R/C Manual Companion to the Instruction Manual IMPORTANT NOTICE This is a separate remote control manual that was created to accompany the 1788A Instruction Manual to deal with remotely controlling the 1788A, use of the PC and Mac software, and use of the 1788A-R dedicated hardware remote control unit. Please be sure to maintain both manuals for reference. P/N 999-4340 Revision 1 Released 05/12/2005 Manufactured by Aphex Systems Ltd. 11068 Randall St.
CONTENTS 1. Overview of R/C (Remote Control) — 3 3.6.2 Rack Mounting — 28 1.1 R/C INTERFACE CONNECTORS — 3 3.6.3 Desktop Mounting — 28 1.2 R/C INTERFACES — 3 3.6.4 AC Line Connection & Power — 28 1.3 CONCEPT OF BANKS & CONSTELLATIONS — 4 3.7 MORE ABOUT USING THE 1788A-R — 29 1.4 HARDWARE R/C — 5 3.7.1 Assigning A Bank — 29 1.5 COMPUTER R/C — 5 3.7.2 Setting Up The MIDI Channel — 29 1.6 COMBINED R/C — 6 3.7.3 Initial Sync — 29 1.7 ABOUT PRESETS — 6 3.7.4 Coexisting with a Software R/C — 30 1.8 WRAP-UP — 8 3.
R/C Manual 1. R/C OVERVIEW 1. Overview of R/C (Remote Control) Fig. 1-1 R/C Ports on Back of 1788A MIDI Interface RS232 port is not used for remote control by the 1788A. Used for updating firmware only. Ethernet Interface 1.1 R/C INTERFACE CONNECTORS Only ONE source of control is accepted. Front panel selection of MIDI or LAN must be made on each 1788A. The 1788A always wakes up in the last mode used. 1.
Indirect MIDI Control MIDI controllers can access 1788A’s through the LAN indirectly by interfacing with one or more 1788A-R’s. A most basic example is illustrated below. Fig. 1-3. Elementary Indirect MIDI Control MIDI Controller DHCP Router MIDI 1788A-R 1788A Cat 5/6 Ethernet LAN Many applications call for more sophisticated remote control or control at greater distances than a MIDI port can handle.
R/C Manual 1. R/C OVERVIEW A CONSTELLATION refers to the whole array of preamps attached to the same LAN. It may comprise only one 1788A or up to 128 of them. Preamps may be assigned NET numbers placing them in different banks even when any given bank is not filled. For example, you could have up to 16 preamps all within one bank, or assign them variously to as many as 8 banks. At the other extreme, you could have 128 preamps that occupy 8 fully filled banks. That’s a damned lot of channels (1024). 1.
Preset Management Software-managed presets are more extensive than using hardware controllers. Individual channel labels, group labels, and preset naming of up to 128 characters each in file save mode and 16 characters each in hardware save mode is supported. Preset Recall and Preset Store is easier to accomplish. Both “save to hardware” and “save to file” are supported. NOTE: MIDI control is NOT accepted by the PC Software controller, even if the computer is outfitted with MIDI ports.
R/C Manual 1. R/C OVERVIEW Management Extents Storing and recalling presets can be done only by remote control. Recalling presets can be done by indirect MIDI as well as by the 1788A-R and the PC software R/C. The extent of preset management depends on the form of R/C according to the table below. Table 1-2.
The software remote can handle communications with all 1788A’s in the constellation directly. Even when one or more 1788A-R’s are detected, the software directly transmits control to all 1788A’s. It also communicates with all 1788A-R’s to keep them synchronized. This harmony improves remote control reliability and the speed of propagating a preset change or saving a project to hardware (the 1788A-R’s 60 bin snapshot memory). 1.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI 2. Using MIDI 2.1 DIRECT MIDI CONTROL MIDI control can be piped directly to a 1788A’s MIDI Input port from any suitable controller. Suitable controllers are devices such as mixing or lighting consoles or standalone MIDI controllers that have programmable physical controls such as pushbuttons and sliders which can send SysEx strings to a MIDI port. Fig. 2-1. Direct MIDI Control Hook-up Next MIDI Out MIDI Controller In Thru 1788A In Thru 1788A 2.1.
SysEx End Value Mic Channel Command Net Number MIDI Device Aphex MIDI I.D. MIDI Channel SysEx Start Fig. 2-3. 11-Byte Direct MIDI SysEx String F0 00 00 38 xx xx xx xx xx xx F7 (00h to 0Fh) Offset by -1 from 1788A Channel # (00h to 0Fh) Offset by -1 from 1788A Device #. (00h to 0Fh) Offset by -1 from 1788A Net # See Table Mic Channel (01-08) See Table 2.1.4 Understanding Ch, Dev and Net Offsets Please observe two important facts about MIDI Channel, Device, and Net Numbers. 1.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI NOTE: We will refer to the Reference Data at the end of this chapter for command codes used by the 1788A. When programming each control, use the following setup: 1. Single-byte transmit 2. Faders: string; Buttons: string toggle 3. Fader Limits: 26 to 65 4. Faders: use “pr” in the value byte. This is the PC1600’s code for grabbing the fader’s value. 5. For this demonstration, we’re using command code 00 for Input Gain and 07 for Mute.
additional 1788A is used, the second set of eight faders and buttons of the PC1600 could be coded exactly like the previous tables, except with the channel and/or device number changed to match the second 1788A. Remember, in this case, NET number is just a placeholder and can be anything. 2.1.8 Broad Commands & Presets It is possible to send many commands within a single SysEx string. This is more efficient than sending many 11-byte SysEx strings in sequence.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI 2.2 INDIRECT MIDI CONTROL If you want to employ a MIDI form of control when the 1788A’s are connected to R/C units by LAN, direct connection to the 1788A’s MIDI ports cannot be used. This is because only one R/C medium can be accepted by the 1788A at a time: LAN or MIDI. When LAN is selected, the 1788A’s MIDI port is disabled. However, we built MIDI capability into the 1788A-R hardware R/C unit to cover this situation. Fig. 2-5.
2.2.1 Hardware Hook-up Anything from a single 1788A to a large constellation can be controlled by indirect MIDI through 1788A-R’s. Figure 2-5 suggests how this is done. The controller’s MIDI OUT is connected to the first 1788A-R’s MIDI IN. The next 1788A-R’s MIDI IN is connected to the preceding MIDI THRU, and so on. 2.2.2 Control Assertion Depending on your needs, there are two control assertions available to MIDI: 1. Parametric control of any mic channel across the constellation. 2.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI 2.2.3 Expanding the SysEx String Just like direct MIDI control, you can repeat 3-byte commands within the parametric SysEx string to send multiple commands to a single 1788A as shown by figure 2-7. F0 00 00 38 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx SysEx End Value Mic Channel Command Value Mic Channel Command Value Mic Channel Put Up To 64 3-byte Commands Here Command 1788A NET Number Placeholder1 Aphex MIDI I.D. 1788A-R MIDI Channel SysEx Start Fig. 2-7.
handled. 2.3 MULTIPLE MIDI CONTROLLERS It should be normally possible to combine SysEx commands from more than one MIDI controller. However, the 1788A-R does not have facilities for merging. You’ll probably need a commercially available MIDI merging box to receive the MIDI Outs from the multiple controllers and pass them to the 1788A-R(s). 2.4 CLONING 1788A’s Any 1788A can import the parameters and stored labels from another 1788A by crossconnecting their MIDI IN and MIDI OUT ports.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI 2.5 REFERENCE DATA 2.5.
2.5.
R/C Manual 2. USING MIDI 2.5.3 MIDI Control Examples Example 1 Direct MIDI. 1788A Ch set to 01, Dev set to 01, Net set to 001. Set preamp gain to 45dB, mic channel 1 SysEx: F0 00 00 38 00 00 00 00 01 2D F7 Example 2 Direct MIDI. 1788A Ch set to 02, Dev set to 01, Net set to 001. Set Limiter ON, mic channel 4 SysEx: F0 00 00 38 01 00 00 05 04 01 F7 Example 3 Direct MIDI. 1788A Ch set to 01, Dev set to 01, Net set to 001.
Example 8 Preset Recall to eight 1788A-R’s. 1788A-R MIDI Channels set 1 to 8 Recall preset #1 SysEx: CO 01 C1 01 C2 01 C3 01 C4 01 C5 01 C6 01 C7 01 Recall preset #2 SysEx: CO 02 C1 02 C2 02 C3 02 C4 02 C5 02 C6 02 C7 02 Example 9 Preset Recall to eight 1788A-R’s. 1788A-R MIDI Channels set 1 to 8 and Banks set 1 to eight respectively. This is an example of a complex recall.
R/C Manual 3. 1788A-R HADRWARE REMOTE 3. 1788A-R Hardware R/C Unit (“HRemote”) 3.1 PURPOSE Although one or more 1788A’s can be remotely controlled by a software program running on a computer, there are times when a dedicated hardware remote control is preferred. We engineered the 1788A-R Remote Controller to be easy to use and dependable enough for mission-critical applications. Figure 3-1. Front Panel View Key Features • One 1788A-R controls up to 16 1788A’s (one Network Bank) at a time.
present Bank. It may also be necessary to do a wake-up upon any power-up of the 1788AR. During wake-up, the Comm indicators will show activity with units that respond to handshaking. After handshake and during test, Status LED’s will temporarily appear yellow for all units present and responding. All units that are properly communicating will develop green Status LED’s. Selections with no corresponding units present will display blank (dark) Status LED’s.
R/C Manual 3. 1788A-R HADRWARE REMOTE Figure 3-2. 1788A-R Front Panel at a Glance 1 2 3 4 6 5 7 1. Clip/Limit LED’s: Show when any channel of the 1788A is clipping or limiting. Serves as an alarm when possible gain correction is needed. 2. Unit Select Buttons: Allow instant selection of one of 16 preamps in the bank for display and control. 3. Status LED’s: Indicate with 3 colors the condition of communications with 1788A’s. 4. Comm LED’s: Indicate data passing between 1788A-R and 1788A. 8 5.
3.2.7 Control/Display Panel This area of the 1788A-R’s front panel replicates the 1788A’s local control and display panel. It gives you the exact look of the selected 1788A’s function status lights and meters. Metering data streamed back from the selected 1788A is displayed on the bargraphs approximately in real time. Because of high speed networking, indicator latency is minimal. Taking Control To control a specific mic channel, press its Channel Select button.
R/C Manual 3. 1788A-R HADRWARE REMOTE finished loading, the number will be updated in the left side of the window labeled “Last Sent”. Mismatch Errors When you load (recall) a snapshot into the bank of 1788A’s, the 1788A-R will know if the bank has unit discrepancies and flash a yellow “Mismatch” alarm on any missing 1788A’s in the bank that were included in the snapshot, or any 1788A’s present that were not there when the snapshot was taken.
memory into whatever preset bin is showing in the right-hand window as long as it is not protected. While in Edit Mode you can select other unprotected preset bins before pressing Snapshot. Presets created in Edit Mode are in every way equal to live snapshots. When recalled, they will expect the same Bank configuration as they were created for. They will display Mismatch errors like any other snapshot. Editing Tools Here are some useful editing tools: 1.
R/C Manual 3. 1788A-R HADRWARE REMOTE release. This transmits a dump to the other unit (the clone). The original unit will begin sending it’s parametric and label data to the receiving unit. When the transfer is complete, the clone will update itself to the new parameters and the panel indicators will align accordingly. The updated unit is now a clone of the original presets. Incidentals like the 1788A-R’s display brightness won’t be transferred. Figure 3-3. Connecting Two 1788A-R’s for Cloning 3.
Refer to Section 2 of this manual for full coverage of applying MIDI control to the 1788A-R. 3.5.4 RJ-45 Ethernet Jack This is the exclusive portal for piping remote control to 1788A’s. It must be connected to a proper 10 or 100 Base-T LAN structure that has a DHCP server or router. Details of proper network construction are covered in Section 4 of this manual. 3.6 INSTALLATION The Model 1788A-R occupies three rack spaces (135mm or 5-1/4 inches) of a standard EIA equipment rack. 3.6.
R/C Manual 3. 1788A-R HADRWARE REMOTE internal power supply is designed to operate from all nominal power sources from 85 to 265 volts a.c. at 50/60Hz without requiring the user to change any settings. In case of failure, do not attempt to change the internal fuse because it will never blow unless the power supply fails catastrophically. The power supply will need to be serviced by a competent service technician in such a case. Figure 3-6. Desktop Configuration 3.7 MORE ABOUT USING THE 1788A-R 3.7.
Sometimes, depending on when the remote controller and preamplifiers received their IP addresses, it may be necessary to use the Wake-up function to get the controller attached to all preamps in its bank and clear all red lights. This is a good practice just to assure full synchronization of the constellation some time after all units have been powered up. NOTE: Avoid giving more than one 1788A the same NET number. It will cause network errors and unpredictable results. 3.7.
R/C Manual 4. BUILDING A PROPER NETWORK 4. Building a Proper Network 4.1 STANDARD PARTS Networks used for remotely controlling 1788A’s are built from standard Ethernet components such as Routers, Hubs and Switches. Standard CAT5/6 Ethernet cabling is used throughout. 4.2 NETWORKING SPEED The network can run at 10 Base-T and 100 Base-T speed. We recommend using 100 Base-T hardware, especially when the number of preamps and controllers exceeds a few units. 4.
if there are any fixed IP addresses on the LAN, the Router has to be programmed to avoid issuing them to other clients. In other words, there can be no IP address duplications on the LAN. The DHCP Server (or Router) must have enough IP numbers available to handle all DHCP clients on the LAN. There cannot be a firewall splitting up any part of the LAN, but the whole LAN can be inside a firewall. You need to check with your network administrator to be sure ports 1198 and 1199 are present are unlocked.
