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Version 2 User Manual o u t b o a r d Cambridge, England Version 2

1. sse 39 Editing the time line of a dynamic effect 39 Editing Effects by Editing Image Definitions een 39 Conditions while programming Effects 40 Overview TiMax Introduction e 3 How the effects screen algorithm works eene 40 Bargraph Meter ass cuenta nua i e Rackets ero a aa Gode t 41 Remote control of TiMax eese eene neon enne nentes se enn nee ees essa tan nre ee aee ater uae 41 TiMax Software amp Hardware Installation ooooooconcccnononananonoconananananonocnnnonanononicnonannnnnes 42 SHARE eerte teet dote reete dee deserere resort deret ad 44 CD ROM a sera td td te cdc cates edo fe desee de tee 46 Relay Interface nus tite epe ded 46 RO A E 46 MIDL WIT O atico dolo ota nte a de a a mo E ce a 46 Joystick Controller zurita 46 WAV IMMER RES 46 Troubleshooting 47 Windows 99 08 O aa den vam sd nat 47 MID Configuration itseenne aici e OR en DP ey Pe ertt 48 o tee e rer eric eR ee e icici rette 48 Credits and Contact Details 49 Contact Details n e a eR e eos en RR dd E S 49 Hardware Credits netter sema Meal tt e cas BE ata nai dde eae 49 Software Cr Sica 50 Glossary of Terms 51 Index 52 Appendix 53 TiMax Rack System Audio Matrix Architects Specification 2 pages 54 TiMax ImageMaker Audio Matrix Architects Specification 2 pages 57 Source Oriented Reinforcement White Paper 59 Sp eding up your P
2. Accordingly the software and documentation are provided as is and you assume all risks associated with their use Out Board makes no warranties expressed or implied with respect to the software or the documentation their merchantability or their fitness for any particular purpose other than those warranties which are implied by or incapable of exclusion restriction or modification by applicable law To that extent all warranties express or implied will terminate upon the expiration of 90 days following delivery of the software to you In no event will out board be liable for indirect incidental or consequential damages including without limitation loss of income use or information As your sole remedy for any breach of warranty you may return to Out Board Electronics the original copies of the Software and Documentation along with proof of purchase and any backup copies for replacement or at Out Board Electronics choice for a refund of the amount you paid provided the return is completed within 90 days following delivery to you Overview TiMax Introduction e 6 Introduction Overview Today stereophonic and multi channel sound systems in the home are common place they have the advantage over monaural reproduction systems of giving the listener additional panoramic or spatial information which enhances the listening experience In concert halls and theatres where sound reinforcement is used it is equally important
3. SMPTE 12 18 25 33 stereophonic 7 synchronisation 18 T Time Code 12 18 time code generator 18 33 Index e 52 Appendix Overview TiMax Appendix e 53 TiMax Rack System Audio Matrix Architects Specification 2 pages The audio matrix system shall have a maximum capability to route up to 32 inputs to 32 outputs Each of the matrix crosspoints shall have a unique level and time delay setting programmable to operate statically or dynamically under PC control The audio matrix shall have cue driven control software providing an infinite number of audio events both static and dynamic hard disk space allowing to be saved to memory and recalled by a variety of means including manual recall remote control or time code triggering TiMax Rack System Audio Matrix Hardware The audio matrix core and audio input and output cards shall be housed in a modular 8U high 19 rack mount case and be based around the Analogue Devices SHARC DSP with internal 40 bit architecture Up to 4 SHARC devices shall operate in parallel offering the facility to accommodate up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs External DSP communications and boot up is controlled via a smaller Supervisor DSP Inputs and outputs to the audio matrix shall be available as analogue or digital Audio Inputs and Outputs shall be arranged in groups of 8 on plug in cards with two versions available offering either analogue XLR or digital AES EBU XLR inputs and outputs Each SHARC shall admini
4. The WAV file sound effects playback and editing software shall be the TiMax SoundTablet option for the TiMaxV2 WinXP software The audio matrix shall have Technical Specifications which meet or exceed the following Parameter Specification Notes Analogue input A D Converter 24 Bit 64 x over sampled delta sigma digitally filtered THD Noise 92dB 1KHz E 0dB Unweighted 0 0016 THD N Noise Floor 103dB 20Hz 20KHz Unweighted Frequency Response 0 0 5dB 20Hz 20KHz Sample Rate 48KHz Max Input Level 22dBu Before onset of clipping Input Connection XLR Electronic balanced line input stage Input Impedance 8KQ Analogue Output D A Converter 24 Bit 128 x over sampled 1 bit delta sigma modulator THD Noise 94dB 1KHz 0dB Unweighted 0 002 THD N Noise Floor 99dB 20Hz 20KHz Unweighted Frequency Response 0 0 5dB 20Hz 20KHz Sample Rate 48KHz Max Output Level 22dBu Before onset of clipping Output Connection XLR Electronic balanced line output stage Output Impedance 50Q Digital input Digital Input 24 Bit max 24 56 KHz sample rate converter Input Connection XLR AES EBU format stereo Digital Output Digital Output 24 Bit 48KHz sample rate only Output Connection XLR AES EBU format stereo General Control data port 37 way D type 16 bit data 8 bit address and control Max Gain 10dB Any input to any output Max Delay 340mS Any input to any output Mains voltage 85 264 VAC 50 60 Hz Off line switch mode
5. AP to IDO Distance AP to LP Overdelay x 2 9 This formula calculates the distance differences in ms and adds some overdelay 7 It will be necessary to enter some Gain values into the Image Definitions to make them pass audio Any time zero anchor speakers should usually be set to OdB with reinforcing speakers usually having gain values of progressively less than OdB for ones further away from the anchor Speakers reinforcing acoustically anchored on stage Image Defs may show a similar pattern or is some cases where very subtle amounts of reinforcement are being used they may all be at or near OdB In either case the speaker gain settings for Image Definitions should be set up subjectively using listening techniques described previously in this section and will influencd by the type and gain structure of speakers and system elements used 8 Save you file in Excel format and then with the Calculations page on top save as csv format ready to import back to TiMax 9 Use the TiMax utility to re import the data back to TiMax TiMax Software e 24 Overview TiMax Import and Export of Image Definitions In order to carry out an import or export of Image Definition data the TiMax software should be shut down to allow the Utilities program to access the relevant data files From the Windows Start menu select Programs gt OutBoard Electronics TiMax gt TiMax Utilities From the Data Conversion menu select either Import or Export de
6. Software e 32 Overview TiMax r mam nen Setting Image Definitions Note Image Definition placement requires TiMax hardware for functionality Also be sure that the relationship between Sound Card Output and TiMax Input is valid To place the localisation of sound clip in space or to define a dynamic movement of sound click on the track to be edited to bring it into the Edit Window then click on the Image Definition Set button Image SET Defs Now move the mouse cursor over the sound file display in the edit window and right click to display the library of existing Image Definitions select one with a left click and then drag it to the point on the sound clip display If the sound clip is to be placed statically the Image Definition icon can be placed anywhere on it For a dynamic move from say N to E to S to W as shown above the software will start the clip playback at N and at the point at which the Playhead passes the N marker the move towards E from N begins As the Playhead moves past E the movement of the sound towards S begins etc The same Image Definition can be placed an unlimited number of times on the sound clip Changing Input and Output Designation Sound card output and TiMax input designations can be changed on a cue by cue basis to enable maximum flexibility of the software if you end up painted into a corner It is advised to use cautiously To change designations select the track to be al
7. SoundTablet Activity The PlayList features a signal present indicator situated above the Notes area on the screen relating to activity at each of the sound card outputs Progress Bars The PlayList screen shows the operator progress bars indicating current activity in the Matrix Screen or the Effects Screen as well as indicating the time remaining before a time link to the next cue will trigger TiMax Software e 28 SoundTablet Overview TiMax The TiMax SoundTablet offers sophisticated sound file playback capability Up to 8 mono or stereo clips can be loaded into each cue SoundTablet supports sound cards with up to 8 outputs The sound card must have an ASIO driver A non ASIO sound card may be used providing an ASIO simulator such as ASIO4ALL is installed however please note that ASIO4ALL can behave strangely with some PC sound interfaces Each sound clip can have an associated volume curve a defined play zone can be looped and can be routed to Image Definitions to be statically placed or dynamically panned Tracks can be time slipped relative to the cue start and overlapped into subsequent cues Sound Card output designation can be changed on a cue by cue basis Timax Maintain Samples Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue A2 x File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help Elim B ANI aim e Rn mune HEM Sel Electrozap mono way fr A BBC 25 goat milked by hand y goat milked by har ws Bl BBC Ra
8. are housed in a 8 unit high 19 rack mount case and is based around the Analogue Devices SHARC DSP with internal 32 bit architecture Up to 4 devices operate in parallel offering facility to accommodate up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs External world communications and boot up is controlled via a smaller Supervisor DSP Each SHARC administers 8 inputs and 8 outputs Overview TiMax TiMax Hardware e 14 Overview TiMax 2 osf Bank B Banl BankD Bypass 11101 1000 de 6 GS 2 A t AS 12 42 20 20 28 28 4 fofo 3 EEB MAA B 55592 2255 o CE 030393030 Audio Inputs amp Outputs We TiMax DSP audio processor Mains power and fuses TiMax Rack Systems and TiMax ImageMakers are fitted with an off line switch mode power supply with a universal input meaning that input AC line voltage can be anything between 80V AC to 265V AC and at a frequency of 50 or 60 Hz CPS and the unit will operate Mains input power is connected to a standard IEC inlet with an integral fuse holder housing the main inlet fuse for the system In the event of this fuse blowing pull out the fuse holder drawer and replace with the spare fuse provided or if not available with a 20mm long 250V rated 5A slow blow fuse Data connection to PC Data connection between the PC and TiMax is via a 37 way male to female screened D type cable The st
9. contradict them which has the effect of undermining the audiences willing suspension of disbelief and therefore their enjoyment of the show Fortunately the psycho acoustic phenomenon known as the Precedence or the Haas Effect correctly applied can help the sound designer to achieve the seemingly contradictory objectives of a uniform loudness across the listening area while at the same time allowing the perceived direction of the origin of sound to be controlled Overview TiMax Introduction e 7 Some acoustic theory There are several mechanisms that give cues to the brain about the localisation of a sound source These are dominated by interaural level differences and interaural temporal or time differences providing directional information in the lateral plane Changes in spectrum provide information about the elevation and to some extent the distance of the source from the listener while the ratio of direct to reverberant energy also provides clues to distance Precedence and the Haas Effect The principle of Precedence was first researched in 1840 and was later developed by Helmut Haas some 100 years later Haas demonstrated that a listener seated in front of and centrally between two loudspeakers both set to the same level will hear a centre image If the sound to one of the loudspeakers is delayed by 0 5 to 1mS then the image will shift towards the undelayed loudspeakers Small time delays between the first and second arrival w
10. effects creative effects such as artificial echo or reverberation For further information about how Image Definitions are utilised see Effects and SoundTablet Activating Image Definitions Setting up Image Definitions is part of the show set up procedure they form the basis of the algorithm used when panning dynamic effects TiMax offers a maximum of 32 Image Definition but only 9 have default names and appear on the set up screen To activate further Image Definitions go to the Show Set up screen and click on the Devices tab a list of Image Definition can be seen on the right hand side of the screen As soon as a name is entered then the ID becomes available for use R Timax Maintain Image Definitions Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue Ax a COTO ECT TEBA r Image Definitions N NE EEE SE ESSE Sw Gain dB r Input Source Inp01 X a Ea Delay mS Outputs Values cos BJ meea COCO as Gain dB 70 0 CD 2 aml Send All DelaymS ood Venue Demo Out Board Venue Show Demo Show Y Done X Cancel Outputs are double clicked out of the parking zone into the control zone Moving the output icon up increases level and to the right increases time delay Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 22 Overview TiMax Setting Image Definitions To set an Image Definition first of all select the Image Definition that you wish to edit by clicking on the box co
11. it is best to use the lt NumberPad gt keyboard button for Go Next Cue Playhead EXE PI Solo All su Stop Pause Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 30 Overview TiMax To play a clip first select the clip to be played and click on the play Solo button to play the selected clip only To play the selected clip from a point other than the start point click the mouse in the edit window to place the Playhead at the desired start point and click Play Solo To play all clips loaded into a cue click the Play All button It is also possible to Play All from anywhere in the timeline by clicking in the Track Window to move the Playhead Scrolling amp Zooming The edit window and multitrack view window have separate scroll zoom bars To zoom in place the mouse cursor over either end of the scroll bar and click and drag to zoom in and out To scroll click on the scroll bar in the middle and drag left or right To flip between zoomed and full display double click on the scroll bar Defining Play Zone To define a Play Zone select the track containing the sound clip that you wish to edit click the Play Zone Set button and either drag the playzone start and end markers to the desired points and click Done or edit the Play Zone Start and End points numerically or using the nudge up down feature on the number box Play SET Start 00 15 574 Zone Stop 00 25 533 Defining Loops To define a Loop
12. to another record moves in real time and play back on cue Data is written to the hard drive as it is programmed so there is no save procedure on shut down and no data loss in the event of a power failure Data files can be exported and imported for backup and restore purposes These functions are available under the File menu TiMax Hardware PC Controller Audio processor Overview TiMax TiMax is controlled from a PC running highly graphical orientated control software on a Windows XP platform The PC communicates with the DSP via a high speed parallel link offering real time intuitive control Our standard TiMax PC comes in 4U 19 rack mount format complete with SMPTE MIDI interface 2 CD ROM drives a large hard drive a 1 44 Megabyte 3 5 floppy drive an internal modem for remote control and fault diagnosis serial and parallel ports and SVGA card Optional sound card event relay interface and joystick controller are available AM IDI gt Event Relays RS232 HU Two Internal 4 CD Drives 4 ye TiMax system The TiMax Audio Processor is available in a number of different formats the IM8 and IM16 are non modular 8 input and 8 or 16 output systems while the TiMax Rack system is modular and expandable All formats are available with analogue or digital inputs and outputs TiMax Hardware e 13 The TiMax Rack System matrix core and audio input output cards
13. to convey directional information about the localisation or source of a sound but this is at odds with the requirement to deliver an even sound pressure level with good intelligibility over a wide listening area The growing popularity of close microphone techniques using radio microphones in the theatre sound has resulted in poor aural imaging Before the use of amplified sound in theatre what the audience heard was the direct sound of the actors voice and not the amplified signal from a loudspeaker in a fixed and different location This shortcoming has been commented on a number of times in the press in recent reviews of stage plays as well as in professional audio industry publications which has highlighted both public and professional awareness of the problem The technique of level panning between left and right loudspeakers used in stereo production is of limited effect in an auditorium as only those people seated centrally between the loudspeakers positions will benefit fully from the effect Just as with home stereo reproduction all the panoramic information is lost if a listening position directly in front of one of the loudspeakers is chosen in theatre situations those listening positions nearest to the stage but away from the central block of seats hear the sound coming form the wrong place It is arguably more important to convey spatial information in theatre sound in order to reinforce the visual cues from the stage rather than to
14. updating possible To program a layered dynamic effect repeat the process described for programming single dynamic effect but using another input To simultaneously replay two or more dynamic effects make sure that the All Effects check box is ticked To Edit the level of a dynamic effect Once a dynamic effect has been programmed the level can be modified by first clicking on the input to be edited then place the cursor over the slider on the level fader and right click the mouse This starts the replay process while at the same time allowing the level fader to be moved up or down by dragging it with the mouse The dynamic changes in level are recorded against the movement Editing the time line of a dynamic effect If the effects screen is thought of as a two dimensional time line rather than as a virtual auditorium then it can be seen that once a dynamic movement of sound has been programmed if the relative positions of the Image Definitions are moved the timing of the event can be trimmed For example if an input is panned from Image Definition 1 through Image Definition 2 to Image Definition 3 then by moving Image Definition 2 closer to Image Definition 1 the speed of the pan from Image Definition 1 to Image Definition 2 will be faster while the speed of the pan from Image Definition 2 to Image Definition 3 will be slower Editing Effects by Editing Image Definitions Once an effect has been programmed Image Definitions can be e
15. venue can be noted Time delays to correct for loudspeaker position can be programmed as part of the venue set up These delays would typically be for under balcony speakers or for speakers at other locations that are not be used for primary sources for sound effects i e where the delay settings are not going to change from cue to cue Show Set up TiMax will store details of several shows each show has its own record card and associated details Loading a new show will not change any of the venue set up and loading a new venue does not alter the show set up Show details can include information on which inputs are in use their names and type the actors name the input channel on the console etc A right click on the mouse brings up an additional comments box All the data entered can be printed in report format Overview TiMax Appendix e 61 Specific snow details such as MIDI device names and channel numbers as well as audio Image Definition names are entered as part of the show set up Image definitions and sound effects An Image Definition is a level time delay relationship between a group of loudspeakers The loudspeaker nearest to the desired sound source would have a short time delay or no time delay at all loudspeakers further away from the source have progressively larger time delays so that a coherent sound emanates from the desired location with even level over a larger listening area than would be possible if the Image D
16. way dog lapping water wav king charles spaniel growling way 6 doberman barking joined by border collies wav young border collies running around wav springer spaniel snarling way File name BBC 06 doberman barking joined by bord y Files of type WaveFiles way Cancel Format PCM 44 100 kHz 16 Bit Stereo 10064 KB Play de Preview Auto Play Clicking Open does three things Firstly the clip is copied from the sound effect library location into a folder on the local machine at the default location C Program Files Outboard TiMax Audio Secondly the sound clip is scanned and a graphical representation of the clip is created which is saved to the default location C Program Files Outboard TiMax Audio Peak Thirdly the sound clip is loaded into the selected track in SoundTablet Clearing Clips To clear a clip first select the clip to be cleared then click on the clear button Wav Playback Enable To enable playback of sound files the Enable button on the top menu bar must be depressed This button is provided to allow silent previewing of loaded cues He Stop Wav Playback To stop playback of any sound clips click on the top menu bar button as shown which causes all sound files currently playing to fade out over 250mS and stop e Playing Clips The Transport Control buttons shown below are designed for use while programming and previewing cues When running a show
17. which the playback of a previously defined clip should end select the track in which the clip was set click End Clip End Clip Rehearsing Loop End Once a loop has been defined it is possible to rehearse how the loop will end whilst still in the cue in which the loop is defined This is done by clicking the Rehearse check box under the Loop End Mode buttons and then playing the loop and using the Loop End Mode buttons to rehearse as required Time Slipping Playback In order to time slip the start point of a track from the beginning of the cue simply click on the track and drag it to the right The number box named Track Slip indicates the time in Seconds and mSeconds by which the track has been slipped If the Track Slip check box is unchecked track slip may not be edited This feature is to avoid unintentional changes being made Track Sli e 00 00 000 Setting Volume Profile To set the Volume Profile of a sound clip click on the track to be edited to bring it into the Edit Window then click on the Volume Profile Set button Volume 66 3 gt LER Profile SET 6 nud dB You can now double click in the Volume Profile display window to create volume profile nodes or double click on an existing node to remove it click on nodes to drag them up down or sideways or define a box around a group of nodes to change the overall level of a sound clip while retaining relative loudness of nodes already defined TiMax
18. wood block or a pulse from a phase checker Setting Image Definitions by ear Set the primary output the anchor speaker at the focus point for the Image Definition to OdB OmS then at the closest listening position to the nearest reinforcing speaker set a large delay and increase the level until the volume levels from the direct and delayed signals are the same Then start to decrease the delay until the direct and delayed signals fuse together for the listener at that position but so that the sound appears to be coming from the anchor speaker Trim the level so the delayed speaker is as loud as possible without undermining the localisation effect Repeat this process for all the speakers required in that Image Definition Setting Image Definitions by measurement Laser measurement devices and or acoustic measurement tools such as Smaart Live that can measure distance from a loudspeaker to a microphone are extremely useful in setting up Image Definitions In this case the reinforcing speaker should be set to a delay that is equivalent to the difference in distance between the loudspeaker and listener and the Image Definition focus point and listener but with an over delay factor of 15 20ms added to apply sufficient Haas Precedence Effect to make the localisation happen Setting Image Definitions for amplification of acoustic sources such as voice or musical instrument In this case the primary source is the acoustic output fr
19. Ao 19 Venue Setups iani cet ee egeta Actin tate Aten qe an n ape ise 19 Introduction e 2 Turning on and Naming Outputs e eene ener 19 Importing a Venue Drawing eee enne enn nre 20 SHOW Setups pnus eerte tern Reha eee POR RR 21 Turning on and Naming Inputs ssssseseseeeereneenenenen een 21 Naming MIDI Devices enne enne 21 Naming Image Definitions sess 21 Linking a Show to a Venter soene en enne eene 21 Loading a Show deae TRUE tetas 21 Image Definitions riada 22 What is an Image Definition sse 22 Use of Image Definitions nt et EE POR EL oU eo e E 22 Activating Image Definitions esssssssssssseeeeeeeenen nennen 22 Setting Image Definitions esee ener ener eneennenne 23 Import and Export of Image Definitions eee 25 The Pl y L18t iot ru DE ERR Du ERE e RR ERREUR DU EE ERU BRE eat 26 Programming a new CUS taenn oee nennen enne nenne etre ne tren rennen ene 26 Editing Cue ise b poe pedet er E B PREIS 26 Manual recall Of cues eter tete e diee PR PEU HS 27 External and automatic triggers nennen 27 Time link trigeers uasa dope SEE AERE 27 SMP TEANSELS uere e eiecit rq 27 MIDI triggers ere terere eene eU e e eie ces e eerie ae RS232 triggers SoundTablet Activity eene trennen nennen trennen trennen ne 28 Progress Bars teotte bene ertet e best rte pei 28 Sound Tablet tinet terere Oe RU
20. C inei at eee ea ei ea 64 Overview TiMax Introduction e 4 Foreword What is TiMax TiMax is one of the most powerful audio matrix systems available TiMax the name is derived from Time Matrix is a sophisticated control system intended for applications requiring accurate localisation of sound in a performance space or event arena TiMax enables the sound designer to utilise the principle of Precedence to simultaneously localise several different sounds to several different locations This is possible because TiMax allows each matrix input output crosspoint to have a unique setting of level and time delay Furthermore TiMax will mix several signals to outputs The control software for the system is intuitive to use and simple to learn The new concept of the audio Image Definition allows sophisticated and flexible control of audio signal routing This coupled with the event control and sound effect playback capability as well as external synchronisation possibilities makes TiMax a truly remarkable product Hardware consists of the audio processing rack and a control computer linked with a parallel data cable The audio processing rack contains input and output modules and DSP processors while the PC takes care of audio and events control and comes fully configured and loaded with interfaces for SMPTE MIDI Serial ports Parallel port for the relay interface Games port for the Joystick controller a Modem for remote control and diagno
21. DIO Board 001 PC DIO24H bone Cancel At this stage other devices such as MIDI interfaces or ASIO enabled sound interfaces may be configured by going to the relevant tab and selecting the device from a pull down list See following section for more details The hardware and its drivers must have been installed already for the device to appear in the pull down list Finally hit Done then re start the TiMax software TiMax will now boot up to the top of the Playlist after you enter the password and will be ready for you to start programming see TiMax User Manual and Quick Reference Guides for details You will only need to go through these procedures the first time you install your PCI or PCMCIA card and the TiMax software Afterwards every time you boot the TiMax software it will find the TiMax DSP unit automatically Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 43 Hardware Configuration The Hardware Configuration screen allows customisation of the operating environment settings This is normally a factory set up and there should normally be no reason to alter these settings Caution should be exercised when changing settings MM TiMax Configuration x RS232 422 MIDI MTC Controller wave General SHARC CD Rom RelayCard Configuration ve Enable Buffering 16R0X firmware DIO Board o00 PCI DIO24H Cancel SHARC Once the TiMax software has been installed turn off the PC and fit t
22. EF EBBBBBBBBBBBBBRBBBEBE PE EE E SE Version 2 User Manual emm ax audio imagino out board Cambridge England Version 2 Overview TiMax Introduction e 1 May 2006 Contents Overview TiMax Foreword 5 NAT e RR ERE ERREUR EGRE R EE ERWERBEN REESS 5 What S MEW enen EN 5 Terms and Conditions 6 Software Licente scere a pe e dee p ien deed eter rss is 6 Introduction 7 OVERVIEW eit e rie ERT RR EE E E ANE EEE E A RERNE 7 Some acoustic theory i bre ER n eit et e Aria e ees 8 Precedence and the Haas Effect essere 8 Extending tlie Iimits ui eto edere RU RE s 9 Quick Start 10 Hooking p and Testing onde eoe ada en e eie rs 10 Show and Venue Set Up este er as 10 Setting Image Definitions 5 antep eap due HH pn 11 Writing SCENES smilies 12 TiMax Hardware 13 PC Controller sec e He ie eee ad 13 Audio PrOCESSOL 5 2 deter o RE eO EE EHE ERREUR ERR 13 Mains power and fu ses ioo onaeuceo eg ade eo ne o ep 15 Data connection to PCs isst rose de tea feci eee 15 Front panel Switches ion ia 15 Front panel indicators TiMax Rack Systems sse 16 Inputs and Outputs iot heec th re E aile heels 17 Analogue Inputs and Outputs eseseesesseeeeeenrennee eene 17 Digital Inputs and Outputs re ener enne nenne 17 Bypass TAPUS cidad ovis ds e C m 17 TiMax Software 18 O on Sr epi e A RW an n om oor AR 18 Pass Words it
23. Mode Access to cue recall no editing PW SHOW 3 Programming Access to all editing except Venue Set up Show Set up and Image Definition PW PROG 4 Set up Mode Access to all screens PW SETUP 5 Factory Access to debugging information and hardware configuration PW OBE10 In addition the software can be made to boot directly into show mode by un checking the Password Required box in the TiMax Configuration General screen Several Venues can be programmed into the TiMax computer with a separate record card for each venue with notes and basic information such as address phone number contact names etc To change the active venue go the Show set up screen and on the Detail page link the current show to the new venue Turning on and Naming Outputs Details of which loudspeakers are in use their names types location multicore line amplifier type etc are entered as part of the venue set up Additional space for notes is provided for each output and loudspeaker and other output types can be set up to appear in a pick list to speed entry of details All the data entered can be printed in report format TiMax Software e 19 The physical output must be present in the hardware i e you cannot activate output 17 on a 16 output system Overview TiMax To activate an output check the box to the left of the output name This output now becomes available for use on the matrix fader and Image De
24. PTE trigger icon shown as a clock a time code value can be entered When this time code value is read at the time code input then the cue will trigger SMPTE triggered cues can be called in any sequence i e it does not matter where the time code triggered cue is in the play list sequence as soon as the trigger value is read then the cue will activate SMPTE triggers can be used in conjunction with SMPTE events to jump to any place in the play list sequence or to make continuous running sequences MIDI triggers As above but select the MIDI trigger icon shown as a DIN connector enter the MIDI channel number and program change that will trigger the current scene Any cue can be triggered by any MIDI program change on any channel Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 27 Overview TiMax RS232 triggers To set an RS232 trigger edit the current scene as above and select the RS232 trigger mode and the message type from either Hexadecimal OF or ASCII ab and enter the data word that will trigger the scene TiMax will accept up to 10 characters in either mode Any scene can be set to be triggered by any data word In ASCII mode beginning and end characters the number of bits parity and baud rate can be set in the hardware and software configuration screen Default settings are Baud rate 9600 Parity N Data 8 Stop 1 Beginning character O none End character 13 carriage return Incoming data is read on COMI
25. age 85 264 VAC 50 60 Hz Off line switch mode supply with auto ranging input Out Board Electronics reserves the right to alter specifications without prior notification E amp OE Appendix e 55 Overview TiMax Appendix e 56 TiMax ImageMaker Audio Matrix Architects Specification 2 pages The audio matrix system shall have a maximum capability to route up to 8 inputs to 16 outputs or 8 inputs to 8 outputs Each of the matrix crosspoints shall have a unique level and time delay setting programmable to operate statically or dynamically under PC control The audio matrix shall have cue driven control software providing an infinite number of audio events both static and dynamic hard disk space allowing to be saved to memory and recalled by a variety of means including manual recall remote control or time code triggering TiMax ImageMaker Audio Matrix Hardware The audio matrix core and audio input and output cards shall be housed in a non modular 4U 8 in 16 out or 3U 8 in 8 out rack mount case and be based around the Analogue Devices SHARC DSP with internal 40 bit architecture Up to 2 SHARC devices shall operate in parallel offering the facility to accommodate up to 8 inputs and 16 outputs or 8 inputs and 8 outputs External DSP communications and boot up is controlled via a smaller Supervisor DSP Inputs and outputs to the audio matrix shall be available as analogue or digital Audio Inputs and Outputs shall be arranged in groups
26. andard cable supplied is 5 meters long but may be extended to 50 meters long if required Front panel switches TiMax Rack System front panel controls include a mains power rocker switch and two illuminated push button switches that activate the bypass inputs in different ways TiMax ImageMakers have no ByPass KilIDSP facilities or mains ac power switch TiMax Hardware e 15 Overview TiMax TiMax Hardware e 16 TiMax front panel switches Bypass Active has the effect of switching on the bypass inputs by energising the relays that connect the bypass inputs to the analogue audio busses inside the unit Any DIP switch assignment on Analogue Outputs that route bypass inputs to outputs will become active so signals routed from bypass inputs will sum with signals routed via the DSP Kill DSP has the effect of activating the bypass inputs as above but simultaneously the 5V supply to the DSP is cut so only bypass inputs routed to outputs will be heard This measure is for system failure management purposes Front panel indicators TiMax Rack Systems Fault Fault Fault Fault Fault 15V Input Output Bank Super PSU Reset The TiMax Rack System front panel LED display shows from left to right audio processor DSP activity for blocks A D Supervisor DSP activity and power supply status Below the LED window is a recessed software reset switch that when pressed will reboot the system TiMax ImageMakers have a similar but verti
27. atrix via a proprietary DIO24 high speed parallel interface in either PCI card format for desktop PC s or PCMCIA card format for laptop PC s The PC computer shall also be capable of accommodating various optional PCI USB or Firewire interfaces to allow external control of the audio matrix software via MIDI RS232 or SMPTE and MIDI timecode as specified by the system designer TiMax PC Control Software The audio matrix shall be controlled from a dedicated PC software application that includes the following resources Image definition programming It shall be possible to program up to 32 Image Definitions each being a set of audio matrix instructions representing multiple level and time delay relationships between a group of loudspeakers These Image Definitions will form a library of Haas effect delay based audio localisations to which any matrix input can be applied to make it appear to come from a desired location Image Definition localisations shall be focussed on acoustic voice or instrument etc sources or on electronic loudspeaker sources while being reinforced by suitably delayed remote loudspeakers programmed into that Image Definition Effects Screen programming The Effects Screen shall be used to apply audio matrix inputs to pre programmed Image Definitions in order to control and program static localisations on stage and dynamic on stage or surround sound effect movements This shall work by bringing icons representing the audio ma
28. be present in the hardware i e you cannot activate input 17 on a 16 input system For a show to load and become current it must be associated with a Venue Overview TiMax TiMax will store details of several shows each show has its own record card and associated details Loading a new show will not change any of the venue set up and loading a new venue does not alter the show set up Show details can include information on which inputs are in use their names and type the actor s name the input channel on the console etc right click on the mouse brings up an additional comments box All the data entered can be printed in report format Turning on and Naming Inputs To activate an input check the box to the left of the input name This input now becomes available for use on the matrix fader and effects screens To name an input type the name of the signal the actors name or SFX signal source into the label box The input type can be selected from the pick list by clicking on the down arrow and highlighting the selection The pick list can be edited and extended by positioning the cursor over the input type box and right clicking which brings up the data base editing tools Notes and extended notes can also be added as an aide memoir for example the type of sound source service history which multicore line etc Naming MIDI Devices All 16 MIDI device names have default settings Device 1 16 These can be edit
29. bes tape cies 29 Loading Chps sans nete de eem Mek ites 29 Cleaning Clips eene S PCR SU d Eon 30 Way Playback Enable tete 30 Stop Wav Playback ssa Iter ER retten terere Pee TRE 30 Playing Clips nal alo d m t pe td tt 30 Scrolling amp ZOOMING ote cult tee p mte dete within ne dual ssa ano eun 31 Defining Play Zone aida hna bio ba 31 Defining L00 p neg Rete nU m e m e ta rg les 31 Ending L 00p8 2 ette ete eet at elec ee cede e e Ge et 31 End Clip ah aep dei m e RO RS RETRO TR RO 32 R hearsmg Loop End uai eir tt tek eae ettet 32 Time Shipping Playback neo dee oo eh tite 32 Setting Volume Profile ias 32 Setting Image Definitions sese nennen nennen 33 Changing Input and Output Designation eee 33 Dealing with Stereo clips sinet PRU RC bb ER app 33 File Management and Backups seen enne 34 Events iae eo eae be eti A ier a rte e tese nte te edes 35 CD Players odere eme de ae Ueber DE 35 Relays van Sa hte hid ea Ode ae BM eR aie iE 36 RS232 422 roten dba 36 MIDL neenon e e elt t ede ede dts 36 Tine Code ii sia Su tee o Reg 36 The Matrix SCIeen one ehe OD eee at 37 Effects oreet eie ua e eee vr tre beet tees 38 Setting up the effects strict price 38 Programming static effects eene 38 Programming single dynamic effects esee 38 Programming multiple dynamic effects esee 39 To Edit the level of a dynamic effect
30. cal display arrangement but simplified to allow for there only being one or two SHARC DSP s fitted Inputs and Outputs Analogue and digital input and output cards can be mixed within the system so for example a system could have 24 analogue inputs and 8 digital inputs with all 32 outputs analogue Analogue Inputs and Outputs Analogue inputs and outputs are in plug in format with each card containing 8 audio connectors electronically balanced on a XLR with ground lift switches isolating pin 1 on the XLR A DIP switch is associated with each analogue output to assign routing of the bypass inputs Signals From Bypass Inputs Ground f Lift X Analogue output showing Bypass input routing Digital Inputs and Outputs Digital inputs and outputs have 4 stereo AES EBU digital audio connectors on XLR per card Digital input receivers feed to a sample rate converter to cater for asynchronous incoming data at any standard sample rate Digital outputs are 48KHz only Bypass Inputs TiMax Rack Systems are supplied with 8 electronically balanced bypass inputs on XLR with ground lift switches isolating pin 1 The bypass inputs may be manually activated in one of two modes or will automatically be activated by a relay in the event of 5 volt supply failure TiMax ImageMaker8 and 16 units do not offer the Bypass Input Relay facility See front panel switches TiMax Bypass inputs Overvi
31. coustic sources such as voice or musical instrument In this case the primary source is the acoustic output from the instrument or voice so speakers should be delayed relative to the position on stage of the source Calculating Image Definitions In some instances it can be very efficient to calculate Image Definition delay values in a spreadsheet These numerical values can be directly imported into TiMax using the application called TiMax Utilities In order to carry out an import or export of Image Definition data the TiMax software should be shut down to allow the Utilities program to access the relevant data files Overview TiMax Quick Start e 11 Writing Scenes Overview TiMax e 12 Go to the PlayList and click New Alt N give the scene a number and name enter any external triggers if required and click Done It is recommended to program Scene 0 with everything mute and off Go to the SoundTablet page and program any playback cues from hard disk Go to the Events page and program any events associated with that scene such as CD play events relay closures RS232 events MIDI events etc Go to the Matrix page and set any static crosspoint levels and delays a cross fade time can be set for each change programmed in the matrix Go to the Effects page and apply Image Definitions or localisations to input signals Dynamic moves can also be programmed allowing several inputs to be smoothly be crossfaded from one localisation
32. d be saved to a Cue number and name and later recalled Matrix set ups can be copied from one cue to another by using the copy and paste icons on the tool bar or Ctrl C and Ctrl V from the keyboard To copy the whole matrix setup to another cue highlight all the crosspoints by click and dragging the mouse across all the cells then hit the Copy icon on the tool bar Select the other cue then highlight all the matrix cells and hit the Paste icon on the toolbar By selectively highlighting only sections of the matrix it is possible to copy paste only part of a matrix setting between cues TiMax Software e 37 Effects Overview TiMax Once Image Definitions have been set up then the effects screen can be used to program the localisation signals at the TiMax inputs Inputs can be placed in static locations or moved and recorded dynamically Timax Maintain Effects Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help dana e El e mmm xA elo Input Source Name Duration Fam sa Inp02 ON M DO Move To Matrix 1 ax e Em imaging S Set Matrix TF Begin Events All Effects I Gain 0dB Start Wav Status Progress Cue 0000 00 Name Blank Ps do eve cee 4 Samples D Matix Effects screen showing placement of Image Definitions in the work area and position of inputs Setting up the effects screen To set up the effects screen pr
33. d in either ASCII or Hexadecimal Beginning and end characters for ASCII protocols can be defined as part of the hardware set up configuration See RS232 422 configuration RS232 422 MIDI For each of the 16 MIDI channels one of four actions can be specified Do Nothing Self explanatory Note Select Note then the Note number in the Data column then enter a Velocity value to trigger at in the Vel Data2 column The note is pulsed on and off after the user defined mS duration For Note On only set duration 0 for Note Off only set duration O and velocity O Control Change Select Cntrl enter the Controller number in the Data column then enter Controller value in the Data2 box Program Change Select Prog then enter the Program number in the Data column See MIDI MTC Configuration MIDI MTC Time Code Currently the Time Code generate Event function output is disabled TiMax Software e 36 The Matrix Screen Overview TiMax Programming set ups can be achieved using the Matrix screen An input output cross point or a range of cross points can be selected and the level and time delay may be set using the control faders Positioning the mouse over a cross point and clicking will select that cross point for editing and highlight its input and output names To select a range of cross points click and drag if the range is continuous or click and Ctrl click if the range is discontinuous To set all inputs to on
34. diophonic Workshop 64 Thunderstorm way s J PC Out 4 7 Tii EI Playhead 013252 T Track Slip Play Start Loo Start 00 17 692 Volume mE 3 dB E 00 44 74 Zone ser Stop 0 3 zone E Stop 00 22213 es Ceo rene Ml a u Cue 0000 00 Name eee ctomoveci one cm Evens p Efect Screen shot showing multitrack sound file playback in SoundTablet control screen Loading Clips First go to the cue which you want to program and enter the SoundTablet page select the track into which you want to load the clip click the Load button to bring up the Browse screen and navigate to the folder where your sound library is located When browsing and previewing sound clips to be loaded into a production the clip may be browsed from a local drive or remote network file server From the Browse window it is possible to preview the clip prior to loading it Either check the Autoplay check box or select the clip and click the Play button While Browsing the Autoplay audio is routed to the default sound card outputs as set up in the WinXP control panel This allows the user to preview sound clips on headphones or using local monitor speakers at the production table The interface for preview output does not need ASIO support TiMax Software e 29 Open Wave File Look in C3 Animals e ek E BBC 01 Collie dog barking wav beagle barking whining and jumping wav labrador and 2 sheeps dogs barking
35. dited This has the result of retrospectively altering any effects that use that Image Definition This is also the way in which a show s effects panning can be programmed in a studio using Image Definitions programmed for the studio space then transfererred to a larger auditorium or themed space by simply re programming the Image Definitions to suit the dimensions and speaker system configuration in the larger space TiMax Software e 39 Overview TiMax Conditions while programming Effects The check boxes in the lower right portion of the Effects screen allow for synchronisation of other aspects of TiMax control For example while programming a dynamic movement of a sound effect it is useful to be able to synchronise the start of the movement with the start of the sound file This can be achieved by checking the appropriate box Set Matrix Begin Events All Effects Gain OdB Start Wav e a Function or condition description Set Matrix matrix screen routing are set at the start of any dynamic effect movement recording Begin Events any Events that have been defined in the events screen such as MIDI messages or relay closures will fire at the start of any dynamic effect movement recording All Effects when multiple dynamic effects are being programmed within a cue you can choose to enable or disable the playback of previously programmed movements Gain OdB at the point at which an input is activated by do
36. djust for best performance box and click Apply to apply the settings Alternatively you can choose the Custom open you can then selectively enable or disable each specific effects The cursor shadowing effect can have a noticeable impact on performance Remote Desktop Unless you want to allow someone from another location to control your Windows Disable it Choose the Remote tab Make sure both Allow Remote Assistance and Allow users to connect are not selected and click OK Turn off Automatic Updates Choose the Automatic Updates tab Uncheck the Keep my computer up to date box OR tick the box that says Turn off automatic updating Display Properties Open Control Panel from the Start menu and choose Display Choose the Desktop tab and set the Background to None Select the Appearance tab Under Windows and buttons choose Windows Classic Style from the drop down menu Click the Effects button Unselect all options and click OK Click OK to close the Display Properties and apply the changes Start Menu and Folders amp Start Menu and Taskbar Context click usually known as Right click on the Windows XP Start button and choose Properties from the contextual menu Choose Classic Start Menu Click the Customise button Select the Show Small Icons in Start Menu option Unselect any other items that you don t use often Appendix e 64 Folder Options Open My Computer Open the C Dr
37. e output click on the output name and in the same way to select one input to all outputs click on the input name x Timax Maintain Matrix Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue Eile Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help agonia a Par e ama xe eje Level dB Delay mS View 33 pez Vertical C Horizontal C Level only Delay only Grouped Action Absolute C Relative Delay Scale 0 300 ms C 0 75 mS C 0 150 mS C 0 225 mS Fade Duration 0 5 s Fading Mute All a Send All Cue 000100 Name Star Cue Usea ome fone 3 Cancel 4 Effects Pii TiMax matrix screen showing grouped crosspoint control Level changes can be made in relative or absolute mode by clicking on the desired mode button In relative mode if a group of cross points have been selected the level and delay fader will jump to the level of the highest cross point in the group Increasing the level by 3dB will increase the level of all of the cross points in the range by 3dB In absolute mode the same action will set and adjust all cross points to the same level i e to 3dB above the level of the highest in the range prior to adjustment Once a set up is programmed it can assigned a cross fade rate an
38. ech program With a time delay of 10 20mS between the two loudspeakers increasing the level to the delayed loudspeaker by 10dB will return the image to the centre and the delayed speaker will be recognisable as a sound source In summary the listener tends to lock on to the first arriving sound and ignore the subsequent arrivals within a 30mS time window even if they are louder Secondary sounds arriving within the 30mS window tend to fuse or integrate with the original or preceding arrival and add to the overall level 12 Difference in level dB 0 10 20 30 40 50 Delay Time msec Difference in level between secondary and primary sound for subjective balancing of loudness as a function of delay time Extending the limits The Kutruff Effect further demonstrates that the upper limit of delay can be extended from Haas s maximum of 30mS by adding more loudspeakers with additional delays so for example in a three loudspeaker system provided both the delay from speaker 1 to speaker 2 and the delay to speaker 2 to speaker 3 are within the Haas range the image can be pulled from speaker 3 to speaker 2 to speaker 1 even though the total delay from the speaker 1 to 3 exceeds the Haas maximum In practical terms the 30mS allowable error in arrival of the preceding and subsequent sounds allows the sound designer to pan sounds around a room by altering the relative time delays to the loudspeakers In addition to this amazin
39. ed and the revised name will then appear against that channel number on the events control screen Naming Image Definitions Image Definitions need to be named to be activated Some of the Image Definitions have default names these can be edited by over typing the name the other unnamed Image Definitions become active as soon as a name is entered Each show is assigned to a venue The Venue specifies the outputs and their characteristics the Show the inputs This allows a degree of Show Venue independence Linking a Show to a Venue On the Show Setup Detail screen below the Show Name open the pick list and select a venue from the available options Loading a Show From the Show Setup Browse list highlight a show and then click Load on the bottom tool bar For further information about Venue set ups TiMax Software e 21 Image Definitions What is an Image Definition An Image Definition is a level time delay relationship between a group of loudspeakers The loudspeaker nearest to the desired sound source would have a short time delay or no time delay at all loudspeakers further away from the localisation would have progressively larger time delays so that a coherent sound emanates from the desired location Use of Image Definitions Image Definitions can be used for a number of purposes localisation of actors on the stage localisation for static sound effects in the auditorium localisation for dynamically moving sound
40. ed waveform display with zoom function and to allow comprehensive editing as above In the Edit window it shall be possible to drop pre programmed Image Definitions onto the waveform display to assign static localisations or to program dynamic panning movements The timing and pan law of these dynamic pan movements shall be defined by the relative positions of the Image Definitions as placed on the audio waveform which shall send real time level and delay instructions the audio matrix as described above The WAV file screen shall include a real time search and preview function using a standard Windows Explorer style utility to allow WAV files to be searched and auditioned on the PC s default soundcard i e connected to a local monitor speaker or headphones prior to being loaded in to a Track After loading into a Track it shall be possible to select to use the WAV file in stereo or the left channel only or the right channel only or a mono sum of both channels Each track will also be selectable onto any available soundcard output either independently or mixed with other tracks already assigned to that soundcard output Each track shall also be assignable to relate to a particular audio matrix input for the purpose of instructing the WAV file Image Definition waveform based panning facility The audio matrix shall be a TiMax ImageMaker16 8 in 16 out or TiMax ImageMaker8 8 in 8 out The PC control software shall be the TiMaxV2 WinXP software
41. efinition consisted of only one loudspeaker To include a loudspeaker in an Image Definition double click the icon representing the speaker to move it from the parking area to the control zone Dragging the icon up the screen will increase the level and dragging the icon across the screen will increase the time delay Precise level and time delay parameters may be entered into the values box As parameters are changed control data is sent to the DSP matrix in real time so the effect can be heard and trimmed as necessary Once a set of Image Definitions have been programmed then the effects screen can be used to control and program dynamic sound effect movements This is done by bringing the Image Definitions for the effect into the control zone by double clicking on them to activate them and then selecting the input signal with the source for the effect in the same way Then by clicking on the source and dragging it about the control zone the sound movement is programmed and may be saved or updated as required Several dynamic sound effects can be run at the same time the system allows dynamic effects to the programmed in layers so that programming is not over complicated as well as to make straight forward editing and updating possible Event Control The TiMax control software offers sophisticated show control facilities including MIDI events management Serial port events on RS232 422 time code events with MTC and SMPTE compatibility rela
42. ew TiMax TiMax Hardware e 17 TiMax Software Overview Overview TiMax In addition to offering simple and highly complex methods of controlling audio the TiMax control software offers sophisticated show control facilities including hard disk streaming of audio wav files MIDI events management Serial port events on RS232 422 time code events with MTC and SMPTE compatibility relay closure events and CD play events from two internal CD drives This facility enables TiMax to take care of all the show control requirements to be initiated in background each time the next cue is recalled TiMax allows up to 16 MIDI events to be programmed within each cue Program changes can be used to control external MIDI compatible equipment such as reverberation or equalisation units by recalling settings from the unit s internal memory MIDI note on commands have an associated duration setting so they can be used to trigger sound effects stored on a sampler or to play a note on a synthesiser TiMax will automatically sends the note off command at the end of the duration MIDI controllers can be used in many different ways including levels of sound or lights pitch of a synthesiser note equaliser or reverberation parameter Serial port events can be programmed either in ASCII or Hexadecimal to allow a simple interface to equipment that offers serial port control For example some sound effect playback equipment offer this type of control An internal
43. finition Setup screens Your own library of devices can be entered by positioning the cursor over the output type field and right clicking the mouse This brings up the data base entry table shown below Ki Timax Maintenance Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue ax File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help sadoacg aa E ew mma ele Browse Detail Outputs Layout Used Label Description Description 01 Out01 None 302 Iv out02 None 03 4 OutO03 lt None gt 040 Out04 lt None gt seo Mm intan output types E EE Mon NEN NN S 07 v Out0 Non MAGIA Description 08 19 Outs lt None gt Speaker Array Centre Speaker 09 Down Fill Speaker 10 Effects Speaker er Left Speaker Monitor LIN Rear Left Speaker 3r Rear Right Speaker gar Right Speaker 57 FBT ERA an the notepad icons Ay extended neles 2X New Remove a Done 2 Cancel Venue Setup screen showing Output Names and Notes entry Importing a Venue Drawing The physical layout of the venue can be imported from any Windows drawing program that allows files to be saved in bitmap bmp format Here positions of loudspeakers and any other features of the venue can be noted The bitmap must be sizsd to match the space available Use the default bitmaps you can find in the TiMax Data folder as size templates TiMax Software e 20 Show Setup The physical input must
44. g phenomenon in a properly set up system the effect can work over a large listening area Overview TiMax Introduction e 9 Quick Start Hooking up and Testing Connect the PC keyboard monitor and mouse mains power and the 37 D type data link to the TiMax audio processor Audio connections from the internal CD drives are made from a 9 pin D type connector on the rear of the PC using the XLR tails provided These signals run unbalanced at 10dBv nominal level MIDI in and out should be to sockets marked 1 on the A outlet SMPTE connections are made via the mini jack above the MIDI connectors using the tails provided Audio out from SoundTablet uses either the onboard PC audio interface or a bespoke audio interface Audio in and out to the TiMax audio rack are balanced on XLR with pin 2 hot Ground lift switches on every input and output may be used to eliminate ground loops Power up the system Enter SETUP when prompted for a password The TiMax software will boot automatically into the play list The default show will load which is a demo show written for test purposes To pass audio go to the matrix screen and select the input output crosspoint to be turned on and use the level control to set the volume or select a range to test the system is passing audio Show and Venue set up Overview TiMax To write your own show first go to the venue setup screen and select and name a new venue enter venue details and turn on and
45. h the Events Screen and include control of internal CD drives relays RS232 port MIDI notes controllers and program changes and the SMPTE time code generator The events that are available will depend upon your hardware configuration Timax Maintain Events Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help ma Q9 9 a E Aga ROHS 8 salt e mmm eio MIDI E Py Soo Eja No Track name Ch Device name Note Cntrl Prom Data vee ms b Dia gt Device 1 ae Relays No qo 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 d evice 2 evice 3 LET E EE EEEE EE EE EEE EEL evice 4 evice 5 evice B evice 7 evice 8 o p n Off Pulse ms I ee ee evice 9 Device 10 Device 11 evice 12 evice 13 I JEJE e ee eejeee e l i EBSSEEEEEEHSEUE evice 14 i MI s ts t eS ele I n ns It t jeje a PP c P BP Ie e P IP IP IP P P AE E E E 5 E 58 8 3 E EE E58 E EE RS232 RS422 15 Device 15 Ch Hex Asc Data Comment 16 Device 16 01 OF ab Time Code HH MM SS FF HH MM SS FF OF ab Used Stanpo Joo o0Joo Enapo Joo ooJoo OF ab 04 oF ab Cue 0001 00 Name Start Cue Ea
46. he PCI or PCMCIA Interface card These cards are both plug and play and the drivers for them are installed as part of the TiMax software Re power the PC and plug and play will find the new hardware and install the software for it The next stage is to run a program called Instacal a short cut to Instacal is put on the PC desktop as part of the TiMax software installation Run Instacal Click on the red to add a new card wait for a moment and Instacal will show the newly installed card in the on screen list The final stage is to shut down Instacal and launch TiMax software using the factory configuration password OBE10 Go to Tools on the top menu bar select Configuration select the SHARC tab check the Enabled Box and from the dropdown list select the interface card Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 44 Overview TiMax Instacal Eile Install Calibrate Test Help BF 212 aa A m PC Board List Legacy ISA interface cards must be configured as follows The factory default base address is 300H Settings on the plug in DIO interface card should be set as follows JP1 Jumper not fitted JP2 Jumper not fitted JP3 Jumper not fitted J2 Jumper not fitted SW1 1 amp 2 off 3 8 on Also note that U2 U5 U8 should be 74HC244 Run Instacal as above but Instacal need to be shown the card as the ISA interface card is not plug_and_play so select the card from the list as shown below Board Selection List ISA Pc104 P
47. he range is continuous or click and Ctrl click if the range is discontinuous To set all inputs to one output click on the output name and in the same way to select one input to all outputs click on the input name Level changes can be made in relative or absolute mode by clicking on the desired mode button In relative mode if a range of crosspoints have been selected the level and delay fader will jump to the level of the highest crosspoint in the range Increasing the level by 3dB will increase the level of all of the cross points in the range by 3dB In absolute mode the same action will set all crosspoints to the same level i e to 3dB above the level of the highest in the range prior to adjustment Once a set up is programmed it can assigned a cross fade rate and be saved to a Cue number and name and later recalled Faders Crosspoint levels can be set on a fader screen as shown If an input fader is selected the output faders will show the levels that that input feeds to the outputs or if an output fader is selected the input faders will show at what levels the inputs feed to that output Bargraphs Audio levels can be monitored on the bargraphs screen The characteristic of the bargraphs can be altered to suit the operators preference between VU and PPM and Peak Hold responses with a range of scales available from 30dB to 6dB 60dB to 20dB and 10dB to 10dB 6 APPLICATIONS In sound reinforcement applications where a few inp
48. ill result in comb filtering effects phasing being heard These result from frequency dependent cancellation of the signal because the two arrivals of sound mix at the ear out of phase at some frequencies These effects are not so apparent at delays of greater than 5mS between first and second arrival with non periodic signals When the time delay to one loudspeaker is increased to more than 1mS but less than 30mS the delayed loudspeaker is not heard of at all even though its energy is equal to the undelayed loudspeaker Time delay differences of more than 40mS result in the delayed loudspeaker being recognised as an additional sound source the listener will hear an echo which will adversely affect the intelligibility of the sound and cause stress and disturbance to the listener 100 80 60 40 20 Disturbed by echo C6 0 40 80 120 160 Delay Time msec Percentage of observers that judge an echo as disturbing plotted as a function of the delay time between primary and secondary sound Each curve is for level difference between primary and secondary sounds Recent investigation has shown that the threshold of echo perception is a dependent on the type of material being used For single impulses such as a click Overview TiMax Introduction e 8 the threshold is as small as 2mS while for rhythmic music the threshold can be as great as 70mS The Haas curves referred to here are for spe
49. ing e 47 MIDI Configuration No help as yet General No help as yet Overview TiMax Troubleshooting e 48 Credits and Contact Details Contact Details Electronic Email info outboard co uk WWW http www outboard co uk United Kingdom Out Board Sheriff Technology Ltd Mills amp Douglas Building Barrington Road Orwell Cambs SG8 5QP UK Telephone 44 0 1223 20 81 83 Facsimile 44 0 1223 20 81 90 Hardware Credits Overview TiMax Out Board Sheriff Technology Ltd Telephone 44 0 1223 20 81 83 Facsimile 44 0 1223 20 81 90 Email info O outboard co uk WWW www outboard co uk Credits and Contact Details e 49 Software Credits Original TiMax software developed by Data Strategy Limited 259 Shirland Road London W9 3JW Telephone 44 0 181 960 3561 Web www datastrategy com Software originally implemented using Borland Delphi 3 0 WinXP versions updated to Borland Delphi 7 implementation SoundTablet software developed by Rocudo DSP 213 Business Innovation Centre National University of Ireland Galway Co Galway Ireland Telephone 353 91 861630 Web www rocudo com Software implemented using Borland Delphi 7 0 Overview TiMax Credits and Contact Details e 50 Glossary of Terms AD DA Analogue to Digital Digital to Analogue conversion ASIO ASIO Audio Stream Input Output developed by Steinberg is a cross platform multi channel audio transfer protoc
50. ior to use firstly recall the cue to be programmed then bring the Image Definitions yellow icon to be used for the effect into the work area by double clicking on them to activate them Position them in the work area so their positions relate in some way to the audio localisation that they represent Programming static effects Bring the input green icon with the source for the effect into the work area by double clicking on it Then click on the input which turns it blue drag n drop it onto the Image Definition to be applied to it set the level on the level fader and press the Done button at the bottom of the screen Several inputs can be placed in the work area simultaneously Programming single dynamic effects Bring the input with the source for the effect into the work area by double clicking on it Click and drag the input to the starting point for the effect and set the level fader To start recording a dynamic move right click the mouse while the cursor is over the input which turns it blue then drag the input around the work area as required for the effect To stop and finish the recording right click a second time on the input icon TiMax Software e 38 Overview TiMax Programming multiple dynamic effects Several dynamic sound effects can be run at the same time the system allows dynamic effects to the programmed in layers so that programming is not over complicated as well as to make straight forward editing and
51. ive or any other drive Choose Folder Options from the Tools menu Select Use Windows classic folders Select the View tab Unselect the Automatically search for network folders and printers option Click Apply Click the Apply to AII Folders button Click OK This trick will launch most executables with a high priority setting rather than normal Create a text file exactly as detailed below with Notepad or similar text editor and save it as TiMax bat in the TiMax Program directory cmd c start High TiMax exe To launch TiMax double click on TiMax bat or a shortcut to TiMax bat Overview TiMax Appendix e 65
52. k list near the bottom left of the screen and using the fader to set the level of audio program at that input Image definitions can contain as many outputs as is appropriate to maintain and reinforce the localisation being programmed Setting Image Definitions by ear Using a pulsed tone generator like the Out Board BIPA is a fast and accurate set up method Set the primary output the speaker at the focus point for the Image Definition to OdB E OmS then at the closest listening position on axis to the next speaker set a large delay and increase the level until the volume levels from the direct and delayed signals are the same Then start to decrease the delay until the direct and delayed signals fuse together for the listener at that position Trim the level so the delayed speaker is as loud as possible without undermining the localisation effect Repeat this process for all the speakers required in that Image Definition Setting Image Definitions by measurement Laser measurement devices and or acoustical tools such as Smaart Live that can measure distance from a loudspeaker to a microphone can be extremely useful in setting up Image Definitions In this case the reinforcement loudspeaker should be set to a delay that is equivalent to the difference in distance between the loudspeaker and listener and the Image Definition focus point and listener normally with an over delay factor added Setting Image Definitions for amplification of a
53. ments This shall work by bringing icons representing the audio matrix inputs for the source or effect into a work area and placing them on an Image Definition to create a static localisation and or then clicking on the source and dragging it between a number of Image Definitions to record a dynamic panning movement of the sound Both static localisation and dynamic panning shall be achieved by real time control of both the level and delay parameters at each audio matrix crosspoint to provide accurate localisation and or significantly expanded perception of dynamic pan imaging accuracy over a wide audience area rather than just a centralised sweetspot which would result from level only panning techniques The audio matrix DSP firmware shall employ proprietary algorithms to minimise audio signal distortion artefacts usually associated with dynamically changing delay times in real time Matrix Screen programming It shall also be possible to program the audio matrix crosspoint level and delay parameters directly into a visual representation of the matrix the Matrix Screen which shall allow selection of matrix crosspoints on a grid and adjustment of level and delay parameters at each crosspoint on adjacent master faders The Matrix Screen shall provide a fade time parameter to program the speed at which these parameters are applied to the audio matrix when selected Playlist Screen Each Matrix Screen or Effects Screen programming setup shall be defined a
54. nable to an Edit window within the WAV file screen to show an expanded waveform display with zoom function and to allow comprehensive editing as above In the Edit window it shall be possible to drop pre programmed Image Definitions onto the waveform display to assign static localisations or to program dynamic panning movements The timing and pan law of these dynamic pan movements shall be defined by the relative positions of the Image Definitions as placed on the audio waveform which shall send real time level and delay instructions the audio matrix as described above The WAV file screen shall include a real time search and preview function using a standard Windows Explorer style utility to allow WAV files to be searched and auditioned on the PC s default soundcard i e connected to a local monitor speaker or headphones prior to being loaded in to a Track After loading into a Track it shall be possible to select to use the WAV file in stereo or the left channel only or the right channel only or a mono sum of both channels Each track will also be selectable onto any available soundcard output either independently or mixed with other tracks already assigned to that soundcard output Each track shall also be assignable to relate to a particular audio matrix input for the purpose of instructing the WAV file Image Definition waveform based panning facility The audio matrix shall be a TiMax Rack System configured with up to 32 inputs and 32 outpu
55. nalogue inputs use 20 bit stereo A to D converter running at 48KHz sample rate while analogue outputs use a 20 bit stereo D to A Digital inputs and outputs have 4 stereo AES EBU digital audio connectors on XLR per card Digital input receivers feed to a sample rate converter to cater for asynchronous incoming data at any standard sample rate Digital outputs are 48khz only Another 8 bypass analogue inputs are provided on an optional input card that allow audio signals to be summed into DIP switch selected outputs These bypass inputs may be permanently assigned or automatically activated by a relay in the event of a system failure 5 THE SOFTWARE Venue Set up Several venues can be programmed into the TiMax computer with a separate record card for each venue with notes and basic information such as address phone number contact names etc The active venue can be selected from a browse list Details of which loudspeakers are in use their names types location multicore line amplifier type etc are entered as part of the venue set up Additional notes space is provided for each output and loudspeaker and other output types can be set up to appear in a pick list to speed entry of details All the data entered can be printed in report format The physical layout of the venue can be imported from any Windows drawing program that allows files to be saved in bit map Bmp format Here positions of loudspeakers and any other features of the
56. name outputs right click on the output type pick list and build a list of your own devices Do the same in the show setup name the new show and under the name box link the show to your new venue work along the tabs to activate and name inputs under the devices tab name any MIDI devices and Image Definitions When finished click on the browse tab highlight the new show and click the Load button at the bottom of the screen This show will now load automatically at boot up and is now the current show as indicated by the x on the right hand side of the browse list Quick Start e 10 Setting Image Definitions Default names for 9 of the possible 32 image definitions are after main and intermediate points of the compass these can be edited in the Venue Setup screen Once an Image Definition is named it is activated Before setting up Image Definitions place equalise and level balance the speakers for best coverage and even frequency response Any changes to placement level or colouration of the speakers could adversely effect localisations once Image Definitions are programmed Go to the Image Definition setup screen select an Image Definition and add an output to it by double clicking on the output icon at the bottom of the screen Drag the icon up to increase level and to the right to increase delay or enter parameters numerically in the spinner box Listen in real time to the effect being created by selecting an input from the pic
57. ng PC A relay interface built into the controlling PC can be programmed to close the relay contacts for a user defined duration This feature can be used to start tape cartridge or reel to reel machines to trigger lighting or pyrotechnic effects to ring telephones Play List Cues are recalled from the play list which is a scrolling display that moves forward on pressing the key Cues may be automatically or remotely triggered and may be defined as Time Code triggered cues MIDI triggered cues follow on cues or manually triggered cues Overview TiMax Appendix e 62 The Play List shows the previous 4 cues the current cue and the next 7 cues in the running sequence of the show Associated with the current cue is a large notes area for operator prompts and reminders TiMax allows decimal point cues to 3 decimal places to be inserted into the running sequence thus allowing new cues to be added without having to renumber the script The play list also prominently displays the current time code value and any CD tracks that are playing during that cue Matrix Programming set ups can be achieved using the Matrix screen An input output crosspoint or a range of crosspoints can be selected and the level and time delay may be set using the control faders Positioning the mouse over a cross point and clicking will select that cross point for editing and highlight its input and output names To select a range of crosspoints click and drag if t
58. ntaining its name Use the Input Source selector to choose the audio input carrying a suitable signal for set up purposes the level fader sets the gain from that input for monitoring purposes only and does not affect the gain of the Image Definition On this screen for convenience we have included control buttons for the two internal CD drives should you wish to use CD source for Image Definition set up Double click the icon representing the first output to include within the Image Definition to move it from the parking area to the control zone thus activating that output at 70dB level and OmS delay Dragging the icon up the screen will increase the level and dragging the icon across the screen will increase the time delay Precise level and time delay parameters may be entered into the values box As parameters are changed control data is sent to the DSP matrix in real time so the effect can be heard and trimmed as necessary Image definitions can contain as many outputs as is appropriate to maintain and reinforce the localisation being programmed Before setting up Image Definitions place equalise and level balance the speakers for best coverage and even frequency response Any changes to placement level or colouration of the speakers could adversely effect localisations once Image Definitions are programmed Suitable signals to set Image Definitions by ear are percussive and short in duration with a regular repetition such as a hit on a
59. o 9 Install the software automatically Recommended Install from a list or specific location Advanced Click Next to continue 4 Ensure the automatically Recommended install box is ticked in the Wizard and press Next The Wizard will locate and Install the driver then when it tells you it has Completed hit Finish 5 After the PC has re booted click on the Instacal Icon on your desktop or go to Start gt Programs gt Measurement Computing and click on Instacal This will configure the PCI or PCMCIA card in your PC 6 When the Plug n Play Board Detection message comes up confirming your PCI or PCMCIA card has been detected hit OK When the Instacal screen comes up you will just see your PCI or PCMCIA card in the list Close the Instacal screen 7 Now double click the TiMax shortcut on the desktop enter the password obe10 when asked TiMax will come up with a Hardware Not Found error message Hit OK and the TiMax software will open in the Playlist screen Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 42 8 Select Tools on the top toolbar select Configuration then hit the SHARC tab Select your PCI card or PCMCIA card in the DIO Board pull down menu Tick the Enabled box DO NOT tick the Enable Buffering box amp Timax TiMax Configuration Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help aga Doas a ea mma Configuration iv Enabled Enable Buffering 16ROX firmware
60. o 6dB 60dB to 20dB and 10dB to 10dB Remote control of TiMax Third party programs such as PC Anywhere Proxy and Timbuktu or Windows remote desktop allow the TiMax PC to be remote controlled from another computer via a serial link a parallel link or a network link In particular A Laptop PC with a wireless network link could send to a PCI wireless network card in the TiMax PC to allow radio remote control for setting up Image Definitions and auditioning localisations or panning moves Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 41 TiMax Software amp Hardware Installation 1 Download the latest timax xp exe or timaxV2_xp exe installation pack from www outboard co uk or copy it from the TiMax CDRom Click on the Setup icon to run the TiMax installation program setup 2 Follow the TiMax InstallShield Wizard instructions e g Next Accept Licence Customer Information then select Typical setup hit Next then hit Finish TiMax Installer will ask you if you want to re start the PC hit Yes After the PC has fully re booted switch it off again 3 Install the PCI or PCMCIA card in the PC switch on the PC and the Found New Hardware Plug n Play wizard will pop up to guide you My Found New Hardware Wizard Welcome to the Found New Hardware Wizard This wizard helps you install software for PCI DIO24H If your hardware came with an installation CD 2 or floppy disk insert it now What do you want the wizard to d
61. o prominently displays the current time code value and any CD tracks that are playing during that cue Programming a new cue To add a cue to the Play List click on the New button at the bottom of the screen or Alt N and enter the cue number and name in the pop up box as well as any notes associated with the cue External triggers can also be defined at this time Editing a cue To edit a cue first of all that cue must be recalled either by double clicking on the cue name to be edited or by scrolling to the cue using the arrow keys and then pressing the Enter key Click on the Edit button at the bottom of the screen or Alt E Editing the cue number will cause the cue to go to the new location in the Play List sequence External triggers may be set or edited and notes may be edited S Timax Maintain Cue Demo Show Demo Out Board Venue Ax File Edit Go Tools Window Debugging Help AdgamadAsia 8 ew e mma elo Cue No Cue Name Trigger Time Gos LITTTICENENENENNNESS lola r Cue M Trigger Time Link Time Code MIDI Prog MIDI Note RS232 ICueNo Current Cue NS e amp 0001 00 Start C Channel Program 0002 00 0003 00 leat fi Remove E Screen shot showing edit box for defining external triggers in this example a MIDI program change trigger has been defined TiMax Software e 26 Manual recall of cues Cues are recalled from the Play List which i
62. of 1024 matrix crosspoints The PC shall interface to the audio matrix via a proprietary DIO24 high speed parallel interface in either PCI card format for desktop PC s or PCMCIA card format for laptop PC s The PC computer shall also be capable of accommodating various optional PCI USB or Firewire interfaces to allow external control of the audio matrix software via MIDI RS232 or SMPTE and MIDI timecode as specified by the system designer TiMax PC Control Software The audio matrix shall be controlled from a dedicated PC software application that includes the following resources Image definition programming It shall be possible to program up to 32 Image Definitions each being a set of audio matrix instructions representing multiple level and time delay relationships between a group of loudspeakers These Image Definitions will form a library of Haas effect delay based audio localisations to which any matrix input can be applied to make it appear to come from a desired location Image Definition localisations shall be focussed on acoustic voice or instrument etc sources or on electronic loudspeaker sources while being reinforced by suitably delayed remote loudspeakers programmed into that Image Definition Effects Screen programming The Effects Screen shall be used to apply audio matrix inputs to pre programmed Image Definitions in order to control and program static localisations on stage and dynamic on stage or surround sound effect move
63. of 8 on internally installed cards each with two versions available offering either analogue XLR or digital AES EBU XLR inputs and outputs Each SHARC shall administer 8 inputs and 8 outputs Analogue and digital input and output cards shall be mixable within the system so a system could have for example 8 analogue inputs and 8 digital outputs with 8 analogue outputs or 8 digital inputs and 16 analogue outputs Analogue inputs and outputs shall be arranged in groups of 8 each in internally installed format with each card containing 8 audio connectors electronically balanced on XLR with ground lift switches isolating pin 1 on the XLR Analogue inputs use 24 bit stereo A to D converters running at 48KHz sample rate while analogue outputs use a 24 bit stereo D to A convertors Digital inputs and outputs shall have 4 stereo AES EBU digital audio connectors on XLR per card Digital input receivers shall feed to a sample rate converter to cater for asynchronous incoming data at any standard sample rate Digital outputs are 48khz only TiMax PC Computer Hardware The audio matrix shall be controlled from a PC computer running highly graphically oriented control software on a Windows XP platform The PC shall communicate with the audio matrix digital signal processor core via a high speed parallel link and shall provide real time control of all level and delay parameters at each of the maximum of 1024 matrix crosspoints The PC shall interface to the audio m
64. ol that is being adopted by many of the manufacturers of audio MIDI sequencing applications It allows software to have access to the multi channel capabilities of a wide range of powerful sound cards DSP Digital Signal Processing Image Definition An Image Definition is a level time delay relationship between a group of loudspeakers MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface as specified by the MIDI Manufacturers Association MTC MIDI Time Code SMPTE Linear Time Code specified by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Frame rates include 24 25 30 frames per second as well as drop frame format Overview TiMax Glossary of Terms e 51 Index A Audio levels 38 B bitmap 20 C CD ROM 33 41 42 33 41 42 33 41 42 close microphone 7 control zone 22 23 22 23 Controller 12 41 Cues 7 18 19 18 19 24 25 24 25 D DSP 12 13 12 15 22 Image Definition 21 23 21 22 23 36 37 36 37 22 23 Image Definitions 22 36 37 K Kutruff Effect 9 Overview TiMax L level panning 7 MIDI 12 18 18 21 25 33 25 34 29 34 30 34 30 34 41 43 41 43 34 41 43 41 43 41 34 41 43 41 43 41 34 41 43 41 43 43 MIDI MTC 34 41 monaural reproduction systems 7 MTC 18 34 41 P Passwords 19 Precedence 7 8 7 8 7 8 pyrotechnic 18 R relay interface 12 18 18 34 41 report 19 21 19 21 RS232 422 18 29 34 41 S Serial port events 18 SHARC 13 39
65. om the instrument or voice so speakers should be delayed relative to the position on stage of the source Whichever technique is used to set up the Image Definitions it is useful to walk the room to check the localisation is working for all seating positions and most critically for those nearest to the delayed reinforcing speakers It is good to check with playback of both speech and transient audio material finely adjusting level to trim the localisation and adjusting delay to eliminate any phasey comb filtering heard on speech or echo artefacts heard on transients For acoustically TiMax Software e 23 Overview TiMax anchored image definitions it can be helpful to to do these listening tests with a dummy speaker placed in the localisation zone to simulate the presence of a voice or instrument to anchor the ImageDefinition A wireless tablet PC controlling the TiMax PC remotely via PC Anywhere Proxy or similar can be invaluable for this subjective fine tuning process Calculating Image Definitions In some instances it can be very efficient to calculate Image Definition delay values in a spreadsheet These numerical values can be directly imported into TiMax in CSV comma separated variable format using the application called TiMax Utilities The basic principle is to calculate delays based on the difference in distance from the original source to the listener and the reinforcing loudspeaker to the listener where the original s
66. ormance Room reverberation and echoes can both help and hinder the effectiveness of localisation of sound In a room with very little natural reverberation any comb filtering effects resultant in the arrival of the same signal two sources with a small delay and equal level will be clearly audible In a room with a lot of reverberation the listener s perception of direction of sound can be confused Intelligibility of speech can be adversely affected if the listener hears multiple arrivals of the same signal with different delays especially if the second and subsequent arrivals are outside the Haas effect limit of 30 40mS 4 TECHNOLOGY AND A SOLUTION TiMax is a new DSP based fully automated audio matrix that offers static and dynamic control of level and time delay at every matrix cross point TiMax is among the first audio matrix systems ever that makes time delay panning and therefore the use of the Haas effect possible in any distributed or surround sound system TiMax offers a maximum capability to route up to 32 inputs to 32 outputs with each of the 1024 crosspoints having a unique level and time delay setting The control software is cue driven allowing an infinite number of audio events both static and dynamic hard disk space allowing to be saved to memory and recalled by a variety of means including manual recall remote control or time code triggered Overview TiMax Appendix e 60 TiMax is controlled from a PC running highly g
67. ounts of between 0 5 to 1mS then the image will shift towards the undelayed loudspeaker Overview TiMax Appendix e 59 When the time delay to one loudspeaker is increased to more than 1mS but less than 30ms the delayed loudspeaker is not heard at all even though its energy is equal to the undelayed loudspeaker Time delay differences of more than around 40mS result in the delayed loudspeaker being recognised as an additional sound source which will adversely affect the intelligibility of the sound and cause stress and disturbance to the listener With a time delay of 10 20mS between the two loudspeakers increasing the level to the delayed loudspeaker by 10dB will return the image to the centre and the delayed speaker will become recognisable as a sound source In summary the listener tends to lock on to the first arrival of sound and ignore subsequent arrivals within a 30mS time window even if they are louder Secondary sounds arriving within the 30mS window tend to fuse or integrate with the original or preceding arrival and add to the overall level The Kutruff Effect further demonstrates that the upper limit of delay can be extended from Haas s maximum of 30mS by adding more loudspeakers with additional delays so for example in a three loudspeaker system provided both the delay from speaker 1 to speaker 2 and the delay from speaker 2 to speaker 3 are within the Haas range the image can be pulled from speaker 3 to speaker 2 to speaker 1 e
68. ource can be a voice musical instrument or an anchor loudspeaker The stages in this process are 1 Decide on the image definitions that you want to use and name them in TiMax software 2 Use the TiMax Utility software with the banana icon which is available under the Windows Start Menu Programs gt OutBoard Electronics TiMax gt TiMax Utilities Choose Data Conversion gt Export Image Definitions select Load From and navigate to show db Hit Proceed and choose your specific Show from a list Hit Select to export this show as a csv file in the right format for re import back to TiMax once you have measured distances and calculated delays 3 Open the file in Excel and make a duplicate of the exported data on another page Name the first page Distances and the Second page Calculations 4 In the Distances page name a row above the speaker names Dist Speaker Listener and above the mS column for each speaker enter the distance in metres from the speaker to closest seat on axis to that speaker we ll call these seats Audience Positions AP and the loudspeaker position LP Also name a cell on the Distances page Overdelay 5 In the Distances page enter in the mS column for the relevant Image Definition row the measured distance from each AP to each stage localisation zone or anchor speaker Image Definition Origin IDO 6 In the Calculations page each cell for mS needs to have the following formula Distance
69. parately or mixed onto soundcard outputs on either a stereo or eight channel ASIO soundcard Each Playlist Cue shall contain up to eight tracks of audio playback some or all of which may be allowed to continue playing or looping while subsequent Cues play back audio events on the remaining available tracks Audio playback events programmed for each Cue shall be trigger able as described in Playlist Screen above The WAV file playback screen shall include comprehensive non destructive editing functions independently for each track within each Cue including Track Play Zone editing Track Loop Zone editing Track Time Slip editing and Track Volume Profile editing all either edited graphically using a mouse cursor or by numeric data entry or nudge buttons Loop Editing shall include a Loop End Rehearse facility to allow various different Loop End Modes to be auditioned prior to being applied in a later Cue in order to terminate a Loop The Volume Profile editing function shall allow an indefinite number of volume nodes to be programmed and displayed on a volume profile line curve adjacent to the Edit window waveform display so that overall track levels and or instantaneous level cuts and boost or cuts can be applied to any point on the waveform as well as gradual fades with precisely configurable fade laws Each Cue shall display in the WAV file screen each of the waveforms for all eight tracks simultaneously with zoom function and any track shall be assig
70. pending on the desired direction of data transfer either to or from the current production Export Image Definitions Data Locations Load From C Program Files Outboard TiMax Data Show d Save To C Program Files OQutboard TiMax D ata lmgDef Progress Opening and selecting show Creating export file Appending data to export file Finalising operation Proceed i Export of Image Definitions will normally be from the default database directory at disk location C Program Files Outboard TiMax Data Show db The CSV file can be saved to any desired disk location Similarly Image Definition data being imported must be directed to the disk location of the show database When importing Image Definition data it is important that the data table is in the correct format It is strongly advised that the format is checked on an exported file Data tables edited in Excel must be saved in csv format Please note that Windows language settings can affect the file variable separator TiMax Software e 25 The Play List Overview TiMax The Play List shows the previous 5 cues the current cue and the next 6 cues in the running sequence of the show Associated with the current cue is a large notes area for operator prompts and reminders TiMax allows decimal point cues to 2 decimal places to be inserted into the running sequence thus allowing new cues to be added without having to renumber the script The play list als
71. perience In concert halls and theatres where sound reinforcement is used it is equally important to convey directional information about the localisation or source of a sound but this is at odds with the requirement to deliver an even sound pressure level with good intelligibility over a wide listening area The technique of level panning between left and right loudspeakers used in stereo reproduction is of limited effect in auditoria as only those people seated centrally between the loudspeaker positions will benefit fully from the effect Just as with home stereo reproduction all the panoramic information is lost if a listening position directly in front of one of the loudspeakers is chosen in theatre situations those listening positions nearest to the stage but away from the central block of seats hear the sound coming from the wrong place It is arguably more important to convey spatial information in theatre sound in order to reinforce the visual cues from the stage rather than to contradict them which has the effect of undermining the audiences willing suspension of disbelief and therefore their enjoyment of the show The principle of Precedence was first researched in 1840 and was later developed by Helmut Haas some 100 years later Haas demonstrated that a listener seated in front of and centrally between two loudspeakers both set to the same level will hear a centre image If the sound to one of the loudspeakers is delayed by small am
72. raphically oriented control software on a Windows 95 platform The PC communicates with the DSP via a high speed parallel link and offers real time intuitive control The PC is supplied less monitor in 19 rack mount format complete with SMPTE MIDI interface 2 CD ROM drives a removable 1 Gigabyte hard drive a 1 2 Megabyte 3 5 floppy drive an internal modem for remote control and fault diagnosis serial and parallel ports and SVGA card The matrix core and audio input and output cards is housed in an 8 unit high 19 rack mount case and is based around the Analogue Devices SHARC DSP with internal 40 bit architecture Up to 4 devices operate in parallel offering facility to accommodate up to 32 inputs and 32 outputs External world communications and boot up is controlled via a smaller Supervisor DSP Inputs and outputs to TiMax may be analogue or digital Audio Inputs and Outputs are arranged in groups of 8 on plug in cards with two versions available offering either analogue or digital AES EBU inputs and outputs Each SHARC administers 8 inputs and 8 outputs Analogue and digital input and output cards can be mixed within the system so a system could have for example 24 analogue inputs and 8 digital inputs with all 32 outputs analogue Analogue inputs and outputs are arranged in groups of 8 each in plug in format with each card containing 8 audio connectors electronically balanced on XLR with ground lift switches isolating pin 1 on the XLR A
73. rio CIO DIO96 A Board Number 0 v TiMax Software e 45 Overview TiMax CD ROM Select the drive letter of installed CD ROM To enable analogue output from the CD drive it may be necessary to go to Control Panel System Hardware Device Manager right click on the CD select Properties and uncheck the box for Enable Digital CD Audio Relay Interface The relay interface requires the external TiMax Relay Interface unit to be connected to the printer port This provides relays suitable for switching voltages up to 50 volts AC or DC at currents of up to 100mA Default I O address to 0378 RS232 422 Communication ports must be enabled on the hardware set up screen Prefix and suffix codes can be programmed if required default set up includes Prefix 0 No Prefix Suffix 13 Carriage Return If a different prefix of suffix to the RS232 data stream are required they can be programmed by altering the HEX code for the ASCII character in the RS232 configuration screen MIDI MTC MIDI inputs and outputs need to be enabled and the time code format should be specified in the hardware configuration set up table Install the MIDI interface as per the manufacturer s instructions Launch TiMax software go to Tools on the top menu bar select Configuration select the MIDI MTC tab check the check boxes select the MIDI interface as is appropriate for your requirement Joystick Controller The joystick is connected to the PC
74. s a Cue which can be controlled from the Playlist Screen which is a scrolling display from which each Cue may be manually automatically or remotely recalled or triggered Each individual Cue shall be definable as manually triggered from the PC keyboard internally triggered from a pre programmed TimeLine follow on interval or externally triggered by SMPTE MIDI Time Code MIDI Note or Program Change or RS232 hexadecimal code Each Cue shall also be programmable in an Events Screen to output external event triggers as MIDI Note or Program Change RS232 hexadecimal code or external Relay Trigger using an external relay interface unit The Play List shall show the previous 5 cues the current cue and the next 6 cues in the running sequence of the show Associated with the current Cue shall be a large notes area for operator prompts and reminders The Playlist shall allow decimal point cues to 3 decimal places to be inserted into the running sequence thus allowing new cues to be added without Overview TiMax Appendix e 54 Overview TiMax having to renumber the script up to a maximum of 9999 999 Cues hard disk space allowing The play list shall prominently display the current timecode reader value and any trigger modes that have been set for each Cue WAV file sound effects playback and editing The PC software shall incorporate an optional integrated audio wav file editing and playback screen allowing eight stereo or mono tracks to be played back se
75. s a scrolling display from which each Cue may be manually automatically or remotely recalled or triggered Each individual Cue shall be definable as manually triggered from the PC keyboard internally triggered from a pre programmed TimeLine follow on interval or externally triggered by SMPTE MIDI Time Code MIDI Note or Program Change or RS232 hexadecimal code Each Cue shall also be programmable in an Events Screen to output external event triggers as MIDI Note or Program Change RS232 hexadecimal code or external Relay Trigger using an external relay interface unit The Play List shall show the previous 5 cues the current cue and the next 6 cues in the running sequence of the show Associated with the current Cue shall be a large notes area for operator prompts and reminders The Playlist shall allow decimal point cues to 3 decimal places to be inserted into the running sequence thus allowing new cues to be added without having to renumber the script up to a maximum of 9999 999 Cues hard disk space allowing The play list shall prominently display the current timecode reader value and any trigger modes that have been set for each Cue Overview TiMax Appendix e 57 Overview TiMax WAY file sound effects playback and editing The PC software shall incorporate an optional integrated audio wav file editing and playback screen allowing eight stereo or mono tracks to be played back separately or mixed onto soundcard outputs on either a stereo or eigh
76. s a scrolling display that moves forward on pressing the Num key moves backwards by pressing the Num key and can be made to go to any cue either by using up and down arrow keys in conjunction with the Num Enter key or by using the mouse to double click on the cue name External and automatic triggers Cues may be automatically or remotely triggered and may be defined as Time Code triggered cues MIDI triggered cues follow on Time Link cues RS232 triggered cues or manually triggered cues Setting the trigger mode of a cue can be done either at the time when the cue is first programmed or later by editing the cue With no triggers selected the cue will only be recalled manually In order for an external trigger to operate the Triggers Enable button the little gun on the top toolbar at the bottom of the Play List screen needs to be pressed Time link triggers Highlight and select the cue that you wish to trigger as a Time Link follow on from the previous cue Click on the Edit button at the bottom of the Play List screen and in the pop up box click on the Time Link button the hand icon In the time box enter how many seconds the current cue should trigger after the previous cue has been activated For example in a sequence of cues numbered 5 6 7 if a Time Link of 15 seconds is entered in cue 6 then cue 6 will automatically trigger 15 seconds after cue 5 SMPTE triggers Following the same procedure as above but selecting the SM
77. select the track containing the sound clip that you wish to edit click the Loop Zone Set button and either drag the Loop Zone start and end markers to the desired points and click Done or edit the Loop Zone Start and End points numerically or using the nudge up down feature on the number box To clear a loop use the Loop Clear button masa Loop Start 00 17 692 Zone BEM Stop 00 22213 E Cleat Note Tracks containing defined loops are painted out with a blue background in all subsequent cues up to the cue containing the loop end command Ending Loops Once a loop has been defined it will continue playing over multiple subsequent cues until a Loop End state is defined in a later cue To define the end point of a loop go to the cue in which you wish to stop the loop select the track in which the loop is playing and select one of the following 3 Loop End Modes This End Mode will cause the loop to continue to play through to the end of the Loop Zone end marker and then on to the end of the Play Zone TiMax Software e 31 Overview TiMax This Loop End Mode will cause the loop to jump to the Loop End marker and then play to the end of the Play Zone This Loop End Mode will cause the loop to stop playing immediately with a 250mS fade out End Clip If a long sound clip needs to play for an indefinite period of time and end on cue this can be achieved using the End Clip function Go to the cue in
78. sis and of course the interface card to control the DSP audio processor What s new We are pleased to introduce a new hard disk sound effects playback module which is fully integrated into the TiMax software environment SoundTablet enables the user to play as many as 8 stereo sound clips per TiMax cue and has a number of intuitive features including defining the region of the sound clip that will play looping with 3 different loop end options complex volume profiling direct application of Image Definitions to the clip playing and track time slip SoundTablet is a powerful and fully featured sound effects playback system even when used stand alone and when integrated with the TiMax hardware offers you all the dynamic localisation and spatialisation control that the world s top sound designers have come to expect from this multi award winning system Overview TiMax Introduction e 5 Terms and Conditions Software Licence Out Board Electronics has made reasonable checks of the Software to confirm that it will perform in normal use on compatible equipment substantially as described in the then current specifications for the Software However due to the inherently complex nature of computer software Out Board Electronics does not warrant that the Software or the Documentation is completely error free will operate without interruption is compatible with all equipment and software configurations or will otherwise meet your needs
79. ster 8 inputs and 8 outputs Analogue and digital input and output cards shall be mixable within the system so a system could have for example 24 analogue inputs and 8 digital inputs with all 32 outputs analogue Analogue inputs and outputs shall be arranged in groups of 8 each in plug in format with each card containing 8 audio connectors electronically balanced on XLR with ground lift switches isolating pin 1 on the XLR Analogue inputs use 24 bit stereo A to D converters running at 48KHz sample rate while analogue outputs use a 24 bit stereo D to A convertors Digital inputs and outputs shall have 4 stereo AES EBU digital audio connectors on XLR per card Digital input receivers shall feed to a sample rate converter to cater for asynchronous incoming data at any standard sample rate Digital outputs are 48khz only Another 8 bypass analogue inputs shall be provided on an optional input card that will allow audio signals to be summed into DIP switch selected outputs These bypass inputs shall be permanently assignable or automatically activated by a relay in the event of a system failure TiMax PC Computer Hardware The audio matrix shall be controlled from a PC computer running highly graphically oriented control software on a Windows XP platform The PC shall communicate with the audio matrix digital signal processor core via a high speed parallel link and shall provide real time control of all level and delay parameters at each of the maximum
80. supply with auto ranging input Out Board Electronics reserves the right to alter specifications without prior notification EXOE Appendix e 58 Source Oriented Reinforcement White Paper LOCALISATION OF SOUND WITH A MULTI SPEAKER REINFORCEMENT SYSTEM Robin Whittaker Out Board Electronics Cambridge England 1 INTRODUCTION The growing popularity of close microphone techniques using radio microphones in theatre sound has resulted in poor aural imaging Before the use of amplified sound in theatre what the audience heard was the direct sound of the actor s voice and not the amplified signal from a loudspeaker in a fixed and different location This shortcoming has been commented on a number times in the press in recent reviews of stage plays as well as in professional audio industry publications which has heightened both public and professional awareness of the problem Fortunately the psycho acoustic phenomenon known as Precedence or the Haas Effect correctly applied can help the sound designer to achieve the seemingly contradictory objectives of a uniform loudness across the listening area while at the same time allowing the perceived direction of the origin of the sound to be controlled 2 BACKGROUND Today stereophonic and multi channel sound systems in the home are common place they have the advantage over monaural reproduction systems of giving the listener additional panoramic or spatial information which enhances the listening ex
81. t channel ASIO soundcard Each Playlist Cue shall contain up to eight tracks of audio playback some or all of which may be allowed to continue playing or looping while subsequent Cues play back audio events on the remaining available tracks Audio playback events programmed for each Cue shall be trigger able as described in Playlist Screen above The WAV file playback screen shall include comprehensive non destructive editing functions independently for each track within each Cue including Track Play Zone editing Track Loop Zone editing Track Time Slip editing and Track Volume Profile editing all either edited graphically using a mouse cursor or by numeric data entry or nudge buttons Loop Editing shall include a Loop End Rehearse facility to allow various different Loop End Modes to be auditioned prior to being applied in a later Cue in order to terminate a Loop The Volume Profile editing function shall allow an indefinite number of volume nodes to be programmed and displayed on a volume profile line curve adjacent to the Edit window waveform display so that overall track levels and or instantaneous level cuts and boost or cuts can be applied to any point on the waveform as well as gradual fades with precisely configurable fade laws Each Cue shall display in the WAV file screen each of the waveforms for all eight tracks simultaneously with zoom function and any track shall be assignable to an Edit window within the WAV file screen to show an expand
82. tered and use the buttons as shown below Peou 4 Y TiMax In EJ The result is displayed in the number box next to the associated track Dealing with Stereo clips The requirement to play a mono version of a stereo sound clip is accommodated without wasting available outputs by providing the means to select 4 playback modes for stereo source material These are Left only Right only Left Right sum and Stereo StMode LR TiMax Software e 33 File Management and Backups To back up a production from the top menu bar select File Save Production As and browse to the desired backup location and press Save This process zips up all the sound clips used in the show and saves them together with the other show data files into a file with the name lt name gt tms To open a previously saved production for example one that has been created on another computer go to the top menu bar select File Open Production navigate to the file location and click Open TiMax will unzip the show database files as well as the associated audio clips and put them in the TiMax Audio directory If TiMax can t find any particular wav files when you open the Production in a different PC then it will give you the option to browse for the missing files Overview TiMax TiMax Software e 34 Events Overview TiMax TiMax offers sophisticated show control capability A number of events can be programmed for each cue These are programmed throug
83. time code generator can be started and stopped at precise time code values for purposes of external synchronisation of tape playback machines connected via a chase synchroniser or for timed follow on cues set to automatically trigger after a programmed interval from the last cue CD tracks can be set to automatically start to play from either or both of the two CD ROM drives built into the controlling PC A relay interface built into the controlling PC can be programmed to close the relay contacts for a user defined duration This feature can be used to start tape cartridge or reel to reel machines to trigger lighting or pyrotechnic effects to ring prop telephones on stage TiMax Software e 18 Passwords Venue Setup Overview TiMax Five levels of security have been defined within TiMax The factory set passwords are listed below but can be altered if desired m TiMax Configuration HARC CD Rom Configuration Application Title Timax Licence amp Unlicenced Data Directory CAProgram FilesyOutboardXTiMe ADat Backup Directory CAProgram Files Outboard TiMax Date Passwords Setup Mode iv Password Required Programming Show Mode Locked Dre Canes 1 Locked TiMax is in read only mode External triggers will still function correctly however no changes can be made to any aspect of the show and cues may not be recalled manually PW none 2 Show
84. trix inputs for the source or effect into a work area and placing them on an Image Definition to create a static localisation and or then clicking on the source and dragging it between a number of Image Definitions to record a dynamic panning movement of the sound Both static localisation and dynamic panning shall be achieved by real time control of both the level and delay parameters at each audio matrix crosspoint to provide accurate localisation and or significantly expanded perception of dynamic pan imaging accuracy over a wide audience area rather than just a centralised sweetspot which would result from level only panning techniques The audio matrix DSP firmware shall employ proprietary algorithms to minimise audio signal distortion artefacts usually associated with dynamically changing delay times in real time Matrix Screen programming It shall also be possible to program the audio matrix crosspoint level and delay parameters directly into a visual representation of the matrix the Matrix Screen which shall allow selection of matrix crosspoints on a grid and adjustment of level and delay parameters at each crosspoint on adjacent master faders The Matrix Screen shall provide a fade time parameter to program the speed at which these parameters are applied to the audio matrix when selected Playlist Screen Each Matrix Screen or Effects Screen programming setup shall be defined as a Cue which can be controlled from the Playlist Screen which i
85. ts The PC control software shall be the TiMaxV2 WinXP software The WAV file playback and editing software shall be the TiMax SoundTablet option for the TiMaxV2 WinXP software The audio matrix shall have Technical Specifications which meet or exceed the following Parameter Specification Notes Analogue input A D Converter 24 Bit 64 x over sampled delta sigma digitally filtered THD Noise 92dB 1KHz E 0dB Unweighted 0 0016 THD N Noise Floor 103dB 20Hz 20KHz Unweighted Frequency Response 0 0 5dB 20Hz 20KHz Sample Rate 48KHz Max Input Level 22dBu Before onset of clipping Input Connection XLR Electronic balanced line input stage Input Impedance 8KQ Analogue Output D A Converter 24 Bit 128 x over sampled 1 bit delta sigma modulator THD Noise 94dB 1KHz 0dB Unweighted 0 002 THD N Noise Floor 99dB 20Hz 20KHz Unweighted Frequency Response 0 0 5dB 20Hz 20KHz Sample Rate 48KHz Max Output Level 22dBu Before onset of clipping Output Connection XLR Electronic balanced line output stage Output Impedance 500 Digital input Digital Input 24 Bit max 24 56 KHz sample rate converter Input Connection XLR AES EBU format stereo Digital Output Digital Output 24 Bit 48KHz sample rate only Output Connection XLR AES EBU format stereo General Control data port 37 way D type 16 bit data 8 bit address and control Max Gain 10dB Any input to any output Max Delay 340mS Any input to any output Mains volt
86. uble clicking on it to move it from the parking zone to the work area its level will be set to OdB if checked Otherwise the input will enter the work area at 70dB Start Wav any sound clips programmed in the SoundTablet screen for this Cue will start playing at the start of any dynamic effect movement recording How the effects screen algorithm works The algorithm that determines what percentage of the input signal is sent to which outputs needs some explanation in order for the user to understand the finer points of the limitations and possibilities of using this control method When an input is placed on the screen the distance from it to the closest two Image Definitions is measured The sum of these two distances defines a capture radius around that input The distances to any Image definitions falling inside that capture radius are measured and the image definitions are applied to that input on a percentage proportional to their distance from the input It follows that if an input is placed directly over an Image Definition then that Image Definition is applied 100 to that input For further information about Image Definitions see Image Definitions TiMax Software e 40 Bargraph Metering Audio input and output levels can be monitored on the meters screen The characteristic of the meters can be altered to suit the operators preference between VU and PPM and Peak Hold responses with a range of scales available from 30dB t
87. uso p o ES 4 Playlist Samples CD Players For each CD player there are four Event options Do Nothing TiMax does not change the current state of the CD player if a track is already playing it will continue to do so until the end of the track Play Track The track number and name can be entered Track names are also shown on the Play List Unfortunately it now takes Windows several seconds to start the CD playback since TiMax has been upgraded to WinXP from Win98 For time critical sound effects playback we recommend using Timax SoundTablet or MIDI triggers to external samplers Stop The CD player is stopped Eject The CD player drawer is ejected use with caution See CD ROM configuration CD ROM TiMax Software e 35 Overview TiMax Relays For each of the eight relays the following Events are available No button pressed No change is made to the state of the relay Relay On The relay is turned on Relay Off The relay is turned off Pulse Relay The relay is turned on for a user defined duration and then turned off The duration is entered in milliseconds NB Event Relays are available as a separate TiMax Relay Interface unit which conneetcs to the PC s parallel printer port See Relay configuration Relay RS232 422 For each of four serial ports one can specify data to be output This output may be entere
88. uts need to be distributed to several outputs each with a unique or variable time delay and level TiMax is the ideal control system Film sound recording is another typical application for TiMax Spatial sound effects from a number of loudspeakers to an audience seated in a large listening area can only effectively be achieved using time delay panning Haas Effect as well as level panning In fixed installation sound systems where the only criterion is to have a number of inputs feeding to outputs with a delay TiMax offers a cost effective solution compared to the alternative of a hand full of professional delay units TiMax is also suited to applications where a number of inputs need to be time aligned and mixed together for example in classical recording where microphones are placed both close to instruments and some distance away for stereo perspective Overview TiMax Appendix e 63 Speeding up your PC Overview TiMax Here are some tips and tricks on how to speed up your PC with no warrantees System Properties Visual Effects Windows XP contains a huge list of special effects and visual enhancements such as animated menus fade effects cursor shadows menu shadows etc Disabling some of these settings can make Windows XP running faster and use less system resources Open Control Panel from the Start menu and choose System Choose the Advanced tab Select the Settings button under the Performance section Check the A
89. ven though the total delay from speaker 1 to 3 exceeds the Haas maximum In practical terms the 30mS allowable error in arrival of the preceding and subsequent sounds allows the sound designer to pan sounds around a room by altering the relative time delays to the loudspeakers In addition to this amazing phenomenon in a properly set up system the effect can Work over a large listening area 3 PRACTICAL ISSUES The ear is more sensitive to the direction of sound from in front and to the side than it is to sounds that come from behind or overhead In a theatre sound reinforcement situation this is good because sound designers are normally concerned with pulling the sound from under balcony loudspeakers which are normally overhead towards the stage which they are facing The timbre of the sound is also an important factor in the localisation of sound The ear is most sensitive to the direction of sound at the same frequencies as it is most sensitive to level Proper equalisation of loudspeakers can be used to extend the Haas limit of relative levels from two sound sources but equally poorly equalised loudspeakers can destroy the effect Visual cues have a marked influence on the perceived direction of sound However if the direction of a sound and a visual cue clearly contradict one another this can lead to the listener developing a heightened awareness of the existence of an amplified sound system with a resulting loss of appreciation of the perf
90. via the games port The controller must be enabled and a calibration procedure is required prior to use Wave Install the sound card as per manufacturers instructions Go to the Wave tab and select the sound card interface from the drop down list Go to the sound card control panel and set the ASIO buffer size to 2048 samples If the ASIO buffer is set too low the audio stream may glitch and be intermittent Also check the sound card control panel to make sure that all output levels are full up and unmated TiMax Software e 46 Troubleshooting Windows 95 98 Configuration Overview TiMax Windows boot up configuration The boot up procedure can be sped up by not loading DOS and by removing some delays in the Windows boot up Rename Autoexec bat to Autoexec 001 Rename Config sys to Config 001 Open MSDOS SYS it should be in the root of the C drive but may be hidden with WordPad and add the following lines Boot Delay 0 BootMenuDelay O Logo 0 Disable CD player Auto Insert Notification under System Device Manager CD ROM Select CD ROM drive and click Properties Select Settings Uncheck Auto Insert Notification Taskbar options Right click on the Taskbar Properties Uncheck Always on Top Uncheck Auto Hide Click OK Drag the top of the Taskbar down to the bottom of the screen Set screen resolution to 800x600 256 colours Screen resolution is set up via the Win 95 control panel Troubleshoot
91. y closure events and CD play events from two internal CD drives This facility enables TiMax to take care of all the show control requirements to be actioned in background each time the next cue is recalled TiMax allows up to 16 MIDI events to be programmed within each cue Program changes can be used to control external MIDI compatible equipment such as reverberation or equalisation units by recalling settings from the unit s internal memory MIDI note on commands have an associated duration setting to they can be used to trigger sound effects stored on a sampler or to play a note on a synthesiser TiMax then automatically sends the note off command at the end of the duration MIDI controllers can be used in many different ways including levels of sound or lights pitch of a synthesiser note equaliser or reverb parameter Serial port events can be programmed either in ASCII or Hexadecimal to allow simple interface to equipment that offers serial port control for example some sound effects playback equipment offers this type of control An internal time code generator can be started and stopped at precise time code values for purposes of external synchronisation of tape playback machines connected via a chase synchroniser or for timed follow on cues set to automatically trigger after a programmed interval from the last cue CD tracks can be set to automatically start to play from either or both of the two CD ROM drives built into the controlli

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