Studio Technologies 216 User Manual

User Guide

Issue 1, July 2014

This User Guide is applicable for serial numbers:

M216-00151 and later

Copyright © 2014 by Studio Technologies, Inc., all rights reserved

www.studio-tech.com

50388-0714, Issue 1

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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................... 5

System Features ........................................................... 5

Installation ..................................................................... 10

Configuration ................................................................ 13

Dante™ Configuration ................................................... 19

Operation ...................................................................... 20

Technical Notes ............................................................. 24

Specifications ................................................................ 29

Appendix A .................................................................... 30

Appendix B .................................................................... 31

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Introduction

What This User Guide Covers

This User Guide is designed to assist you
when installing, configuring, and using
Model 216 Announcer’s Consoles. Addi­tional background technical information
is also provided.

System Overview

The Model 216 Announcer’s Console is
designed to serve as the audio control
center for announcers, commentators, and
production personnel. This tabletop unit
supports applications utilizing the Dante™
Audio-over-Ethernet media networking
technology. The Model 216 is suitable for
numerous applications including on-air
television sports broadcasting, stadium
announce, and corporate AV. The unit in­tegrates all on-air, talkback, and cue audio
signal routing in one compact system.
Four pushbutton switches allow the user
to control the main and talkback audio
output channels. Ease of use, configuration
flexibility, and sonic excellence are some
of the unit’s highlights.

Figure 1. Model 216 front and back views

The Model 216 is compatible with the latest
broadcast and audio system environments
that use the Dante technology. An Ethernet
connection with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE)
power is all that’s required to make the unit
part of a sophisticated, networked audio
system. Connect a microphone and pair of
headphones (or a broadcast headset) and
the installation is complete. Whether it’s
the on-air audio, the talkback audio, or the
headphone cue feed, superior audio quality
is always maintained. A range of configura­tion choices allow the desired operating
parameters to be easily selected. And while
flexible, the user is presented with an easy­to-use set of controls and indicators.

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System Features

User Controls and Status
Indicators

Four pushbutton switches, five LED indica­tors, and three rotary controls provide the
user with a clear, easy-to-use interface. One
pushbutton switch controls the status of
the main output. This is the audio channel
intended for on-air, announcement, or other
primary uses. Two LEDs display the on/off
status of the main output. Three additional
pushbutton switches control the status of
the talkback output channels. These are
the audio signal used to communicate with
producers, directors, spotters, or other

behind-the-scenes production personnel.
A status LED is associated with each of
the talkback pushbuttons. The pushbut­ton switches use gold-plated contacts for
reliable long-term operation and include
backlighting using white LEDs. Three rotary
controls allow the user to adjust the con­tent and level of the headphone output.

Microphone Input

The Model 216 provides a high-perfor­mance microphone preamplifier which
offers low-noise, low-distortion, and high
headroom amplification over a 19 to 64 dB
range. The gain is adjustable in 3-dB steps
using pushbutton switches accessible on
the bottom of the unit. A 2-digit display indi­cates the amplification in dB. The micro­phone input is compatible with balanced
dynamic or condenser microphones.
Phantom power is provided and meets the
worldwide P48 standard. It can be enabled
or disabled as required. A dual-color LED
indicator serves as an aid for optimizing
the setting of the preamplifier’s gain. Micro­phone signals are connected to the Model
216 by way of a standard 3-pin female XLR
connector.

Output Channels and their
Operation

By way of the Dante interface, the Model
216 provides a main output channel and
three talkback output channels. The main
output channel is designed to serve as the
on-air, stadium announcement, or other pri­mary audio feed. The talkback output chan­nels are intended to provide production
trucks, control rooms, or support personnel
with talent-originated cue signals.

A large part of the Model 216’s unique
power is the ability to configure the opera­tion of the main and talkback functions.

To meet the needs of the many specific
broadcast and production applications, a
variety of pushbutton operating modes are
available. The main pushbutton can be se­lected to operate from among four modes.
In the “push-to-mute” mode the pushbut­ton performs a momentary mute of the
audio signal associated with the main
output channel. In this way a “cough”
pushbutton function is created, something
typically required for television sports
broadcasting. In the “push-to-talk” mode
the pushbutton provides a momentary
active function for the main output. This
mode would be appropriate for an appli­cation such as stadium announcement. An
alternate action “latching” configuration
allows the pushbutton to enable or disable
the audio signal associated with the main
output channel as desired. This is useful
in radio broadcasting, announce-booth, or
voice-over applications. The fourth mode
provides a hybrid function, supporting
both push-to-talk and tap-to-enable/tap-to­disable operation. This operation is similar
to that found in many broadcast intercom
system user stations.

The three pushbutton switches associ­ated with the talkback functions can be
configured to operate from either of two
modes. One of the modes supports a
“push-to-talk” function. This is typically
used for on-air broadcast applications.
The other mode provides a hybrid func­tion, the operation of which is discussed in
the previous paragraph. The hybrid mode
is especially useful when the Model 216 is
used in a production-support application.

Overall Model 216 operation can be con­figured from among one on-air and two
production modes. The Model 216’s on­air mode is appropriate for on-air televi­sion, radio, and streaming broadcast

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applications. When on-air is selected the
audio signal associated with the main
output channel will always mute when one
or more of the talkback functions is active.
This prevents audio that’s intended for
production or support personnel from be­ing sent out the on-air audio path.

For non-on-air applications, the Model 216
can be configured to operate in either of
two “production” modes. These allow the
main output to be used as a third talkback
output channel, rather than always muting
when a talkback function is active. Us­ing these production modes the unit can
be even more powerful when used in a
live event application, such as serving as
a small “IFB” console for a sports-event
spotter, musical director, or production
assistant. In addition to changing how
the main output functions, one of the
production modes also supports using
the headphone output for connection
with amplified speakers. The headphone
output level will automatically be reduced
(attenuate or “dim”) whenever the main
or talkback output channels are active.
This can enhance intelligibility and help
prevent acoustical feedback from occur­ring between the speakers and the active
microphone.

Headphone Output

The Model 216 provides a number of
configuration choices that relate to the
headphone output. These choices impact
which audio sources are utilized, how the
rotary level controls function, and what
sidetone action will take place. Four head­phone control configuration modes are of­fered. These modes impact how the three
rotary controls adjust the four Dante input
channels and the sidetone audio signals.

The first two modes support standard on­air applications and use only Dante input
channels 1 and 2. In the broadcast world
these two signals are often referred to
as talent cue or IFB audio. They typically
originate in production trailers or control
rooms and provide one channel of pro­gram-with-interrupt audio and a second
channel with program-only audio. The
third and fourth configuration modes allow
all four of the Dante-provided audio sourc­es to be utilized. These can be useful for
more complex or specialized situations.

The three headphone level controls (“rota­ry pots”) are provided for setting the “mix”
of the selected sources as well as adjust­ing the overall headphone output level.
How these controls function depends on
the selected headphone control mode.
As previously mentioned, the first mode
is intended to support traditional on-air
sports applications. In this mode the left
and center controls act in a dual-channel
(“level/level”) fashion, allowing indepen­dent control of the left- and right-channel
volume.

For use with dual-channel or stereo cue
signals, the second mode provides a ste­reo (“level/balance”) mode. In this mode
the left control adjusts the level of both
input channels 1 and 2, while the center
control allows adjustment of the left/right
level balance. In both modes the right
control is used to adjust the level of the
sidetone signal.

In the third headphone control mode the
left control adjusts the level of both in­put channels 1 and 2, the center control
adjusts the level of both input channels 3
and 4, while the right control adjusts the
sidetone level.

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The fourth headphone mode uses the left
control to adjust the level of input channel
1, the center control to adjust the level of
input channel 2, and the right control to
adjust the level of both input channels 3
and 4. In this mode the sidetone function
is not active.

The sidetone function allows audio from
the Model 216’s microphone preamplifier
to be routed to the headphone output.
This can be useful, providing the user
with an aural confirmation of the signal
connected to the mic input. It is especially
important when a “mix-minus” talent cue
signal is provided for the user. For appli­cation flexibility the sidetone function can
be configured from among four choices,
specifying when it will be active in rela­tion to the status of the main and talkback
functions.

To help minimize the chance of broadcast
cues being missed, the action of the level
controls can be configured so that there’s
always a minimum headphone output
level. Alternately, the controls can be con­figured to fully mute when they are at their
minimum (fully-counterclockwise) position.
When the level control on the right side is
used for sidetone it will always allow the
sidetone signal to be fully muted.

The headphone output was designed to
meet the needs of contemporary head­phones and headsets. Specifically, the
output circuits act as voltage drivers rather
than power drivers. In this configuration
they can provide high output levels with
very low distortion and noise, along with
minimal current consumption. The output
circuits can safely drive stereo or mono
loads. This ensures that all types of head­phones, headsets, and earpieces can be
directly connected.

Dante Audio-over-Ethernet

Audio data is sent to and from the Model
216 using the Dante Audio-over-Ethernet
media networking technology. For flex­ibility in meeting a variety of sonic require­ments bit depths of up to 24 and sample
rates of 44.1 and 48 kHz are supported.

Audio output (transmit) and input (receive)
channels on associated Dante-enabled
devices can be assigned to the Model
216 using the Dante Controller software
application. This makes selecting the way
in which the Model 216 fits into an appli­cation a simple matter. For example, the
main audio output channel can be as­signed to the input of an audio console.
The talkback audio output channels could
be assigned to inputs on a matrix intercom
system. No special routing or “multing”
using cables or patch points is required
to send the output channels to multiple
destinations. And a single mouse-click
is all that’s required to reroute the audio
signals.

On the input side, the Model 216 allows
up to four headphone cue sources to be
received from an audio console, matrix
intercom system, or a variety of other
Dante-enabled devices; the sources don’t
need to originate from the same device.
“Program” audio could be supplied by
an audio console while “IFB” (interrupted
foldback or talent cue) audio could be
supplied by a matrix intercom system.

Ethernet Data, PoE, and DC
Power Source

The Model 216 connects to a data network
using a standard 100 Mb/s twisted-pair
Ethernet interface. The physical inter­connection is made by way of a Neu­trik® etherCON RJ45 connector. While

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compatible with standard RJ45 plugs,
etherCON allows a ruggedized and lock­ing interconnection for harsh or high-reli­ability environments. The Model 216’s
operating power can be provided by way
of the Ethernet interface using the Power­over-Ethernet (PoE) standard. This allows
fast and efficient interconnection with the
associated data network. To support PoE
power management, the Model 216’s PoE
interface reports to the power sourcing
equipment (PSE) that it’s a class 2 (low
power) device. The unit can also be pow­ered using an external source of 12 volts
DC. For redundancy, both power sources
can be connected simultaneously. If both
sources are connected PoE will power the
unit. Four LEDs display the status of the
network connection, PoE power source,
and Dante interface.

Configuration and Flexibility

Model 216 configurations are made using
twelve DIP switches and two pushbutton
switches. The 12-position switch array
configures parameters such as the push­button operating modes, sidetone func­tion, headphone control assignment, and
the system mode. The pushbuttons are
used to set the gain of the microphone
preamplifier and control the on/off status
of the microphone phantom power func­tion. The switches and pushbuttons are
accessible via the bottom of the Model
216’s enclosure; the unit does not have to
be disassembled. Changes made to any
of the configuration parameters become
active immediately. To prevent unwanted
access to the configuration switches and
pushbuttons a security panel, included
with each unit, is attached to the bottom
of the enclosure.

In the world of broadcast and production
audio it’s fair to say that applications vary
widely. To this end, one or two additional
XLR connectors can easily be mounted
into the Model 216’s back panel. Multiple
3-position “headers” located on the Model
216’s circuit board provide technician
access to many of the input and output
connections. Using a variety of optional
factory-supplied modules and interface
cable kits allows a Model 216 to be opti­mized to meet the needs of specific ap­plications. For example, some applications
may prefer to use a multi-pin XLR connec­tor to interface with a headset. This can
easily be accomplished by installing the
appropriate 6- or 7-pin XLR connector kit
and making a few simple connections.
Other applications may benefit from hav­ing “mult” or “loop-through” connections,
something easily incorporated into a Model

216. And access to the relay contacts can
be made adding a 4-pin XLR connector kit.

Two general-purpose relay contacts are
provided on the Model 216’s circuit board.
Accessible using 3-pin “header” connec­tors they allow specialized configurations
to be created. Under software control, the
form-A (normally open) solid-state relay
contacts follow the state of the main and
talkback 1 pushbuttons. Taking advantage
of the two locations provided for additional
XLR connectors, a technician may easily
implement a variety of functions such as
a tally indication or audio muting during
talkback.

Future Capabilities &
Firmware Updating

The Model 216 was designed so that its
capabilities can be enhanced in the future.
The primary additions will be in the area of
Dante remote control functionality. Once an

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industry-standard has been established
it’s expected that remote control of micro­phone preamplifier gain and microphone
phantom power on/off will be available.
Output channel status will also be able
to be reported as well as responding to
status (tally) indications that are received.
These features will allow integration with
devices such as audio consoles, signals
processor units, and matrix intercom
systems.

A USB connector, located on the Model
216’s back panel, allows the operating
firmware (embedded software) to be up­dated using a standard USB flash drive.
The Model 216 uses Audinate’s Ultimo™
integrated circuit for implementing Dante.
The integrated circuit’s firmware can be
updated via the Ethernet connection, help­ing ensure that its capabilities remain up
to date.

Dante-Enabled Announcer
Console Products

The Model 216 is just one in a series of
Dante-enabled announcer console prod­ucts available from Studio Technologies.
For applications that require an alternate
set of features the other products in the
200-Series should be reviewed. Complete
information is available on the Studio
Technologies website.

Installation

In this section signal interconnections
will be made using the connectors located
on the back panel of the Model 216. A
microphone signal will be interfaced by
way of a 3-pin XLR connector. A ¼-inch
3-conductor phone jack is provided for
the headphone output. An Ethernet data

connection will be made using either a
standard RJ45 patch cable or an ether­CON protected RJ45 plug. A 4-pin XLR
connector allows the connection of an
external source of 12 volts DC.

System Components

Included in the shipping carton are the fol­lowing: Model 216 Announcer’s Console,
user guide, and pushbutton label sheet.

Microphone Input

The Model 216 is compatible with bal­anced dynamic and condenser micro­phones. Depending on the application,
the microphone may be part of a headset
or be an independent handheld or stand­mounted model. The Model 216’s P48
power source will support essentially all
phantom-powered microphones. The
quality of the Model 216’s microphone
preamplifier and associated circuitry is
such that special applications may ben­efit from using “high-end” microphones.
If selected appropriately models from
manufacturers such as AKG, Beyer, DPA,
Sennheiser, and Shure will perform very
well in Model 216 applications.

Microphone interconnection is made
by way of a 3-pin female XLR connec­tor which is located on the Model 216’s
back panel. The mating connector (male)
should be wired so that pin 2 is signal
high (+ or hot), pin 3 is signal low (– or
cold), and pin 1 is shield. It’s possible that
an unbalanced microphone will also work
correctly. In this case, the mating connec­tor (male) should be wired so that pin 2
is signal high (+ or hot), and signal com­mon/shield is connected to both pins 1
and 3.

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