According to the Tide16 User Manual, when a Dirac filter with DLBC or ART is loaded into a slot, all DSP controls in Device Console are automatically greyed out. Here’s the detailed reasoning behind this behavior:
First, greyed out does NOT mean disabled. Any DSP you configured beforehand — low‑pass filters, EQ, level trims, etc. — remains active. The system simply prevents further changes; it does not bypass or remove your existing processing.
The reason for this restriction comes directly from Dirac Research and relates to how technologies like DLBC and ART compute filters. When you perform a Dirac measurement, the system captures your exact configuration at that moment: levels, delays, filters, and frequency response. All of your manual tuning in Device Console is baked into the acoustic conditions Dirac measures.
Dirac then generates filters based on those exact conditions. If you were allowed to adjust output levels or filters afterward — for example, boosting a subwoofer or trimming a rear speaker — you would be altering the system in ways Dirac did not account for.
In standard room correction, small post‑adjustments might be tolerable. But with ART’s MIMO matrix processing, changing any speaker’s level without recomputing filters can break the algorithm. For example, increasing subwoofer output after ART calibration means the support speakers can no longer provide the correct counter‑signal, and the math behind Active Room Treatment fails.
Because of this, all ART‑certified processors must lock post‑Dirac DSP controls to ensure the system remains in the exact state Dirac measured and tuned. This prevents invalid configurations and guarantees ART operates correctly.
Hoping this explanation helps clarify some misunderstandings and the reasoning behind this requirement.