The Broadcast Tools 8 X 2 Dual Stereo Audio Switcher [Serial Numbers above 39701] [Please read this manual before setting up your automation. It will help you plan the automation and determine the best operating mode and control method for your purposes.] [This manual describes significant modifications, introduced with serial number 39701, which affect the operation of the switcher. If you are using an 8x2 switcher with a serial number BELOW 39701, please contact WireReady for the proper manual.] Accommodates 8 mono/stereo audio inputs. 2 mono/stereo outputs. Built in silence sensor. The two outputs are independent of each other. Sending audio from one input to output 1 does not affect the audio being sent to output 2. Thus, one output can be used for on-air play, while the other is being used for recording. 3 operating modes: Overlap, Mix, and Interlock. Default Power-On state: All channels off, or any number of channels on, up to the number permitted by the operating mode. Detailed information on audio wiring, levels, gain and dimming features can be found in the Broadcast Tools 8X2 Installation Manual. Control Modes: The 8X2 switcher can be controlled in three ways: Front-panel buttons See Broadcast Tools Installation Manual. 25-pin D connector Using Relays on USN1616 controller and Pulse and Latch commands. RS-232 RJ Jack with cable Using COM port on computer and Comtalk command with Custom Commands. We recommend using a COM port on the computer with the Comtalk command. This means you have a single cable connection going between the computer and the switcher. Note: Custom Commands can be used to make the Comtalk and/or Pulse commands more user-friendly. For example, the Comtalk command COM1 2400,n,8,1 "*11" switches on channel 1. You can make this a custom command called "TURN ABC ON." It will be a lot easier to create and read your programs on screen with ControlReady. Setup a dozen or more possible switching commands with Comtalk, and assign these in the Custom Command Assignment screen. Every time you want to switch programs, just issue the command TURN ABC ON, TURN ABC OFF, TURN CHANNEL 2 off, etc. Table of Contents Basic Steps 3-5 Power Up Defaults 6 Operating Modes 7-9 Independence of the Outputs 10 Control Methods 11 Silence Sensor 12-13 Considerations When Using Both Outputs 14 Controlling the 8x2 Switcher *Overlap Mode, Comtalk* *15-16* Overlap Mode, USN1616 17-18 Interlock Mode, Comtalk 19 Interlock Mode, USN1616 20 Mix Mode, Comtalk 21-22 Mix Mode, USN1616 23-25 *Overlap mode, using Comtalk, is the best combination for most users.* Basic Steps Step 1: Setting up the switcher. Follow the Broadcast Tools Installation Instructions. We recommend you set up the switcher in overlap mode. This permits mixing of two channels. For example, your station ID can overlap the first second or two of the feed from your network. If you play a station ID between songs in a music network, a slight overlap sounds better than an abrupt switch. The commands for automating with overlap mode are less complicated than with mix mode. Step 2: Wiring in the audio channel inputs. Wire in your audio and adjust gain as needed following the Broadcast Tools Installation Instructions. Make sure you record what each input is, as you will need to know this when you setup your playlists. Step 3: Wiring your audio outputs. The switcher is capable of two outputs. One output is generally used for on-air, and the other for recording. The on-air output can go directly to your transmitter. Or you can wire it to an open channel on your console, giving your jocks final over-ride over whether the selected channel airs. When you are in walk-away mode, you simply leave this open channel potted up to the correct level. The second output can be used for recording. This way you can automatically (or manually, via push button) route sources to a cart or tape recorder. You can auto-record directly into CartReady, assuming you don't have to play something at the same time. Generally you run the 2nd output into the audition side of your board. This way, if CartReady records off the audition side, you are all set. Or you can leave this second output unused. Note: Summer 1996, a free upgrade will allow you to add a second audio card to the computer for simultaneous playing and recording. Your computer will need 8MB of RAM. Step 4: Setting the power-up state of the switcher. Follow Broadcast Tools Installation Handbook. An inexpensive battery backup can keep the switcher powered for hours, making this choice moot. Step 5: Setting the baud rate of the switcher. The 8x2 switcher supports only two baud rates: 2400 and 9600. The default, 2400 baud, is recommended. (2400 baud = 240 characters per second). Since it only takes half a dozen or so characters to issue a command, the switching occurs in under a second. So switching to 9600 baud isn't worth the trouble. Note: your custom commands must be set to the same baud rate as the switcher. Step 6: Setting up your custom commands with Comtalk. Go to F10, Assign Custom Commands, in any playlist automation deck. This screen sets up commands which are active in all screens for all your programs. Up to 100 are allowed. For example, you can create Custom commands named: TURN ABC ON-AIR (CH1) TURN ABC OFF (CH1) TURN CBS ON-AIR (CH2) TURN CBS OFF (CH2) TURN ABC ON-REC (CH1) Under each Custom Command you make, set the actual Comtalk command. Assuming you've connected the switcher to your COM1 port: COMTALK 3f8 2400,N,8,1 (Always use N,8,1 as the protocol. 3f8 is the port address for Com1. If you are using a different com port, use the correct port address.) Intercharacter delay is 0 The string you send for each command is easy: The first character is always "*" The next is the source you want to select (the input channel) The next is the output channel to use: 1: Output channel 1 2: Output channel 2 B: Use both Output channels 0: Turn off the input channel Finish with ASCII 13 which is a carriage return (To enter the , hold the ALT key down and press 13 on the numeric keypad and let go. This will look like a music note.) Examples: To turn on input channel 1 through output channel 1: *11 To shut off channel 1: *10 To turn on input channel 3 through output channel 2: *32 To turn channel 2 off: *20 and so on. Once you've built your custom command list, you can program your whole day in simple English commands. Step 7: Testing your programming and the switcher. Write a simple test program in the automation deck. Issue the custom commands continuously in a loop: Turn every channel on and off. Put each Custom Command in a line, one after the other. The last line should say GOTO 1 assuming you started at line 1. When you start the program, the switcher should go around like a Christmas tree testing all the logic. If you've wired audio into the switcher, make a Custom Command called WAIT FOR 5 SECONDS. (The actual command is DELAY FOR 5000ms.) Place this custom command between each Turn Channel On and Turn Channel Off Custom Command. This way you can hear each channel for 5 seconds before it switches to the next channel. This makes for a great test. Note: The way you enter a custom command into any line number in the automation deck is to hit ENTER, then "j" then choose the custom command you want. Power Up Defaults See the Broadcast Tools installation manual for a complete description. The power up defaults take effect any time you power the switcher down, then power up again. If you lose power, these are the settings that the switcher will start with when power returns. The only way to change the operating mode is by powering down, and powering up again. Thus, if you normally use overlap, but for one occasion, you want to mix several channels, you will need to power down, power up and hold down the proper buttons. Later, when returning to overlap, you will need to power down, and power up while holding down the proper buttons. Chances are, you will not want to change operating mode. IMPORTANT: There is no setting for 'last channel' or anything like that. If power is lost for a second, the power up default input channel will then be the active channel, regardless of which channel was active when power was lost. A momentary power loss could cause the station to broadcast the wrong, or no, audio. We recommend that you put a backup power supply on the 8x2 switcher to avoid this situation. In reality, you should have all of the equipment on backup power. We also recommend that the power up default input channel be either the channel you use the most, or the channel that is used during unattended operations (such as overnight). For example, if you receive a satellite music network 24 hours per day, but receive news at the top of the hour, the music channel should be the power up default. Chances are that the music channel would be the correct channel to be on at any time. Even if news is the correct channel when power returns, there will only be a problem for a few minutes, instead of up to an hour. Operating Modes Interlock Mode Interlock mode is the easiest. Turn a channel on if you want it on. If you don't want any channel on, mute all channels. Just remember that only one channel can be on at a time. Thus, only if you are sure that you will NEVER want two channels on at a time should you use interlock mode. If you will ever want more than one channel on at a time, use either overlap or mix mode. To set up the switcher in Interlock Mode: Unplug the switcher. Wait for at least ten seconds. While holding down the F2 button, plug the switcher in. After the switcher is on, release the F2 button. Test to make sure that it is in interlock mode. Hold down the F1 button, and press panel button 1. The LED will light up, indicating that channel 1 is active. Still holding down the F1 button, press panel button 2, and hold it down for several seconds. This makes channel 2 the active channel. As soon as you press panel button 2, the LED for channel 1 should go out, and the LED for channel 2 should go on. If the LED for channel 1 does not go out until you release panel button 2, you are in overlap mode. If the LED for channel 1 does not go out even after you release panel button 2, you are in mix mode. Overlap Mode Overlap mode is the best choice for most purposes. If you want one channel on, turn it on, and end overlap. Using comtalk, having one channel on is done by turning the channel on, and ending overlap. Using a USN1616, this is done by pulsing a channel HI for a short time, such as 100 ms. Extended overlap (several seconds) is easy with comtalk. Simply turn the overlapping channels on. When you want overlap to end, turn on the channel you want, and end overlap. It does not matter which channel was on first. By turning on the channel you want, then ending overlap, there is no glitch in the audio. To have extended overlap with the USN1616, either 1) pulse a channel for the several seconds, which keeps a playlist tied up, or 2) latch the channel HI; when you want to end overlap, you will then need to latch the channel LO. The USN1616 makes it difficult to have one channel on, overlap with a second channel, then have the first channel remain on when the second channel goes off. (For example, when you want to play a station id between songs.) You would need to have the first channel on, pulse the second channel for the overlap period (or latch HI for the period, then latch LO); then turn on the first channel again. This could cause a fraction of a second, but noticeable, break in the audio output. Therefore, if you are using overlap mode, you will probably want to use comtalk. To set up the switcher in Overlap Mode: Unplug the switcher. Wait for at least ten seconds. While holding down both the F1 and F2 buttons, plug the switcher in. After the switcher is on, release the F1 and F2 buttons. Test to make sure that it is in overlap mode. While holding down the F1 button, press panel button 1. The LED will light up, indicating that channel 1 is active. While still holding down the F1 button, press the panel button 2, and hold it down for several seconds. This makes channel 2 the active channel. As soon as you press panel button 2, the LED for channel 2 should go on. As soon as you release panel button 2, the LED for channel 1 should go out. (The LED for channel 2 should remain on.) If the LED for channel 1 goes out as soon as you press panel button 2, you are in interlock mode. If the LED for channel 1 does not go out even after you release panel button 2, you are in mix mode. Mix Mode Mix mode is the only mode that permits more than two channels to be on at one time. Thus, if you will ever want more than two channels on at one time, use mix mode. The biggest drawback to mix mode is that, with both comtalk and the USN1616, turning on a channel that is already on, turns that channel OFF! (If the channel is off, the command to turn it off has no effect: the channel remains off.) The only way to be sure that a channel is on is to first turn it off, then turn it immediately on. If the channel was on, and audio was playing, there will be a short (milliseconds) break in the audio while the channel if off. This break might be audible. When running one simple playlist, it can usually keep track of which channels are on, so the steps of turning off would not be necessary. However, a more complicated playlist, or combinations of playlists, could cause the incorrect channels to be on if satellite tones come at the wrong time. If you will have complicated playlists, or more than one playlist running at a time, we recommend that you not use mix mode. To set up the switcher in Mix Mode: Unplug the switcher. Wait for at least ten seconds. While holding down the F1 button, plug the switcher in. After the switcher is on, release the F1 button. Test to make sure that it is in mix mode. While holding down the F1 button, press panel button 1. The LED will light up, indicating that channel 1 is active. While still holding down the F1 button, press the panel button 2, and hold it down for several seconds. This makes channel 2 the active channel. As soon as you press panel button 2, the LED for channel 2 should go on. The LED for channel 1 should remain on. When you release panel button 2, the LEDs for both channel 1 and channel 2 should remain on. If the LED for channel 1 goes out when you release panel button 2, you are in overlap mode. If the LED for channel 1 goes out as soon as you press panel button 2, you are in interlock mode. Independence of the Outputs In the descriptions of operating modes, the modes apply to each output. The audio for each output is independent of the audio for the other output. For example, interlock mode permits only one channel to be active for output 1, and one channel to be active for output 2. These could be the same or different channels. Channel 1 could be active for output 1, while channel 4 is active for output 2. Or channel 4 for could be active for both outputs. Similarly for overlap, the limit is two channels per output. You can overlap channels 1 and 5 through output 1, while also overlapping channels 2 and 4 through output 2. Or you could overlap channels 1 and 5 through output 1, while overlapping channels 1 and 4 through output 2. Or channels 1 and 5 could be overlapped through both outputs. Mix mode permits any number of inputs to be mixed through each output. These outputs could be the same or different through each output. You could mix channels 1, 2 and 3 through output 1, while mixing channels 5, 6, 7 and 8 through output 2. Or you could mix channels 1, 2 and 3 through output 1, while mixing channels 1, 2, 4 and 5 through output 2. Or you could mix channels 1, 2 and 3 through both outputs. Although the two outputs are independent of each other, in terms of audio, they are NOT independent of each other in terms of operating mode. That is, if output 1 is in interlock mode, output 2 is also in interlock mode. The same for overlap and mix modes. Control Methods Comtalk Comtalk commands are almost instantaneous. It only takes about 70 ms to turn a channel on or off. Comtalk also has the advantage that one channel can remain on in overlap mode, while others are overlapped with it. You must have a com port available for comtalk. Because the USN1616, which is needed to detect satellite closures, also uses a com port, you will need two available com ports. Parallel Remote (USN1616) If you do not have the extra com port available, you can control the 8x2 switcher with the USN1616. Since you will require the USN1616 to detect satellite closures, this makes efficient use of your hardware. Some users like to be able to have visual signs of what their system is doing. On the USN1616, you can see the channels being sent HI, switching the 8x2. In addition, if you are using the USN1616 to send closures to CD players or other equipment, it makes sense to use the USN1616 to send closures to the 8x2 switcher. In theory, the pulse on the USN1616 could be as short as 10 ms, the lower limit in the ControlReady pulse command. However, a pulse this short could be missed. The suggested lower limit on the pulse command is 100 ms, and the recommended value is 500 ms. Thus, the USN1616 will not give commands as quickly as comtalk. NOTE: There are only four ground wires available. If you will be controlling more than four push buttons on the 8x2 switcher, you will need to bridge the ground between output channels on the USN1616. These push buttons are any of the eight input channels, the Mute, F1 and F2 buttons. To bridge the grounds, connect the ground to one output channel, to the connector marked 'C'. Then connect a wire from that 'C' connector to the 'C' connector on adjacent output channel. NOTE: If you follow our recommendations, output 1 will be used for on-air. This is the output that will be switched the most. This requires that the F1 button be given a closure. Instead of issuing a closure each time you need to switch, it would be better to always have the closure. To do this, wire F1 (pin 9) to NC (normally closed) on the USN1616. All others would be wired to NO (normally open). Sending the F1 channel HI would actually release the F1 button. Sending all other channels HI is the same as pressing the corresponding buttons. Panel Switches The panel switches are convenient when live shows are being done. The user can easily mix, overlap, switch between channels, etc. Even when using the USN1616 or comtalk during automation, the panel switches can be used during live periods with no modification of the equipment. Silence Sensor The 8x2 switcher is configured to monitor OUTPUT 1 for silence. Normally, the channel is kept HI. If there is silence on output 1 for 6 seconds, the channel is sent LO until audio returns. A playlist can monitor the USN1616 input channel, waiting for it to go LO. If it goes LO, the playlist can have the 8x2 switch to a different satellite, to hard drive, or to some other input, such as a CD; or some other action could be taken, depending on your needs. For example: Assume you have a 24 hour music network. From a news network, you receive five minutes of news at the top of every hour. Create a separate playlist that, during the first five minutes of every hour, detects the input channel being sent LO when the silence sensor is triggered. If the channel is sent LO, switch back to your music network. You might return in the middle of a song, or in the middle of the music network's news, but that is better than up to five minutes of silence. If you wish to monitor output 2 for silence, a jumper must be configured to permit this. This is jumper JP17. Since JP17 is in the center of the 8x2 switcher, it is much easier to set up your system using output 1. There is no way to monitor both outputs for silence at the same time. The silence sensor uses the terminals SS OC and Dgnd on TB-7 of the 8x2. Jumper to one of the input channels on the USN1616: Dgnd to the lower (odd) terminal number, SS OC to the higher (even) terminal number of the pair for the input you choose. For example, to connect the silence sensor to input channel B1-E (terminal pair 9 and 10) jumper Dgnd on the 8x2 switcher to terminal 9 on the USN1616, and SS OC on the 8x2 switcher to terminal 10 on the USN1616. Using the Silence Sensor for Periods Longer Than 6 Seconds If you want to wait for silence longer than 6 seconds, you would use Delay For, then If, statements in your playlist. This would be needed if it is normal for there to be 6 seconds of silence. For example, if you want to use 20 seconds of silence to trigger a response: Wait For B1-E to go LO Delay for 5000ms If B1-E is LO then continue, Else Goto XXX Delay for 5000ms If B1-E is LO then continue, Else Goto XXX Delay for 4000ms If B1-E is LO then continue, Else Goto XXX [Enter commands for the action to take] The logic of this is: Wait for the silence sensor to go LO, indicating 6 seconds of silence. Then wait for 5 seconds. If B1-E is still LO, wait 5 more seconds, and check again. If it is still LO (LO for 16 seconds at this point) wait 4 more seconds, and check again. If it is still LO (total of 20 seconds) take action. If, at any point it no longer detects B1-E LO during this process, go back to waiting (Goto XXX). You cannot simply wait for 14 seconds after detecting B1-E LO, because the silence sensor could have gone HI, then LO again, during those 14 seconds. By waiting 5 seconds, you can be sure that the silence sensor has not gone HI, then LO, because it requires 6 seconds of silence to go LO again. Considerations When Using Both Outputs In order to send an input to output 2, the F2 switch would be latched, if using the USN1616. (Latch HI the F2 output, pulse the desired channel, then latch LO the F2 output.*) The user will need to make sure that one playlist is not trying to begin or end an auto record at the same time that another playlist is trying to switch on air channels. This could cause the channels that are meant to be on air (output 1) to be recorded (output 2). This would not be a concern if using comtalk, because the comtalk commands include the output channel. (*21, setting input 2 to go to output 1, will not be affected by *42, setting input 4 to go to output 2.) When using Comtalk, the user would want to avoid a command that mutes. The mute command (*M) mutes ALL inputs, regardless of what output they are going to. Thus, if one playlist is used for on air (output 1) and another is used for auto record (output 2), a mute command in the on air playlist would mute auto recording, and vice versa. When using the USN1616 to control the 8x2 switcher, it is only possible to mute one channel at a time. Unlike with Comtalk, it is not possible to mute all channels at once with pulses. Therefore, the caution given with muting using Comtalk does not apply when using the USN1616. *If you follow our recommendation of usually having F1 pressed (see p. 11) then you would also need to latch F1 HI before pulsing the desired channel, then latch it LO again after pulsing the desired channel. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Overlap Mode, Using Comtalk Overlap mode permits two channels to simultaneously be sent through an output. When one channel is on, then another channel is turned on, the audio from both channels is mixed until the overlap is ended. The overlap is ended by either sending the End Overlap command in comtalk, or by turning on a third channel. If you send the End Overlap command, the first channel is turned off, and the second channel remains on. If you turn on the third channel, the first channel is turned off, and the audio from the second and third channels is mixed, until you end overlap. Comtalk uses a com port on the computer to send commands to the switcher. You must specify the port address: 3f8 for com1; 2f8 for com2. We suggest you use 2400 as the baud rate. You must use parity none, data bits 8, and stop bits 1. The inter-character delay is the number of milliseconds (thousandths of a second) between each character in the string. We recommend 0 as the inter-character delay. All commands must end with . This is entered by holding down the key, and pressing 1, then 3. A music note symbol will appear. The string is the actual command that controls the 8x2 switcher. To turn on or off a channel, the command is: *[input channel][output channel] The permitted values of [input channel] are 1 through 8. The permitted values of [output channel] are: 1 Send the audio through output 1 2 Send the audio through output 2 B Send the audio through both output 1 and output 2 0 Do not send the audio through either output. This turns the channel off. We do not recommend that you use this command in overlap mode. (See below) The command to end overlap is *E Note: *Ex where x is a number from 1-9 will actually end the overlap x seconds after the switch occurs. This is when you want a little overlap between switching channels. This can sound really good in certain tasks. To turn off all channels (no audio from the switcher will go through either output) send the mute command: *M. To mute just one of the outputs: use *M1 to mute output 1, or *M2 to mute output 2. One string can contain multiple commands. For example, the command *31*21 will mix the audio from channel 3 and channel 2 through output 1. Note that each command in the string must begin with * and end with . Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1 and ending overlap, using the command *31*E, will turn off channel 1, but will leave channel 5 on. *31*E1 would turn channel 1 off after 1 second. Examples: 1. You want to have only channel 3 being sent to output 1. The command is: *31*E You want to have only channel 3 being sent to output 1, but want the previous channel to stay on for 2 seconds after the switch: *31*E2 2. You want to mix channels 1 and 2 through output 1. The command is: *11*21 3. You have a music network going through output 1. Between songs you want to play a short station id, while leaving the music network on (overlap the id with the network audio). The station id is to be played through channel 2. The commands are: *21 (Turns on ch. 2) [station id] (Play station id) *11*E (Turning on Ch.1 and ending overlap turns off ch. 2) 4. At 7 seconds before the hour, you switch from your music network, play a legal id, then switch to a news network. Some of your legal ids are 8 seconds; or sometimes the news network begins the news a second early. Therefore, you want to overlap the two. The ids play through channel 3; the news network plays through channel 2; the music network plays through channel 1. The commands are: *21*31 (turns on both id and news channels) [legal id] (play legal id) *21*E (turning on news network and ending overlap turns off id channel) Note that it is better to turn channels on and end overlap, instead of turning channels off. In the last example, the command *30 would, in theory, have the same effect as *21*E. However, there are instances in overlap mode when sending the command to turn off a channel does not turn it off. Specifically, if the command *31 had been issued prior to the first line, without a subsequent end overlap or turn channel off command. If a channel is on, and the command to turn it on is issued, you cannot be sure how that channel will act until an end overlap (*E) command is issued. For this reason, we recommend that you do not use turn channel off commands in overlap mode. NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the strings entered when you assign each of the custom commands. Each line would be a separate custom command. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Overlap Mode, Using the USN1616 Overlap mode permits two channels to simultaneously be sent through an output. When one channel is on, then another channel is turned on, the audio from both channels is mixed until the overlap is ended. The overlap is ended by the end of the pulse from the USN1616. When the pulse ends, the second channel remains on. The USN1616 output channels are pulsed to send dry closures to the 8x2 switcher. Each output on the USN1616 will correspond with a panel button on the 8x2 switcher. B1-A through B1-H correspond with inputs 1 through 8. B1-I corresponds with F1, B1-J with F2, and B1-K with Mute. NOTE: If you follow our recommendations, output 1 will be used for on-air. This output will be switched the most. This requires that the F1 button be given a closure. Instead of issuing a closure each time you need to switch, it would be better to always have the closure. To do this, wire F1 (pin 9) to NC (normally closed) on the USN1616. All others would be wired to NO (normally open). Sending the F1 channel HI would actually release the F1 button. Sending all other channels HI is the same as pressing the corresponding buttons. The examples in this section assume that you have wired your equipment this way. Although it is possible, with the ControlReady software, to pulse for as short as 10 milliseconds, a pulse this short might be missed (the switcher will not change channels). We recommend pulses of 500 milliseconds. The very shortest pulse you should use is 100 milliseconds. If you want the audio to be mixed, pulse the second channel HI for the time period you want the mixture. If you want an extended mix, you will probably want to Latch the second channel HI. To turn on a channel through output 1, pulse the corresponding USN1616 channel HI. Remember that, when the pulse ends, this will turn off any other channel that is going through output 1. To turn on a channel through output 2, F1 and F2 must be held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. This corresponds with holding the F2 panel button down when you hit the panel button for the input channel. After pressing the panel button for the desired channel, Latch LO both the F1 and F2 buttons. (Latching F1 HI corresponds with releasing F1, because it is normally pressed. Latching F1 LO corresponds with pressing the F1 button again.) Remember that, at the end of the pulse for the input channel, this will turn off any other channel that is going through output 2. To turn on a channel through both outputs (1 & 2), F2 must be held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. This corresponds with holding the F1 & F2 panel buttons down when you hit the panel button for the input channel. (F1 is already pressed, if you followed our wiring recommendations.) Remember that, at the end of the pulse, this will turn off any other channel that is going through either output. Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1, by pulsing B1-C HI, will turn off channel 1, but will leave channel 5 on. Examples: 1. You want to have only channel 3 being sent to output 1. Pulse B1-C HI 2. You want to mix channels 1 and 2 through output 1 for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, you want only channel 2 to be sent through output 1. The commands are: Pulse B1-A HI for 100 ms Pulse B1-B HI for 10000 ms You will want to first pulse the channel that will go off at the end of the period, then pulse the channel that will remain on. The second pulse lasts for the duration of the overlap. 3. You have a music network going through output 1. Between songs you want to play a short station id, while leaving the music network on (overlap the id with the network audio). The station id is to be played through channel 2. The commands are: Latch B1-B HI (turn on ch. 2) [station id] (Play id) Latch B1-B LO (ends overlap, leaving CHANNEL 2 ON) Pulse B1-A HI for 100ms (Turn Ch. 1 on) NOTE: When you latch B1-B LO, channel 2 is being sent to output 1. But you want channel 1, the music network, to be sent to output 1, so pulse the channel HI. You are actually turning off the music network for a fraction of a second. THIS MIGHT BE AUDIBLE. For this reason, if you will ever need to do this, we recommend that you use the comtalk command. 4. At 7 seconds before the hour, you switch from a music network, play a legal id, then switch to a news network. Some of your legal ids are 8 seconds; or sometimes the news network begins the news a second early. The ids play through channel 3; the news network plays through channel 2; the music network plays through channel 1. The commands are: Pulse B1-C HI for 100 ms (turns on legal id channel) Latch B1-B HI (turns on news channel, overlapping with legal id channel) [legal id] (play id) Latch B1-B LO (ends overlap, leaving on news network) NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the commands entered when you assign the custom commands. Each Pulse or Latch line would be a separate custom command. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Interlock Mode, Using Comtalk. Interlock mode permits only one channel to be connected to each output at any time. That is, there can be no mixing of audio. Comtalk uses a com port on the computer to send commands to the switcher. You must specify the port address: 3f8 for com1; 2f8 for com2. We suggest you use 2400 as the baud rate. You must use parity none, data bits 8, and stop bits 1. The inter-character delay is the number of milliseconds (thousandths of a second) between each character in the string. We recommend 0 as the inter-character delay. All commands must end with . This is entered by holding down the key, and pressing 1, then 3. A music note symbol will appear. The string is the actual command that controls the 8x2 switcher. To turn on or off a channel, the command is: *[input channel][output channel] The permitted values of [input channel] are 1 through 8. The permitted values of [output channel] are: 1 Send the audio through output 1 2 Send the audio through output 2 B Send the audio through both output 1 and output 2 0 Do not send the audio through either output. This turns the channel off. For example, to send the audio from channel 3 through output 1, the command is *31 Remember that this will turn off any channels that are using that output. Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1, using the command *31, will turn off channel 1, but will leave channel 5 on. To turn off all channels (no audio from the switcher will go through either output) send the mute command: *M. To mute just one of the outputs: use *M1 to mute output 1, or *M2 to mute output 2. One string can contain multiple commands. For example, the command *31*22 will send the audio from channel 3 through output 1, and the audio from channel 2 through output 2. Note that each command in the string must begin with * and end with . NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the strings entered when you assign each of the custom commands. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Interlock Mode, with the USN1616 Interlock mode permits only one channel to be connected to each output at any time. That is, there can be no mixing of audio. The USN1616 output channels are pulsed to send dry closures to the 8x2 switcher. Each output on the USN1616 will correspond with a panel button on the 8x2 switcher. B1-A through B1-H correspond with inputs 1 through 8. B1-I corresponds with F1, B1-J with F2, and B1-K with Mute. NOTE: If you follow our recommendations, output 1 will be used for on-air. This is the output that will be switched the most, requiring that the F1 button be given a closure. Instead of issuing a closure each time you need to switch, it would be better to usually have the closure. Wire F1 (pin 9) to NC (normally closed) on the USN1616. All others would be wired to NO (normally open). Sending the F1 channel HI would actually release the F1 button. Sending all other channels HI is the same as pressing the corresponding buttons. The examples given in this section assume that your equipment is wired this way. Although it is possible, with the ControlReady software, to pulse for as short as 10 milliseconds, a pulse this short might be missed (the switcher will not change channels). We recommend pulses of 500 milliseconds. The very shortest pulse you should use is 100 milliseconds. To turn on a channel through output 1, pulse the corresponding USN1616 channel HI. For example, to turn on channel 4 through output 1, pulse B1-D HI. Remember that this will turn off any other channel that is going through output 1. To turn on a channel through output 2, F1 and F2 are held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. To turn on channel 4 through output 2, Latch B1-I HI, Latch B1-J HI, Pulse B1-D HI, Latch B1-I LO, Latch B1-J LO. This corresponds with holding the F2 panel button down when you hit the button for channel 4. (F1 is normally pressed. To release it, you Latch B1-I HI. To press F1 again, you Latch B1-I LO.) Remember that this will turn off any other channel that is going through output 2. To turn on a channel through both outputs (1 & 2), F2 is held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. For example, to turn on channel 4 through both outputs, Latch B1-J HI, Pulse B1-D HI, then Latch B1-J LO. This corresponds with holding the F1 and F2 panel buttons down when you hit the panel button for channel 4. (F1 is normally pressed, so there is no command needed to press it.) Remember that this will turn off any other channel that is going through either output. Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1, by pulsing B1-C HI, will turn off channel 1, but will leave channel 5 on. NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the commands entered when you assign the custom commands. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Mix Mode, Using Comtalk Mix mode permits mixing of the audio from any or all input channels. Turning on any channel does not affect any of the other channels. Comtalk uses a com port on the computer to send commands to the switcher. You must specify the port address: 3f8 for com1; 2f8 for com2. We suggest you use 2400 as the baud rate. You must use parity none, data bits 8, and stop bits 1. The inter-character delay is the number of milliseconds (thousandths of a second) between each character in the string. We recommend 0 as the inter-character delay. All commands must end with . This is entered by holding down the key, and pressing 1, then 3. A music note symbol will appear. The string is the actual command that controls the 8x2 switcher. To turn on or off a channel, the command is: *[input channel][output channel] The permitted values of [input channel] are 1 through 8. The permitted values of [output channel] are: 1 Send the audio through output 1 2 Send the audio through output 2 B Send the audio through both output 1 and output 2 0 Do not send the audio through either output. This turns the channel off. To turn off all channels (no audio from the switcher will go through either output) send the mute command: *M. To mute just one of the outputs: use *M1 to mute output 1, or *M2 to mute output 2. One string can contain multiple commands. For example, the command *31*21 will send the audio from both channel 3 and channel 2 through output 1. Note that each command in the string must begin with * and end with . Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1, using the command *31, will mix the audio from channel 3 with channel 1, but not with channel 5. WARNING: If you are in mix mode, and you send the command to turn a channel on through an output, and the channel is already on through that output, you will turn that channel OFF! You will need to be very careful when writing your playlists. Examples: 1. You want to have only channel 3 being sent to output 1. The command is: *M*31 The *M (mute) command makes sure that no other channels are on. If channel 3 was already on, there might be a slight glitch in the audio. An alternative, sending the command to turn off all channels except channel 3, would also work. If channel 3 is already on, the command is: *10*20*40*50*60*70*80 2. You want to mix only channels 1 and 2 through output 1. The command is: *M*11*21 The *M mute command makes sure that no other channels are on. If either channel 1 or 2 was already on, there might be a slight glitch in its audio. An alternative, sending the command to turn off all channels except 1 and 2, would also work. If both channels 1 and 2 are already on, the command is: *30*40*50*60*70*80 If channel 1 is on, and 2 is off, the command is: *21*30*40*50*60*70*80 If channel 1 is off, and 2 is on, the command is: *11*30*40*50*60*70*80 3. You have a music network going through output 1. Between songs you want to play a short station id, while leaving the music network on (mix the id with the network audio). The station id is to be played through channel 2. The commands are: *21 (turn on ch. 2) [station id] (play id) *20 (turn off ch. 2) 4. At 7 seconds before the hour, you switch from your music network, play a legal id, then switch to a news network. Some of your legal ids are 8 seconds; or sometimes the news network begins the news a second early. The ids play through channel 3; the news network plays through channel 2; the music network plays through channel 1. The commands are: *21*31*10 (Turns on the id and news channels. Turns off the music channel) [legal id] (Play id) *30 (Turn off id channel) NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the strings entered when you assign each of the custom commands. Each line would be a separate custom command. Controlling the 8x2 Switcher, Mix Mode, Using the USN1616 Mix mode permits mixing of the audio from any or all input channels. Turning on any channel does not affect any of the other channels. The USN1616 output channels are pulsed to send dry closures to the 8x2 switcher. Each output on the USN1616 will correspond with a panel button on the 8x2 switcher. B1-A through B1-H correspond with inputs 1 through 8. B1-I corresponds with F1, B1-J with F2, and B1-K with Mute. NOTE: If you follow our recommendations, output 1 will be used for on-air. This is the output that will be switched the most. This requires that the F1 button be given a closure. Instead of issuing a closure each time you need to switch, it would be better to always have the closure. To do this, wire F1 (pin 9) to NC (normally closed) on the USN1616. All others would be wired to NO (normally open). Sending the F1 channel HI would actually release the F1 button. Sending all other channels HI is the same as pressing the corresponding buttons. The examples given in this section assume that you have wired your equipment this way. Although it is possible, with the ControlReady software, to pulse for as short as 10 milliseconds, a pulse this short might be missed (the switcher will not change channels). We recommend pulses of 500 milliseconds. The very shortest pulse you should use is 100 milliseconds. To turn on a channel through output 1, pulse the corresponding USN1616 channel HI. To turn on a channel through output 2, F1 and F2 must be held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. This corresponds with holding the F2 panel button down when you hit the panel button for the input channel. After pressing the panel button for the desired channel, then Latch LO both the F1 and F2 buttons. (Latching F1 HI releases the F1 button, which is usually pressed. Latching F1 LO presses the F1 button again.) To turn on a channel through both output 1 and output 2, F2 must be held (Latched) HI while the corresponding input channel is pulsed HI. This corresponds with holding the F1 and F2 panel buttons down when you hit the panel button for the input channel. It is not necessary to Latch F1 HI, because it is already pressed. Sending audio through one output does not affect the other output. For example, if channel 1 is being sent through output 1, and channel 5 is being sent through output 2, sending channel 3 through output 1, by pulsing B1-C HI, will mix the audio from channel 3 with channel 1, but not with channel 5. WARNING: If you are in mix mode, a pulse toggles the state of a channel. If you pulse a channel to turn it on through an output and the channel is already on through that output, you will turn that channel off. You will need to be very careful when writing your playlists. Examples: 1. You want to have only channel 3 being sent to output 1. a. If channel 3 is not on, but other channels are on, turn on 3, then turn off the others. For example, if channels 1, 5 and 8 are on, the commands are: Pulse B1-C HI Turn on Channel 3 Latch B1-K HI Hold the mute button Pulse B1-A HI Turn off Channel 1 Pulse B1-E HI Turn off Channel 5 Pulse B1-H HI Turn off Channel 8 Latch B1-K LO Release Mute button b. If channel 3 was on, just turn off all other channels that were on. For example, if channels 1, 3, 5, and 8 were on: Latch B1-K HI Hold the mute button Pulse B1-A HI Turn off Channel 1 Pulse B1-E HI Turn off Channel 5 Pulse B1-H HI Turn off Channel 8 Latch B1-K LO Release Mute button Note that a channel that is pulsed while the mute button is being held is turned off. In reality, it does not matter if the channel was on or off originally. It will be off if it is pulsed while the mute button is pressed. Also, it matters whether or not Channel 3 was on or off originally, because it is the channel we want to be on. Following (a.) above if channel 3 was already on would turn Channel 3 off. 2. You want to mix channels 1 and 2 through output 1 for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, you want only channel 2 to be sent through output 1. Again, it matters what channels are originally on. If channels 1, 4 and 5 are originally on, the commands are: Pulse B1-B HI for 100 ms (turn on ch. 2) Latch B1-K HI (Hold Mute button) Pulse B1-D HI for 100 ms (turn off ch. 4) Pulse B1-E HI for 100 ms (turn off ch. 5) Delay for 10000ms (Wait for 10 secs.) Pulse B1-A HI (Turn off channel 1) Latch B1-K LO (Release Mute) 3. You have a music network going through output 1. Between songs you want to play a short station id, while leaving the music network on (overlap the id with the network audio). The station id is to be played through channel 2. The commands are: Pulse B1-B HI (Turn on Channel 2) [station id] Latch B1-K HI (Hold Mute button) Pulse B1-B HI (Turn off Channel 2) Latch B1-K LO (Release Mute button) 4. At 7 seconds before the hour, you switch from a music network, play a legal id, then switch to a news network. Some of your legal ids are 8 seconds; or sometimes the news network begins the news a second early. The ids play through channel 3; the news network plays through channel 2; the music network plays through channel 1. The commands are: Pulse B1-C HI for 100ms (Turn on the id and Pulse B1-B HI for 100ms news channels; then Pulse B1-A HI for 100ms turn off music channel) [legal id] Latch B1-K HI (Hold Mute) Pulse B1-C HI (Turn off id channel) Latch B1-K LO (Release Mute) As you can see in the above examples, it is important to know which channels are on and which are off. Otherwise, the playlists cannot operate properly. NOTE: WireReady recommends that you use custom commands in your playlists. The commands given in these examples would be the commands entered when you assign the custom commands. Each Pulse or Latch line would be a separate custom command.