtime.

• Android being android, the realtime performance will depend on your hardware, DANGER settings might not work at all.

• You can install 3 MasterBusListen. If you have to install to another machine you can unlink instalation in the My Purchase section of your account on musicandarcades.com.
  Enjoy !