MIXING SYSTEM

System Manager Advanced Training

Summary
● Introduction
● Audio Sync system and configuration
● Extensions configuration
● Ring Supervisor configuration
● Presentation Objects (introduction)
● Presentation Objects (configuration)
● Logical Inputs
● Control Surface Configuration
● Logical Outputs
○ Fader4
● Logical Bus & Groups
○ Strip Template
● Categories
○ Ares Central
● VCA & Logical In Group
○ Cimix Console
○ Stand alone KM40 / KM34E
● Monitoria system ○ ARES-USER board
● Talkback system
● Logical automation

● Audio options
● Group Routing
● Logical automation advanced configuration
● Meters
● Scheduler
● Utility Service
● NTP configuration
Bea3x Configuration tool startup

Start menu ➧ Ares_tools ➧ Start menu ➧ Ares_tools ➧ Bea3xViewer

ARES_Configurator
 Bea3x configurator
COMMAND BAR

WORK AREA
Digital audio introduction
Digital audio introduction
Audio sync system

buffer empty
repeated sample
input sample rate

buffer full
skipped sample

output sample rate

 Audio sync system

buffer full
skipped sample

All machines exchanging digital signals

must use the same audio clock!
Bea3x sync options
 Bea3x Sync Settings

“STRATUM” is a “measure” of
the distance between the true
origin of the clock signal and
the source been evaluated

The source with lowest STRATUM

will be selected (if available)
If there are multiple sources with
same STRATUM, the higher in the
table will be selected
“STRATUM” can be:
● set as “fixed”
● read from the Bealinx
● read from another Bea3x
indicated in the Endpoint
Bealinx ID Settings
Bealinx ID is useful to track connections in a ring

Port 1 of 172.20.161.1 has a local ID = 3

Port 2 of 172.20.151.1 has a local ID = 2

Port 1 of 172.20.161.1 reads a remote ID = 2

Port 2 of 172.20.151.1 reads a remote ID = 3

Port 1 of 172.20.161.1 is connected

to Port 2 of 172.20.151.1
Bea3x extensions

Extension: a Bea3x added to the system

to expand the number of I/O resources
(no DSP board required inside)

All Bea3x Management ports

must be connected to the same
management network

Audio connection from

extensions to the main Bea3x of
the mixer are normally in MADI

but also AoIP (Dante) or Bealinx

are possible
 Bea3x Extensions configuration

Add a New Extension

enter name and IP address

 Bea3x Extensions configuration

Each extension can have multiple connections to the Mixer main Bea3x

Each connection:

has a Name
can be bidirectional or one way
can be Partial (useful with Dante to let
some channel free for other purposes)

for Dante connections you need to do the patch with Audinate Dante Controller
Bea3x Extensions connection details

With “AutoGen” all

extension input and
output will be
connected to the
main with a channel
in the “Connection”
if there are enough
Bea3x Extensions connection details

It is possible for each extension input and output to indicate

which connection must be used or if it must be disconnected
RingSupervisor
The RingSupervisor can be configured to allow
an easy sharing of resources on a Bealinx ring
Presentation Objects
 Logical Inputs

Commands

Filtering

List of
existing
 Logical input edit 1
PRIMARY SECONDARY

Names

Physical
resources

Only for manual

config of shared
external inputs
 graphical view,
with real curves
Logical input edit 2

Tabs to edit blocks

parameters

List of blocks, with

buttons to sort
Logical input edit 3
will create presentation
controls (phantom and
gain) to be associated to
the central module

Presentation key to Long press on PFL

assign to the Jolly button will press this
key when this input button (normally TB)
is on the strip
 Logical input edit 4
The fader position
will be restored
when the input will
be loaded

A modulation control
will be associated
with this input and
associated to a
Presentation LED
 Logical input edit 5

Any “tag” can be

attached to a
logical input,
normally to be
used in custom
python scripts

● be careful !
Here all tags
are accessible, also
category and some
other system tags.
Damages are easy
Logical output
Logical output edit
Logical Bus
The view order in
the mixer display is
customized with this
column

Filter by “Bus Type”

above, then set the
order with these
buttons

select a bus, then

add the talkback
reception with this
button
 Basic Use of mixer: “Loading inputs on the desk 2”

Browsing of first level of category tree

available logical inputs

Browsing of busy logical input

second level of already loaded on
category tree another strip

selected logical input

Browsing of
logical inputs in
the selected
category
 Categories
outputs sources sources
input to outputs sources
for for for
load on for patch for
output output patch
desk routing monitoria
routing routing routing

Objects to be
placed in
categories
VCA

TotalGain = FaderGain[dB]+VcaGain[dB]

VCA works only when its

ON button is pressed, on
strips where the VCA is
assigned

VCA is only a control value, it

has no bus assignment, no
processing, no PFL, no level
Logical In Group
To control the ON button for
channels assigned to the
group with one single button
Monitoria system

One DSP Board can generate up to a total of 128 monitor buses (and talkback buses)
 a monitoria can
“follow” another one:
Monitoria system the source selector is
driven in parallel

Each Monitor Bus can be configured to act in a

proper way on:
● signal selection
● PFL active
● incoming TB
● outgoing TB
● specified inputs are onair
and it is possible to modify the PFL behaviour
with a dedicated key (to split or swap buses)
Monitoria System
 Monitoria System

what happens on this

bus when you:
● select a source
● select a secondary source
● activate the associated PFL
● receive a TB on the TbBus
● do a TB from TB sources
● an input of the list is ON
● the “PFL to MON” button is
pressed and PFL is active
Talkback system
a TALKBACK BUS can be added to a monitoria (not to a monitor bus)

the monitoria will be able to receive talkbacks from up to 8 simultaneous sources

each monitor bus will bring the talkback out according to its individual settings.

MON MON FROM FROM

PRI SEC TB PFL
SRC SRC BUS BUS

L
MON
BUS
OUT
R
Talkback system

a TALKBACK BUS is a talkback destination

a TALKBACK BUS can be added to any kind of bus to make the bus able to receive
up to 6 simultaneous talkback sources
Talkback system

for each talkback source it is

possible to define any number of
“talkback buttons”

for each “talkback button” it is

possible to choose which talkback
buses will be activated (one or more)
Audio Options
Meters
NTP configuration List of Bea3x of this mixer (main
and extensions), popup will open
with double click.
 Utility service 1: backup export to PC and
List of backups
available in the system import from PC

backups are automatically

generated on some specific
events, and can be manually
generated every time you need,
with a user defined label
 Utility service 1: backup

Difference in the
selected file between
various backups
Utility service 2: System Manager

This will completely kill the mixer

This will kill the mixer leaving the
accessories

Useful if a physical surface (Cimix,

KM is stuck)

DANGER!
Useful if some automation (GPIO,
ehternet, etc) does not work
STOPPING SERVICES
CAN BE SAME THAN
KILLING THE MIXER! after system shutdown you have to do OFF-ON with supply to restart
Group Routing
Presentation Objects
2 big groups:

3 object types:

Strips
Keys objects

Scalars

General use
objects
Leds
Presentation keys with “dependant”
CONTROL SURFACE

PRESENTATION SOFTWARE LAYER

PRESENTATION KEY

Name / Short Name [NameOfButton] PRESENTATION KEY

Status [PRESSED / UNPRESSED]
Color on / Color off [colors] Name / Short Name [NameOfButton]
Confirm request? [text to show] Status [PRESSED / UNPRESSED]
Dependant key [“link” to another key] Color on / Color off [colors]
Internal function [action to do on the mixer] Confirm request? [text to show]
Dependant key [“link” to another key]
Internal function [action to do on the mixer]

MIXER SOFTWARE LAYER

Presentation objects: general use keys

each line will be a confirmation popup

when pressed on a touch screen

section to add customized dependant

keys
Presentation objects: Strip keys 1

The “channel_N_pflButton” is a button

without internal function

At startup the bus assign key to the

bus marked as “Default PFL” is
automatically assigned as dependant
to the “pflButton” of each strip
Presentation objects: Strip keys 2
The “channel_N_PRGButton” is a
button without internal function

I can manually set the dependant key

Presentation objects: LEDs

contribute to the value of

“General Alarm Led”,
that makes the “Leds”
panel button blink red

“Status” leds are ON when all is ok

“Alarm” leds are ON when there is an alarm
colors are consequently set
 Surface configurator

A control surface is
logically divided in rooms

for each room it is

possible to define multiple
desks

One desk is one “single

block” of surface, where
an operator works
Different types of modules

with Atom processor,

With they can directly
touch connect to the Bea3x
screen “Presentation” service

Controlsurface service
can run both in the
Bea3x and in the
with Arm microcontroller,
modules with touch
Without screen
they need to connect to a
touch “Controlsurface” service
screen
Different control surface architecture

Controlsurface Controlsurface

Controlsurface
Presentation
Fader4 configuration

possibility to filter some page

of the display

page to be displayed at
startup

Encoders auto activation

when entering a page where
they are usable to set
parameters

Block of strips to be
List of modules that associated with the
Data to connect to the Bea3x
need a controlsurface module
(auto set by CFG)
on this Fader4
Strip template
 Central Configuration

Enable and
name of
pages

Parameters
for mic
preamp
Cimix configuration
KM modules configuration
Ares-User board configuration
Logical automation
● User defined automation inputs (Opto in, logical input status, mixer status,
buttons, scalars, leds, incoming network messages, ….)
● User defined functions ( python code based, with automatic generation for
simple boolean operations )
● User defined outputs (relay, operations on presentation controls, network
messages send, …) with optional Converters to adjust data type
MIC LIGHT
RELAY

UDP COMMAND
“MIC ON AIR” TO VISUAL RADIO

OTHER COMMAND
TO MIXER or
EXTERNAL DEVICE
Logical automation
Logical automation input
Many different logical
automation input types

A name must be set, and some

parameters according to the type
Logical automation output (actuators)
Many different logical
automation actuator types

A name must be set, and some

parameters according to the type
 It is possible to manually test a function
Logical automation functions 1 in a dedicated popup window
(it will run locally on the pc, not really
on the mixer to avoid to do damages)

Basic
“pass through”
function
It is possible to use
output of other
functions as input.
Don’t build loops!

Easy creation of function is possible

for direct or logical AND / OR of
multiple boolean inputs

Output of a function can be distributed

to multiple outputs

Be careful not to create

conflicts to avoid
unpredictable outputs
 Logical automation functions 2
Basic
“logical OR”
function

Easy creation of function is possible

for direct or logical AND / OR of
multiple boolean inputs
Logical automation functions 3
How to create functions with complex logic operations?

OPTION 1 OPTION 2

Function1
basic OR with inputs: Function2
→ Input1 On basic AND with inputs:
→ Input2 On → out of Function1
→ StudioSelected

OR

AND

switch on the light if any of In1 and In2 are on,

and StudioSelected button is pressed

Advanced python function

Logical automation functions 4

Copy header in the first line of code

indentation is 4 spaces

return the logic expression

Logical automation functions 5
Python editor suggestion: write in a syntax aware editor and then copy&paste in the Ares CFG

add extensions:
 Scheduler
Select the button and add a new
Now only for Group Routing, in the future for every control event to the schedule

It is possible to create
“one shot” events
the button is pressed
at start date/time and
unpressed at end

It is possible to create
recurrent events
the button is pressed at start time
and unpressed at end time every
specified day of the week
MIXING SYSTEM