BLUE SKY AUDIO MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER User Manual
AUDIO MANAGEMENT CONTROLLER (AMC) MANUAL
WINDOWS AND OS X VERSION 10.3
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DESCRIPTION
The Blue Sky Audio Management Controller (AMC) is an 8-channel audio DSP platform with both
24-bit digital and analog I/O.
Each channel of the AMC has a sample rate converter (by stereo pair), a 31 band 1/3 octave
equalizer, eight parametric / free assignable filters, individual channel delays, and lip-sync delay.
A 16x8 cross-point mixer allows any input to be mixed to any output.
The flexible bass management system can be customized on a channel-by-channel basis, or
turned-off completely.
The AMC has 6 presets, each of which stores complete setup information, including filter setting,
I/O configuration, delays, etc.
The AMC includes control software that is a Windows and OS X application that connects through
the USB port.
The AMC includes SRO (Sound Room Optimization) software which includes an MLS based
measurement system with auto room correction or expert manual mode, correcting the in- room
speaker response to a user definable target curve.
Requires firmware and software 5.13 or above.
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Table of Contents
DESCRIPTION...................................................................................................................................2
AMC FEATURES................................................................................................................................4
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS...........................................................................................5
AMC FRONT PANEL..........................................................................................................................7
AMC REAR PANEL............................................................................................................................7
1. POWER......................................................................................................................................7
2. CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS.......................................................................................................7
3. ANALOG I/0...............................................................................................................................8
4. DIGITAL I/0.................................................................................................................................8
THE AMC REMOTE.........................................................................................................................11
FRONT PANEL.............................................................................................................................11
REAR PANEL...............................................................................................................................12
MENU ITEMS...............................................................................................................................13
QUICK SETUP AND USE................................................................................................................15
UPDATING THE FIRMWARE..........................................................................................................16
UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE IN THE AMC RACK.....................................................16
UPGRADING THE FIRMWARE IN THE AMC REMOTE..............................................................17
THE AMC CONTROL SOFTWARE.................................................................................................18
INSTALLING THE AMC CONTROL SOFTWARE IN WINDOWS...............................................18
INSTALLING THE AMC CONTROL SOFTWARE IN OS X.........................................................18
RUNNING THE PROGRAM........................................................................................................18
THE AMC CONTROL MAIN SCREEN.............................................................................................19
NAVIGATING AROUND THE INTERFACE.................................................................................19
CROSS MIXER................................................................................................................................22
BASS MANAGEMENT.....................................................................................................................23
1/3 OCTAVE EQ...........................................................................................................................25
UNASSIGNED CHANNEL FILTERS...........................................................................................25
TARGET CURVES...........................................................................................................................27
SPEAKER ROOM OPTIMIZATION (SRO)......................................................................................29
OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................................29
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED............................................................................30
SETTING UP THE ART USB DUAL PRE in WINDOW...............................................................30
SETTING UP THE ART USB DUAL PRE IN OS X......................................................................31
GUIDELINES ON MICROPHONE SETUP..................................................................................32
USING THE SRO PROGRAM (SIMPLE SET UP)......................................................................33
STARTING THE SRO PROGRAM..............................................................................................34
FREQUENCY RESPONSE CURVE................................................................................................35
OPTIMIZING USING 1/3 OCTAVE FILTERS...................................................................................36
OPTIMIZING USING 8 UNASSIGNED FILTERS............................................................................36
CALIBRATING THE AMC TO DISPLAY dBSPL..............................................................................42
AMC SPECIFICATIONS...................................................................................................................43
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AMC FEATURES
o 8 balanced analog inputs and outputs with switchable +12 / +24 dBu maximum levels
o 8 AES 110 ohm digital inputs and outputs, each transformer Isolated
o Burr Brown / TI PCM1792A digital to analog converter with 132 dB SNR
o Burr Brown / TI PCM4222 analog to digital converter with 124 dB SNR.
o Cirrus Logic CS8422 sample rate converter with 140 dB SNR
o National LME49760 op amps, with 55 MHz bandwidth and 20V/us slew rate
o Analog / Digital I/O selectable in pairs.
o Simultaneous digital and analog outputs
o Adjustable analog and digital output offset
o 16 in x 8 out cross mixer
o Quad Analog Devices 56 bit fixed point processor
o Digital input sample rate range 44.1 kHz to 192 kHz.
o Internal sample rate 48 kHz or 96 kHz (switchable)
o 31 Band 1/3 octave double-precision digital EQ per channel
o 8 user definable 2nd order double precision digital filers per channel
o 6 user defined presets
o 4 line large lighted high contrast display on remote
o Solo / Mute channel selection buttons.
o Mute, Dim, and Ref gain buttons
o Adjustable channel and lip sync delays
o Adjustable channel calibration
o SRO room optimization software
o Firmware updatable through the USB port.
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
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1. Read Instructions.
2. Keep these Instructions.
3. Heed all Warnings.
4. Follow all Instructions.
5. Do not use near water.
6. Clean only with a dry cloth.
7. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other
apparatus that produce heat.
8. Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.
9. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus
has been damaged in any way, such as a power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has
been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain
or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
10. The system must be placed on a firm, level surface where it is not exposed to dripping or
splashing liquids.
11. Do not place flammable material above or beneath the AMC.
12. Before making connections to a Blue Sky AMC, ensure that the power is off and other
components are in mute or stand-by mode.
13. Make sure all cable terminations are of the highest quality, free from frayed ends, short
circuits, or cold solder joints. Be especially careful when connecting to terminals marked which
may have hazardous voltages on them during operation.
14. Allow adequate ventilation for the rack.
15. THERE ARE NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE A BLUE SKY AMC
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AMC FRONT PANEL
POWER Switch – Turns AMC on and off.
USB 2.0 Connector – used for updating firmware in the AMC rack and the AMC Control program.
STATUS / POWER LED – Indicates the AMC is powered. When flashing indicates internal
microcontroller is operating normally.
AMC REAR PANEL
1.POWER
The AMC has switching power supplies that operates on 100-230 VAC 56/60 Hz. No voltage
change switch required. Standard IEC 3 pin power connector.
2.CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS
The AMC I/O connections use DB25 connectors wired to the TASCAM/ Avid protocol for both
analog and digital. These DB25 cables are not supplied.
The channel assignments are SMPTE standard
1. Left
2. Right
3. Center
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4. LFE
5. Left Surround
6. Right Surround
7. Left Rear
8. Right Rear
The channel assignments match the labels on the remote.
However, these channels labels are for reference only. Any channel can be used for any purpose
desired. The only exception is the LFE channel which includes the bass management filters. Since
these filters can be disabled (using the AMC Control Software), the LFE channel can be
reconfigured as a standard channel like the others.
3.ANALOG I/0
The analog inputs and outputs are balanced with a switchable maximum level of +12/+24 dBu.
Both analog and digital outputs are active irrespective of whether the inputs are digital or analog.
4.DIGITAL I/0
The digital inputs and outputs are AES/ EBU 110 impedance transformer isolated I/O. The digital
inputs have built-in 140 dB dynamic range sample rate converters, which convert any digital input
to the native sample rate. The internal sample rate can be set as a global parameter to 48 kHz or
96kHz through the menu on the remote. Changing the sample rate will reset the rack unit and
restart at the new sample rate.
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EXTERNAL MUTE INPUT
The green barrier strip has an external mute input, which allows an external switch or 5 V trigger to
mute the entire system. This is normally used for talk-back muting.
The mute input is opto – isolated to prevent ground loops when using an external supply. To use a
switch, connect the normally open switch across pins 1 and 4 and connect a jumper wire between
pin 4 and pin 5 n 3. Close the switch to mute the AMC and open it to unmute the AMC.
To use an external +5 V trigger to mute the rack, connect the voltage across pin 4 and pin 5. A +5
V signal will now mute the rack
REMOTE CABLE
The cable between the remote and the rack unit is a standard Ethernet Cat-5/6 UTP cable with
RJ–45 connectors.
However the signal protocol between the remote and rack is RS-232 not Ethernet.
The remote cable has been tested to 50 ft.
Warning: Do not plug the remote or rack unit into an Ethernet port. It was not designed for this,
and doing so may damage the port or unit.
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THE AMC REMOTE
FRONT PANEL
GAIN – changes the system gain in 1.0 dB increments . Also used to scroll through the menus and
change parameters.
MUTE – mutes all channels, both digital and analog
REF – sets the system gain to a user defined reference level. The default setting is -20 dB. The
default setting can be changed utilizing the remote menu or the AMC Control Software.
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DIM/CANCEL – reduces the current system gain by the DIM value. The default setting is -10 dB.
The default setting can be changed utilizing the menu or the AMC Control Software. The
DIM/CANCEL switch is also used to exit the menu mode
MUTE MODE – the Solo/ Mute channel buttons operate in mute mode. Switching between Solo
and Mute modes clears all solo/mute buttons
SOLO MODE – the Solo/ Mute channel buttons operate in a Solo Mode. Switching between Solo
and Mute modes clears all solo/mute buttons.
SOLO/MUTE – Solo’s or Mutes that channel. Solo buttons can now be pressed in unison. For
example if you want to solo L, C, R. so can press those buttons all at once.
PRESETS – loads the preset.
MENU – allows a limited number of parameters to be changed on a preset. When exiting the
menu mode, the changed parameters are automatically stored in flash memory.
REMOTE MENU LOCKOUT- Access to the full menu can be restricted by requiring the user to
enter a 4 digital access code. If this feature is activated, whenever the menu button is pressed, the
user will have to use the preset buttons to input the correct 4 digital code to access the full menu.
A limited user menu can be access by hitting the menu button again. This feature can be turned on
or off and the access code changed using the AMC control software remote code.
REAR PANEL
USB 2.0 CONNECTOR - used for firmware updates to the remote
REMOTE MAIN RS232 - Connects the Remote to the AMC rack
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REMOTE AUX RS232 - Connects the remote to a 2nd AMC rack for 16 channel operation
THE MENU
Menu Switch – enters the menu mode and switches between scroll and parameter modes.
In the Scroll mode, the gain control “scrolls” through the menu items.
In the Parameter mode, the gain control changes the selected parameter. To switch between
modes, tap the menu key. The current mode is displayed at the bottom of the display.
Dim/Cancel switch - exits the menu mode and stores the changed values in the current preset.
Preset Buttons – when the remote lock out is on, used to input access code.
An example of using the MENU to change the left calibration to +3 dB.
1. Tap the menu switch.
2. Rotate the gain control to cycle through the menu items to left calibration.
3. Tap the menu switch to enter parameter mode.
4. Rotate the gain control CW or CCW until the display reads +3.0 dB.
5. Tap the menu key to go back to scroll mode.
6. Tap the dim/cancel switch to exit the menu and store the preset.
7. To change multiple items, follow 1-5 on each parameter and then hit the dim / cancel key
when you have completed all your changes.
MENU ITEMS
1. Channel Calibration – sets the output gain offset for the selected channel. Used to balance
channel levels.
2. Channel Delay – sets the time delay for the selected channel. Channel delay is used to
time align each speaker to compensate for the unequal distances between the listener and
the speaker. For example, a subwoofer is usually farther away from the listener than the
front speakers, so the sound from the subwoofer arrives later than the sound from the front
speakers. In this case you would add additional time delay to each of the front speakers to
time align with the subwoofer. The time delays of each speaker can be measured using the
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AMC Control software and the optional recommended measurement microphone and USB
audio interface. (See the section on additional equipment you will need, below.)
3. Lip Sync delay – Many video displays have video processing delays which can cause the
audio to be out of sync with the picture. To compensate for video delay, an overall audio
time delay can be added to re-synchronize the audio with the picture.
4. Ref Gain – sets the system gain when Ref button is pressed
5. Dim Gain – sets the gain reduction when the DIM button is pressed
6. +12/+24 analog max level switch – Some studio monitors are high gain devices that have
a nominal input level of around -10 dBu, and not +4 dBu. This switches the gain structure to
+12 dB to optimize the signal to noise ratio. Only affects the analog inputs and outputs.
When using digital IN and analog OUT, this parameter affects the maximum output level of
the analog output.
7. Channel pink noise – Generates a low level pink noise signal on the digital and analog
outputs of the selected channel; The pink noise signal is mainly used to trace down output
channel wiring or to verify the AMC is outputting a signal.
8. Restore to factory defaults - clears all entered preset data and restores the factory default
presets, which include the default target curve setup. Follow the prompts on the screen.
9. System rate rate – selects either 48 or 96khz as the system sample rate. Changing the
sample rate will reset the system, so it is recommended that the user exit the AMC control
software, because a reset will interrupt the USB connection.
10.Digital input Lock Status – indicates that the digital input is locked to a valid digital stream
11. Bass Management ON/OFF- If bass management is turn off, all crossovers are disable
except for the LFE filter.
12.SPL Display Offset Adjustment – adjust the measured dBSPL to the current system
gain. The default is -20 dB = 85 dBSPL. See Calibrating the System to Display dBSPL for
more information.
13.Display dBSPL On/Off – turns dBSPL display on or off.
14.EQ Filter Bypass - When On bypasses all systems EQ including graphic equalizer and
free filters. Does not affect actual EQ values.
USER MENU ITEMS - When the remote is locked, the user has access to REF gain, DIM gain,
PINK noise, the digital input status screen, Bass Management On/Off, and EQ Bypass.
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