Pro64 User Interface
This section outlines some basic concepts of operation for Pro64 products.
Pro64 I/O devices have some common user interface elements that make
setting up an audio network easy to understand. Although the 6416Y2 is
set up using DIP switches, its interface elements are similar to other Pro64
hardware I/O modules that use buttons and LEDs for comparable features
(seen in some of the examples). Any combination of Pro64 devices can be
used when setting up a Pro64 network.
A-Net Slot
Pro64 I/O devices come in a variety of configurations. To allow a large
number of hardware audio input devices to be available to the Pro64 audio
network, Aviom has implemented the concept of the A‑Net Slot to simplify
the configuration of potentially complex audio networks. Simply put, an
A‑Net Slot is a place in the network where an audio input resource (analog or
digital) is assigned.
A Pro64 network will always have a finite number of A‑Net Slots available
that can be addressed by an unlimited number of hardware channels. The
actual number of available Slots is determined by the current sample rate.
Slots versus Channels
You might be wondering why Aviom chose to refer to the audio I/O resources
in the Pro64 Series products as ‘’Slots.” Why not just call them “channels”?
We did this to avoid confusion between references to physical
hardware
audio resources and virtual
network
audio resources. The word ‘’channel’’ is
ambiguous and may cause confusion when configuring an audio network.
“Channel” appears in many contexts, including audio mixing consoles, mic
preamps, DSP processors, and DAW software.
We use the word ‘’channel’’ when referring to the
physical
audio inputs—
analog or digital—on a piece of hardware (such as the 16 line‑level XLR
input jacks on the 6416i Input Module or a Yamaha console resource such
as a direct output or aux bus send). Each of these audio input sources can
be made active and added to the network individually, and it is only when
activated
that they use any network resources (the A‑Net Slots). To allow
this functionality, Pro64 products separate the hardware resources from the
available network resources by giving each hardware input channel a switch
or button that allows it to be added to the network as needed. (The 6416Y2
card uses DIP switches.)
It is these activated hardware resources that are being referred to as “Slots.”
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