Soundcraft Vi4™/Vi6™ User Guide ® Soundcraft Vi4™/Vi6™ User Guide i
IMPORTANT Please read this manual carefully before using your mixer for the first time. This equipment complies with the EMC directive 2004/108/EC and LVD 2006/95/EC This product is approved to safety standards IEC 60065:2001 (Seventh Edition) +A1:2005 EN60065:2002 +A11:2008 UL60065-03 CAN/CSA-E60065-03 And EMC standards EN55103-1: 1996 (E2) EN55103-2: 1996 (E2) Warning: Any modification or changes made to this device, unless explicitly approved by Harman, will invalidate the authorisation of this device.
Contents INTRODUCTION 01 -1 SAFETY NOTICES.............................................................................................................. 01 -1 SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE.................................................................................................... 01 -1 IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNINGS........................................................................................ 01 -2 WARNINGS................................................................................................
MOMENTARY/LATCHING CONTROL ACTION........................................................................ 03 -3 SOLO/SEL KEYS............................................................................................................... 03 -4 LABELLING....................................................................................................................... 03 -4 General..............................................................................................................................
PANNING....................................................................................................................... 04 -15 General........................................................................................................................................... 04 -15 PAN Function LR Mode..................................................................................................................... 04 -15 PAN Function LCR Mode.........................................................
Temporary Layer................................................................................................................................ 08 -2 OUTPUT........................................................................................................................... 08 -3 Master Fader section......................................................................................................................... 08 -3 ALL Busses..................................................................
DLY Field........................................................................................................................................... 11 -7 MONITOR SETUP SUB-PAGE.............................................................................................. 11 -8 Output Solo Selection...................................................................................................................... 11 -10 SOLO SYSTEM.........................................................................
SNAPSHOTS AND CUES 15 -1 FRONT PANEL DISPLAY AND CONTROLS.............................................................................. 15 -1 SETUP............................................................................................................................................... DATA Socket...................................................................................................................................... STORE....................................................................
EXPORTING AND IMPORTING LIBRARIES........................................................................ 18 - 13 SOUNDCRAFT Vi4™/Vi6™ FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS 19 -1 AUDIO CHANNELS............................................................................................................ 19 -1 Max number of simultaneous mixing channels..................................................................................... Insert points......................................................................
96 CHANNEL VERSION 22 - 1 Accessing the Additional 32 channels.............................................................................. 22 - 1 Hints on using the DSP Upgrade’s additional 32/24 channels.......................................... 22 - 2 Installing a Third DSP card for 96/72ch operation........................................................... 22 - 3 TECHNICAL INFORMATION Vi Series Standard I/O Cards 23 - 1 LINE IN CARD.................................................................
INTRODUCTION SAFETY NOTICES For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty please read this section carefully. SAFETY SYMBOL GUIDE For your own safety and to avoid invalidation of the warranty all text marked with these symbols should be read carefully.
IMPORTANT SAFETY WARNINGS THIS UNIT MUST BE EARTHED Under no circumstances should the mains earth be disconnected from the mains lead.
WARNINGS • Read these instructions. • Keep these instructions. • Heed all warnings. • Follow all instructions. • Clean the apparatus only with a dry cloth. • Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat resistors, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. • Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. • Do not use this apparatus near water.
WORKING SAFELY WITH SOUND Although your new console will not make any noise until you feed it signals, it has the capability to produce sounds which when monitored through a PA system or headphones can damage hearing over time. The table below is taken from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration directive on Occupational noise exposure (1926.52): PERMISSABLE NOISE EXPOSURE DURATION PER DAY, HOURS SOUND LEVEL dBA SLOW RESPONSE 8 90 6 92 4 95 3 97 2 100 1.
Soundcraft Vi Series™ FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS Audio Channels Max number of simultaneous mixing channels Soundcraft Vi6 : 96 mono inputs into 35 mix busses. (3 DSP cards fitted) Soundcraft Vi4 : 96 mono inputs into 35 mix busses. (3 DSP cards fitted) : 64 mono inputs into 35 mix busses (2 DSP cards fitted) Soundcraft Vi2 : 96 mono inputs into 35 mix busses. (3 DSP cards fitted) Pairs of mono inputs can be linked to create stereo channels.
Miscellaneous Connection from local rack to stagebox Standard fit: Cat 5e Neutrik Etherflex cable ZNK CT2672601. Optional: Fibre Optical interface card with 150 or 200m cable (additional cost). Max distance, local rack to stagebox: 80m using flexible reel-mounted Cat5 cable (Neutrik Etherflex only, part number ZNK CT2672601) 130m using Cat7 permanent installation cable (Amp Netconnect 600MHz PiMF, part no. 57893-x). 1500m using a single run of multimode 50/125 optical fibre.
Control Surface Inputs Soundcraft Vi6: 32 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers to access 96 inputs (3 DSP cards fitted). Soundcraft Vi4: 24 input faders, switchable in 2 fixed layers to access 64 inputs (2 DSP cards fitted). : 24 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers and meter screens to access 96 inputs (3 DSP cards fitted). Soundcraft Vi2: 8 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers, 3 user layers and meter screens to access 96 inputs.
CONSOLE OVERVIEW Bays The desk is based on 1, 3 or 4 bays and 1 MASTER bay: Soundcraft Vi2: Soundcraft Vi4: Soundcraft Vi6: * 1 Input Bay * 3 INPUT bays * 4 INPUT bays Figure 1-1. Console Bays. * Each Input bay contains 8 complete Fader strips with full state overview, giving in total 32 directly accessible Input Strips.
Layers Figure 1-2. Layer Controls. The console is able to control up to 96 inputs and 35 mix busses via its 32 input strips (24 on Vi4, 8 on Vi2), 8 bus master strips and the LCR masters. To do this the console has a number of layers which the user accesses via the layer controls shown above. Full details are given in chapter 8 of this manual.
Encoders Figure 1-3. Encoders. * The Vistonics™II row 1 and 2 encoders, including switches, are used in different modes, in which they can change in order to show various functions in a context-sensitive way. * In normal operation they act as Input channel related controls. * The Channel encoders are assigned with Input channel related functions. * The Vistonics™ II output encoders are normally used as Output faders and are also context sensitive.
Master Audio Functions Figure 1-4. Master Audio Functions. * The Monitoring system contains the functionality to listen to and monitor the audio signal at several points in the console. * TB/OSC system contains the Talkback functionality and the oscillator settings. * The Meter panel provides a full overview of all Input and Output levels.
Master Control Figure 1-5. Master Control. * VCA/Mute Groups: this functional block contains the VCA (control groups in VCA style) and Mute Group functions. * Snapshot allows the console’s automated settings to be saved and recalled. * Menu opens the Menu page where central configurations can be done. * Copy / paste functionality can be used in different modes and speeds up repetative tasks.. * Gang is a superb feature that links channels functions together for temporary changes.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112 Page 2 - 1
SYSTEM HARDWARE OVERVIEW Stage Box 6U Stage Box 2U Fan Unit Local Rack 6U Local Rack 3U Fan/Filter Unit 4U Breakout Box Figure 2-1. The System’s Three Component Parts.
NOTE ON INSTALLATION OF THE COOLING FANS/FILTERS The Stage Box and Local Rack may be ordered already fitted into flight cases, in which case the cooling fans/filters will already be located correctly as shown in the diagrams below. If the system has been ordered without flightcases, in order that it can be permanently installed, please ensure that the cooling fans/filters are located as shown below. Local Rack Figure 2-2a: Layout Of Local Rack. Stage Box Figure 2-2b: Layout Of Stage Box.
THE CONSOLE REAR CONNECTORS Mains Power Supply Inlet The mains input is via an IEC connector, with an associated switch, as shown below. This feeds power to the primary PSU. Figure 2-3a: Main Primary Supply Inlet. An optional redundant primary supply may also be fitted. Its inlet connector is as shown below. Figure 2-3b: Redundant Primary Supply Inlet. Audio And Data Rearcon MIDI Connectors These are provided by the usual 5-pin DIN connectors. HiQNet™ Connector This is an XLR-housed EtherCon connector.
Figure 2-4: Console Rearcon Panel.
LOCAL RACK Local Rack Description The Local Rack is the audio ‘brain’ of the Soundcraft Vi Series™, it contains the DSP mixing processor and the local I/O connections. The rack consists of a 6U processing and I/O unit, developed by Studer, called the SCore. Below this is a 3U low-noise cooling fan unit. The SCore itself consists of two sections: the upper 3U section houses the DSP mixing core, and the lower 3U section houses the local audio I/O and also the connections to the remote Stage Box.
Note that there is a RECONFIG button behind a small hole at the bottom right of the panel. When pressed with a small screwdriver or similar a reset is applied to the lower row of cards in the local rack: this will force a re-polling of the loaded cards to reconfigure the console. This needs to be done only if the card configuration has been changed. Local Rack Rear The rear of the Local Rack gives access to the cards in the card frame, and to the XLR breakout box.
Local Rack Rear View The rear view is shown below. Note that the last remaining connector from the console surface (the RJ45 ethernet connector) goes into the top socket on the bridge card. Figure 2-6: Local Rack Rear View.
Local Rack Audio Pinouts Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112 Page 2 - 9
Card Function Overview The local rack card frame contains the following components. (Top Row) GPIO Card with Relay Contacts Provides a second, independent set of GPIO, which will be controlled by the GPIO page of the Control Surface. The inputs are opto-isolated and the outputs are SPST relay contacts. For a pin-out list see chapter 16. Bridge Card Provides the connection from the Local Rack to the Control Surface. Houses a QNX embedded processing system which controls all the audio processing in the rack.
Breakout Box The breakout box provides connections for 16 line inputs, 16 line outputs, 16 AES/EBU input channels, 16 AES/EBU output channels, 5 local monitor outputs, a talkback output, 3 mic inputs, and 3 connectors for the link cable to the control surface. Figure 2-7: XLR Breakout Box.
Cat 5 Breakout Panel Note that this panel was not fitted to early models. Figure 2-8: Cat 5 Breakout Panel.
STAGE BOX The Stage Box contains 12 Slots for 6U-high Audio I/O Cards, a GPIO/LED Card and the MADI HD Card which contains the Stage Box-to-Local Rack connection. Slots are labelled from left to right A-L, and the connectors on the cards are numbered from top to bottom 1-8. These labelling references are used by the patching system (see chapter 11) when the user wishes to patch the connectors to input channels or output busses.
MADI HD link card This card provides audio and control connection with the Local Rack via MADI. The corresponding MADI card in the Local Rack transmits the clock for the Stagebox down the MADI stream. The second input on the card can be used to increase the sample rate to 96KHz, provide a redundant connection to the Local rack or to connect to a second system if two consoles are to be used for a monitor/FOH configuration. The MADI card indicates its clock status using the lock LED on the card.
Front Panel Figure 2-9: Stage Box Front Panel.
CONNECTING THE PARTS OF THE SYSTEM Figure 2-10a: System Interconnections.
NOTE: Ensure fan units on Local Rack and Stagebox are connected and operational. CLEAN FILTERS REGULARLY! Figure 2-10b: System Interconnections.
Page 2 - 18 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112
OPERATION OVERVIEW CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL Three types of brackets are used to indicate the type of control being refered to. [ ] is used to indicate a panel-mounted key or encoder. { } is used to indicate a Vistonics™ (VST) key or encoder. < > is used to indicate a button on a touch-screen. GENERAL RULES * Pressing a [SETUP] key whilst in that SETUP function will exit that function immediately. * Vistonics™ {EXIT} buttons close the page immediately.
Screen Colour Codes The following table shows the colours used in their corresponding context: Function Audio Processing Input Functions Equaliser Filter Gate,Comp,Lim,De-ess Pan, Dir Out, Insert Oscillator Monitoring Busses Aux Audio Group Matrix VCA/MG Indication VCA 1..8 VCA 9..16 Mute Group Patch Input Patch Output Patch Control Colour Blue Red Dark Blue Green Yellow Gold Lilac Orange Green Cyan Blue Pink Red Blue Red Grey For the Soundcraft FaderGlow™ colours see chapter 18.
VISTONICS II™ KNOBS If a function is assigned to the button, the state is indicated like this: Figure 3-2a: VST Button Status Indication. If the button can open a configuration page in the Touch area it looks like this: Figure 3-2b: VST Buttons Which Can Open A Configuration Page. AUDIO FUNCTION STATES If an audio function block is disabled, with the background of the field changed to grey, the button indication will change to a darker colour. Figure 3-2c: Active/Disabled Functions.
SOLO/SEL KEYS The [SOLO/SEL] keys operate in two modes. The default function is to enable the SOLO path from its channel or bus to the monitoring system. However, if a touch-area page is open, pressing a [SOLO/SEL] from another channel (within its own bay of eight channels) moves the touch-area page to this new channel. LABELLING General Labelling can be done with the on-screen keyboard or an external USB keyboard.
Channel Labels By default the channels are labelled CH-1 to CH-96. Soundcraft Vi Series™ uses long labels for the Screens and short labels for the LCDs. Long labels can contain up to 10 characters, whereas short labels are restricted to 6 characters. Figure 3-4: The Channel Label Page. Changing The Channel Label * Press the touch field to open the Input Page. * Enter the channel label page by pressing {CH LABEL} on the Input Page. * Type the long name (only valid characters are possible).
BUS CONFIGURATION The most important configuration of the Soundcraft Vi Series™ is the bus configuration, and this is done using the [ALL BUSSES] view on the four input bays. Figure 3-5: The Input Screen If [ALL BUSSES] Layer Is Active. The TYPE field can be set to one of three values: AUX, GRP or MTX, the encoder is used to change the Bus Type.
GANG General Gang is a very helpful feature to speed up operations that influence functions on multiple input channels, or on output busses, in the same way. For example, if Input Channels are ganged, then a parameter change of a function will be applied to all other ganged channels in an offset manner. For example, adjusting any rotary parameter or fader within a gang will add that offset to, or subtract it from, all other channels in the gang.
Page 3 - 8 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112
INPUT SIGNAL FLOW Figure 4-1: The Signal Flow In An Input Channel. Only one of the two insert points can be used per channel at any time.
INPUT CHANNEL STRIP Figure 4-2. Input Channel Strip. The Level Meter reads from -36dB to +18db, The GRM (Gain Reduction Meter) reads from -1 to -20dB.
INPUT CHANNEL TOUCH FIELDS Figure 4-3. Change A Parameter Of An Input Channel * Press the desired touch field, the corresponding VST area will open, * change the parameter. * Press the touch field again to go back the default VST view OR * Press another touch field. Figure 4-4: the relationship between touch fields and channel functions.
INPUT Figure 4-5: The Input Page. INPUT field Select source IN1 or IN2. If OSC is active, the central oscillator is patched to this channel and the selector is disabled. Pressing the {IN1 PATCH} or {IN2 PATCH} VST config key opens the Input Patch Configuration page. Figure 4-6. Input Patch Configuration Page.
GAIN field {encoder} adjusts the analogue input gain in the range from +15 dB to +70 dB. {PAD} reduces the input sensitivity by 20 dB. TRIM field Encoder adjusts the digital Input Gain in the range +18/-36 dB {LO CUT} inserts the pre AD converter analogue low cut filter (only analogue inputs). LO CUT field Encoder adjusts the Low cut frequency in the range 20 to 600 Hz. {IN} switches the Low Cut filter in and out. HI CUT field Encoder adjusts the High cut frequency in the range 1k to 20kHz.
DLY & DLY FIN field Encoder changes the input delay in milliseconds, metres, or feet & inches. These units are set in the SETTINGS Menu and are saved in the show file. The DLY control allows coarse control from 0.. 100 mS; 0..34mts; 0..112 feet The DLY FIN control allows fine adjustment in 0.02ms/.02 mtrs/0.1” steps. {IN} enables the delay function. Distance conversions assume a fixed temperature of 20°C/68°F. This is not adjustable.
STEREO CONFIGURATION Pairing of input channels Figure 4-7: The Pairing Page. The available channels on the two fixed Layers A (upper row) and B (lower row) are displayed on the touch screen. Pairing candidates are the unused left and right neighbours and the vertical neighbour in the same Bay. Existing Pairings will be shown greyed out. It is not possible to pair with a channel in the next bay. HINT: Selecting an input channel [SOLO/SEL] moves this page to the desired channel in the corresponding bay.
Stereo Busses Busses can be configured to work as a Stereo Bus. In this case the Bus Master is represented in one Strip on the surface. The advantage is that more masters can be directly accessed (rather than tying up two Output controls). In the Encoder section stereo bus masters also use only 1 VST Field.
EQUALISER Figure 4-8: The Equaliser Page. General The Equaliser contains 4 full parametric Bands. All four parametric Equaliser Bands operates over the full frequency range. The characteristics of the LF and HF bands can also be set to SHELF mode. The red Equaliser Graph in the Equaliser touch field represents the overall frequency curve.
Equaliser Band Highlight If you touch one or more parameter encoders, the corresponding Equaliser band(s) will be indicated by the red overall graph being overwritten with a white graph that represents only the touched band(s). This is useful for identifying which part of a curve is associated with which EQ bands. The representation will return to the default when you leave the page. Figure 4-9: The Equaliser Page After Touching An LF Encoder.
IN Switch The channel Encoder adjusts the Q (Width) in the range 0.7 .. 15, or bandwidth from 0.2 to 4 octaves. Q may only be adjused in BELL Mode. Changing the unit controls (ms/ft etc) does not affect any current value and therefore will not affect audio. {IN} enables this Equaliser band. SHELF Switch {SHELF} changes the response characteristic to SHELF. (12dB/oct) EQUALISER Field {IN} enables the full Equaliser section (without filters).
DYNAMICS Figure 4-10: The Dynamic Page In GATE Mode. General The Dynamics section contains a GATE with key filter a Compressor and a Limiter. Alternatively the Gate can be set to operate in De-esser mode. GATE Function The Gate contains a side-chain input with filters, a Key listen SOLO and it can also operate in ducking mode.
THRS Field Encoder adjusts the threshold value between -40 db to +18db. {IN} enables the GATE. ATCK field Encoder adjusts the attack time in the range 10µS to 957mS. {DUCK] sets the GATE to inverse mode (ducking mode). (Was {INV} in software prior to V4.7).
DE-ESS Function A de-esser is normally used to reduce the sibilance (“s” components) in a singer’s voice. Soundcraft Vi Series™ includes a real de-esser function that works as a dynamically controlled filter. The filter can be set using the FREQ and Q encoders. If the de-esser is active, the signal level will be reduced only in the band set by the filters, when the signal in this band exceeds the required threshold. Figure 4-11: The Dynamic Page In DE-ESS Mode.
COMPRESSOR Function THRS Field Encoder adjusts the threshold value between -40 db to +18dB. {IN} enables the COMPRESSOR. ATCK Field Encoder adjusts the attack time in the range 0.5mS to 98.6mS. REL field Encoder adjusts the release time in the range 5.5mS to 5S. Ratio field Encoder adjusts the ratio in the range 1:1 to 20:1. MKUP Makeup adjusts the overall output level from the Limiter and Compressor sections. GAIN Encoder manually adjusts the output level to compensate for gain reduction.
BUS Figure 4-12: The Bus Page. General The first Bus page contains the controls for busses 1-16, while the second page contains the controls for busses 17-32. What these fields look like depends on the Bus configuration. AUX (Mono) Encoder adjusts the send level to this BUS. Pre indicates the PRE/post state. {ON} enables the send. AUX (Stereo) Left Encoder adjusts the send level to both busses, while the right encoder adjusts the pan to these busses.
PANNING Figure 4-13: The Panning Page In LR Mode. General This page contains the output functions of the input channel. This contains the panning, the routing to the masters, the insert point and the direct out function. The Pan can work in LR or in LCR mode. In LCR mode an additional width function is available. PAN Function LR Mode PAN Field Encoder sets the channel pan to the masters. If the channel is paired, the balance can be adjusted. See Audio Format / Pan / Panning, on pages 4-17 & 4-18.
PAN Function LCR Mode If the Pan MODE is set to LCR an additional WIDTH field is displayed. (If the channel is paired, it is not possible to set the PAN mode to LCR.) Figure 4-14: The Panning Section In LCR Mode. PAN Field Displays the pan setting. Encoder sets the channel pan to the three masters. See Audio Format / Pan / Panning on pages 4-17 & 4-18. WIDTH Field In LCR mode, the encoder adjusts the level of an additional amount of signal sent to both left and right outputs.
AUDIO FORMAT General The Soundcraft Vi Series™ can handle three types of audio format: * MONO * STEREO * LCR Input Channels Soundcraft Vi Series contains up to 96 MONO Input channels. A STEREO Input can be built by horizontally or vertically pairing two input channels in the same bay. Vertically and horizontally pairing can be used at the same time. See Pairing of input channels. Mix Busses The 32 MONO Busses can be configured to work as Mono or as odd/even paired Stereo Busses.
PAN/BAL The following table shows the destination level in relation to the PAN/BAL settings MODE PAN OFF PAN ON BAL OFF BAL ON Left position Left Right - 3 dB - 3 dB 0 dB - ∝ 0 dB 0 dB + 3 dB -∝ Middle position Left Right - 3 dB - 3 dB - 3 dB - 3 dB 0 dB 0 dB 0 dB 0 dB Right position Left Right - 3 dB - 3 dB - ∝ 0 dB 0 dB 0 dB - ∝ + 3dB HINT: If the PAN or BAL function is switched off, the gain is the same as if you had set the Encoder to the middle position.
INSERT Function Refer to Figure 4-13. INSERT Field Displays the label of the selected insert from the pool. {Its VST config button}opens the Insert Pool select page. Refer to page 10-6 for details about setting-up the Insert Pool. POINT Field Displays the actual point where the Insert is placed in the channel. Encoder changes the point between: * Pre Processing (EQ&DYN) * Pre Fader. TRIM Field Encoder trims the insert send level in the range +- 18 dB. {IN} activates the Insert.
ACCESSING CHANNELS Channels may be accessed using the faderstrips, and also by touching the meter screens on the master screen. Soundcraft Vi6: Access 96 inputs using the 3 fixed (or user) layers, each accessing 32 channels. Soundcraft Vi4: You can now access inputs 1-24, 33-56 and 65-88 using the 3 fixed layers. Method 1: Use the Input Meter display on the touchscreen in the Control Bay to select the additional channels in groups of 8, and assign them temporarily to the right-hand 8 input faders.
Soundcraft Vi2: Method 1: Press the Input Fader Page buttons D on the left of the fader panel. This gives 6 pages of faders, the first 3 (A,B,C) are fixed as Channels 1-9, 9-16 and 17-24 respectively, whilst the second 3 (USER 1, USER 2, USER 3) default to Channels 25-32, 33-40, 41-48 but can be customised with the associated Fader Page Setup button. Method 2: Touch the Input Meter screen on the block of 8 meters corresponding to the channels required.
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8 Output OUTPUTS Signal Flow SIGNAL FLOW The picture shows the signal flow in an LRC Master or an MIX Master Figure 5-1: The Signal Flow In An LRC Master Or A BUS Master. Only the three insert pointsiscan be used perdrawing. master at any time.
GENERAL The LR and C Masters are always operated with their dedicated master fader strips in the master bay. The parameters of these busses are controlled via the Master Processing Page (see Figure 5-2). The Soundcraft Vi Series™ allows three different ways to access, control the level of , and change the parameters of, the other 32 output busses.
L,R & C Master Processing Figure 5-2A: Master Screen Displaying The Master Busses Processing Page. This page is accessed by pressing the [SEL] key which is located below the L, R & C master faders. The Master processing fields are shown in the Meter Area of the Master Screen. In order to change the parameters for EQ, Dynamics or Pan, the appropriate area on the touch-screen must be pressed; doing so will open a page whose VST area is similar to the lower half of Figures 5-9, 5-10 or 5-11.
MASTER EQ LINKING (V2.0 Software and above) Figure 5-2B : Master Screen Displaying The Master Busses Processing Page with EQ Linking. The LRC Master busses can have their Parametric and/or Graphic Equaliser sections linked for easier adjustment. Left and Right busses can be linked, or the Centre bus can be added to the linked L&R so that all three busses can be adjusted together. It is not possible to link Left and Centre or Right and Centre.
MASTER BAY OUTPUT STRIPS The first way of controlling and changing the parameters of the 32 output busses described earlier is as follows. processing Aux 1 [Function] Aux 2 Aux 3 Aux 4 Aux 5 Aux 6 Aux 7 Aux 8 [Isolate] Level Meter & Gain Reduction Meter Short Bus LABEL [ON] Bus MUTE safe indication FADER MUTE/VCA display FaderGlow™ [SOLO/SEL] Figure 5-3. A Master Bay Strip.
Bus Master Processing Figure 5-4: Master Screen Displaying Bus Processing Page. The Bus Master processing is shown in the Input Meter Area of the Master Screen. In order to change the parameters for EQ, Dynamics or Pan, the appropriate area on the touch-screen must be pressed; doing so will open a page whose VST area is similar to the lower half of Figures 5-9, 5-10 or 5-11. HINT: Stereo Busses are linked. Therefore the processing strip will control both channels.
INPUT BAY STRIP USING [ALL BUSSES] The second method of controlling, and changing the parameters of, the 32 output busses described earlier is as follows. If the [ALL BUSSES] key is active (see Figure 8-6), the input strips on all of the input bays will be switched to control the 32 output busses. Once this is done, the user can select the desired fader to control the required output level. In addition, the VST encoders can be used to change the bus type (Aux, Grp or Mtx) and format (Mono or Stereo).
MASTER BAY VISTONICS™ ENCODERS & KEYS The third way of controlling, and changing the parameters of, the 32 output busses described earlier is as follows. processing Aux 1 Aux 2 Aux 3 Aux 4 Aux 5 Aux 6 Aux 7 Aux 8 Figure 5-6. Output VST Switches. The VST encoders control the levels of the displayed output busses. To select the desired range of busses the user must press [Page A] or [Page B] to the right of the screen (see Figure 5-7).
CHANGING OUTPUT BUS PARAMETERS The following pages shows bus master processing using the Input strip (All Busses layer) mode as an example. Parameter changing is done in the same way if either of the other two ways of accessing bus masters is used. Changing A Parameter Of A Bus * Press the desired touch field, the corresponding VST Area will open * change the parameter * Press the touch field again to go back to the default VST view or * Press another touch field.
EQUALISER Figure 5-9. Equaliser Controls. The controls are identical to those of the input channels’ EQ. The VST encoders and keys allow the 4-band parametric EQ to be adjusted and switched in or out of circuit.
DYNAMIC Figure 5-10. Dynamics Controls. The controls are identical to those of the input channels, except there are no Gate or De-Esser modes available for output busses.
PAN Figure 5-11. Pan. The controls for the PAN section and Insert section are similar to those of the input channels. Note that for L, R and C master busses, the PAN, MASTER LR and MASTER C fields are not available. The extra functions unique to output busses are as follows. LOW CUT Field The encoder adjusts the Low cut frequency in the range 20 to 600Hz. {IN} switches the Low Cut filter in and out. PHASE Field {PHASE} inverts the phase at the output.
Output Buss Temporary Activation Temporary Activation means temporarily assigning a group of Channels or Bus Masters to the far righthand fader bay of a Vi2, 4, or 6 console. The main point of this feature is that it gives a faster alternative to using the ALL BUSSES fader page, which switches ALL the Input Faders to Buss master mode To use this feature, touch the meter overview screen in the block of meters corresponding to the Output busses that you want to access.
Mute All Outputs The Mute All Outputs function allows the whole console to be temporarily muted with one button press. This can be convenient when you need to leave the console unattended, or can be used to prevent unexpected audio output from the console when loading unfamiliar Show files. To use the Mute All Outputs function, press and hold the MUTE ALL O/P button, located adjacent to the main Power button on the console front panel.
MATRIX SIGNAL FLOW Figure 6-1: Matrix Signal Flow (Vi4 shown, Vi6 has 32 contributions to each matrix, Vi2 has 8). Only one of up to 16 matrix paths is visible in figure 6-1. FUNCTION Instead of a simple output matrix Soundcraft Vi Series™ has a built-in freely-configurable matrix that can have up to 16 Outputs (mono). Each matrix output is a mix of up to 8 (Vi2), 24 (Vi4) or 32 (Vi6) configurable sources and contains full processing including Equaliser, compressor/limiter and Delay.
MTX Source MTX Point MTX master name Not used Not used Not used Source name [ON] Source VCA display FADER (Source) FADER GLOW [SOLO/SEL] Figure 6-2: Matrix Strip.
Adjusting A Matrix Send Level Ensure that the [ALL BUSSES] key is NOT selected. Press the [SOLO/SEL] on a matrix master. All the input bays will change to the matrix contributions view and the Faderglow™ illuminates with the matrix colour. The input strip [ON] keys act as ON for the matrix send signals. The fader adjusts the contribution level of the desired source (1..32). MATRIX CONFIGURATION This screen opens on all 4 input bays after pressing SOLO/SEL on a matrix master.
MTX Point Field The encoder changes the point from where the matrix source signal is taken. Which points are available depends on the Source selected.
ENCODERS GENERAL INTRODUCTION Each input channel strip contains three encoders (see Figure 7-1A): encoder 1 & encoder 2 are located in the VST fields in the lower screen area, the channel encoder is located at the top of the fader area, and has an LED ring to indicate its parameter state. Each of these encoders can control different parameters, depending on the settings of other parts of the console.
CHANNEL ENCODERS Channel encoders always control a parameter on their own channel strip. The function of the channel encoders can be globally selected via the [INPUT GAIN], [GATE THRS] and [PAN] keys on the Encoder Mode panel (see Figure 7- 2). Figure 7-2: Encoder Mode Panel. [USER1] and [USER2] are currently used to set the channel encoders to control the Low-cut Filters and USER the High-cutSETUP Filters respectively. [SETUP] is reserved future use.
CHANNEL VST ENCODER 1& 2 VST Encoder 1& 2 Figure Default VSTinput Encoders 1 & 2 For Input Bay. Picture7-3: shows the default bay view VST Encoder Priority HINT If a touch field is activated, the 16 encoders are assigned with the expanded channel function Ifparameters. a higher priority assignment action occurs, VST encoder functions change immediately to this mapping.
. Figure 7-4: Vistonics Mode Panel Channel encoder Changing Encoder Function With [INPUT GAIN], [GATE THRS] can and be [PAN] youby can these functions to all(see The function assigned to the VST encoders changed thedirectly user viamap the Vistonics Mode panel input 7-4). channels encoders on the desk. Figure [USER1] andASSN] [USER2] allow two different of functions the channel The two [FAST keys provide a very fast wayuser-defined to temporarilymappings assign a bus function totoa VST encoder encoders.
MASTER BAY PANEL ENCODERS The master bay has four panel-mounted encoders with LED rings (see Figure 7-1B): the TB/OSC Level Control encoder, and the Solo Blend, Solo Trim & Phones Volume encoders. These are all dedicated to their respective functions. A description of their functions is given in chapter 9 of this manual. MASTER BAY VST ENCODERS Figure 7-5: Default Master VST Encoder Assignment. The default setting for the Master VST encoders is as the output level controls for Master Outputs 1-16.
Figure 7-6: Master VST Mode and Switch Function Panel. Master Vistonics Switch Function Panel Although the VST switches which are located next to the encoders are not the subject of this chapter, for the sake of completeness a note on assigning their function is included here. Using the three buttons on the Switch Function panel, the VST switches can be assigned to [TB ASSN], [ON/OFF] or [SOLO/SEL]. [SOLO/SEL] is the default. The assigned function is the same for both Page A and Page B.
LAYERING (FADER PAGES) GENERAL Layers, or Fader Pages, allow the user to access different views of the DSP channel structure of the mixer, on the control surface. There are fixed, and assignable layers. INPUTS The Control Surface for the Soundcraft Vi Series™ contains three (Vi4) or four (Vi6, Vi2) fully equipped Input Bays that allow direct access and state information overview for 32 (24 on Vi4, 8 on Vi2) Input Channels.
Figure 8-2: Desk In Layer B Operation. Temporary Layer Touching an input meter field on the Master Vistonics ™ Screen will temporarily display the 8 channels that are in this group on input bay 4 of the surface. The input fader page selector will blink to indicate that the bay 4 is temporarily remapped. Leaving the mode can be done by pressing the input fader page selector or by touching the meter panel field again. A highlighted box appears around the 8 selected meters when they have been touched.
OUTPUTS Bus Masters can be accessed with the master fader strips in the VST Master Area or with the ALL Bus layer on the Input Bays. Master Fader section There are 6 layers for the master bay: VCA and A to E. They map the following master faders to the master bay as follows: VCA maps VCA 1-8, A maps busses 1-8, B maps busses 9-16, C maps busses 17-24, D maps busses 25-32, E maps VCA 9-16.
ALL Busses If [ALL BUSSES] is selected in the Input Fader Pages, all 32 Busses will be assigned to the four Input Fader Bays. This Layer allows a quick way to compare the outputs or quickly change the processing of the Busses. HINT: Configuration of the BUSSES, e.g. Format (mono/stereo) and Type (Aux, Grp, Matrix) is also handled in this Layer. Figure 8-6: ALL BUSSES Operation.
VST Master Area The VST Master Area allows all 32 Bus Masters to be accessed even if the 8 output faders are assigned to control VCA Masters. There are two layers of encoders: Page A displays busses 1-8 and busses 9-16, Page B displays busses 17-24 and busses 25-32. In the factory-default Front-Of-House Show, busses 1-16 are set as Aux, busses 17-24 are Groups, and busses 25-32 are set to Matrix. Figure 8-7: VST Master Area.
User-defined Fader Pages What is the difference between ‘Fixed’ and ‘User-defined’ Input Fader Pages? ‘Fader Pages’ are defined as arrangements of channel strips on your console. Up until Version 4.0 software, only ‘Fixed’ Fader Pages (A,B & C) were available on Vi consoles. These fixed pages are simply the input channels 1-32 (for example on Page A of a Vi6) arranged in sequential order in the same way as channels would be on an analogue desk.
Creating User Defined Input Fader Pages Step 1 – Open the Setup screens Press the Setup button in the Input Fader Page control section. This opens up identical Setup screens across all of the console’s input Vistonics screens – see the picture below. Each Setup screen contains three rows of buttons, corresponding to the User Pages 1, 2 and 3 for that bank of 8 fader strips.
Step 2 – Open the Channel Select screen To start assigning channels to the fader Strips, touch any of the buttons labeled ‘NONE’ in the previous screenshot, corresponding to the position and layer of the fader you want to assign something to. Normally you would start at the top left and work across each layer, assigning the faders in order.
Assigning VCA Master Faders to Input strips As well as choosing input channels to assign to fader strips on the User Layers, it’s also possible to assign VCA masters alongside the inputs.
Paired Input channels within User-defined Fader Pages The pairing system on the console allows channels to be paired either horizontally within any of the fixed Fader Pages, or vertically between any two adjacent fixed Fader Pages. The pairing indication is summarised using white rectangles on the console’s input meter overview screen, the layout of which corresponds to the fixed Fader Pages A, B and C.
Stereo Input Channels in User-defined Input Fader Pages Stereo paired channels are treated as if the two halves were separate mono channels, as far as assigning the channels to User-defined Fader pages goes. In other words it is not necessary to assign both sides of a stereo pair to a User page, if you want to maximize the use of faders.
User Defined Output Fader Pages With previous software versions on the Vi consoles, the Output Faders in the centre section of the console have only been accessible via 4 ‘fixed’ fader pages A,B,C,&D, with two fixed VCA fader pages under ‘VCA’ and ‘E’. Version 4.0 software unlocks the page buttons A – E and allows flexible configurations of Output busses and VCA Masters on any of the pages. (The ‘VCA’ page remains fixed and is dedicated to VCAs 1-8).
Creating User Defined Output Fader Pages Step 1 – Open the Setup screens Press the Setup button above the Output Fader page switches in the centre-section of the console. This will open a Setup screen on the master Vistonics screen – see picture below. The Setup screen contains five rows of buttons, corresponding to the five Output Fader Pages A – E, for the 8 Output fader strips.
Step 2 – Open the Output Select screen To change the default page assignment, touch any of the bus names on the Setup page to open the Output select screen. This screen shows a group of all the available busses and VCA Masters on the console, with the currently assigned one highlighted in white. The Output fader strip that you are changing is indicated by the white highlight on the long name display at the bottom edge of the Vistonics screen.
Combining Stereo Bus Masters onto a single Master Fader Prior to V4.0 software, the eight centre-section bus master faders could only control a maximum of 4 stereo busses on one fader page, because the stereo bus masters always used two faders each. The Vi surface however was designed to allow stereo busses to be controlled by single faders, which is why there is a stereo meter above each bus master fader, and Version 4.0 software now allows this mode of operation.
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DL5 supports up to 4 MUTE Groups (MG) and 16 VCA masters. VCA & MUTE GROUPS Soundcraft Vi Series™ supports up to 8 MUTE Groups (MG) and 16 VCA masters. [SETUP] Display Mute Groups (red) MUTE Groups 1..4 Display VCA 1..8 (blue) Display VCA 9..16 (pink) VCA/Mute Group indication Figure 9-1: MUTE & VCA Front Panel Keys Each input and output strip contains a VCA/mute group display. [MUTE], [VCA 1-8] and [VCA 9-16] set the display mode for all strips.
MUTE GROUP MASTER SWITCHES The four switches labelled 1-4 activate Mute Groups when pressed. VCA CONTROL GROUP BEHAVIOUR Up to 16 VCA Groups can be created. In the normal configuration of the console with a single Output section block, there are only 8 faders available for VCA Masters, therefore Output Fader pages must be used to access all 16.
ASSIGNING VCAs 1. Press the VCA/MUTE GROUP’s [SETUP] key. It will glow blue. 2. Choose the required VCA master by pressing its [SOLO/SEL] key, which will also glow blue. Note that if the output fader page is not displaying VCAs it will be necessary to select the [VCA] page (VCAs 1-8) or the [E]page (VCAs 9-16) first. 3. Press the [SOLO/SEL] key of any channel(s) that is(are) to be assigned to the selected VCA master. 4.
Effectively, because there can be up to 32 mono Aux sends configured on the console, this means that there are up to 32 sets of VCA groups (each with up to 16 Group Masters), in addition to the set of main channel fader VCA groups. This means that there are up to 33 virtual sets of 16 VCA master faders in total.
PATCH SYSTEM SIGNAL FLOW Figure 10-1: Patch Signal Flow.
OVERVIEW The patch system of the Soundcraft Vi Series™ is divided into functional groups allowing it to be accessed easily and intuitively via the console work surface. The following table gives an overview of where the Patch functions are located on the console work surface. Figure 10-2: Patch Function Overview. GENERAL RULES The following rules are valid for all patch pages. * Channel Label (name) entries are located near the Patch configuration.
INPUT The Input Patch connects an input connector or MADI channel with the desired input channels. Each input connector signal can be patched to more than one input channel at the same time. Figure 10-3: Input 1 Patch Configuration Page. Input Patch Point can be set individually for both possible Inputs IN1 and IN2, using the IN1 PATCH and IN2 PATCH configuration button. IN 2 can optionally be used for the > SPARE MIC function.
Patch A Source To An Input Channel * Press the Input field of the desired Channel * Press the IN1 or IN2 Patch button * Select the desired Input Source -> Audio will immediately patched * Leave the Patch page by pressing the IN1 or IN2 Patch button again, or the Exit button on screen. HINT: It is possible to select NONE, that means no audio source is patched to this INPUT. Location groups (e.g.
OUTPUT The Output Patch connects a master or bus out with an output connector or MADI channel. A master or bus out signal can be patched to several physical outputs at the same time. Figure 10-5: Output Patch Configuration Page. Patch a BUS to an OUTPUT There are two ways to access the Output Patch configuration page (Figure 10-5). They are summarised in Figure 10-2. As an example of one of the two methods proceed as follows: * Press one of the output fader page keys [A]-[D] on the master bay.
INSERT Figure 10-6: Insert Select Page. Inserts are organized within an Insert POOL that contains up to 24 insert send/return pairs.. Once set up, each insert in the pool can be easily patched to the desired Input channel or master insert point. Patching An Insert Point To An Input Channel * Select the PAN touch field of the destination input channel. * Press the {INSERT}VST config button. The insert select page will open in the touch area, see Figure 10-6.
Press to enter the INSERT setup page for the patch points and device names. • opens the output patch page, where it is possible to define the physical Figure 10-7: Insert Setup Page. connector for the insert send. • opens the input patch page, where it is possible to define the physical Patchingconnector Insert Send Orinsert Return Signals To The Connectors Or MADI Channels for the return.
DIRECT OUT The direct out patch connects a channel direct out with an output connector. Direct out can be patched to several outputs at the same time. Figure 10-8: Direct OUT Patch Configuration Page. HINT: If the channel is paired, and comes up and allows toggling between the L & R direct out patch of the paired channel.
KEY SIGNAL The key signal patch feeds a channel direct out or an input signal from the patch to the key input of the GATE. Figure 10-9: Key Signal Patch Configuration Page.
MATRIX The matrix patch page connects a channel direct out, an input signal, MADI channel, or a master signal to become a source for a Matrix output. Figure 10-10: Matrix Source Patch Page. Pressing the required VST key opens the Matrix Source Patch Page.
TIE LINES TIE Lines are direct connections from an input connector to a output connector. They are a path through the mixer with no processing and no mixing, and so do not use up any DSP channels. To open the Tie Line Setup page press the [MENU] key, and then press the tab at the top of the master area touch screen Figure 10-11: Tie Line Setup Page. Soundcraft Vi Series™ supports up to 24 tie lines. 8 of them are arranged per page.
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MONITORING SIGNAL FLOW Figure 11-1: Monitor Block Diagram. FUNCTION The Monitoring section in the Soundcraft Vi Series™ has three individual monitoring outputs: Monitor A 3 channel (LCR) format (it can be used as stereo by ignoring C) Monitor B Stereo format Headphones Stereo format. For each monitoring output, the following parameters can be set or configured: Source Input SOLO Output SOLO (with user configurable OUT SOLO Group) TB from external Audio Format (swapping or mono-ing Left or Right channels).
DESK VIEW Figure 11-2: Monitor Controls. SOLO TRIM Trims the SOLO Level in the range +/- 10 dB. This control is SOLO context sensitive. It is possible to set a different trim for each of the 32 Outputs in addition to a global input solo trim level. SOLO BLEND Adjusts the background level of the monitoring source signal which is audible when a solo is in operation from OFF (-∝)(as normal consoles) to a –10dB dim. This allows solos to be heard within a mix which has a reduced background level.
Level Meter The stereo Level Meter shows the level of the A or B outputs, depending upon the selection made via the Monitor B switch. The meters follow the Monitor Volume Fader. PFL/AFL Indication These two LEDs show if an active solo is a PFL or an AFL. ON This switches the currently-selected monitor (MTR A or MTR B) on. Monitor Volume This controls the volume of the currently-selected monitor (MTR A or MTR B).
MONITOR SETUP PAGE Figure 11-3: Monitor Setup Page. SOLO Section Input Sets the input channel solo mode to PFL. Sets the input channel solo mode to AFL. (default) Sets the input channel solo mode automatically, as follows. If 1 Input SOLO is active the mode is PFL, if more then 1 Input SOLO is active at the same time the mode is AFL. (Press and hold the first input solo key to then select additional solos.) Output Sets the Output SOLO mode to PFL.
Enables the Mute Safe (SIP isolation) configuration mode. If is active the Mute safe state from the Input channels can be toggled with the Channel’s SEL Key. The state for a given channel is indicated by that channel’s Mute Safe LED. This configuration mode is disabled when the setup page is exited. Enters the monitor setup sub-page (see Figure 11-6). MNTR A Section Figure 11-4: Summary Of Monitor A Option Functionality.
Solo Switching Routes the Input SOLO Signals to the Monitor A Output. Routes the Output SOLO from the Busses that are included in the OUT SOLO selection (see Figure 11-6) to the Monitor A Output. Routes the Talkback Return Signal to the Monitor A output.
Source USER A, USER B and (LR,C) are mutually exclusive, but LR and C can be mixed. Also ‘NONE’ can be selected. Sets the monitor A Source to LR. Sets the Monitor A Source to C. Sets the Monitor A Source to USER A. Sets the monitor A Source to USER B.
MONITOR SETUP SUB-PAGE Figure 11-6: Monitor Setup Sub-page. PATCH A field Displays the source name that is patched to USER A. Its {VST config button} opens the USER A patch page (see Figure 11-7). LABEL A field Displays the USER A label. Its {VST config button} opens the USER A label configuration page, which displays the internal keyboard, and allows the USER A label to be edited. DIM LEVEL field The encoder adjusts the DIM Level between 0 and – infinity.
Figure 11-7: User A Patch Page The USER A and USER B patch pages allow an alternative monitor source to the normal LR or LCR mix, to be set up. This can be used, for example, to allow the user to listen to a favourite monitor mix, whenever a solo is not pressed (select an Aux bus from the Bus Out page, as shown above).
Output Solo Selection Output Solo Selection allows an individual output solo to be sent only to a specific monitor output (Mon A, B or Phones). This is useful for stage monitoring applications where the solos of in-ear monitor mixes could be programmed to appear only on Monitor B for example, which could have an in-ear headphone system connected to it.
SOLO SYSTEM AFL ,PFL and SIP The solo system on Soundcraft Vi Series™ comprises a non-destructive PFL and AFL Solo capability from Inputs and Outputs, and also the option of a destructive Solo-In-Place mode, for use only during soundchecks or rehearsals. Solo-In-Place mode has to be enabled from within the Monitor Setup and changes the mode of operation of the Solo System.
* Soloing an Output generates a normal Output AFL Solo, the same as if SIP Mode was OFF. The Output signal is switched onto the Solo Bus and the Monitor section switches so that the Output Solo audio is heard on the Monitors, replacing the previous monitor source, if any.
Input Priority Mode When I/P Priority is enabled, via the Input Priority key (see Figure 11-10), it allows an Output Solo to remain active, whilst an Input Solo is temporarily activated ‘over the top’ of it. When the Input Solo is activated, its audio replaces the Output Solo audio on the Solo Bus, although the Output’s Solo/Sel switch remains illuminated. When the Input Solo is deactivated, the Output Solo’s audio will return to the Solo Bus.
Autocancel Behaviour In the majority of cases in live sound mixing, only one channel is soloed at any time, so it has become common practice for solos to ‘autocancel’ so that pressing any solo cancels the previous one, and only one solo can be ON at any time. This speeds up operation by eliminating the need to switch solos off before soloing the next channel.
Follow Output Solo Mode Purpose Of The Follow Output Solo Mode The Follow Output Solo [FLW] keys allow the user to quickly identify and adjust those input channels which are making contributions to each of the 32 outputs. There are three [FLW] keys: there is one fader key and two Vistonics™ area keys. Only one key can be active at any one time (none can be selected also). Their location is shown in Figure 11-11.
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TALKBACK & OSCILLATOR DESK VIEW Figure 12-1: TB/Oscillator Panel Controls. Setup Key The [SETUP] key opens and closes a dedicated Config page on the Output Vistonics™, allowing control over the following Talkback and Oscillator functionality: Mic gain and routing destinations for the three preset buttons, routing of return TB to busses and/or phones; Oscillator waveform, freq, mode and routing. The remaining controls on the front panel are for the talkback system only.
SETUP [SETUP] opens the configuration page which contains the central oscillator, Talkback Send and Talkback return configuration of the Soundcraft Vi Series™ Figure 12-2: Setup Page. OSC Section HINT: The oscillator can also be patched to the Input Channels by using the {OSC} key in the Input Channel VST screen. When the oscillator state is highlighted in the input touch field.
Figure 12-3: Bus Assign Page. Feeds the Oscillator to the preconfigured Busses, which are selected in the Bus Assign page (Figure 123). The oscillator signal is routed to the TB Bus and replaces the TB signal. FREQ field If the oscillator is set to SINE the Encoder adjusts the Frequency in the range 20 Hz – 20kHz. BUS ASSIGN field Its {VST config button} opens the Buss Assign page (see Figure 12-3). GAIN field Encoder adjusts the oscillator level in the Range – inf to +12 dB.
Figure 12-4: Oscillator Output Patch Page. This page allows the user to patch the oscillator to outputs on the StageBox and the Local Rack, to MADI channels, or to the key inputs of the dynamics units on the input channels 1-64. The user selects the appropriate screen by selecting one of the following touch screen buttons: , , or .
TB Send Section This section allows the console operator to route the TB mic signal to various outputs of the Soundcraft Vi Series™. TB Source Field Displays the source name. If nothing is selected the console’s TB mic XLR (parallelled) pair is automatically selected. Its {VST config button} opens the TB source patch configuration page (Figure 12-5). HINT: Sources can be the internal TB Microphone or any Microphone Input from the Soundcraft Vi Series™.
Figure 12-6: External TB Configuration. TB Return Section This section allows the console operator to route inputs directly into the monitor circuit. This allows assistants within a venue to talk directly to the console operator. This function must be enabled via the monitor setup page. Gain Encoder adjusts the TB return signal level. {ON} enables the TB return.
METERING Input Channel Meter Each input channel has an input meter. There are two parts to the meter (see Figure 13-1): The top part is a 20--segment level meter, and the lower part is a 9-segment Gain Reduction Meter (GRM). The level meter shows the input level at a selected point in the input channel. The point at which the input meter measures the signal within the input channel can be globally set via the Settings page, there are four options (see Figure 13-2).
Bus Master Meters Bus Masters can be configured as stereo channels, therefore the Bus Master Strip level meters have left and right meters (i.e. the left and right channels share a single set of controls, but note that this feature is reserved for a future release). Bus Master Strips The GRM shows the overall gain reduction of the limiter and compressor, if they are Bus Masters can be real stereo channels (ie the left and right channels engaged.
Meters On The Master Section Screen The meter panel is always visible if [Meter Lock] is enabled, unless a SETUP or configuration is active. If [Meter Lock] is disabled and a Solo/Sel button from a master is active, the meter panel will be temporarily replaced by the master processing view. The upper region shows all 32 Bus levels, while the lower part shows all 64 input levels.
Touch Selection The input meter overview is also touch-sensitive and allows blocks of 8 input channels to be selected and assigned to the far right-hand bay of the console surface. A grey/white overlay indicates which, if any, block of 8 channels has been selected; the [A] or [B] key on the Input Fader Pages panel also flashes to indicate the temporary activation of the right-hand bay.
MAIN MENU Figure 14-1: The [MENU] Key. Pressing the [MENU] key opens the Main menu page(see Figure 14-2) in the master section’s screen. MAIN Figure 14-2: Main Page. The other menu pages can be accessed by touching the appropriate tab at the top of the screen. The software Release number and Build must be quoted when requesting technical support from Soundcraft personnel. SECURITY Field {LOCK} locks all switches, encoders and faders on the console, except fot the {LOCK} key.
SHOW Figure 14-3: Show Page. A complete explanation of Shows is given in chapter 15 of this manual.
GPIO Figure 14-4: GPIO Page. A complete explanation of GPIO usage is given in chapter 18 of this manual.
SYNC Figure 14-5: Sync Page Currently the console will work only on an internal clock of 48kHz. If an external clock is connected to the clock card in the Local Rack ( to the wordclock, AES or video sync inputs) the console will switch to external sync, and the EXT indicator, together with the WCLK, AESor VIDEO indicators (as appropriate) will illuminate. In order for the console to lock to the external clock its frequency must be 48kHz +/-100ppm (+/- 0.01%).
Figure 14-6: Tie Lines Page. A complete explanation of Tie lines usage is given in chapter 11 of this manual.
FX Figure 14-7: FX Page. See Chapter 21.
MIDI Figure 14-8: MIDI Page. The MIDI page of the Main Menu contains the following elements : · · · · Device Lists for TX MIDI Channel, RX MIDI Channel and TX MIDI Device ID. Global MIDI Receive Channel, On/Off and Global Receive MIDI Device ID Global MIDI Transmit Channel and On/Off switch. MIDI Timecode RX global On/Off switch and Frame Rate control. Further information is in Chapter 22.
LOG Figure 14-9: Log Page. This page displays any errors which have occured since the console was last powered-up. These would usually be communications errors between the various components in the system, i.e. control surface, local rack and stagebox. The arrow butons allow the user to scroll up and down the list. The button displays 3 lines of text for the currently-selected message, the button replaces .
SETTINGS Figure 14-10: Settings Page This page contains the general settings of the console. POINT The point at which the input meters measure the signals within the input channels can be globally set via the {POINT} encoder. There are four options as shown below. ENABLE NEXT/LAST The [NEXT] and [LAST] keys are duplicated near the front of the desk, above the [SOLO CLR] and [GANG] keys. For safety these duplicated keys are normally not enabled, and have to be switched on via the {NO/ YES} key.
GEQ Mode This mode determines how many faders are used on the desk to control the graphic EQ bands. The ‘Large’ 30-fader mode allows fast access on multiple faders, at the expense of access to the input faders. (normal). The ‘Small’ (8-fader) mode is used when the opertor requires access to input faders at all times. Frequency bands can be scrolled in banks of 4 or 8 bands, using the Output Fader page buttons.
REDUCE Ch Count When a third DSP card is fitted to Vi2, 4 or 6 consoles, the input channel count is increased from 64 to 96 channels. There may be occasions where even on a fully expanded console, more than 64 channels are not needed and in this case the channel count may be reduced back to 64 using this control in the Settings page. The main benefit of this is to give easier handling of the touch-selection of blocks of inputs using the meter overview screen.
Setting the Internal Clock Press the Menu button on the console surface to open the Menu page. Choose the Settings tab at the top of the Menu page. The current time/date setting of the console’s internal clock is displayed at the top left of the screen. Touch the SETUP button on the touchscreen below the time and date display to open an editing page on the Vistonics encoders below.
SYSTEM MONITORING Overview Figure 14-11: System Monitoring Overview and Error Log Display Areas The System Monitoring Overview Display Area is located at the top right of the master screen, the Error Log Display Area is just below it (see Figure 14-11). Within the System Monitoring Overview Display Area each hardware device and the HiQnet™ network state is represented with a coloured label. The label colour indicates the overall state of the system monitoring page.
DESK Figure 14-12: System - Desk Page This page displays the current status of the desk’s 5 bays. The numerical data displayed for each bay gives the revision number of the firmware currently installed in each bay. This information may be needed by Soundcraft service personnel if technical or service support is requested.
FADER RECALIBRATION Under normal conditions, the faders of Vi2/4/6 will never need to be recalibrated. There is no requirement to do this on a routine basis. The only times this will be necessary will be either after the fader PCB has been replaced due to a fault, or liquid has been splashed into the faders, in which case it will be obvious that something is wrong with the behaviour of the faders.
LOCAL IO Figure 14-13: System - Local I/O Page This page displays a graphical representation, and the current status, of the cards in the Local Rack. It also shows the status of the PSU(s)and the status of the voltages for the analogue (VA) and digital (VD) power supply rails. The cooling fan status is also reported. A blue label under the card indicates that it equipped with inputs, a red label indicates that it is equiped with outputs.
STAGE BOX Figure 14-14: System - Stage Box Page This page displays a graphical representation, and the current status, of the cards in the Stage Box. It also shows the status of the PSU(s) and the status of the voltages for the analogue (VA) and digital (VD) power supply rails. The cooling fan status is also reported. A blue label under a card display indicates an input function, and a red label indicates an output function. If the card configuration of the Stagebox is changed (e.g.
HiQNET Figure 14-15: Settings Page HiQNet {ON} Enables or disales the HiQNet ethernet port on the rear of the control surface. HiQNet ADDRESS Allows the HiQNet Address for the console to be edited. Every piece of equipment on a HiQNet network must have a unique HiQNet address. IP CONFIG: DHCP or MAN Set to MAN if you wish tio manually set the IP address for the console, or to DHCP if you wish the address to be assigned automatically by an external DHCP server (e.g.
SNAPSHOTS, CUES and SHOWS The Snapshot system allows the user to store records of the console’s settings. When a Snapshot is stored it becomes part of a Cue: a Cue contains a Snapshot and optional MIDI and GPIO/HiQnet events. These Cues can then be recalled during a performance. Cues can be deleted, copied and moved within the running order of the show. The Cues are stored on the console’s flash drive, each set of Cues is stored as a Show.
FRONT PANEL DISPLAY AND CONTROLS The Cues of the currently-loaded show are displayed in the Cue List displayed on the master screen (see Figure 15-2). The Show’s title is also displayed. Cue List Figure 15-2: Cue List. The Snapshot/Cue keys (see Figure 15-3) are used as described below. Figure 15-3: Front Panel Snapshot/Cue Controls. SETUP The [SETUP] key causes the Setup page to be displayed on the master screen, see Figure 15-4. DATA Socket This accepts a USB data storage device.
PREV MODE This mode locks the audio where it is, and allows the control surface to be recalled to any desired Cue, for checking purposes, or to make updates to future Cues, without changing any audio. The surface re-synchronises with audio when Preview mode is switched off. See page 6 for more information. LAST The [LAST] key is used in conjunction with the information displayed in the Cue List (see Figure 15-3).
To set the Crossfade time for a specific Cue, press the Setup button in the Snapshot Control area of the control surface to open the Cue List page, then select the required Cue using the scroll bars or up/dwn arrow keys, and touch the name area of the currently selected Cue in the centre of the Cue List (the area becomes highlighted white, as shown in the picture below): The time selected on the XFADE control below the Cue List will be the time taken for the desk to change from its current state, to the st
Old Show files and Crossfade parameters When loading an old pre-V4.0 Show file, be aware that these do not contain any Crossfade information in their Cue List, and so whatever Crossfade settings that might be present on the desk, for example from the previously loaded Show, will remain on the desk and appear to get copied into the Cue list of your old show. To avoid this, always load a Default show onto the console before loading a pre-V4.0 show that has not yet been saved on a V4.0 desk.
Snapshot Preview Mode Snapshot Preview mode allows snapshots to be recalled to the console surface without affecting the audio running in the DSP core, and so provides as useful way to check what is about to be recalled in a Cue, during a show.
Cue List Display A Cue is a combination of a desk snapshot, various types of events and some text notes. The list allows the snapshots to be combined with transmitted events and arranged into a running order. The Cue List is stored in the current Show. The list comprises columns for Cue Number (or Timecode), Cue Name, Desk Snapshot status (DESK), MIDI event status (MIDI), and GPIO, HiQnet and Blackout event status (GPIO/misc).
SETUP Pressing [SETUP] opens the following page. This page can also be opened by touching the Cue List in the top right corner of the Master screen, see page 15-2. Figure 15-4: Snapshot & Cues Setup Page. HIDE SCOPE/SHOW SCOPE Buttons If the left-hand side of Figure 15-4 is not shown on your console it is because the Snapshot Scope is hidden in order to simplify the screen for new users. If you wish to see these controls, press the button.
Edit & Control Buttons These touch buttons allow a) creation of Cues, scrolling of the list, and b) various editing operations on the list such as Delete, Move, Duplicate, rename etc. To allow these operations to be carried out on more than one Cue at a time, a set of Multi Select buttons c) are also provided. a) Action buttons buttons: Moves the Cue List up and down through the central selection cursor. These buttons are duplicated by the action of the UP/DWN arrow buttons on the surface.
The button is renamed after it is switched on, and pressing will ‘drop’ the Cue or group of Cues at the point immediately after the last visible Cue above the selection bar. The Cue Numbers of these moved Cues will be recalculated according to the ‘Inserted Cue’ numbering rules (see Cue Numbering). c) Selection mode buttons
CUE NUMBERING CUE NUMBERING New Cues that are created at the end of the list (depends on cursor position when Store or New Cue is pressed) are always given whole numbers. Inserting cues (by moving an existing one or creating a new Cue with the cursor in the list) always generates a new number with one or two decimal places, at approx the mid-point of the existing numbers: 1.0 2.0 1.0 Insert -> 1.5 Insert -> 1.25 1.5 MOVING CUES Moving Cues causes the moved Cues to be automatically renumbered.
Snapshot Scope GUI Please refer to Fig 15-6. Note the button, if the screen on the Vi isn’t showing the scope information, press the button. The Snapshot Scope GUI allows the Snapshot Scope filter to be edited globally – by function block or parameter group, and by channel. Shortcut buttons in the GUI allow or of the parameter groups to be quickly selected or deselected in the Scope.
As with normal ganging on the console, Scope parameters that were already set to the desired state of the parameter being changed will not change unless the parameter is changed back to its original state again, in which case they will follow. Selecting a complete function block: A short press on the function block will select all the parameter groups within the block – all the mini icons will change to bright green. As many function blocks as required can be selected at the same time.
The bay number corresponding to the output master bay gives a different-looking sub-page that only displays enable buttons for the 16 VCA groups (2 rows of 8 buttons) and the LCR button, plus ALL and NONE buttons. (Note that this scope relates only to the VCA Master parameters (Fader & On), not to the channel assignments which are controlled within the input channel scope).
APPLY CHANGES TO SCOPED PARAMS IN SELECTED CUES The software includes the capability to copy control settings that exist on the surface, into one or any number of other Cues in the Cue list. It is possible to define which controls from the current surface state will be stored, and which Cues you want to update with these control settings. The changes made to the Cues will be ‘absolute’, ie the original setting of that parameter will be replaced by the new setting.
CUE LIST PAGE - Cue Number Field Touched Figure 15-11: Cue Number Field Touched. Touching the Cue Number area of the highlighted Cue switches the Vistonics encoders below to a new mode that allows specific parameters relating to this Cue to be edited. CUE ENABLE {ON} key: Enables/disables the recall of this Cue in the List. When set to OFF, the Cue is jumped over in the list, if the [NEXT] and [LAST] keys are used to sequentially recall Cues.
CUE LIST PAGE - Cue NAME Field Touched Figure 15-12: Cue Name Field Touched. Touching the Cue Name area of the highlighted Cue switches the Vistonics encoders below to a new mode that allows specific parameters relating to this Cue to be edited. SNAPSHOT ENABLE - {ON} key: Enables/disables recall of the desk snapshot in this Cue. When not set to ON, the SNAP icon in the Cue List is greyed out.
CUE LIST PAGE - MIDI Field Touched Figure 15-13: MIDI Field Touched. This page displays setup controls for a unique MIDI IN message that can trigger the current Cue to be recalled, and up to 20 MIDI OUT events that can be sent when the current Cue is recalled. MIDI IN Setup {ON} key: enables/disables the selected MIDI parameters from triggering recall of this Cue when they are received by at the MIDI input. When off, the currently selected Cue cannot be triggered by an incoming event.
Default settings stored in current Show are: On key = OFF Channel = ‘No device’ REC key = OFF Message Type= blank Value 1&2 = blank MIDI OUT Setup The MIDI Out setup differs from MIDI In, in that instead of only 1 event for the Cue, there is an ‘Events List’ per Cue of up to 20 events that can be transmitted. Each of the events can be transmitted on any of the 16 MIDI channels on the two MIDI OUT ports (32 channels in total).
When the SysEx message type is selected, the Value 1 field changes to include a sub-page key which opens the QWERTY keyboard and allows the string to be entered in Hexadecimal format. When the string is longer than the number of characters displayable in the VST field, it is abbreviated with ‘…’ – see Fig 15-15. Figure 15-15: SysEx Message Type. CHANNEL encoder: Allows the MIDI ‘transmit’ channel for the currently selected Event Number to be set.
CUE LIST PAGE - MIDI Field Touched & Event List Open Figure 15-16: MIDI Field Touched & Event List Open. Pressing the sub-page key in the EVENT NUMBER VST field opens the Events sub-page, which is displayed to the left of the Cue List. Note that the events will be transmitted in the order that they appear in the list (i.e. No.1 first), although the speed of transmission of all 20 events is almost simultaneous.
CUE LIST PAGE - GPIO/Misc Field Touched Figure 15-17: GPIO/Misc Field Touched. GPI {ON} key: Enables/disables reception of the defined GPI signal from recalling the current Cue. VIRTUAL PIN encoder: Allows a Cue List Virtual GPI Pin to be selected as the trigger source. The Virtual Pin must be assigned to a real (Physical) Pin in the GPIO Page. There are 80 Virtual GPI Pins available. (allows for 32 local plus up to 48 on 6 stageboxes).
Global Filter ISO Key Functionality [ISO] keys have 3 states: 2 ON states and 1 OFF state. Pressing the key will cycle round the states in the order OFF, ON1, ON2, OFF, ON1 etc. Note that state ON2 will only exist if a partial Isolation has been set up on the strip (using the press & hold functionality – see below). OFF state: (key not illuminated): No Isolation of any parameters.
The Global Filter On switch in the Cue List page will automatically change to the ON state when the first parameter is selected.
LOAD ISO WITH SHOW The {YES}/{NO} key (its legend toggles) enables the user to recall (or not) the new Global Filter settings when a new Show is loaded. The purpose of this feature is to allow ISO buttons to be used to protect sections of the console (e.g.. output section and master outputs) from changing when a new show is loaded in.
MANAGING SHOWS Loading Shows, copying Shows to and from USB data storage devices, and creating new Shows is done from the following page. It is reached by pressing [MENU] and then the tab at the top of the page (or the Show name at the top of the Cue List display area, which is at the top right corner of the main screen, can be touched). Figure 15-19: The Show Page Note that the Show page appears as shown in Figure 15-19 if a USB data storage device is present in the USB slot.
Default Shows The console comes with some factory-installed shows. These are not normally visible in the list, but they can be seen by pressing the button. The default Shows are at the top of the list and are shown in italic text. They cannot be deleted with the button, nor renamed. The Default Shows are designed to reset the whole console back to a ‘flat’ starting point. Creating A New Show The user can select a default show or another existing show and use the button.
Export Exception Files If the console’s on-board computer malfunctions an exception file is automatically written to the flash drive. Pressing the GO key will write this file to a connected USB memory device. A service engineer may want to look at this file. This key is only available if a USB memory device is connected. RECORDED DATA As was mentioned previously, some settings are recorded as part of a Show, others as part of a Snapshot, and a few are not recorded at all.
All parameters in the menu/settings page. Follow Solo switches. Mute Group Master switch status. Settings Recorded Within Audio Settings This applies to the Show Snapshot and to any standard Cues. All Channel* audio settings on the console: Channel ON; Fader positions; Pan; Channel Parameters (EQ/ Dynamics/input/output/ insert). All Channel Bus assigns, levels, Pre/Post states and Channel Labels. All Channel Patch settings. All I/O controls. *A ‘channel’ is an input, output or Master LRC channel.
V4.0 and Older Software There is full backward and forward compatibility between Shows saved on Version 4.0 consoles and older version consoles. Shows saved on V2.x software can be loaded into a V4.7 console. Shows saved on a V4.7 console can be loaded into a desk running V2.x software (without any of the features such as snapshot scope, partial isolation and events that were not present in the V2.x software). This is achieved by converting the old Shows to V4.7 format when they are loaded on the V4.
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GPIO CONFIGURATION In the GPIO (General Purpose Input Output) Page you can configure all GPIO channels that are available in the Soundcraft Vi Series™. To access the GPIO page, press the [MENU] key, this opens the Main menu page on the master section screen, then touch the tab (see also chapter 14). Figure 16-1: GPIO Page. The scrollable tables show the configuration of the GPIO channels. The configuration is done via the VST fields.
GPI VST Keys & Encoders GPI Field The {ON} key enables the selected GPI function. GPIO Inputs are via opto-isolators. Function Field This field displays the Input function. Its encoder selects the function. Parameter Field This field displays the Parameter (e.g. Channel number). There is no parameter for TB INPUT. The encoder adjusts the Parameter. Polarity Field This field displays the Polarity of the input. The encoder changes the polarity between positive (+) and negative (-).
Figure 16-2: Summary Of Available Settings. Figure 16-3: Relay timing diagram.
HARDWARE Schematic Diagram Figure 16-4: Schematic Diagram. For general-purpose applications requiring total electrical isolation, the GPIO card provides electricallyisolated opto-coupler inputs with integrated current sink (5 to 24 VDC) and electrically isolated outputs using SPST relay contacts. 5 VDC and Gnd supply pins are provided. Inputs and outputs are on standard D-type connectors (female). Inputs Control inputs (GPI Xa/b) are completely independent and electrically isolated.
Pin Lists Figure 16-5: Pin Lists.
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SOUNDCRAFT FaderGlow™ 20 Fader Glow GENERAL General Soundcraft FaderGlow™ (Pat. Pend.) is a unique feature that gives the user an additional level of status Fader Glow (Pat. Pend.) is a unique feature that gives the user an additional level of status indication, andsignificantly can significantly reduce overview, and can reduce operating errors. operating errors.
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COPY, PASTE & LIBRARIES INTRODUCTION The Copy/Paste function allows the settings of any channel, bus, FX section or processing element to be copied and pasted to any number of other channels, saving set up time and helping eliminate errors. The last paste operation can be quickly reversed with an UNDO function.
COPY & PASTE PRINCIPLES In COPY mode, it is neccessary to select the required items. Selecting them places the items onto the clipboard. Single or multiple channels or busses can be collected, or single or multiple elements from within the same channel or bus can be collected. DATA SELECTION & INDICATORS Full Channel A full Channel can be selected in both COPY and PASTE modes by pressing the [SEL] Key.
COPYING CHANNEL OR BUS PARAMETERS · · Press [COPY]. [COPY] lights. Collect Channel Parameters by pressing [SOLO/SEL] for the whole Channel or Touch Fields for functional groups like EQ or Long press on Touch fields to enter Zoom mode for individual Parameters. Parameters are copied to the clipboard. · Press [PASTE]. [PASTE] lights, [COPY] will be switched off. · Select the destination channel by pressing [SOLO/SEL] or touching any VST field on the channel.
CHANNEL COPY: ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN COPY WITH SEL BUTTON Input 1/2 switch Input 1 & 2 patch Mic Input Gain All associated switches (48V, PAD, Phase Inv etc) Insert Point – all aspects Direct Output – all aspects Fader and Mute VCA & Mute Group Assignment FX settings BUS OUTPUT COPY: ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN COPY WITH SEL BUTTON Output patch Insert Point – all aspects FX settings Note that the Aux send levels (or routing switch status for Groups) from input channels to a bus also always copied when the bus ma
COPYING FX PARAMETERS Parameter settings from any of the 8 internal Lexicon FX units can be copied from one device and pasted to another. To make selection of the source and destination units easy, a set of 8 FX-select encoders appears on the central screen in both Copy and Paste modes. The selection is made by either touching the relevant encoder or pressing the corresponding Vistonics button beside the encoder.
Parameters are copied to the clipboard . Press [PASTE] . Select the destination FX unit by touching the required FX Select Encoder (or adjacent button) in the central screen. or touching any touch field on the target channel or bus strip. or pressing [SOLO/SEL] on the target channel or bus The FX unit settings on the clipboard are immediately copied to the destination FX unit. . The operation can be undone by pressing [UNDO], before exiting Paste mode. . End the function by pressing [PASTE] again.
LIBRARIES The Libraries functionality enables various elements of the console, eg EQ section, Dynamics section, or complete channels and busses, to be copied from the desk and stored in the Library system. Later these items can be retrieved and pasted from the Library to any destination channel or bus on the console. The ability to export complete Libraries or individual entries to a USB stick allows you to extract saved items from the console and later import them to another console.
Default LIbrary The console comes with one pre-installed Default Library. This Default Library contains factory presets for a variety of common applications. These factory default library entries are ‘read-only’ and cannot be deleted. A mechanism exists for the default entries in the Default Library to be updated via a special update procedure. New, modified or additional default entries may be released from the factory from time to time.
NAVIGATING AND MANAGING LIBRARIES Figure 18-7: Copy to Library page To perform operations on the Library, either the Copy to LIB page or the PASTE from LIB page must be opened. To do this, press either [COPY] or [PASTE] followed by the {LIB} key in the bottom left corner of the central Vistonics screen. TITLE info: The text line in the top left corner of the screen, beginning \\ always shows which Library and Category is currently selected.
the {DEL} button changes to become a {CLR} button when in the Category level. Pressing {CLR} will delete all Entries within that Category. Confirmation dialogues are displayed before all Delete or Clear operations. (facing page to previous screenshot) SAVE AS button: Only displayed at the top Library level. Saves a copy of the currently loaded Library, with a new name. The QWERTY keyboard is opened to allow the new name to be entered. NEW button: Only displayed at the top Library level.
COPY TO LIBRARY Figure 18-8: Copy to Library page Copying an EQ to the library · · · · · · Press [COPY] on DESK Press {LIB} key in “COPY TO” field in the central screen Touch the EQ touch field on an input or output channel strip The library will automatically change to the EQ library A new library item will automatically be stored in the EQ catagory, with the name newItem_x Press to open the QWERTY keyboard and rename the new item Press [COPY] on DESK to return the console to normal operation.
PASTE FROM LIBRARY Figure 18-9: Paste from Library page Pasting an EQ from the library · · Press [PASTE] on DESK Press {LIB} in “PASTE FROM” field in central screen Method 1 · Select the desired Library /EQ and the desired library entry in the list · Press [SEL] or the EQ Touch field on the destination Channel to load the Equaliser settings to that channel.
EXPORTING AND IMPORTING LIBRARIES Figure 18-10: Importing to & Exporting from a USB memory device. If a USB memory device is inserted into one of the console’s USB ports, an additional window will be visible on the right-hand side of the Library page, as shown above. This right-hand window shows the contents of the USB memory device, which will initially be empty if it has no Libraries stored on it.
Entries To export an individual Entry to the USB stick, the full Library folder structure must already be present on the stick. Using the {DIR UP} or {SEL} buttons, position the cursor on both the internal Library and the USB stick at the same level – showing Entries. Then use the {right-arrow} button between the windows to copy the selected Entry to the USB stick.
SOUNDCRAFT Vi Series™ FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS AUDIO CHANNELS Max number of simultaneous mixing channels Soundcraft Vi6™ : 96 mono inputs into 35 Outputs. Pairs of mono inputs can be linked to create stereo channels. Soundcraft Vi4™ : 96 mono inputs into 35 Outputs. Pairs of mono inputs can be linked to create stereo channels. Soundcraft Vi2™ : 96 mono inputs into 35 Outputs. Pairs of mono inputs can be linked to create stereo channels.
Stagebox Inputs 64 analogue mic/line inputs (with remote gain control, PAD, 48V and pre-A-D 80Hz HPF). This assumes Vi4 has been specified with 64 inputs on stagebox. Stagebox Outputs 32 analogue line outputs MISCELLANEOUS Connection from local rack to stagebox Standard fit: Cat 5e Neutrik Etherflex cable ZNK CT2672601. Optional: Fibre Optical interface card with 150 or 200m cable (additional cost). Max distance, local rack to stagebox: 80m using flexible reel-mounted Cat5 cable (Neutrik Etherflex only).
Graphic EQ 1/3-octave (with FX Card) Assignable Lexicon Multi-FX processors x8 (with FX Card) CONTROL SURFACE Inputs Soundcraft Vi6™ 32 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers to access 96 inputs. Soundcraft Vi4™ 24 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers and meter screens to access up to 96 inputs. Soundcraft Vi2™ 8 input faders, switchable in 3 fixed layers and meter screens to access 96 inputs. Vistonics II channel strip interface, each Vistonics controls 8 input channels.
Vi Series TYPICAL SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Response Stagebox Mic input to Line output AES/EBU In to AES/EBU Out T.H.D. & Noise 22Hz-22kHz Stagebox Mic In (min gain) to Local Line Out Stagebox Mic In (min gain) to Local Line Out Local Line In to Line Out Mic Input E.I.N. 22Hz-22kHz bandwidth, unweighted Residual Noise Stagebox line output; no inputs routed, Mix fader @0dB CMRR Stagebox Mic input +0/-1dB, 20Hz-20kHz +0/-0.2dB, 20Hz-20kHz <0.003% @ 1kHz <0.020% @ 1kHz <0.
Stagebox HP Filter Channel HP filter Channel LP filter EQ (Inputs and bus Outputs) Metering 80Hz fixed, 12dB per octave 20Hz-600Hz, 18dB per octave 1kHz-20kHz, 18dB per octave HF: 20Hz-20kHz, +/-18dB, Q= 0.3-8.7 or shelving Hi-Mid: 20Hz-20kHz, +/-18dB, Q=0.3-8.7 Lo-Mid: 20Hz-20kHz, +/-18dB, Q=0.3-8.7 LF: 20Hz-20kHz, +/-18dB, Q= 0.3-8.7or shelving Internal 20-segment LED bargraphs plus 9-segment gain reduction meters for all inputs and Outputs. Peak hold variable from 0-2s.
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Vi Processor™ Card General The Vi Processor™ Card fitted to the Soundcraft Vi Series™ contains 8 powerful LEXICON® Effects Processing Units and 35 high-quality BSS® 30-band Graphic Equalisers. LEXICON® Effects Each Effects Unit can be inserted into any Output/Main Master bus or into any Input Channel, or it can be patched as an FX Return to an Input Channel, fed from an Aux send. Each FX Unit supports up to 30 different professional LEXICON® Effects.
FX Overview Page In the Overview Page all eight FX processors are visible at the same time and can also be adjusted. The parameters available for adjustment will depend upon the type of FX which is selected. A description of the Effects and their associated controls is given in the section which starts on page 13 of this chapter. To enter the FX Overview Page press [MENU] and select the FX Tab.
TAP For each effect that offers TAP Tempo (Tempo synchronisation using key press), the bottom left key is used as the TAP button. ASSIGNING F1-6 KEYS TO FX TAP TEMPO (V2.0 Software and above) In live situations it is often advantageous to be able to easily control the TAP function from a large button which is permanently accessible on the console surface. The large F1-6 keys below the Master screen can now be used for this purpose. Figure 21-3: ASSIGNING F1-6 KEYS TO FX TAP TEMPO. From V2.
Changing the assignment of F-keys to TAP function The first 2 Lexicon units LEX1 and LEX2 have their Delay TAP buttons assigned to F1 and F2 by default because these settings are stored within the read-only factory default Shows (updated with V2.0 software release). In order to assign the TAP functions of more FX units to the F-keys, proceed as follows: . Press the [MENU] button and select the {GPIO} menu tab. .
Figure 21-5: Selecting An FX Processor As An Insert Effect. Select the desired FX processor. If the processor is in use, a dialog asks if you want to move it from its current location. Pressing the key will return you to a page similar to Figure 21-6. Notice that the EQ area on the screen is now shared with an FX processor icon. Pressing the area will return the screen to its normal display mode. The FX processor can be adjusted by pressing the FX processor icon on the screen.
Figure 21-6: An FX Processor As An Insert Effect. Figure 21-7: Adjusting An FX Processor.
Master Insert This operation mode is an elegant way to use Reverb Effects without loosing Input Channels for the Return signals. In this Mode the FX processor is inserted in an AUX Master, and the AUX Master is assigned to the Main Master (LR). The Input Gain of the FX can be adjusted with the Insert Send TRIM control and the effect amount can be adjusted with the Master Fader Figure 21-8: FX MASTER INSERT.
Figure 21-9: Selecting An FX Processor As A Master Bus Insert Effect. Figure 21-10: Adjusting An FX Processor.
Return in Channel section This is the classical operation mode for Reverb Effects. The Output of an AUX Master is patched to the Input of an FX Unit, and the Output of the FX Unit is patched to either a mono or 2 paired (Stereo) Input Channels that mixes the Reverb content to the Main Masters or other destinations. Figure 21-11: FX Return Via An Input Channel. Patch an FX processor from an AUX Master to the Input section Press the [ALL BUSSES] key. Press the area on the desired AUX Master bus.
Figure 21-12: Patching An FX Processor To A Master Bus Output. Figure 21-13: Patching An FX Processor To An Input Channel’s Input.
FX TYPE For each of the 8 FX processors an individual FX Type can be selected. The FX Types are grouped into the following categories: • REVERB • DELAY • MISC A description of the Effects and their associated controls is given in the section which starts on page 13 of this chapter. HINT: Selecting an FX Type always loads the last user parameter settings for this Type. Figure 21-14: Type Selection Page (Reverb). This page is opened by pressing the {TYPE} button.
Figure 21-15: Type Selection Page (Delay). Figure 21-16: Type Selection Page (Misc).
FX DESCRIPTIONS The Vi Series Lexicon FX are divided into three categories: REVERBS, DELAYS and MISC. REVERBS Reverberation (or “reverb” for short) is the complex effect created by the way we perceive sound in an enclosed space. When sound waves encounter an object or boundary, they don’t just stop. Some of the sound is absorbed by the object, but most of the sound is reflected or is diffused.
Ambience Reverb - Stereo Ambience is used to simulate the effect of a small or medium sized room without noticeable decay. It is often used for voice, guitar or percussion. Gated Reverb - Mono In/Stereo Out Gated reverb is created by feeding a reverb, such as a metal plate, through a gate device. Decay Time is set to instant, while Hold Time varies duration and sound. The Gated reverb provides a fairly constant sound with no decay until the reverb is cut off abruptly.
Shape & Spread In the Hall reverbs, Shape and Spread work together to control the overall ambience of the reverberation. Shape determines the contour of the reverberation envelope. With Shape all the way down, reverberation builds explosively, and decays quickly. As Shape is advanced, reverberation builds up more slowly and sustains for the time set by Spread.
DELAYS Delays repeat a sound a short time after it first occurs. Delay becomes echo when the output is fed back into the input (feedback). This turns a single repeat into a series of repeats, each a little softer than the last. Studio Delay - Stereo The Studio Delay features up to 1 second of stereo delay and offers a built-in ducker that attenuates the delay output whenever signal is present at the input. This can be used to keep the original signal from being muddied up by delay repeats.
Delay Time Controls the length of the delay time relative to Tempo. At the middle of its range, delay repeats are synchronous with the Tempo button; lower values create faster repeats, while higher values increase the time between repeats. Feedback Controls the number of delay repeats by feeding the delay output signal back into the delay input. This creates a series of delay repeats, each slightly attenuated until they become inaudible.
Chorus - Stereo Chorus creates a lush, full sound by combining two or more signals together where one is unaffected and the other signals vary in pitch ver y slightly over time. Chorus is commonly used to fatten up tracks and to add body to guitars without coloring the original tone. Chorus can also be used with discretion to thicken a vocal track.
Detune - Stereo Detune adds a slightly pitch-shifted version of the original source, thickening the sound. This creates a particularly effective simulation of “double-tracking.” This effect is also a great alternative to the Chorus effect, adding the richness of a chorus without the audible sweep caused by the chorus rate.
Maximum Speed Sets the maximum speed at which the effect will oscillate. Doppler Increases or decreases the Doppler pitch effect that is created by the physics of a rotating speaker. Shift 1 & 2 Determines the amount of pitch shift or detune shift from the original signal source. Works best with individual notes. Delay 1 & 2 Sets the delay time before the pitch shift or detune effect is heard in the Pitch Shift and Detune effects.
BSS® Graphic Equalisers The Vi Series uses a total of 35 high-quality BSS® Graphic Equalisers (GEQ). Each of the 32 Busses and the three Main Masters are equipped with a 30-band Graphic Equalizer from BSS®. The overall Q of the graphic EQ is adjustable from 4 to 6 in 0.5 steps, to allow a narrower or wider bandwidth of the filers as desired. Narrower bands are better for feedback tuning, while wider bands are more suited to room equalisation. To access any of the GEQs first press the [ALL BUSSES] key.
Figure 21-18: Master Bay With An Output Bus Soloed. When a is touched, the lower part of the master bay’s screen appears as shown in Figure 21-19. Figure 21-19: Lower Part Of The Master Bay’s Screen in Graphic EQ Mode showing cut/boost in Vistonics area when fader is touched. There are three controls available on this screen: Width (Q or BWOct) This allows the operation of the bandwidth controls in the EQ sections throughout the console to be selected as either Octaves or Q-factor.
The Octaves setting provides a more intuitive control in a musical context The control adjusts Q between 4 and 6 in 0.5 steps, or bandwidth between 0.24 and 0.36 in 0.03 steps. Selection of Q or BW is made in the SETTINGS Menu. Note: The setting of the Q/BWOct control affects ALL EQ’s on the desk, parametric and graphic. FLAT ALL {FLAT ALL} set the Gains of all 30 bands to 0 dB GEQ {IN} GEQ {IN} switches the GEQ on.
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MIDI Main Menu – MIDI page open & RX Channel list selected Figure 22-1: MIDI RX Channels. The MIDI page of the Main Menu contains the following elements : · · · · · Device Lists for TX MIDI Channel, RX MIDI Channel and TX MIDI Device ID. Global MIDI Receive Channel, On/Off and Global Receive MIDI Device ID Global MIDI Transmit Channel and On/Off switch. MIDI Timecode RX global On/Off switch and Frame Rate control. Display Timecode On/Off.
The , and buttons select one of the three Device Lists for viewing and name editing. The NAME sub-page button opens the QWERTY keyboard and allows the default Device names to be edited. The SCROLL Devices encoder allows fast scrolling of the selected list. The List wraps around when scrolled – ie it is possible to scroll down from Chan 1 to Chan 16, and up from Chan 16 to Chan 1 in the case of RX, (or from OUT1:1 to OUT2:16 in the case of TX).
TC Display {ON} key. When switched on, the incoming MIDI timecode value and its automatically detected frame rate is displayed instead of the show name on the main page in the control bay screen. MIDI OUT: The red area of the screen controls parameters relating to MIDI output. ON button: works as a global enable buttons for the 2x MIDI OUTs – when this button is off, no transmission is possible from either of the MIDI OUTs. GLOBAL TX CHAN VST Encoder : Sets the Global Transmit MIDI Channel for the console.
Main Menu –MIDI page open & Transmit Device IDs list selected Figure 22-3: MIDI TX Device IDs. Showing the Device List with the Transmit Device IDs button selected. The NAME sub-page button opens the QWERTY keyboard and allows the default Device names to be edited. Device ID 127 With MIDI Device IDs, the number 127 is a special case that is reserved for transmitting to ALL connected devices. Therefore the Device name for the number 127 is fixed as ‘ALL’ and it is not possible for the User to edit it.
MIDI Event Types Event Type Display as: Value 1, data range Value 2, data range Cue List TX Note On Program Change Note On Prog Chng Note value, 0-127 Yes Yes Velocity 0-127 Yes Program No., 0-127 - Controller Controller RX Controller No., 0-127 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Value, 0-127 SysEx String SysEx User-defined text string, transmitted as entered. - Yes MIDI Show Control: GO TO CUE# Go To Cue Cue #, No. of cues in the cue list.
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96/72 CHANNEL VERSION 96/72 Channel Version. On a Vi Series console running V3.0 software or later, the console may be upgraded to 96 (Vi6) or 72 (Vi4) mixing channels, by fitting an additional DSP card to the Local Rack. This upgrade may either be factory fitted at time of order, or can be retrofitted to existing consoles. This User Guide refers to the standard 64 or 48 channel version in most cases, but the information below describes the differences with the 96/72ch version.
Hints on using the DSP Upgrade’s additional 32/24 channels When the Vi Series is upgraded with the DSP card addition, there are two ways to use the additional channels: 1. Making more use of the existing I/O The Vi6 already has 64 mic ins from the stagebox, plus 16 line inputs, 3 mic inputs, 16 AES/EBU inputs and up to 64 MADI inputs in the Local Rack, plus the returns from the 8 built-in stereo Lexicon FX units.
Installing a Third DSP card for 96ch operation In order to take advantage of the mixing channel upgrade of the V3.0 software, an third DSP card needs to be installed in the Local Rack. Although DSP cards will work in any of the free slots in the upper section of the Local Rack, it is recommended to fit the additional card in such a way that there is one free slot in between all of the cards, in order to maximize efficient airflow in the rack.
MADI Card Settings for additional Stageboxes The MADI cards on the Vi4 and 6 contain a DIP switch setting which has to be set differently depending on whether the card is to be used for a Stagebox, or as a simple MADI connection for recording. This setting is necessary because the messages that the card sends out in order to communicate with a stagebox need to be disabled if the card is used to feed a device such as a hard disk recorder, otherwise this can cause problems.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Vi Series Standard I/O Cards Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide Page 23 - 1
LINE INSystem CARD D21m 6.2.3 Line In Card 1.949.421 Eight-channel line input card with 24 bit, 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz A/D Converter, delta-sigma conversion. Transformer-balanced inputs. 96 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 48 kHz, or 44.1 kHz operation. 7...26 dBu input sensitivity. “Signal present” LED indicator. Inputs on standard 25-pin D-type connector (female). Input level (for 0 dBFS) 15/24 dBu (xed, jumper-selectable), or 7...26 dBu (adjustable) Input impedance > 10 kΩ Frequency response (20 Hz...20 kHz) –0.
D21m System Level Ch 1 Level Ch 2 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Level Ch 3 Level Ch 4 Level Ch 5 Level Ch 6 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Level Ch 7 Level (Ch1...8) LEDs: SIGNAL 1...8 Alignment: Ch 8 RA1...8 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 8 24 dBu 15 dBu Jumpers: Ch 4 Two positions each: 15 dBu or 24 dBu. For each of the eight channels a green LED indicates if input signal is present; its brightness is a rough indication of the signal level.
LINE OUT CARD D21m System 6.2.4 Line Out Card 1.949.420 Eight-channel, 24 bit line output card with 24 bit D/A converters with 96 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 48 kHz, or 44.1 kHz operation. Electronically balanced outputs. 7…26 dBu max. output level. Outputs on standard 25-pin D-type connector (female). Output level (for 0 dBFS) 15/24 dBu (xed, jumper-selectable), or 7...26 dBu (adjustable) Output impedance 40 Ω Min. load (at +24 dBu) 600 Ω Frequency response (20 Hz...20 kHz) –0.2 dB THD&N (20 Hz...
D21m System Jumpers: Level Ch 1 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 2 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 3 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 4 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 5 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 6 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 7 24 dBu 15 dBu Level Ch 8 24 dBu 15 dBu Level (Ch1...8) Alignment: RA1...8 Two positions each: 15 dBu (factory default) or 24 dBu. The multi-turn trimmer gives fine adjustment of the output level set with the jumpers. The factory default is +22dBu out = 0dBFS.
MIC/LINE IN CARD D21m System 6.2 Analog I/O Cards 6.2.1 Mic/Line In Card 1.949.427 Four analog microphone/line inputs, electronically balanced, with 24 bit, 44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz delta-sigma A/D converters (mic/line sensitivity, gain setting in 1 dB steps, low-cut lter, soft clipping and 48 V phantom power on/ off controlled by console software); four analog split outputs (not used) electronically balanced. Green “signal present” and yellow “phantom power” indicators per channel.
D21m System RA1 RA2 RA3 RA4 RA1...4: Factory Setting (Level Fine-Adjustment) LEDs: PHANTOM 1...4 SIGNAL 1...4 For each channel a yellow LED indicates if the pantom supply is on. For each channel a green LED indicates if input signal is present; its brightness is a rough indication of the signal level. RA1...4 Please note that the input level trimmer potentiometers are factory-set. They need to be adjusted only after having repaired the card. Select 15 dBu input sensitivity.
D21m System AES/EBU I/O CARDS Digital I/O Cards 6.3.1 AES/EBU I/O Cards SFC Delay: 1.949.422, 1.949.423, 1.949.424 AES/EBU input/output card with 16 Ch I/O. With input SFCs only. Selectable output sampling frequencies: 96 kHz, 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, or external reference (22...108 kHz). Input SFCs can be bypassed individually. Output dither is selectable for every AES/EBU output from 24 bit, 20 bit, 18 bit or 16 bit. Settings are made with jumpers.
D21m System Input / output impedance 110 Ω Input sensitivity min. 0.2 V Output level (into 110 Ω) 5V SFC range 22...108 kHz Current consumption (3.3 V) 1.949.422: 0.2 A; ..423: 0.4 A; ..424: 0.6 A (5 V) 0.65 A Operating temperature 0...40° C Output Sampling Rate** Output SFC** 48 k 44.1 k Enabled 96 k Ext. Bypassed Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Output Word Length** LEDs: Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5...8 Ch 1...4 Ch 1...4 Ch 5...
D21m System Connector Pin Assignment: 25 (2 × 25-pin D-type, female) 13 Solder/Crimp View (or Socket View) 14 6-12 D21m Modules Page 23 - 10 1 Pin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Signal “CH 1...8” CH 7/8 out + CH 7/8 out screen CH 5/6 out – CH 3/4 out + CH 3/4 out screen CH 1/2 out – CH 7/8 in + CH 7/8 in screen CH 5/6 in – CH 3/4 in + CH 3/4 in screen CH 1/2 in – n.c. Signal “CH 9...
MADI I/O CARDS D21m System 6.3.2 MADI I/O Cards 1.949.430, 1.949.431, 1.949.433 The MADI I/O card can establish a 64-channel MADI input and output to the Stagebox or other MADI-equipped device. Optical inputs and outputs are provided on SC connectors available in multi-mode and single-mode versions, as well as a version with RJ45 connectors for twisted-pair cable and an additional word clock output on a BNC socket. The auxiliary interface can be used as a redundant link.
D21m System MADI I/O Card, Optical Versions *S1 S3 *S2 S4 ON Default Setting: 87654321 87654321 S5 12345678 Default Setting: ON MADI I/O Card, Twisted-Pair Version Default Setting: **S1 S5 ON 12345678 12345678 Default Setting: Default Setting: Switches: *S1 **S1 S4 ON 87654321 S3 ON 87654321 (On optical versions only) Toggle switch for 64 (factory default) or 56 channel selection. (On Cat5 version only) In case of connecting two cores, they must be synchronized.
D21m System ACTIVE IF S1.1 S1.2 1 S1.5 S1.6 Reserved pairs for FS Sync transmission S1.3 0 S1.4 MADI AUX (RJ45) S1.7 S1.8 *S2 (On optical versions only) Rotary switch for baud rate selection of the RS422 user interface: Position 0 1 2 3 4 5 6...
D21m System S4 Card Versions ALL MADI Cards Optical Versions only (RS2426) Twisted-Pair Cable Version only (RS2409) S5 DIP switch for MADI setting (on the Cat5 version the switches 4...
MADI HD CARDS D21m System 6.5.3 MADI HD Cards 1.949.411, 1.949.413, 1.949.414 The MADI HD card is plugged into the HD card slot in the Stagebox and provides the link to the Local Rack frame. The two interfaces offer up to 64 audio channels with 48kHz operation, together with embedded control and user-accessible serial connection in each direction. The auxiliary interface can be used as a redundant link.
D21m System Cable length multi-mode bre <2 km single-mode bre <15 km (<40 km on request) CAT5e or better, exible braid <75 m CAT7, solid core <120 m Input frequency 48kHz ±100 ppm Current consumption (3.3 V/5 V) 0.9 A/0.25 A Operating temperature 0...40° C Optical S1 S2 S1 S2 12345678 12345678 ON Cat5 12345678 12345678 12345678 S5 ON LEDs: Switches: ON On if a valid MADI signal is present at the input.
D21m System S2 DIP switch for MADI setting: Switch Setting OFF: AUX is used as redundant port at 88.2 / 96 kHz (factory default) 1 ON: AUX is used as CH33...64 at 88.
D21m System MADI MAIN / MADI AUX (8-pin RJ45) (on twisted-pair cable version only) 1 Socket View Date printed: 30.08.
GPIO D21mCARD SystemWITH RELAY OUTPUTS 6.4.2 GPIO Card with Relay Outputs 1.949.436 For general-purpose applications requiring total electrical isolation, this card provides 16 electrically isolated opto-coupler inputs with integrated current sink (5...24 VDC) and 16 electrically isolated outputs using SPST relay contacts. 5 VDC supply pins are available. Inputs and outputs on standard 37-pin D-type connectors (female). Current consumption (5 V) 0.8 A max. (earlier version: 1.1 A max.
D21m System Connector Pin Assignment: 37 (37-pin D-type, female) 19 Solder/Crimp View (or Socket View) 20 Application: 1 Inputs Outputs Date printed: 30.08.
EXT. SYNC. CARD 3.4 SCore Live Ext. Sync Card Important: Sync Priority 1.943.331 The Ext. Sync card acts as a connector panel for audio clock synchronization inputs and outputs. Three inputs (VIDEO IN, WCLK IN, and AES SYNC IN) can be used; their signals are sent to the sync bus on the backplane. While the video sync is separated on the card, the other signals are just driven onto the bus. A green LED indicates that the applied external sync is used by the system.
SCore Live S1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 OFF LED: EXT LOCK DIP Switch: S2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Connector Pin Assignment: 15 9 Page 23 - 22 Setting VIDEO IN termination (default setting OFF: High-Z / ON: 75 Ω) reserved (default setting OFF) reserved (default setting OFF) WCLK IN termination (default setting OFF: High-Z / ON: 75 Ω) AES SYNC IN + 3x OUT (15-pin D-type, female) 8 Solder/Crimp View (or Socket View) 3-12 Modules Indicates that the applied external sync is used by the system.
Vi Series Optional I/O Cards Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide Page 23 - 23
CobraNet® CARD D21m System 6.3.8 CobraNet® Card 1.949.445 This card allows sending and receiving of up to 32 audio channels to/from a CobraNet®. DIP switches on the card allow setting the number of input or output channels seen by the console. Default setting is 32 output and no input channels. All settings of the CobraNet® module are made through SNMP. By default, the module is congured to be the conductor (synchronization master) and providing unicast bundles 1001...1004 to the CobraNet® network.
D21m System DIP Switch: S1 DIP switch for channel count setting: 1 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF : ON - Date printed: 30.08.
Aviom D21m A-Net® System CARD 6.3.9 Aviom A-Net® Card 1.949.446 This card allows the Vi desk to digitally feed an Aviom A-Net® Pro-16 chain. With this standard, 16 mono signals can be fed to any number of Aviom personal mixers (such as the A-16 II), connected in a daisy chain conguration. The A-Net® card will be the start of the chain and provide the audio and synchronization data to the chain.
D21m System Front-Panel Switch: Date printed: 30.08.
EtherSound® CARD Note: only available via Digigram distribution network. Please contact www.digigram.com for further details. D21m System 6.3.10 EtherSound® Card (please contact www.digigram.com for further details) The EtherSound® card allows connecting the Vi console to an Ether-Sound® network. From the desk's viewpoint, it acts in a similar way to a MADI card combined with a GPIO card. The number of audio channels used can be congured with DIP switches. The included, virtual GPIO card allows, e.g.
D21m System J22: LEDs: ES-100, ES-GIGA ES CLOCK DIP Switch: SW1 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide ES 100 Indicate the mode selected with jumper J22. Green: The card is the clock source of the EtherSound® network. Red (only in case of a ring network topology): The card was dened to be the clock source of the EtherSound® network, but it is not, due to a device or cable failure in the ring.
ADAT I/O CARD D21m System 6.3.3 ADAT I/O Cards 1.949.425, 1.949.429 Two optical eight-channel ADAT inputs and outputs. 48kHz operation. Optical inputs and outputs are provided on TosLink connectors. The card is only available for the Local Rack. Max. distance 5m Current consumption (3.3 V) (5 V) Operating temperature 0.1 A 0.2 A 0...
D21m System 16-Ch Mode (Default Setting) 8-Ch Mode LEDs: Jumper: IN CH 1-8, 9-16 8/16 Ch Mode These LEDs indicate that valid ADAT signals are available at the respective inputs. It is possible to restrict the number of channels from 16 to 8 using this jumper. IN/OUT CH 1-8 6-18 D21m Modules Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide Jumper Setting 16-Ch Mode (factory default) Channels on Backplane 8-Ch Mode 8 in, 8 out 16 in, 16 out Interface 1 48 kHz: Ch 1...8 96 kHz: Ch 1...4 48 kHz: Ch 1...
SDI INPUT CARD 6.3.5 D21m System SDI Input Card 1.949.441 The HD/SD SDI (serial digital interface) 16-channel de-embedder card is able to de-embed eight or 16 audio channels from SDI-SD as well as from SDIHD video streams. For the Vi I/O system it acts as an eight-or 16-channel audio input card. These two modes are determined by hardware switches located on the card. The SDI standard denes up to 16 audio channels transmitted within a video signal.
D21m System F E DCBA Default Setting: ON Default Setting: 4321 S1 S1 ON LEDs: SDI LOCK HD DIP Switches: Indicates a valid SDI signal at the input. Indicates a valid HD SDI signal at the input. S1 Switch Setting OFF: 16-channel mode (factory default) 1 ON: 8-channel mode OFF: Group 1/2 used in 8-channel mode (factory default) 2 ON: Group 3/4 used in 8-channel mode OFF: SFC disabled (factory default) 3 ON: SFC enabled reserved (must always be OFF; factory default) 4 S1 Switch Setting A...
SDI I/O CARD 6.3.6 D21m System SDI I/O Card 1.949.442 The HD/SD SDI (serial digital interface) embedder/de-embedder card is able to handle video signals according to the SD as well as the HD standard. It can act as an eight-channel embedder, an eight-channel de-embedder, or as a combination of the two. Therefore, for the Vi I/O system it may act as an eight-channel audio input card, an eight-channel audio output card, or an eight-channel input and output card.
D21m System F E DCBA Default Setting: ON Default Setting: 4321 S1 S1 ON LEDs: SDI LOCK HD DIP Switches: Indicates a valid SDI signal at the input. Indicates a valid HD SDI signal at the input.
DOLBY® E/DIGITAL DECODER CARD 6.3.
D21m System Current consumption (3.3 V) (5 V) Operating temperature (fitted on 1.949.444 ONLY) LEDs: DIP Switches: M1 / M2 P1 / P2 Note: S2.1 ... S2.3 0.2 A 0.8 A (1.949.443); 1.3 A (1.949.444) 0...40° C (must ALWAYS be fitted) ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF Indicate that a valid AES/EBU signal is detected on main input 1/2. Indicate that a valid AES/EBU signal is detected on fallback input 1/2.
D21m System S2.4 S2.4 OFF ON PCM Latency (Module 1 only) PCM signal is delayed by 1 video frame (factory default) PCM signal is minimally delayed Decoding a Dolby® E stream always causes a delay of one video frame. In case a regular PCM signal is fed to the card, this can be delayed by one video frame, too. If required, this delay may be de-activated in order to pass through a PCM signal with a minimal delay.
D21m System S1.4 S1.4 OFF ON PCM Latency (Module 2 only) PCM signal is delayed by 1 video frame (factory default) PCM signal is minimally delayed Same as S2.4 above, but for module 2. S1.5 S1.5 OFF ON Module 2 Pulldown Mode Pulldown mode is off (factory default) Pulldown mode is on Same as S2.5 above, but for module 2. S1.6 S1.
D21m System METADATA OUT (9-pin D-type, female) The Metadata Out socket allows sending the meta data of either module or of both modules at once. If the meta data of either decoder module 1 or 2 is required, plug the short at cable (W1) coming from the METADATA OUT front-panel socket to the PCB socket P6 (labeled META1; factory default), or to PCB socket P7 (META2), respectively.
MIX 32 BLOCK DIAGRAM Soundcraft Vi4™ CHANNEL 1 to 96 MIX BUS 32 BUS FEED 32 MIX 32 BUS 32 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112 Page 24 - 1
BLOCK DIAGRAM Soundcraft Vi6™ CHANNEL 1 to 96 Page 24- 2 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112
SOUNDCRAFT VM2 Introduction to VM2 VM2 is a unique new patented feature, which allows the status information for AKG wireless microphones to be displayed directly within the channel strip that they are connected to. This feature makes further use of Harman’s HiQnet network control protocol and brings many benefits including streamlining of the workflow and increase in speed of problem diagnosis. VM2 Concepts VM2 stands for ‘Vistonics Microphone Monitoring’.
How is HiQnet used on the Vi-series? Since V3.0 software, the Vi-series has included only a limited HiQnet functionality which allows error messages generated by other Harman devices to be displayed in the console’s message log – for example thermal overload messages generated by Crown amplifiers. In addition the consoles were able to transmit a Venue Preset recall - the HiQnet equivalent of a MIDI Program Change – to all other devices in the network. Version 4.
Setting up a VM2 Network In the following setup information, a basic understanding of computer network configuration is assumed. Basic Network Topology The example illustrated shows a typical setup with a front-of-house and Monitor console and a rack of AKG wireless receivers. If only one console is being used, and there is no other HiQnet-connected equipment, the Hub4000Q can be directly connected to the console without using a switch, but in most cases it is better to use one.
Identifying the HiQnet Network connector on Vi consoles Vi1 The HiQnet port is on the rear of the control surface, adjacent to the rear USB sockets. Important! The HiQnet port on early Vi1 consoles (serial numbers lower than 30210956) is only able to drive short cable lengths, max recommended length 1 metre (3 feet). Therefore use a network switch positioned close to the rear of the console to extend the cable length if required.
Detailed Console Operation of VM2 Setting up and using VM2 monitoring on a Vi Series console falls into four simple steps: • Connect up the HiQnet network as described in the previous section and check that the IP address configuration is correct on all devices. • Connect up the audio connections from the AKG Receivers to the console (either to Stagebox or local inputs as appropriate). • Associate each AKG receiver with a console connector using the mapping table in the Vi’s HiQnet Setup page.
Using the Console’s HiQnet Setup page to set up an IP configuration Press the MENU button, select the System tab, then the HiQnet tab to access the Setup page. Configuring the IP Address Ensure the console’s HiQnet port is connected to the HiQnet network, and use the IP Config and IP address controls to set up a valid IP address for the console. If you wish to set the IP address and subnet manually, set the IP CONFIG Vistonics control to ‘MAN’.
Setting the HiQnet Node Address Before enabling HiQnet, use the HIQNET ADDR Vistonics control to set a suitable HiQnet node address for the console. The HiQnet node address can be any number in the range 1 – 65,535 but it must be a unique number within the network in order to avoid conflicts with other HPro devices. You will need to use System Architect to find out what the node addresses of other equipment are to ensure there are no conflicts.
Using the Device List Device List List scroll Set audio patch Device List The Device list occupies the centre of the HiQnet Setup page, and will initially be completely empty. Once HiQnet has been turned on, and a HiQnet network is attached to the console, the console will search for any attached AKG microphones and display a list of the microphones found on the network in the lefthand column of the Device List. Note: It may take up to 30 seconds to discover the mics.
Associating the Microphones with Audio Connectors Use the MAP DEVICES Vistonics control to scroll the list and select a microphone, then press the AUDIO PATCH button to open the patching matrix. The patching matrix allows all of the physical input connectors available within the Vi system to be seen and the relevant connector to be chosen to correspond to where the currently selected microphone is connected.
Using the Monitoring Information Display on the Channel Strips Once the Device list has been populated with discovered Microphone devices, and audio patch connectors have been assigned to these, the Monitoring information will automatically be displayed in the channel strips where those audio patches are used. The screenshot below has the first three channels with AKG mics assigned, and shows the location of the AKG Monitoring info.
In more detail, the elements that are added to the input channel overview are as follows: Microphone Mute indicator Microphone audio clipping indicator Microphone RF status indicator Microphone Battery level indicator The displayed Microphone monitoring elements shown on previous page provide the following functions: Microphone Mute status indicator Shows red ‘MUTE’ icon if the AKG mic is switched to muted state. When unmuted, this indicator icon disappears.
Network Error display The microphone status indications are only valid if they are being transmitted by a HiQnet network therefore it is useful to know whether there are network problems. The system is able to differentiate between a network error/disconnection and for example out of range RF or switched off transmitter.
Vistonics Detailed Monitoring Display To see more detailed information about the AKG Microphones, the Input section of the channel strip can be zoomed by touching the Input touch field at the top of the strip.
TROUBLESHOOTING A VM2 SETUP Problem HiQnet cannot be switched ON in the Menu-System-HiQnet page because there is no IP address. Solution 1. Check the cable connection to the HiQnet port on the console – if there is no valid Ethernet connection, it will not be possible to switch on the HiQnet functionality. 2. Assuming cable connection is OK, if DHCP mode is selected on the console, check that the router that is being used has a DHCP server capability and that this is enabled in the router setup. 3.
FAQs - AKG Wireless Systems HiQnetⓇ Remote Control and Setup These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) may help if there are issues with working or setting up the HUB 4000 Q. The FAQs help you to get started quickly with setting up and remote control of your AKG wireless system with the PC software Harman System ArchitectTM, the AKG Wireless iPhoneⓇ App and Soundcraft Vi consoles VM2 feature based on Harman HiQnetⓇ protocol using the HUB 4000 Q.
April 2011 Page 2 FAQ 1: How do I setup my HUB 4000 Q(s) and my wireless system together with System Architect/AKG Wireless iPhone App? See Quick Start Guide steps 1 - 3 and FAQs. FAQ 2-1: System Architect starts up and no HUB 4000Q is detected! If the HUB 4000 Q is not showing up at HiQnet Explorer, System Architect has no network connection to the HUB 4000 Q.
April 2011 Page 3 FAQ 3: My HUB 4000 Q has wrong network settings! - Open Network Troubleshooter at System Architects – Ribbon/Tools/Network/Network Troubleshooter – and follow the instructions. - If the Network Troubleshooter doesn’t help open Readdress Devices at System Architects – Ribbon/Tools/Network/Readdress Devices - The Readdress Devices panel is opened. There you can configure your devices network settings.
April 2011 Page 4 - Now the HUB 4000 Q should have a valid IP address The data LED is showing the network traffic (it should blink non periodically and very fast) The slot LEDs are ON if a AKG Device is connected - If the HUB 4000 Q has a valid IP address, the Readdress Network panel should show up a new entry with your HUB 4000 Q because System Architect has now a network connection to the HUB 4000 Q o If the new entry has also entries at columns ‘Type’ and a ‘Description’ the network is configur
April 2011 Page 5 That means that the device has the wrong IP address and subnet. - See FAQ 6-1 - Now you can check the Use DHCP checkbox if you want to use a DHCP server for getting a valid IP address and subnet from the DHCP server - Configure your PC operating system for retrieving automatically an IP address and subnet – See FAQ 14 - Or you type in a static IP address and subnet by hand, for example IP address 192.168.1.10 and subnet 255.255.255.0. See FAQ 6-2.
April 2011 Page 6 FAQ 6-1: What IP address is used by the HUB 4000 Q? The IP address negotiation of the HUB 4000 Q depends on the DIP switch setting of the HUB 4000 Q. Also see FAQ 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, 6-5. DIP switch settings: On the right side of the HUB 4000 Q, behind the AKG logo, a DIP switch can be found which changes the IP address negotiation. DIP switch changes take only effect after the HUB is power cycled. It is recommended to use the default DIP switch setting (all switches OFF).
April 2011 Page 7 DIP 1, 2, 4: ON -DIP 3: OFF - AutoIP only – Overrules System Architect settings FAQ 6-2: What IP address and subnet should i choose? Normally the PC with System Architect, Wireless iPhone app or Vi console with VM2 are supposed to operate in the same HiQnet LAN (Local area network) as the AKG HUB 4000 Qs. This means that the IP address of the PC, iPhone or Vi consoles must in the same subnet as the HUB 4000 Qs IP addresses.
April 2011 PC IP adress: 192.168.0.3 Subnet: 255.255.255.0 Page 8 Router (DHCP) IP adress: 192.168.0.1 Subnet: 255.255.255.0 HUB 4000 Q 'Hub 1' IP adress: 192.168.0.21 Subnet: 255.255.255.0 HUB 4000 Q 'Hub 2' IP adress: 192.168.0.22 Subnet: 255.255.255.0 EXAMPLE: The following example shows a HiQnet system with a PC running System Architect, a router (DHCP turned off) and one HUB 4000 Q. The PC is in the right subnet but it‘s IP address is configured wrong.
April 2011 Page 9 FAQ 6-5: How should i configure my network? There are multiple possible configurations which are possible. The three most common configurations are: 1 - PC, multiple HUB 4000 Qs, DHCP router This is the recommended configuration. The PC is connected via a network router with DHCP to the multiple HUB 4000 Qs. The network router takes care of the IP address and subnet settings of the PC and HUB 4000 Qs.
April 2011 Page 10 3 - PC, a single HUB 4000 Qs, connected via a crossover network cable The PC is connected via a crossover network cable to a single HUB 4000 Q. The network settings must be set manually at the PC and the HUB 4000 Q. Make sure that the PC and the HUB 4000 Qs have the right IP settings. See FAQ 3, 5, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, 14. PC IP adress: 192.168.0.3 Subnet: 255.255.255.0 HUB 4000 Q 'Hub 1' IP adress: 192.168.0.21 Subnet: 255.255.255.
April 2011 Page 11 FAQ 11: After System Architect is coming online a stripe with red background is showing up on the HUB 4000 Q product panel The red background of a Stripe indicates a MISMATCH between the physical device, connected to the HUB 4000 Q and its dedicated Stripe. The Mismatch can be resolved in two ways: 1. Resolve at System Architect: Double click on the Mismatching stripe at the ‘Resolve Mismatch’ button.
April 2011 Page 12 FAQ 14: How can I set the IP settings of my PC? - The IP settings of your PC can be found at the Windows Control Panel/Network Settings.
April 2011 o Page 13 Windows 7: - Click Start Button/Control Panel - At Control Panel click on ‘Network and Sharing Center’ and click on ‘Connections’ link of the HiQnet network - This opens the Local Area Connection Status panel. Here you can see the status of your network. - Click at the Properties Button - Double Click at the Internet Protocol 4 (TCP/IPv4) entry - At the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties panel you can set the PCs network settings for this network.
April 2011 Page 14 address with DHCP or AutoIP. You can also define a static IP address and subnet at ‘Use the following IP address’. See FAQ 6-2 for more information about setting an IP address FAQ 15: System Architect crashes when starting 1 Click Setup! System Architect 1 Click Setup only works with 32 bit versions of Windows operating systems. With 64 bit versions of Windows operating system System Architect is crashing when launching 1 Click Setup.
Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112 Page 25 - 29
Page 25 - 30 Soundcraft Vi Series™ User Guide 1112
