8 Channel Intelligent Loudness Monitor Model 2542 iLM8 - Live User Manual
Welcome Thanks for purchasing the DaySequerra iLM8 - Live. Differences in audio levels between TV programs, or between programs and commercials, are a constant annoyance to viewers. iLM8 - Live permits broadcasters to verify compliance of their desired loudness level across all audio programming and minimize viewer complaints.
Table of Contents Important Safety Information 4 Menu Function & Descriptions 17 Service Information Technical Specifications Introduction Measuring Loudness Using iLM8 - Live to Control Loudness Installation Menu Tree Front Panel Rear Panel Meter Display Programming Menu 4 Home Screens Faults Firmware Update iLM8 - Live Remote Dashboard Remote Dashboard Configuration Using Remote Dashboard Log Files Log File Import Example Maintaining an Accurate Clock Remote Dashboard Troubleshooting Warranty Inform
Important Safety Information • • • • • • • • • Indoor use only. Not for use in wet or damp environments. Maximum Relative Humidity: <80% Class I Equipment (grounded type) Electrical rating: 100-120/220-240V~50-60Hz 25W max AC Mains supply voltage fluctuations are not to exceed +10% of the nominal voltage Operations temperature range -40°C to 70°C Maximum altitude: 3000m (9843ft) Equipment suitable for continuous operation Weight: 3.6kg (8lbs) equipment only; 6.1kg (13.
Technical Specifications Latency of the Eclipse Algorithm: Power Consumption: Dimensions: Sample Rate: Loudness Algorithms: Headphone Monitor: Dynamic Range: GPIO: Environmental: Regulatory: <4ms at 48k sampling rate 25W Maximum Rack Mount; 1 RU (1.75” x 19” x 10.75”) 32kHz – 96kHz, 24-bit ITU-R BS.1770/3 Eclipse Loudness Measure 3.
Environmental Preservation Efforts This equipment has been designed and built by DaySequerra corporation to give many years of trouble free service and is backed by our three year warranty and commitment of providing the best customer support. When the time comes to retire your product from service, it should be disposed of in accordance with local codes or ordinances. Do not discard with household or commercial waste.
Measuring Loudness Human perception of the sensation of an audio signal is properly called “loudness”. As early as 1933, research by Fletcher and Munson showed that human hearing sensitivity is largely based upon the frequency of the sound, as well as the sound pressure level (SPL). As humans do not hear sound using standard measures of intensity, measuring loudness based upon SPL or the root mean square (RMS) voltage of the electrical signal will not agree with human perception.
Weighting Curves To achieve a more accurate loudness measurement, the method should include critical bands in the measurement. Critical bands describe auditory filters within the human cochlea. (J. Allen, 2010). To illustrate this, a subject is presented with a single tone of a certain energy level, and more tones are added with equal energy in the critical bands – the total signal energy is kept constant regardless of the number of tones.
Bronwyn Jones and Emil Torick created a revised CBS loudness meter in the early 1980s that consisted of eight filters, each covering three critical bands. This approach did prove to deliver better subjective modeling than traditional SPL or RMS measurements (Jones & Torick, 1982). In 2004, Nielsen and Skovenborg published an AES paper that expanded upon the ideas of critical band loudness measures.
Each Leq(x) revision results in a different level of correlation between the objective measure and the human listener’s assessment of loudness. The lowest mean error score was achieved by the Work Cited: Neural Loudness Measure 1. Fletcher, H. & Munson, W. A. (1933). Loudness, its Definition, Measurement, and Calculation. 2. Allen, J (2010 May 20). Nonlinear Cochlear Signal Processing. 3. Johnston, J. (2006). Loudness Tutorial. 4. Jones, B. L. & Torick, E. L. (1982).
A long term loudness measurement of an entire clip is referred to as an infinite average. To achieve the desired loudness level, this value can be used to update the Dial Norm metadata, thus affecting the audio’s perceived loudness when processed at the point of consumption by way of the set top box or, more recently, digital television receiver.
Installation Immediately upon receiving your iLM8 - Live, please make a careful inspection for any shipping damage. If damage is found or suspected, please notify the carrier at once and then contact your dealer. iLM8 - Live is shipped in one carton, which contains: the iLM8 - Live unit, an AC power cable, and this Users Manual. We strongly encourage you to save the shipping carton and shipping materials supplied with your iLM8 - Live.
Menu Tree Figurre 4. Visual Map of iLM8 - Live Menu System.
Front Panel Controls and Indicators Bargraph Meters INPUT LEVELS - Eight 10-segment multi-colored LED meters display the audio level for each channel of the inbound audio stream. Status Indicators / Mix Monitor OVER TARGET - Red LED indicator illuminates when the short term combined average for the active input displayed on the home screen is over the user-specified target.
Rear Panel AES INPUTS - Four 75Ω BNC connectors will accept an AES3 digital audio stream. • 1/2 - Left and Right Channel • 3/4 - Center and LFE • 5/6 – Left and Right Surround • ST – Left and right STEREO AES OUTPUTS - Four Passive 75Ω BNC connectors output the AES3 digital audio stream. The AES-3id-1995/SMPTE 276M standard dictates a 75Ω unbalanced connection and requires proper termination. The termination should occur at the destination of the signal (that is, on the inputs to iLM8 Live).
GPO has two options to choose from within the I/O menu in System Settings. GPO 1 & 2 can be used for Alarm conditions or to monitor the ‘OVER’ and ‘UNDER’ target levels from the Mix Monitor. Output 1: Relay 1 is Normally Open. Alarm Option: Upon an AES lock loss failure, this relay will close. When the failure is remedied, the relay will open. Mix Monitor Option: High – active for ‘OVER’ target loudness. Output 2: Relay 2 is Normally Open. Alarm Option: Upon a hardware failure (i.e.
Meter Display Figure 1. Metering display iLM8 - Live. INPUT LEVELS – LED display shows current amplitude of input signal from -60dB to 0dB across all active channels. Unused channels will not light the display. The Meters are updated every 20ms.
The main menu display shown on iLM8 - Live when first entering the menu is demonstrated above in Figure 2. To enter the main menu, press the ENTER key from the home screen while the unit is unlocked. From the main menu screen you may use the ROTARY KNOB to navigate to the desired sub-menu and press ENTER to select. Home Screen View The iLM8 - Live enables the user to select from 5 preset and 4 user definable Home Screen views.
• 4.0 Max SL - measures the Max Short Loudness average combined for the L, R, Ls and Rs channels integrated to a selectable amount of time – the default integration time is 10 seconds for A/85 and 3 seconds for R128 and ARIB. The user can adjust this integration time from 1 to 60 seconds • 5.0 Infinite Avg. – measures the infinite average for all of the surround channels. The infinite average calculation will continue until it is reset by the user. • 2.0 Infinite Avg.
Home Screen – Standard View Figure 3. Standard View Home Screen on iLM8 - Live. When you power on iLM8 - Live or select ‘STANDARD’ as the Home Screen view the display should look similar to the one pictured in Figure 3. Pressing the HOME key again while on this screen enters Home Screen selection mode that allows quick access to key functions. 1. The measured Max Short Loudness Average combined is displayed in a large font. 2. Displays the Max Short Loudness Average of the Center Channel in a large font.
Home Screen – Max SL View Figure 3a. Max SL Average View Home Screen on iLM8 - Live. When you select ‘Max SL for Home screen view the display should look similar to the one pictured in Figure 3a. Pressing the HOME key again while on this screen enters Home Screen selection mode that allows quick access to key functions. 1. The measured Max Short Loudness Average combined is displayed in a large font for 5.0 Surround. 2. Displays the Max Short Loudness Average of the Center Channel in a large font 3.
Home Screen – Infinite Average View Figure 3b. Infinite Average View Home Screen on iLM8 - Live. When you select ‘Infinite Average’ for Home Screen view the display should look similar to the one pictured in Figure 3b. Pressing the HOME key again while on this screen enters Home Screen selection mode that allows quick access to key functions. 1. The calculated Infinite Average for 5.0 Surround is displayed in a large font. 2.
Home Screen – Dual Field Figure 3c. Dual Field Home Screen on iLM8 - Live The Dual Field home screen lets the user displays 2 measurements on the displays allowing for a larger decimal place font. This screen is useful for operators who are comparing two measurements and do not want the third field visible. 1. Field #1 is defined by the user from a list of measurements that include: Max Short and Momentary Loudness Avg. combined for 5.0 Surround and 2.0 Stereo, Infinite Avg.
C > Effects Figure 4d. Dialog vs. Effects Home Screen on iLM8 - Live C > Effects simultaneously calculates the difference between the full 5.0 mix and 4.0 Bed (L, R, Ls, Rs) providing the user with a factor in LU that measures how much higher the announcer is (typically +6 to +10 LU) above the effects for live events. Each field can be customized to the users preference providing 3 fields of dynamic measurements. By default field# 1 displays the 5.
Infinite Average. Pressing ENTER once more will ‘play’ and resume calculations for determining the Infinite Average for the selected display input. 8. Pause / Resume Infinite Average icon. Selecting this icon while on the Home Screen and pressing ENTER will ‘pause’ the Infinite Average. Pressing ENTER once more will ‘resume’ calculations for determining the Infinite Average for the selected display input. 9. Headphone adjustment icon.
Infinite Avg. for Surround and Stereo, Measured value of C > 4.0 Bed, Short loudness Avg. of an individual Surround Channel (L, R, C, Ls, Rs), True Peak for Surround and Stereo, Max – TP for Surround and Stereo, LRA for Surround and Stereo. 4. Indicates the current measurement that is displayed in Field #1. 5. Indicates the current measurement that is displayed in Field #2 6. Indicates the current measurement that is displayed in Field #3 7. Play / Stop / Reset Infinite Average icon.
Figure 5. Auto Infinite Average Algorithm Settings Figure 6. Algorithm Settings Menu Screen Display The Algorithm Settings menu contains all the values required to tailor the loudness measurement functions for your specific purpose.
Algorithm Meters Menu The Algorithm Meters Menu contains all the real-time loudness readings that iLM8 - Live generates for the audio input. Each measurement is carried out to one decimal place for precision. • • • • • • • • • • 5.0 Max SL Average 5.0 Max ML Average 5.0 Inf. Average 5.0 True Peak 5.0 Max True Peak 5.
Edit Home Screen Name Creates and edits a custom name for each of the 4 user defined Home Screens. User 1, User 2, User 3 and User 4 are given by default. Each name can be up to 10 characters long using A – Z and 0 – 9. Press ENTER then use the rotary knob to scroll to the desired character. To select the character Press ENTER. When complete press ENTER again to save the entry. Press BACK or HOME to exit without saving. System Settings Menu Figure 7.
Sample Rate: If Clock Source is set to internal, defines what sample rate frequency iLM8 - Live will use. (32.0, 44.1, 48.0, 88.2 or 96.0 kHz) Audio Input Menu Figure 9. Audio Input Menu Screen Display NOTE: Unless your iLM8 - Live has the factory-installed HD/SDI I/O or Balanced Digital AES I/O modules installed, your screen will differ from that above. Audio Source: Determines which set of physical inputs iLM8 - Live will use to receive audio.
Select the input channel pair to be modified and press ENTER. Scroll the rotary encoder to the desired HD/SDI channel pair and press ENTER to confirm. Repeat for the other channel pairs, as needed. GPO Set allows the operator to use the GPO for either Alarm conditions or as a Mix Monitor. Alarm sets GPO 1 & 2 to alert the user of AES Lock Loss and Hardware Failures Mix Monitor sets GPO 1 & 2 to alert the user when the measured loudness is ‘OVER’ and ‘UNDER’ the selected target level.
Diagnostics Menu Figure 12. Diagnostics Menu Screen Display Current Faults: Displays any error states that iLM8 - Live may be in. DSP 1 Utilization: Shows the current load on iLM8 - Live’s DSP. DSP 2 Utilization: Shows the current load on iLM8 - Live’s secondary DSP. LED Test: Turns on all front-panel LED indicators to verify their functionality. Meter Brightness: Allows adjustment of iLM8 - Live’s Input and Output meters.
iLM8 - Live may be configured to alert you to an AES lock loss condition. AES Lock: Allows the AES Lock alarm to be suppressed or enabled. (Default: Off) About Menu Model Number: Displays the model number of the unit. Serial Number: Displays the serial number of this unit. Build Number: Displays the firmware build number. Build Date: Displays the firmware build date. Hardware Rev: Displays the hardware revision level of this unit.
Firmware Update Provided that you have completed warranty registration for your iLM8 - Live on our website, we will notify you as new firmware updates become available. The notification will contain the announcement of new firmware, issues corrected, and instructions on how to retrieve the update files. Update packages will be available as a single .ZIP file for download. Compatible archive programs include Winzip (www.winzip.com) or WinRAR (www.rarlabs.
Update using Manual IP Address Settings: DO NOT UNPLUG THE UNIT OR TURN OFF YOUR PC WHILE THE FLASH IS IN PROGRESS. If the flash procedure is interrupted before it can complete, iLM8 - Live may be left in an un-usable state and will need to be returned for factory service. Please follow these steps to upgrade your unit: 1. Un-Zip the files using a compatible utility that can handle ZIP archive file format into a new empty directory on your PC. 2.
iLM8 - Live Remote Dashboard Be sure that the iLM8 - Live is connected to a network via the network port on the rear panel. The DaySequerra Remote Dashboard software will allow remote monitoring and logging of audio loudness as it is measured by iLM8 - Live. Double click the installation icon to install the program. A shortcut will be created on your desktop. If you wish the software to start automatically with the PC at login, place a copy of the shortcut into your Startup Windows program folder.
Figure 14. Un-configured Main Viewer Window At the top of the window there are three navigation tabs: Surround, Stereo and Settings. Click on the Settings tab in order to configure the program. After initial configuration, the application will start and resume communication with iLM8 - Live, if the network address previously set is still valid.
Remote Dashboard Configuration Figure 15. Un-configured Settings Tab Network Settings: Enter the IP address of the iLM8 - Live unit to be monitored. The IP address can be foundon the unit by navigating to the SYSTEM MENU, then NETWORK. For more details, see the networking section of this manual. The UDP port should remain set at 44600. Data Collection: Configures how often, in milliseconds, the application will poll iLM8 - Live for its readings.
5.0 Unit 5.0 Target 5.0 MM 5.0 Short (Avg.) 5.0 Inf. Avg. 5.0 Peak 5.0 L Short Avg. 5.0 R Short Avg. 5.0 C Short Avg 5.0 LFE Short (Avg.) 5.0 Ls Short Avg. 5.0 Rs Short Avg. ST Unit ST Target ST MM ST Short Avg. ST Inf. Avg. ST Peak ST-L Short Avg. ST-R Short Avg. Device Faults Loudness Measure that is used for the 5.0 (surround) inputs. Target value set for the 5.0 inputs. Mix Monitor status for the 5.0 inputs. Short combined average for the 5.0 inputs. Combined infinite average of the 5.0 inputs.
Using Remote Dashboard 12- 3- 4- 5- Main Viewer Window The Main Viewer Window will appear as pictured above when the options have been set correctly and the program is communicating with a device. 1. Title Bar: Shows program name, along with short term and infinite average measurements for both the Surround and Stereo inputs of the iLM8 - Live.
4. Per channel Short Term Average: Shows the short average of each channel on the graph. A heavy vertical line shows where the target value on the iLM8 - Live is set. Each channel’s reading is also shown in numerical form to the right of the graph, with the graph lines and the numerical value changing color to show the level of loudness. 5. Status Bar: Three status boxes show more data that is collected from the unit. The left box will display unit fault status.
5 6 7 The log file data is now displayed in Excel. Each column header contains the text description of the data that is displayed. In order to make a line graph, first select the data that will be displayed in the graph. Hold down the control key and click on the column headers that contain the desired data. To only select a small portion of data from the log file, click the first value, hold the shift key, and then click on the last value. In Excel 2007, click on the Insert tab.
Following the same steps outlined above, a sample radar style graph was created. This graph type can be found in Excel 2007 by clicking on the Other Charts button and then selecting Radar or in Excel 2000/2003 by selecting Radar from the Chart Wizard.
Maintaining an Accurate Clock To have the data in log files correctly represent the program material measured during a particular time of day, the PC clock will need to be synchronized to a reliable clock or house source. Windows contains a NTP server client that will automatically set the PC clock to be the same as a remote clock. 1. 2. 3. 4. Double click on the clock in the system tray. Click on the ‘Internet Time’ tab. Enter the time server address to be used, or use the public pool time.nist.gov.
DaySequerra – Three Year Limited Warranty DaySequerra warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship to its original owner for three (3) years from the date of purchase. DaySequerra will repair or replace such product or part thereof that upon inspection by DaySequerra, is found to be defective in materials or workmanship. A Return Authorization Number must be obtained from DaySequerra in advance of return.
iLM8 – Live User Manual
