Symetrix Radius NX 12×8 Part 2
Well, the holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving has flown by. How about some light reading. The Radius NX has been on the air on two stations for a few months now. No complaints. I do continue to think of ways to improve the sound, but if it works, lets not play too much, right?
I introduced the Symetrix in a previous post and here we will discuss the overall configuration of the unit. No this is not a box you just plug in and play like a discrete unit. This is a configurable DSP unit, so you need the tools to make it work. A drawback to modern technology and its flexibility is it requires the tools to do it. In the case of Symetrix their CAD like program is Composer. I started BEFORE I even received the hardware by downloading Composer from their site. This way I was able to poke and prod and start to learn what needs to be done.
As seen in the image, the workspace is very CAD-like which does make sense if you ponder it. The left side provides a toolkit. At the start you choose the DSP device of which to program. In my case the DSP is the Radius NX 12×8. Drag and drop in the workspace. Alternate click, aka Right-Click, and the basics of the device can be configured. I want to give a full tutorial, but really this is an overview. If you wish a more detailed description, or a tutorial type posting, please send a note and I can pursue a new site section for the crowd.
Moving on, double-click the DSP in the workspace opens the DSP configuration. This is the design view. Now the world of options opens up for you. The toolkit on the right changes with a number of DSP options or plug-ins to use. Many audio related, many facilities related. Remember Symetrix provides for the AV world and conference centers and business conference rooms are a big part of their business. As we are concentrating on broadcast studio use, we do not use the like of Loudspeaker management or Conferencing and paging.
You will also see the basics of the DSP unit, input and output “blocks”, and it will show Dante and AES if such options are installed. Open the Analog Ins by double clicking, same with the Analog Outs, and you see the controls for the I/O. From the toolkit you drag and drop in the modules, or blocks, which you wish to use.
I learned early on that designing from here can get quite messy. Just think of the modules you can have in this screen! After research, and around this time I was in contact with Symetrix, I learned about the Super-Module. Think of this as your container with the necessary, lets call them sub-modules, you wish to use in one package. In our case, we have 5 to 6 microphones in a control room, so if you did not create a super-module, you would have that many processing chains in this main design view, and what a view that would be. Package that into a super-module, then you see one of those, open that module up, and you build your chains out within that.
The next screenshot is after dropping in and configuring a new Super Module. Within this the audio I/O is filled based on the number of I/O you configure when creating it. Here we see 8 in and 8 out. Then you drag and drop the modules you wish to use; compressor, EQ, filters, and whatever complex stuff you wish to configure. Copy and paste? Yes. Makes things go faster, and if you have start-point settings, configure those first, then copy and past. Talk about saving time!
Once you add the audio path lines and save it all, you get audio in and audio out. The input gain and output trim interface with your external equipment, but once your audio is in, the DSP is all floating point, so there is almost unlimited gain. Just do not go crazy. I do the old fashioned approach by setting up my input and output, then make my changes to align with the external world after adjustment of the details.
Here is an EQ example. A specialty filter, or basically a pre-configured EQ module as you can build one yourself. All the settings are done for you and you can choose the type of EQ at each stage. This guy is a 5-band EQ. As you can see this becomes quite customizable.
That second image is a dual compressor/limiter that I have found to play with. Again a pre-loaded module. Easy to configure. Graphical. Note many of these modules have a side chain input. Use a different audio point to activate the module is pretty cool. Modules also have control inputs and those are used if you have zones and other types of controls to activate, etc. Not important, per se, to broadcast.
Once all this is done, you save it and upload it to the unit. If you have multiple units, you choose which one it goes to. Afterwards you can use Composer to make adjustments when you connect again. If you wish, you can save these “views” in SymView. When you run that, you connect directly and you have real-time changes without having to get into Composer. I for this I basically dropped, or exported, the settings to the SymView design.
After getting over that learning curve, which I will admit was daunting to start before having the hardware in hand, it became quite easy to navigate and move around. When I received our second unit, I had it up and running in no time. So far the talent in the studios that have a Symetrix NX in it have not complained. If asked for an adjustment, I am able to open the SymView for that installation and play. What worked out so well is I had it on my laptop. Walked into the room and had him yap while monitoring the appropriate bus, made a couple tweaks, and done. If you have remote access to your network, or a computer on the network, you can do these changes remotely, too. I have not been asked, but that day will come. At this point, if you are looking for a good unit with features galore, you can replace a number of single purpose boxes with a very versatile unit, I recommend the Symetrix. I feel I have come full circle when there was a time I had the trusted 528e.
Cheers!
Another Day, Another Interruption
So, as you all wait for a bit more information on that Symetrix, let me tell you what gets in the way of doing side fun.
Cruising along last week, putting some notes together and looking for lost screenshots, I think I would finally get something written. Especially on Friday. I good Friday. Morning show remote broadcast. Annual food drive, so a good cause and worth waking up early. I knew things would take a minor turn as I did tweak the old lower back after that fun. I get to do it again this week, btw. Thinking an early start, I can get some details done and then get out for the weekend. Murphy said, no. High temp alarm at a transmitter site.
As one would expect, a site which eventually will be decommissioned, we just maintain and keep the status quo. When it comes to HVAC that is impossible. An old unit which seems to “know” as the ambient sensor was changed out a couple weeks back, so I was not surprised to find the unit hurting with a new issue. Our mechanical guy loves us as we diagnose most things before he shows up, and in this case I sent him the message, starter capacitor and fan motor. As I was able to get it blowing again, with ETA I had time to grab lunch.
Upon my return, the unit was again in death throws, and a few attempts at getting that fan moving again failed, I sent a new message confirming fan motor. As we suspected this motor was due, the tech had one on the shelf, so upon arrival we swapped it out, did the capacitor, and let it rip. As with all these types of repairs, I hang out a bit to make sure nothing else springs up.
Lesson here is with routine checks and maintenance one can be prepared for this type of failure. The motor was on the shelf at the mechanical shop. Many of us know that in many cases the motor has to be ordered, which means you limp along for a day or two. Keep on doing your routine checks. Take notes on your potential failures. It helps minimize repair time. Now back to squeezing in my Symetrix posts, but first, a little site planning work.
Cheers!
Mic Processing Move: Welcome the Symetrix Radius 12×8
A few months back I mentioned we have moved some of our microphone processing from the Aphex Channel to a Symetrix Radius 12×8. I appreciate the patience you all exhibited while I juggled work, site migration, and whatever else life threw at me to finally get this, I should say these, posts rolling. Yes, these, as it will be best to provide you with a 3 or 4 post series on this migration from one manufacturer and technology to another. This first installment will give you the why and how the decision was made. After this comes the technical details and the meat that makes doing these things so much fun. Time to get things started with the “why” and WTF!
A reminder as it has been a while; since Rode purchased Aphex, support for the hardware has been poor, and quality control has gone downhill, too. This is the driving factor for moving on. I had a set of criteria before even looking at alternatives to the Aphex Channel. First a mic processing channel for me MUST have a noise gate, or some expander/gate. I did not want to budge on this one, nor have any demo unit passed this test. The second criteria was the unit required an AES, digital, output. I had to relax this requirement, though the Symetrix does give me an option. More on that in another installment. One must always be willing to compromise when faced with minimal alternatives.
How did I find this unit? Research. Lots of research. As we started to see more power supply failures on the Aphex units, pressure increased to find alternatives. The gate situation was becoming a sticking point. As Symetrix used to make a fine voice processor in the 528E, I poked into their website, here, and found a whole new world of devices. All are DSP based. I downloaded the software, Composer, used to configure these units. I learned a bit more. I contacted my preferred equipment vendor, Broadcasters General Store(name drop), and we started the inquiry process. It was slow to start, but once I was able to chat with a human at Symetrix, the details started to become clear. I was intrigued. Why not DSP? As I was having no luck with stand-alone units, I requested a demo. I originally asked for a Symetrix Prism, but a Radius 12×8 was available, so I went that route.
The hardware is deceptive and intimidating if you are expecting knobs, menus, meters, etc. As the picture shows, the hardware is just that, a chassis with some guts, and the guts need to be told what to do. I am glad I at least poked at the Composer software prior to having the physical unit here. I then had a great conversation with Stu at Symetrix. The chat gave me the necessary areas to focus on and details on what my end goals were. The Radius comes with analog and USB I/O be default, and the flavors are 4×4 and 12×8. I have the 12×8 because I have rooms with 5 to 6 mics. In addition, one can purchase the digital output module and/or a Dante module if you wish to go AoIP. I am considering adding the Dante module to a unit, the why to be discussed in a later installment. The digital output only gives 4 channels, so for a 5 to 6 mic room it is best to stay with analog.
After a few weeks of learning and playing with the Composer software, I had a multi-mic processor in a production studio for real use evaluation. Setting this up does take some learning, and the bottom line is it is a “process”. You start with a site. You add the hardware component, in this case a Radius 12×8. You then create a design which is the guts. I learned about super-modules. I learned the different filters and dynamics that are available. I ignored the items in the toolkit which refer to conferencing, control surfaces, and mixers. Yes, you may say overkill for just a processor, but as you will see in the next installment, the fine tuning and tweaking flexibility does pay off. When all was tested in the production room, I had a concept mic channel with the desired stages ready for on air. I will admit when I purchased our second unit I changed a couple items in the chain which seems to have improved on my original concept. I now have a mic channel strip copied to 8, so each mic is able to be configured individually, and using SymView, I do not need to be connected to Composer for minor tweaks. My DSP channel is basic in terms of the basics: after the input where levels are set, I have the high-pass filter, compressor, de-esser, expander/gate, and EQ as one would expect from a stand-alone processor.
The Symetrix Radius has been on the air now for a few months, and I have received positive feedback. I learned the Radius comes with a better mic pre-amp than the Prism, so that factored into the decision. The unit provides phantom power as I use Neumann BCM-104 microphones. Did it take time to learn? Yes. Is it the same as an Aphex Channel? No. Does it sound clean? Yes. Other factors that were a concern was how well the DSP compressor works, how to deal with make-up gain, and latency through the unit. The former concerns are minor as we know how to make the appropriate adjustments. The latter was a bit more concerning, but once on air, it is not. It depends on how you build your stages and how much DSP is being used. The next installment will describe how I used Composer and built the stages, with screenshots, as an example of what the learning curve involves. I must say I like the flexibility, and DSP can be your friend.
Transmitter Site Perks
Engineers have some perks in their lives. One of those is transmitter site visits. Not all visits are fun. Most are routine. Some are simple repairs.
Today I arrived at a site, and pulled up to the gate. Opened the truck door when a friend came by.
This made my day. Hope yours is going well!
Move Almost Complete
I am almost there with the transfer. Things are a bit messy as I learn “new” stuff.
Exciting to do this as my main page was so stagnant and the blog was dragging.
Some details: I am trying to figure out if I want the home page to have the blog posts or if I want to make a static home page. Yeah, I know, life changing decisions. I am learning how to do this on WP. I am looking to see if I can use my own site editor, and if so, how to load it. If I don’t I am exploring what is offered. Bottom line: Keep it simple stupid.
Thanks for hanging in there! I need to get that Symetrix evaluation and use series going. Maybe try to get back into that weekly type update. Every two weeks? I guess it depends on how boring things are during a week. Let’s get this thing up and functional again.
Domain Hosting Change
For the few of you who visit my main web site, eisenhamerengineering.com, I initiated the process to transfer to a new registrar. Let’s see what headaches occur. After said transfer, I am thinking of revamping the blog, so if you are on the edge of your seat for the Symetrix migration of mic processing, that will be coming, but after all the new headaches are cleared!
Appreciate all. Stay tuned!
Mic Processing: Moving On From Aphex
A quick note to all that I am finally giving up on the Aphex Channel Processor. I have 15 dead units. All power supplies have been replaced at least twice. I made a heavy investment in these and when we moved into our new facilities I brought a few over and purchased the rest. How many? 40? A rock solid processor, IMHO, except for the power supply. Then Rode somewhere in there acquired them. I bought the last batch or power supplies my distributor was able to obtain. All the units are dying again.
Rode purchased Aphex for the licensing. They incorporate the Aphex processing in their Rodecaster device. Kudos on that. Where they lack is supporting the hardware they acquired, and then I learned they had no interest in supporting the hardware. Sell the stock and move on seems to be their motto leaving many broadcasters lacking support and improvement of an excellent piece of hardware. The Covid era did not help much either, but when you cannot even get power supplies for a unit, you know the company does not care. BTW, I have noticed that the web site for Aphex is active again. I still do not get any support.
You may have seen my posts on the power supplies. Some of you have even contacted me. Without a full redesign of the power supply to a more robust unit, the Channel is a boat anchor. I know some have moved to replace with their own consisting of purchasing an off the shelf external supply and using an upconverter for the phantom power. Awesome. A time consuming task, but I give you a lot of credit moving on that. I have considered it, but the trade-off is my time versus what I get in return. Plus, I really do not wish to do 40 units.
What about sending them in for service? Same thing. You cannot just purchase a power supply and drop it in. I would do that myself. I have attempted to shot-gun and replace capacitors on the power supply before. Again, time consuming and not worth the effort as there is an inherent design flaw in power rating. So, if you can do your own work, go for it. For me it is time to move on.
New challenge. Finding a replacement. Dealing with a company which does not want spend money, i.e. does not want to spend money on infrastructure. What is out there that is comparable?
If you have suggestion, please drop a line. I am entertaining all suggestions. I have one already in service, and will post on it soon. I do have expectations which must be met. Stay tuned for the next post on the expectations.
Cheers!
A PS: I have sent a new request regarding support for these units. Surprisingly the URL and domain for Aphex is active. I was redirected 6 months ago. I will post what I find out! Whatever you do, do not go to the Rode website, it is nearly impossible to find a link to Aphex from there even though the own it.
Loss of Connection Errors?
Why do we always start of with “it’s been a busy week”? I would hope we are busy or else someone out there will find our presence superfluous. Always wanted to use that word in a blog. I will say an average week with an interesting find, and we are only half way through the week! As we all do more and more IP based infrastructure, we get to troubleshoot more and more IP based issues. We send audio all over the place via IP these days, so when a codec reports an unusual amount of errors, even though it is not a main, you look into it. As we progressed to a MPX over IP solution, my audio codecs are still online as backups, and I do check these on my remote control for any anomalies. I saw one which was troubling, an excessive amount of Loss of Connection(LOC) errors.
As I saw these errors on both codecs, I began my investigation at the studio end in the comfort of my not so comfortable chair. Software reboot of both codecs was first. Hardware restart of the studio end codec. As it was due for a firmware update, I even verified this was up to date which it was. One of the last things I did before exiting for the day was to connect this codec to the backup codec at the site and see if I was chasing the wrong end.
Good morning, and time to check what the double hockey stick is going on with that codec. Interesting find: LOC errors were gone and the usually expected dropped packets, especially on the Internet side. Looks like a visit to the site.
At the site I did the same routine as I did at the studio. Another software reboot, then a hardware reset, and just a good head scratch as the errors continued to climb. I did a quick check of the switch and verified all other equipment had no issues, and I did not find any. So, I decided to do the tried and true of troubleshooting, and I reworked, exercised, and cleaned the ethernet connections both into the switch and into the codec. I checked for proper operation and began to monitor the situation. No immediate count increase, so looking good. As it is a transmitter site visit I did some routine cleanup. After that time where I saw upwards of 50 or more LOC errors before, none were recorded! Connector cleaning it was.
I checked when I got back and all good. As of writing, a few hours later, still no LOC errors. I will do my periodic checks, but it all looks like life is once again in balance. When tracking down and troubleshooting don’t forget to include connectors and connections in general especially at transmitter sites. Think about how many years its been since you have touched a connection at a site. Usually if nothing is wrong you don’t touch it, but if you have an issue, clean things up and get back to a clean base.
Dante Certification
So, Audinate changed their training program with new videos and content. Covers all their new stuff. In addition, though not as in depth as some of the training can be, and may be covered under Level 3, it is a good improvement. So I spent some free time over the last week to peruse the training videos, and today I took the test(s). I am now Dante Certified Level 2 2nd Edition!
Test(s) you ask? Yes, three of them. No, not long, but broken out into 2 mini tests and a simulation portion. The first two are multiple choice and the simulation you are given instructions to follow, and you do it. I see a future test which will be less step by step and more here is what you have, this is your goal type format.
Level 3 is geared toward enterprise and large systems, so it will be a bit more challenging, I think. I will do some homework and start the Level 3 process. In the meantime, if you need any Dante help, I am, well, Level 2 certified.
Cheers!
PS: When I receive my “label” I will post it.
Covid Round-3? Tieline Via Ready
Looks like Covid has hit with round 3, 4? Open, closed? Stay home, go to work? Politics aside, this has been such a rollercoaster ride, and has been quite frustrating. Well, take that frustration out and go ahead and try something new. As we have gone through this before, I spent the week preparing for the potential, looming situation of air talent working from home, again. This time I have the opportunity to do what we have read about from Tieline, multiple connections to assist in a network delayed world.
What, you ask? Multi-talent show, two people for this one, located at different homes/locations. What happens when these two connect only to the station? Talent 1 speaks, audio goes to the station. Then the mix-minus feed to talent 2 is sent from the station to talent 2. Network delay gets a bit longer between the two talent due to this double hop. The solution is to create a feed, or stream, between the two talent. Enter the Tieline Via where I chose to implement many “factors” or better yet, resources provided by Tieline. Some are free, the Tielink server for example, while others are licensed. It is all based on needs or desires. With that said, I use the Tielink server, Cloud Codec Controller, and capabilities of the Via.
Being a power user I decided to setup my two units by connecting them to independent LANs as I know this is basically how the final use will be, and use the Cloud Codec Controller to connect and configure. Doing so, I open up each respective unit and created a new profile or program for each utilizing the dual mono program. On each the first stream is configured to connect to the station. I have three Merlin Plus units, so must designate which one and which port. The second stream is a bidirectional stream between the two Via units. Being that they are not a dedicated IP address behind a home router, I implement the Tielink server. Either unit can connect to the other.
The test setup looks like this:
I setup the units to use either the wired LAN and/or the built in WiFi. This way I can cover the fact that some homes do not have a wired connection these days. We all know that audio over WiFi is our last resort, so when the talent picked up their respective units I provided a network cable and asked that if they could, plug ‘er in.
The audio matrix editor makes this a breeze in audio routing. It looks like this:
The fact that I am using the Cloud Codec Controller makes for quick remote changes as needed. I hope I do not need it, but if one cannot connect to the studio, I could route it through the other’s Via keeping both air talent on the air. The current setup is they converse through the direct connection cutting the delay. The producer at the station can just take them out of cue if the discussion gets heated! 😉
I did run into some interesting “gotcha” moments when doing my setup and testing. First there is the company network routine. If I used the wired network on both, as expected, no issue. If I put one on a different, or outside network, the firewall would not allow the connection. And, if you think you are smart and put both on the same WiFi network, you are not. The units would not see each other. This occurred with a standard “house type” WiFi and a WiFi setup with a hotspot. Though you think you are on the same subnet, the WiFi router must have a setting to allow for the two to talk. Once I put them on independent networks, outside of business, everything worked as expected.
The only Tieline side gotcha was the default Dual Mono mix matrix was not populated with any default audio routes when I started. The recommended cross points were indicated, but not selected. It was just extra work to click each cross point needed to do what I wanted. This included headphone feeds and what encoder to send the audio. I was baffled by this at first, but nothing preventing me from finishing the task. I did have to make a call to reacquaint myself with the Tielink server. Turns out to be quite easy.
I am now ready. I hope we do not have go to this, but the Via units are deployed and have been tested from their temporary homes. Let’s continue to do our best to get through this Covid stuff.
Cheers!
Tech Notes from the Field 