Operating Manual - PROTEA 4.8SP and 3.6SP System Processors
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5. INTERCONNECT FEATURES
5.1 Audio Connections
All Protea audio connections use three pin XLR jacks, with pin 2 (+), pin 3 (-), and pin 1(G). Inputs and outputs
are electronically precision balanced. If an unbalanced signal is fed to an input, the signal should be on the (+)
connection (pin 2) and pin 3 must be tied to ground, or significant signal loss will result. In other words, never float pin
2 or pin 3. It is strongly recommended that balanced signals be used whenever possible.
A Note About Input Signal Levels:
There are no analog gain trim adjustments on the Protea SP unit, therefore all the processing (including gain)
is done in the digital domain. As a consequence of this design philosophy, it is important to feed the Protea processor
with the proper nominal signal level to achieve good signal to noise performance as well as headroom before clipping.
This unit is designed to clip at signal levels above +20dBu = 7.75Vrms which places the noise floor lower than -90dBu.
The optimum input signal level which should be fed into the Protea processor is 0dBu = .775Vrms. This input level will
allow 20dB of headroom while giving a nominal signal that is >90dB above the noise floor.
5.2 USB Connection
There are two USB ports on the SP unit, one on the front and one on the back panel. They both
serve the same function, but a front panel USB connection will always override the back panel USB port
if both are being used simultaneously. A six foot USB-A to USB-B cable is provided with every Protea
SP unit to connect to a computer running Ashly Protea NE software.
5.3 RS-232 Data Connections
Several third party controllers use RS-232 for control of other devices which may include the
Protea SP processors. For detailed information regarding the implementation of RS-232 control, contact
the Ashly service department.
Note: Protea NE software will not work with a 4.8SP or 3.6SP processor
using RS-232. The computer connection must use a USB port.
6. PROTEA NE SOFTWARE
Loading the software
Ashly Protea NE software is included on a CD with each unit. Check the Ashly web site at www.ashly.com to
verify that you are installing the latest software release. Autorun will launch the application<ProteaSystemSoftwareNE>
to install the Protea software.
Connect the SP processor
The control connection is made using a standard USB-A to USB-B cable, provided by Ashly with each unit.
Identify the processor in software
Once the software is loaded to the computer and the data connection has been made to the 4.8SP or 3.6SP, all
installed NE software compatible Ashly products will be automatically detected and shown in the active device listing
on the left side of the Protea NE software startup canvas.
Note: In the event of multiple processors of the same model on
the network, the user can find a single physical unit by right clicking over the unit’s name in the drop down menu, and
then click <Identify>, which will flash the Com LED on that unit’s face panel for two seconds.
The software scans for active devices on power-up, but the user can manually scan at any time as well with <Scan
For Devices> at the bottom of the network device listing. All Ashly devices continuously broadcast their availability to
the software. All currently connected and active products are highlighted in green, while units which may be or have
