58
show, to take the caller live-to-air. These are also applicable to remote
channels, although for the most part remotes are used to go live-to-air,
but they might also be recorded for later broadcast.
If the caller or remote will not go live-to-air then their PGM 1 button
should be unassigned (this will prevent them going to air if their channel is
accidentally turned on). Their Off Line button should be assigned—and it
should be blinking to indicate that’s the audio being returned to that caller
or remote. Their channel’s Cue button should be lit so the board operator
can hear the caller/remote in the cue speakers and in their headphones.
The caller/remote channel’s Auto FB button should not be lit. The only
other channel that should be assigned to Off Line is the board operator
mic.
The board operator can answer the call and talk to them using their
microphone while hearing them in the cue system. If the call or remote is
being recorded we recommend using headphones to listen to the caller
and turning the cue speakers down. Otherwise the board operator mic
record channel may also pick up the caller’s audio.
When the caller or remote will go live-to-air, their PGM 1, Auto FB,
Cue, and Off Line buttons should all be assigned. With their channel off
the Off Line button should be blinking to indicate the caller/remote channel
is hearing the Off Line bus (minus their own audio). The only other
channel that should be assigned to Off Line is the board operator mic. This
allows the board operator to talk with the caller or remote to get them
ready to go live-to-air.
When the caller/remote channel is turned on, the PGM 1 assignment
button blinks indicating the caller/remote can now hear everything going
to air (minus their own audio). If the board operator needs to talk to the
caller or remote they can momentarily press the TB button on the
caller/remote channel to give them cues (like a break is coming up). Since
this interrupts their return audio using TB when live should be used
sparingly.
RAZOR I/O INTERFACE
Razor I/O Interfaces are 1RU rack mount devices installed in the studio
and/or TOC (Technical Operations Center) to connect peripheral equipment
with the EMX console or PRE-IP network. Each Razor has eight stereo
inputs and eight stereo outputs. A Razor is often used to connect satellite
receivers, tuners, phone hybrids, codecs, internet streamers, air chain
processor, and recorders. Their input signals often appear as sources on
EMX fader channels while their outputs may be connected to a console
PGM bus or to a channel bus-minus signal. If you are checking the levels,
engineering should have supplied a list of the input signals and output
signals on each Razor so you can confirm that signals are present, since
that is the biggest use for the Razor front panel display.
The Razor’s front panel has the same OLED display and large knob
selector as used on the EMX fader channels. Rotating the encoder displays
four screens: Inputs; Outputs; and two screens displaying the technical
details (name, ID#, IP address, sample rate, MAC address, software
revision, and hardware revision) for that Razor. Rotating the encoder steps
through the four different screens shown in Figure 4-20.
The main screens of interest for a board operators are the Inputs and
Outputs screens. Each shows the signal levels for all eight stereo channels.
Unlike the EMX console meters these displays only show average levels
using bar graphs, mainly to confirm that a signal is present on a particular
input or output.
The Inputs display in Figure 4-20 shows normal signal levels where all of
the green and some yellow segments are lit up. The output display shows
a test tone, set for the maximum signal level, showing all segments being
lit on all eight stereo outputs. In practice, both input and output levels
would be closer to the levels shown in the Inputs display.
Figure 4-20 Razor Front Panel Displays
