Symetrix has announced the release of the highly anticipated SymVue software for their Control Server hardware.
Awarded Best Of Show at this year’s ISE show, SymVue is a server-based application designed to control Symetrix DSPs. SymVue enables custom GUIs authored using Symetrix’ Composer running on the Symetrix Control Server hardware. Application-specific control screens can be designed and tested in minutes, without writing any code.
With SymVue deployed on Symetrix Control Server hardware, Symetrix DSPs can respond to commands from any browser-enabled device – laptops, desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. SymVue’s WYSIWYG designs render in all popular web browsers and adapt to screens of different sizes, resolutions, and orientations. Parameter changes remain in sync across all networked devices including Composer, ARC Wall Panels and ARC-WEB, third-party controllers, and SymVue clients on Windows PCs.
Cost-effective server-based Control Server hardware distributes SymVue, along with existing and upcoming Symetrix apps, to one or multiple users across a wired network or via built-in Wi-Fi, hosting a virtually unlimited number of users and configurations. Multiple users can operate SymVue, each with a unique username and password. Each installation of SymVue for Control Server also includes five available configurations of the application, as well as five available configurations of the Mixer application, enabling users to quickly create intricate and complex systems right out of the box. SymVue for Control Server virtually eliminates device and operating system compatibility issues. There are no app stores to deal with, no updates to enforce, or out of date network applications running loose on the network. Security and user access are centrally managed and enforced, enabling administrators to quickly and easily deal with changes and reconfiguration.
“We’re truly excited about the release of SymVue for Control Server,” remarked Symetrix Senior product manager Trent Wagner, “We’re particularly honoured to receive a Best of Show award, with so many great products and technologies at this year’s ISE show.”
Attero Tech is now shipping the latest addition to the Synapse family of networked audio rackmount interfaces – the Synapse DM1. The DM1 is a networked audio monitor for confidence monitoring of networked audio and local sources at the rack. Audio monitoring is provided via front panel headphone connectivity or through the integrated speakers on the front of the device.
The DM1 includes two modes of network audio monitoring: Standard and Extended. The standard mode features monitoring of any of the 32 channels assigned to the Dante/AES67 receiver inputs. Extended mode allows subscription-based monitoring of up to 128 channels (Dante-only) loaded to the DM1 using the unIFY Control Panel Software. In both modes, audio may be selected for monitoring by the user via the front panel controls. The DM1 also features AES-3 digital outputs for connectivity to full range powered speakers or amplifiers and two channels of analogue I/O for local source monitoring and network connectivity.
Additionally, the DM1 provides two integrated SFP ports for fibre expansion where long-haul audio is needed, a primary and secondary Ethernet port for network redundancy, and an integrated power supply with optional external supply for applications requiring redundant power capabilities.
The Synapse DM1 is now supported by the latest release of Attero Tech’s unIFY Control Panel software (v3.2.1) and is shipping worldwide.
Symetrix has released the latest version of its Composer programming software for Edge, Radius, Prism, and Solus NX DSPs. With Composer 7.0, integrators can program a complete end-to-end DSP signal path using just one application.
Composer 7.0 integrates support for the next generation of Symetrix hardware, Radius NX, as well as full integration with SymVue for Control Server, a new Property Sheet feature, and support for Dante Domain Manager.
Radius NX DSPs now host a Super Matrix, supporting a full 128×128 channel mixer in a single DSP core. This frees the entire second core for signal processing tasks. Composer 7.0 adds Radius NX 4×4 and Radius NX 12×8 DSPs plus Single- and Dual-Core AEC Coprocessors to the Toolkit.
Composer 7.0 also fully integrates with SymVue for Control Server. Now, virtually any HTML browser-enabled device on any platform can provide multi-touch control of Symetrix DSPs, as well as select third-party audio and video hardware.
The new Property Sheet feature offers an intuitive palette that dramatically increases efficiency when designing user interfaces, and when formatting or annotating site designs. And Composer 7.0 adds support for Dante Domain Manager, making Symetrix Radius, Edge, and Prism DSPs DDM-ready. Audinate’s Dante Domain Manager is a new network management protocol that makes Dante networks more secure, scalable, and controllable by enabling user authentication, role-based security, and audit capability.
Composer v7.0 for Windows® natively configures the setup and routing of Symetrix Dante™ I/O expanders, along with select third-party Dante devices. Also, Composer optionally synchronises changes made to the system in Dante Controller with the Site File for archiving or for use as a new baseline configuration. The system also can be programmed to not restore the default Dante configuration and routing, preserving changes made in Dante Controller through system power cycles. Users can configure and route with Composer, with Dante Controller, or with a hybrid of the two, as system design and use cases dictate.
If it speaks Dante, it can be added to your Site File with Composer 7.0. Composer can obtain information about channel counts, channel names, device name, manufacturer, and model directly from the device over the network. Symetrix or third-party manufacturers can distribute XML databases of known units for import into Composer, and users can manually define a unit. Some XML databases of third-party products are included.
Attero Tech, a leading manufacturer of networked AV connectivity solutions, has released a major firmware update for its unD6IO-BT Dante-networked 4×2 audio wall plate with integrated Bluetooth audio receiver. The new firmware introduces several important new features.
In addition to a standard A2DP Bluetooth streaming media connection, the unD6IO-BT now offers a Bluetooth Call Bridging mode for bridging cell phone audio into a Dante audio system via Bluetooth. With this feature, for example, an off-site team member can join a conference by calling a local team member’s cell phone, which routes the call to the network via the unD6IO-BT’s Bluetooth receiver.
One advantage of the Attero Tech Bluetooth audio plates is the intentional limiting of Bluetooth reconnections. This precludes previous users from automatically reconnecting in public or sensitive spaces, where multiple users may stream audio over Bluetooth. However, automatic reconnection may be desirable in some applications, such as residences and private offices, so the unD6IO-BT now enables flexible pairing/connect options. In Default mode, users must press the Pair button every time they want to connect, as in the past. The new Reconnect mode permits a previously paired device to automatically reconnect when in range of the unD6IO-BT. In the new Exclusive Connect mode, only one exclusively paired device will be permitted to automatically reconnect when in range of the unD6IO-BT, enabling restricted or personal use.
With this update, the unD6IO-BT supports Audio Video Remote Control Protocol (AVRCP) pass-through for source control of a connected Bluetooth audio media device. The unD6IO-BT can “bridge” supported transport control commands over the network so that a connected device can be operated remotely, without the user needing to be at the device. For example, a user could leave a cell phone charging in one room and remote-control music streaming from the phone using an AV system control panel located elsewhere in the facility. Supported commands include Play, Pause, Stop, Next Track, Previous Track, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Mute.
In addition, the unD6IO-BT plug-ins for unIFY Control Panel (UCP) and Q-SYS Designer have been updated to include integrator options for real-time media transport control and monitoring of the connected device metadata (artist/album/song/device name). The device plug-in has also been updated to support DDM compatibility.
Symetrix has announced the Radius NX 4×4 and Radius NX 12×8 1U rack-mount audio signal processors. Each model supports 128 (64×64) channels of redundant Dante network audio.
The two Radius NX processors are programmed using Symetrix’ Composer software for Windows, offering identical DSP resources provided by a next-generation SHARC dual-core processor that places the burden of large matrices in one core, while freeing the second core for general-purpose signal processing. This makes it possible to design very large and complex systems around a single Radius NX.
A configurable, 4-port gigabit switch serves both the Dante and control networks. This reduces or eliminates the need for external switches and prevents 100 megabit bottlenecks. Each Radius NX model offers two 1000 Base-T Dante ports, two 1000 Base-T Ethernet ports for Symetrix Composer host control and third-party accessory control over IP, an RS-232 serial port for third-party accessory control, and an ARC port that distributes power and RS-485 data to one or more Symetrix ARC devices. A USB audio I/O port interfaces with soft codecs or recording and playback software on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. The USB adio port can be configured for up to 8×8 line I/O, 2×2 line I/O, 1×1 speakerphone, or 1×1 echo cancelling speakerphone profiles.
Both Radius NX models feature a card slot that supports all currently available, optional Radius and Edge I/O expansion cards, including VoIP, ATI, and USB cards. Either Radius NX also can connect directly to a complete lineup of software-controlled, Dante-enabled, analog I/O expanders to add larger numbers of analog inputs and outputs.
An optional AEC co-processor, available in single-core or dual-core versions, enables up to 16 channels of wide-band acoustic echo cancelling for clarity and intelligibility in AV and distance learning applications. Each core corresponds to a single AEC module in Composer, providing up to eight channels with a single reference or up to four channels with independent references for each channel. Radius NX Composer AEC modules are fully virtualized-AEC can be applied to any source and routed to any destination.
Radius NX supports a virtualised and scalable AEC co-processor module, providing up to 16 full bandwidth AEC channels.
When the San Jose McEnery Convention Centre needed a new lighting system that could support the multi-use, high-production-value conventions their clients expect, they turned to ETC. Now they have a lighting system as advanced as the industry around them.
“The previous sodium light fixtures were from the ‘80s,” says Gabriel Nemeth, director of event operations. “Advances in technology and changing client demands put us behind the times.” This was particularly true for trade shows that demand a space that serves multiple functions, with some sections being used for keynotes and others for trade show booths. Clients would ask for dimmed lights over the keynote area and bright light in the tradeshow sections – something the old system couldn’t do, costing the client more money to get the effect they wanted.
The sodium fixtures were also unflattering. “It felt like you were in an old warehouse or a big box store,” says Tim Foster, director of production at Team San Jose. Foster, Nemeth, and their team wanted the cooler, bluer colour temperature lighting of 4000K to give the space the feel of natural sunlight.
Finally, whatever new system they adapted had to work on 277V power, so the convention centre wouldn’t have to install an expensive transformer. With their needs outlined, Team San Jose Chief Operating Officer Dave Costain entrusted General Manager of Convention Center Operations Ewell Steiner, Nemeth and Foster to make it happen.
For guidance to a solution, Team San Jose turned to Mike Wunder, CEO of Wunder Lighting and Controls, Inc. in the Bay Area. Wunder pointed them to the GDS ArcSystem*. “There were a lot of positives with ETC and GDS,” says Wunder. In addition to being able to give them the 4000K color temperature, individual fixture dimming, and operate at 277V, the output from the ArcSystem fixtures was high enough that they were able to reduce the number of fixtures they needed to install. “Because of output we were able to use 300 fewer fixtures – a significant amount.”
“The ArcSystem fixtures were easy to install and we were knocking out four or five rows of fixtures a day because they were they were so user-friendly,” says Curtis Barkle of Stronghold Engineering, the electrical contractor on the project. Barkle and Stronghold were responsible for demolishing the old ceiling structure, prepping and updating the ceiling infrastructure, then installing 554 ArcSystem Pro Eight-Cell fixtures. “When the fixtures arrived they were exactly as anticipated, making it quick and easy to install and wire the system to the client’s expectations. The on-time completion of this project could not have been possible without the help and coordination of ETC and Michael Wunder.”
Team San Jose also credited the help of San Jose Public Works Senior Engineer Tony Andary and Associate Engineer Huimin Mu for allowing the whole renovation to meet a very tight timeline. The end result wasn’t just user-friendly, it was user ecstatic.
“Every lighting designer who’s come in here in and tied into the system has told me this is one of the coolest buildings they’ve ever been in,” says Foster. Lighting designers love the ability to control individual fixtures, whether for large sections of the hall like a keynote, or to dim the house lights above a booth to highlight the special lighting for one particular client.
This granularity of selection is possible thanks to ETC’s advanced control system. “From the get-go we knew we were going to use ETC control,” continues Foster. “Nobody understands large lighting control systems like ETC.” That control is achieved using a Unison Paradigm® architectural system networked through the building, sending control signal to the fixtures as well as managing and monitoring the Echo Relay and Sensor IQ panels, which provide 277V power. Access to the system is provided through Paradigm’s 7-inch and 18-inch touchscreens, which Team San Jose can customise for each show. “I think for me one of the highlights of the system is controllability, “adds Nemeth. “Controllability of either a whole hall, a row of lights, or an individual fixture, with flawless dimming from 100 per cent all the way down to zero. I think it’s unprecedented.”
Designers aren’t the only ones who are happy. Accountants love not having to pay for extra equipment or more set up time. “Clients tell us they’re seeing cost savings on everything from equipment rental to trucking and labour because they don’t have to bring in additional gear. All of those costs are gone, and the savings are showing up,” adds Foster.
Broadcasters love the colour temperature and the extra lumens from the fixtures. “They wanted to get as much light as possible for broadcasting,” says Wunder, who raves about the end result. “It turned out stupendous. The light output is amazing and, because of the fixture design, there isn’t any annoying glare.”
“The selling point now is all about imagination,” says Nemeth. “Whatever our client wants to do, they can do with this system. If they want to do something traditional, we can do that. If they want to stay away from the traditional, do something different, they can do that.”
In the end, the San Jose Convention Center got the high-tech lighting system that befitted the Silicon Valley venue. “We’re in the middle of the epicentre of innovation,” says Foster. “We should take advantage of the most advanced technology on the planet. And we felt we did that by partnering with ETC.”
Symetrix has announced the Radius NX 4×4 and Radius NX 12×8 1U rack-mount audio signal processors. Each model supports 128 (64×64) channels of redundant Dante network audio.
When the San Jose McEnery Convention Centre needed a new lighting system that could support the multi-use, high-production-value conventions their clients expect, they turned to ETC. Now they have a lighting system as advanced as the industry around them.