The Dirac Processor Standalone provides desktop-level audio correction by Dirac for MacOS 10.14+ devices.

In order to use Dirac Processor Standalone, you will need to download and install two components: the Dirac Live® 3 application (3.0.x) and the Dirac Processor Standalone (1.6.x). Dirac Live® 3 is used to measure and generate filters, while the Processor Standalone stores the corresponding filters and processes audio data.

Download and Install Dirac Live® 3 and Dirac Processor Standalone

You can download Dirac Live® 3 and Dirac Processor Standalone here. Make sure that your computer is connected to the internet for licensing purposes.

Open the files and follow the installation procedures.

Setup

  1. Run installer
  2. Restart computer
  3. Start DiracLiveProcessor in Applications
  4. Log in to your Dirac account if necessary.
  5. The Processor window will look empty the first time you open it. You will populate this window with filters after you have created them in Dirac Live® 3.
  6. In Dirac Live Processor, go to Options → Audio Settings.. and select the audio interface you want to use.


  7. Open Audio MIDI Setup and make sure Dirac Virtual Audio Device is in the list of soundcards

  8. Play a sound and make sure the sound is passing through the Dirac Live Processor
  9. You are now ready to perform a measurement and create your first filters.
  10. Continue with Dirac Live® 3 - Quick Start Guide or Dirac Live® 3 - User Manual. Happy listening!

Troubleshooting

No Signal

Open Options→Audio Settings... dialog box and the signal should come back.

Make sure Dirac Virtual Audio Device is selected as the system Audio Output.

Dirac Virtual Audio Device does not appear in device select

  1. Open Finder
  2. Select Go → Go to Folder
  3. Paste /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins
    1. If you have a folder named "HAL", restart your device to make sure your installation is complete, and then check for the Dirac Virtual Audio Device again.
    2. If you do not have the "HAL" folder, create one and reinstall the Dirac Processor. Then check whether VAD.driver appears in the HAL folder.
  4. If the above does not work and you have a "HAL" folder, delete it, install Processor again, and then restart your device.

Processor is silent

  1. Activate Processor as described above, ensuring that Processor recognizes signal from your Mac (i.e. that the "No Signal" warning does not appear).
  2. If Processor is still silent, open Control Center → Sound or Audio MIDI Setup and select your desired output device as sound output.
  3. Using the volume keys or slider, turn the volume up for the output device. The volume level here  becomes the maximum level that Processor can utilize.

    For example, Realtek USB2.0 Audio is your desired output device. You select this as output in Control Center and turn the volume to 60%. When you activate Processor (by switching the system output to Dirac Virtual Audio Device), it can only output 60% volume at max. Pushing the Realtek output to 100% means that Processor can output 100% at max.
  4. Reactivate Processor by switching output back to Dirac Virtual Audio via Control Center → Sound or Audio MIDI Setup.
  5. Adjust volume as desired using the volume keys or slider.

Dirac Virtual Audio Device disappears from Output Devices

Solution

Restarting macOS Core Audio will show the Virtual Audio Device in Device Select.


  1. Open Terminal
  2. Paste sudo launchctl kickstart -k system/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod
    1. If you're on a newer Mac and that command isn't recognized, try: sudo launchctl stop com.apple.audio.coreaudiod && sudo launchctl start com.apple.audio.coreaudiod
  3. Dirac Virtual Audio Device should appear in Device Select now


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