Drag Net Quick Start
Rane’s tradition of writing a one page Quick Start section in
our manuals has been revamped. Since this section is four pages,
it’s called the Mostly Quick Start section.
Drag Net software installation is straight forward — just
run the setup.exe file included on the CD-ROM or downloaded
from Rane's website (www.rane.com/dragnet.html) and follow the
on-screen instructions.
You are prompted to create a new project and device configuration the first time Drag Net is launched. Enter the project
name and file storage location on your hard drive. A second
dialog allows you to create a new device configuration. Select a
device type, RPM 26z for example, and specify a hard drive storage location to create a new configuration.
Once a new project and configuration have been created, a
collection of windows is displayed within the Drag Net interface.
ese windows can be independently resized, opened, closed,
docked and floated as you prefer.
• e Shortcuts folder displays a list of links to non-Drag
Net files or applications (e.g. project spreadsheets, proposal
documents), URLs, and even email recipients. Doubleclick on a Shortcut to open it using the associated application. Add additional links to the Shortcuts folder by rightclicking within the Project window and selecting New.
• e Live folder displays a list of “online” Drag Net devices.
Click on the Poll icon or right-click in the Project window
and select Poll for devices, then choose one of the polling
options. e Live folder is populated as the polling operation progresses.
Transfer configurations between Storage and Live by dragging
and dropping configurations from one folder to another, or by using
the Transfer menu.
All outputs are intentionally muted each time a new configuration is transferred to a Live device. Unmute each output individually or use the Mute Outputs button in the toolbar to toggle the mute
status of all outputs (after carefully pondering the consequences, of
course).
e Project Window is comprised of three folders and provides links to Storage configurations, Shortcut links to other files
or applications, and a list of Live devices. ink of a Project as an
editable database of links — only the links to files are contained
in the Project file (*.prj file extension). e Project file neither
stores nor contains any of the settings for a particular device configuration, it just consolidates and manages links to the relevant
files (for examples, the RPM 26z configurations are stored with
a .r26 file extension, and the RPM 88 configurations have a .r88
extension). Changes to a Project's contents are automatically
saved. Only one Project at a time can be viewed in the Project
window.
• e Storage folder displays a list of “offline” or Storage
configurations residing on the local hard drive. Add links
to new or existing configurations to the Storage folder by
right-clicking within the Project window and selecting
either New or Add file(s).
e Device Configuration Window displays the current
device configuration, activated by double-clicking a Storage or
Live configuration (or alternately by right-clicking and selecting
Open Item). It is comprised of two distinct views: the Processing
Map and the Remote Map. Toggle between views using the tabs
at the bottom of the window.
e Processing Map serves two basic functions:
• It allows drag and drop techniques to assemble and connect
any combination of signal processing blocks between the inputs and outputs of a Storage configuration. It is not possible
to add or delete signal processing blocks or connections on a
Live configuration.
• It allows you to view and edit, in real-time, all signal process-
ing parameters for Storage or Live configurations. Doubleclick the processing block or right-click and select Properties
to display a Properties (parameters) dialog. Changes made to a
Live configuration are automatically transferred to and saved
in the Live device. Changes made to a Storage configuration
must be saved using the Save command.
Drag Net Quick Start-1
e Remote Map is used to configure the Versatile Input
Port (VIP) and the RW-485 Remote Interface Port, if the RPM
unit is so equipped. e VIP accepts either contact closure
switches for Preset recall, or 0-5V potentiometer-on-a-wall devices for Level control. Double-click Edit VIP Properties in the
Parameter Window to allocate multi-pin or single-pin control.
Multi-pin control is used with contact closure switches to recall
Presets, or to select inputs in a Source Selector, for example.
Single-pin control is used for independent parameter control: to
adjust levels using a potentiometer, or to engage the Push-to-Talk
function of an Auto-Mixer input, as examples. See the “Using
the Remote Map” section of Drag Net’s Help (Help > Help Topics) for the full scoop.
e Remote Interface Port uses Rane's RW 485 protocol to
communicate with our SR series of Smart Remotes. Double-click
Add/Edit Remotes in the Paremeter window and follow the onscreen instructions to add new Remotes or edit existing Remotes.
Smart Remotes can perform many functions including Preset
Recall, Source Selection, and Level control. See the “Using the
Remote Map” section of Drag Net’s Help (Help > Help Topics)
for more information.
e Preset Window manages the creation and storage of
Presets. A Preset may contain any or all of the processing and
control blocks displayed in the Device Configuration window.
Add blocks to the Preset block list by dragging and dropping
them from the Device Configuration window to the Preset
window, or by right-clicking the
block and selecting Add to preset.
Remove blocks from the Preset
window by selecting one or more
blocks from the list, then using
the Delete key or the Remove Selected Block(s) button. Click the
Store button and select a Preset
number to store the current settings of all blocks contained in the
Preset block list.
Presets are recalled using
the Recall Presets button in the
toolbar at the top of the screen.
When a Preset is recalled, only the
parameters or Remote Map associations of the blocks contained
in the Preset change; all other
blocks maintain their current settings, thereby creating a parameter
overlay effect. e Preset window
does not have to be visible in order
to recall Presets.
e Palette Window displays
the audio processing blocks used
to create Storage configurations.
Drag and drop blocks from the
Palette to the Device Configuration window to develop your
audio system. e various tabs
(Dynamics, Mix, etc.) are used to
sort the Palette window by block
class. Select the All tab to display
all available blocks.
Drag Net Quick Start-2
e Resource Window displays usage information specific
to the hardware device you're working with. e DSP usage
meter indicates the amount of DSP "horsepower" used by the
current configuration, and is always accurate. ere is no need to
hit a “compile” button, since Drag Net automatically compiles
on the fly as you work. It is possible to exceed 100% DSP usage
when developing Storage configurations, but it is not possible to
transfer the Storage configuration to a Live device. e Delay
blocks meter indicates the amount of audio delay memory used
in the current configuration. Audio delay memory differs from
memory used by other signal processing functions; thus, it is
given its own meter.
Propagation delay (latency) statistics for both the analog
I/O and the AES3 digital Input are also displayed in the Resource window. e propagation delay varies slightly with the
quantity of signal processing blocks used in the configuration.
Importantly, the propagation delay for all analog I/O is forced to
be the same (referred to as “Delay Compensation”), in order to
maintain the relative timing between input signals (unless you
add a Delay block to the signal path, of course).
e Meter Window provides two tabbed views of all input
and output levels of a Live device. e Analog tab shows the
calculated level, in dBu, at each analog input and output.
e Converters tab displays the dB Full Scale (dBFS) reading immediately after the input A/D converters and immediately
before the output D/A converters. e AES3 digital input meter
(dBFS) is displayed in both views.
e number of meters provided varies with device type. Meters are only active when working with a Live device.
e Parameter Window displays a tree structure view of all
signal processing and control blocks used in the active Device
Configuration. It is organized by block type (Input, Output,
Dynamics, Filter, etc.), with individual parameters appearing as
sub-entries beneath each block entry.
Individual parameters within a block are prefaced with “##”.
e Parameter window is primarily used to set up associations between parameters and remote control devices (VIP pins,
Smart Remotes).
Other things you can do with the Parameter window:
• Double-click any entry to view its Properties dialog.
• Drag-and drop entries from the Parameter window into the
Preset window to quickly build Presets.
• Edit VIP Properties.
• Add or Edit RW 485 Smart Remotes.
• Edit VOP Properties.
Handy tip: e Parameter window supports multi-select operations. Simply ctrl-click or shift-click multiple entries to perform
the same action for the entire selection – add a range of blocks to
the Preset window, for example. Alternately, you can select a top
level block – the Input block, for example – and perform actions
on all related sub-entries.
Drag Net Quick Start-3
Big Picture Concepts
Storage Mode versus Live Mode
When you first create a Drag Net device configuration, it
is stored and appears under the Storage folder of the Project
Window. ink of this as offline mode. Any changes made to
Storage configuration are saved to your computer only; they are
not updated automatically on the Live device.
Storage configurations are transferred to a Live device, which
appears under the Live folder of the Project window after successfully polling for devices.
After transferring the configuration from Storage to Live you
can adjust parameters, build Presets, and set up Remote Map
associations in real time on the Live device. You can not add/delete blocks or wires. ink of this as online mode. All changes
are automatically saved to the Live device; however, periodically
transfer the Live device settings back to a new or existing Storage
configuration in order to maintain an offline (backup) copy of
system settings. Live device settings are not automatically kept in
synch with Storage configurations.
File Concepts
A Storage configuration consists of:
• e Processing Map (schematic/audio signal flow).
• Parameter settings (gains, delay, EQ, etc.) and Preset info.
• Remote Map link info.
In Drag Net 4.2 and higher, these items are stored in a single
configuration file (see Project Window on page 1). is makes it
easier to track, transfer between computers or email your Drag
Net configurations. Previous to 4.2, this data was in three independent files.
Dragging Tips (Storage mode)
Audio flow: Drag and drop blocks from the Palette window
to the Processing Map to build the audio portion of a Device
Configuration.
Control: Drag and drop items from the Parameter window
to the Remote Map to build the control portion of a Device
Configuration.
Move blocks around the Device Configuration window by
left-clicking the block to select it, then dragging the block to a
new location while continuing to hold down the mouse button.
Alternately, left-click the block to select it, hold down the CTRL
key, then use the arrow keys to reposition the block.
Drag and drop blocks from the Device Configuration window to the Preset window to add blocks to the Preset block list.
Drag and drop configurations between the Storage and Live
folders in the Project window to transfer configurations between
the PC and a Live unit.
Wiring Tips (Storage mode)
Wires can be dragged from Out pins to In pins found on
each processing block. A couple tips:
• You must wire from an Out pin to an In pin.
• Any Out pin can be wired to as many In pins as desired
— a dedicated split block is not required. It is not possible,
however, to connect multiple Out pins to a single In pin. Use
mixers or selectors for this purpose.
Presets
e current settings of a device (all Properties, or parameters) are always stored in working memory and displayed in the
Device Configuration window, making for a true WYSIWYG
(What You See Is What You Get) interface. Each user-definable
Preset can store processing block Properties and Remote Map
settings for subsequent recall. A Preset can be comprised of any
or all processing or control elements displayed in the Device
Configuration window.
Only the processing parameters and the Remote Map settings are stored in Presets — it is not possible to change the wire
routing or signal flow using Presets. If you require a completely
new signal flow, you must either draw all required parts of the
system in the Processing Map and then toggle Presets to route
the audio between the various system blocks using selectors or
mixers, or transfer a new Storage configuration from the PC to
the Live device.
Storing to Presets
Click the Add All Blocks button, located next to the Store
Preset button in the Preset window, to populate the Preset block
list (Name/Type) with all blocks on the Processing Map. Store a
Preset by clicking the Store Preset button and selecting a Preset
number. e current settings of each block in the list are stored,
the device configuration is automatically saved, and the stored
Preset is automatically recalled.
It is also possible to store and recall a subset of processing
and control blocks. Drag and drop (or alternately right-click a
block and choose Add to Preset) only the blocks you want stored
in the Preset from the Device Configuration window to the
Preset window. When the Preset is recalled, only the settings of
the blocks contained in the Preset are modified; all other blocks
remain unchanged from their current state. us, recalling
the Preset “overlays” the current settings with a subset of new
parameters.
Recalling Presets
e Recall Preset button in the toolbar at the top of the
screen recalls previously stored Presets. When a Preset is recalled,
its number is displayed in the upper right corner of the Preset
window, the block list in the Preset window is populated, and
small numbered tags appear in the lower right corner of each
processing or control block comprising the recalled Preset. Clear
these tags by right-clicking within the Device Configuration
window and selecting Clear all preset tags.
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Drag Net Quick Start-4
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