Qsonix User Guide For All Music Management Systems Platform Version 3.
Copyright 2004-2012 All Rights Reserved Qsonix Inc. Newbury Park, CA This document contains information proprietary to Qsonix Corporation and may not be reproduced, published or distributed in any form or disclosed in whole or in part without written authorization. SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS IMPORTANT! 1. Read these instructions. 2. Keep these instructions. 3. Follow all instructions. 4. Do not use this apparatus near water. 5. Clean only with dry cloth. 6. Do not block any ventilation openings.
Table of Contents SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................................................... 3 IMPORTANT! ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ................................
System Control Screen ...................................................................................................................... 37 General Tab ....................................................................................................................................... 37 Access Tab ........................................................................................................................................
Introduction Welcome to Qsonix, an exciting new digital music management system. Qsonix products have been designed to make loading, organizing and playing your CD music collection a pleasurable experience. Qsonix allows you to quickly and easily load your CD collection directly to the internal hard drives of the system. Using its unique AlbumBrowser™ interface, Qsonix displays detailed information about each of your CDs, including the CD cover art.
Setting Up Your Qsonix System In order to begin using your Qsonix system, you must first have it properly installed and integrated with your sound system. Begin by unpacking both packages that came with your system and identifying all of the cables that you will need for your installation Touchscreen Basics The Qsonix system is operated from the touchscreen controller.
More Touchscreen Tips 8 DO hold your finger perpendicular to the screen, so that the fingertip makes contact with the glass. DON’T drag your whole finger over the glass, or rest your fingers on the panel. TROUBLESHOOTING If you are experiencing trouble with your touchscreen controller, refer to the following table. If the problem persists, please contact your local dealeror Qsonix for assistance.
Starting your Qsonix system for the First Time Once you have plugged in all the necessary cables, you are ready to power-up the system and begin using it. Step 1: Turn on the Touchscreen’s power Step 2; Turn on the system’s power switch Note: Qsonix systems have been designed to be left in the “Power on” state, and does not need to be turned off when not in use. The system may be completely turned off by pressing the “power” button located in the center of the front panel.
Completing the First Time Startup Wizard Once the system has powered up, you will be presented with the “Welcome” screen and be asked to complete the “First Time Startup Wizard” which helps you to configure basic settings and preferences. Press the “Begin Startup” button located in the lower right of the welcome screen to begin, and follow the onscreen help. You will be prompted through a series of five setup screens which you must complete before you can begin using the system.
STEP 3 – Set Time & Date Set Date and Time – follow directions for setting. STEP 4 – Network Settings Network Settings – we recommend you choose “Auto Configure”. Otherwise, see the “Network Settings” section of this manual. After the system has gone through it’s routine, press next to proceed to STEP 5 – CD Loading Quality CD Audio Quality – this is where you choose compression preferences. You may change these preferences at any time by accessing the toolbox. For now, select one to continue with setup.
STEP 5 – Output Configuration Use this screen to name your outputs sometimes referred to as zones. This step is optional and can be revisited later. You may also choose to customize the color scheme that will be used to identify each separate output. You Qsonix system allows you to manage and play separate playlists in each of its available outputs. STEP 6 - Completion Congratulation Screen appears when you have successfully completed initial setup.
Step 2 Insert the CD into the CD tray. The system reads the coded information on the disk and displays information about the disk on the screen. Depending on your Network connection this may take 30-60 seconds to complete. Step 3 Confirm that the CD information displayed matches your CD in the tray. You may also be offered the opportunity to “Choose Another Match” which will allow you to select from multiple possible selections.
If the screen information does not match or the system is unable to locate the proper information for your CD you will be presented with the screen shown at the left. In this case, proceed to the next steps, Using the CD Loading Wizard. Good to Know! You may load a CD anytime. Even if another selection is playing when you insert a disk in the drive the system will automatically “read” it and attempt to get disk information from the internet database.
Step 1 Insert the CD into the CD tray. The CD loading wizard will display the “Disc Information Not Available Screen”. Press the “NEXT” button in the lower right corner of the screen to proceed with manual input of disc information. Step 3 Choose a category for your disk by selecting a “GENRE” from the list. From there you’ll be prompted to enter a “STYLE”. You may select from the list provided or type in your own using the on-screen keypad. When done, tap “NEXT”.
Step 5 Enter the Artist name Step 6 Enter the Album Title Step 4 Enter the song titles in the spaces provided. The Qsonix system has already calculated and noted the time of each track. Use the on-screen keypad to enter title information. Use the “NEXT” button in the track title entry field to move forward and enter the next track title. To edit a track title previously entered, simply double-tap on the title and edit as desired.
Step 5 Select cover art for your disk. Scroll through the template choices and make your selection. The system will automatically add the disk information you entered previously. Begin loading your CD. Tap “BEGIN LOADING” to begin loading the CD to the hard drive. Step 7 While the CD is being loaded the system will display the “Loading CD” screen which shows the individual track progress.
The Qsonix User Interface The Qsonix user interface is divided into several main panels or areas that comprise the entire system. All of Qsonix’s features are accessible from this primary interface which has been designed to be simple, fast and fun to use. This user guide will take you briefly through each of the systems key functions.
Qsonix Menu Bar The menu bar extends across the top of the main screen. Drop down menus allow you to control what albums and songs you are viewing and give you access to the preferences window. The menu bar will always display the “View Mode Menu” on the far left, “Return to Last View” button next to it, and the “Qsonix” Setup-Tools button, which gives you access to setup and preferences.
View Album To quickly navigate to a specific album/CD in your library, use the View Album mode. When this view is selected, a list of all of albums/CDs in your library will be shown arranged by album name/title. Press a title on the list to browse to that particular album. Use the scroll bars at the bottom of the list to quickly scroll through the albums. Use the alpha-sorter bar in the lower part of the screen to jump quickly to albums by choosing them alphabetically.
View Genre The View Genre mode allows you to quickly browse all of the albums/CDs that have been classified in a given genre or style of music. Each CD is automatically classified when you load it into you library. The left column indicates the “genre”, a quick double-tap here will take you directly to all of the CDs in this genre. When available, the right column will indicate “styles” that are available within the genre currently selected, giving you a more refined way to browse your music.
View Year The first items displayed here will be the decades such ast 1970’s or 1980’s followed by individual years like 1977. The available items are based on the music you have loaded into your system. Simply tap on any item and you will be presented with the applicable albums in your system. This is a great way to quickly compile a playlist for a themed party. View Search The View Search mode allows you to quickly search your entire library by keyword.
View All As you may already have guessed, the View All mode allows you to look through your entire library. When you choose this view, you will be presented with the complete list of all the CDs in your library. Use the “sort mode” button indicated by the arrow in the illustration to specify whether the albums are sorted by Artist name or Album name. Use the scroll bars at the bottom of the list to quickly scroll through the cover list.
Good to Know! TIP! Whenever the touch screen key entry pad is visible on the monitor, you have the option of using a USB keyboard to enter information. The unique Qsonix Drag & Drop capability allows you to drag most items from these different views into your Now Playing Playlist or to already saved Playlists. Try Dragging and entire ARTIST, YEAR, DECADE, GENRE or STYLE into your Now Playing queue.
Cover Art – Displays the album art for this album if it was retrieved from the Qsonix data service. You may customize this cover using the “Edit Cover” feature described later. Track Number – The track number column displays the track number for each song based on the original CD that was loaded into the system. Track Title – The Track Name column displays the song title or track title of each song based on the original CD that was loaded into the system.
Album Viewer – Review View The Review View displays a recent album review for the album. This action requires that your Qsonix system has an active Internet connection the first time that you retrieve the review after which time it will be stored within your Qsonix music library. Use the “Page Scroll” Up/Down buttons to page through longer reviews. Album Menu The Album Menu provides access to additional functions relating to a particular album in your music library.
4. On the Select Cover screen, use the Left and Right arrow buttons to scroll through the available Network Places until the one you set up for “cover art” appears. Select Cover Art Screen The screen will display all available cover artwork located in this folder. You may use the scroll bars if there are too many to fit on the screen. When you find the image you want to use as a cover for the album, tap on it once. Press the Select button once an image has been chosen.
Cue Bar Control The “cue bar” control provides a visual reference to the current playing song length, as indicated by the position of the cue position knob. Changing current song position The “cue bar” can also be used to rapidly change locations in the current playing song. Simply drag the cue position knob to a new location on the timeline and playback will change to the new location. Now Playing Panel The “Now Playing” panel controls the songs and song order used for playback.
Drag and Drop – You can easily move any song in the playlist by dragging it to a new location, indicated by the yellow insertion bar. You may freely add tracks or entire albums from the album browser directly to the Now Playing list for playback. Experiment with dragging albums, styles, years or even years into the Now Playing area, this technique forms the basis of how you create and manage playlists.
keyboard will appear onscreen. 7. Using the keyboard, enter a playlist name. 8. Tap OK to save your new playlist. Let’s Play Some Music Now that we have familiarized you with the basics on navigating through you music library, let’s see how quick and easy it is to play music and build playlists. Be sure you have loaded some CD’s into your Qsonix system and experiment with the following techniques and methods of playing music.
Using your Playlists Drag the playlist you want to hear from the Playlist Panel area and drop in in the Now Playing area. The playlist will be inserted into an existing playlist at the point as indicated by the yellow highlight. Add Tracks to Your Playlists Tracks are easy to add to a Playlist; simply drag-and-drop the music you want to add onto an existing Playlist. Naturally, you can add individual tracks or albums from the album browser.
Managing your Playlists – The Playlist Management Panel The Playlists drop-down Options Menu provides the tools you need to manage and get the most out of your custom playlists. Following are descriptions and tips for using these tools. New (Add a new Playlist) It’s easy to add a new playlist. Follow these steps, 1. From the Playlist Menu, select the New Playlist option. The “New Playlist” dialog and keyboard will appear on screen. 2.
Edit Playlist (customize your playlist) Taping the Edit Playlist button from the Playlist menu will display the “Edit Playlist” interface. Here you can see and edit the contents of your playlist. You can re-arrange the order of songs, delete songs, and even add new songs using drag-and-drop. You will receive a warning if you attempt to perform a function that is not allowed, or if you exceed the playlist size limit of 3000 tracks.
Using drag-and-drop to edit Playlists Any track in a playlist can be moved by dragging it to a new location, indicated by the yellow insertion bar. You may also easily add tracks by dragging them from the Album browser and dropping them directly into the edit playlist view. Play Now – Does exactly what you might expect: plays the selected (highlighted) playlist immediately. Sort By – Chose to sort your playlists by the date they were created, or alphabetically by playlist name.
Generate Tapestry Playlist From the Playlist Management Panel, you can generate a playlist automatically—based on almost any criteria you can think of—by using the Create Tapestry Playlist feature. This exciting capabilities utilizes extensive musical meta-data that is retrieved automatically by the system and provides a unique, fun and personalized method to quickly create playlists based on styles, moods, themes and instrumentation.
Playback Controls The Qsonix transport area provides control over song playback functions such as Play, Stop, Next Track, etc. Users of other audio playback devices and software should find it easy to operate Qsonix’s playback controls. Adjusting Playback Volume The volume and mute controls are located just below the playback controls and the Now Playing area. To adjust the volume of the currently playing song, simply drag the volume control knob to the desired volume level.
Advanced Features & Setup System Management from Setup/Tools The Setup/Tools menu gives you access to view and control all of the information, preferences, and system settings of your Qsonix system. Tap on the Toolbox icon on the menu bar and you will be presented with a series of tabs similar to the illustration below. Each of the tabs allows you to specify important settings and preferences. Following is an overview of the menu choices. Onscreen help is also available.
Import Media - The Qsonix system allows you to import music files that you have previously ripped or downloaded onto another device such as your PC, server, etc. From here you can define any number of “Network Locations” that exist on your network as file shares. The Qsonix system will automatically identify your media and retrieve any additional information such as cover and metadata available and import the media into your stored music library.
System > Access 39 To make additions or changes to the playlist when Protected Access is enabled: 1. Touch anywhere on the screen when the system is in protected access mode. A pop-up numeric keypad will appear on the screen. 2. Enter the password/PIN number on the pad. 3. The menu screen appears, with an open padlock icon in the top menu bar. The open padlock indicates that the protected access is still enabled, but the password has granted access to the playlist and selection menus. 4.
5. From the Access screen, select Protected Access. 6. Tap the Disable button – the checkmark will disappear from the button and a numeric keypad will show on the screen. 7. Enter the current 4-digit PIN number in the space provided and tap ENTER. 8. Enter the PIN number again and press DONE. The Protected Access is now disabled, and the open padlock icon is not displayed on the menu bar on the main screen.
To Auto Configure your network, simply tap the Auto Configure button and your Qsonix system will do all the work. If you choose to configure the system manually, read the following steps first, gather the information required for manual configuration (indicated in bold italic in the steps), then follow the steps to complete configuration. 1. Using the keypad on the touch screen, enter the IP address you would like to assign to your Qsonix system.. 2.
While the Qsonix system is designed to work independently with your home sound or home theatre system, configuring Network Places will allow you to use the following Qsonix features: Share your Qsonix Media Library with other devices such as PC’s, game consoles or other streaming devices.
4. Check the Requires Authentication option if the network you are defining requires authentication or is secured with user permissions. 5. When checked, User Name, Password, and Confirm Password entry fields appear on the screen. (This is often the login and password used to log into the machine in question.) 6. Tap the SAVE button. 7. Tap the TEST CONNECTION button. 8. Check the DONE box when you are finished. 9. You may also EDIT or DELETE Network Places from Network Places Screen.
CD Quality Tab Your Qsonix system offers three different levels of audio quality for CD Loading. Choose from one of the following: CD Quality – stores in WMA lossless CD Quality High Quality - stores in 320Kbps WMA Normal Quality – stores is 128Kbps WMA The system displays the amount of remaining space available at each quality level. Remember This indicated REMAINING available space. Simply select the quality/capacity you wish for CD storage then tap the DONE button on the bottom of the screen.
Enable Volume Leveling Enable this feature to automatically level the playback volume of your library. Using the Volume Leveling feature eliminates the pesky volume differences of older and newer CDs. Good to Know! The first time the Volume Leveling setting is enabled, you will be prompted by the system to analyze your entire library. The process takes about 30 seconds per track. You can let the system perform this work immediately or let it do the processing later during the Maintenance cycle.
CD Burning Use Qsonix to burn a CD-R from your library, saved playlists or even your current Now Playing list. Qsonix gives the ability to burn full-quality audio CD’s using any stored playlists, the Now Playing Queue or an entire album with just a few button presses. The system automatically handles all conversion and burning using the built-in CDRecorder drive. You can easily rearrange track order and make custom mix discs from your Qsonix library.
To Burn a CD from a Now Playing List 1. Select the Output/Zone with the playlist you would like to BURN by tapping on the color coded output label. 2. Tap the drop-menu icon in the Now Playing drop down menu on the Main Screen. 3. From the drop-down menu, select Burn to CD. The blue BURN CD screen will appear with a checklist of all the tracks contained in the selected Now Playing list. 4. Select, move, and burn a new CD as described in steps 4-6 of the “Burning a CD from a Playlist” section above.
2. 3. From the Import screen, select one or more of the Network Places from which you wish to import. You may select a single location or multiple locations. NOTE- You can quickly add or edit or delete Network Places by using the Manage Network Places button. You will also see the volume names of any externally connected USB storage devices here, and can select and navigate to the folder that you would like to import from. 4. When you’ve made your selection(s), press the Begin Import button. 5.
Web Browser Control Remote Control via a web browser From your home network, you can use your network connected PC or laptop to remotely control your Qsonix system. Follow these steps to access internet remote control: From the Information screen of your Qsonx system, make a note of the IP address. This is the address that you will enter into your web browser to access the complete set of remote control and playlist management features . Getting Started 1. Open the web browser on your PC or laptop.
Alpha Search Bar Zone, Transport and Volume Controls Web Browser Item Selection When you highlight an album or a track, you may use the Actions Menu to: Add the Album, Track, or Artist to a Favorite Playlist. Selecting one of these options will present you with a list favorite playlists. Select one, and your album or track is instantly added. Play the Album, Track, or Artist now. Click on one of these choices to play the album or track now. View Album or Artist Details.
1. Click mouse to select an Album 2. Album Tracks appear here 3. Actions Menu appears here Web Broswer View Mode Menu The Web Remote has a drop down browser menu that looks similar to the Q110 touchscreen and works exactly the same way: Any selection you make from the drop-down Browse menu will give you a set of options similar to those described above for track or album play.
Use the drop-down Browse menu the same as you would from the Qsonix touchscreen
This screen area displays what’s Now Playing Working with Playlists and Favorite Playlists Selecting Playlists from the drop down Browser menu allows you to view your playlists and their contents. Use this area to select one or more playlists as a “Favorite” so you can add more tracks or albums to it from the Web browser. Simply check the box in the column marked “FAV” to make the highlighted playlist a Favorite.
To add tracks or albums to a Playlist from the Web Remote Browser, you must identify the Playlist as a “Favorite” by checking this box. Use the transport controls at the bottom right of the screen just as you would those on the touchscreen. To select a zone: Click the small left arrow to toggle between Zones 1 & 2.
Frequently Asked Questions Q; How do I use the SPDIF digital output on the Q105/Q110QJB110? A: Go to the system preferences menu by clicking on the Qsonix logo in the menu Bar. Be sure you are on the “Playback” tab, and click the “Advanced Settings” button. On this screen you will see the button choices for “Analog” or “Digital”. Choose Digital, and be sure your system is connected to a an appropriate digital capable sound system.
Contacting Customer Support If you have additional questions or comments regarding Qsonix or your system be sure to contact your installer/dealer, or feel free to visit the support area our website at http://www.qsonix.com/support We maintain a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers and other useful information. The Qsonix firmware will be updated with new features and bug fixes periodically, so be sure to visit our news page at http://www.qsonix.
