Sonic Wave I User Manual

User Manual

Sonic Wave I

3D Sound Processor

Version 3.0.1

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Table of Contents

SAFETY INFORMATION 5!

INTRODUCTION 6!

THE SOFTWARE 7!

1. SONIC WAVE I TOPOLOGY 8!

HD OPTION 9!

2. SONIC WAVE I HARDWARE 10!

CONNECTIONS 10!
ADAT VERSION 10!
MADI! VERSION 10!
HARDWARE REVISIONS 11!
SYSTEM DONGLE 11!

3. CONTROL ELEMENTS 12!

DISPLAY MENU 12!
HD VERSION 12!
ROTARY CONTROL 12!
BUTTONS 13!

4. SYSTEM CONFIGURATION 14!

SOFTWARE INSTALLATION 14!
PC CONFIGURATION 14!
MAC OS X – SETUP WITHIN VIRTUAL BOX 15!
MAC OS X (HOST): 15!
VIRTUALBOX - NETWORK SETTINGS: 16!
WINDOWS (VIRTUALBOX GUEST): 16!

5. UNDERSTANDING THE FUNCTIONALITIES 17!

LOUDSPEAKERS ASSIGNMENT HIERARCHY 17!
SYSTEM 17!
SUBSYSTEM 17!
WFSMAIN 18!
SUBWOOFERS 18!
SUMMARY 18!

6. THE WAVEDESIGNER - SETTING-UP THE SONIC WAVE I
PROCESSOR 19!

WORKFLOW 19!
USING THE VALUE BOXES 21!
HOW TO STORE PROJECTS/SETTINGS 21!
SPEAKER SETUP 22!
MENU BAR 24!

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UPPER TOOL BAR 26!
ADD ARRAY DIALOG 28!
TEST TOOL 30!
STATUS BAR 32!
SUBSYSTEM CONTROL 33!
EQUALIZER 34!
SPEAKER MANAGEMENT 37!
OUTPUT ASSIGNMENT 38!

7. CONTROL THE SONIC WAVE I PROCESSOR WITH
WAVEPERFORMER 38!

USING THE VALUE BOXES 38!
CONTROL ELEMENTS 39!
MENU BAR 39!
UPPER TOOL BAR 40!
LEFT TABS 40!
RIGHT TOOL BAR 41!
STATUS BAR 41!
SOURCE POSITIONING PANEL 42!
INPUT PANEL 43!
ROUTING PANEL 45!
EQ PANEL 46!
SYNC PANEL 47!

8. HD OPTION 50!

MEDIA MANAGER CONFIGURATION 50!
UPLOAD AUDIO FILES 52!

9. OSC INTERFACE 53!

OSC SETTINGS 53!
OSC MESSAGES 53!

10. WAVE INTERFACE AU PLUG-IN 59!

INSTALLATION 59!
VIEWER FUNCTION 59!
GROUP SETTINGS 60!

11. MAX MSP PLUG-IN 61!

INSTALLATION OF THE MAX MSP OBJECT 61!
PATCHES 62!

12. SYSTEM UPDATE 63!

13. TROUBLE SHOOTING 64!

14. SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS 65!

15. PLANNING THE INSTALLATION 66!

SPEAKER SETUP 67!
FRONTAL SYSTEM 67!
SPACING 67!

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SIDE AND REAR SETUP FOR PERIPHERIC SYSTEMS 68!
SUBWOOFERS 68!
WFS SUPPORT SPEAKERS 68!
SPEAKER REQUIREMENTS 68!

16. SYSTEM TUNING WITH THE BUILT-IN EQ 69!

MEASUREMENT TOOLKIT 69!
LASER METER 69!
MEASUREMENT SOFTWARE AND AUDIO INTERFACE 69!
MEASUREMENT MICROPHONE 69!
TUNING OBJECTIVE 70
BASIC TUNING WITH SPL 70
FINE TUNING WITH EQ 70

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SAFETY INFORMATION

• This equipment must be EARTHED.

• Only suitably trained personnel should service this equipment.

• Please read and take note of all warning and informative labels.

• Before starting any servicing operation, this equipment must be isolated from the AC supply

(mains) by removing the incoming IEC mains connector.

• Fuses should only be replaced with ones of the same type and rating as that indicated.

• Operate only in a clean, dry and pollutant-free environment.

• Do not operate in an explosive atmosphere.

• Do not allow any liquid or solid objects to come into contact with the equipment.

Should this accidentally occur then immediately switch off the unit and contact your service
agent.

• Do not block ventilation slots.

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Introduction

The Sonic Wave I 3D sound processor is specially designed to enlarge the listening
zone of conventional surround sound and enables perfect audio imaging for all
listeners. In conventional setups, only listeners in the center of the loudspeaker array
are in the sweet spot and therefore get the impression that the sound is reproduced
spatially. With the Sonic Wave I, everyone has the same impression of spatial audio
regardless of his or her position. Using Sonic Emotion™ audio processing based on
wave field synthesis (WFS), the Sonic Wave I processor is able to enlarge the sweet
spot to the whole listening area. Stereo or 5.1 content can be rendered using plane
audio waves, which allow for a consistent listening angle of all input channels in the
entire audience. Moreover, audio objects with position information can be rendered
as point sources. In this case, the perspective to the audio source (e.g. instrument,
singer, etc.) remains meaningful within the entire audience. As a result, the listening
experience is dramatically improved, not only in the sweet spot but also in the entire
audience while using the Sonic Wave I.

Point Source

Plane Waves

Figure 1.1

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The Software

The software component of the Sonic Wave I entails two core tools mainly the Sonic
WaveDesigner and the Sonic WavePerformer.

With the Sonic WaveDesigner application you design and configure your system
according to the loudspeakers set up in the room. This step is done once and let’s
the Sonic Wave I processor calculate the filters and parameters, which are used for
the rendering. Regardless of the amount of speakers and their position, audio
material fed in to the Processor can be positioned as virtual sound sources in the
room.

The Sonic WavePerformer allows you to set the virtual sound sources (stored
media files or live inputs) in the room. The virtual sound sources can be static and
stored as Presets in to the memory of the processor, or are controlled by tools as the
audio unit Plug-In “Wave Interface AU” and because of this dynamic timeline based
sound source movements can be created.

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1. Sonic Wave I Topology

The Sonic Wave I processor is the heart of any given audio system: Audio inputs are
routed from any DAW, player or live console, through ADAT or MADI. The Sonic
Wave I processor, controlled by the WavePerformer software component or/and the
WaveAutomation AU plugin, sends the processed signal through ADAT or MADI to
any converter where from the audio signal gets amplified and played back by the
loudspeakers.

Moreover, for time code based multimedia integration that includes Video and
DMX control, the Processor can work with the Coolux Media Server.

Figure 1.2

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HD Option

The Wave I HD processor option is an additional 24 channel hard disk audio
playback engine, specifically designed to be controlled by the Media Manager show
control software from Coolux Media Systems.

Figure 1.3

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2. Sonic Wave I Hardware

Connections

ADAT Version

MADI Version

In 1

Out 1

In 2

n 3

Out 3

WC In

WC Out

MADI In

MADI Out

WC In

WC Out
I

WC In

WC Out

In 3
Out 3

In 1

Out 1
In 2

Out 2

In BNC
Out
BNC
Out Opt.

Figure 1.4

Figure 1.5

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Hardware Revisions

The pictures, Figure 1.4 and 1.5, show the back plate of the Hardware Revision 1
“Pluto”.

The Hardware Revision 2 “Neptun” of the Sonic Wave I processor comes with two
Ethernet ports. For communication with a control PC the left connector on the
back must be used. See Figure 1.6 below.

System Dongle

The Sonic Wave I processor comes with a system dongle in which all system
specific preferences are stored. The dongle is configured by Sonic Emotion™.

The dongle is processor dependent and only works with the specific Sonic Wave I
processor it is intended for.

It must - at any time - be plugged in in one of the USB port of the Sonic Wave I
processor.

Ethernet

Figure 1.6

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3. Control Elements

Display Menu

The display menu of the Wave I processor provides access to some of the main
functionalities. The main page is the home window. From the home window, the
encoder adjusts the master volume. The selected source position preset and
network information are displayed. By turning the rotary control on the main page,
you will have direct access to the master volume.

HD Version

On the display home screen, you see if a Coolux Media Manager is connected and
its IP address. The main page contains also information about the usage status of
the storage hard disk used for the audio files and there is an additional menu page
for resetting the disk.

Rotary control

The rotary control next to the display allows you to navigate the menu and change
parameters.

Figure 1.7

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Buttons

M: Disabled

B: Disabled

P: Preset Menu - Enter the preset menu by pressing P and move through the menu
options by turning the rotary control:

Home: Home window is shown

Preset: The saved presets are shown and can be selected by turning the rotary
control and press enter (E).

IO (only on the MADI version): Press Enter to select between Coaxial or Optical IO
and confirm by pressing Enter again

Network: Use the rotary control and press enter (E) to select and adjust the IP
configuration.

Sync Options: Use rotary control and press enter (E) to select the sync mode and
reference signal for the digital audio interface.

E: Enter

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4. System Configuration

Software Installation

The Wave I configuration software package (Windows XP & 7) is made to set up
and control your system and create presets. To start the installation process, double
click on the file you will receive per email or downloaded from the Sonic Emotion
FTP Server. Alternatively, insert the Wave I configuration CD into your computer
and start the installation by double clicking on the Wave I configuration icon “config”
(software is part of the system delivery). The installer will put both WaveDesigner for
the system setup and WavePerformer for the control of the system on your PC.

PC Configuration

Before running the applications, the PC network settings must be set-up to enable
the control of the system.

1. The Sonic Wave I processor can be controlled either by a LAN or a WIFI
connection. Make sure the unused connections are disabled.

2. Turn off the firewall
Go to: Start -> Preferences -> Windows Firewall

If you have third party firewalls installed, please make sure that they are
turned off as well.

3. Make sure that the IP Address of your PC is set manually and is in the same
range as the Sonic Wave I Processor. By default, the PC can be set to any
IP address 192.168.0.1 – 192.168.0.254, except of 192.168.0.200. Any WIFI
router used must also be in the same IP range.
The default IP address of the Sonic Wave I Processor is 192.168.0.200. It
can be changed on the processors display menu (page 12).

4. The Subnet Mask has to be: 255.255.255.0

Go To: Start -> Connections -> All Connections -> LAN or WLAN­Connection (regarding what connection you are using)

Then double click “Internet protocol (TCP/IP)”

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Mac OS X – Setup within Virtual Box

The Mac OS X Version of the Sonic Wave I configuration software package will be
available in the near future. Should this however be your preferred operating system,
you could use virtualization software like VirtualBox to install a virtual Windows
machine on a Mac OS X host. VirtualBox from Oracle is free to use and can be
downloaded from http://www.virtualbox.org

To enable network communication from the virtual Windows machine to a
connected Wave I processor, the following Network settings have to be configured:

Mac OS X (Host):

Set the network adapter that is used for communication with the Wave I processor
to a static IP address in the same range as the processor. The subnet mask must be
set to 255.255.255.0. Make sure to disable wireless if you use a cabled connection
or that there is no other cable plugged if you connect over AirPort. Make sure there
is no firewall active.

Figure 1.8

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VirtualBox - Network Settings:

Start the Windows machine in VirtualBox. When it is running, go to the VirtualBox
menu bar to Devices -> Network adapters. The following Dialogue will open
up and appear:

Set the attached interface to “Bridged Adapter” and choose to name the device to
which you have configured within Mac OS X to the Wave I processor network
(Ethernet or WLAN/AirPort).

Windows (VirtualBox Guest):

In the running virtual Windows machine, go to the network configuration panel. You
can follow the same instructions for “PC Configuration”. Make sure to set a static
IP-address manually that is different than the one you have assigned in Mac OS X.
For example, the Ethernet port in Mac OS X has the address 192.168.0.50, the
bridged adapter within the virtual Windows 192.168.0.51. Lastly, make sure that the
Windows Firewall is disabled.

Figure 1.9

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5. Understanding the Functionalities

Essential for a properly working setup is the understanding and application of certain
rules and terms and of how the Sonic Wave I processor handles different types of
speakers. By knowing the following rules, it will give you all the possibilities the
Sonic Wave I processor offers where then mistakes in the configuration of the
processor will inevitably result in an incorrect sound reproduction.

All connected speakers are placed in one or more systems and can be divided into
several subsystems. There are also different rendering types (WFS main, WFS
support and subwoofer speakers) resulting in different spatial rendering modes.

A minimum setup consists of 2 speakers, however for a real exploitation of the Sonic
Wave I processor’s capacity and the WFS rendering, eight or more speakers are
recommended.

More details on setting up speakers can be found on page 67.

Loudspeakers Assignment Hierarchy

System – Sonic Wave I for one listening area

One individual listening area is described as a System. There is always one main
System accounting for the main listening area. An additional System is, for example,
another room, a peripheral / alternative listening area or a production room. Each
System can have its own, individual speakers’ setup. The sound reproduction is
rendered for each System individually referring to its speakers’ setup. To date, the
Sonic Wave I can handle a maximum of 4 Systems processor.

Subsystem

With a Subsystem you can divide the speakers of a System into groups. This is used
for practical and functional reasons:

In windows, such as Speaker Setup and Equalizer you can select a Subsystem, so
that only the speakers belonging to that Subsystem are selectable. When using the

Select All

function, it will then also work to all speakers of the selected Subsystem.

This is a convenient way to access speakers of the same type or same orientation.

Along side a main speaker setup, a supported subsystem is used (WFSmain,
WFSsupport, description follows); each of these setups must be placed in an
individual Subsystem. To date, up to the Sonic Wave I can handle 4 systems
processor.

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Rendering Types

WFSmain

WFS stands for Wave Field Synthesis and describes the process done by the Sonic
Wave I Processor by rendering the sound sources and reproducing them through
the speakers. There will always be a set of WFSmain speakers. In setups with
several Systems, each System has its individual rendering. All WFSmain speakers in
one System head to one reference point. More details on the reference point are
found in

Speaker Setup

, Page 22.

WFSsupport

WFSsupport speakers are always speakers added to WFSmain speakers, a System
cannot consist of only WFSsupport speakers. The task of WFSsupport speakers is to
enhance or add sound diffusion to a setup of WFSmain Speakers. WFSsupport
speakers are for example:

- Additional delayed speakers further back in a room or under a theatre balcony;

- Additional speakers above a stage that have an array of WFSmain speakers on its
platform edge...others

WFSsupport speakers must be part of an individual Subsystem. The WFSsupport
Subsystem does not include WFSmain speakers.

Subwoofers

Subwoofers are speakers that enhance the reproduction of low end / bass sounds.
When subwoofers are used, the processor uses low-end sound of all sources fed to a
certain speaker within a System or Subsystem. They must be appointed within a set
of WFSmain speakers. Their spatial information is important because they receive a
dedicated spatial rendering to properly align their contribution to the rendering of
the WFSmain speakers.

Summary

A System can consist of one or more Subsystems. A Subsystem can not be shared
among several Systems.

A System contains an array of speakers working as WFSmain; Subwoofers can be
added to the WFSmains.

WFSsupport speakers usually head the same way as the main, front WFSmain
speakers. If placed further back in a room and delayed, they can be heading away
from the reference point.

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6. The WaveDesigner - Setting-up the
Sonic Wave I Processor

The WaveDesigner software element is a configuration tool to set up the Sonic
Wave I processor for a specific loudspeaker setup. The WaveDesigner sends the
loudspeaker information (position, type, rendering) to the connected Sonic Wave I
processor, which then creates the corresponding filters. Once this step is completed,
the processor is operational and fine-tuning operations can be completed (EQ,
crossover tuning for multiway systems, etc.). All settings can also be saved as a
project file on to your computer.

It is recommended for stability reasons to use the WaveDesigner on a stable
network configuration (private network with the processor, good quality network
cable or excellent WIFI connection).

Workflow

The typical workflow setting up of the Sonic Wave I Processor is done in two
different steps. In the first step, the loudspeaker configuration can be edited and the
output configuration created. Until this step is completed, the processor is

not

operational. Clicking the “Upload” button transfers the configuration to the
processor that creates all the necessary renderings accordingly. The processor can
then be used for real time operation including fine-tuning (loudspeaker EQ, etc.).

The typical workflow of creating a new project with the WaveDesigner can be
described as follows:

1. Configuration according to installation setup

a. Enter the physical position of all loudspeakers used with the processor. A possible

way to measure is to start with the center front speaker and using it as the zero point

on the X, Y axis
b. Adjust loudspeaker type and output assignment
c. Assign rendering type of speakers
d. Allocate speakers to systems and subsystems
e. Upload all above gathered data onto the processor so that it can calculate the filters

2. System fine tuning
a. Test loudspeakers to check if the cabling is right. If not, change cabling or indexes

in Wave Designer and upload data once more

b. EQ processor outputs to match speakers to desired sound color, to adapt different

speaker types in setup and adapt the sound to the room acoustics
c. Store settings to the internal memory of the processor
d. Now, the Sonic Wave I processor is ready to be used and controlled with the

WavePerformer
e. Save the project file on your computer. In case of an unwanted modification of the

processor you can re-upload the project including all settings from your computer

to the Sonic Wave I processor

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Alternatively, a saved project can be opened in the WaveDesigner. The
configuration should then be transferred to the Processor pressing the upload button.
The processor then calculates first the filters and restarts. All EQ and additional
configuration parameters are then transferred to the Processor. Make sure to store
the configuration on the Processor for next restart.

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Using the Value Boxes

Many parameters are configured in value boxes. These provide
the possibility to type in values directly, such as: to step up or
down with the spin arrows, or by the mouse wheel when the
mouse pointer is on the corresponding value box. They also
behave like a slider: If pressed with left mouse button on the
arrows and mouse moves up or down, the value increases or
decreases depending on the deflection of the mouse.

How to Store Settings/Save Project Files

When a speaker layout has been set and the Upload button is clicked, the
WaveDesigner software element sends the position data and all settings to the
Sonic Wave I processor, which then calculates the renderings and restarts
automatically.

Changes in speaker positions, rendering, loudspeaker type,

system/subsystems and output assignments will not be calculated real time!

Settings – such as equalizer, gains, delays etc. - are made real-time meaning as
soon as any parameter is modified; this is audible. Select

Store as default

in the
System menu or click the Store button in the upper toolbar to write the settings to
the Sonic Wave I processors internal memory. Storing the parameters does not
require a restart of the processor. If you were to shut down the Sonic Wave I
processor without storing, then all settings that you created in this session will be lost.
In any case, if you choose to shut the processor down or close the WaveDesigner
software, a dialog will appear prompting to choose between storing onto the
processor or saving the project file on your computer.

Figure 1.10

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Speaker Setup

After starting the WaveDesigner, the program opens and starts with its main window.
The window can be scaled to a preferred size and also maximized by clicking on the
button in the top right corner.

Loudspeaker placement area:

In the main workspace of WaveDesigner, the speakers can be freely placed and
moved around by drag & drop. The fixed zero point of the drawing area is displayed
with red arrows for the X and Y dimension. All speaker positions are displayed in
relation to this zero point. To make loudspeaker placement more convenient, a grid
is plotted on the workspace to show the actual dimensions of the displayed area.
The grid scales automatically on zooming and can be disabled in the view menu
(page 24).

Figure 1.11