AxumVideo 0 intro Now that you have connected the different AXUM system parts, you are ready to configure the system according to your own needs. On the left we see the RACK unit and on the right we see the 12 fader Users Interface in short called UI. The UI has, just like the Rack unit, also an Ethernet connection and on the far left you also see a PC that is needed to visit the webpage of the AXUM. It enables us to configure the mixing console. In this Demo set-up you see a RACK-ONE loaded with the following cards. A power Supply A Mike A to D card A Line A to D card A Digital in/out card A Hybrid card A Line D to A card and Monitor D to A card. Concerning the Monitor card is good to know is that the upper two RJ45 connectors (labeled A and B) are balanced outputs capable of driving power amps for the Control Room and Studio loud speakers. The lower two RJ45 connectors (labeled C and D) are headphone outputs. Both C and D sent out the same signals. The we also have a DSP card, a Firewire card and the central Processing unit called Engine. In the Engine all software application are running to make the AXUM, a broadcast mixer. To configure this mixing console you first have to go to the webpage of the RACK. The default webpage IP address is 192.168.0.200 Once typed in your web browser and activated, you will see the first page of the RACK. Here you can see the default names of the mixer, names we can change when needed. A maximum of 4 mixing consoles can run with one RACK, however, we will only demo the configuration of one mixing console. On this page we can see who is the present user of the mixer and who is active. We can also type an end time for radio programs and activate it. This first page is not password protected and available for anyone. For further configuration settings you have to go to the console 1 to 4 configuration page. This page, is normally password protected but we will not show this in this demo. Please look into your manual for more info on this subject.
Now we are on the first page that allows us to configure several important functions. From top to bottom you see the following chapters. Global configuration Buss Configuration Matrix Settings Module settings Console settings Hardware settings (for both Rack and Users Interface) and Security settings We will discuss every chapter in detail in one of the following demo videos. We suggest to start with the I/P Clock configuration demo.
AXUMVideo 1 IP Clock We will start with the IP address and Clock Configuration to configure the Global settings. The default setting of the AXUM is IP address 192.186.0.200 with the appropriate additional Subnet Mask, Gateway and DNS server data. If different settings are needed this is the place to do it. These eventually changed data will only be active after rebooting of your mixer. And if you change the IP address make sure it fits nicely into your network. The second part of this page shows how the mixer will function. Normally the mixer uses Ethernet to run our MambaNet protocol. This demo unit is a standard configuration and will also run nicely in case the IP address is not configured well. But when more than one mixer needs to be active in a network, it is necessary to switch off Ethernet and apply UTP and TCP protocols. The default factory setting is however with Ethernet active. More network info can be read in the manual of course. The lower section of the page deals with the Clock synchronization. I am talking about the nice clock visible on the TFT screen during daily use. In this configuration page it is set to time zone Europe/Amsterdam. We see a synchronization through the network and the actual time. However if this mixer is not connected to the Internet it can be handy to synchronize through the local network and a local IP address can be entered. The local time can be entered manually in case no NTP server is available. This page offers you all the global variable data that can be user configurable, mainly dealing with network items. The next video shall deal with Global Configurations.
AXUM Video-2 Global Configuration We will continue with our configurations and look at Global Configurations. In Global Configurations we can set the Sample rate frequency the mixer will synchronize to. This can be from a master clock, internally, externally or eventually through FireWire or a digital input. Default headroom setting is 20dB. We also can change the fadercurve from 0 db to +10 db. It means when the fader is fully up, no gain is available when it is set to 0dB. An extra gain of 10dB is available when set to 10dB. Auto Momentary is set to NO as a default. In case it is set to YES the switch will latch from ON to OFF. In case the switch is pushed pretty long it stays ON and goes in the OFF state when released. This is not a very popular setting but sometimes handy in specific requirements. Normally the default is NO Startup State is default on Programmed Defaults. It means that when the Mixer boots (after power failure) it will go to its default programmed state. For some people it could be attractive to let the mixer return to its last state before power down failure. But be aware of the fact that microphones could be open when power failures happens and when power returns those mikes will go open again! Normally a live radio station chooses to use the programmed default here. In the lower section of this page you can enter console information such as names. We can configure 4 mixers as a maximum and give them names under the heading NAME. For instance we can rename into Studio-1 and into On-Air-1 Locations of the mixer can be filled in, maybe a town or in which part of the building. We can also enter the names of contact persons related to the mixer. For instance in this way, if we look at the first screen of the mixer we always can see who to talk to in case something is happening with the console and we can see where the mixer is located for reconfiguration. Being an Ethernet based system it is not always possible to know where the mixer is located. So this page is again a Global Configuration page, now concerning Clocks, how to work with the mixer and where it is located. The next Demo will be about Mix Bus Configuration
AXUM Video 3 mix buss Configuration Now we will discuss the Buss configuration. We will start with the Mix Buss Configuration. The AXUM mixer has 32 mix busses designed in pairs, so we have 16 stereo pairs. All these mix busses can have their own names/functions. If for instance SUB is used very often for recording, it is advisable to rename it into recording. In this demo we only use 8 stereo buses which are in fact 16 mono mix buses. We have labeled them Program, Record, AUX 1,2,3,4 Dump and PFL. Buss 17 to 32 are not used in this demo. Per buss we can program functionalities of the buss. We can for instance program the PFL buss to receive a pre ON signal and also a pre Fader signal. Which is logical for a PFL buss, we want to pre fader listen pre fader and independent upon ON settings in the module. The Module Balance is set to post, which means that a pan pot movement will be heard in the PFL buss. A pre setting will not give that information. We also can tell the software how the AUX level will function, let s take AUX-4 In this programming we will choose Post Module ON and Pre Module Balance. So the AUX buss is dependent upon the Module s ON switch but not responding to the Balance of the module. Here the Master Buss Level can be set, for Radio it is mostly 0dB (unity gain) We also can set the State of the Buss in this case ON. In this programming we have a unity gain buss that is active. Interlock means we can set the PFL to be interlocking. Here we can set the PFL to be interlocked. I can imagine that when you push the PFL switch you want to hear one module only. This happens when you set the buss to interlock. In non interlock every PFL signal will be added to the first one you have pushed. In the Exclusive Column we can select if we give the buss a special function. In this case we have chosen to give the dump buss a specific function called Dump/Record. This functionality gives the buss a specific Dump that means that when the buss is activated on the module all other modules on this buss will be de-activated and only the Dump Buss is active. This function is very practical for Voice Tracking. It works like this, normally a Mic is routed the Program buss or also maybe to an AUX buss The moment you activate the Dump Buss in this module all other busses will be de-activated and only the Dump buss will be active to make your recording. When the Dump buss is deactivated the former status will be activated before we decided to activate the Dump buss.
In this way we can make a recording in a very fast way on one or more modules and quickly switch back to the former state. Apart from this we also designed another special function for the PFL buss. These are called Communication Technician and Communication Producer This function gives the buss the extra functionality to work as a communication buss. If we give the PFL buss the functionality of a Technician communication buss the buss will automatically switch to the Headphones of these persons we want to communicate with. The Buss can be switched to the headphone outputs but also to a Hybrid output or an extra line output that is used for wireless reporters or to a broadcast VAN. In the Column buss reset by module active we can select if the buss will be reset if a module becomes active. This function is very handy to avoid user mistakes on the User Interface For instance you can imagine when activating a PFL the signal is heard independent upon settings of the fader and On switch. In case the fader is moved upwards unintentionally, this signal will also be heard ON-AIR while we only had the intention to Pre fade Listen and were not aware of the mistake we made. Now if we program the Module Reset to YES, which we did with the PFL buss, the situation is that when this module is active the buss will be reset. So all active modules on this PFL buss are deactivated. In this way we always can hear what is ON-AIR and less users mistakes will be made. In the final column labeled Console we assign which buss belongs to which Users Interface or mixing console. In this demo we have assigned buss 1 to 16 to console-1, buss 17-24 to console-2, bus 25 to 30 to console-3 and buss 31-32 to console-4 In this set up we could use console-4 as a virtual console with an ON-AIR buss to switch this console-4 On-Air or feed through on a non stop signal to On-Air. This page assigns the real mix buses of the mixer and by clearly labeling we can easily find it back in the system. And we give it here the functionality we want for a buss. The next Video is about item 4 Monitor Buss Configuration
AXUM Video 4 Monitor Buss After the Mix Buss Configuration we will now focus on the Monitor Buss Configuration in this next demo. The AXUM has 16 stereo mix busses but also 4 stereo monitor busses. Every DSP card in the RACK has 4 monitor busses available. The demo mixer we are configuring has 1 DSP card in the rack. It is located here. And because it is one DSP card 4 stereo monitor busses are available. In our set-up we only use 2 of these stereo monitor busses. In the column Label we give these busses a name. The first monitor buss we will label Control Room Monitor, in short CRM. The second buss we label Studio Buss. We use the CRM buss to connect our Control Room loudspeakers to as well as the headphone of the engineer. The Studio buss we use to connect the Studio loudspeakers to. We can also connect the Headphones of the Studio and announcer to this buss. Also these monitor busses have a lot of options which we can program in the Interlock Column For now we program Interlock to YES. This means that when we switch a signal to this buss all other signals on this buss will be deactivated. The default setting is that you want to hear Program, or Recording, or Sub, or Dump and not all signals at the same time. For external signals routed to the monitor buss we have another page in which you can program your favorite settings. This will be dealt with later on in another demo. In the Default selection column we determine where the buss normally listens to. Which signal will be switched to the monitor buss and what happens when no signal is present and what happens when you switch on the AXUM or reboot it. In this case the Control Room buss listens to, after reboot or when nothing is assigned, to the ON- AIR buss and the Studio buss listen to the Program Buss. The Column Automatic switching is there to let the Monitor buss switch automatically to a signal that becomes active on one of the mix busses. In this demo the monitor buss automatically switches to the Dump Buss if the Dump buss is activated in a module. This is also the right setting for the PFL buss.
If a PFL is activated in a module, the control Room monitor buss is automatically switches to the PFL buss. This makes it possible to listen to the PFL signal on the monitor buss. In this configuration we only have activated the PFL buss to change over to the Control Room Monitor buss and not the Studio Buss assignment. So in other words, the engineer who listens to the CRM buss will now hear the PFL signal and the guests, announcer and studio speakers will not be interrupted by this changeover to PFL. The very moment this PFL signal is activated the present signal will be dimmed by 20dB. We can adjust this dim level in the column Dim level In this set-up we have set it to minus 20dB, but another value could be entered of course. In our demo the present signal is dimmed by 20dB and the PFL or Dump signal will be heard clearly on top of the dimmed signal. We can also choose for less dimming, for instance minus 6dB. Default Factory setting is minus 20dB. In the Column Console we can choose in which mixer we want to use the CRM buss. Remember we have 4 mixers in this set-up. In this demo Monitor buss 1 is the CRM buss of console-1 Monitor buss 2 is labeled as Studio buss for Console-1. Monitor buss-3 is on console-2 and Monitor buss-4 is on Console-3 If we place more DSP cards in the rack, we automatically get 4 more monitor busses per DSP card. With a maximum of 4 DSP s we have 16 monitor busses to assign to. So remember, on this Monitor buss configuration page we can decide where the monitor buss listens to and how it responds to various signals inside the AXUM mixer. The next presentation will be about Matrix Settings and deals with item 5, Source Configuration
AXUM Video 5 source We continue with the configuration of the AXUM, now we will deal with the Matrix settings. We start with Source configuration We will give sources, actually the connected equipment, a name. We will give the inputs on the rack cards a name and a location. This demo mixer has the following cards in the RACK. Let s see how the RACK looks. The Power Supply on the left takes 3 positions and the mic card is placed on position 5. The Mic card has 4 inputs. In the Configuration screen we can see all 4 mic inputs and its position in the rack. In this case it is Slot 5 channel 1 on left and right We see that Mic input 2, 3 and 4 are also located on position 5 and on both left and right. All sources in this mixer are considered stereo. However a microphone is mono so both inputs left and right have to be assigned. In this way the microphone is mono but assigned as stereo source. If the Mic card in the rack is recognized by the system, automatically configuration choices are presented for phantom power, pad and gain. Normally you do this on the card itself but here it is much more easy. For instance switching Phantom on or off, activating an input pad or a preset gain. The preset gain can be adjusted. 30 db is a good value to start with. However if the mike is very insensitive we can increase the value to 40Db. For lower sensitive mike a lower setting is appropriate, but 30dB is a good default setting. In the column Label the name of source can be changed. Microphone 1 for instance DJ mic. Line 2 for instance CD 2 or announcer mic. It is wise choose a clear name because it is visible everywhere in the mixer set-up. The name is also visible when this source is selected. Or if we are going to look for a source to assign it to a module. So a good name is important. A maximum of 8 characters can be used because of display limitations. Large names are possible but will not ne show non screens. To every source we configure we can attach a processing preset.
These presets we also give them a name. Here we can already attach a preset to a source. In this case I have attached the preset DJ to DJ Mike. So the moment I activate a DJ mike on the mixer the FDJ preset will be loaded as well. What this preset actually represents I will show you later. Here we can only select which preset we want to use. A preset we can program ourselves but a number are already pre configured for us. Now we are going to talk about the column TRIGGER. Normally a mixer has a START and STOP switch per module. This START and STOP switch is linked to a remote control of a source through Mambanet. However sometimes it is convenient not to only use the start and stop switches of a module to activate a remote. We also can activate a remote by the Fader or ON switch. If we take the CD player, we can say Module fader ON. So when the CD player or module is activated and the faders goes up, the start function will also be activated. We can of course also activate the STOP function. In this way start and stop functions are used to activate the remote control. In the column REDLIGHT of this configuration screen we can select which source will activate the RED light. In this case the DJ Mike controls REDlIGHT-1 There are 8 RED Light signals that can be controlled. We have for instance in Studio-2 another RED LIGHT signal that can be controlled by Mike 2, 3 and 4 It is also of importance that when the DJ or Announcer Mike is active the Speakers in the same room will be dimmed or muted. To do this we click in the column Monitor destination mute/dim In this case, when DJ Mike-1 is active the C R M speakars will be muted or dimmed. This is dependent upon Card settings The Studio Buss is muted by the Active Mike of the Announcer, Mike 2, 3 or 4 when they become active. In this way we can program that the right speakers are muted or dimmed when specific sources are activated.
In the final Column Related destination we determine which output relates to which input. A good example is Hybrid-1 A related output of Hybrid-1 id of course the output of Hybrid-1 So in other words if we want to talk to someone we hear through Hybrid-1 then we have to assign our talkback signal to the output of Hybrid-1 in this case the N-1. If we want to talk to the DJ that listens to the CRM phones the related output is the CRM phones. If we want to talk to the Announcer then the related output are the Studio Phones. These we can easily select from a list that we have created at Destinations. Now I have the CRM speakers as related output of the DJ Mike, so when I want to talk to the DJ my talkback signal can be heard in the CRM speakers. It is very convenient to organize Communication in the mixer in this way. Because the mixer knows which output related to which input. ON this page we program all sources and give them names. And check if they come from the right slot in the rack We can program phantom, input pad, pre-gain and presets. We can add functionality to the start and stop relays Which Red light is activated by a source. Which monitor will be dimmed or muted and Which is the related output for a talkback signal
AXUM Video 6 extern In the Matrix set-up we can assign the external sources. These external Sources will be used for the monitor buss. Apart from all the normal mix busses that can be assigned to the monitor buss there are also 8 external sources that can be routed to the monitor buss. For these 8 inputs a source can be chosen from a source list. If I click on Extern-1 a drop down list appears with all the sources that I can assign to Extern-1. We can choose here from all the sources listed. We can also choose a signal from the busses or eventually from another mix buss or even another monitor buss. If we choose a monitor buss here, we could connect the monitor buss of a second or third mixer to the monitoring of the first mixer. We could also choose from the normal busses. Apart from this we also have a choice to listen here to the insert sends of the mixer and also the N-1 signals. However the most often used choice here is to listen to a Tuner or Hybrid off-air. If we have connected a Tuner to the Line input 4 in the Rack, and we select here in the External-1 source select list this line-4, we will hear the Tuner on the External-1 input Another available function here is the SAFE mode. If the Monitor buss is set to Interlock every new selected source will switch off the present source. In some cases it can be very handy to be able to add the new selected signal to the present signal. Especially with Voice tracking we want to listen to our voicetrack buss (in this case the Dump buss) and at the same time to the intro that we need to fill up with our voice. In this way it is a kind of PFL from the Play-out system. To accomplish this we need to activate in the SAFE column the word YES In other words it is now possible to add the signal from External-1 to the already active monitor buss. This is also convenient for a connected Hybrid. If we listen to the monitor buss to the On-Air signal and want to monitor at the same time a signal coming from the Hybrid from for instance a football match. We now can instantly switch to the football match when it is needed while also listening to the ON- AIR signal. We can do this by setting the Safe column in External-2 also to YES. But in another situation if we have for instance selected Digital-3 to be the OFF-AIR signal, the Safe column must not be active of course. Here we want to listen to the From-Air, Program or Recording buss and not all three. It is hopefully clear to you that we can select individually per External input if we want it to be adding to the existing signal or in place of the existing signal on the monitor buss. It is good to know that we have 8 external stereo inputs per 4 monitor busses. In this set-up we have one DSP card giving 4 stereo monitor busses..
If we add another DSP card in the Rack, monitor buss 5 to 8 will be added and we can configure 8 monitor busses in total. So on this page we assign the sources for the External inputs for the monitor buss.
AXUM Video 7 Destination Configuration On this page we are going to configure the destinations of the outputs of the mixer. Here we can label every output of the mixer. Here we can determine in which slot and location in the Rack the output will be placed. In our demo set-up the Digital-1 output is located on slot-9 position A as channel 1 and 2 which is left and right. If we look at the rack on the picture we indeed see on position-9 an AES/EBU output card with sample rate converter and here are on the RJ45 A connector the first 2 inputs and outputs. An AES/EBU card has 4 stereo digital in and output on 4 RJ 45 connectors. So the Digital-1 stereo output is on the RJ45 connector labeled A, on this page ch 1 and 2, left right. The Digital-2 stereo output is on the RJ45 connector labeled B, on this page ch 3 and 4, left right. The Digital-3 stereo output is on the RJ45 connector labeled C, on this page ch 5 and 6, left right. And the Digital-4 stereo output is on the RJ45 connector labeled D, on this page ch 7 and 8, left right. Here we label the correct name for instance CD-1 and we save this on this slot. Apart from this we have to decide which signal we want on this output. In this case we program on CD-1 PROG, CD recordable On DIG2 we program the recording buss. Here we can choose which signal will be heard on the output. Usually we choose a buss but we also can choose to use a source for this output. This option makes it possible to always route a DJ Mic to a CD recordable to make it possible to record the DJ signal only. We can assign monitor busses to the outputs, the insert sends and also N-1 signals. On number 13 we have connected the CRM-Speakers to slot-15 ch1 and 2 which get its signal feed from the CRM-Buss. Important is to use easy recognizable names. In this case we have used CRM-speakers and Studio-speakers, CRM-Phones and Studio-Phones. By doing this signals can be easier found in a complex system set-up. In the column N-1 from we can activate a N-1 signal from a HYbrid. Usually a Hybrid has a N-1 signal that comes from the Hybrid source. So here is the place where you choose how the N-1 signal is generated, in this case we will of course choose the N-1 of the Hybrid. For Hybrid-4 we also have chosen to use the Hybrid-4, N-1 signal. Apart from this N-1 signal we can also feed a default signal to the Hybrid. The Hybrid will only get its N-1 signal when the Hybrid is activated on the module of the mixer.
When the Hybrid is not activated in the module of the mixer no N-1 signal will be generated. In that specific case an alternative signal can be heard if programmed here. In this case we have programmed the PROGram signal. So if the Hybrid is not active in the module the program signal will be heard. This default situation is only important when a phone is used off air and when the Hybrid is not active. In this case the signal source filled in this column will be heard. So here it is Hybrid Out 1 that will get a Program signal when not active. Hybrid-2 will get no signal when disabled on the mixer. The default signal is only important when the Telephone is used Off-Air or when the Hybrid is not activated in the module. On this page we label the names of the outputs of the mixer. Where the output is physically located and which signal will be heard.
AXUM Video 8 talkback The final programming of the Matrix settings is the Talkback configuration. In the Rack are 16 talkback busses available. Here we can assign 16 different Talkback busses to any or all of the outputs of the mixer The signal present on this buss is dependent upon these settings. In this case we have chosen to assign the DJ mic s signal to Talkback Buss-1. We could also assign a buss to an output, a monitor buss, an insert send or even a N-1 signal. Usually we connect a source to a Talkback buss. In this case when I activate Talkback buss-1 on the CRM output, the DJ mic s signal will be sent to this output. In this way we can program an advanced Talkback system in this mixer. It is possible to send 16 different sources to one or all outputs of the mixer without interfering with the other busses in the system. When activated the present signal on the output will be dimmed and the Talkback signal will be heard much easier. The amount of dimming is adjustable and will be dealt with in the programming of the hardware sessions. Usually the Talkback signal is coming from Microphones, but it is also possible to let it come from line inputs, a digital input or even a buss. It is in this way possible to create a conference system. Carefully think about what you want to do before programming the Talkback busses. This page was about programming the Talkback busses of the AXUM.
AXUM Video 9 processing Now that we have configured the in outputs and Talkback, it is time to do the Module Settings. We will start with the processing presets. Here we can configure presets that we can use to set a module in a pre-programmed setting or get this setting back after power down or start up. In this demo we already prepared some presets of which we easily can change the labels. Here we have a DJ preset which we can see if we click in the column State We will look now at what is in the preset Here you see the settings of the DJ preset. In the First column called Override Module we determine what the preset should do in the module. In case a YES is programmed here, the module will be overwritten with the settings that are in the underlying layer. So in this case the digital gain will be set to 0, the low cut will be activated on 65Hz and the Insert will be switched off. Phase is not active, Mono is switched off and the module stays stereo. The EQ will be activated, Dynamics is on, but module level and On switch will be unaffected by letting these to its off state NO The insert is also not activated because we have here a NO However the EQ is On, which means that these EQ settings will be activated in this module. In this case maximum available level is plus or minus 18dB. Level is set to 0 and frequencies on 7 khz, 2 khz and 3 khz. We only use 3 Frequency bands of the 6 available bands. The lowest Bands are set to off and will not be used now. In the column Bandwidth the Q factor is set and the wave form of the bands 9in the column Type. This can be High shelve, peak (also called Bell) or Low shelve. Here we choose which one we use. We also can limit the range to for instance 12dB for this DJ If this DJ wants a little bit more high frequencies, we can do that here as part of the preset for this DJ. In this case +3dB extra. So when he loads his preset he gets a little bit more high in his voice. By clicking on Save this presets is saved If we zoom in the Dynamic settings, we see all the underlying settings that can be changed.
The following parameters can be adjusted in the Dynamics settings The Downward Expander threshold is adjustable, the Automatic Gain Control ratio and the Automatic gain Control Threshold. The Downward Expander Threshold sets the point from where the signal will be attenuated In this preset it is set to -45dB. It means all signals below -45dB will be attenuated, this is called Downward Expanding. This is not a noise gate but it reduces the signal level by the Ratio that is set in the Automatic Gain Control Ratio. So if the signal is far below -45dB it will be even more attenuated by this ratio. The third parameter is the Automatic Gain Control Threshold. From this point, in this case -12dB, the Dynamic processor tries to amplify the signal upwards to nominal module level. And.. in case the signal becomes higher than nominal module level the processor tries to reduce the gain again to the normal module level. The amount of gain and attenuation is dependent upon the Automatic Gain Control ratio setting, in this case 1 to 2.12. In this way we can dynamically process the input signal, making the very low level signals even lower, the low level signals above threshold louder and reducing the too loud signals to normal operating level. This built in intelligent voice processor makes it possible to reduce room acoustics, especially in between spoken words you do not want to hear the background noise. This is what the downward expander does. If a person speaks very softly the Automatic Gain Control will level the signal to around 0dB, the internal module level. This is also the case with too loud signals, now the signal will be reduced to 0dB, the internal module level. With these dynamic settings it is simple to program a Preset in which a microphone signal of a DJ, or newsroom presenter will always have the right level when ON-Air. And when nothing is said in between words the background noise will not come up again. Room acoustics will have no influence on the sound. Let s have look at another preset. For instance the Hybrid preset. In this preset the low cut is ON, it is programmed to YES and the low cut frequency is set to 150 Hz. Dynamics is off (not highlighted and off) Override Module is set to YES It switched the Dynamics off and the equalizer ON. This is the way to make our own preset. If we go back by clicking on Processing presets in the top of the menu we will be back in the former menu. On this page you see the label: Create new Preset, here we create a new preset. For instance a preset with only Dynamics that we label TEST. Zoom in on the new preset TEST and we now only want the Dynanics is activated We set the following parameters
AGC to 1 to 6 and the AGC ratio to -12dB. In this way only Dynamics is activated. Digital Gain, Low cut, insert, phase, mono, EQ and Module will not be changed in this preset. Dynamics only. The result is that Dynamics will be activated with this preset. How will lit look like. -30 db threshold for the downward expander, AGC is set 1 to 6 6 and AGC threshold is set to -12dB. This is the way to make my own preset in this mixer. By clicking on SAVE I store the preset. Special presets can be made like this. For instance this preset Module ON is a preset that returns all settings to a default value. Such as Digital gain to zero, Low cut off, insert, Phase, Mono, EQ and Dynamics to off. But Module ON and motor fader to 0dB A reverse Preset is also there When going back to Processing Presets in the top of the page. We see there is also reverse preset already programmed The module goes to ON, but the fader goes down. These two presets can be used for a virtual module in which the ON switch lets the fader move in theory from On to Off. Such a preset could be useful for a news reader or jingle machine. On this page we program the Module presets. These are presets that can be used to let a module start up in a pre programmed setting or get a new preset when a new source is selected.
AXUM Video 10 module assignment Now that we have configured the presets of the modules we are going to configure the Module assignment. On the Module Assignment page we decide to which console a module belongs and, to which buss a module belongs. In this example we have assigned the first 16 modules to console-1 Module 17 to 24 to console-2 and module 25 to 28 is assigned to console-3. And module 29 to 32 is assigned to console-4. We also assign the busses here, in this mixer starting at the left column, labeled Program down to PFL. These 8 busses will be assigned to console-1 The remaining busses 17 to 32 will be divided among the remaining mixers 2,3 and 4. With more DSP cards in the Rack, we also get more modules than the present 32. These extra Modules, 32 per DSP card, can also be assigned to the busses. However in this case, we only have one DSP card en we only need to assign module 1 to 32 These are the 32 processing channels of the mixer available from one DSP.
AXUM Video 11 module configuration Now that we have made all the processing presets, assigned the modules to the busses and consoles. We will now configure the modules itself on the Module Configuration page. Here we see an overview of all 32 modules that are available on one DSP card If we insert a second DSP card another 32 busses and 32 modules will be available. Every Module has 4 presets And every preset has an A and B preset. The Preset will be programmed for one mixing console. So preset 1 is for console 1 and on this console we can choose between module preset A or B. In this particular case, Preset-1 on module-4, we will get a Mic input on A with the module preset Guest. And on preset B, we will get CD1 with no processing. If we look at Preset 2 we see on module-4, Hybrid-1 and on preset-b, Firewire. How do we do this. We click on the Module and a new page unfolds. Here we see again our presets. Four presets and every preset has an A and B selection. So we can in fact program 8 presets per module. But we also can use 4 presets with sub-presets A and B. In this way it is possible to program a switch on the module that alternates between A and B In some cases it is requested to have a standard input with an alternative second source. In this case we can imagine that Microphone 4 is the default Mike input and as alternate input we have created a CD player. The difference between the Mike input and the CD player is that the Microphone will get a specific processing preset for Mikes, and the CD player a preset that is useful for a CD player. In this case this is the preset Guest preset in which a low cut, equalizer and dynamics is active. The CD player has NO processing, this means no EQ, no low cut and no dynamics active. These presets can be chosen from a list we have here. These are the presets we have programmed earlier. We can also choose NONE so nothing happens and the module is as it is. Then only the signal source will be switched.
In preset-2 we have a Hybrid. The Hybrid gets a Hybrid preset and I have Firewire for the alternate B source. Here the processing is also set to NO. Apart from the processing preset that controls the equalizer, dynamics, insert, low cut, fader level and ON status, we can also make a routing preset. With a routing preset we can route the signal to a specific buss the moment a Microphone preset is selected. In this case we want AUX-1 to be active with Mic-4 at all times. In the column Override Module we put the label on YES and the in the column State we change the label to ON and we save these settings. We can do the same with the CD player. Here we program YES in the Column Override and OFF in the column Status With save we store the data and leave this menu. In this way we have an overview of what is active on preset-1 on the A and B source. If we here click on the Active label we see what we have programmed. So with Mic-4 which is preset 1A, Aux-1 will be activated. When we select preset 1B, which is the CD player, Aux-1 will be switched off. So now we have made a processing preset and a routing preset. Remember it is only possible to select a preset when the module is off. This is to avoid unwanted situations when the console is ON-Air. Sometimes it is necessary to overwrite this feature. We do that in the column Ignore Module State with a YES. If this is set to YES the preset can be recalled while the module is ON-AIR. When set to NO this is only possible when the module is Off or the fader is fully down. The second part of the Module Set-up is the processing of the module itself. How will the module start up when the console is activated. In this case we see that the low cut will be switched off, insert is off, phase is off, mono is off, Dynamics is off, module is off and fader is down. So when the mixer get s its power this is the setting the module will come up with. When we have no ON switch in the mixer, in other words, we have not assigned a switch to behave like an ON switch, it is necessary to program the mixer with the ON switch active. Because we simply can not switch it on by hand. These Use at Source select functions will be activated if we select a source on the module by source select. At that moment these functions will be active. In case the source has its own preset, for instance a Hybrid has in its own source in the source list of the Hybrid, then that preset will be used. This column Use at source select will only be used when the source does not have its own preset.
In this setup it is also possible to program the equalizer the way we want it. For instance we always want High to be on 7kHz, mid on 2kHz and low on 300Hz. We set the bandwidth and the maximum range of the EQ to 12dB. If we want to use these setting for the whole console we store it here by clicking on SAVE. Then we click on To all console 1 modules and the whole mixers will get the same EQ settings. We Can also do that for the Dynamics settings. If these settings are OK we can copy them to all modules of console-1. The last section of this page is about ROUTING. In console-1 we have assigned the first busses of console-1, which are Program, Record, AUX1,2,3,4, Dump buss and PFL buss. In this section we activate the default setting of the busses when the console starts up. In this example the program buss is activated for all modules. But we can also activate the program buss when a source is selected in the column Use at source select These are the default settings of Module 4 that will be activated when the console is powered up, in this case the Program buss. We can also locally switch busses to pre or post or reset them to default values. Also in this section we can copy all settings to all console-1 modules and if we have a console-2 to all console-2 modules On this Module Configuration page we decide how we want the module to behave. In short which EQ is active, what source will be selected, what preset is active and what preset will be loaded. How the presets are configured and which preset will be loaded when a source is selected. This we can do for a maximum of 4 mixers in a system. Here you see and overview of all 4 consoles based on one DSP with 32 modules.
AXUM-Video 12 mix monitor buss presets Now that we have configured the Modules it is time to configure the mixer itself We are first going to make Console settings for the Mix/monitor buss presets. Mix monitor presets will be used to load and configure presets for the monitor and mix busses We could make a new preset and we can edit an existing preset. Here we see a mix buss monitor preset. In the left column we see all the MIX busses. We make a preset for level and if the buss is On or Off In the next section we see at the left side all the Console Monitor busses. Here we make a preset for the Monitor Buss. Everywhere you see YES in the USE column an action will be performed from the STATE column. So in this case the Program Buss will be connected to the Control Room Monitor buss on the first console. We also see that a clear name here is very important To know which buss we are dealing with. The same goes for the Mix Busses on the left side of the page. Here too, the names need to be clearly labeled to give them the right function. The moment this preset will be activated on the mixer, the Program buss will be assigned to the Control Room Monitor. The Record buss, Aux busses and all other busses are off line. If we choose to set all External Inputs to NO, that means that when this preset is loaded and only there where YES is programmed, the mixer will be changed by this preset. And everywhere you see NO, all present settings will not be changed. So if External 1 to 8 are active on the control Room Monitor buss, no changes will be made to that assignment when this preset is loaded. We could do the same with the other monitor busses. In this case we have 4 monitor busses, so a preset for all 4 monitor busses can be made. If we click on the label Mix/Monitor buss presets we can make a preset for Voice Tracking. Click here on the label Configure. For voice tracking we want to listen to the Dump buss and at the same time to an external input where we can listen to the intro or end of our music.
In this case all busses will be switched off. Only External-4 will be assigned to the Control Room Buss and Dump buss. The Studio Buss will be unaffected as are the other 2 monitor busses. The Dump Buss will be set to 0dB and ON. In case someone has switched off the Dump buss or programmed a different level, then this setting will be overwritten by this preset to be 0dB and ON again. Because we use this buss for Voice tracking. If we go back by clicking on the label Mix/Monitor buss presets we can program the counterpart of Voice tracking, the Voice track OFF preset. This preset will switch off all busses and assigns the program buss again to the Control Room Monitor. This preset does not affect the rest of the busses, only the Control Room Monitor buss is affected by this preset. Her we can make a new preset, type in a name and configure it according to our own wishes and use it as our own preset. This preset, a monitor preset, will be used later too with the console presets.
13. AXUM-Video console presets Now that we have made the Module Configuration with the Module presets and the Mix Monitor buss presets, we can combine them in a console preset. The Console Preset is a preset that totally resets a mixer. This affects the Modules, Control Room Monitor and also the Mix busses. In the column Label we see a number of console presets We see the name of the console preset, that we can change if needed. In the Column Console we decide for which mixer this will be. In this case the first presets are only for Console-1 In the Column Module preset we program what the mixer should do with a module preset. In this case preset 1A will be loaded into Console-1. So with preset 1A we indicate in the Column Mix/Monitor buss preset which monitor preset needs to be loaded. In the column Recall Time you program the response time of a switch for loading a preset. Here you fill in the recall time, safe means a normal recall. The moment we perform a module recall, actually loading a preset, this only affects those modules that are in their off status. So modules of which the fader is down and the module is OFF. Modules that are active will not respond to such a console preset. However by filling in a Forced time, for instance 3 seconds, we will have the possibility to force the module into this preset by holding the preset switch down for 3 seconds. This will happen despite the faders are open or the module is ON. Locally this can also be programmed in a module by telling the module not to always change in a different configuration and this is then independent upon the fact that a fader is up and the module is ON. This function is important, because normally we only want to recall a module preset when the module is not ON-AIR, fader is down and On switch is OFF. However it is sometimes necessary to perform a hard reset. For virtual modules or when you do not want to manually pull all faders down and release all ON switches. Here we can program this in software. We push the reset switch for 3 seconds and all modules will be reset according to the programmed preset here. We are going to make a new preset by clicking on the link Create new console preset
We pick a name, for instance Total setup We decide what has to happen. In this case we want all consoles to change to preset 1A. We also choose which Monitor preset we will use. This is a pretty dangerous preset. By pushing this preset knob all 4 mixers will simultaneously switch the monitor busses. So I suggest to program in the Safe column one second. It means that this preset switch minimally needs to be pushed down for one second before this preset is working. However only for the modules that are not active, so for all modules of which the fader is closed or the On switch is OFF. If I hold this switch for 3 seconds all modules will be switched to this preset-1a and all monitor busses are switched to the Monitor default preset. This is for all four mixers. In this way we can make console presets for one or more mixers. Console presets that will load or not load a module preset and console presets that will load a monitor buss or not. Imagine that you only want a monitor preset. A preset that only affects one console, has no module switching but only monitoring switching on preset-2. This is a relatively mild preset which may respond instantly. In this way we have made a new preset that only affects the monitor buss. Of course we can make a reverse preset like here on position 12, Console 4 Preset 1A switches Console 4 to module preset 1A, but does not anything with the Mix Monitor Buss presets, it says None. In this way we make console presets that take care of which mixer will be active, which preset needs to be loaded, which monitor preset is loaded and how the mixer responds to touching the switches
14. AXUM Surface Configuration Now that we have configured the monitor busses, sources, destinations as well as the Module configurations for the DSP power, it is time that we connect functions to knobs. To do this we select the Hardware settings and go to the Surface configuration page. On the page Surface configuration we see 5 objects or devices in the column MambaNet Address. These are 4 fader control panels, a Control room monitor panel and an AXUM meter application. This we can also see on the picture of the system we show you here. We have loaded the AXUM with a default configuration, but this can be changed according to your needs of course. We start with the 4 fader control surface by clicking on configure in the Settings column. Then a new page opens and we see here many different objects that are present on these nodes. On top we have the Display, the Encoder and the Encoder switch that is part of the Encoder. Then we have all the switches. The switches are numbered, the first number is the channel in which the switch is located and the second number the position of the switch in that channel or module. So if we look at the panel we see switch 1.1, this is 2.1, this is 3.1 and 4.1 We can see that on the first switch 1.1. we have programmed the dump function. On the switch 1.2 we have a module preset function. Switch 1.3 is Program on/off Switch 1.4 a record on/off function. Switch 1.5 is PFL and so on up to switch 1.8 If we want to change the function of a switch we click on the function of that particular switch and we get a choice out of other functions we can assign to that switch. For a switch there are many functions available. We have a number of sub functions listed in this drop down menu. We have Module related functions such as EQ on/off, Module on/off, buss on/off. We have Buss functions to assign signals to a bus. We have monitor buss functions to switch the control room monitor to PFL, Dump or program buss. We have console functions, Global functions and Source functions for a specific source. And finally we have destination functions.
Let s first have look at the module functions. If we choose a module function we need to make clear for which module this is. Here we select module 1 We select preset a or preset B So if we select Preset A for this switch, Preset A will be loaded when this switch is activated. No other functions will be controlled by this switch. Module preset A/B will alternate between preset A and B. It does not matter if it is main preset 1,2,3 or 4, this switch will always load a preset A or B within this main preset. You can also select a dedicated preset such as 1A,1B, 2A or 2B. We can select the Phantom to be active on a source that has been selected on this module. So when I select function source Phantom the system first looks at which source is selected on this module and on that source phantom is activated. This goes also for the pad and source gain level of course. On the module itself we can switch the insert on or off Other module functions are: Phase, gain, low cut on/off. Several equalizer functions, Dynamics on/off, mono, pan reset, module ON, module OFF, or module ON/OFF for alternating this function. We can open a fader and activate the ON switch or close the fader. We can also reset a level on a module. Here we can activate or deactivate various busses such as Program, Record. We can adjust the level and reset it for the Pan pot and balance pot. We can also activate or deactivate various Busses such as the Program buss, Record buss and many others. We can adjust the level of panpot and balance pots. And we have lot of busses we can activate by this switch, remember buss 31/32 is the ON-Air buss. Then there are a number of source functions that are very convenient, a function such as source start. This function generates a start control signal for the source that is activated on this module Normally you want to generate a start control signal that belongs to the source that is selected on the module. So if you select another source on that module the start signal also needs to go to the new source And not linked to the old source. So a start function is made on the Module source start. We also have a module source stop, start/stop and we have a cough function that is used on our mic source. And we have a source alert that we use as an alert in the mixer.