Axia element v.2.0 Installation & User Manual

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element® v.

Installation & User’s Guide Includes StudioEngine and PowerStation

2.0

Manual Rev v1.8.1 — April 2016

p/n 1490-00058-004

Page 2

USA Class A Computing Device Information To User. Warning:

This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate ra-

dio-frequency energy. If it is not installed and used

as directed by this manual, it may cause interference

to radio communication. This equipment complies

with the limits for a Class A computing device, as

specied by FCC Rules, Part 15, Subpart J, which

are designed to provide reasonable protection against

such interference when this type of equipment is op-

erated in a commercial environment. Operation of

this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause

interference. If it does, the user will be required to

eliminate the interference at the user’s expense.

Important Safety Information

To prevent risk of electric shock: Disconnect power

cord before servicing. If fuse replacement is required, please note: For continued protection against re, re-

place fuse only with same type and value.

Caution

The installation and servicing instructions in the

manual are for use by qualied personnel only. To avoid Electric Shock, do not perform any servicing

other than that contained in the operating instruc-

tions unless you are qualied to do so. Refer all servicing to qualied personnel.

NOTE: Objectionable interference to TV or radio re-

ception can occur if other devices are connected to

this device without the use of shielded interconnect

cables. FCC rules require the use of only shielded

cables.

Canada Warning:

“This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A

limits for radio noise emissions set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Depart-

ment of Communications.” “Le present appareil nu-

merique n’emet pas de bruits radioelectriques depas-

sant les limites applicables aux appareils numeriques

(de les Class A) prescrites dans le Reglement sur le

brouillage radioelectrique edicte par le ministere des

Communications du Canada.”

CE Conformance Information:

This device complies with the requirements of the

EEC Council Directives: 93/68/EEC (CE Marking); 73/23/EEC (Safety – low voltage directive); 89/336/

EEC (electromagnetic compatibility). Conformity is

declared to those standards: EN50081-1, EN50082-1.

Electrical Warning

To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose

this product to rain or moisture. Keep liquids away

from the ventilation openings in the top and rear of

the unit. Do not shower or bathe with the unit.

This equipment is designed to be operated from a

power source that includes a third “grounding” con-

nection in addition to the power leads. Do not defeat

this safety feature. In addition to creating a potential-

ly hazardous situation, defeating this safety ground will prevent the internal line noise lter from func-

tioning.

Ventilation Warning

The Axia PowerStation, StudioEngine and Power Supply/GPIO Nodes require the free ow of air for adequate cooling. Do not block the ventilation openings in the top and rear of the unit. PowerStation, StudioEngine and the Power Supply/GPIO Node

must be mounted with a blank rack spacer above or

damage may occur.

Failure to allow proper ventilation could damage the unit or create a re hazard. Do not place the unit on

a carpet, bedding, or other materials that could inter-

fere with the rear and top panel ventilation openings.

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Customer Service

We support you...

By Phone/Fax in the USA.

• You may reach our 24/7 Support Team anytime around the clock by calling +1 216-622-0247. For billing questions or other non-emergency technical questions, call +1 216-241-7225 between 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM USA Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

By Phone in Europe.

• Service is available from Axia Europe in Germany at +49.8161.42467.

By E-Mail.

• Non-emergency technical support is available at [email protected]

Via World Wide Web.

• The Axia Web site has a variety of information which may be useful for product selection and support. The URL is telosalliance.com.

Feedback

We welcome feedback on any aspect of the Livewire products or this manual. In the past, many good ideas from

users have made their way into software revisions or new products. Please contact us with your comments.

Trademarks

Telos Systems, Axia Audio, Livewire, the Livewire Logo, the Axia logo, Element, PowerStation, SmartQ, Status

Symbols, Zephyr, Zephyr Xstream, Zephyr Xport, Omnia, the Omnia logo, and the Telos logo, are trademarks of TLS

Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Axia Audio 1241 Superior Ave. Cleveland, OH 44114 USA +1 (216) 241-7225 [email protected]

Introduction • iii

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Notice

About This Manual

All versions, claims of compatibility, trademarks, etc.

of hardware and software products not made by Axia

mentioned in this manual or accompanying material

are informational only. Axia makes no endorsement

of any particular product for any purpose, nor claims

any responsibility for operation or accuracy.

Warranty

This product is covered by a Two Year limited war-

ranty, the full text of which is included in the rear

section of this manual.

Service

You must contact Axia before returning any equip-

ment for factory service. Axia will issue a Return

Authorization number, which must be written on the

exterior of your shipping container. Please do not include cables or accessories unless specically requested by the Technical Support Engineer at Axia.

Be sure to adequately insure your shipment for its

replacement value. Packages without proper authorization may be refused. US customers please contact

Axia technical support at +1 (216) 241-7225. All oth-

er customers should contact their local representative

to arrange for service.

We strongly recommend being near the unit when

you call, so our Support Engineers can verify information about your conguration and the conditions

under which the problem occurs. If the unit must

return to Axia, we will need your serial number, lo-

cated on the rear panel.

Credit Where Credit’s Due

This manual covers the details of the Element broadcast console, PowerStation and StudioEngine. How-

ever it is assumed in this document that you are fa-

miliar with Livewire’s basic concepts, as outlined in

the companion Introduction to Livewire: System

Design Reference and Primer or Audio Over IP: Building Pro AoIP Systems with Livewire by Steve

Church and Skip Pizzi, available from Elsevier Press.

If you have not done so, please review that mate-

rial rst. In it we explain the ideas that motivated Livewire and how you can use and benet from it,

as well as nitty-gritty details about wiring, connec-

tors, and the like. Since Livewire is built on standard

networks, we also help you to understand general

network engineering so that you have the full back-

ground for Livewire’s fundamentals. After reading

Introduction to Livewire you will know what’s up

when you are speaking with the network guys that

are often hanging around radio stations these days.

New in this Element v.2.0 Manual

This manual update, written in December 2011, de-

tails the workings of the Axia Element console when

used with StudioEngine or PowerStation. Major changes in this manual are located in Appendix D: Working With Phones, where new methods of connecting to Telos IP phone systems are outlined.

Axia Audio

1241 Superior Avenue

Cleveland Ohio 44114 USA Ph one: +1. 216. 241.7225

Web: telosalliance.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

Much gratefulness and declarations of kinship to Bruce Wilkinson, Milos Nemcik, Gints Linis, Michael Dosch and the rest of the Axia team in help-

ing to assemble this manual. Kudos, guys — you are

owed more beers than I can count. - c.n.

Introduction • iv

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Table of Contents

Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Credit Where Credit’s Due . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv

About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv

New in this Element v.2.0 Manual . . . . . . . . . iv

A Note From Frank Foti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Quickstart:

Element with StudioEngine

Making Connections

Software Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Quickstart:

Element with PowerStation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . x

Making Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x

Software Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x

Chapter One: Element with StudioEngine . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

StudioEngine Quick Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

IP Conguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

StudioEngine Channel Settings. . . . . . . . . . .8

Set Your Console Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Chapter Two: Element with PowerStation . . . . . . . 11

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

PowerStation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Connections and IP Conguration . . . . . . . . .23

Livewire Source Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Source Conguration - I/O Subsystem . . . . . . . 24

Source Conguration - MixEngine. . . . . . . . .26

Destination Conguration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Chapter Three: Working With Sources . . . . . . . . 29

Understanding Source Proles . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Source Prole Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Source Prole Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Adding Backfeeds and GPIO to a Source . . . . . 37

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

Chapter Four: Conguring GPIO . . . . . . . . . . . 41

GPIO Port Denitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

GPIO Operator’s Microphone Logic GPIO Control Room Guest Microphone Logic . . 43 GPIO Studio (Monitor 2) Guest Microphone Logic 44

GPIO Producer’s Microphone Logic. . . . . . . .45

GPIO Line Input Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

GPIO Codec Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

GPIO Telephone Hybrid Logic . . . . . . . . . . .48

GPIO Control Room Monitor Logic . . . . . . . . 49

GPIO Studio Monitor Logic . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

GPIO Computer Playback Device Logic. . . . . .51

GPIO External Profanity Delay Logic . . . . . . .52

GPIO Film Legendable User Button Module / Acces-

sory Panel / Rack Panel

GPIO Recording Device Logic. . . . . . . . . . .54

GPIO External Timer Control Logic . . . . . . . .55

Assigning GPIO to a Source. . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

A word about the GPIO Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Input Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Output Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Chapter Five: Element Operations . . . . . . . . . . .59

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Show Proles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Sources, Channels and Faders . . . . . . . . . 59

Mix-Minus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

GPIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Monitor Module and SoftKnobs. . . . . . . . .60

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Control Callouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Control Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

General Fader Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

4-Phone Module Channel Controls . . . . . . . . 66

Call Controller + 2-Fader Phone Module . . . . 67

Production Module Controls . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Standard Monitor Module Controls . . . . . . . . 69

2-Fader Monitor Module Controls. . . . . . . . .70

Source-Specic Channel Controls . . . . . . . . . 87

Studio Microphone Channel Operation. . . . .88

Phone Channel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Codec Channel Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 89

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

. . . . . . . .42

Introduction • v

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Introduction • vi

Chapter Six: Show Proles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Creating A Show Prole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Show Prole Options

The Channel Description Screen . . . . . . . . . .93

The Aux Send / Return Description Screen. . . . .96

Monitor Section Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Record Mode Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Group Start Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Phone Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

Chapter Seven: Virtual Mixer (VMIX). . . . . . . . .103

What is VMIX? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Constructing Virtual Mixes with VMIX. . . . . . . .103

Manipulating Streams With VMODE . . . . . . . . .106

Chapter Eight: Advanced Element Controls . . . . . . 111

Element Conguration Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

The Element Control Center . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

The Setup Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

The Customize Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Log, Log History and Log Setup Menus . . . . . .114

The Screenshot Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

The Modules Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

CAN Bus Information Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Brightness Control Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Phone Channels Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

User Modules Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

GPIO Conguration Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Script Information Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

V-Mixer Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

NTP Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Engine Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Sources & Proles Conguration Menu . . . . . . 117

Chapter Nine: StudioEngine Controls . . . . . . . . . 119

StudioEngine Conguration Screens . . . . . . . . . 119

The Main Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

The Fader Channels Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

The Return & Monitor Inputs Menu . . . . . . . . 119

The Program & Monitor Outputs Menu . . . . . . 120

The VMIX & VMODE Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

The Intercom Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

The Options Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

The Stream Statistics Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . .123

The Network Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

The Diagnostics Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

System Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Chapter Ten: PowerStation Controls . . . . . . . . . . 127

PowerStation Conguration Screens

Home Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Element Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Mix Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Audio I/O Subsystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Ethernet Switch settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

Appendix A: Specications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Table of Inputs and Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Appendix B: CE Declaration of Conformity . . . . . . 141

Appendix C: FAQ / Diagnostics / Maintenance. . . . .143

Installing A New Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Module Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Fader Cleaning Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Appendix D: Working With Phone Hybrids . . . . . . 151

Telos VX Broadcast VoIP System . . . . . . . . . . .151

Nx12, Nx6, TWOx12, Series 2101 systems. . . . . .154

Call Controller Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156

Telos Two ISDN Hybrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Telos One and Delta Hybrids . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Telos ONE-x-Six, Direct Interface and 1A2 Systems 160

Appendix E: Accessory Panels and User Panels . . . . 163

Appendix F: Channel / IP Worksheets . . . . . . . . . 167

Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

. . . . . . . . . 127

Page 7

War of the Waves

Dear Valued Customer,

It’s with great pride and a tip of the hat to an incredible team that I congratulate you on your new Telos Alliance

product. Everything we do here at the radio division of the Telos Alliance is with one end goal in mind: To help

broadcasters declare victory in extremely competitive environments. By purchasing this product from us, in essence,

you have declared war on your competition.

After all, the majority of Telos Alliance employees were broadcasters themselves once, and the products we’ve

developed over the years have been designed as solutions to specic issues faced on the front lines of our industry.

We’re right there in the trenches with you and have the weapons you need in your arsenal.

Telos Systems is a catalyst to out-of-this-world sound, with the most powerful and popular broadcast telephone

systems in the industry; IP/ISDN codecs and transceivers; plus processing/encoding for streaming audio. We built an

industry on the back of these amazing telephony systems, and they are still going strong.

While we at the Telos Alliance never forget our roots, we are also blazing trails in terms of new technologies like

stream-encoding and AoIP, so that all types of broadcasters can excel in this ever-evolving digital world.

Omnia Audio not only lets you stand out on the dial with your unique signature sound via legendary audio

processors, audio codecs, and microphone processing, it lets you give your listeners a better streaming experience

across devices with innovative stream encoding/processing software and hardware.

Axia Audio is a driving force behind the AES67 AoIP standard, and its networked AoIP radio consoles, audio

interfaces, networked intercom, and software products continue to move AoIP adoption forward and help

broadcasters streamline operations with cohesive, smart, and feature-rich AoIP ecosystems.

Last, but certainly not least, 25-Seven has traditionally been known for its audio delays, but its Voltair watermark

monitor/processor has made a name for itself more recently as the disruptive product that helped broadcasters take

back their ratings and harness the true power of their listening audiences.

You work so hard on your programming day-in and day-out, it deserves technology that will optimize sound and

performance at every point in the airchain and online. Armed with Telos products, you have what you need to set

your competition squarely in your crosshairs.

With that, I’ll leave you to prep your armaments. I hope that you will enjoy your Telos Alliance products for many

years to come!

Sincerely,

Frank Foti

CEO, The Telos Alliance

Introduction • vii

Page 8

D hn ngs;  r

gnr.”  G.M. c chng

s w dne ig s.

Introduction • viii

Page 9

Quickstart :

Element with StudioEngine

The following chapters of this manual will give you

an in-depth understanding of the capabilities of your

new Element and StudioEngine, from installation to advanced functions. This Quickstart section isn’t meant

to take the place of the following chapters, but it will

help you get everything connected fast, and

point you to the parts of the manual you’ll

need to get up and running with a mini-

mum of fuss.

Making Connections

You’ve probably unpacked your boxes

and are sitting next to a pile of Axia gear,

wondering what to do rst.

GPIO Node/Power Supply unit.

5. Connect all Audio Node power cords and plug

them into your studio’s power receptacles.

6. “Capture” your console using the instructions in Chapter 1 of this manual.

7. Follow the instructions found in Chapter 1 to congure IP address settings for Element and the StudioEngine.

8. Refer to the User’s Manuals packed with your

other Axia Audio Nodes for information on how

to congure IP addresses for these units.

Take a look at the diagram above: it rep-

resents a typical Livewire-connected studio. After con-

guring your Ethernet switch, here’s what you should do

to get going:

1. Using CAT.5e or CAT.6 Ethernet cable, con-

nect all of your Axia Audio Nodes (Analog,

AES/EBU, Microphone and Router Selector) to 100Base-T ports on you r studio’s Et hernet switch.

2. Use CAT.6 Ethernet cable to connect your StudioEngine to a Gigabit (1000Base-T) port on

the switch.

3. Use another CAT.5e or CAT.6 cable to connect

the Ethernet port on the back of the Element

GPIO Node/Power Supply to a 100Base-T port

on the switch.

4. Packed with your Element is a cable with 6-pin Molex™ connectors. This is the power/commu-

nications cable. Lift the Element meter panel and

connect the end of the cable without the strain

relief to the corresponding port on the Element

connection panel. Connect the other end of the

cable to one of the jacks labeled “48VDC OUTPUT & COMM” on the back of your Element

Software Setup

When you’ve completed physically connecting your

Axia hardware, read through the remainder of this manual to begin conguring the software options that deter-

mine how your new Element will operate.

• Chapter 1: Element with StudioEngine

• Chapter 3: Working with Sources explains how to

generate Source Proles and construct backfeeds for

selected sources.

• Chapter 4:Conguring GPIO tells how to associate

routable logic commands with any audio source.

• Chapter 5: Element Operations takes you under the

hood to explore in-depth software options.

• Chapter 6: Show Proles illustrates how to set and save unique “snapshots” tailored for specic opera-

tional situations that can be recalled whenever the

need arises.

Enjoy your new Element!

Introduction • ix

Page 10

Quickstart :

Element with PowerStation

The subsequent chapters of this manual will give you

an in-depth understanding of the capabilities of your new

Axia Element and PowerStation, from installation to ad-

vanced functions. This Quickstart section isn’t meant to

take the place of the following chapters, but it will help

you get everything connected fast, and point you to the

parts of the manual you’ll need to get up and running

with a minimum of fuss.

the PowerStation. Turn on the monitor.

3. If using an AUX, connect the MAIN and AUX PSU2 connectors with the special cable provided.

4. Connect the power cords to the PSU1 receptacles on the PowerStation’s rear panels and power up.

5. “Capture” your Element control surface faders by holding the * and 2 keys for 5 seconds. Press #

when you see the CAPTURE prompt above each

channel.

6. Your hardware is now ready to go! However, some basic software conguration is also needed. Follow the instructions found in Chapter 2 to congure IP address settings for Element and the PowerStation. You will also need to setup

Livewire channels and assign your audio inputs

and outputs as described in Chapter 2. Factory default IP address is 192.168.2.50.

Software Setup

The conguration of your PowerStation is accom-

plished by accessing its web interface. No dedicated

software is required. Conguration is not complicated,

but does require a little planning and setup.

Introduction • x

Making Connections

You’ve probably unpacked your boxes and are sitting

next to a pile of Axia gear, wondering what to do rst.

Take a look at the diagram above: it represents a typi-

cal Livewire-connected radio studio with the PowerStation at its core. Here’s what you should do to get going:

1. Packed with your Element control surface is a cable with 6-pin Molex™ connectors. This is the power/communications cable. Lift the Element

meter panel and connect the end of the cable

without the strain relief to the corresponding port

on the Element connection panel. Connect the

other end of the cable to the jack labeled “DC/ CAN” on the back of your PowerStation MAIN.

2. Connect the DVI output on the rear panel to a DVI-D compatible monitor before powering up

When you’ve completed physically connecting your

Axia hardware, read through the remainder of this man-

ual to begin conguring the software options that determine how your new PowerStation will operate when

used in a Livewire network with your other Axia gear.

• Chapter 2: Setup and Connections

• Chapter 3: Working with Sources explains how to

generate Source Proles and construct backfeeds for

selected sources.

• Chapter 4: Conguring GPIO tells how to associate

routable logic commands with any audio source.

• Chapter 5: Element Operations takes you under the

hood to explore in-depth software options.

• Chapter 6: Show Proles illustrates how to set and save unique “snapshots” tailored for specic opera-

tional situations that can be recalled when needed.

Enjoy your new Element console!

Page 11

Chapter One:

Element with StudioEngine

Introduction

There’s nothing quite as much fun as taking some-

thing new out of its box. That sense of excitement as

protective packaging is stripped away; that “new gear”

smell… it’s exhilarating!

If you’re reading this, there’s a 99.9836% chance that

you’ve done just that, and are now sitting in the middle

of a room surrounded by packing material and a large

wooden crate, admiring your new Element, its GPIO Node/Power Supply and StudioEngine — and wonder-

ing what to do next.

But before you dig in, be advised that you need to

assemble the rest of your Livewire network rst. Because so much of the Element conguration process de-

pends upon having access to audio sources and destinations, you must connect and congure your other Axia

peripherals (Audio Nodes, GPIO Nodes, Router Selectors, etc.) prior to conguring Element, according to the

instructions supplied with each. Once you’ve done that,

come on back and we’ll get started.

Getting Prepared

This chapter will show you how to get you up and

running. We’ll install the Element console and its power

supply rst, followed by the StudioEngine.

Before you dive into the hardware, you’ll need to de-

termine a range of IP addresses to assign to each studio and log each device’s IP as you assign it; Appendix F contains an IP Assignment Worksheet you can use for this purpose. IP addresses used in an Axia network must be valid Unicast IP addresses. Determine your network’s

subnet mask settings at the same time (typically this val-

ue is set at 255.255.255.0 for intranet applications).

Unicast vs. Multicast IP Addresses: Data is routed over IP networks in one of two ways: point-to-point unicast or multicast.

Livewire devices use common TCP/IP unicast IP addresses for control and web browser access. These are numbers you assign within the range used by your network. Since most Livewire networks are not intended to be accessed via the Internet, we recommend you use the non-routable IP addresses in the range of

192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. These IP ad-

dresses have been set aside specically for use

with local networks.

Multicast allows efcient one-to-many connections, so Livewire uses that for its audio streams, source advertising, and synchronization signals.

You do not need to assign these multicast ad-

dresses because the system does this automaticall y.

For more information on network construction, please refer to our companion Introduction to Livewire: System Design Reference and Primer available at https://www.telosalliance.com/Axia .

To install Element in your studio furniture, you’ll

need to prepare a cutout in the counter top. A dimen-

sional drawing with all pertinent measurements is found

just prior to this manual’s Appendix A. Make certain that

there’s adequate clearance inside the furniture for the

required power cable entry into the console; knockout

plugs are located at both bottom rear corners of Element

for cable routing access.

To congure Element, you’ll need a computer. Any

Windows desktop or notebook PC with an Ethernet port

and a standard Internet browser is acceptable.

For cable connections, CAT.5e Ethernet cable is re-

quired. Some use CAT.6 since the cost is only slightly higher than CAT.5e. For greater detail on cable se-

lections, we again recommend you read The Axia

Guide to Choosing Category Cable available from:

https://www.telosalliance.com/Axia .

Always make certain that power has been applied

to your studio’s Ethernet switch and that the switch is

properly congured for multicast as recommended by

Axia before powering any other Axia components. It is

essential that you use a qualied switch and that it has been congured in accordance with Axia’s guidelines.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 1

Page 12

Most folks that encounter problems setting up a new system have not paid attention to this requirement. More

information on switches can be found at https://www.

telosalliance.com/Axia/What-Ethernet-Switches-has-

Axia-Approved. Information on specic congurations

is available in the user manuals section at https://www.

telosalliance.com/Axia.

with your Element and place it in its rack ensuring ad-

equate ventilation.

Connections

Cable connections for Element are entirely different

from any other mixing surface you may be familiar with.

There are no audio inputs; Element needs only a single

data / power connection to operate.

Element with StudioEngine: Setup

If you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to get your

Element out of its packing crate. This is a two-person

job, so grab a partner.

Important: Like any electronic device, Element can be affected by static electricity. Use of a personal grounding device is strongly recommended during transport.

Position one person at each end of Element and,

grasping the metal enclosure at the bottom, simulta-

neously lift upward out of the shipping crate. Remove

packing materials and store them in the crate for future

use. Carefully lower Element into your counter top cut-

out, taking care to lower both sides at an equal rate to

avoid becoming jammed in the cabinetry.

Important: Element is a drop-in style control surface and requires a counter top cutout. For cutout dimensions, please refer to Appendix A.

Important: Your Element MUST be grounded. Grounding reduces the risk of electric

shock by providing a “path of least resistance” for elec tric current. Improper grounding can result in a risk of electric shock.

Check with a qualied electrician if you are in

doubt about how to properly ground this equipment. If your local elec trical code prohibits the use of a Station Ground for this purpose, as de-

scribed above, use the specic “Safety Ground”

your local regulations mandate.

1. Rack-mount the GPIO Node/Power Supply unit and connect it to a 100Base-T port on your studio’s Ethernet switch using CAT.5e or CAT.6 cable. Do not power up the Power Supply yet.

Figure 1-2: Accessing Element’s connec tion panel.

Unpack the GPIO Node/Power Supply that came

GPIO Ports DC Power - CANbus to Element

Figure 1-1: Rear panel of Element GPIO/Power Supply showing connec tions.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 2

VGA

Display

Ethernet

Port

Page 13

2. Element must be connected to a grounded metal per-

manent wiring system or other equipment grounding

conductor using the threaded grounding stud located

inside the connections bay. Open the bay by ipping

open the overbridge above the faders, as shown in

Figure 1-2. For ground sources, we recommend, in

order of preference:

» “Station Ground,” the heavy copper strap found in

the walls and oors of many radio studios.

» AC Safety Ground — the “3rd prong” of a nearby

outlet.

» A bonded electrical conduit.

#12 AWG GREEN stranded wire is the minimum

wire gauge acceptable for grounding Element.

Figure 1-3: Locating the grounding stud.

ports on the Element connection panel to an Ethernet switch. These por ts are for con-

nection of Element fader and accessory mod-

ules only; connecting them to a powered Ether-

net switch could damage the board’s electronics

and void your warranty.

Figure 1-5: Element connection panel. Cir cled

connector is for power/data cable; RJ-45’s connect to

fader and accessory modules.

What is CANbus? Controller Area Network (CAN) is a multicast shared serial bus standard, originally developed in the 1980s by Robert

Bosch GmbH, for connecting electronic control

units (ECUs). Although initially created for

automotive purposes, nowadays it is used in many embedded control applications. The CAN

data link layer protocol is standardized in ISO

11898 -1 (20 03).

3. One end of the Element power / communication cable is tted with a strain relief. Connect this end to any one of the four Molex connectors on the back of the Element GPIO Node/Power Supply. Connect the

other end to the Molex socket on the Element con-

nection panel.

Figure 1-4: Detail of data/communication cable ends.

4. Connect a VGA monitor to the 15-pin VGA connector on the back of the Element GPIO/Power Supply.

IMPORTANT: Element’s power cable is also

host to all data communication between the actual surface and its CPU (housed in the Element Power Supply/GPIO Node) by CANbus technol-

ogy; it does not require a separate Ethernet connection. Never connect any of the R J- 45

“Capturing” Your Console

Upon power-up of your Element, some or all of

the alphanumeric displays above the faders may read

INACTIVE. This means that the Element CPU must be

initialized. To do this, you’ll need to enter Capture Mode.

Figure 1-6: Identifying the Standard Monitor Module

(left) and Monitor + 2-Fader Module (right).

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 3

Page 14

Press and hold both the * (star) and “2” keys on the

Monitor Module numeric pad for 5 seconds. The alpha-

numeric displays will change to read Capture Mode;

this enumerates all of the installed faders in the control

surface.

Now, make sure that LED displays above the faders

display the channel numbers in the order you desire. If

not, you can adjust them individually using the PGM1

and PGM2 buttons above each fader to change the chan-

nel number to the one you desire.

When you’re done adjusting channel number dis-

plays, press the 8 (enter) or # (if you have a Monitor

+2-fader mo dule) key to exit Capture Mode and your El-

ement is ready to use.

Hello Moto: If you have motorized faders, you can “mirror” other motorized faders while you are in Capture Mode. A motorized fader that is

“slaved” to a master fader will move automati-

cally to mirror the movements of the master. Mirrored faders both control gain for the same source, but the master can override the setting of the slave — useful for “split” Element setups where talent has a local set of faders that may be used to control certain sources, but you still want the Board Operator to have master control.

To mirror a fader, press the Options key above

the fader you wish to make the “slave”. An apostrophe (‘) will be displayed next to its numeric indicator. Pressing the fader’s PGM1 and PGM2 keys will change the numeric indicator, indicating the “Master” to which this fader is now slaved; a display reading 2’ means that the fader is slaved to fader 2.

Pressing the Options key again returns the fader to non-mirrored mode.

Short Navigation Tutorial

There are several different ways to change on-screen

options. The rst way is with Element’s SoftKnobs, located directly above the Monitor Module and shown in Figure 1-7.

Figure 1-7: Element SoftKnobs.

These knobs are context-sensitive. When any of Ele-

ment’s setup modes are activated using the options keys on the faders or Master Module, you’ll see a correspond-

ing row of “knobs” represented onscreen, as shown in

Figure 1-8.

Figure 1-8: On-screen SoftKnobs.

Note that there are sometimes functions shown both

above and below the on-screen SoftKnobs. When a func-

tion is presented above the knob, turning that knob ac-

complishes that function. When a function is presented

below the knob, pushing in gently on the corresponding

SoftKnob activates that function. The example shown in Figure 1-8 is from the IP Address Book screen.

If your Element is equipped with the standard Moni-

tor Module, you can also navigate using the control knob,

directional keys and Enter key located at the lower right-

hand corner of the module, as shown in Figure 1-6.

Note that the functionality is the same but the menus

are slightly different for the Element 2-Fader Monitor module. This module has only 3 SoftKnobs.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 4

Figure 1-10: Master Module numeric keypad.

Additionally, whenever numeric input is required

(like entering IP addresses), you can use the numeric

keypad located just above the Navigation Keys (Figure

1-10) to enter numbers directly.

Page 15

IP Address Conguration

Using your IP Assignment Worksheet, you’ll

now choose an IP address for both your Element and StudioEngine. You must make sure that IP addresses for both Engine and Surface are in the same IP network, and are both valid Unicast addresses. For example:

» 192.168.0.10: Element » 192.168.0.11: Engine

Both addresses belong to 192.168.0.x IP network,

and so will work for our application.

Note: “Gateway” settings on Livewire equipment are optional. They may be left blank unless you intend to access the StudioEngine’s

conguration utility remotely, from outside your

network. Should you desire to do so, enter the IP address of your master router (the one with external network connections) whenever you’re given the option to enter a gateway IP address.

Note: Element v2.x software supports redun-

dant NTP servers. Use the second eld in the IP

Address Book to enter the address of a backup server.

Figure 1-11: IP Address Book,

Standard Monitor Module

Once you’ve determined the IP addresses you’ll as-

sign, turn on the Element power supply and the attached

VGA monitor.

Setting IP using the Standard Monitor Module

When Element has completed its start cycle (meter

screen appears), nd the section marked Global Op-

tions on the Monitor Module. Press and hold the key

marked Fader Options located in the top right corner

of the module for ve seconds to enter the IP Address Book (Figure 1-11).

To set the IP address, rotate the leftmost SoftKnob to

highlight the line titled “Element IP Address” and push

the knob to select that line. Now use the numeric pad to

enter the IP address. Press the leftmost SoftKnob again to “take” the new IP value. Repeat this process to set the

subnet mask value.

Continue down the screen and, in the same way, enter

the other elds’ values as appropriate.

• Rotate the Select/Set SoftKnob to scroll through

the list of available options. To select an option to

modify, push this knob. While modifying an options,

rotate the knob to change an option’s value, and push

the knob to move to the next eld. Available options

include:

» Element IP Address: Every piece of Livewire

gear must have its own unique IP Address. Set the IP Address for each Element in this eld.

» Subnet Mask: Enter your network’s subnet

mask value here, usually 255.255.255.0

» Gateway IP Address: To enable remote ad-

ministration of your Livewire network or an exter

NTP server, you’ll need a gateway. If you have one installed, enter its IP Address value here.

» Engine IP Address: Each Axia control surface

controls a unique Studio Engine. Enter the IP of

the controlled Engine here.

» 1st NTP Server IP Address: Element supports

NTP (Network Time Protocol) timekeeping to

synchronize time-of-day clocks across your facility. If you have an NTP server, enter its IP Ad-

dress here.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 5

Page 16

» 2nd NTP Server IP Address: Element v2.x

software supports redundant NTP servers. Enter the IP Address of your backup server here.

» Web Page User Password: You can password-

protect your Element’s web server connection by

entering a short numeric password here.

Note: If you set a password for HT TP access, you will not see your password displayed in this

eld upon re-entering the IP Address book. This

is a security feature intended to prevent “overthe-shoulder” password theft.

• If you want to reverse changes you’ve made and

haven’t saved, press the Undo knob to erase them.

• Press Save to save changes you’ve made.

• Press Reboot to immediately reboot the Ele-

ment.

• You can press Exit to leave the IP Address Book

at any time without saving your changes.

Note: After making changes to any Element IP address settings, you must reboot the console. Use the “REBOOT” soft key to begin an immediate reboot sequence.

Remember, you can even reboot Element while on-the-air, since the audio mixing is not done in the console but in the Studio Engine; your audio will continue to play without interruption.

the list of available options. To select an option to

modify, push this knob. While modifying an options,

rotate the knob to change an option’s value, and push

the knob to move to the next eld. Available options

include:

» Element IP Address: Every piece of Livewire

gear must have its own unique IP Address. Set the IP Address for each Element in this eld.

» Subnet Mask: Enter your network’s subnet

mask value here, usually 255.255.255.0

» Gateway IP Address: To enable remote admin-

istration of your Livewire network, you’ll need a

network gateway. If you have one installed, enter

its IP Address value here.

» Engine IP Address: Each Axia control surface

controls a unique Studio Engine. Enter the IP of

the controlled Engine here.

» 1st NTP Server IP Address: Element supports

NTP (Network Time Protocol) timekeeping to

synchronize time-of-day clocks across your facility. If you have an NTP server, enter its IP Ad-

dress here.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 6

Setting IP using the 2-Fader Monitor Module

When Element has completed its start cycle (meter

screen appears), nd the numeric keypad at the top right of the Monitor Module. Press and hold the * (st a r), “7”

& “4” keys simultaneously for ve seconds to enter the

IP Address Book (Figure 1-12).

To set the IP address, rotate the left-most SoftKnob

to highlight the line titled “Element IP Address” and

push the knob to select that line. Now use the numeric

pad to enter the IP address. Press the left-most SoftKnob again to “take” the new IP value. Repeat this process to

set the subnet mask value.

Continue down the screen and, in the same way, enter

the other elds’ values as appropriate.

• Rotate the Select/Set SoftKnob to scroll through

Figure 1-12: IP Address Book,

Monitor Module

Page 17

» 2nd NTP Server IP Address: Element v2.x

software supports redundant NTP servers. Enter the IP Address of your backup server here.

» Web Page User Password: You can password-

protect your Element’s web server connection by

entering a numeric password here.

Note: If you set a password for HT TP access, you will not see your password displayed in this

eld upon re-entering the IP Address book. This

is a security feature intended to prevent “overthe-shoulder” password theft.

• Rotating the Action knob chooses between the fol-

lowing options:

» Save stores the changes you’ve made to the IP

Address Book.

» Undo reverses any changes you’ve made if you

haven’t yet saved them.

» Reboot immediately reboots the Element.

• Press the Exit knob to leave the IP Address Book.

StudioEngine Quick Setup

Connections

Note: We recommend leaving 1RU of “breath- ing space” for ventilation above and below the

StudioEngine when you rack-mount the unit.

Using the supplied AC power cord, connect the

StudioEngine to the mains. Route a length of CAT-6 ca-

ble from StudioEngine to a Gigabit port on your studio’s

Ethernet switch, but don’t connect it quite yet.

IP Conguration

1. Power on your StudioEngine; the front-panel display

will indicate the boot-up sequence. When the screen

displays IP address and network connection information, push the control knob to call the Main Menu.

2. Turn the control knob to highlight Option #4, IP

Setting s (Figure 1-14), and push to select.

Note: After making changes to any Element IP address settings, you must save the changes and reboot the console. Use the “REBOOT” soft key to begin an immediate reboot sequence.

Remember, you can even reboot Element while on-the-air, since the audio mixing is not done in the console but in the Studio Engine; your audio will continue to play without interruption.

What about monitors and meters, you may ask? The detailed conguration of timers, clock, monitors and metering is not included in this basic setup. Please refer

to Chapter 5 - Element Operation where these topics

are discussed in depth.

The next section will walk you through setting up

your StudioEngine.

Figure 1-14: StudioEngine IP conguration screen.

3. Push the control knob and you’ll see that the rst

line of the display (marked Net Addr) is underlined.

Push the knob again to select this line.

4. You’ll see a ashing underline under the rst digit of the IP address. Push and rotate the control knob to select the value for this digit. Push again to “take”

the value.

5. Continue this sequence until your IP address is properly entered. When nished, turn the control knob

until the check mark at the end of the line is highlighted, and push the knob to apply the new IP ad-

dress value.

6. When you’ve set the subnet mask and gateway IP ad-

dress, choose OK at the bottom of the screen.

7. You’ll be asked if you’d like to reboot for changes

to take effect. select YES and connect the Ethernet

cable to your StudioEngine.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 7

Page 18

Secret Button Function: Here it is, the rst

of many “secret” controls hidden about Element and meant for your Engineering eyes only.

If, during bootup, you press the StudioEngine’s control knob within 6 secs of the initial screen display, you’ll be asked if you want to reset the front panel and HT TP passwords to factor y default. This is your “backdoor” into the system should you forget the login password to the front panel. Changing these passwords forces a reboot.

StudioEngine Channel Settings

For the next steps we’ll be using the StudioEngine’s

HTTP interface, so connect a computer loaded with

an Internet browser to the local switch. This computer

should have an IP address in the same range assigned to the Element and StudioEngine.

Note: Axia web interfaces have been tested with Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 5 or later, but may also work with other browsers.

Whatever browser you choose, Java must be

enabled and your pop-up blocker, if any, must be disabled in order to work with Axia

equipment.

Note that Windows Vista versions do not have

Java installed by default as in prior versions.

You must install the Sun Java package found at http://www.java.com .

Figure 1-15: StudioEngine Output conguration

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 8

In a Livewire network, individual devices (audio

nodes, studio controllers, etc.) are identied by unique IP addresses. But what about the audio streams these devices generate? Think about how many audio sources

and destinations there are in even a small studio — there

are a lot to keep track of. In the analog days, we’d afx

a numbered label to each cable that entered the terminal

room to identify each audio circuit. Obviously, we can’t

attach pieces of paper to digital packet streams, but we

can give each one a “label.”

We refer to these “labels” as Network Channel Num-

bers. Each Livewire system can support 32,766 channels

of audio, which enables us to give each audio source or

destination its own unique numeric channel number.

Note: 32,000+ channel numbers exceeds the average human’s R AM storage capacity. We recommend using a spreadsheet program — just to make sure you don’t generate painful readmemory register errors.

As soon as you connected your StudioEngine to the

network (following the steps in the previous section), it

began to generate audio using factory default channel numbers. To avoid conict with other studios, you must

change those default values to new channel numbers.

1. Open the browser on your computer and point it to the IP address you previously set for your StudioEngine.

Choose the

Program And Monitor Outputs menu

option to congure the output buses of the Element.

2. You’ll be prompted to enter a user name and pass-

Page 19

word. The default user name is “user”. Leave the

password eld blank.

3. You’ll see the screen shown in Figure 1-15, This

screen allows you to set channel numbers for all of

the audio outputs generated by Element; program

and record busses, monitor feeds, and talkback desti-

nations. Work down the list, assign each one a unique

channel number and record them in your channel

number log.

4. Find the column entitled Mode. Each Studio Engine

is shipped with the most common streams enabled

with

Live Stereo mode. Make sure all of your de-

sired streams are enabled.

5. Choose Apply.

A word about stream types: There are several different types of streams available in the

Mode drop-down box: Live Stereo and Stan- dard Stereo.

Live Stereo was previously referred to as Livestreams. Use Live Stereo streams when-

ever you need the lowest latency for on-air feeds, mic-to-headphone paths, etc.

Standard Stereo

compatibility with older PC systems, but the trade-off is that these streams have a higher

amount of latency.

is intended to provide the best

Advanced Settings

You’ve no doubt noticed that there are many more

options for your Element and StudioEngine than we’ve

covered here. That’s because Chapter One was meant to

get you up and running as quickly as possible. For

depth explanation of the other available settings,

an in-

please

refer to Chapter 8: Advanced Element Controls and

Chapter 9: StudioEngine Controls.

What’s Next

Take a break! You’re done with initial set-up of your

Element and StudioEngine.

When you’re ready, you may skip Chapter 2 (Power-

Station setup) and jump to Chapter 3: Working with

Sources for a walk through one of the most important

Element concepts: Source Proles.

Set Your Console Type

Note: Manual setting of console type is only necessary on Element consoles running software versions prior to v2.0. In Elements running v2.0 or higher, this setting will auto-detect.

Axia StudioEngines will work with different types of

consoles, so you need to tell it which type you’re pairing

it with.

1. Navigate to the “Engine ID” menu and nd the “Ap-

plication Interface Options” section. Be sure that

Element

2. Click

is checked for the “Console Type”.

Apply

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 9

Page 20

D igt res

re  ler DJs?

J Brary nws.

1: Element with StudioEngine: Setup & Connections • 10

Page 21

Chapter Two:

to it than just plug-and-play. After admiring these beau-

tiful pieces of hardware, you may be wondering what to

do next.

Element with PowerStation

Note: Chapter Two of this manual discusses system setup when using the Axia Element console with PowerStation. If your Element is being used with a PowerStation, this section is for you.

If you are using the Axia StudioEngine with your Element, please refer to Chapter 1.

Introduction

If you are starting here, you are the proud owner of

an Axia Element and a PowerStation. You have probably read the Quickstart section and are hungry for more

knowledge.

If your system consists of more than just a basic Ele-

ment console and PowerStation, you know there is more

But before you dig in, be advised that you need to

assemble the rest of your Livewire network rst. Because so much of the conguration process depends upon hav-

ing access to audio sources and destinations, you must

have a plan to connect and congure your other Axia peripherals (Audio Nodes, GPIO Nodes, etc.) according

to the instructions supplied with each. You should do this

prior to conguring the PowerStation,

The PowerStation Family

At this time, there are two products in the Power-

Station family, PowerStation MAIN and PowerStation AUX. PowerStation AUX, normally used as an expansion unit, is similar to PowerStation MAIN but it does not contain the CPU/DSP module and has a single Ethernet port. PowerStation AUX can be used as a standalone IO unit if desired. PowerStation MAIN and AUX

provide power supply redundancy to each other when

connected. We will do our best to indicate where features

apply to a specic model.

Figure 2-1: PowerStation MAIN and AUX - Block Diagrams

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 11

Page 22

The Basics

ue is set at 255.255.255.0 for intranet applications).

If you are using a single PowerStation with an Ele-

ment control surface, there is not too much planning re-

quired since the factory default conguration is designed

for out-of-box stand-alone operation. If, however, you

plan to interconnect your new PowerStation with other

Livewire gear in a larger network, you will need to be

A PowerStation MAIN with a PowerStation AUX

will require a range of four consecutive IP addresses. You will specify the rst of these addresses and the oth-

ers will be assigned automatically - be sure to accom-

modate these four consecutive addresses in your IP plan.

organized. This is no different than any other studio

project. Lets have a peek under the hood and see what

the PowerStation can do. Figure 2-1 illustrates the building blocks of the PowerStation MAIN and PowerStation AUX.

The PowerStation inputs are the sources in your

studio such as microphones, cd players and other audio playback devices The audio outputs of the PowerSta-

tion will be connected to control room monitors, preview

(cue) speaker, headphones ampliers and possibly some

audio recording devices. These external audio devices

may be analog or AES devices as shown in Figure 2-1.

The GPIO ports are used for control interfaces with

other external devices such as air lights, recorders and

CD players,

The 100 Mbps Ethernet ports may be used to connect

Unicast vs. Multicast IP Addresses: Data is routed over IP networks in one of two ways: point-to-point unicast or multicast.

192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255. These IP ad-

dresses have been set aside specically for use

with local networks.

Multicast allows efcient one-to-many connections, so Livewire uses that for its audio streams, source advertising, and synchronization signals. You do not need to assign these multicast addresses because the system does this automaticall y.

For more information on network construction, please refer to our companion Introduction to Livewire: System Design Reference and Primer available at https://www.telosalliance.com/Axia .

PCs running Axia’s IP-Audio driver or expand your system by adding other Livewire devices such as Axia 8x8 nodes or a PowerStation AUX.

When you install the PowerStation, please mount it

in an equipment rack that has free air ow. DO NOT obstruct the air ow to the PowerStation since it is depen-

The 1000 Mbps Ethernet ports are used to connect to

your PowerStation to other PowerStation MAIN units or

an Ethernet core switch.

dent on convection cooling. The PowerStation does not

have any fans so you can use it in a quiet studio environ-

ment but you MUST provide adequate ventilation. Do not obstruct the air ow above or below the PowerSta-

The remaining connectors are used to connect your

tion. Those vents serve a very important purpose.

control surface and its DVI-D monitor.

To install the Element control surface in your studio

Getting Prepared

Before you dive into the hardware, you’ll need to de-

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 12

subnet mask settings at the same time (typically this val-

furniture, you’ll need to prepare a cutout in the counter

top. A dimensional drawing with all pertinent measurements is found in Appendix A: Specications. Make

certain that there’s adequate clearance inside the furni-

ture for the required power cable entry into the console;

knockout plugs are located at both bottom rear corners of

Element for cable routing access.

Page 23

PowerStation’s conguration is web-based, so

you’ll need a computer with a web browser. Any

current desktop or notebook PC with an Ethernet port and a standard Internet browser with Java

support is acceptable.

Figure 2-2: PowerSt ation Front Panel Indicators

For Livewire network cable connections, CAT-5e Ethernet cable is required however many use CAT-6 since it is readily available at a slightly higher cost. For

greater detail on cable selections, we recommend you

read The Axia Guide to Choosing Category Cable available from https://www.telosalliance.com/Axia .

In a larger network with a core switch, always make

certain that power has been applied to your core Eth-

ernet switch and that the switch is properly congured

for multicast as recommended by Axia before powering

your other Axia components.

PowerStation - Front Panel

The indicator panel of the PowerStation MAIN, shown here in Figure 2-2, is very clean. Sorry - there are no controls for you to push or turn. All conguration and

setup is performed in software through the web browser interface. The PowerStation AUX is very similar. Differ-

ences are noted in the following section.

Front Panel Indicators

Even though there are no knobs or dials, the front

panel has some very useful indicators that tell you about

the health and status of your PowerStation. In all cases, solid GREEN indicates normal operating conditions.

the redundant power supply and return a GREEN status

for a single power supply.

LINK (PowerStation AUX only)

When illuminated continuously, this LED indicates that the PowerStation’s Ethernet section is functioning and that the PowerStation’s network devices are linked.

LIVEWIRE

This indicates that Livewire network trafc present

and multicast streams are properly advertised.

MASTER

Solid GREEN indicates the PowerStation a synchronized as a Master clock to the Livewire network. All other devices should then be reporting Sync or Slave. There should be only one Master clock device in a Livewire

network at any given time.

SYNC

Solid GREEN indicates the PowerStation a synchro-

nized as a slave to the Livewire network and the clock

is locked. Flashing GREEN indicates sync packets are being received, but not locked yet. For the sake of illustration, both Master and Sync are illuminated in Figure 2-2. This condition should never exist in the real world since a Livewire device is either a master or a sync slave;

never both.

PSU

This is a general health indicator for the PowerStation’s power supply. Solid GREEN is the normal state. A RED LED indicates a power supply or fuse fault. If you are using the backup power provided by a PowerStation AUX, solid GREEN indicates normal health. If the AUX power LED is ORANGE, the fault is with the PowerStation MAIN. If a PowerStation MAIN is being used without an AUX unit, a conguration checkbox located in the MixEngine Options web page, will disable the check for

OK (PowerStation MAIN only)

Solid GREEN indicates the PowerStation MAIN is in a normal state of health. Since several internal conditions are monitored, a RED OK indicator can mean one

or more of several abnormal conditions. A correctable

fault condition will be an over-temperature alarm. Check

to ensure the unit has adequate air ow and that the heat

sinks are only slightly warm - never hot.

Contact Axia tech support for additional assistance.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 13

Page 24

Figure 2-3: PowerStation MAIN Rear Panel Connections

PowerStation - Rear Panel

As you can see in Figure 2-3, there are no switches

or controls on the PowerStation rear panel. All setup is

performed with software. The rear panel consists of only

connectors and indicators.

Power

There are two power connectors on the PowerSta-

tion. PSU1 (MAIN) is the standard IEC receptacle for

your mains power. This is auto-sensing for voltages in

the range from 100 to 240 VAC.

The second power supply connection is labelled

PSU2 (BACKUP). It is to be used only in conjunction with a PowerStation AUX chassis. This is a type 7W2 DB-combo connector to be used exclusively for this purpose. If there is a failure of either the PowerStation MAIN or AUX’s power supply, it will automatically uti-

lize backup power provided by this connector and the

PSU indicator on the front panel will indicate the failure

condition.

Do not connect the PSU2 connector to any device other than a PowerStation MAIN or AUX chassis. If you are connecting an AUX to a “hot” MAIN, be sure the AUX unit is powered up by rst connecting PSU1 to

your mains power supply.

Audio Connections

The PowerStation’s rear panel contains all of the connectors used for audio I/O, Ethernet, GPIO, power

supply and the connections to your Element control sur-

face. Note that we use RJ-45 connectors are used for four

purposes:

• Analog audio inputs and outputs

• AES audio inputs and outputs

• CANBus (Element internal modules and exter-

nal accessory panels)

• Ethernet (some with PoE - Power over Ethernet)

It is important to follow the proper conventions for

wiring these connectors and ensure that the connector

functions are not confused as some damage may result

with improper connections.

Note: The PowerStation MAIN and AUX provide backup power to each other. The failure of a power supply in either a MAIN or AUX unit will cause it to automatically and seamlessly use the backup power supplied by the remaining healthy unit.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 14

Analog and AES Audio

The connector pin functions shown in Figure 2-4 are the same for both the AES and Analog inputs and out-

puts.

Page 25

INPUT CONNECTORS

Pin Function Analog/AES

1 Left Ch. Input + / A ES +

2 Left Ch. Input - / A ES -

3 Right Channel Input +

4 Not Connected

5 Not Connected

6 Right Channel Input -

7 Not Connected

8 Not Connected

Figure 2-4: Analog and AES Audio Connec tor

Pin-Outs

Microphone

There are two XLR-F connectors on the rear panel

that are designed for microphone inputs. These con-

nectors use the standard wiring convention for a 3-pin XLR audio connector. These connectors may have 48volt Phantom Power enabled via the PowerStation’s web page conguration so take appropriate precautions if you

connect anything other than a microphone to these inputs

when Phantom Power is enabled.

Chapter 4: Conguring GPIO provides the details.

Ethernet Connections

The PowerStation MAIN has three types of Ethernet

connections and it is important to use them as intended

since the internal Ethernet switch is congured in a specic manner. The types of connectors available are:

• 100 Mbps PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) ports are

designed to be used with future Livewire prod-

ucts that will not use an external power supply

but rather obtain their power over Ethernet from

one of these special Ethernet ports.

• 100 Mbps Ethernet standard ports are used to

connect PC’s or other Livewire devices to your

Livewire network. These devices might include

additional Livewire nodes or PC’s running the Axia IP-Audio driver.

• 1000 Mbps ports (GIGABIT PORTS) are used for connections to other PowerStations or for

connections to an Ethernet core switch as de-

scribed below.

GPIO Connections

The PowerStation MAIN and AUX each include four GPIO ports wired in the same conguration as GPIO ports on other Axia products. Please refer to Chapter 4:

Conguring GPIO for the functions of these ports and

wiring diagrams for the DB-15 connectors.

In most cases, a GPIO port will be associated with

a single source such as a cd player, studio microphone,

profanity delay, etc. PathnderPC may also be used to monitor and control GPIO for advanced applications.

Figure 2-5: GPIO Connector Pin-Outs

The interconnections to GPIO ports will vary de-

pending on the type external equipment being used and

whether or not voltage is supplied by an external device.

In addition to its audio and PSU connections, the PowerStation AUX unit has a single 100 Mbps Ethernet connection that is intended to be connected to a 100Mbps port on its associated PowerStation MAIN.

There are a few different congurations for the two 1000 Mbps Ethernet ports on your PowerStation MAIN.

PowerStation Ring

In this mode, the 1000 Mbps Ethernet ports will be looped to other PowerStation Main units in a ring conguration. Up to four PowerStation MAIN chassis may

be connected in this manner. This mode provides for

Ethernet fault tolerance using standard Spanning Tree Protocol. The failure or disconnection of any PowerSta-

tion will not affect the operation of others and any audio

from common sources connected to an operating PowerStation will continue uninterrupted.

Ethernet Core Switch

Trunk mode for an uplink port supports the connec-

tion of a PowerStation to a 1000 Mbps port on a properly congured Ethernet core switch.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 15

Page 26

Figure 2-3: PowerStation AUX Rear Panel Connections

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 16

Other Ethernet Congurations

The conguration of a system using redundant core

switches and other fault tolerant congurations is pos-

sible. Contact Axia technical support or your network

administrator for guidance. See Chapter 10: Power

Station Controls for more details on Ethernet.

SFP Modules

Both 1000 Mbps Ethernet ports are equipped with SFP (Small Form Pluggable) slots that can be used for media converters. Some facilities have Ethernet runs that could exceed 100 meters. Since 100 meters is the maximum distance allowed for UTP cable, a ber trunk must used in these cases and various SFP modules provide an inexpensive way to connect to this ber-optic cable. Note that the SFP modules cannot be used at the same time as the 1000 Mbps copper ports since these are dual-

purpose ports, not independent ports.

Please refer to Chapter 10: PowerStation Controls for more details on Ethernet port conguration.

USB

The USB port on the PowerStation MAIN will be

used for other features that may be added in the future.

USB features are not currently implemented.

Element Console Connections

PowerStation MAIN includes two connections for

use in conjunction with your Element control surface.

PowerStation AUX provides I/O expansion and re-

dundant power capabilities only, and cannot be connect-

ed directly to an Element control surface.

DVI Monitor

This is a DVI-D connector used to connect the video

display associated with your Element console.

Important: If your display has only analog VGA or DVI-A, it is not suitable for use with a PowerStation. DVI-D is required.

Most monitors currently available are equipped for DVI-D. Be sure to check this detail prior to purchasing a monitor for your PowerStation. The cable length should be a maximum 5 meters to be compliant with the DVI-D specication. The display resolution is 1024 x 768.

Note: Be sure your DVI-D monitor is connected

and turned ON when the PowerStation is pow-

ered up. The PowerStation’s video output may

be disabled if a monitor is not detected on boot-

up.

DC/CAN Surface

This connector is a 6-pin Molex connector that is used to provide DC power (48 vdc) plus CANBus data to your Element control surface. Use the cable provided

with your control surface. If you require a longer cable

Page 27

or a cable for a “split” console conguration, please con-

tact your Axia sales representative.

Your control surface must be connected to a PowerStation MAIN using only the supplied 6-conductor cable. Refer to Figure 2-8 in the following section.

When you connected the cable to the Element as described above, you no doubt noticed some RJ-45 con-

nectors in the vicinity. This is your CANBus distribution hub. Do NOT connect any Ethernet cables to the CAN-

Bus distribution hub that is inside the Element. This hub

is for CANBus connections only and may cause damage

to other equipment. The RJ-45 connector is used to distribute 48 VDC to the CANBus modules and accessory

panels.

What is CANBus? Controller Area Network

(CAN) is a multicast shared serial bus standard,

originally developed in the 1980s by Robert

Bosch GmbH, for connecting electronic control

units (ECUs). Although initially created for au-

tomotive purposes, nowadays it is used in many

embedded control applications.

The CAN data link layer protocol is standardized

in ISO 11898-1 (2003).

Important: Element is a drop-in style control surface and requires a counter top cutout. For cutout dimensions, please refer to Appendix A.

Connections

Cable connections for Element are entirely different

from any other mixing surface you may be familiar with.

There are no audio inputs or outputs; Element needs only a single data / power connection to operate.

Important: Your Element console MUST be grounded. Grounding reduces the risk of elec-

tric shock by providing a “path of least resistance” for electric current. Improper grounding can result in a risk of electric shock.

Check with a qualied electrician if you are in

doubt about how to properly ground this equipment. If your local elec trical code prohibits the use of a Station Ground for this purpose, as de-

scribed above, use the specic “Safety Ground”

your local regulations mandate.

Element with PowerStation: Setup

If you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to get your

Element out of its packing crate. This can be a two-per-

son job, so grab a partner.

Important: Like any electronic device, Element

can be affected by static electricity. Use of a

personal grounding device is strongly recom-

mended while handling the unit.

Position one person at each end of Element and,

grasping the metal enclosure at the bottom, simulta-

neously lift upward out of the shipping crate. Remove

packing materials and store them in the crate for future

use. Carefully lower Element into your counter top cut-

out, taking care to lower both sides at an equal rate to

avoid becoming jammed in the millwork.

Figure 2-6: Accessing Element’s connection panel.

Element must be connected to a grounded metal

permanent wiring system or other equipment grounding

conductor using the threaded grounding stud located in-

side the connections bay. Open the bay by ipping open the overbridge above the faders, as shown in Figure 2-7. For ground sources, we recommend, in order of prefer-

ence:

» “Station Ground,” the heavy copper strap found

in the walls and oors of many radio studios.

» AC Safety Ground — the “3rd prong” of a nearby

outlet.

» A bonded electrical conduit.

#12 AWG GREEN stranded wire is the minimum

wire gauge acceptable for grounding Element.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 17

Page 28

“Capturing” Your Console

If you have carefully followed to steps on the preced-

ing pages, it is now time to apply power. Connect PSU1 and watch as your PowerStation and Element come to

life.

Figure 2-7: Locating the grounding stud.

One end of the Element power / communication cable is tted with a strain relief. Connect this end to the Molex connector on the back of the PowerStation MAIN. Connect the other end to the Molex socket on the

Element connection panel.

Figure 2-8: Detail of data/communication cable ends.

Upon power-up of your Element, some or all of

the alphanumeric displays above the faders may read

INACTIVE. Before you can use your Element, you will

need to run the Capture routine.

Figure 2-10: Identifying the Standard Monitor Module

(left) and Monitor + 2-Fader Module (right).

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 18

Figure 2-9: Element connection panel. Circled

connector is for power/data cable; RJ-45’s connect to

fader and accessory modules.

A DVI-D compatible monitor must be connected to

the DVI-D connector on the back of the PowerStation.

This monitor displays metering, a clock and lots of other

user interface information.

IMPORTANT: Element’s power cable is also host

to all data communication between the actual

surface and its CPU (housed in the Element Pow-

er Supply/GPIO Node) by CANBus technology; it

does not require a separate Ethernet connection.

Never connect any of the RJ-45 ports on

the Element connection panel to an Eth-

ernet switch. These ports are for connection

of Element fader and accessory modules only;

connecting them to a powered Ethernet switch

could damage the board’s electronics and void

your warranty.

“Press and hold” the * and 2 keys on the Monitor

Module for 5 seconds. The alphanumeric displays above

the facers will change to read Capture.

Now, you will want to verify that LED displays above

the faders display the channel numbers in the order you

desire. If not, you can adjust them individually using the

PGM1 and PGM2 buttons above each fader to change the

channel number to the one you desire.

When you’re done adjusting channel number dis-

plays, press the 8 (enter) or # (if you have a Monitor +2-fader module) key to exit Capture Mode. Your Ele-

ment hardware is now ready to use.

Hello Moto: If you have motorized faders, you can “mirror” other motorized faders while you

Page 29

are in Capture Mode. A motorized fader that is

“slaved” to a master fader will move automati-

cally to mirror the movements of the master.

Mirrored faders both control gain for the same

source, but the master can override the setting

of the slave — useful for “split” Element setups

where talent has a local set of faders that may

be used to control certain sources, but you still

want the Board Operator to have master control.

To mirror a fader, press the Options key above

the fader you wish to make the “slave”. An apos-

trophe (‘) will be displayed next to its numeric

indicator. Pressing the fader’s PGM1 and PGM2

keys will change the numeric indicator, indicating

the “Master” to which this fader is now slaved; a

display reading 2’ means that the fader is slaved

to fader 2.

Pressing the Options key again returns the fad-

er to non-mirrored mode.

Short Navigation Tutorial

There are several different ways to change on-screen

options. The rst way is with Element’s SoftKnobs, located directly above the Monitor Module and shown in Figure 2-11.

Note that there are sometimes functions shown both

above and below the on-screen SoftKnobs. When a func-

tion is presented above the knob, turning that knob ac-

complishes that function. When a function is presented

below the knob, pushing in gently on the corresponding

SoftKnob activates that function. The example shown in Figure 2-14 is from the IP Address Book screen - rotate to “select”; push to “take”.

If your Element is equipped with the standard Moni-

tor Module, you can also navigate using the control knob,

directional keys and Enter key located at the lower right-

hand corner of the module, as shown in Figure 2-10.

Additionally, whenever numeric input is required

(like entering IP addresses), you can use the numeric keypad located just above the Navigation Keys (Figure 2-13) to enter numbers directly.

Figure 2-11: Element SoftKnobs.

If your Element is equipped the standard Monitor module, you will have six SoftKnobs as shown. The 2-fader Master module has three SoftKnobs. These

knobs are context-sensitive. When any of Element’s set-

up modes are activated using the options keys on the fad-

ers or Master Module, you’ll see a corresponding row of “knobs” represented onscreen, as shown in Figure 2-12.

Figure 2-12: On-screen Sof tKnobs.

Figure 2-13: Master Module numeric keypad.

IP Address Conguration

Using your IP Assignment Worksheet, you’ll now choose an IP address for your PowerStation. Note that since the PowerStation MAIN is a multi-function unit, it will actually utilize three IP addresses. The rst ad-

dress is assigned to the Element console. Once this as-

signment has taken effect, the next two addresses will

be assigned to the PowerStation Ethernet switch and the I/O section. For example, if you assign 192.168.0.100 to the Element, the PowerStation will automatically assign 192.168.0.101 to its internal Ethernet switch and

192.168.0.102 to its I/O module. If a PowerStation AUX is connected, 192.168.0.103 would automatically be assigned to the AUX unit. Be sure to accommodate these IP addresses in you IP scheme.

A PowerStation AUX may be used as a standalone

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 19

Page 30

unit. In this case, you will use its factory-assigned IP address to access the unit for conguration with your web browser. You may change the standalone PowerStation AUX IP address to match your IP scheme.

Factory default IP address is 192.168.2.50.

Multiple PowerStations? If you are congur- ing multiple units, we strongly recommend that you proceed by connecting only one system at a

time. That way you will not have IP conicts and

any PowerStation AUX units will automatically be paired with the correc t PowerStation MAIN.

If your system employs an Ethernet core switch, it

must have an IP address that is lower than any PowerStation units. This function of the IGMP standard ensures

that the multicast querier is handled by the core switch if

one exists and passed off transparently to another switch

should the core switch fail or be disconnected.

again to “take” the new IP value. Repeat this process to

set the subnet mask value.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 20

Note: “Gateway” settings on PowerStation

equipment are required. The Gateway may be used by PowerStation during IP address setup. A valid Gateway also enables access the Pow-

erStation’s conguration utility remotely, from

outside your network and the use of an external NTP server. Enter the IP address of your master router (the one with external network connections) whenever you’re given the option to enter a gateway IP address.

Note: Element v2.x software supports redun-

dant NTP servers. Use the second eld in the IP

Address Book to enter the address of a backup server.

Setting IP using the Standard Monitor Module

When the PowerStation has completed its start cycle

(meter screen appears), nd the section marked Global

Options on the Monitor Module. Press and hold the key

marked Fader Options located in the top right corner of the module (or press * and 4 and 7) for ve seconds to

enter the IP Address Book (Figure 2-14).

To set the IP address, rotate the left-most SoftKnob

to highlight the line titled “Element IP Address” and

push the knob to select that line. Now use the numeric

pad to enter the IP address. Press the leftmost SoftKey

Figure 2-14: IP Address Book

Continue down the screen and, in the same way, enter

the other elds’ values as appropriate.

• Rotate the Select/Set SoftKnob to scroll through

the list of available options. To select an option to

modify, push this knob. While modifying an options,

rotate the knob to change an option’s value, and push

the knob to move to the next eld. Options include:

» Element IP Address: Every piece of Livewire

gear must have its own unique IP Address. Set the IP Address for each Element in this eld.

» Subnet Mask: Enter your network’s subnet

mask value here, usually 255.255.255.0

» Gateway IP Address: To enable IP congura-

tion and remote administration of your Livewire

network or an external NTP server, you’ll need a network gateway. Usually this will be the IP ad-

dress of your router.

Page 31

Important: Your Gateway Subnet Mask should be set within the same subnet as the PowerStation, even if you have no gateway installed.

» Engine IP Address: Not required for PowerSta-

tion - do not change the factory default value.

» 1st NTP Server IP Address: Element supports

NTP (Network Time Protocol) timekeeping to

synchronize time-of-day clocks across your facility. If you have an NTP server, enter its IP Ad-

dress here.

» 2nd NTP Server IP Address: Element v2.x

software supports redundant NTP servers. Enter the IP Address of your backup server here.

» Web Page User Password: You can password-

protect your Element’s web server connection by

entering a numeric password here.

Note: If you set a password for HT TP access, you will not see your password displayed in this

eld upon re-entering the IP Address book. This

is a security feature intended to prevent “overthe-shoulder” password theft.

• If you want to reverse changes you’ve made and

haven’t saved, press the Undo knob to erase

them.

• Press Save to save changes you’ve made.

• Reboot immediately reboots the PowerStation.

Note: After making changes to any Element IP address settings, you must reboot the console. Use the “REBOOT” soft key to begin an immediate reboot sequence.

Setting IP using the Monitor+ 2-Fader Module

When the PowerStation has completed its start cycle

(meter screen appears), nd the numeric keypad at the top right of the Monitor Module. Press and hold the *

(star), “7” & “4” keys simultaneously for ve seconds

to enter the IP Address Book (Figure 2-15).

To set the IP address, rotate the left-most SoftKnob

to highlight the line titled “Element IP Address” and

push the knob to select that line. Now use the numeric

pad to enter the IP address. Press the leftmost SoftKey again to “take” the new IP value. Repeat this process to

set the subnet mask value.

Figure 2-15: IP Address Book

Continue down the screen and, in the same way, enter

the other elds’ values as appropriate.

• Rotate the Select/Set SoftKnob to scroll through

the list of available options. To select an option to

modify, push this knob. While modifying an options,

rotate the knob to change an option’s value, and push

the knob to move to the next eld. Available options

include:

» Element IP Address: Every piece of Livewire

gear must have its own unique IP Address. Set the IP Address for each Element in this eld.

» Subnet Mask: Enter your network’s subnet

mask value here, usually 255.255.255.0

» Gateway IP Address: To enable IP congura-

tion and remote administration of your Livewire

network, you’ll need a network gateway. Usually this will be the IP address of your router.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 21

Page 32

Important: Your Gateway Subnet Mask should be set within the same subnet as the PowerStation, even if you have no gateway installed.

» Engine IP Address: Not required for PowerSta-

tion - do not change the factory default value.

» 1st NTP Server IP Address: Element supports

NTP (Network Time Protocol) timekeeping to

synchronize time-of-day clocks across your facility. If you have an NTP server, enter its IP Ad-

dress here.

» 2nd NTP Server IP Address: Element v2.x

software supports redundant NTP servers. Enter the IP Address of your backup server here.

» Web Page User Password: You can password-

protect your Element’s web server connection by

entering a numeric password here.

Note: If you set a password for HT TP access, you will not see your password displayed in this

eld upon re-entering the IP Address book. This

is a security feature intended to prevent “overthe-shoulder” password theft.

Other Advanced Options

What about making changes to monitors and meters, you may ask? The detailed conguration of tim-

ers, clock, monitors and metering is not necessary for

basic setup but this is important stuff too! Please refer to

Chapter 5 - Element Operation where these topics are

discussed in depth.

Now that your Element has a basic conguration, the next section will walk you through setting up your PowerStation.

• Rotating the Action knob chooses between the fol-

lowing options:

» Save stores the changes you’ve made to the IP

Address Book.

» Undo reverses any changes you’ve made if you

haven’t yet saved them.

» Reboot immediately reboots the PowerSta-

tion.

• Press the Exit knob to leave the IP Address Book at

any time without saving your changes.

Note: After making changes to any IP address settings, you must save your changes and reboot the PowerStation. Use the “REBOOT” sof t key to begin an immediate reboot sequence.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 22

Page 33

PowerStation Setup

Connections and IP Conguration

In previous sections we discussed the physical con-

nections to your PowerStation. In the last section, we discussed how to assign an IP address to your PowerStation. Once you have assigned an IP address, you can

connect a PC to a port on the PowerStation’s Ethernet switch. Make sure the IP address of the PC is in the same range of the address as that chosen for your PowerStation. For example, if the address chosen for the PowerStation is 192.168.0.100, the address chosen for your PC must also start with 192.168.0 followed by 3 digits that

are not already in use by another device.

There are no switches or knobs on the

PowerStation, all settings are congured in the PowerStation’s web pages. No special-

ized software is required and you can use

any PC (Windows, Mac or Linux) to congure your PowerStation through the HTTP

interface.

All Axia IP addresses are assigned and

managed manually. This gives you complete

control of your address scheme and also per-

mits you to set up a series of browser book-

marks to quickly access your PowerStation

and other Axia devices. Obviously, your

PC’s network connection is an important connection since it is through the PowerSta-

tion’s web pages that all other settings are

manipulated.

Figure 2-17: PowerStation Home Page

Note: Axia web interfaces have been tested with Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 5 or later) but also work with other browsers including Firefox.

Whatever browser you choose, Java

must be enabled and your pop-up blocker, if any, must be disabled

in order to work with Axia equipment.

Note that Windows Vista versions do not have Java installed by default as in prior versions. You must install the Sun Java package found at http://www.java. com .

Livewire Source Channels

The rst step to setting a networked au-

dio system is to identify the network audio

sources. The PowerStation’s home page is shown in Figure 2-17.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 23

Page 34

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 24

In a Livewire network, individual devices (audio

nodes, studio controllers, etc.) are identied by unique IP addresses. But what about the audio streams these devices generate? Think about how many audio sources

and destinations there are in even a small studio — there

are a lot to keep track of. In the analog days, we’d afx

a numbered label to each cable that entered the terminal

room to identify each audio circuit. Obviously, we can’t

attach pieces of paper to digital packet streams, but we

can still give each one a unique “label.”

We refer to these “labels” as Network Channel Num-

bers. Each Livewire system can support up to 32,766

channels of audio, which enables us to give each audio

source its own unique numeric Livewire channel num-

ber.

As soon as you power up your PowerStation, it may

begin to generate audio using factory default channel

numbers. These numbers are acceptable for a stand-

alone, single studio however if you have more than one

studio, you must change those default values to new

channel numbers to avoid conict with other studios. All

Livewire Channel numbers within a Livewire network

must be unique.

Lets take a look at the HTTP interface to the PowerStation and discuss the Livewire Channel settings. Figure 2-17 shows the “home page” of the PowerStation. From here we can navigate to other pages where we will congure Sources, Destinations, GPIO and other system

parameters. In this chapter, we will concentrate on the

Sources and Destinations. See Chapter 10: PowerSta-

tion Controls for other advanced settings.

Let’s proceed to congure our sources!

Source Conguration - I/O Subsystem

1. Open the web browser on your computer and point it to the IP address you previously set for your PowerStation MAIN.

2. You’ll be prompted to enter a user name and pass-

word. The default user name is “user”. Leave the

password eld blank.

3. Choose the I/O Subsystem - MAIN or AUX menu option to congure the I/O sections of the PowerStation. The user interface for

is identical.

4. Select

Sources

to proceed to the source setup page.

You will now see the Sources section as shown in Figure 2-18. By default some source channel numbers and types may already be assigned; you can change these to t into your own channel numbering

plan.

Note: The PowerStation has two different types

of audio sources. Some audio sources originate with

the rear panel input connectors. Other audio sources

(PGM1, PGM2, etc) are generated internally by the PowerStation’s DSP - the MixEngine. There are several parameters associated with the PowerStation Sources.

This section will discuss each of these in detail. We rec-

ommend that you congure all Livewire sources before you attempt to congure any Destinations. First we will

consider the sources that originate at the rear panel con-

nectors; the PowerStation I/O.

Source Name

Each Source needs a name so you will know what it

is and where it is located. We suggest that you make this

name as descriptive as possible. Don’t make it too brief.

As an example, don’t just name MIC-3 because that

doesn’t tell you enough. Use something more descriptive

like Studio-4 Mic-3 since this will tell you the loca-

tion of the source as well as describe the type of source.

Livewire names can contain any printable character and

can be up to 24 characters long.

Channel

This is where you will enter the unique Livewire

channel number we discussed briey a couple of pages

back. This number must be unique and must be less than

MAIN or AUX units

Page 35

32,766. Many Axia users nd

it helpful to choose a number

that is related to the unit’s IP address. For example, if the IP address of the PowerStation I/O is 192.168.0.123, you might assign Livewire channels 12301 through 12308 to these sources.

Sharable

This setting is for backward

compatibility only. It should always be set to No for your Pow-

erStation.

Stream Mode

This setting determines the

type of stream that you will be

Figure 2-18: PowerStation AUX I/O Source Conguration

delivering to the Livewire net-

work. As a general guideline,

microphones, codecs and phone sources are usually

Live Stereo for lowest latency. CD’s, satellite feeds and

computer sources are usually set to Standard Stereo.

A word about stream types: There are currently three choices available in the Mode dropdown box: Live Stereo and Standard Stereo

Disabled.

and

Live Stereo was previously referred to as Livestreams. Use Live Stereo streams when-

ever you need the lowest latency for on-air feeds, mic-to-headphone paths, etc.

Standard Stereo

compatibility with older PC systems, but the trade-off is that these streams have a higher

amount of latency.

is intended to provide the best

We suggest that any sources not in use should be set

Disabled.

This will preserve bandwidth plus make

your setup less complicated.

Input Gain

This setting allows you to match the level of your

source so that the levels of the Livewire streams are stan-

dardized within the system. A gain of 0 can be used for sources that are already operating at +4dB. Microphones

need approximately 50 dB of gain however this varies

widely depending on the microphone. Other sources

may need a bit of gain tweaking to get their levels nor-

malized. Be sure to click Apply before you wander off to

another page - this will save your settings.

You may nd it more convenient to use the Meters

page to set your Source Input Gain. This page provides

you with a visual reference.

Phantom Power

If you are using condenser microphones and you

are not using outboard microphone processors, you

will probably need to enable Phantom Power. While it is not necessary to use Phantom Power with dynamic

microphones, it should not be harmful to dynamic mi-

crophones if Phantom Power is enabled. Do not enable Phantom Power on channels using external microphone

processors as this may cause damage to those units.

Consult the technical manuals for your microphones and

any outboard processors to ensure you have correctly

congured the PowerStation’s Phantom Power option.

AES Mode

AES sources include an additional setting that con-

gures the sample-rate convertors for these sources.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 25

Page 36

There are two possible settings:

• Asynchronous – this is the usual setting and en-

ables sample rate conversion. Any valid AES

source can be used in this mode without con-

cerns about dropouts due to mismatched clocks.

• Synchronous – This setting may be used for

standalone AES nodes but is not suitable for a standalone PowerStation since the PowerStation cannot sync to an external AES clock.

Source Conguration - MixEngine

The PowerStation includes an integrated Studio Mix Engine. This section of the PowerStation creates all of the Program Bus sources that are delivered to the net-

work as well as those sources associated with monitor and headphone feeds. Figure 2-19 shows the congura-

tion web page for this section. To get to this page, select

Mix Engine - Prog and Monitor Out.

Channel Name and Number

This section is where you specify the Livewire chan-

nel number. You will observe that the names are pre-

determined and cannot be changed. As discussed in the

previous section, the channel number can be any number

from 1 to 32,766. You may wish to follow the convention

of using the last octet as a “base” for your Livewire chan-

nel numbers. For example, if the Element IP address is

192.168.0.100, you may use 10001 through 10018 for the Livewire channel assignments of the Program and Mon i-

tor channels. The numbering convention easily extends

to the VMIX and VMODE sections that are discussed

later in Chapter 7: Virtual Mixer (VMIX).

Figure 2-19: PowerStation Engine Source

Conguration

Mode

The Mode function here is identical to that described in the I/O section. Live Stereo should be used for any

sources in your air chain or monitoring chain as this will

minimize latency. Standard Stereo is frequently used

for Record busses, Talkback and Studio functions. Other

options include Surround and Disabled.

Status

This box allows you to view the status of the Program and Monitor audio streams. You should see OK for

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 26

streams that are enabled and the box should be blank for

any streams that are disabled.

Audio

This area provides you with a visible indicator for the

presence or absence of audio as well as an overall indication of level. In Figure 2-19 you can observe several bus-

ses that are active and levels are normal as indicated by

the

green

low

. If levels are excessive, the color will change to

color. If levels are high, the

audio

box is

yel-

red

Page 37

Other Sources: The PowerSta-

tion has other sources that may be

congured in its VMIX and VMODE

sections. Please see Chapter 7:

Virtual Mixer for more details.

Integrated Omnia Processing

Some of the PowerStation’s DSP

has been assigned the task of audio

processing. Some of the famous Omnia

technology has been incorporated into

this section.

You have two

Process

options:

You may process only CR headphones for any selection (PGM-1, PGM-2, etc) or you may process PGM-1 in all moni-

toring paths. This second selection is

commonly used since it allows you to

Figure 2-20: PowerStation I/O Destination Conguration

process all PGM-1 monitoring whether it is CR monitors, CR headphones, CR guest headphones or Studio guests. This simulates a

processed off-air feed that most radio personalities will

prefer.

There are currently three

Preset

processing options:

Bypass, SmoothHeadphones and HotHeadphones.

These descriptions are self-explanatory.

Destination Conguration

Each PowerStation I/O section has eight local au-

dio outputs to which you may deliver various Livewire

audio streams. This concept of delivering streams to a

physical output is the reason we prefer to use the term

Destinations to describe these outputs. As you night

have guessed, there are other places where we use desti-

nations and they are not associated with a physical out-

put.

The setup of the PowerStation destinations is very similar to an Axia 8x8 node. The conguration page for Destinations is shown in Figure 2-20.

Name

User-dened. Most people ne it useful to describe

the equipment to which the destination is connected, for

example Studio 4 CR Monitor.

Channel

The Channel will be determined by the Livewire

channel you wish to deliver to this destination. You

may enter the Channel Number directly if you happen

to know the Livewire channel number or you may use

the pop-up box to select the appropriate Livewire source.

Once you make your selection (and appreciate the de-

scriptive name you used to identify the source!), click

Apply to conrm and save the Destination setting.

Typ e

The Type eld identies whether the destination is a

“from source” or “to source” output. Lets briey review

this concept.

You will recall from the Introduction to Livewire;

System Design Reference & Primer manual that Livewire

permits special bidirectional streams for use in cases

where a source and destination are associated, such as a

codec or hybrid. The return feed to such devices is usual-

ly a mix-minus (clean feed) generated by a mixer or mix

engine fed back to the device that is the primary audio

source (and usually the name of the stream in question).

You can create a bidirectional Livewire channel (includ-

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 27

Page 38

ing associated GPIO) with a single channel number!

What does this all mean in practice? If the destination is a codec or hybrid you’ll set the Destination Type

to To Source and use the same Channel number as the

stream representing the Codec or Hybrids output (the

caller or far end codec audio). This sends a backfeed to that device. Other destinations such as CR Monitor, Pro-

gram feeds to processor, etc will always be designated as

From Source.

Output Load

This option is only available on the analog destina-

tions screen. This setting has two options. The usual se-

lection is Hi-Z and is used when the outputs are fed to High impedance destination devices. This has been the

normal case for many years. When the node is feeding

legacy equipment with 600 Ohm inputs, the 600 ohm

option should be selected. This boosts the node’s output

level by ~1 dB to maintain true +4 dB levels into 600

Ohm equipment to ensure unity gain. The audio clipping

point remains at 24 dB.

Note that output load is not congurable for AES

destinations.

Advanced Settings

You’ve no doubt noticed that there are many more

options for your PowerStation than we’ve covered here. That’s because Chapter 2 was meant to get you up and running as quickly as possible. For more advanced infor-

mation, please refer to:

Chapter 4: GPIO Conguration

Chapter 7:Virtual Mixer (VMIX)

For

an in-depth explanation of the other advanced

settings for your Element, StudioEngine and PowerSta-

tion,

please refer to Chapters 8, 9 and 10, respectively,

of this manual.

What’s Next?

Take a break! You’re done with initial set-up. When

you’re ready, continue to Chapter 3 to walk through one of the most important Element concepts: Source Proles.

2: Element with PowerStation: Setup and Connections • 28

Gain

Not all equipment is designed to operate at our nomi-

nal system level of +4 dBv. This setting allows to you trim the output level +/- 12 dB to ensure that you are

feeding your external equipment with the correct signal

level. It is considered good practise to normalize all lev-

els coming into your system rst and then adjust output

gains only when necessary.

Meters

The meters conguration page may be helpful in setting up destinations and their levels. Remember you need to install Java before these meters can be displayed. Note

that the nominal signal level should be approximately

-20 dBFS. This corresponds to the industry standard level of +4 dBv since our “full scale” or 0dBFS is +24 dBv.

Page 39

Understanding Source Proﬁles

Chapter

Three: Working With

Sources

In this chapter we’ll discuss how to set up inputs

for your Element console- we call them Sources. You’ll be using the HTTP servers built into the Element and StudioEngine (or PowerStation) to do this.

In the Element console’s design, there are two types

of proles. One is called SHOW prole and this type of prole contains all of the “snapshot” settings that would

be associated with a scene or preset which is the ter-

minology used in the sound reinforcement or recording studio industry. The SHOW prole keeps track of moni-

tor bus settings, fader channel assignments, processing

settings, feature lockouts and many other parameters.

SOURCE proles are the topic of this chapter. A source prole is used to identify the parameters that are unique to a specic Livewire source as it applies to a specic Element console.

You will use your web browser directed at the IP ad-

dress of your Element to setup SOURCE proles.

Note: Axia web interfaces have been tested with

Microsoft Internet Explorer, version 5 or later,

but also work with other browsers.

We also like Mozilla’s FireFox browser, especially

with regards to its “tabbed browsing” capabili-

ties. With tabbed browsing, it’s possible to book-

mark the IP addressees of entire rooms worth of

Audio Nodes, then recall them in tabbed groups

with a single click.

Whatever browser you choose, Java must be

installed and enabled, and your pop-up blocker

must be disabled. The latest Java package is

available at http://www.java.com .

One of the most repetitive and tedious parts of studio

building has always been tying “data” to audio sources.

Consider the wiring of line selector modules: you need

a cable for the remote audio source, a set of wires for a

“start” closure, another set for “stop” — even with TDM

routers, an operation as seemingly simple as logic-fol-

lows-audio often turns out to be not so simple.

Mix-minus and IFB generation has also been a prob-

lem in the past. Too often it’s a complicated process that

requires air talent to correctly determine source and bus

assignments at a moment’s notice. How many times has

unwanted audio made air thanks to this error-prone pro-

cedu re?

Your Element eliminates these headaches by auto-

matically merging audio, logic and program data into

a single, routable information stream. Since audio in a

Livewire network is transported as packetized data, it’s

easy for us to “piggyback” other data along with audio.

This is accomplished through the use of Source Proles.

Element Source Proles allow you to specify which

network audio sources are to be used on each console in

your facility. They also assign modiers to an audio in-

put. Characteristics like EQ curves, Pan trim, voice dy-

namics, even mix-minus source selections, can all be set

in the Source Prole and are then automatically loaded

whenever that source is assigned to an Element fader.

The result of all this is that Element is always pre-

sented with complete, consistent information about how

you want a given audio source handled.

Note: Source Prole settings do not transfer

between studios. In other words, a mic in Studio A that has EQ and dynamics applied through

a Source Prole on the Studio A Element will

not have those settings automatically applied if that mic is loaded on the Element in Studio B. We are, however, planning on this capability in future versions.

3: Conguring Inputs • 29

Page 40

Source Proﬁle Setup

Now that you understand what Source Proles do, let’s set one up. You’ll use the Element and StudioEngine HTTP interfaces to do this, so connect a computer with

an Internet browser to your Livewire switch.

Note: You ca n ’ t co n s t r u c t So u r c e Pr o  l e s unles s

you’ve already congured the inputs (sources)

of your studio’s Audio Nodes. Be sure you’ve as-

signed Livewire channel numbers and enabled

all sources in your Nodes, Engine, and PC driv-

ers. This will make your sources visible on the

selection list in the source prole setup screen.

Make sure you’ve done this before proceeding

further through this chapter.

Your computer must be assigned a valid network IP

address in order to “see” Livewire web pages. Livewire

networks do not usually contain DHCP servers, so you

must manually assign your computer an available, xed IP address within the range you previously determined for your network. Different operating systems use differ-

ent methods to do this; please consult your OS’s docu-

mentation for specic instructions.

3: Conguring Inputs • 30

Figure 3-1: Source Prole options (the whole pictur e!)

Source Prole Options

1. Enter the IP address of your Element or PowerStation in your browser; you’ll see the Element Con-

trol Center or PowerStation Control Centre dis-

played onscreen. Choose the “Sources & Proles” menu item (choose the Conguration submenu for

the Element). Enter the user name “user”, leave the

password eld blank, and click OK.

2. Choose the Source Proles menu item from the

main screen, and click the New Source Prole link

at the bottom of the screen. You’re now in the Source Prole creation screen. It will look something like the image in the previous frame - Figure 3-1.

We are showing you the entire web page so you can see

it all at once and appreciate the power of source proles.

Let’s now break it down into smaller sections so you can

actually read the text in the gures and consider those logical blocks with the explanation following the Figure.

We will start with Figure 3-2 and the descriptions that

Page 41

Figure 3-2: Source Prole General Settings

follow.

Reminder: Did you dene your audio sources

from the Engine and Nodes as outlined in Chapter One or Two? If not, go no further – you’ve got to do that before you can continue with

Source Prole setup.

• PRIMARY SOURCE: All of the audio sources that

you previously dened (during Audio Node or Pow-

erStation I/O setup) are available in this drop-down box; pick one.

• SOURCE PROFILE NAME: Type a 10-charac-

ter descriptive name for your source. This is the

description that will appear on the LED display

above the console fader.

• SOURCE NAME OVERRIDE: If the source you’re

dening can supply Program Associated Data (for instance, a computer playout system that sends song/

artist information), you can choose to have that text

dynamically substituted in the alphanumeric display

of the fader the source is assigned to. Instead of read-

ing PROPHET_1, for example, it could scroll FERGIE.

» Choose Show Sourcename to have the channel

alpha display the name you typed into the Source Prole Name eld above.

» Choose Allow Application to Override if

you’d like the PAD text displayed instead.

» Choose Show Both to have the Source Name

and PAD text alternately display on a 3-second

interval.

• SOURCE AVAILABILITY: These check boxes de-

termine which faders (or other inputs) you’ll allow

this source to be assigned to. For example, if your source is a Control Room mic, and you only want

it to appear on the left-most fader, you would check

only the box marked Channel 1. You might want to

make a CD player available on any fader, so you’d check the boxes for all faders. Some sources – especially air monitors – you might wish to prevent

from ever being assigned to a fader, so you would

uncheck the boxes for all faders. The number of fad-

er checkboxes show will vary depending upon the

number of faders installed in your Element.

The three nal check boxes, CR monitor inputs,

Studio monitor input and V-Mixer input deter-

mine whether the board op will be able to assign this

source to the CR and Studio monitor and headphone buses or the Virtual Mixer (please see Chapter 7:

Virtual Mixer for details on this feature).

3: Conguring Inputs • 31

Page 42

3: Conguring Inputs • 32

To prevent a source from appearing on these inputs’

selection lists, uncheck the desired box. Generally speaking, normal sources such as computers and CD

players will have fader assign capability only while

sources such as off-air receivers will have monitor-

only capability.

About Mics and Headphone Feeds: Element provides you with several headphone options, all selectable from Element’s Monitor Module. The Monitor 1 (control room) headphone output provides a feed intended for the Host (board-op’s) mic position and includes the ability to monitor the Preview bus in headphones. Guests can talk to the host directly using the Tal kback keys on their remote control panels.

The Monitor 2 headphone output sends au-

dio to talent and guest mic positions. Talent positions include a talkback channel that the host or board op can use to communicate using the Talk To Monitor 2 function (guest positions do not have this Talkback channel).

An individual headphone feed can also be constructed to associate a dedicated headphone

channel with a specic mic. This allows the

board op to send individual, targeted talkback

to a specic individual (using the Talkb a c k

keys) without other talent or guests hearing.

• SOURCE TYPE: Dene your source as a micro-

phone, a line input, a telephone input, a codec or a

computer source.

» Operator is the board operator’s mic. It is the

source mic for Element’s TALK TO functions. Its

On button serves as a COUGH/MUTE button. Its

associated logic mutes the CR monitors when On.

» CR Producer is used for in-studio Producer’s

mic positions. It has associated GPIO logic which

can operate Talk to... functions from a remote

producer’s panel. It also mutes CR monitors

when On.

» CR Guest is used for any other guest mic in the

control room. Its associated logic port mutes the CR monitors when On. It can have an individual

headphone feed.

» Studio Guest is used for any mic located in a

separate studio. Its logic mutes the Studio moni-

tors when On. It can have an individual head-

phone feed.

» Line is used for any line input audio source, ana-

log or digital. A GPIO logic port can be used to provide machine start/stop pulses if desired.

» Phone denes this source as a hybrid or broad-

cast phone system input. A summed mono mix-

minus is automatically provided.

» Codec marks this source as a codec. A dual-mo-

no mix-minus is provided; one PA feed (right) +

one talent feed with talkback (left).

» Computer Player denes this source as origi-

nating from a PC. Associated GPIO logic can be used to send start/stop signals to a playout system.

• Fader Mode: Denes fader start actions and states: » Normal conforms to the US method of requiring

talent to manually turn the channel on and off.

» Fader Start follows the common European

standard of activating the channel and associated

machine logic when the fader is raised from ∞.

» Fader Start with Arm works just like the Nor-

mal setting when the fader is not set to minimum

position. When the fader is set to the minimum

position, it can be in an Armed state.

Armed state is entered by pressing the ON But-

ton when the fader is down. The armed state

means that the channel will go to the ON state

when the fader is moved up. When in Arm state,

the channel OFF lamp will be illuminated. The channel ON lamp will ashing in “wink” mode -

a long on-time and short off-time.

For all fader modes, pressing the OFF button at

any time will place the channel in the OFF state.

About Telos Phone System Modes: Telos multi-line broadcast phone systems work in two different modes: US Mode and Euro Mode.

In US Mode, one of the phone system’s hybrids is assigned to a console faders, and taking a caller to air is accomplished by using a switching control to select a line on that hybrid and turning its fader ON.

In Euro Mode, the switching control is not used; instead, each line from the phone system is permanently assigned to a separate fader, which

Page 43

may be turned ON or OFF at will.

Element supports both US and Euro modes. The next few settings are used for setting up the desired style of phone operation.

Figure 3-3: Settings for conguring Element for

operation with Telos phone systems

» After-fader listen (SOLO) is preferred by

some users and is selected here.

• PREVIEW SWITCHING MODE: Determines what

will happen to a source’s off-air Preview assign-

ment when that source is taken to air.

» Normal, Auto-Switching Disabled: The Pre-

view bus assignment will be retained even after

the fader is turned ON.

» CHANNEL ON turns Preview OFF: If this

source is assigned to

Preview for off-air audi-

tioning, turning its channel ON will cancel its

Preview assignment.

» Preview ON turns Channel OFF: Does just

what it says - sometimes used for Phone channels.

Note: For complete instructions on how to use thes options when setting up a phone system with Element, please refer to Appendix D:

Working With Phone Hybrids.

Figure 3-4: More Source Prole Settings

• PREVIEW ROUTING: Determines where the Pre-

view signal originates.

» Pre-fader listen is the legacy CUE function

that most broadcasters use.

• HYBRID ANSWER MODE: This setting allows you

to tailor Element’s Hybrid Answer mode to suit your

facility’s operating style. It is intended for hybrids

that use external GPIO for device control.

» Normal, Auto Answer Disabled: Element pro-

vides no auto-answer logic when a fader with a

hybrid assigned is turned On.

» Channel ON Answers Hybrid: When a hybrid

has an incoming call, turning its assigned fader

ON will answer the call.

» Channel ON or Preview ON Answers Hy-

brid: When a hybrid has an incoming call, turn-

ing its assigned fader ON or pressing that chan-

nel’s Preview key will answer the call.

• Knob Function: Allows you to specify the func-

tion of a SoftKnob that can be used for tweaking the channel gain structure. The SoftKnob is accessed by

pressing the Options button on the fader channel.

» None - disables this function

» Fader Trim Level - adjusts trim gain in the

channel’s signal path just before the channel

fader.

» Pre-Amp Gain - adjusts the source gain of the

Axia node or PowerStation I/O source associated

with this source.

• BACKWARD FEED ENABLED/DISABLED: Al-

lows you to enable or disable backfeeds to this audio

3: Conguring Inputs • 33

Page 44

source.

• BACKWARD FEED DIM GAIN: This is a feature

unique to Element: Talkback is sent over dimmed

backfeed audio. If you want a hard interruption (Talkback interrupts Program audio), set it to OFF,

which mutes the audio. But maybe your jocks would

like to just have their program audio dimmed, and

the Talkback come over it so they can still monitor

air while they’re being talked to. In this case, input

a value by which the program audio will be dimmed.

Adjustment range is 0dB to -30dB.

» PGM1 feeds the Progra m 1 bus, minus the sou rce. » PGM2 fee ds the Prog r a m 2 bus, minus the sourc e. » PGM3 fee ds the Prog ra m 3 bus, mi nus the source. » PGM4 feeds the Prog ram 4 bus, minus the source. » AUX SEND A feeds the Aux Send A bus, minus

the source.

» AUX SEND B feeds the Aux Send B bus, minus

the source.

» AUX SEND C feeds the Aux Send C bus, minus

the source.

» AUX SEND D feeds the Aux Send D bus, minus

the source.

3: Conguring Inputs • 34

• LOGIC PORT DISABLED/EXCLUSIVE MODE/

SHARED MODE: Allows you disable GPIO machine

logic to this audio source device or enable it in two modes. Exclusive mode permits GPIO control asso-

ciated with only a single fader. Shared mode allows

more than one user to send on/off/start signals to a source via GPIO.

• GPIO READY ENABLED/DISABLED: Allows de-

vices such as CD players or tape machines to sig-

nal their R EADY state to the operator through the

OFF button LED. If a device is cueing, its OFF lamp will not be lit. Tying the device’s OFF lamp to the Ready command means that a machine must be cued and ready before the OFF lamp illuminates. If Enabled, the OFF lamp illuminates only when the fader is OFF and the Ready command is active on the GPIO. If Disabled, the OFF lamp illuminates normally whenever the fader is turned OFF.

• FEED-TO-SOURCE MODE: If there is a backfeed

associated with this source, this option determines

what content is fed back from the board.

» Auto (Pgm-1/Phone) feeds the Program 1 bus

(minus the source) when this source’s fader is

ON, and feeds the Phone bus (minus the source) when the fader is OFF. The Phone bus is actually a special variant of PGM4. The Phone bus is prefader and pre-on/off to allow speaker-phone style

operation thru the Operator’s mic.

» Phone feeds the Phone bus, minus the source.

Phone is a mono-sum, pre-fade and pre-on/off variation of PGM4

About the PHONE, RECORD and PROGRAM

4 buses: Element’s PGM-4 mix bus is a spe-

cial multi-purpose bus that does several things at once to make life easier for the operator.

Sources assigned to PGM-4 are also sent to the RECORD bus, a special post-fader, pre-on/off output that can be used to feed recording devices.

At the same time, sources assigned to PGM-4 are mixed and sent to the PHONE bus. PHONE is an internal bus which does not feed a separate output; instead, it picks up PGM-4 audio prefader and pre-On/Off and backfeeds it callers (minus themselves, of course) when the channel is OFF and AUTO is selected as the Feed To Source Mode.

Figure 3-5: Mode and Trim Source Prole Set tings

• SIGNAL MODE: Determines whether source will be

treated as mono or stereo, and how.

» Stereo feeds incoming L/R signal to left and

right channels of assigned bus(es).

» Left feeds incoming left channel to both chan-

nels of assigned bus(es).

Page 45

» Right feeds incoming right channel to both

channels of assigned bus(es).

» Sum creates L+R mono mix of incoming stereo

source and feeds it to both channels of assigned

bus(es).

• SIGNAL MODE LOCK: Allows or disallows user’s

ability to change the source’s signal mode (as set

above) using controls on Element’s surface.

» Unlocked allows the user to change modes if

needed.

» Locked prevents changes to the signal mode.

• SIGNAL PHASE: Allows for correction of out-of-

phase program material.

» Normal assumes correct phase polarity of source

input material.

» Inver t left reverses phase on the left channel

input.

» Invert right reverses phase on the right channel

input.

» Invert left and right reverses phase on both

channel inputs.

About Element EQ: Equalization is available

for all audio sources, and can be pre-dened or adjusted on-the-y. Our EQ model is three-

band quasi-parametric. Controls are provided for center frequency and boost/cut, with a unique SmartQ™ automatic bandwidth system.

SmartQ works by varying the Q of the selected parametric band propor tional to the amount of boost or cut you specify. A small amount of boost or cut will affect a broader range of frequencies for a warm, musically-pleasing effect. As gain is increased the Q sharpens, affecting a narrower range of frequencies for tighter control of target bands. At aggressive cut levels, the EQ becomes a tunable notch lter. SmartQ keeps the EQ sounding natural at virtually all settings.

Pre-dened EQ can be entered during Source Prole construction, and will be automati-

cally applied whenever that source is assigned to a Element fader; i.e., a -2 dB 12 kHz high

shelf lter pre-set in a microphone’s Source Prole will be applied when any surface, in

any studio, loads that mic for use.

At-will EQ is set by talent using Element’s Chan- nel Options controls, and can be employed to

trim EQ on-the-y .

• FADER TRIM GAIN: Lets you specify an amount

of from -25 to +25 dB that is applied to the signal

just before the fader. Note that this parameter may be

controlled by a SoftKnob as described earlier.

• FADER TRIM LOCK: Prevents operators from mak-

ing changes to the above trim gain setting.

• PANORAMA POSITION: Lets you preset pan set-

tings for this input. Pan is variable in 49 steps, center being 0, far left -24 and far right +24. This setting can be adjusted on the y by the operator if permitted by show prole settings.

• AUTO-START TIMER: Determines whether the

event timer found in Element’s right-hand meter

display will reset to zero when this source’s fader is

turned on.

» Disabled: timer will not reset when this source

is activated.

» Enabled timer resets when the source is acti-

vated.

Figure 3-6: Processing- Source Prole Settings

3: Conguring Inputs • 35

Page 46

• E Q S TAT US: Byp ass or make Active EQ for this

source.

• EQ HIGH MODE: Choose between shelf or band

pass lter for high-frequency EQ.

• EQ HIGH FREQUENCY: Sets the active frequency for high-band EQ. Variable from 1.25 kHz to 20 kHz.

If EQ HIGH MODE is set to Shelf, this setting de-

termines the top of the shelf. If EQ HIGH MODE is

set to Band pass, this sets the center frequency of

the BP lter (SmartQ determines the width of the BP lter, as described above).

• EQ MID FREQUENCY: Sets the center frequency of the midrange parametric band. Variable from 125 Hz to 2.0 kHz.

• EQ LOW FREQUENCY: Sets the center frequency of the low parametric band. Variable from 20 Hz to 320 Hz.

• EQ HIGH, MID & LOW GAIN: Provides 40 dB of

adjustment range for boost or cut of the three para-

metric bands, from -25 dB to +15 dB.

The following options dealing with dynam-

ics processor settings apply to Mic, Codec and Phone sources only. If applied to other source types, these settings will be ignored.

• NOISE GATE STATUS: Turns the voice processor’s

noise gate on and off. Choose

Bypass or Active.

Threshold is reached. Adjustment range is between

0dB and -30 dB.

COMPRESSOR THRESHOLD: De-

termines the point at which the Compressor will op-

erate (if set to

Active). Adjustment range is between

0dB and -30dB.

• COMPRESSOR THRESHOLD: Sets the threshold at

which compression will be applied to the mic audio.

Adjustment range is between -30 and 0 dB.

• COMPRESSOR RATIO: Sets the amount of com-

pression that will be applied to the mic audio. Ad-

justment range is between 1:1 and 16:1.

• DE-ESSER THRESHOLD: Determines the point at

which the De-Esser will operate (if set to

Active).

Adjustment range is between 0dB and -20dB.

• DE-ESSER RATIO: Sets how aggressively the de-

esser will remove sibilance from the mic audio. Ad-

justment range is between 1:1 and 8:1.

• COMPRESSOR MODE: Toggles the voice compres-

sor between

• POST PROCESSING TRIM GAIN: Some process-

Freeze and No Freeze modes.

ing settings will result in a reduction of overall signal

level. This setting allows you to adjust the amount

gain to compensate for any gain lost by compressor

processing.

• CO MPR E SSOR STATUS: Turns the voice proces-

sor’s compressor functions on and off. Choose

or Active.

pass

• DE-ESSER STATUS: Turns the voice processor’s de-

esser module on and off. Choose

• NOISE GATE THRESHOLD: Determines the point

at which the Noise Gate will operate (if set to

). Adjustment range is between 0dB and -50dB.

tive

• NOISE GATE DEPTH: Sets the amount of noise

reduction that will be applied to the mic audio if

3: Conguring Inputs • 36

the noise gate is set to

Active and the Noise Gate

By-

Bypass or Active.

Ac-

What is this stuff? Radio engineers don’t need a lesson in dynamics processing, but for the benet of any jocks reading this, here’s a quick explanation of what these controls can do.

A Gate is a dynamics device whose function is to remove unwanted audio material below a certain threshold. A gain circuit is employed to raise or lower the volume of the audio signal; when the signal falls below a certain set threshold, the audio level drops down to a predetermined level. The reason they are called gates is because when they “close” it sounds as if the audio has suddenly stopped, or has been

“gated.” You might use this on a mic channel to

eliminate background noise during times when you’re not speaking.

Threshold settings determine at what level the processor will begin working. For example, on

Page 47

a compressor, when signal level exceeds the threshold setting, it will be compressed; below the threshold the signal will remain uncompressed. On a gate, threshold determines the minimum input level required to cause the gate to open up and pass signal; when input level drops below the threshold, the gate will be closed preventing signal from passing. Carefully setting th e thr e shold allow s you to ver y sp eci cally con trol when processing is being applied to a signal.

Compression controls the dynamic range of an audio signal. It generally reduces the volume of very loud audio, helping to keep from “blowing out” the mic channel with too much volume. It can be used to make your mic channel sound

“fatter,” evening out the highs and lows of your

vocal pattern. It can also increase the overall perceived fullness of your voice. Too much compression, however, can make your voice sound

hard and “squashed.” Use it sparingly!

To use compression, you must rst set your

threshold value (usually expressed in dB). When the audio signal is louder than this threshold, its gain is reduced. The amount of gain reduction applied depends on the Compression Ratio setting. For example, with a 2:1 ratio, for every 2 decibels the input signal increases, the output is allowed to increase only 1 decibel.

The Freeze Gate is used to prevent “suck-up”

of room noise during speech pauses. When active, gain is not increased by the compressor when audio is absent. “Freeze” would be the default, since it almost always improves results.

De-Essing is just what you think it is - a way to electronically remove extra sibilance from your mic channel. If your mic is particularly sensitive to “s” and “th-” sounds and accentuates them on-air, DeEssing helps reduce these sounds to more manageable levels. As with compression, too much de-essing will produce annoying and

sounding like you’re talking through a cot-

ton sock! Stick to small amounts to get

the effect you want.

unnatural results - you’ll wind up

is dened as Phone or Codec. Any other Source

Type will be fed to the recorder’s right channel.

» Summed-Mono to Left sums the left and right

sides of the audio source and sends the summed

signal to the recorder’s left channel.

» Summed-Mono to Right: Same as above, but

sends summed audio to the recorder’s right chan-

nel.

That’s the last option. Click on the Save Changes

button at the bottom of the page.

Congratulations — now you know how to create

Source Proles! You can now bring up your new sources

on the Element faders.

Adding Backfeeds and GPIO to a Source

Since making a mix-minus and mapping contact clo-

sures is often done at the same time a new Source Prole

is constructed, let’s briey recap those procedures. (De-

tailed setup and operation instructions for your GPIO

Nodes and Audio Nodes are found in their respective

User Manuals.)

• RECORD MODE: This option allows you

to dene how this source is sent to the

PGM-4/Re cord bus. (Record is a special

pre-on/off, post-fader bus with a special

output for a dedicated recording device.)

» Stereo sends both sides of the source

to both sides of the recording device, as

normal.

» If Phone or Codec Left, otherwise

Right sends the source to the recorder’s

left channel ONLY if the Source Type

Figure 3-7: PowerSt ation I/O Destinations screen

3: Conguring Inputs • 37

Page 48

Let’s say you’ve connected a hybrid to your Ana-

log Node, named it “Studio 1 Phone”, and assigned it a channel number of 12205. You’ve constructed a Source Prole for it, and you now want to give it a mix-minus backfeed and set up a GPIO contact closure for the “take” and “drop” functions. Here’s how:

1. Make sure that, in your hybrid’s Source Prole, the

Source Type option is set to “Phone” and the Feed

to Source Mode is set to “Auto”. Also set the Back-

feed Enabled/Disabled option to “Enabled”.

2. Use your Web browser to connect with the Audio Node or PowerStation I/O you’ll be sending your

backfeed to. Choose Destination s from the main

menu to enter the Destinations screen (Figure 3-7); we’ll set up our mix-minus for output #5.

3. Just to the right of each Channel name box , you’ll see a “list” icon. Click on the list icon for output #5.

A list of available sources will pop up (Figure 3-8).

Notice that the names and channel numbers of the sources are both displayed for easy identication.

We’ll choose Studio 1 Phone from the list; the list

window closes and you’re returned to the Destina-

tions screen. The line for output #5 now displays the

channel number and name of the source.

4. Now comes the step that makes this output a mix-

minus. Each Destination entry line has a drop box

at the end; click on the drop-down and choose To

source.

5. Click Apply.

6. Now point your browser back to your Element Con- trol Center page (or IO Subsection if you are using a PowerStation) and choose

GPIO Conﬁguration

from the menu sidebar. (You may also use a GPIO Node other than the Power Supply/GPIO or PowerStation that shipped with your Element, just point your browser to that node’s IP address instead.)

7. The GPIO setup screen uses the same method of assigning devices to ports as the Analog Node. Pick

a port to map your hybrid’s contact closures to, us-

ing the list tool, and click

Apply. Figure 3-9 shows

the four port GPIO section of a PowerStation MAIN. The Element and GPIO node are similar but have

eight ports.

Figure 3-9: GPIO Port Assignment

Automagic: If the hybrid source is loaded to an

Engine and the engine is generating a mix minus source already, the list box will show TWO identical channels for the source — but one will have a description of “TO:” in front of it. Selecting this source automatically selects TO SOURCE in the TYPE box.

3: Conguring Inputs • 38

Figure 3-8: Picking a source from the list box

The process is complete: you’ve made a Source Pro-

le for your phone hybrid, created a mix-minus, mapped it to an audio output (destination), and associated a GPIO

port for contact closures associated with the source.

To conrm, choose

ement fader channel and load your new Phone source. Press the Status Symbol shown in Figure 3-10 appear in the win-

dow above the channel to indicate that the operator’s mic

is talking to this telephone hybrid through it’s backfeed

Options at the top of any El-

Tal k key just below the fader; you’ll see the

Page 49

channel. (Status Symbols are described in detail at the

end of Chapter 5: Element Operations.)

Figure 3-10: Status Symbol indicates mix-minus/

talkback feed to phone source.

Also, take another look at the GPIO screen on your

browser. Note the green indicators that have appeared

on the port representing your hybrid; switch the Element

channel on and off and you’ll observe the active tally

change pins (as shown in Figure 3-9).

What's Next

When you’re ready, join us in Chapter Four: Con-

guring GPIO for more detail about setting up logic

commands and GPIO ports for your audio sources.

3: Conguring Inputs • 39

Page 50

CAT.6, m n ig

 n n dt r rt.

Wh ag s ts?.

3: Conguring Inputs • 40

Page 51

GPIO Port Deﬁnitions

Chapter Four:

Conﬁguring GPIO

Since the days of rotary-switch source selectors, it’s

been a challenge to properly route machine logic along with audio. Some complicated schemes have been de-

vised over the years, but broadcasters wanted a simple,

fast way to associate logic with audio in a routable en-

vironment.

Since the Axia IP-Audio system was designed as a

true computer network, we were able to start with a clean

sheet of paper to design the rst truly routable machine logic/audio interface. Unlike conventional logic connec-

tions which require each command circuit to be wired

individually, Axia sends machine controls over the same

Ethernet your audio travels on, further reducing infra-

structure, cost and tedium.

Along with controlling external audio devices,

Element’s GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) interface also includes logic commands for routine studio/

control room operations such as tally lights, monitor

muting, On-Air lights and more.

The last chapter explained source proles and showed you how you can associate GPIO with a source. This chapter explains how to set up Element or PowerStation GPIO to handle these functions. We also invite you to read the GPIO Node User’s Manual, for more in- depth information on the topic of GPIO.

Note: The Element console can be used with:

- a combination 8-port GPIO Node/PSU that also contains the Element CPU

- a PowerStation that includes four GPIO ports

- one or more standalone 8-por t GPIO node.

These units are all convection cooled, and we strongly recommend that when rack-mounting these units, you leave at least 1RU of space above and below to ensure adequate ventilation.

Each Axia GPIO device has either four or eight DB-

15 connectors on its back panel. Each connector (also

known as a GPIO port) can be associated with a device in your studio, and provides ve opto-isolated inputs and ve opto-isolated outputs per device for machine control, lamp drives and remote channel controls. GPIO ports

can also be monitored and controlled by our Pathnd-

erPC software.

GPIO ports are programmed to support several different types of devices. How does a GPIO port “know” which type of device is assigned to it?

Back in Chapter 3, when you constructed a Source Prole for a telephone hybrid, you dened the source

type (see “Adding Backfeeds and GPIO to a Source Pro-

le” in Chapter 3). This is important, because when that

source is assigned to a console fader, Element uses this

Source Prole selection to tell the GPIO Node what sort

of command to send to the attached device.

If Element “sees” in the Source Prole that the as-

signed device is a microphone, it tells the GPIO Node to

send logic for

commands on the appropriate pins. If it “sees” a line

input, it tells the GPIO Node to send Start, Stop and

Reset commands, plus closures for Ready lights, etc.

Axia GPIO ports can deliver unique command sets

for the following types of devices:

1. Microphone (Operator, Guest or Producer)

2. Line Input

3. Codec

4. Telephone Hybrid

5. Computer Playback Device

6. Control Room Monitor

7. Studio Monitor

8. Profanity Delay Device

9. Recording Device

10. Accessory Button Panel Device

The next few pages contain tables that explain what

function the pins provide in each different device mode.

On, Off, Remote Mute and Remote Tal k

4: Conguring GPIO • 41

Page 52

GPIO Operator’s Microphone Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Typ e Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active L ow Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turn channel OFF

TALK (to Monitor 2) Command 13 Active Low Input Activates the Element TALK

MUTE Command 14 Ac tive Low Input Mutes channel outputs

TALK (to PREVIEWED

15 Active Low Input Activates the TALK button

SOURCE) Command

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to Monitor 2) Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

MUTE Lamp 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to PREVIEWED

SOURCE) Lamp

5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of source

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt r eturn Can be connected to Pin 7

Logic +5 Volt Supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Input Common 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

TO MON2 function and routes mic audio to the Talkback bus.

on every source currently in preview and routes mic audio to the Talkback bus.

Illuminates when channel is ON unless TALK or MUTE is active

Illuminates when channel is OFF

Illuminate s when TALK TO MON2 is active

Illuminate s when MU TE is active

Illuminate s when TALK to PREVIEWED SOURCE is active.

device or to Pin 8

if source is not pr oviding common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not providing voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 42

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 53

GPIO Control Room Guest Microphone Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Typ e Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active L ow Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turn channel OFF

TALK (to CR) Command 13 Active Low Input Mutes channel outputs and

MUTE Command 14 Ac tive Low Input Mutes channel outputs

TALK (to SOURCE) Command 15 Active L ow Input Allows an external button

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to CR) Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

MUTE Lamp 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to SOURCE) Lamp 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of source

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt r eturn Can be connected to Pin 7

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

routes source audio to PVW speakers

to activate channel TALK TO SOURCE function. (Element only; SmartSur face not used)

Illuminates when channel is ON unless TALK or MUTE is active

Illuminates when channel is OFF

Illuminate s when TALK is active

Illuminate s when MU TE is active

Illuminates when the channel TALK TO SOURCE function is active. (Element only; SmartSurface not used)

device or to Pin 8

if source is not pr oviding common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not providing voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

COM

OUT

1N/C

+5 V POWER

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 43

Page 54

GPIO Studio (Monitor 2) Guest Microphone Logic

Name Pin Typ e Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active L ow Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Ac tive Low Input Turn channel OFF

TALK (to CR) Command 13 Active Low Input Mutes channel outputs and

MUTE Command 14 Ac tive Low Input Mutes channel outputs

TALK (to SOURCE) Command 15 Active L ow Input Allows an external button

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to CR) Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

MUTE Lamp 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to SOURCE) Lamp 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of source

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt r eturn Can be connected to Pin 7

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

routes source audio to PVW speakers

to activate channel TALK TO SOURCE function. (Element only; SmartSur face not used)

Illuminates when channel is ON unless TALK or MUTE is active

Illuminates when channel is OFF

Illuminate s when TALK is active

Illuminate s when MU TE is active

Illuminates when the channel TALK TO SOURCE function is active. (Element only; SmartSurface not used)

device or to Pin 8

if source is not pr oviding common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not providing voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 44

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

COM

OUT

1N/C

+5 V POWER SOURCE

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 55

GPIO Producer’s Microphone Logic

Name Pin Typ e Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active L ow Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Ac tive Low Input Turn channel OFF

TALK (to MONITOR 2) Command

MUTE Command 14 Ac tive Low Input Mutes channel outputs

TALK (to PREVIEWED SOURCE) Command

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

TALK (to MONITOR 2) Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

MUTE Lamp 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

TALK (to PREVIEWED SOURCE) Lamp

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of source

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt r eturn Can be connected to Pin 7

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

13 Ac tive Low Input Activates the Element TALK

to MON2 function and routes

mic audio to the Talkback bus.

15 Ac tive Low Input Activates the TALK but ton

on every source currently in

Preview and routes mic audio to the Talkback bus.

Illuminates when channel is

mon Return

ON unless TALK or MUTE is active

Illuminates when channel is

mon Return

OFF

Illuminate s when TALK to

mon Return

MON2 is active.

Illuminate s when MU TE is

mon Return

5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

active

Illuminate s when TALK to

PREVIEWED SOURCE is active.

device or to Pin 8

if source is not pr oviding

common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if

Fused

source is not providing voltage; active only when source

has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V

COM

POWER

SOURCE

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 45

Page 56

GPIO Line Input Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active Low Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turns channel OFF & sends

PREVIEW Command 13 Active Low Input Turns preview ON

RESET Command 14 Active Low Input Turns channel OFF, while not

READY Command 15 Ac tive Low Input Illuminates OFF lamp to indi-

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

PREVIEW Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

START Pulse 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

STOP Pulse 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

100 msec STOP pulse

sending a STOP pulse

cate source’s readiness

Illuminates when channel is ON

Illuminates when channel is OFF and READY is ac tive

Illuminates when PREVIEW is ON

A 100 msec pulse when the channel status changes from OFF to ON

A 100 msec pulse when the channel status changes from ON to OFF

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 46

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 57

GPIO Codec Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active Low Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turns channel OFF

TALK (to CR) Command 13 Active Low Input Mutes channel outputs and

MUTE Command 14 Active Low Input Mutes channel outputs

TALK (to SOURCE) Command 15 Active Low Input Allows an external but ton

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to CR) Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

MUTE Lamp 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to SOURCE) Lamp 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

routes source audio to PVW speakers

to activate channel TALK TO SOURCE function.

Illuminates when channel is ON unless TALK or MUTE are active

Illuminates when channel is OF F.

Illuminate s when TALK is active

Illuminate s when MU TE is active

Illuminates when the channel TALK TO SOURCE function is active.

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 47

Page 58

GPIO Telephone Hybrid Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active Low Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turns channel OFF

PREVIEW Command 13 Active Low Input Turns preview ON

RESET Command 14 Active Low Input Turns channel off while not

READY Command 15 Ac tive Low Input Illuminates OFF lamp to indi-

OUTPUTS

ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

PREVIEW Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

START Pulse 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

sending a STOP pulse

cate source’s readiness

Illuminates when channel is ON

Illuminates when channel is OFF

Illuminates when PREVIEW is ON

A 100 ms PULSE is sent when

channel is rst turned ON or when PV W is rst selected

(if “PVW answer s” option is selected).

STOP Pulse 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

A 100 ms PULSE sent when channel is turned OFF.

POWER & COMMAND

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

device or to Pin 8

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

source is not providing common

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

source device or to Pin 9

NOT CONNECTED 6

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

OUT

1N/C

4: Conguring GPIO • 48

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

COM

+5 V POWER

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 59

GPIO Control Room Monitor Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

MUTE CR Command 11 Active Low Input Mutes CR monitors and Pre-

DIM CR Command 12 Active Low Input Allows external dimming of

Enable EXT PR EVIEW Com-

13 Active Low Input Feeds External Audio Input to

mand

TALK TO EX T Command

14 Active Low Input Turns on Talk to External

(Element).

Not used. 15 Active Low Input

OUTPUTS

CR ON AIR L amp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

DIM CR Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

PREVIEW Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK TO EX T Lamp (Element).

4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

TALK (to CR) Active Lamp 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

view speakers

CR monitor speakers.

PREV IEW

Audio on Element.

Illuminate s whenever CR monitors are muted

Illuminate s whenever control room monitors are DIMMED

Illuminate s when PR EVIEW is active.

Illuminate s when Talk to External is active.

Active whenever a source has activated its TALK (to CR) function

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 49

Page 60

GPIO Studio Monitor Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

MUTE Studio Command 11 Ac tive Low Input Allows exter nal muting of

DIM Studio/Monitor 2

12 Active Low Input Allows external dimming of

Command

Remote Event Timer Trigger

13 Active Low Input Resets Count-up Event Timer

Command

Remote Countdown T imer

14 Active Low Input Resets Countdown timer to

Trigger Command

Not Used 15 Active Low Input

OUTPUTS

Studio ON A IR Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

DIM Studio/Monitor 2 Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

Event Timer Trigger Output 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

Countdown Timer Trigger Output

TALK TO STUDIO/MONITOR 2 Active L amp

4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

Studio monitor speakers.

to zero and star ts timer.

preset max time and starts timer (Element only).

Illuminates whenever Studio monitors are muted

Illuminates whenever Studio monitors are DIMMED

A 100 ms PULSE sent when event timer is started from zero.

A 100 ms PULSE sent when countdown timer is star ted from preset max (Element only).

Illuminate s whenever the TALK TO STUDIO/MON2 function is ac tive.

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 50

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 61

GPIO Computer Playback Device Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

ON Command 11 Active Low Input Turns channel ON

OFF Command 12 Active Low Input Turns channel OFF & sends

PREVIEW Command 13 Active Low Input Turns preview ON

Not Used 14 Active Low Input

READY Command 15 Ac tive Low Input Illuminates OFF lamp to indi-

OUTPUTS

NEXT Pulse 1 Open Collec tor to Logic Com-

mon Return

OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

PREVIEW Lamp 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

START Pulse 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

STOP Pulse 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

100 msec STOP pulse

cate source’s readiness

A 100 mS PULSE sent when ON button is depressed, except when initially turned ON.

Illuminates when channel is OFF and READY is ac tive

Illuminates when PREVIEW is ON

A 100 ms PULSE sent when

channel is rst turned ON.

A 100 ms PULSE sent when channel is turned OFF.

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 51

Page 62

GPIO External Profanity Delay Logic

SOURCE

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

DUMP Lamp 11 Active Low Input Illuminates DUMP lamp

EXIT Lamp 12 Active Low Input Illuminates EXIT lamp.

PAUSE Lamp 13 Active Low Input Illuminates PAUSE lamp.

ENGAGE Lamp 14 Active Low Input Illuminates ENGAGE lamp.

DELAY ANNUNCIATOR

15 Active Low Input Illuminates the DEL AY annun-

Command

OUTPUTS

DUMP Switch 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

EXIT Switch 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

PAUSE Switch 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

ENGAGE Switch 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

Not Used 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

(located on Element Monitor Mo dul e).

ciator on the Element main screen.

Active when DUMP button is depressed.

Active when EXIT but ton is depressed.

Active when PAUSE but ton is depressed.

Active when ENGAGE but ton is depressed.

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 52

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V POWER

COM

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

Page 63

GPIO Film Legendable User Button Module / Accessory Panel / Rack Panel

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

User Button 1 L amp 11 Active Low Input Illuminates User Button 1

User Button 2 L amp 12 Active L ow Input Illuminates User But ton 2

User Button 3 L amp 13 Active Low Input Illuminates User But ton 3

User Button 4 L amp 14 Active Low Input Illuminates User Button 4

User Button 5 L amp 15 Active Low Input Illuminates User But ton 5

OUTPUTS

User Button 1 Switch 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

User Button 2 Switch 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

User Button 3 Switch 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

User Button 4 Switch 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

User Button5 Switch 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

Lamp

Active when User Button 1 is pushed

Active when User Button 2 is pushed

Active when User Button 3 is pushed

Active when User Button 4 is pushed

Active when User Button 5 is pushed

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

COM

OUT

1N/C

+5 V POWER SOURCE

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 53

Page 64

GPIO Recording Device Logic

Name Pin Type Notes

OUTPUTS

Rec ON Lamp 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

Rec OFF Lamp 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

Not used 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

START Pulse 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

STOP Pulse 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

NOT CONNECTED 6

Active whenever Record Mode is engaged.

Active whenever Record Mode is NOT engaged.

n/a

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Record Mode is engaged.

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Record Mode is disengaged.

device or to Pin 8

source is not providing common

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

source device or to Pin 9

4: Conguring GPIO • 54

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V

COM

POWER

SOURCE

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v. 1/2012

Page 65

GPIO External Timer Control Logic

Name Pin Type Notes

INPUTS

START Command 11 Active L ow Input S t ar t s time r.

STOP Command 12 Active Low Input Stops timer.

RESET Command 13 Active Low Input Resets t i m e r.

FREEZE Command 14 Active Low Input Holds timer display while

active

FREEZE Lamp 15 Active Low Input Illuminates while timer is

frozen

OUTPUTS

START Pulse 1 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

STOP Pulse 2 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

RESET Pulse 3 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

FREEZE Pulse 4 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Timer is star ted.

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Timer is stopped.

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Timer is reset.

A 100 mS PULSE sent when Timer is frozen.

Not used. 5 Open Collector to Logic Com-

mon Return

POWER & COMMON

Source Common 7 Logic Common Connect to ground of sour ce

device or to Pin 8

Logic Common 8 Internal 5 Volt return Can be connec ted to Pin 7 if

source is not providing common

Logic + 5 Volt supply 9 Logic Supply, Individually

Fused

Can be connected to Pin 10 if source is not pr oviding voltage; active only when source has been assigned to channel.

Source Supply 10 Common for all 5 inputs Connect to power supply of

source device or to Pin 9

NOT CONNECTED 6

OUTPUT

COMMON

RETURN

ØV (GND) SOURCE

OUT

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

15 14 13 12 11 10 9

IN5IN4IN3IN2IN1IN

OUT

+5 V

COM

POWER

SOURCE

OUT

1N/C

GPIO v.”ZA” 4/2009

4: Conguring GPIO • 55

Page 66

Assigning GPIO to a Source

As you’ve seen by studying the previous pages, a lot

of the work of assigning logic to a source is done for you; once a GPIO port is linked with a Source Prole, all that remains to do is to solder cables connecting the GPIO’s DB-15 connectors to the device’s control interface.

So, how do you link a GPIO port with a Source Pro-

le? It’s very easy; let’s do it step-by-step.

Note: This procedure assumes that you have

already dened at least one Source Prole using

the instructions outlined in Chapter 3.

Figure 4-2: GPIO Select Source popup list

1. Open your Web browser and enter the IP address

of your Element console or, if so equipped, your PowerStation. Choose GPIO Conguration from

menu. Enter your password if prompted (default login is “user”, leave the password eld blank).

Note: If your systems includes a PowerStation, you will have four GPIO ports. If your system uses an Element Power Supply/GPIO unit, you have eight GPIO por ts as shown in Figure 4-1.

2. If you haven’t previously assigned any GPIO ports, the GPIO denitions screen will be blank. Notice the

status indicators at the top of the page, showing the

state of the input and output pins of each port. Click

on the list icon to the right of an unused line.

3. When you click on any list icon, a small popup win-

dow will open, enumerating all of the audio sourc-

es available on the Livewire network (Figure 4-2). Choose the source you wish to associate with a GPIO port by clicking on it; the window will close and the

source’s name and channel number will appear in

the Channel box.

4. Type a descriptive name in the Name eld, and click

on the Save button at the bottom of the page.

5. Look at the page-top status indicator for Port 1.

You’ll see that one of the pin status indicators is

lit in green; this means that the port is now sending a GPIO logic state of “true” through this

pin. Assign the source for which you just creat-

ed a GPIO link to a Element channel; operate the

On and Off keys for the channel and watch the

pin status indicators change as you do so.

The source we’ve been using for this demonstra-

tion is a telephone hybrid; we can now observe the

pin status indicators change as we turn the channel on and off, as shown in Figure 4-3.

4: Conguring GPIO • 56

Figure 4-1: GPIO denitions page

Figure 4-3: Pin status indicators showing

GPIO por t activity

Referring to the Hybrid Logic Chart on Page 48, we

can see that when the Element channel is Off, the

Page 67

indicator representing Output Pin 2 – the Off Lamp logic command – is high. Turning the channel On, we see Pin 4 pulse briey before Pin 1 goes high: the GPIO has just sent a

On Lamp. If you turn the channel Off again, you’ll

observe a Stop pulse, and the Off Lamp command

once again become active.

See how easy that was? Simply assigning an existing

audio source to a GPIO port automagically congures

the port for the type of device supplying the audio, and

send the appropriate logic commands to that port when

the source is assigned to a Element channel.

Start pulse, then lit the

A word about the GPIO Ports

Input Connections

Current on these inputs must be limited to 20 mA or

less, through the use of a current-limiting resistor. An

external power source (24 volts DC maximum) is rec-

ommended for all inputs and outputs, to prevent ground

loops between equipment. However, if customer equip-

ment is completely isolated, using power from the GPIO port connectors is acceptable. Figure 4-4 shows details

for both types of connections:

Figure 4-4 GPIO input connections

4: Conguring GPIO • 57

Page 68

Output Connections

The GPIO port’s outputs are opto-isolated. Current should be limited 100 mA through each output, with the total current draw from the +5 Volt supply not to exceed 3 amps. Figure 4-5 shows the recommended connections

for outputs:

Please note that this section is provided as a “jumpstart” introduction to Axia GPIO nodes. For a fuller understanding of the GPIO node’s options and requirements, you may wish to read the GPIO Node User’s

Manual that is available for download at https://www.

telosalliance.com/Axia .

Note: Some external devices will allow a logic control input “sink to ground” to activate. Thus, some devices may not work with an Axia GPO control, because they may not fully achieve ground through the output transistor. The voltage drop between the collector and emitter may not be low enough to activate the device, so an external relay controlled by the GPO may need to be used to provide a “dry” contact closure to the external device.

What's Next

When you’re ready, join us in Chapter Five for a com-

prehensive walk-through of Element operations.

4: Conguring GPIO • 58

Figure 4-5: GPIO output connec tions

Page 69

Chapter Five:

Element Operations

Once it’s installed in your studio, Element looks a lot

like a traditional radio broadcast console — but that’s

where the resemblance ends.

Displays

Unlike other control surfaces, Element does not in-

clude built-in meters or other displays. Instead, Element

GPIO/Power Supply Node provides a VGA output to

feed your choice of display monitors. If you are using

the PowerStation, the video is provided for your video monitor on a DVI-D connector. Both deliver the same

graphical display at 1024 x 768 resolution.

Element isn’t a console; it doesn’t actually mix or

process audio. It would be more accurate to say that

Element is a control center, a very fancy keyboard if you

like, allowing the operator to take charge of the delivery

system, the PowerStation or StudioEngine mixing/routing engine, the phone system, the recorder/editor and

other sources.

With Element, our goal is to provide you with the

most efcient human-machine interface possible for

fast-paced, complex programs where board operators

must multi-task without error. As such, Element brings

a whole new level of control and sophistication to the

broadcast studio, while providing very intuitive opera-

tion.

Overview

Element was designed to perform equally well in air

or production studios. In the air studio, the clean inter-

face enhances speed and accuracy without clutter or con-

fusing controls. In the production room, deeper levels of

sophistication are accessible with the touch of a button.

Because different people work differently, we’ve

made it possible to access many functions in multiple

ways. By providing several paths to access a function,

the board operator has less to remember and is less likely

to get trapped. This also serves to bring new operators

up to speed easily.

In this chapter we’ll rst give you a high-level over-

view of Element capabilities to help convey exactly what

Element is capable of. Then, we’ll give you detailed ex-

planations of the various controls and functions.

Element’s display normally shows meter levels for all

four PGM buses, a time of day clock, countdown and

time-remaining timers, and well as important status

messages. When the operator adjusts console options us-

ing the Direct Access Keys on the Master Module, the

screen helps navigate the options and, in the case of audio dynamics and EQ adjustment, shows graphic repre-

sentations of the effects of changes.

Show Proles

Element can be completely recongured, instantly, to suit different types of shows. By using pre-dened

Show Proles, talent can change board settings from

a phone and microphone intensive morning show to a

personality-based music show – or any other kind – at the touch of a button. Some users may be familiar with

this concept since many digital consoles are capable of

storing multiple “scenes” which are very similar in func-

tion to Element’s Show Proles.

Show Proles are easily accessed by pressing the

Prole key located at the top of the Global Options

section of the Monitor Module. Element’s on-screen

display will change to display a list giving instant access

to all stored Proles. Construction and administration of

Show Proles is covered in Chapter 6: Show Proles.

Sources, Channels and Faders

During the course of this manual, we’ll refer of-

ten to sources and channels. These are not the same!

“Sources” are microphones, CD players, outputs from the

playout system, telephone hybrids, etc. Your Livewire

network may have a very large number of sources, in dif-

ferent locations, used in various studios at various times.

“Channel” would normally be used when referring to

5: Element Operations • 59

Page 70

Element’s linear pots and associated on/off controls, al-

pha displays, bus assignment keys, etc. But “Channel” is

also used when discussing numbered Livewire network

audio streams. To avoid confusion, we’ll call Element

channel strips “Faders”.

Sources are assigned to faders for use on-air or in production. During initial conguration, the Source Proles are programmed by the engineer for appropriate logic and options (as outlined in previous chapters);

afterwards, whenever that source is assigned to a fader,

source logic follows.

Fader settings are instantly recongured whenever a

source is selected, to accommodate the unique require-

ments of the source. For example, a fader controlling a

microphone source also controls appropriate monitor

mutes. A fader controlling a line source sends “start”

and “stop” commands when the channel is turned on

and off.

Chapter 4 explained how sources can have associat-

ed GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) control associ-

ated with them. Element GPIO interfaces are connected

to Element via the Livewire network, so you can locate

the actual machine connections either physically close

to source equipment or in a central equipment room.

During installation, the engineer congures sources

to accept and provide logic commands by selecting vari-

ous options. Example: studio microphones may be set up

to automatically mute the studio monitor speakers and

illuminate an on-air warning light when turned on. The

same sources can be congured to accept GPIO logic

inputs from buttons so each studio guest can have their

own

On, Off, Talk, and Mute keys.

Line sources can be congured to receive start and

stop commands from the Element as well. Start/stop

messages can also be passed, via Ethernet, to a comput-

er-based playout system.

5: Element Operations • 60

Sources such as an off-air feed, can also be fed di-

rectly to the monitors for auditioning without being as-

signed to a fader.

Mix-Minus

Mix-minus setup, especially for live broadcasts, has

always been one of the most confusing aspects of run-

ning a radio console. Element makes mix-minus easy

by automating it. The operator never has to worry about

sending a source back to itself — it just can’t happen!

Several mix-minus choices – xed and switching – are possible, and are congured for each source when Source Proles are dened by the engineer (see Chapter 3 for details). Once this setup is done, no further tweaking is needed; the operator simply uses the source. A Status Symbol display on each fader tells operators when a

particular source has a mix minus output, and even tells

them which audio mix is being backfed.

Element will support as many outputs as there are

installed faders, each with its own automated mix minus

feed. Got 24 faders? You can have 24 mix-minuses!

GPIO

Monitor Module and SoftKnobs

The Monitor Module and SoftKnobs contain Ele-

ment’s operating controls. This is where you’ll nd vol-

ume and selection controls for monitors and headphones,

as well as keys that provide fast access to show proles, EQ & dynamics, Aux feeds and more. There are two

different type of Monitor Modules: one that contains

only monitor and option controls, and one that has fewer

monitor controls but adds two channel faders.

Software

The Element operating system uses a high-perfor-

mance embedded Linux kernel to help ensure bullet-

proof, 24/7 operation. Software updates can be obtained

from Axia via the Internet and applied by the station en-

gineer. Axia Support recommends performing backups

or making printouts of Show Proles and other congu-

ration data before applying new software updates.

Control Callouts

On the following pages are a “bird’s-eye view” of

Element, with major controls and their functions.

Page 71

Element with Standard Monitor Module

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 1110

1. Faders can accommodate any input source. Each

chan n e l’s Options button (at the top of the fader

strip) lets operators change sources and call up ex-

panded channel features.

2. Assignment Buttons for the four stereo main out-

put buses – Program-1, Program-2, Program-3

and Program-4/Record – are located atop each

fader strip.

3. Channel Displays contain a 10-character text

readout and a window for fader position numbers

and Status Symbol icons. Text is xed for static sources like microphones and CD players, but can be set to show song/artist information, etc., when

computer-based audio sources are connected.

4. Monitor Module Options & Profanity Delay

Controls. Channel Options section contains Di-

rect Access Keys for quick access to a channel’s

Source assignment, EQ, Dynamics, Pan, Mix-Mi-

nus and Aux Sends settings. These keys become

active whenever a channels Options key is pressed.

Below the Channel Options keys, a set of keys are

provided for convenient on-console control of ex-

ternal profanity-delay units.

5. Six SoftKnobs are context sensitive; when any Direct Access key is pressed, the on-screen display shows the function affected by rotating and/

or pushing each knob.

6. Monitor Module Global Options & Timer Con-

trol Keys let operators recall Show Proles, select

monitor and metering preferences and affect other

Element behaviors. Timer controls help keep track

of on-screen elapsed and remaining time displays.

7. Talkback & Preview Keys let operators preview

(cue) selected sources off-air, or quickly talk to any

source(s) with associated backfeed(s).

8. Monitor 2 Talkback & Volume Controls let op-

erators easily talk to hosts and guests in a second

studio, and control their monitor volume.

9. Monitor Assignment Section contains volume

and selection controls for monitors, headphones,

Aux Send buses and Preview.

10. Control Knob/Nav Keys help navigate through

on-screen options.

11. Numeric Keypad lets operators dial phone sys-

tems or codecs directly. Also provides numeric

input during surface setup.

5: Element Operations • 61

Page 72

Element with 2-Fader Phone Module and 2-Fader + Monitor Module

1 2 3 4 5 6

5: Element Operations • 62

7 8 9 1110

1. Faders can accommodate any input source. Each

chan n e l’s Options button (at the top of the fader

strip) lets operators change sources and call up ex-

panded channel features.

2. Assignment Buttons for the four stereo main out-

put buses – Program-1, Program-2, Program-3

and Program-4/Record – are located atop each

fader strip.

3. Channel Displays contain a 10-character text

readout and a window for fader position numbers

and Status Symbol icons. Text is xed for static sources like microphones and CD players, but can be set to show song/artist information, etc., when

computer-based audio sources are connected.

4. Numeric Keypad lets operators dial phone sys-

tems or codecs directly. Also provides numeric

input during surface setup.

5. Three SoftKnobs are context sensitive; when any

Direct Access key is pressed, the on-screen display shows the function affected by rotating and/

Record Mode to quickly capture off-air bits to an

external recording device.

7. Talkback & Preview Keys let operators preview

(cue) selected sources off-air, or quickly talk to any

source(s) with associated backfeed(s).

8. 2-Fader Phone Module provides direct control

of all hybrid and line control functions for Telos

Nx12, TWOx12 or Series 2101 Broadcast Talkshow Systems.

9. Timer Controls help keep track of on-screen

elapsed and remaining time displays.

10. Monitor 1 Section contains volume and selec-

tion controls for monitors, headphones, Aux Send buses and Preview.

11. Monitor 2 Talkback & Volume Controls let op-

erators easily talk to hosts and guests in a second

studio, and control their monitor volume.

12. Headphone and Preview Volume Controls let

operators adjust Host headphone volume and control Preview (cue) volume and options.

or pushing each knob.

6. Record Mode and Load Prole Keys let opera-

tors recall customized Show Proles and activate

Page 73

Element Stereo Main Screen Overview

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 1110

1. Program Meters for each of Element’s four

stereo Program buses feature true VU meter bal-

listics with an expanded scale. Solid bar graphs

indicate average level; the red line at -20dBFS corresponds to the 0dB mark on a traditional analog

meter. Other international standards are available.

2. Peak Indicator indicates absolute peaks to show

talent where the loudest portions of program mate-

rial are landing on the VU scale. (This indicator

may be switched off if desired.)

3. Peak Indicator Warning illuminates when

peaks reach or exceed 0dBFS.

4. Day/Date and Digital Clock keep operators in-

formed of what day it is (in case they forget, which

is entirely normal). Clock can be set for 12- or 24-

hour operation, and can be slaved to a networked

NTP server if desired.

5. Analog Clock presents a traditional clock face

with second hand for fast orientation.

6. Utility Meter normally shows the volume of

sources assigned to the PGM-4/Phone/Record

multifunction bus, but can optionally be slaved to

meter whatever source is auditioned in the Control

7. Annunciator Panel informs operators when Mic

channels are open, when audio is being auditioned in the Preview (cue) channel, when Talkback is ac-

tive in either direction, and when external profan-

ity delay units (if any) are active.

8. Countdown Ring appears when Element’s

Countdown Timer is active, and decreases during

the last :60 seconds as a visual prompt.

9. Count Up and Countdown Timers provide an

automatic event timer with manual elapsed-time

function, and a countdown timer to assist in back

timing live program material.

10. Monitor Selection Indicators show talent what

source is being presented in the Control Room and Studio Monitor channels, the CR Headphone channel and the Preview channel, and shows the

position of each volume control when adjusted.

11. External Monitor Indicators show what sourc-

es are assigned to each of the two programmable

External Monitor channels.

12. Show Prole Indicator tells talent what Show Prole is currently loaded, and whether the console has been changed from Prole settings.

Room Monitors.

5: Element Operations • 63

Page 74

5: Element Operations • 64

EXTERNAL

STUDIO

PREVIEWED

SOURCE

TALK TO

Control Details

General Fader Controls

Although any Element faders can handle any type of

audio source, some fader functions change their

behavior depending upon the type of source as-

signed. Also, certain fader modules have “extra”

controls for specic uses. The controls found on the Element 4-Fader Line Module (Figure 5-1)

are common to all Element modules, so we’ll look

at these rst.

• Fader Assignment Display

The 10 character alpha display shows the

source presently assigned to this channel. If the

fa de r’s

Options button is pressed and the opera-

tor changes sources, this display changes too.

If a channel is ON and the operator changes

its source, the display will ash between the

source currently on-air and the newly selected

source. The fader will not “take” the new source

until the operator has turned the channel off, pre-

venting on-air errors. If a Show Prole is loaded that species an unavailable source, the display

reads Requested source not found.

Just above the alpha display is a Status Symbol

display. This display indicates the fader’s channel

number or presents a Status Symbol to indicate

when backfeed or talkback is active.

• Channel Options Key

Pressing this key activates the Channel Op-

tions keys located on Element’s Master Module.

Refer to the sections on Monitor Module controls

later in this chapter for detailed functions.

New in version 2.1 is an A/B switch function.

This function enables operators to quickly toggle

through sources available to any particular fader

by holding the Options key and pressing the OFF key. Each time the OFF key is pressed, the fader will take the

next source from that fader’s list of available sources.

Module Fader

• PGM-1, -2 & -3 Keys

Each channel is assigned to any of the three main

output buses by selecting any (or all) of these program

keys. Generally, PGM-1 is the main air bus and

other buses are used for production or other pro-

gramming requirements. All program outputs are

post-fader and post on-off function.

• PGM-4 / Record / Phone Bus Key

The fourth bus functions as a regular output

bus, but any sources feeding PGM-4 are also sent

to a special Record bus that feeds a dedicated

recording device, as well as to the Phone bus

that sends mix-minus audio to any phone callers.

These buses operate independently but simultane-

ously, allowing jocks plenty of operational ex-

ibi l it y.

PGM-4 bus audio output is post-fader, post-

on/off;

PGM-4 Record bus audio output is post-

fader, pre-on/off, and Phone bus audio is sent to callers pre-fader, pre-on/off.

• Talkback Key

Each fader is equipped with a Talk b ac k key,

located between the bottom of the fader and the

channel ON/OFF keys. If the source assigned to a

fader is has an associated backfeed, pressing this

key will allow the board operator to communicate

with the person at the other end of the backfeed;

the fader’s Status Symbol display will change to

show that Talkback is active.

Multiple Talk back keys can be selected to

talk to more than one source at a time.

Figure

5-1:L i n e

Channel

Auto-Talkback: If a source’s Backfeed mode

is set to “Auto”, the caller or remote talent will hear PGM-1 minus himself (mix-minus) whenever the fader he’s assigned to is ON, and will have his Talkback channel automati-

cally activated when the channel is turned OFF.

See Chapter 3: “Conguring Sources” for more information on conguring backfeeds.

Page 75

• Channel Preview Key

Preview (called “cue” in the old days) allows

the operator to listen to sources before they air.

Element’s Preview bus allows auditioning in full stereo. Individual source proles can change Preview to Solo (Post-Fader) operation.

The Preview key acts like a latching switch.

Momentarily pressing any channel’s Preview key

assigns that channel to the Preview bus; pressing it again removes the channel from Preview. To

enable an operator to quickly listen to various

sources, the Preview function can be interlocked:

pressing Preview on any channel will remove

any other channel from Preview mode.

If you want to preview multiple channels,

pressing and holding any Preview key disables

the interlock; other sources can be added to the Preview mix by pressing them. Conversely, channels can be removed from a multiple Preview se-

lection by pressing and holding any lit Preview

key and deselecting the individual channels you wish to remove from Preview. A momentary press

of any lit Preview key will remove all channels

from Preview.

The interlock option for Preview can be dis-

abled in any Show Prole’s Monitor section so

that users can gang preview sources without the

need to press and hold the preview button.

• Fader

The fader controls the volume of the input

source. There are two modes for the fader: fader-

start and fader-normal:

1. When the channel is used in fader-start mode,

pushing the fader all the way to the bottom of

its travel turns the module off, and sends ap-

propriate logic commands to source equipment.

Moving the fader up turns the channel on and

sends logic commands. In fader-start mode,

the On and Off keys act more as indicators of channel status; the On key will not turn the

channel on if the fader is at the bottom of its

travel.

2. In fader-normal mode, on/off status and start/stop commands follow the channel ON/ OFF buttons independent of fader position.

For information on how to switch between

fader-start and fader-normal modes, see the

Monitor Module Controls section later in this

chapter.

• On and Off Keys

When the channel is in fader-normal mode

the On key ( u ) turns the channel on and the Off

key ( n ) turns it off. The channel On and Off

functions also provide logic (start and stop pulses,

monitor muting, etc.) appropriate to the selected

source.

The audio from the Preview bus feeds any

speakers dedicated to Preview, and can also be

routed to the operator’s headphones if desired.

Preview speakers will be muted whenever the

board operator’s microphone is ON, or is assigned

to the Preview or Record buses.

New Feature: If you press Talk on a fader that hosts a source with a backfeed and, while holding it, press the Preview button, both will latch on, making it easy to have a hands-free off-line chat using the CR Mic. Pushing either one clears both.

Figure

5-1:L i n e

Module Fader

Channel

when that fader is turned on and when CR micro-

when the fader is already on mutes the channel, provid-

ing a “cough” function, until the button is released.

New Feature: In fader-start mode, holding the

Off button while moving the fader up temporarily overrides fader-start; the channel won’t turn on or send GPIO commands.

If a control-room mic is assigned to a fader,

the CR monitors and Preview speakers will mute

phone sources are Previewed. If a fader is host-

ing a microphone source, pressing the On button

5: Element Operations • 65

Page 76

4-Phone Module Channel Controls

You can assign any type of source to any Element

fader module, but some fader modules include

special keys that provide extra functions for cer-

tain types of sources. The 4-Phone Fader Module (Figure 5-2) is one of these modules. If a normal line source is assigned to a Phone Fader, the

fader and its controls operate exactly like a stan-

dard 4-Fader Module (described in the previous

section). But when a Telos telephone hybrid is

assigned to one of these faders, extra functional-

ity is enabled.

Taking Calls

The Status Symbol box above the alpha dis-

play indicates an available line by displaying a

single dot. A call ringing in shows a “ringing”

icon. It is answered by pushing either the On or

Preview button. If Preview is already on, tog-

gling to Off and then On answers the call. When

the call is answered, an “up arrow” icon displays.

Also, a window on Element‘s screen will show

call status and incoming caller ID (if available).

• Set Key

If you’re using certain Telos broadcast phone sys-

tems, pressing the Set key transfers the phone

line assigned to that fader to a handset. These

buttons are mutually exclusive across all faders;

touching a Set key on any Phone Fader switches

the handset to the line assigned to that fader and

cancels any previous line selection. For details

on Telos phone systems that utilize the Set ke y,

please refer to Appendix D: Working With

Phone Hybrids

• Hold Key

Pressing Hold sends a hold command to the

connected Telos phone system. When connected

to European ISDN lines, a hold signal is sent to the network. With USA ISDN lines, no network

hold function is available, so the hybrid enters a

virtual hold state.

Note: The Element’s 2-Fader Monitor Module also includes two Phone faders complete with Set and Hold buttons.

5: Element Operations • 66

When the phone channel is off and in Pre-

view, press Off to drop the call. When the channel is on, press Off once to put the caller on hold;

twice to drop.

Making Calls

To dial out from the console, press any con-

trol key (Off, On, Hold, Set, or Preview) on a

fader that hosts a Phone source. This assigns the Keypad on the Monitor Module to that fader. Di-

aling works like a mobile phone: enter all digits, then press the Enter (8 ) or Pound (#) key to

place the call. The Status Symbol icon above the fader indicates rst that a line is active and then

that the call is proceeding. The Element display

screen will also indicate the numbers dialed and

call status.

Figure

5-2:Phone

Module Fader

Channel

Page 77

Call Controller + 2-Fader Phone Module

The faders on this module can be used as faders for

any console source however they are most commonly as-

sociated with phone hybrids.

This module (Figure 5-3) has a high level of integra-

tion with Telos multi-line talk show systems. It features

the hybrid controls found on Telos talk show controllers,

anked by two faders. Typically, the left fader is linked

to the left hybrid control, and the right fader to the right

hybrid control. The faders and controls are identical to

those described for the 4-Phone Module in the previous

section.

For details on hybrid control operation and description of Status Symbols used, please refer to the Operator’s Manual supplied with your Telos phone system.

Tip: If the caller cannot hear the operator, the

most common cause is having the phone chan-

nel turned ON. Remember - when the phone

channel is ON, the back feed to caller is a mix-

minus of PGM-1 (default). Only when the phone

channel is OFF will the caller hear what is as-

signed to PGM-4 (Phone)

Appendix D: Working With Phone Hybrids pro-

vides details on the conguration of various Telos phone

systems when used with your Element console.

Note: The Element’s 2-Fader Monitor Module

also includes two Phone faders complete with

Set and Hold buttons.

Figure 5-3:Call Controller + 2-Fader Phone Module

5: Element Operations • 67

Page 78

5: Element Operations • 68

Production Module Controls

The Element Production Module gives productionroom gurus quick access to often-used EQ and posi-

tioning controls for each loaded source.

Its controls provide direct access to the

options presented in the

ICS options screens detailed later in this

chapter.

About Element EQ: Our EQ model

is three-band quasi-parametric. Con-

trols are provided for center frequency

and boost/cut, with a unique SmartQ™

automatic bandwidth system.

SmartQ works by varying the Q of the

selected parametric band proportional

to the amount of boost or cut you spec-

ify. A small amount of boost or cut will

affect a broader range of frequencies

for a warm, musically-pleasing ef fect.

As gain is increased the Q sharpens,

affecting a narrower range of fre-

quencies for tighter control of target

bands. At aggressive cut levels, the

EQ becomes a tunable notch lter.

SmartQ keeps the EQ sounding natu-

ral at virtually all settings.

To activate the Production Module,

press the Options key on any fader strip. The Production Module’s overbridge dis-

play will immediately mirror the number

of that fader and the name of the source

you’re adjusting EQ for.

Once the Production Module is active, you can quickly adjust EQ using the controls described below. To quickly set EQ

for multiple channels, rotate the SELECT

knob on the overbridge panel to choose

a different fader source, and press it to

TAK E that source.

• AUX S END A/B/C/D: These controls

allow you to send the output of the ac-

tive fader to any or all of the four Aux Send buses for

outboard audio effects processing, custom IFB mix-

es, etc. Each Aux Send control has 50 dB of adjust-

ment range, from -∞ to +10dB. Rotating the knobs

EQ & DYNAM-

Figure 5-4:Produc tion Module

+ overbridge display

adjusts the send level; pushing the knob toggles the

send between

PRE-FADER and POST-FADER.

• The three central pairs of knobs are EQ Controls:

HI GAIN/HI FREQ, MID GAIN/MID

FREQ and LO GAIN/LO FREQ.

The

GAIN knobs provide 40 dB of adjust-

ment range for boost or cut of the three

parametric bands, from -25 dB to +15 dB.

The

FREQ knobs each act slightly differ-

ently:

» HIGH FREQ: Sets the active frequency for high-band EQ. Pushing this knob toggles the EQ model between

Bandpass modes. If set to Shelf, the

HIGH FREQ knob determines the top of

Shelf and

the shelf. If set to Bandpass, it sets the

center frequency of the BP lter (SmartQ determines the width of the BP lter, as

described above).

» MID FREQ: Sets the center frequency

of the midrange parametric band.

» LOW FREQ: Sets the center frequency of the low parametric band. Pushing this knob toggles the EQ model between Shelf

and Bandpass modes. If set to Shelf, the

LOW FREQ knob determines the top of

the shelf. If set to Bandpass, it sets the

center frequency of the BP lter

• The four knobs at the bottom of the

module are the PAN controls.

» The upper left knob PANs the sound

eld left-to-right.

» The FRONT-BACK knob moves the

soundeld front-to-rear (in 5.1 mode).

» The SURROUND knob pans the rear

speakers left-to-right (in 5.1 mode).

» The LFE knob adjusts the gain of the Low

Frequency Effects channel (in 5.1 mode).

Page 79

Standard Monitor Module Controls

The Standard Monitor Module (Figure 5-5) con-

tains direct-access controls for all of Element’s options

and features. Constantly-used controls like headphone

and monitor selection and

volume, plus command keys

for the on-screen timers,

controls for an external pro-

fanity delay unit, and a nu-

meric keypad for convenient

dialing of telephone systems

and codecs are included.

Nav Keys & Control Knob

At the bottom right of

the standard monitor mod-

ule is a Control Knob sur-

rounded by a set of naviga-

tion keys (Up, Down, Right

and Left), an Enter key (8

and a Help key (?). These

controls provide another

way to navigate Element

option screens.

Operators can use the

directional keys to navigate

through on-screen lists, and

the Enter key to “take” a se-

lection. The Control Knob

can also be used to scroll

through on-screen lists.

Channel Options Section

These keys found on

the standard monitor mod-

ule allow the operator to

customize the behavior

of individual faders. The

operator rst presses the Options key atop the fader to be modied; the Channel Options box is displayed on Element’s screen (Figure 5-7), and the Channel Options

keys then become active.

Figure 5-5:Standard Monitor Module + SoftKnobs

With the 2-fader monitor module, the various Chan-

nel Options are selected by navigation with the Soft-

Knobs.

Channel Jumping:

If any fader is in Options mode, you can

“quick jump” to set op-

tions for other fader channels by pressing the Options key at the top of their channel strips.

For example, if you need to change the Source on several channels, select the rst channel using its Options key, and then choose the Channel Options Source key. The Source Selection list will appear on-screen. Once the source reassignment is made, simply press the Options key on the next channel you want to assign a new source to; the Source screen will remain active, and you’re now adjusting settings for the new channel. The channel number is displayed on-

screen as conrmation.

Placing a channel in Op-

tions mode lets you change

inputs, change/apply EQ or dynamics processing; change pan position; invert phase; set Aux Send and

Aux Return levels; adjust

mix-minus settings for that

channel and adjust channel

gain. The various Options

displays; (Figure 5-7) give

detailed channel informa-

tion that will vary a bit de-

pending on the type of source you are viewing; the Ele-

ment channel number (the physical fader position, from

left to right); the source and type assigned to that chan-

nel; source ownership information and a small VU meter displayed for conrmation.

5: Element Operations • 69

Page 80

2-Fader Monitor Module Controls

The Monitor + 2-Fader Module (Figure 5-6) al-

lows users to customize their console design, adding two

full-function faders at the cost of some direct-access

control keys in the Monitor section. No exibility has been sacriced, however; all

the functions provided by the Standard Monitor Mod-

ule are present, but are ac-

cessed differently. Controls

for all of Element’s options

and features are accessed via

on-screen menus with the

aid of the three SoftKnobs;

constantly-used controls

like headphone and moni-

tor selection and volume,

plus command keys for the

on-screen timers and a nu-

meric keypad for convenient

dialing of telephone systems

and codecs are included.

The 2-Fader Monitor

Module does not include the

navigation arrow keys, or

scroll knob as described on

the previous page. The “En-

ter” and “Help” keys are also not included with the 2-Fad-

er monitor module

A close inspection re-

veals that the faders on this

module are the same as the

faders on the 4-Phone Fader module or the 2-Fader Call

Controller module. The SET and HOLD buttons are included making the 2-fader

Monitor Module useful for integration with hybrids that

support these features.

Figure 5-6:Monitor + 2-Fader Module + SoftKnobs

Channel Options

Pressing the Channel Options keys above your faders

will generate a slightly different display if you have the

2-Fader Monitor module since this module has three SoftKnobs as compared with the six SoftKnobs found on the

Standard Monitor Module. In many cases, you will nd that one SoftKnob has been

used as a “selector”. It takes

a few more clicks and twists

to access some features but

the end result is the same.

In Figure 5-7 on the fol-

lowing page, you can see

some of the different screens

that are presented when you

hit the Channel Options but-

ton. Different types sources

have different options. The

three SoftKnob controls for the 2-Fader Monitor Module

are shown below the screen

image for the Standard Monitor Module.

When one of the sources has

been selected, rotating the

Function/Select knob

al-

lows you to select the chan-

nel option you want to view

or change. The selected

option area will be shaded RED. Pressing this knob se-

lects that option.

The following sections

will describe both Monitor Modules. In many cases the

user interface is identical ex-

cept for the SoftKnob controls and their functions. The screen shot for the 3-knob user interface will be shown

below the 6-knob controller where applicable.

5: Element Operations • 70

Page 81

Figure 5-7: Channel Options screens. Information displayed differs based on the type of source currently assigned to the

active fader. Shown clockwise from top left: Line Source Channel Options screen, Mic Source Channel Options screen,

Phone Source Channel Options screen, Codec Source Channel Options screen. 2-Fader controls are shown below.

5: Element Operations • 71

Page 82

• Source

Pressing the Source key or selecting this option with the SoftKnob displays the Source Selection menu. The Source Selection screen displays the currently se-

lected source alongside a list of available sources and

their current ownership status. Operators may select a

source using the SoftKnobs or Nav Keys. They can also

preview a source before selecting it.

If an operator tries to assign a source that’s already in use on another console and has a backfeed or logic control enabled, the ID box in the Channel Options screen displays “Listen Only” rights to the source (as seen in the right-hand box above) - no backfeed will be sent from his console, and no machine logic is tied to the fader’s ON/OFF keys. In this case, the Channel Number box above the fader will display an “X” which is an indicator of “listen-only” status

If the source is not in use anywhere else, the operator is informed that they have “Full Control” of the source (as shown in the left-hand box above), and backfeed and logic operate norma l l y.

5: Element Operations • 72

Figure 5-8: Source menu screen.

2-Fader Module controls shown below.

A Note About Source Sharing: Element’s

source sharing protocol keeps sources from re-

ceiving backfeeds from more than one console

at a time. Source control logic, however can be

either exclusive or shared.

» Source/Take

: rotating this SoftKnob scrolls

through the available sources. Push to take.

» Previous

: (Standard Monitor Module only)

Whenever you “take” a new source, your last

source selection is held in memory. Should you

change your mind about the new source and wish

to return to your previous source selection, press

the

knob. the prior source will be im-

mediately reloaded to the fader.

» Preview

allows you to hear the highlighted

source through the Preview speakers without having to “take” it. Press and hold to listen; re-

lease to end the preview.

» Pressing

Source

again returns to the Channel

Options screen.

• EQ & Dynamics

This command allows three-band parametric equal-

ization to be applied to the selected audio source and, if

it is a permitted source (mic, phone or codec), to apply

dynamics processing by Omnia. On the Standard Monitor Module, pressing the

screen to appear; pressing it a second time displays

the

Dynamics

screen, and pressing a third time exits.

EQ & Dynamics

key causes the

When the

screen is displayed, a graphical rep-

resentation of the equalization curve is displayed as

the controls are adjusted. The screen also indicates the

Page 83

amount of cut/boost applied, and the center frequency

of each band.

» Rotating the Lo Freq knob adjusts the center fre-

quency of the low EQ band (20 - 320 Hz).

» Rotating the Mid Gain and Mid Freq SoftKnobs

adjust gain and center frequencies of the mid-

range EQ band (125 Hz - 2 kHz).

» The Hi Gain knob adjusts the boost/cut of the

high frequency band (1.25 kHz - 20 kHz).

» Hi Freq/Shelf/Peak: Rotating this SoftKnob

adjusts the center frequency of the high EQ band

(1 kHz - 16 kHz). Pushing this knob toggles the

high-band EQ method between Peak and Shelf

modes.

» Pressing EQ & Dynamics again displays the Dy-

namics screen (Standard Monitor Module only)..

Note: High, Mid and Low band adjustments provide up to 25 dB of cut and 15 dB of boost. Element EQ features SmartQ™ automatic bandwidth system that varies the Q of the selected parametric band to provide the most pleasing EQ effect.

Figure 5-9: EQ menu sc reen.

» Function/Exit:

(2-Fader Monitor module only)

This control changes the frequency band at which

the other two controls operate - low, mid or high.

Pressing this knob will exit the EQ screen.

» Lo Gain/Bypass/Active:

Rotating this Soft-

Knob adjusts the amount of gain or cut applied to the low EQ band; note that the Shelf/Peak in-

dicator next to the onscreen control automatically

shifts to Peak mode when boost is applied, and shifts to Shelf mode when cut is applied. Pressing this knob toggles EQ between Active and

Bypass. Note that the centre SoftKnob on the

2-Fader Master Module performs the Active/

Bypass toggle function.

Dynamics controls are available if the selected

source is a Mic, Codec or Phone input. Pressing the Dy-

namics & EQ key twice (Standard Monitor Module) in-

vokes the Dynamics menu. With the 2-Fader Monitor

Module, use the functions knod to select the Dynamics function. From here, you can add Gating, Compres-

sion and De-essing to a microphone channel. Nor-

mally, these values are part of a pre-set Show Prole; however, on-the-y control is provided for talent (with

permissions) to make adjustments when needed.

What is this stuff? Radio engineers don’t need

a lesson in dynamics processing, but for the benet of any jocks reading this, here’s a quick explanation of what these controls can do.

“gated.” You might use this on a mic channel to

eliminate background noise during times when you’re not speaking.

5: Element Operations • 73

Page 84

5: Element Operations • 74

Threshold settings determine at what level the

processor will begin working. For example, on

a compressor, when signal level exceeds the

threshold setting, it will be compressed; below

the threshold the signal will remain uncom-

pressed. On a gate, threshold determines the

minimum input level required to cause the gate to

open up and pass signal; when input level drops

below the threshold, the gate will be closed pre-

venting signal from passing. Carefully setting

the thr esho ld allows you to ver y spe c ic all y con-

trol when processing is being applied to a signal.

Compression controls the dynamic range of an

audio signal. It generally reduces the volume of

very loud audio, helping to keep from “blowing

out” the mic channel with too much volume. It

can be used to make your mic channel sound

“fatter,” evening out the highs and lows of your

vocal pattern. It can also increase the overall

perceived fullness of your voice. Too much com-

pression, however, can make your voice sound

hard and “squashed.” Use it sparingly!

To use compression, you must rst set your

threshold value (usually expressed in dB). When

the audio signal is louder than this threshold, its

gain is reduced. The amount of gain reduction

applied depends on the Compression Ratio

setting. For example, with a 2:1 ratio, for every

2 decibels the input signal increases, the output

is allowed to increase only 1 decibel.

The Freeze Gate is used to prevent “suck-up”

of room noise during speech pauses. When ac-

tive, gain is not increased by the compressor

when audio is absent. “Freeze” would be the

default, since it almost always improves results.

De-Essing is just what you think it is - a way to

electronically remove extra sibilance from your

mic channel. If your mic is particularly sensitive

to “s” and “th-” sounds and accentuates them

on-air, De-Essing helps reduce these sounds to

more manageable levels. As with compression,

too much de-essing will produce annoying and

unnatural results - you’ll wind up sounding like

you’re talking through a cotton sock! Stick to

small amounts to get the effect you want.

» Function/Exit:

(2-Fader Monitor module only)

This control changes the processing control

function at which the other two controls operate

- Expander, Compressor or De-Ess. Pressing this knob will exit the Dynamics Menu screen.

» Rotating the Exp Gate Thresh/Bypass/Ac-

tive SoftKnob varies the level of signal thresh-

old needed for the Gate function to activate (be-

tween -50 and 0dB). Pushing this knob toggles Dynamics between Active and Bypass states.

» The Exp Gate Depth knob sets the amount of

Figure 5-10: Dynamics menu screen.

gain reduction when audio level falls below the

Exp Gate Threshold value (adjustable between

-3 and 0dB).

» Comp Thresh/Bypass/Active sets the upper

limit of the level at which the compressor will

begin to work (between -30 and 0dB). Pushing the SoftKnob toggles between Active and Bypass

states.

» Comp Ratio/Freeze/No Freeze sets the com-

pression ratio (variable between 1:1 and 16:1). Pushing the SoftKnob activates and deactivates the compressor’s Freeze Gate function. When the Freeze function is active, a red “lamp” illuminates just above the Compression Ratio bargraph

meter.

» De-Ess Thresh/Bypass/Active sets the audio

level above which the de-esser will be engaged

(from -20 to 0dB). Pushing the SoftKnob toggles

Page 85

between Active and Bypass states.

» De-Ess Ratio sets the amount of sibilance re-

duction, in dB, that will be applied (adjustable

between 1:1 and 8:1).

» Post Processing Gain sets the amount of gain

applied after processing. This can compensate

for gain that may be lost during compression.

» Pressing the Dynamics & EQ key again will re-

turn you to the Channel Options screen.

options screen, that function is “locked out” in

the Source Prole and adjustments cannot be

made. In Figure 5-11, the padlock appears just

below the soundeld representation, above the

Mode indicator. The onscreen Mode SoftKnob is also “grayed out” to show that this function is unavailable.

Operators cannot “unlock” locked functions; if you wish to make locked functions available,

simply modify the source prole to allow them

and when the source is reloaded to the console, the padlock will have disappeared.

• Pan & Mode Key

This function allows the operator to adjust the pan or

balance of the channel source and correct signal phase

errors.

» Function/Exit:

(2-Fader Monitor module only)

This control changes the other control operates -

Pan, Mode or Phase. Pressing this knob will exit the Pan/Mode Menu screen.

» Pan/Balance: Rotating this SoftKnob adjusts

the Pan setting for mono sources and the Balance

setting for stereo sources.

» Mode: If the selected source is in stereo and

the Source Prole for the selected source permits it (see Chapter 3 for information on Source Proles), rotating this control lets the board op

switch source audio between Stereo (discre t e

left/r ight), Left (left source channel fed to L/R

input), Right (right source channel fed to L/R

input) and Sum (left and right source channels

summed to mono and fed to L/R input). Push to

Take the new setting.

» Phase: If the selected source is stereo, rotating

this control lets the board op compensate for

out-of-phase audio sources. Normal is used for

in-phase sources; Inv Left inverts the phase of

the left input channel only, Inv Right inverts

the phase of the right input channel only, and In-

vert Both reverses phase of both stereo channels.

If the selected source is in mono, the choices are

Normal and Inver t only. Press to Take the new

sett ing.

» Pressing Pan & Mode again returns to the Chan-

nel Options screen.

Figure 5-11: Pan / Mode menu screen.

It’s a Lock: If a “padlock” icon appears in any

» Aux Sends Key

Element has four stereo Aux buses that can be used

as utility buses for mixing, for constructing custom IFB mixes, or as effects buses for production. Pressing this

5: Element Operations • 75

Page 86

key displays the Aux Sends screen.

its gain adjusted by the fader (variable level).

* Off sends no audio to the Aux Send bus.

» Pressing Aux Sends again returns to the Chan-

nel Options screen.

• Feed To Source Key

If the assigned source (i.e., a codec or phone hybrid)

has an associated backfeed or mix-minus, pressing this

key allows the board op to change the audio supplied

through the backfeed. This selection is normally pre-

set when a Source Prole is constructed (see Chapter

3: Working With Sources, for information on Source

Proles), but can be modied on-the-y.

5: Element Operations • 76

Figure 5-12: Aux Sends menu screen.

» Select/Exit:

(2-Fader Monitor module only) This control changes which AUX send the other control is adjusting. Pressing this knob will exit the Aux Sends Menu screen.

» Send A/B/C/D: Rotate these knobs to adjust the

level of the audio you’ll be sending to any or all

of the four Aux Send buses.

» Pre/Post Fader: Pushing any of the four Send

SoftKnobs toggles the activity state of that par-

ticular Send. The state is indicated in the display

above.

* On Pre sends the source assigned to the fader

to the selected Aux Send bus prior to having its gain adjusted by the fader (xed level).

* On Post sends the source assigned to the fad-

er to the selected Aux Send bus after having

Figure 5-13: Feed to Source menu scr een.

» The Select/Take knob, when rotated, scrolls

through the list of available audio sources that

can supply backfeed or mix-minus.

* Automatic backfeeds audio from the Phone

Page 87

bus when the channel is Off, and audio from

the Program-1 bus when the channel is

On,

with mix-minus if needed.

* Phone backfeeds audio from the Phone bus,

with mix-minus if needed.

* Program 1 - Program 4 backfeeds audio

from the selected Program bus, with mix-

minus if needed.

* Aux Send 1 - Aux Send 4 backfeeds audio

from the selected Auxiliary bus, with mix-

minus if needed.

About the PHONE and PROGRAM 4 buses:

Element’s Program 4 mix bus is a special multipurpose bus that does several things at once to make life easier for the operator.

Any source assigned to Program 4 also be fed to the PHONE bus and sent to callers when the channel is OFF and AUTO is selec ted as the Feed To Source Mode. PHONE is an internal bus which does not feed a separate output; instead, it picks up the Program 4 audio pre-fader and pre-On/Off and backfeeds them to an PHONE sources.

Sources assigned to Program 4 are also sent to

the RECORD bus, a special xed-level output

that can be used to feed recording devices. This RECORD bus is post fader and pre on/off.

» Rotating the Dim knob allows the operator to

adjust, in dB, the amount by which the studio

monitors are dimmed when this fader channel’s

Tal kback key is pressed.

» Pressing Feed to Source or Options a second

time exits this menu.

» The DIM/OFF knob, when rotated will control the

amount of program dimming that occurs during

Talkback. Pushing this control will select OFF which

completely mutes the backfeed program during

talkback.

Delay Section

These keys can be used to

provide from-the-board control of an external profanity

delay unit using one of Element’s GPIO ports. Please refer to Chapter 4: “Conguring GPIO” for instructions

on GPIO setup.

The keys provide for remote activation of Dump,

Exit, Pause

and Engage functions, respectively.

Some enterprising individuals have found other used

for these keys. If they are not being used to control an ex-

ternal delay unit, our PathnderPC software can monitor

these keys and perform various actions upon detecting

these button presses. Some of these uses have included custom IFB, one-button show prole load, VMIX control . . the possibilities are virtually innite!

Monitor Section

This controls in this section provide direct operator

access to monitor selection and volume controls.

• Monitor 1 Knob + Source Keys

This knob, at the bottom left of the Monitor section,

controls the selection and volume of the source heard

Monitor 1 speakers (typically the Control Room

in the

mon itors).

» Rotate the knob to vary the gain of the Monitor

1 speakers.

» Use the Direct Selection Keys in the column

directly above the

Monitor 1 knob to send the

output of Program 1 - Program 4, Aux Send

A - Aux Send D,

or the two External monitor

sources to the Monitor 1 speakers. These keys

light to denote the selected source.

» You can listen to any frequently-used audio

stream in your facility instantly (such as a net-

work feed, off-the-air monitor or another studio’s

Program output) by assigning it to one of the two

External selector keys - like preset buttons on a

car radio.

Programming the External Monitor Selector keys: If you press and hold either of these

keys for ve seconds, a list of available audio

streams will pop up onscreen. You can then scroll through this list and select the source you want to hear in the monitors when that key is pressed. Each External key is independently programmable.

5: Element Operations • 77

Page 88

5: Element Operations • 78

You can also pre-program the source assigned to these keys when you construct or capture

Show Proles, using the options available on the Monitor page of the Show Prole setup menu.

• Headphone Knob + Source Keys

This knob, at the bottom right of the Monitor section,

controls the selection and volume of the source heard in

the board operator’s headphones.

» Rotate to vary the gain of the Headphone feed. » Use the Direct Selection Keys (Standard Monitor

Module only) in the column directly above the

Headphones knob to send the output of Pro-

gram 1 - Program 4, Aux Send A - Aux Send

or the two External monitor sources to the

headphones. These keys light to denote the se-

lected source.

» Press and hold either of the External selector

keys (Standard Monitor Module only) to display

and select from a list of available audio streams

to monitor on these keys.

• Link Key

This key (Standard Monitor Module only)

toggles the Monitor 1 / Headphone source Link func-

tion. When active, a change to the Monitor 1 source

automagically selects that source for the Headphone

feed, and vice versa. The Link key illuminates when this

function is active.

• Monitor 2 Knob

This knob, at the top left of the Monitor section, con-

trols the selection and volume of the source heard in the

Monitor 2 speakers (Control Room Guests and Studio

or News booth monitors).

» Rotate to vary the Monitor 2 speaker gain. » Push the knob to see an on-screen display of

sources that can be assigned to the Monitor 2

feed. Rotate to highlight the desired source, and

push again to “take”.

• Talk To Monitor 2 Key

The board operator can push and hold this key to talk

to the talent listening to the Monitor 2 feed. While

the key is depressed, audio from the Control Room mic

channel is fed, pre-fader, to the

Monitor 2 speakers

and headphones (if used). Releasing the key ends the

talkback function.

• Preview Knob

This knob controls the volume of the source heard

in the Preview (cue) speakers. Rotate the knob to vary

the gain of the Preview speakers. Note that pushing this

knob (even though it “clicks”) is not currently associated

with any action.

• Preview To HP Key

This key toggles the Preview To Headphone func-

tion. When active, this function sends Preview audio to

the board operator’s headphones. When inactive, audio

from the Preview bus is heard exclusively in the Pre-

view speakers. The Preview To HP key illuminates

when this function is active.

There are three different Preview to HP modes; the

current mode is indicated by an annunciator on the Ele-

ment display screen just below the headphone selection

ta lly.

» Off: When Preview to HP is off, the selector key

is unlit. No preview audio will be heard in the

board-op’s HP path.

» Stereo: Pressing the Preview to HP key once

from the Off state sends preview audio, when

present, into both sides of the operator’s head-

phone feed, overriding the Monitor audio. The

Preview to HP key is now lit.

» Split: Pressing the Preview to HP key a second

time toggles SPLIT mode. In this mode, audio from the Preview channel overrides the Headphone Monitor selection in the left headphone channel only. Program audio is still present in

the right channel of the operator’s headphones.

Global Options Section

The Global Options keys are used to load Show Proles and to customize Monitor, Meter, Aux Sends/ Returns and Fader settings.

• Prole Key

Page 89

Pressing this key allows the board operator to browse and select from the list of saved Show Proles, custom surface congurations that can be loaded as needed to recongure Element for different shows and talent.

ing has a CD player assigned to Channel

10. Obviously, there’s a conict.

Instead of blindly changing the channel source and interrupting audio that’s on-the-air, Element queues the new source. When the board op is

nished with the satellite feed, he turns the

channel Off and the CD player automatically loads.

Along with selecting a new Show Prole to load,

users can reload the currently active prole, resetting

the board to a “nominal” state if they wish to return

to their normal conguration after making on-the-y

changes.

» Select / Take: Rotate this knob to scroll through

the on-screen list of available Show Proles. Push the knob to “take” the new Show Prole.

» Previous: When you load a new Show Prole,

Element remembers the previously loaded Prole until you exit the Show Prole screen. The

Previous command functions as a “speed key,”

highlighting the previously assigned source in

the source list and allowing the operator to re-

turn to it should they change their mind. Press

to “take.”

Figure 5-14: Show Prole selec tion screen.

As soon as you “take” a new show prole, Element

begins loading it. During the prole loading process, a

status line reads Loading (Show Proﬁle Name) to

inform the operator of the operation in progress.

LOADING A NEW SOURCE WHILE ANOTHER

SOURCE IS STILL ACTIVE: Element will nev-

er interrupt an active source in order to load a

new one.

Let’s say that the operator has a satellite

feed assigned to Channel 10, and this source

is currently on-the-air (assigned to Pro-

gram-1, fader up, channel On). The board op

loads a new Show Prole to ready Element

for the next show; the Show Prole he’s load-

DON’ T PANIC! Element is full of options intended to make life on-air easier and more intuitive for today’s talent. However, it’s possible for talent not yet familiar with the way Element works to “get lost” in the option settings.

Pressing and holding the Prole key for ve seconds instantly clears changes made to the

current Show Prole, resetting the Show Prole’s default settings. All is well, and your jock

once again knows where his towel is.

• Monitor Options Key

Pressing this key reveals all sorts of neat options re- lating to Monitor and Headphone behavior. The Monitor Options screen is shown in Figure 5-15.

» Function/Exit:

(2-Fader Monitor module only)

This control changes which the function of the

other knob which is used for adjusting the Monitor Options parameters. Pressing this knob will

exit the Monitor Options Menu screen.

5: Element Operations • 79

Page 90

5: Element Operations • 80

Figure 5-15: Monitor Options menu screen.

» Pushing the TALK LEV SoftKnob selects be-

tween adjusting the levels of the Monitor 1 Talk

To and Dim levels and the Monitor 2 Dim level.

The active function is highlighted in yellow on

the screen. Turn the knob to adjust the values of

these settings.

» Rotate the HP LINK knob to choose whether

the headphone source will follow the Monitor

1 source selection. Push the knob to Take your

selection.

* Linked means that Headphone and Monitor

1 selections will mirror each other; making a

selection from one bank of keys on the Monitor Module will automatically choose the

same source on the other bank.

* Unlinked allows Monitor 1 and Headphone

sources to be selected independently of each

ot h er.

The strongest link: You’ve noticed that there

are no Direct Selection Keys for the headphone source on the Monitor + 2-Fader Module. By default, CR Headphones and Monitor 1 sources are linked - the phones will play whatever source is assigned to the monitor speakers. So how can the operator select a headphone source if s/he

chooses to Unlink

When Unlinked is chosen in the Headphones

Follow Monitors box, the Preview knob doubles as the headphone source selector. When the

operator pushes the Preview knob, the Head-

phone Source menu is displayed. Voila!

the headphones?

» The H/P PROC knob allows the board op to turn

Headphone Processing on and off, dene how it operates if active, and change Headphone Pro-

cessing settings. These controls are adjusted in a

manner similar to Channel Options EQ settings.

» Pushing the HP Proc knob selects Change Set-

tings onscreen and takes the operator to the H/P Process screen shown in Figure 5-16. In this

screen, the operator is presented with a graphi-

cal representation of the EQ curve applied to the

headphone channel. Talent can then apply three-

band parametric equalization to his or her head-

phone channel, and select headphone dynamics

processing. The screen indicates the amount of

cut/boost applied, and the center frequency of

each band.

» Lo Gain/Bypass/Active: Rotating this Soft-

Knob adjusts the amount of gain or cut applied

to the low EQ band. Pressing this knob toggles EQ between Active and Bypass. Note that the EQ mode for this band automatically changes to Peak mode when boost is applied, and Shelf

mode when cut is applied.

* Rotating the Lo Freq knob adjusts the center

frequency of the low EQ band (20 - 320 Hz).

* Rotating the Mid Gain and Mid Freq Soft-

Knobs adjust gain and center frequencies of

the midrange EQ band (125 Hz - 2 kHz).

* The Hi Gain knob adjusts the boost/cut of the

high frequency band (1.25 kHz - 20 kHz).

* Hi Freq/Shelf/Peak: Rotating this Soft-

Page 91

Knob adjusts the center frequency of the high

EQ band (1 kHz - 16 kHz). Pushing this knob toggles the high-band EQ method between

Peak and Shelf modes.

* Press the Monitor Options key to return to

the previous menu.

tion and is sent to both the left and right chan-

nels of the operator’s headphones.

* Split: Audio from the Preview channel

overrides the Headphone Monitor selection

in the left headphone channel only. Program

audio is still present in the right channel of

the operator’s headphones.

* After making a selection, push the knob to

Take the new value.

» MONITOR MODE knob: Rotate to select from

the following monitor mode options.

* Stereo: The selected source will be present-

ed in stereo on the Monitor speakers.

* Left: The left channel of the selected source

will be presented in both Monitor speakers.

* Right: The right channel of the selected

source will be presented in both Monitor

speakers.

* Sum L+R: Both channels of the selected

source will be summed and presented to both

Monitor speakers.

After making a selection, push the knob to Tak e

the new value.

Figure 5-16: H/P Process settings.

» The H/P PREV knob controls whether audio

from the Preview bus can be fed to the board

op’s headphones, and if so, in what manner. Note

that operators can also press the Preview to

HP key on Element’s Monitor Module to toggle

through these settings. Rotating this knob selects

from the following options:

* Off: The operator will not hear Preview au-

dio in the headphone channel.

* ON (Stereo): audio from the Preview chan-

nel overrides the Headphone Monitor selec-

» HEADPHONE MODE knob: Works exactly like

the MONITOR MODE knob described above, but

affects the board operator’s Headphone channel. Pressing Monitor Options or Options exits

this menu.

• Meter Options Key

Pressing this key opens the Meters screen, where

you can choose preferences for the two on-screen meters

that are on the right side of the Element display, enable

six more meters and set other meter preferences. In addi-

tion, Element now supports numerous international me-

tering standards. This is one area where there have been

numerous recent changes.

Right-Most Meter display options are:

» PGM-4 bus - default setting.

» Monitor 1/Preview means the meter will show

levels for the bus assigned to Monitor 1 or the

Preview bus when any source is in Preview-

mode.

5: Element Operations • 81

Page 92

Meter Peaks can be hidden or viewed by selecting

Show or Hide as desired.

PGM 3 meter source options are:

» Program 3 - default » Record (Program 4; post-fade, pre on/off) » Phone (Program 4; pre-fade, pre on/off)

» External 1

» External 2

Figure 5-18: 2-Fader Meter Options menu screen.

Figure 5-17: Standard Meter Options Menu.

Note: The 2-Fader Monitor module does not have a Meter Options key. To enter the Meter Options screen, simply press the Monitor Op-

tions button twice. The rst press will give you

Monitor Options; the second press will take you to Meter Options described below. In addition to Meter Options, you will also nd the global settings for AUX SENDS and AUX RETURNS.

Meter Ballistics permits the selection of various

international metering standards. Those selections are:

meter options are:

» Full Scale VU - Element default North Ameri-

can style VU meters.

» BBC Type PPM

» DIN Type PPM

» EBU Digital

» Nordic Type

Figure 5-19 illustrates the 5 different types of meters

and a comparison of these meters displaying a steady

tone with an RMS level 20 dB below digital full scale.

More Meters will open up an additional meter dis-

play that replaces the centre clock section on the Ele-

ment display. These six meters can be congured to

display any other sources you have specied in the Monitor section of your Show Prole (see Chapter 6 for details). To close the “More Meters” display, press

the Meter Options button twice.

5: Element Operations • 82

More Meters is toggled on/off on the 2-Fader Moni-

Page 93

Figure 5-19: Meter Comparisons: Left to Right; Full

Scale VU, BBC-PPM, DIN-PPM, EBU Digital, Nordic

AUX Sends & Returns Key

(Standard Monitor Module only) This key affects

global settings for the master send and return levels of

the four stereo Aux Send and two stereo Aux Return

buses. The outputs can be turned On or Off and can be

sent to the preview speakers and headphones (if preview

is enabled in headphones).

Element’s Aux buses can be used as utility buses for

mixing, for constructing custom IFB mixes, or as effects buses for production. Pressing the Sends & Returns

key once takes you to the Aux Sends Master screen

(Figure 5-19); pressing it twice displays the Aux Re-

turns Master screen (Figure 5-20), and pressing a third

time exits the menu.

tor module by pressing and holding the Monitor Option button and then pressing the Monitor 2 knob.

Note: The 2-Fader Monitor module includes the AUX SEND and AUX RETURN controls within the Meter Options screen as shown above. The functions of Aux Sends and returns are as described in the section that follows.

Aux Sends Master screen options:

» The Send A/B/C/D SoftKnobs, when rotated,

set the Master Send Gain for each Aux Send bus. Pushing any of these knobs toggles that individual

Aux Send Master On or Of f.

» The Select/Preview knob allows you to hear any

of the four Aux Send mixes in the Preview chan-

nel. Push to preview; release to end the preview.

Figure 5-20: More Meter s - Example Conguration

5: Element Operations • 83

Page 94

Figure 5-21: Standar d Aux Sends menu screen.

Aux Returns Master screen options:

» Rotate the Retur n A/On/Off SoftKnob to set

the audio level of Aux Return A. Push the knob

to toggle Aux Return A On or Off.

» Rotate the adjacent Assign/Take knob to choose

which of the four Program buses to assign the output of Aux Return A. Push the knob to Take

the assignment.

» Rotate the Re t urn B/O n/O f f SoftKnob to set

the audio level of Aux Return B. Push the knob

to toggle Aux Return B On or Off.

» Rotate the adjacent Assign/Take knob to choose

which of the four Program buses to assign the output of Aux Return B. Push the knob to Ta ke

the assignment.

» Rotating the Select/Preview knob allows you

to select either of the Aux Return mixes for auditioning in the Preview channel; the on-screen

menu indicates which Aux Send is selected.

Push the knob to preview; release it to end the

preview.

Figure 5-22: Aux Returns menu screen.

Press the Sends & Returns key one more time to

exit the menu.

• Fader Options Key

Element supports fader-normal and European-style

fader-start channel activation methods. Fader style

is now set on a per-fader basis. As a result, the global

Fader Options key is no longer used to control this func-

tion. Each input’s Source Prole contains a Fader Mode

choice, which lets you determine the activation method

of individual faders.

Note: Pressing and holding the Fader Options

key for ve seconds enters the IP Address Book discussed in Chapter 1 and 2.

Timer Section

The Timer control keys operate Element’s onscreen

event and countdown timers, and allow users to set op-

tions determining the behavior of these timers.

5: Element Operations • 84

Page 95

rst and second press of the Timer Options button. A

third press closes the Timer Options.

» The Countdown timer is useful for counting

down to network joins, top-of-hour IDs, and oth-

er events which require exact timing. The Count-

down timer is started, stopped and reset manually

using the controls displayed when the Timer Op-

tions key is pressed. To use:

* Rotate the SoftKnob marked Begin Time/

Reset

to set the interval from which the

countdown will begin. As you rotate, small

numbers below the red counter onscreen will

inform you of the new countdown interval.

* Press the Begin Time/Reset knob to set the

new time you’ve dialed in.

* Press the Start/Stop knob to begin or end

the countdown.

* Pressing Freeze holds the on-screen Timer

display so you may take note of it; the timer

continues to count while the display is frozen,

and a second press of the Freeze again dis-

plays the running elapsed time counter.

Figure 5-23: Timer menu.

• Timer Options Key

Pressing the Timer Options key on the Standard

Monitor module opens the Timer Menu (Figure 5-21).

This menu allows users to adjust how the onscreen tim-

ers behave. Note that the SoftKnobs are divided into two

sections: Countdown Timer and Count Up Timer.

The 2-Fader Monitor has a slightly different display

that changes from Count-Up to Count-Down with the

“Look at me!!” During the last 60 seconds of

the countdown, the inner ring of Element’s onscreen analog clock will turn red and diminish as time passes, providing the operator with

a visual cue to how much time is left until zero.

• The Count Up Timer is an event timer with three

modes, which can be set to start/stop/reset either automatically or manually. Using Source Proles, you

can determine whether individual sources will start or stop this timer automatically; the onscreen con-

trols described below allow the operator to override

or modify those settings.

» Rotate the Timer Mode SoftKnob to choose how

the event timer will operate.

* Choose Manual to start, stop and reset the

timer by hand using the controls displayed

when the Timer Options key is pressed.

* Choose Auto-Reset and the timer will au-

tomatically reset to zero and begin counting

whenever a fader whose source starts the

timer is turned On.

5: Element Operations • 85

Page 96

5: Element Operations • 86

* Choose Auto-Add to have the timer count up

when a designated source’s fader is turned On

and stop counting when that source is turned

Off. In this mode, the timer will not reset to

zero when it is started.

Pressing the

Timer Options key again exits this

menu.

Note: Pressing and holding the Timer Options Key opens the Clock & Timer Options Menu discussed in Chapter 1.

• Reset Key:

Pressing this key resets Element’s Count Up Timer

to zero.

• Freeze Key:

Pressing Freeze holds the on-screen Timer display

so you may take note of it; the timer continues to count

while the display is frozen, and a second press of the

Freeze again displays the running elapsed time counter.

• Start/Stop Key:

If the Count Up Timer is not running, pressing this

starts the count. If the timer is running, pressing this key

stops the countdown and retains the last displayed timer

interval.

Record Mode Section

Record Mode is a special “one-touch” mode which

can be set to automatically start a designated recorder so

talent can record a phone call or remote interview with

a single button-press. Record Mode can be enabled or disabled for each Show Prole (see Chapter 6, “Show

Proles”, for details).

• Engage Key:

Press this key to put Element into Record Mode. Pressing this button activates a pre-determined recording device via GPIO assigned to the record device in the Show Prole. In addition to triggering a recorder, Record Mode also changes your headphones and monitors to PGM 4 Record which is indicated by ashing the PGM 4 indicator.

Pressing the

Record Mode key a second time deac-

tivates Record Mode and stops the recorder (via GPIO).

Help (?) Key and Magic Key Sequences

The

Help( ?) key (Standard Monitor Module) a spe-

cial key that displays system information about your Element hardware, modules and associated software. Press-

ing this key will pop-up this information in the centre

section of the Element display. Pressing it a second time

will return to normal. The Element will continue to op-

erate as usual when this display is active.

“Magic Key” Sequences for Standard Monitor

Module

The list of “Magic Key” sequences for the Standard

Monitor Module are:

• IP Address Book: Press and hold the Fader Op-

tions key for 5 seconds or press and hold the * and

4 and 7 keys for 5 seconds. Press the SoftKnobs as

prompted to edit , save, reboot or Exit. Be sure to

Reboot after making any changes to this page.

• Clock & Timer Options: Press and hold the Timer

Options key for 5 seconds.

• Capture Mode: Press and hold the * and 2 keys for 5 seconds.

• Test Mode: Press and hold the * and 2 and # keys

for 5 seconds.

• Module Information: Press ? or press and hold the

* and # keys for 5 seconds.

• “Magic Key” Help - Press and hold the ? key for 5

seconds or press

“Magic Key” Sequences for Monitor + 2-Fader

Module

The list of “Magic Key” sequences for the Standard

Monitor Module are:

• IP Address Book: Press and hold the * (star), 4 &

7 keys on the keypad for 5 seconds. (That’s *+I+P.)

Press the SoftKnobs as prompted to edit , save, reboot or Exit. Be sure to Save and Reboot after mak-

ing any changes to this page.

• Clock & Timer Options: Press and hold the Timer

Options key for 5 seconds.

• Capture Mode: Press and hold the * (star) & 2

Page 97

keys on the keypad for 5 seconds. (That’s *+C.) Press # to perform the capture sequence and exit Capture Mode.

• Module Information: Press and hold the * (star) &

# (pound) keys on the keypad for 5 seconds

to check status of installed software and fad-

er rmware. Press and hold the

# (pound) keys again to exit.

* (star) &

• Test Mode: Not yet available with this module. If

you end up here accidentally, press 0 to exit Test Mode.

Source-Specic Channel Controls

Some fader functions change their behavior to suit

the type of source assigned to the fader. A Guest Mic in-

put has unique functions different from those of a Codec

input, and so forth. In this section we’ll explain the chan-

nel functions unique to each type of source input.

Control Room Operator Mic Channel Operation

The Control Room Operator microphone is the board operator’s mic. It’s always located in the Control Room, so activating a channel designated as the CR Operator mic affects CR monitor speaker (Monitor 1) and Pre-

view speaker muting.

When the board operator pushes a

output bus assignments for the Control Room Operator

microphone are temporarily muted, while his mic’s audio is routed to the requested Talkb a c k destination. Re-

leasing the button returns the channel outputs to normal.

(Pushing your own Talk b ack key does nothing.)

Pressing the channel ON key for the CR Operator Mic while the channel is already on will mute the chan-

nel until the button is released, acting as a “cough” func-

tion for the board operator. On-air status and speaker

mutes are unaffected by this action. The CR Operator microphone channel will mute the CR Monitors (Monitor 1) and the Preview speakers whenever the channel is

On, or if Preview or Record Mode Engage keys are

selected.

Tal kback key, all

a position within the Control Room where a morning

show or talk show producer would normally sit. This

mic type mimics the operation of the Control Room mic

described above, but does not include the “cough” func-

tion; also, a Producer mic can use Talkback to talk to the board op, but cannot talk directly to the Monitor 2

talkback channel.

Control Room Guest Microphone Channel Operation

There are often microphones in the Control Room

other than the board operator’s; i.e., an in-studio guest

wing, or perhaps an announcer located physically near

the board op. These microphones also control the mut-

ing of the Control Room monitor speakers.

The Studio 1 monitor speakers and Preview speak-

ers will mute when this channel is turned on, or when

Preview or Record Mode are selected. Control Room

Guest mics can be turned on and off remotely, and provide on/off status to a remote logic device. Remote Talk

and Remote Mute functions are also provided, and can

be activated using a remote On/Off/Talk/Mute panel.

Remote Talk lets talent and guests communicate

with the board operator. When Talk is remotely activat-

ed on a CR Guest mic channel, outputs to program buses

for that channel are muted and the mic audio is fed to the Talkback bus. While this is active, the Status Symbol on

the guest’s fader strip displays a T icon. When the user

stops talking, the channel returns to normal. The opera-

tor can then reply using the fader’s Talkba c k key.

When the Remote Mute function is activated, the

Status Symbol displays X, and all the channel outputs are

muted until the command is released.

Control Room Guest Microphone channels will mute

the Control Room speakers and the Preview speakers

whenever the channel is ON, or if Preview or Record

keys are selected. If only the Phone key is selected, the

Control Room speakers will mute independently, leaving

the Preview speakers un-muted.

Producer Microphone Channel Operation

The Producer’s microphone is meant to be used at

Finally, Control Room Guest Microphone channels

have provisions for an individual Headphone feed. This

5: Element Operations • 87

Page 98

is especially useful for talent and guests in the same

room as the board operator; their headphone feeds will

all monitor the audio selected on the

Monitor 2 selec-

tor, but the board op can communicate with each person

privately using Talkb a c k key on their fader strip.

Studio Microphone Channel Operation

The third type of mic channel is a Studio Microphone.

This mic is typically located in a location separate from

the control room — perhaps a voice-over booth, a talk

studio separated by glass, or a news booth.

Logic for Studio Microphone channels is identical to that of the Control Room Guest Microphone channel. Studio Microphone channels can be turned on and off remotely and provide on/off status to a remote logic

device.

Remote Talk and Remote Mute functions are

provided for use with a remote On/Off/Talk/Mute panel.

Remote Talk lets talent and guests communicate

with the board op. When Talk is remotely activated, out-

puts to program buses for that channel are muted and the

source audio is fed to the Talk b ack bus. While active, the Tal k back key is lit and the Status Symbol displays

TALK. When the user stops talking, the channel returns

to its previous state, and its Talk b ack key ashes for

three seconds, alerting the board op to the guest who

spoke to him, and enabling reply via the Talkbac k k e y.

When Remote Mute is activated, the Status Symbol

will display MUTE, all channel outputs are muted until

the key is released, and the channel is again active.

The Monitor-2 speakers mute when a Studio Micro-

phone channel is turned on, or if it is assigned to the

Program-4/Record bus.

The Studio Microphone channel can be associated with an individual Headphone feed. All Studio Micro-

phone-associated feeds will monitor the audio selected

on the Monitor 2 selector, but the board op can commu-

nicate privately using the Talkba c k function.

use the Line Channel prole. The Line Channel is ste-

reo, but the user can change the input mode to mono, left

only or right only by using the

Pan & Mode key in the

Master Module’s Channel Options section.

Line channels have a variety of remote logic func-

tions available at the GPIO interface.

ON and OFF keys

can be remotely controlled, as well as the Preview key.

Each function has a corresponding lamp driver.

Reset function is provided to remotely turn the

channel OFF while suppressing the Stop command, use-

ful for allowing certain types of tape machines to re-cue.

You’ll also nd a Ready command which will remotely

illuminate the

OFF lamp on the Element channel and ac-

tivate the GPIO OFF lamp driver, allowing source equip-

ment to signal the operator with either a steady-state OFF

button (indicating source ready) or a ashing OFF button (indicating source next). Refer to the GPIO Node User’s Manual for information on interfacing to the GPIO’s in-

puts and outputs.

Phone Channel Operation

The Phone Channel prole is used, naturally, for telephone hybrid audio sources. Each Phone Channel has its own discrete Feed-to-Source mix-minus output.

Each Element can accommodate as many unique,

automatically-generated mix-minus feeds as it has fad-

ers. If the Feed-to-Source mode is set to “Auto” (the

most common option - see Chapter 3: Working with Sources for the section entitled “Source Prole Op-

tions”), phone callers hear the output of the Pro gram -1

bus, minus himself, when the channels they’re assigned

to are ON. When the caller’s channel is OFF, their chan-

nel’s Talkba c k key is lit and they hear the Board Opera-

tor’s mic routed to their Talkb a c k feed.

When a Phone Channel has been assigned to an

Element fader, the Status Symbol display located above

the channel name will display an icon to show the board

operator what is being fed to the caller.

Line Channel Operation

5: Element Operations • 88

Line-level devices like CD players, tape players, etc.,

Phone feed-to-source outputs can also be locked to

backfeed only PGM-1, PGM-2, PGM-3 or PGM-4, us-

Page 99

ing the options provided when constructing the Source Prole for your hybrid. This automatic switching mode

makes it very easy to prep callers and then seamlessly

put them on the air with a minimum of button pushes.

(See Chapter 3).

Channels congured for Phone sources can be turned

on and off remotely, and will provide on/off status to a

remote logic device.

Remote Preview is also provided,

as are lamp drivers for On, Off and Preview. Start and

Stop pulses can be sent when the channel is turned on

or off, respectively. See Chapter 4: Conguring GPIO for information interfacing to GPIO inputs and outputs.

sends uninterrupted program audio (without talkback)

for use as a PA feed.

What’s Next

One of Element’s most powerful features is the abil-

ity to instantly recongure the entire surface for differ-

ent show types. All fader assignments, monitoring pref-

erences and other console settings that may be related to

a specic show or function are easily “recalled” by your

operator.

Codec Channel Operation

The Codec Channel is used for codec sources. Like

the Phone Channel, each codec source is brought up on its own channel, and an individual Feed-to-Source (mix

minus) output is provided for each codec. Codec Chan-

nels can be turned on and off remotely and provide on/

off status to a remote logic device.

Remote Mute are also provided, allowing talent to take

Remote Talk and

control using their own On/Off/Mute/Talk panels.

Tal k enables remote talent to communicate with the

board op using the Talk b a c k bus. When Tal k is acti-

vated, all outputs for that channel are muted and the source audio is fed to the Talk b ack bus; the channel’s

Tal kback key lights, and its Status Symbol displays

T. When the user stops talking, the channel returns to

normal, and its Talk b ack key ashes for three seconds,

alerting the board operator to the guest who spoke to

him, and enabling him to reply using the Talkb a c k key.

When the remote mute function is activated, the Sta-

tus Symbol displays M, and all the channel outputs are

muted until the command is released.

Join us in Chapter Six to learn how to set up and use

Show Proles.

The mix-minus output normally feeds Prog ram -1

audio to the remote, but can be switched to Pro gram-2.

The Feed-to-Source output on a Codec Channel is a

dual mono output, occupying both sides of the stereo

pair. The Left output is normally used for remote talent’s

headphone feed, and is interrupted by Talkba c k audio

when the board op talks to the remote. The Right output

5: Element Operations • 89

Page 100

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5: Element Operations • 90