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AirAura X1 / Dec 2016

G E N E R A L   I N F O R M A T I O N

Rear Panel Connections

The image below shows the rear panel of the X1 and the location of various connectors 

associated with an installation:

AirAura X1’s rear panel connectors from left to right are:

         Bottom Row                                                     Top Row

Analog Left Channel In 

 

 

 

SCA‑1 Input

Analog Right Channel In 

 

 

 

SCA‑2 Input

AES Insert Loop Output (Send) 

 

 

TX 1 Out

AES Insert Loop Input (Return) 

 

 

TX 2 Out

FM/HD Analog Left Channel Out   

 

GPO Status Output 

FM/HD Analog Right Channel Out   

 

AES 

Digital 

Input     

FM AES Digital Out (L/R or baseband192)

HD AES Digital Out

GPI Input

Ethernet/WheatNet-IP Interface

IEC Standard male AC Power Input

The listed connections are made via various connectors mounted on the X1’s rear panel.

• 

Nine XLR connectors are provided for analog and digital audio input and output  

connections, plus an insert loop for ratings encoders.

•  Four BNC connectors are provided for SCA inputs and TX (transmitter) out, or 

Composite Multiplex (MPX) connections.

•  One RJ-45 connector is provided for Ethernet connections. This connector may 

be used to interface X1 to a WheatNet‑IP audio network or to connect it to a Win‑

dows

®

 PC running the Wheatstone X1 GUI.

•  Two DB-9 connectors provide 8 GPI inputs (for selecting presets in the first eight 

storage slots) and four pre‑assigned GPO outputs. 

The pinout drawings on pages 1-17 through 1-20 summarize wiring connections.

Summary of Contents for AirAura X1

Page 1: ...FM HD Digital Audio Processor AirAura X1 600 Industrial Drive New Bern North Carolina 28562 tel 252 638 7000 fax 252 637 1285 Technical Manual ...

Page 2: ...Technical Manual Wheatstone Corporation December 2016 FM HD Digital Audio Processor AirAura X1 ...

Page 3: ...strial Drive New Bern North Carolina 28562 tel 252 638 7000 fax 252 637 1285 AirAura X1 FM HD Digital Audio Processor Technical Manual 2016 Wheatstone Corporation AirAura X1 Dec 2016 Wheatstone Audio Processing ...

Page 4: ... 9 AC Power Considerations 1 9 Rear Panel Connections 1 10 Audio Inputs 1 11 Analog In 1 11 AES In 1 11 SCA In 1 11 Audio Outputs 1 11 FM Path 1 11 HD Path 1 12 Insert Loop Out 1 12 Insert Loop IN 1 12 FM HD Analog Out 1 12 FM AES baseband192 Out 1 12 HD AES Out 1 12 TX Out 1 12 Headphone Monitoring 1 12 Network Connections 1 13 Ethernet 1 13 Typical Straight Through Cable Cable 1 13 Typical Cross...

Page 5: ...8 Attack Master 2 9 Release Master 2 9 Clip Drive 2 9 Pre Emphasis 2 9 Where and When to Use Pre Emphasis and De Emphasis 2 10 10 Band HD Limiter 2 11 MB Limiter Drive 2 11 Threshold Master 2 11 Attack Master 2 12 Release Master 2 12 HD Final Limiter 2 13 Limiter Drive 2 13 Limiter Threshold 2 13 Attack 2 14 Release 2 14 Delayed Release 2 14 FM Final Clipper 2 15 Main Clipper Drive 2 15 Multipath ...

Page 6: ...curity 2 26 Versions 2 27 Status 2 27 Saving Your Work 2 28 Getting Started 3 5 Connecting With The Pro GUI 3 5 Connecting Directly Without a LAN 3 6 The X1 and Internet Security Concerns 3 7 About DHCP and The X1 3 7 AirAura Network Protocols and Ports Used 3 7 Using The X1 Pro GUI 3 8 Metering 3 8 Input Meters 3 8 Multiband AGC and Enhance Meters 3 9 10 Band Limiter Metering 3 9 Final Limiting M...

Page 7: ...3 23 Compressor Attack Expert Control 3 23 Compressor Release Expert Control 3 23 Crossover Control Expert Control 3 24 Effect Tab 3 24 HD Limiter 3 26 Multiband Drive Basic Control 3 26 Limiter Drive Basic Control 3 27 Multiband Knee Basic Control 3 27 L R Linked Basic Control 3 27 Bass Style Basic Control 3 28 Master Attack Expert Control 3 28 Master Limiter Release Expert Control 3 28 Wideband ...

Page 8: ...ibration Offset BS 412 MPX Power Control 3 38 BS 412 Action BS 412 MPX Power Control 3 39 SCA 1 and SCA 2 Inputs Subcarrier Inputs 3 39 Output Tab 3 40 TX1 and TX2 Outputs Analog MPX 3 40 TX2 Mode Analog MPX 3 40 Source Analog L R 3 41 Level Analog L R 3 41 Pre Delay Analog L R 3 41 De Emphasis Analog L R 3 41 Level FM Digital 3 41 Type FM Digital 3 41 Pre Delay FM Digital 3 42 De Emphasis FM Digi...

Page 9: ...R 3 57 Stereo 3 57 A Clip 3 58 MPX Analysis Options 3 58 Devices 3 59 X1 Hardware Update 3 59 X1 Sub Menus 3 62 View 3 62 Hardware 3 62 Presets 3 63 General Specifications A 3 X1 s GPIO Interface A 9 GPI General Purpose Input A 9 GPO General Purpose Output A 11 Interpreting Common Audio Processing Terms A 14 Background A 14 Audio Terms and Wheatstone Processing A 15 Thump Rumble Bottom A 15 Punch ...

Page 10: ...e Contents 7 AirAura X3 May 2013 C O N T E N T S Crunchy Edgy A 17 Sibilance A 18 Treble Bright Open A 18 Finally A 18 WheatNet IP Configuration A 20 Adding the X1 to The WheatNet IP System A 21 Appendix D ...

Page 11: ... Rear Panel Connections 1 10 Audio Inputs 1 11 Analog In 1 11 AES In 1 11 SCA In 1 11 Audio Outputs 1 11 FM Path 1 11 HD Path 1 12 Insert Loop Out 1 12 Insert Loop IN 1 12 FM HD Analog Out 1 12 FM AES baseband192 Out 1 12 HD AES Out 1 12 TX Out 1 12 Headphone Monitoring 1 12 Network Connections 1 13 Ethernet 1 13 Typical Straight Through Cable Cable 1 13 Typical Crossover Cable 1 13 General Purpos...

Page 12: ...latform to a new level Coupled with our proven iAGC program density controller specialized low distortion low IMD clipper for FM and codec aware HD processing the X1 stands above all other processors in its price class Remote control of X1 is via Windows based Graphical User Interface GUI software and can be accomplished via 100BaseT wired Ethernet The X1 GUI incorporates two layers of controls on...

Page 13: ...ed Density Compensation The Density Compensation algorithm utilizes real time analysis of the pre and post processed audio and data from the processing controls as the user has adjusted them to invisibly manage the user set spectral balance and program density The output of the five band leveler can then be patched to an external ratings encoder device Upon return to the processor the audio is the...

Page 14: ...its 5 25 inches 13 335cm of vertical space If using only two rack screws always use the bottom two screws to prevent twisting of the front panel and other undue forces from harming the processor chassis The X1 does not need nor does it have top or bottom cover ventilation holes Cooling is accomplished via cooler air drawn into vertical slots positioned lower in the side panels which allows latent ...

Page 15: ...his applies to all audio equipment not just the X1 particularly when the equipment is located within the electrically hostile environment of a station s transmitter facility UPS Power Conditioning Choose the best power conditioning UPS units that your budget will allow focusing on the most important features and options that you actually need Some questions to ask while reviewing features are How ...

Page 16: ...n driving the unbalanced load it is recommended that the X1 s XLR output Pin 1 ground shield also be connected to Pin 3 Lo noting that this MUST BE DONE at the X1 output connector see the diagram above Note that it is not advisable to connect Pin 1 and Pin 3 conductors together at the far end of the cable as doing so can induce external noise and crosstalk on the output ampli fier s load sense lea...

Page 17: ...ally create We recommend that whenever there is a choice between using the AES output of the processor or the composite output to feed your exciter that the composite output should be chosen to maximize loudness peak control and reap the benefit of the purpose built stereo generator in the processor over the add on stereo generator in the exciter While the exciter s AES3 digital input may be clean...

Page 18: ...vershoots Pre emphasisshouldalwaysbeappliedbytheaudioprocessing nottheexciter Modern FM audio processors have highly sophisticated technology to deal with the challenges presented by FM pre emphasis curve and can provide very tight modulation control with very low perceived distortion FM exciters do not have this technology The best location for the audio processor from an overall performance stan...

Page 19: ...ths This eliminates the need of having an external AGC to feed consis tent audio to the PPM encoder You can now use the internal AGC in the X1 to do this while allowing the PPM encoder to insert the watermark AFTER most of the processing AC Power Considerations Please note that in order to enhance its long term reliability X1 has no power switch switches usually become intermittent over time witho...

Page 20: ...I Input Ethernet WheatNet IP Interface IEC Standard male AC Power Input ThelistedconnectionsaremadeviavariousconnectorsmountedontheX1 srearpanel Nine XLR connectors are provided for analog and digital audio input and output connections plus an insert loop for ratings encoders Four BNC connectors are provided for SCA inputs and TX transmitter out or Composite Multiplex MPX connections One RJ 45 con...

Page 21: ... AES3 or WheatNet IP is based on silence sense responding to audio on both channels being below 48dBFS for more than 30 seconds Failover capability is not available between the AES and WheatNet IP inputs Analog In XLR F Pin 1 XLR LT SH LINE LT IN SH Pin 2 XLR LT HI LINE LT IN HI Pin 3 XLR LT LO LINE LT IN LO Pin 1 XLR RT SH LINE RT IN SH Pin 2 XLR RT HI LINE RT IN HI Pin 3 XLR RT LO LINE RT IN LO ...

Page 22: ...T LOOP IN HI Pin 3 XLR BAL LOOP IN LO INSERT LOOP IN LO FM HD Analog Out XLR M Pin 1 XLR FM HD ANALOG OUT LT SH FM HD ANALOG LT OUT SH Pin 2 XLR FM HD HI FM HD ANALOG LT OUT HI Pin 3 XLR FM HD LO FM HD ANALOG LT OUT LO Pin 1 XLR FM HD ANALOG RT SH FM HD ANALOG RT OUT SH Pin 2 XLR FM HD ANALOG RT HI FM HD ANALOG RT OUT HI Pin 3 XLR FM HD ANALOG RT LO FM HD ANALOG RT OUT LO FM AES baseband192 Out XL...

Page 23: ...hrough and crossover cables in any combination The wired Ethernet interface can support up to four simultaneous connections to remote GUI Ethernet RJ 45 Pin 1 TXD Pin 2 TXD Pin 3 RXD Pin 4 N C Pin 5 N C Pin 6 RXD Pin 7 N C Pin 8 N C Typical Straight Through Cable Typical Crossover Cable 1 2 3 4 TXD TXD RXD RXD PIN 1 2 3 4 PIN RJ 45 Plug RJ 45 Plug White Orange 5 6 7 8 N C N C 5 6 7 8 Orange White ...

Page 24: ... to provide the following status outputs GP Output 0 Becomes enabled on Analog Audio Failure GP Output 1 Becomes enabled on Digital Audio Failure either AES3 or WheatNet IP GP Output 2 Becomes enabled if the CPU Temperature reaches 50 deg C 122 deg F GP Output 3 Becomes enabled upon a General System Failure GPI The GPI interface provides eight separate General Purpose Inputs sharing a common retur...

Page 25: ... between presets that are tuned quite differently it may take several seconds for the new settings to completely settle in It is important to remember this concept X1 s preset switching is designed to make it as unobtrusive as possible and therefore parameter changes are not instantaneous This factor must be taken into consideration whenever switching between presets in order to compare them Whena...

Page 26: ...ges the input or output source or level calibrations note System Settings Change with Preset Takes must be enabled in the System screen of the GUI in order for presets to control I O settings Preset storage is as follows Preset slots 1 8 are for user presets that can be selected by the optoisolated GPI interface Factory presets are installed beginning with a BYPASS stored in slot 9 Factory presets...

Page 27: ...LINE RT IN LO XLR RT F Analog IN XLR F XLR OUT M PIN 1 INSERT LOOP OUT SH PIN 2 INSERT LOOP OUT HI PIN 3 INSERT LOOP OUT LO 2 1 3 PIN 1 INSERT LOOP IN SH PIN 2 INSERT LOOP IN HI PIN 3 INSERT LOOP IN LO XLR IN F INSERT LOOP XLR XLR LT M PIN 1 FM HD LT OUT SH PIN 2 FM HD LT OUT HI PIN 3 FM HD LT OUT LO PIN 1 FM HD RT OUT SH PIN 2 FM HD RT OUT HI PIN 3 FM HD RT OUT LO FM HD ANALOG OUT XLR M 1 2 3 1 2...

Page 28: ...92 OUT SH PIN 2 AES FM BASEBAND192 OUT HI PIN 3 AES FM BASEBAND192 OUT LO PIN 1 AES HD OUT SH PIN 2 AES HD OUT HI PIN 3 AES HD OUT LO AES FM Out baseband 192 XLR M 1 2 3 XLR HD M 1 2 3 AES IN XLR F Digital XLR Connections 2 1 3 XLR F PIN 1 AES IN SH PIN 2 AES IN HI PIN 3 AES IN LO AES HD Out XLR M ...

Page 29: ... I O N BNC SCA BNC Connections PIN 1 SCA 1 IN HI CENTRAL PIN PIN 2 SCA 1 IN SH SHELL 1 2 PIN 1 SCA 2 IN HI CENTRAL PIN PIN 2 SCA 2 IN SH SHELL BNC TX PIN 1 TX 1 OUT HI CENTRAL PIN PIN 2 TX 1 OUT SH SHELL 1 2 PIN 1 TX 2 OUT HI CENTRAL PIN PIN 2 TX 2 OUT SH SHELL ...

Page 30: ...J 45 N C N C N C N C General Purpose Interface DB 9 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 GPO 4 OUT RETURN GPO 3 OUT RETURN GPO 2 OUT RETURN GPO 1 OUT RETURN N C GPO 4 OUT SOURCE GPO 3 OUT SOURCE GPO 2 OUT SOURCE GPO 1 OUT SOURCE GPO DB 9 5 4 3 2 1 9 8 7 6 GPI 8 IN GPI 6 IN GPI 4 IN GPI 2 IN GPI COM GPI 6 IN GPI 5 IN GPI 3 IN GPI 1 IN GPI DB 9 ...

Page 31: ...Density 2 6 Attack Master 2 7 Release Master 2 7 Gate Offset 2 7 10 Band FM Limiter 2 8 MB Limiter Drive 2 8 Threshold Master 2 8 Attack Master 2 9 Release Master 2 9 Clip Drive 2 9 Pre Emphasis 2 9 Where and When to Use Pre Emphasis and De Emphasis 2 10 10 Band HD Limiter 2 11 MB Limiter Drive 2 11 Threshold Master 2 11 Attack Master 2 12 Release Master 2 12 HD Final Limiter 2 13 Limiter Drive 2 ...

Page 32: ...rols 2 19 Digital Output Mode 2 19 Digital Output Level 2 19 Digital Emphasis 2 20 Analog Out Emphasis 2 20 Analog Output Level 2 20 HD Output Screen 2 21 Left Right Swap 2 21 Digital Phase 2 21 Digital Level 2 22 System 2 23 I O Settings Follow Presets 2 23 Input Output Settings Change With Preset Takes 2 23 Network 2 24 Front Panel IP Address FP 2 25 Hardware IP Address HW 2 25 Subnet Mask 2 25 ...

Page 33: ...source digital gain left right balance to correct for left right level discrepancies phase rotator high pass filter automatic failover analog to digital OR digital to analog in the event of audio loss and activation of the insert loop Input Source To change the input source tap the control You will see a green ring indicat ing the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob ...

Page 34: ...he left right balance tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to favor gain to the left or the right channel The balance will change in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired level push in the knob to confirm the new value Phase Rotator The phase rotator helps correct asymmetrical audio of...

Page 35: ...etween the external AGC and the internal AGC in the main processor Defeating the AGC in the main processor was not always an option The correct solution is to provide an insert point in the main processor s audio path to accommodate the ratings encoder This way not only do we have one AGC that controls the input level to the processor AND the ratings encoder we can now place the ratings encoder to...

Page 36: ...you move the knob Once you have reached the desired level push in the knob to confirm the new value LF Density Increases density in the bass frequencies The range is 0 open to 6 ag gressive To change the LF density tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to increase or decrease the gain The processing effect will c...

Page 37: ... processing recovers after correcting audio There are nine positions in this control Eight of the nine are manual controls that is they release based on the user setting slowest slower slow med slow med fast fast faster fastest The center position is AUTOMATIC or AUTO When in this position the release time is program dependent To change the master release tap the control You will see a green ring ...

Page 38: ...ol You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to increase or decrease the gain The level will change in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired level push in the knob to confirm the new value Threshold Master Determines the threshold of the 10 band limiter The range is 6dB to 6dB with the center position bein...

Page 39: ...ct the type of release The processing effect will change in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired setting push in the knob to confirm the new value Clip Drive Governs how much drive there is to the final peak clipper This control can make extreme changes to the audio so care should be given as to how hard you drive this control Sometimes a little can go a long way To cha...

Page 40: ...e Exciter where the exciter performs the stereo generator function Pre emphasis should be applied AS WELL AS de emphasis to the AES signal This act will apply the proper peak control when pre emphasis is re applied later in the exciter If you set the X1 s pre emphasis to FLAT and apply pre emphasis at the exciter you will be prone to gross overshoot as many exciters do not have overshoot filters t...

Page 41: ...the MB Lim drive tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to increase or decrease the gain The level will change in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired level push in the knob to confirm the new value Threshold Master Determines the threshold of the 10 band limiter The range is 6dB to 6dB...

Page 42: ...e in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired setting push in the knob to confirm the new value Release Master Governs how quickly the 10 band limiter recovers after correcting audio There are nine positions in this control Eight of the nine are manual controls that is they release based on the user setting slowest slower slow med slow med fast fast faster fastest The cente...

Page 43: ... ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to increase or decrease the gain The level will change in real time as you move the knob The range is 6dB to 6dB Once you have reached the desired level push in the knob to confirm the new value Limiter Threshold Determines the threshold of the lookahead limiter The range is 6dB to 6dB To change the limiter thr...

Page 44: ... be changed Use the front panel knob to select the type of release The processing effect will change in real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired setting push in the knob to confirm the new value Delayed Release Governs how quickly the lookahead secondary gain control recovers after correcting audio The timing range is 100mS to 1000mS The secondary delayed release control cr...

Page 45: ...real time as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired setting push in the knob to confirm the new value Multipath Limiter In order to make stereo enhancement play nice with the majority of stereo receiversinreal worldlisteningenvironmentswithalltypesofprogrammaterial it is preferable to have some sort of controlling mechanism in place to man age the amount of L R energy present in the t...

Page 46: ...me as you move the knob Once you have reached the desired setting push in the knob to confirm the new value ITU BS 412 Controller The Wheatstone BS 412 MPX Power Controller has a range from 3dB to 6dB in 0 1dB steps TURNING ON THE BS 412 MPX POWER CONTROLLER IMPORTANT The MPX Power Controller s sole purpose is to reduce loudness and program density If you are not required to use the BS 412 Control...

Page 47: ... Injection The pilot injection control adjusts the 19kHz stereo pilot amplitude and is adjustable from 0 Off to cause the station transmit in Mono to 20 of the main composite signal amplitude in 0 1 steps Normal operation of this control should be at 9 When adjusting you should have a modulation monitor set up with the ability to read the pilot injec tion level to ensure this control is properly a...

Page 48: ...Pilot SCA 1 and 2 Level TheSCA1 2LEVELcontrolsgoverntheSCAinjectionamount from 3rd party subcarrier generators such as an RDS generator as a percentage of the main composite signal amplitude Normal operation of this control depends on a number of factors You should set this control to 12 00dB to start Have a modulation monitor capable of measuring the subcarrier you are adjusting ready to go with ...

Page 49: ...nly be used with an exciter that is capable of ingesting the baseband192 signal composite AES If you are unsure if your exciter can accept this signal please contact the manufacturer of your exciter for more details Digital Output Level Changes the FM AES output level If you are feeding an exciter or STL with this output you should have a modulation monitor set up to ensure this control is properl...

Page 50: ...r HD output The options are HD FM after the diver sity delay and FLAT FM before the diversity delay and FLAT FM after the diversity delay and DE EMPHASIZED or FM before the diversity delay and DE EMPHASIZED it should be noted that PD means PRE DELAY and D means DELAY To adjust tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Turn the knob to select...

Page 51: ...s on the HD output tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed The options are YES swap the left and right chan nels or NO do nothing Once the correct option has been selected push the knob in to confirm Digital Phase If needed the digital phase option matches the phase between the FM and HD audio signals To change the polarity tap the control...

Page 52: ...r care should be taken to monitor levels on the input of the STL or exciter To adjust tap the control You will see a green ring indicating the control is active and ready to be changed Use the front panel knob to select amount You should see the modulation increase or decrease on your monitor Once the correct mode has been selected push the knob in to confirm ...

Page 53: ...dwiththosefunc tions The following are considered to be X1 SYSTEM or global parameters which are saved with presets but not restored when presets are taken unless one of the Input Output Settings Change With Preset Takes options is chosen These options are changed if the INPUT or BOTH I O option is selected Audio Source Analog or AES Analog Gain Analog AES Gain Digital Balance common to both Analo...

Page 54: ... is essentially a GUI interface that connects to the hardware your X1 requires two IP addresses to live on your network and function properly Failure to properly assign an IP address will result in the inability to connect via the front panel or Windows based GUI to adjust sound It will also inter rupt WheatNet IP audio I O If you are using analog or AES input and output signals the processor will...

Page 55: ... this address should ALWAYS be configured to be one number higher than the IP address that you ll assign to the X1 s Hardware ad dress but on the majority of networks should never end in 0 or 255 Hardware IP Address HW This is the address of the X1 s DSP array and is the address that remote GUIs run ning on host computers will use to connect to and control X1 over your network Subnet Mask The subn...

Page 56: ...e same network and corrects for drift The error rate is better than 3 samples most systems are within 1 sample If you need to make adjustments from the front panel there are three controls for the diversity delay Seconds Milliseconds and a fine tune knob to align the FM and HD audio transmissions via samples Tap on parameter you want to adjust You will see a green ring indicating the control is ac...

Page 57: ...factory Wheatstone cannot reset your passwords without the code Versions Tapping the blue VERSIONS button brings up the information about the current softwarerunningontheprocessor Thismay be useful when contact support to discuss issues Also included here is the option to change the source feeding the front panel headphone The options are ACTIVE IN PUT ANALOGINPUT DIGITALINPUT HD OUTPUT FM PRE DEL...

Page 58: ...meric keyboard On the lower right select SAVE SETTINGS AS PRESET The keyboard will illuminate and you can enter the name of your preset 64 characters maximum Once you have assigned a name click SAVE SETTINGS AS PRESET again The preset will be saved in the next empty slot The X1 comes with 160 preset slots available Approximately 20 are used for factory presets this number will change depending on ...

Page 59: ...iter Metering 3 9 Final Limiting Meters 3 9 Output Metering 3 10 GUI Adjustment Controls 3 10 Input Setup Menu 3 10 Source Selection and Automatic Failover 3 11 Input Gain Balance and Input Loop 3 11 Analog Input Gain 3 11 Digital Input Gain 3 11 L R Balance 3 12 Enable Insert Loop 3 12 Codec Masking 3 13 High Pass Filter 3 14 Miscellaneous 3 14 Phase Rotator 3 14 Input Settings Follow Preset Take...

Page 60: ... 27 Multiband Knee Basic Control 3 27 L R Linked Basic Control 3 27 Bass Style Basic Control 3 28 Master Attack Expert Control 3 28 Master Limiter Release Expert Control 3 28 Wideband Delayed Release Expert Control 3 28 Master Threshold Expert Control 3 28 Wideband Threshold Expert Control 3 29 Filter Frequency Expert Control 3 29 Filter Style Expert Control 3 29 Bass Clip Threshold Expert Control...

Page 61: ...2 Action BS 412 MPX Power Control 3 39 SCA 1 and SCA 2 Inputs Subcarrier Inputs 3 39 Output Tab 3 40 TX1 and TX2 Outputs Analog MPX 3 40 TX2 Mode Analog MPX 3 40 Source Analog L R 3 41 Level Analog L R 3 41 Pre Delay Analog L R 3 41 De Emphasis Analog L R 3 41 Level FM Digital 3 41 Type FM Digital 3 41 Pre Delay FM Digital 3 42 De Emphasis FM Digital 3 42 Level HD Digital 3 43 Phase Reverse HD Dig...

Page 62: ...3 52 Locking Presets 3 52 How To View Preset Differences 3 53 Hardware 3 53 Analysis 3 53 Analysis Source 3 53 FM HD Analysis Options Type 3 54 FFT 3 54 3 D Plot 3 55 BS 1770 Loudness 3 55 O Scope 3 56 E vs F 3 56 SDR 3 57 Stereo 3 57 A Clip 3 58 MPX Analysis Options 3 58 Devices 3 59 X1 Hardware Update 3 59 X1 Sub Menus 3 62 View 3 62 Hardware 3 62 Presets 3 63 ...

Page 63: ...t path is C Program Files Wheatstone AirauraX1 After installation the GUI can be started by clicking on the X1 Pro item in the Windows Start menu The GUI is designed to run on all PC running Windows XP Vista 8 or 10 The GUI may not be compatible with tablet based Windows operating systems At this time the GUI is not supported on Apple based platforms however it has been known to work on some versi...

Page 64: ...vices text will show the name of the X1 that it is currently communicating with in this example the X1 has been named WBZX The status bar will also display the name of the preset that the X1 you re connected to is currently running When the Preset name is showing as green text it means that a factory or user preset is running and that no changes have been made to it If the Preset name is showing i...

Page 65: ... with your network administrator to determine what static IP addresses may be open and safe to use for AirAura Sometimes the local network warrants the Subnet and Gateway values to be vastly different but our suggested starting values for the Subnet and for the Gateway usually suffice for all but the most complex situations AirAura Network Protocols and Ports Used The X1 uses both TCP and UDP prot...

Page 66: ...on the front panel of the X1 The GUI is divided into two parts The top half shows metering and the bottom half contains the adjustment controls Metering This section of the manual will first dive into the metering displays then show the various controls that govern the sound of the audio processor Input Meters The input meters show the level of the active audio source Analog WheatNet IP or AES The...

Page 67: ...hich is found in more traditional processors Generally the 10 band limiter catches only peak over shoots from the five band AGC Compressor by a few dB Under normal operation the gain reduction meters of each band should RARELY indicate more than 3dB of gain reduction In some presets that are not aggressive it is quite possible not to see ANY gain reduction at times The default display is for the F...

Page 68: ... Between the metering and the GUI controls lie a row of seven buttons These buttons open the menus to the various stages of processing for you to adjust They also provide a sort of signal flow chart for the processor The menu options are Input Setup Equalizer AGC HD Limiter FM Limiter MPX Output and System This section of the manual will explore the different menus in order a explain the controls ...

Page 69: ...f 30 seconds must elapse before the unit switches to the digital input The audio failure sense threshold is fixed at 24dBu and this combination with the 30 seconds timeout is suitable for virtually all program types NOTE While the audio failover is available between the analog input and one of the digital input options AES EBU or WheatNet IP audio failover is NOT available between digital modes Fo...

Page 70: ...ng the insert loop allows the user to have the X1 s iAGC and five band processing appear before any ratings encoder so that the encoder is fed a consistent level Prior to this option many users resorted to external AGC s to feed the ratings encoder prior to the main processor Adding an additional gain control device to the airchain had the tendency to cause audible fighting between the external AG...

Page 71: ...ut options that can follow preset takes see Chapter 2 page 2 23 Codec Masking This feature can help the overall sound of the radio station when lossy audio in stereo is being presented as the source on a consistent basis either thru compressed audio files or if the programming is via satellite or some other non linear transmission mode While this is not a cure all it can help to make the transitio...

Page 72: ... in the STL or FM exciter The control range is 20Hz to 300Hz To adjust the value left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the frequency You can also double click on the cur rent value and type in the new value Miscellaneous ThefinaltwooptionsintheINPUTmenu arethePhaseRotatorandtheoptionforinput settings to follow preset takes Phase Rotator Human voice is usually asymm...

Page 73: ...n be found in the MPX Output menu and a list of controls that can be changed when that option is selected can be found on page 2 23 Chapter 2 EQUALIZER MENU The four band equalizer has four independent bands Band 1 and 4 are shelving filters while Bands 2 3 are fully parametric The two parametric bands can be adjusted in the following way Center Frequency 20 Hz to 20 kHz Bandwidth 0 2 to 3 0 octav...

Page 74: ...derneath see red arrow in the example below and holding the left mouse button down while sliding the mouse left or right allows changes the bandwidth or Q of the equalizer section 3 The third method is by direct value entry By double clicking on the value boxes underneath each slider a dialog opens up which allows keyboard entry of the operating values for each equalizer section Once the value has...

Page 75: ... need anything more than the controls in the BASIC category The EXPERT controls are for more subtle adjustments that should only be touched in unique situations where a specific sonic texture is desired It should be noted that the output of the iAGC Compressor section directly feeds the multiband limiters of both the HD and FM audio paths This is the last section of the processing that is shared b...

Page 76: ... double click on the current value and type in the new value Attack Speed Changes the attack speed when the audio falls outside the iAGC window Faster values mean a quicker change in amplitude The control range is 2 to 7 seconds To adjust the value left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the speed You can also double click on the current value and type in the new val...

Page 77: ...nd AGC compressor section They include the drive to the five band section the coupling band reference control and the gate mode for the five band AGC To the right of the master controls are the options to enable or disable some or all of the iAGC and five band AGC Compressor Multiband Master Drive The Multiband Master Drive control adjusts the amount of signal at the input to the iAGC and Leveler ...

Page 78: ...eler Gate Threshold again The Hold mode prevents the Leveler from increasing its gain in the absence of audio which mini mizes the increase of background noise To change gate mode left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to switch between the two modes Left click again to confirm the change Bypass Options ThefinalcontrolsunderthistabarecheckboxestoenabletheiAGC fivebandCompres sor and five b...

Page 79: ...der and more competitive The range of the control is 0 6dB in 0 5dB increments Recommended settings for most formats are 3dB for bands 1 and 2 2 for Band 3 and 0 or 1 for Bands 4 and 5 To adjust the value left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the density You can also double click on the current value and type in the new value Band Mix Basic Control The Band Mix all...

Page 80: ...ne does not recommend running the Master Release control below 1000mS in any band unless you are specifically looking for a certain signature To adjust the value left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the speed You can also double click on the current value and type in the new value Band Threshold Expert Control The Band Threshold control determines at what level pr...

Page 81: ...9dB for added bass Normally the EQ and iAGC settings in the preset dictate how much band coupling should be allowed thus Wheatstone recommends not changing this setting If however you find you NEED to adjust the band coupling left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value You can also double click on the current value and type in the new value Compressor Attack Ex...

Page 82: ... 4 49kHz 7 55kHz As with the other controls in the expert group the crossover frequencies have been carefully set based on a number of factors If you find you need to change the crossover frequencies left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value If you make an incorrect entry the control will round to the next available value Effects Tab The effects tab includes ...

Page 83: ...ereo perception making increases to just Band 3 and 4 will get you there without having to raise the entire L R signal This approach has a benefit in that it gives the same type of stereo enhancement that you ll find in other processors yet it also minimizes receivers reactions to multipath interference To change the mix value left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease ...

Page 84: ...kahead limiter away from the factory preset Care should be heeded when adjusting these parameters as mis adjustment can cause overshoot The EXPERT BASS TOOLS TUNING controls fine tune the frequency and texture of the bass enhancement Again careful tuning is paramount for the best results Multiband Drive Basic Control Drives the level into the 10 band limiter It s important to remember that the X1 ...

Page 85: ... thresholds set in the controls in the lower region of the limiter page are absolute limiting will begin at the control settings When in SOFT gain reduction beginning to take place 3dB below a band s ac tual threshold setting with limiting gradually getting harder as it reaches threshold In the soft mode limiting is more obvious but the audio can also be smoother especially on voice In the hard mo...

Page 86: ...eed for all 10 limiter bands The normal setting for this control in all presets is AUTO which means the release speed is program dependent Offset from auto are four settings that tell the release speed to work faster or slower while still factoring in program content To change the master release speed left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value Wideband Delayed...

Page 87: ...ssound Somebass harmonics are let out into the main mix frequencies above where the Bass Tools frequency control is set and the broad filter has a texture that is reminiscent of bass enhancers in older digital boxes with the control of a modern limiter clipper design The MEDIUM filter shape is what previous versions ofAirAura bass manage ment used and is also found in the VBMS bass enhancement sys...

Page 88: ... the adjustors that make the most impact on the sound in an easy to access location Most people will not need anything more than the controls in the BASIC category Bass enhancement and setting the 10 band limiter parameters are located in the BASIC control group The EXPERT LIMITER TUNING controls are for more subtle adjustments that should only be changed in unique situations where a specific soni...

Page 89: ...k on the value and type in a new value between 6dB and 6dB Bass Enhance Basic Control Governs the amount of enhancement driven into the separate specialized bass processor limiter The control range is 6dB to 12dB in 0 5dB steps with most presets settling on a value between 3dB to 3dB To change the bass enhance drive left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value Y...

Page 90: ...ed Bass Style Basic Control Similar to the 10 band limiter the bass processor is also a limiter It can be a hard knee limiter for tighter bass control or a soft knee limiter which allows the bass a fuller and warmer sound A third option is to turn off the bass processor which is one of the three options available OFF Soft Hard To change the bass style or switch the bass enhancer off left click on ...

Page 91: ...ss harmonics are let out into the main mix frequencies above where the Bass Tools frequency control is set and the broad filter has a texture that is reminiscent of bass enhancers in older digital boxes with the control of a modern limiter clipper design The MEDIUM filter shape is what previous versions of AirAura bass management used and is also found in the VBMS bass enhancement systems found in...

Page 92: ...nhancing limiter Higher percentage values create more harmonics Lower numbers produce a smoother sounding bass This control should be set by ear To change the control left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value You can also double click on the shown value and type in a new setting The range is 0dB to 12dB ...

Page 93: ...switch In the Mono mode the stereo pilot is turned off To change this setting left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to choose Left click again to confirm your choice MPX Processing Processing The MPXProcessingcontrolsetstheinputdriveleveltoeitherthe composite clipper or lookahead limiter as selected We recommend that the Composite Clipper Drive be kept under 2 0dB for best MPX spectrum cl...

Page 94: ...ltipath We said exacerbate because a high level of L R does not cause multipath Rather the behavior of a stereo receiver as it blends between stereo and mono becomes much more obvious when there is a large amount of L R in the decoded audio because of the acoustical summation of L R and L R energy in the listening environment When the L R signal goes away during a receiver blend the perceived audi...

Page 95: ...increase or decrease the value Pilot Level Processing ThePilotLevelcontroladjuststhelevelofthe19kHzstereopilotandisadjust able from 0 Off to 20 of the main composite signal amplitude in 0 1 steps To change the control left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value BS 412 Processing BS 412 MPX Power Control Turns on or off the BS 412 Power Controller The BS 412 MPX...

Page 96: ...fect total MPX power are allowed which can create a less restrictive sound This is done dynamically by modifying the threshold of the distortion controller in the X1 s left right clipper and filter stage To change this setting left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to switch between NORMAL and PEAKY Left click again to confirm your choice BS 412 Speed BS 412 MPX Power Control Adjusts the s...

Page 97: ...l range is 6dB to 0dB To change the control left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or decrease the value SCA 1 and SCA 2 Inputs Subcarrier Inputs Inputs applied to the SCAconnectors are high pass filtered to reduce hum and then low pass filtered at 94kHz before being digitized at 192kHz The SCA1 Gain and SCA2 Gain controls set the SCAinjection levels and can be set to OFF or to...

Page 98: ...s govern the output level and options that appear on the corresponding AES XLR jack on the rear of the X1 TX1 and TX2 Outputs Analog MPX Sets the peak output amplitude of the MPX 1 and MPX 2 output on the rear panel BNC connectors respectively These controls are used to set total modulation in the presence of audio and can be set to levels between 24dB and 6 00dB and in 0 05dB steps Below 24dB the...

Page 99: ... the knob and use the mouse wheel to switch between YES audio is pulled before the delay and NO audio will have diversity delay IF diversity delay is applied Left click again to confirm your choice De Emphasis Analog L R If FM is selected as the analog L R output this option de emphasizes the analog L R output jacks The de emphasis applied here follows the curve of the pre emphasis selected on the...

Page 100: ...rAESoverMPX Baseband192 butyourequire or desire to use a traditional AES interface make sure your exciter and the X1 have compatible settings Mismatching the settings between the exciter and the processor can cause unwanted results You should consult the user manual for your exciter or contact the manufacturer for information on configuring your exciter for the correct mode To change this setting ...

Page 101: ...arity of the HD Radio AES EBU output signal is reversed by 180 degrees to compensate for phase errors between the FM and HD audio paths To change this setting left click on the knob and use the mouse wheel to switch between YES phase is reversed 180 degrees and NO phase is normal L R Swap HD Digital The L R Reverse checkbox allows the left and right channels of the HD output to be swapped left bec...

Page 102: ...path Even though you can adjust the three vir tual knobs in this section there is a quicker and easier method to setting the delay especially if you are using a third party device to calculatethetimedifferencebetweenyouranalog and digital audio signal MOST third party devices will tell you in samples how far off the two signals are When your third party device has calculated the differ ence you ca...

Page 103: ...gnals from 50Hz to 80kHz at modulation levels from 0 to 100 The oscillator is On when the Tone Enable option is set to YES To switch the Test Oscillator on left click on the Tone En able knob and use the mouse wheel to switch between YES Test Oscillator is On and NO Test Oscillator is Off To change the Test Oscillator level left click on the Tone Level knob and use the mouse wheel to increase or d...

Page 104: ...els and without giving the transmission authority access to the processing controls There is no default password in the X1 If you are setting this up for the first time you can skip the PASSWORD part and just enter the NEW PASSWORD and VERIFY the new password Other options in this menu include the ability for the PC to remember the password for the processor to hide the password as you type it wit...

Page 105: ...can choose to leave the box open or set new passwords The password clear message and the password clear keypad Setting up the passwords via the GUI now allows you to lock the front screen to prevent access You can either have someone manually lock the screen or do nothing and within 15 minutes the front panel will automatically lock For more information on setting the password from the front scree...

Page 106: ...uired such as might be necessary for a special holiday or other event the Long Term Rotation routine should be used Creating a Long Term Rotation Schedule Adding aneweventintheLongTerm Rotation scheduler works in a similar manner The Long Term Rotation entry window is shown here on the right Deleting a Scheduled Event Deleting a scheduled preset change is as simple as adding one Open the Event Sch...

Page 107: ... a feature is active or no alarm is pending Analog The analog mode is active when the active text appears next to the mode A red dot indicates no audio is present at the input of that mode A green dot indicates audio is present Digital The digital mode is active when the active text appears next to the mode A red dot indicates no audio is present at the input of that mode A green dot indicates aud...

Page 108: ...for metering When the Metering Data over TCP IP box is checked the TCP protocol is used for transmitting metering data instead of UDP Headphone Source The headphone source option allows you to listen to your audio at various stages of processing Not only is it helpful in that it allows you to hear the audio as it goes through the various processes it also allows you to troubleshoot potential issue...

Page 109: ...reen is a vertically disposed row of buttons to manage save backup and copy presets The three buttons are List Shows the list of presets on the hardware Double clicking on any of the presets will take that preset Save Opens the save dialogue box that allows you to name a new preset and pick the preset slot you would like to save the preset to Library Opens the preset manager The preset manager all...

Page 110: ...PC and vice versa Note that when preset are moved this way it is copies of presets not the presets themselves which are moved The original preset always stays where it was stored last Locking Presets Presets stored on the X1 may be locked by the user to prevent inadvertent overwriting renaming or deletion This is accomplished by opening the Preset Library by clicking on the Library button in the G...

Page 111: ...d by Excel programs Hardware The two hardware buttons are ANALYSIS and DEVICES Analysis shows the extra metering options for monitoring the left right domain signal as well as the MPX signal Devices lets you configure the GUI to talk to a specific X1 over your network or public internet Analysis The X1 is equipped with extensive processing analysis features that give a more detailed look at what t...

Page 112: ... waveforms at the output of the FM or HD processing chains E vs F Displays the measured RMS Loudness SDR Spectral Dynamic Range This display shows the amount of dynamic range within 31 ISO frequency bands after processing Stereo Displays a meter which shows the L R L R ratio from 0 to 1 0 A Clip This is AirAura s final FM clipper activity display that shows where in the audio spectrum distortion p...

Page 113: ...y displays how levels within different parts of the audio spectrum have been changing over time The floor of the display is purple and represents levels below 48dBFS As the levels become higher the colors morph towards red the maximum displayed level The higher the signal is in the plot the larger the signal amplitude at the frequency of the peak BS 1770 Loudness The loudness meter shows the short...

Page 114: ...ahead limiter will appear less aggressive than the FM audio E vs F This display represents the RMS Loudness generated in each band of the FM or HD Limiter as well as the peak value The E vs F display has a submenu shown right that allows customization of the RMS IntegrationTime the display Release Rate and whether or not peak levels are to be displayed The factory default IntegrationTime is 300mS ...

Page 115: ...is the average level over the last sample period Therefore the taller the blue bar is the more dynamic range there is within an analysis band s frequency range Conversely the shorter the bar s length the denser the audio is and the louder it is within that frequency range Stereo This meter shows the ratio of L R L R sum to difference The further to the right the more stereo separation is being tra...

Page 116: ...nagement is working The ghosts that appear show where in the audio spectrum the distortion management is MPX internal external Analysis Options FFT MPX Displays the spectral output of the baseband of theAirAura including L R Pilot L R Upper and Lower sidebands and subcarriers This analysis shows the baseband spectrum of the AirAura audio processor s composite output It is color coded as follows Gr...

Page 117: ... in updating the X1 They are The VBN file VBN stands for Virtual Binary Nugget This file contains main board application code FPGA images and DSP code The LBN file LBN stands for Linux Binary Nugget This file contains the front panel GUI application code Guru GUI operating parameters and skin files for the front panel graphics display VBN and LBN file updates may be performed separately or they ma...

Page 118: ...I version was just installed the VBN that was unpacked during its installation Verify that the version number is correct in that it matches the version number listed in the documentation about the firmware upgrade If so select the Open option in the Choose a file to download window The prompt shown at right will appear with wording of the text varying according to versions to be uploaded Recheck t...

Page 119: ...m ware upgrade The file has a lbn extension Please make certain this is the case before proceeding When ready to begin the update process clicktheStartbutton atthebottom It is important to NOT interrupt the upgrade process by any means while it is in progress VBN LBN UPDATING SEQUENCE The VBN and LBN updates while separate update processes may be completed in any order and or at the same time befo...

Page 120: ...ware The Hardware menu duplicates some of the options found elsewhere in the X1 and are shown here as a shortcut Devices Opens up the application to config ure a the GUI to talk to a specific X1 based on its hardware address For information about this please see page 3 6 Ifconfiguredproperly clickingON LINEMODE will allow the GUI to connect to the target hardware Event Scheduler duplicates the Pre...

Page 121: ...P R O G U I Presets The Presets menu duplicates the corresponding buttons in the Preset section of the SYSTEM menu Take Brings up the Take Preset dialog box Save Brings up the Save as Presets dialog box Library Brings up the Preset Library dialog box ...

Page 122: ...udio Processing Terms A 14 Background A 14 Audio Terms and Wheatstone Processing A 15 Thump Rumble Bottom A 15 Punch Boom Tubby Warm A 16 Mud A 16 Honk A 16 Whack A 16 Fuzzy Tinny A 17 Crunchy Edgy A 17 Sibilance A 18 Treble Bright Open A 18 Finally A 18 WheatNet IP Configuration A 20 Adding the X1 to The WheatNet IP System A 21 Appendices Appendix B Appendix A Appendix D Appendix C ...

Page 123: ...page A 2 AirAura X1 Dec 2016 A P P E N D I C E S Contents Appendix A General Specifications A 3 ...

Page 124: ...safe Type Automatic Analog Fail Cause Audio level below 24dBu fixed Response Time 30 seconds fixed Digital Fail Cause 1 Audio level below 48dBFS fixed Response Time 30 seconds fixed Digital Fail Cause 2 Corrupted or invalid AES data Response Time Immediate fixed Failsafe Direction Digital to Analog Analog to Digital no Digital to Digital Audio Level Balance Type Common to both Analog and Digital I...

Page 125: ...ps AGC Compressor Thresholds 50dBFS to 70dBFS AGC Attack 50mS to 3000ms AGC Release 1000mS to 7000mS AGC Band Coupling 0dB to 6 0dB per band to key band Compressor Attack 10mS to 1000mS Compressor Release 50mS to 3000mS 3Sec Compression Ratio 2 1 to 20 1 L R Mixer Boost Cut 6dB L R Mixer Boost Cut 6dB Gating Mode Slow Release Hold Gate Threshold Range 20 0dB to 79 5dB plus OFF iAGC Attack Release ...

Page 126: ... Limiter 10 Band Limiter Drive 80 100 Clipper Drive 6 0dB to 6 0dB Bass Enhance 6 0dB to 12 0dB 10 Band Limiter Knee Shape Soft Hard Final Limiter L R Linking On Off Pre Emphasis Flat 50µS 75µS Bass Style Off Soft Hard 10 Band Limiter Attack Release Time Automatic 10 Band Limiter Master Threshold Automatic Bass Tools Filter Frequency 40Hz to 400Hz Bass Tools Filter Style Broad Medium Tight Bass Cl...

Page 127: ...Speed Calibration Action System Headroom Level 20dB Nominal Operating Level 20dBFS digital FM Path Processing Latency 17mS maximum all features engaged HD Path Processing Latency 13mS maximum all features engaged Total Harmonic Distortion 0 1 20Hz 20kHz Intermodulation Distortion 0 1 SMTPE Signal to Noise Ratio 80dB Signal Chain Internal Dynamic Range 144dB Stereo Separation 50dB FM 100dB HD Cross...

Page 128: ...ns Additionally a separate long form scheduling table permits the establishment of one off preset changes for any future time and date General Purpose Input GPI Eight optically isolated inputs are assigned to the first eight numbered preset slots Presets may be recalled by providing the appropriate voltage to the associated GPI port to create a Logic High and may be either momentary or latching as...

Page 129: ...page A 8 AirAura X1 Dec 2016 A P P E N D I C E S Contents Appendix B X1 s GPIO Interface A 9 GPI General Purpose Input A 9 GPO General Purpose Output A 11 ...

Page 130: ...Pin 5 Common Return Pin 1 The GPI input circuits are optoisolated by devices having exceptional input output isolation These inputs are designed to work very well in high RF environments and should not cause ground loop issues when connected to external equipment Each of the GPI inputs is current limited by a 475 ohm internal resistance The LED device inside the optoisolators is rated at a maximum...

Page 131: ...ecommended to be applied to the GPI interface Applied Voltage to GPI External Resistance 3 3 Volts None 5 0 Volts 330 Ohms 6 0 Volts 470 Ohms 7 5 Volts 820 Ohms 10 Volts 1 3 kOhms 12 Volts 1 8 kOhms 15 Volts 2 4 kOhms 24 Volts 3 9 kOhms 30 Volts 5 1 kOhms 48 Volts 9 1 kOhms Example Schematic of General Purpose Inputs ...

Page 132: ...tor s AC rating the polarity of external circuit polarity is unimportant and therefore the GPO pins are simply defined as Source and Return The MAXIMUM permissible load current is 100 milliamps 0 10Amperes The four GPO ports on AirAura X3 are hard coded in software to provide the following status outputs GPO Number Usage Source Pin Return Pin One Analog Audio Fail 2 6 Two Digital Audio Fail 3 7 Th...

Page 133: ... is de energized Unsuppressed such kickback voltages can harm the X1 external circuitry or both In the top circuit the relay is activated if GPO 4 goes true to warn of a General System Failure In the middle circuit the LED illuminates when GPO 3 goes true to warn of a System Temperature above 50C 122F In the bottom circuit the relay is activated by GPO 2 to warn of a DigitalAudio failure No connec...

Page 134: ...terpreting Common Audio Processing Terms A 14 Background A 14 Audio Terms and Wheatstone Processing A 15 Thump Rumble Bottom A 15 Punch Boom Tubby Warm A 16 Mud A 16 Honk A 16 Whack A 16 Fuzzy Tinny A 17 Crunchy Edgy A 17 Sibilance A 18 Treble Bright Open A 18 Finally A 18 ...

Page 135: ...el the audio is muddy while another one still might describe it as warm Which one is right For starters muddy is not usu ally used in a positive sense while warm on the other hand often means the sound has a pleasing low end See the confusion here The terms themselves the ones that we use to describe sound can be confusing enough The real question then becomes what do these terms really mean and w...

Page 136: ...heir own complex bass enhancement features Wheatstone processors are equipped with a very specialized bass system called Bass Tools In general terms Bass Tools gets real bass on the air without it causing the problems commonly associated with bass clippers Using Bass Tools to add more Thump Rumble is quite easy By setting the Bass Tools Style to Soft the algorithm automatically places additional e...

Page 137: ...gy is in the 250Hz to 400Hz range Sometimes it s caused by a misadjusted Equalizer or a proces sor maladjustment that is allowing an AGC or compressor band to add too much gain In most cases it s a good idea to keep from boosting energy in this region In fact additional clarity and detail can be created by a broad equalization cut in the range between 180Hz and 400Hz This surprising little secret ...

Page 138: ...h frequency range is needed placing the pre emphasis BEFORE the multiband limiter can help in this regard While some high frequency transient detail can be lost the end result will be a very smooth and predictable midrange and high end which may be more suitable for formats that primarily target female listeners Speaking of high end and texture Wheatstone provides three different main clipper styl...

Page 139: ...lp tame sibilance without having too negative an effect on stereo separation TREBLE BRIGHT OPEN Treble like its friends Bass and Midrange is a generalized term for the high end in most broadcast and recording systems Bright and Open are oft used descriptive terms of treble styles Unfortunately bright can be a positive or negative term For instance laser bright is usually a negative term used to de...

Page 140: ...page A 19 AirAura X1 Dec 2016 A P P E N D I C E S Contents Appendix D WheatNet IP Configuration A 20 Adding X1 to The WheatNet IP System A 21 ...

Page 141: ...e re enabled with a software key generated by Wheatstone Technical Support If calling to get WNIP turned back on please have the MAC address of the unit handy because that is required in order to gener ate the correct enable code for your hardware Each AirAura has its own unique WNIP enable code so providing us with the correct MAC address is crucial WiththeGUIconfiguredtoconnecttothe X1 device an...

Page 142: ...em 3rd Party Devices tab which will open a new window listing any peripheral devices currently present In the image below the X1 device already exists it s in our lab but we will be adding another one nonetheless Clicking on the Add button opens a dialog where a new X1 may be added to the system Here we will add the new X1 s name itshardwareIPaddress andtellthesystemwhatBLADE will be its host At t...

Page 143: ...ging the routes of both audio and logic signals More information on configuring and using WheatNet IP Navigator and the other features and capabilities of the WheatNet IP system may be found in the WheatNet IP BLADE3 Audio Over IP Network manual Assistance in configuring the X1 for WheatNet IP may be obtained by giving us a call at 252 638 7000 or by emailing techsupport wheatstone com ...

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