Omnia Stereo Audio Processor, Installation And Operation Manual

Page 1: ...Installation and Operation Manual Revised August 2010 Applicable to All Software Styles Software Version 2 2 or higher Omnia 1241 Superior Avenue East Cleveland Ohio 44114 USA TEL 1 216 241 7225 FAX 1...

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Page 3: ...elt thank you to Rob Dye Bill Mohat Ed Zmuginsky Mark Manolio Ted Alexander David Jablonski Betty Ferrell Marty Greenberg Steve Kiffmeyer Denny Sanders Marty Sacks Mike Dosch Kirk Harnack Mike Uhl Jim...

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Page 5: ...on the LED bargraph meters 6 While driving the inputs with typical program material at normal operating level navigate back up to the Input Output Input menu by highlighting and clicking on the EXIT...

Page 6: ...C Active on FM Style Only 4 SCA Input BNC Active on FM Style Only 4 Ethernet Livewire Connection 5 RS 232 Modem Connection DB 9M 5 General Purpose Interface GPI DB 9F 6 Powering Up 6 Chapter 2 Getting...

Page 7: ...and Intelligibility 23 Quality Versus Density 23 Increasing Density Loudness 24 Adding More Detail When Loudness Isn t the Last Word 25 Equalization EQ Changes 25 Thunder Bass 26 Coded Audio Considera...

Page 8: ...GC 46 Low Band Limiter 46 Mid Band Limiter 47 Presence Band Limiter 47 High Band Limiter 47 Bass Clipper 47 Mixer 48 Clipper 49 Exit 49 Multicast DAB Style 50 Exit 51 Pre processing 51 Wideband AGC Au...

Page 9: ...High Band Limiter 65 Bass Clipper 65 Mixer 66 Final Limit 67 Exit 67 Input Output 69 Mtr Select Meter Select 69 Input 69 Output 71 FM Options FM Style Only 72 AM Options AM Style Only 74 Livewire 77 S...

Page 10: ...btaining Service 96 Via the World Wide Web 96 Via E Mail 96 Via Phone Mail USA and non European Countries 96 Warranty 97 Appendix C Remote Control and Software Update Procedure 99 Remote Control 99 Re...

Page 11: ...during a lightning storm or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time unplug it from the AC wall outlet This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power supply...

Page 12: ...adio communications The device has been formally submitted for testing and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to subpart J of Part 15 FCC Rules and has been design...

Page 13: ...ables must be used for all audio and data connections NOTE When the unit is operated in an extremely high RF environment it may be helpful to connect cable shields to the XLR connector terminal that c...

Page 14: ...encourage our customers to visit our Omnia website for product enhancement announcements software updates updated user manuals and customer support bulletins The following URLs have been included for...

Page 15: ...tyle and one of the Euro style One each Male and Female XLR to StudioHUB RJ45 adaptor cables AC Power Environment The Omnia ONE subsystem is a DSP based microcomputer and therefore requires reasonably...

Page 16: ...sis to a solid rack or station ground point Although no separate ground lug is provided the end of the strap or braid can be clamped under the Omnia s top cover using the Omnia s existing top cover sc...

Page 17: ...may feel that they sound weird in their headphones If this occurs then the relative phase of the processor is 180 degrees from what your air talent is used to To remedy this you can either reverse th...

Page 18: ...lter on the SCA input provides SCA to main channel crosstalk protection The SCA injection level can be adjusted using the Gain trimpot See Page 77 for details AES EBU Digital Input AES EBU External Sy...

Page 19: ...onnector for troubleshooting purposes RS 232 Modem Port NOTE You must use a standard straight through serial cable and not a null modem cable when connecting the RS 232 connector of the Omnia and the...

Page 20: ...ger Script functionality are not yet implemented in the current software but will be available with a free downloadable software update Please check the Omnia website for new software announcements do...

Page 21: ...stereo headphone jack is located at the left side of the front panel and allows the processed signal to be monitored The Headphone volume level control is physically located to the right of the headp...

Page 22: ...the amount of gain reduction in the AGC Limiter and Clipper sections within the Omnia ONE varies with style If the Menu Display is currently showing on the Omnia ONE s LCD screen press and hold the j...

Page 23: ...an be found under one of the menu headings and sub headings allowing adjustments to be made quickly and with ease Rotating the jog wheel sequentially highlights each menu item in turn See Using the Jo...

Page 24: ...ity Clockwise rotation moves the highlighting in a menu downward and increases a value when editing parameters Counterclockwise rotation moves the highlighting in a menu upward and decreases a value w...

Page 25: ...Input is displayed and click This sets the first 2 LED meters to monitor the Left and Right channel input levels Rotate the jog wheel clockwise to highlight Input and click Rotate the jog wheel to hi...

Page 26: ...ve measured the propagation time delay the amount of time it takes for the audio signal to travel from the analog input of Omnia ONE to the output at approximately 7 7ms for the FM Style when using AE...

Page 27: ...in mind that the formats used to name the presets are only guidelines and are not engraved in stone We had to call them something Always make sure your input levels and modulation are set properly bef...

Page 28: ...sound As we said earlier there is no precise recipe for setting up audio processing because each application is different However there are a few basics that we can share with you that can help get yo...

Page 29: ...the Hold function 3 Ease up on the AGC sections Reduce the AGC Drive to the Wideband AGC and the Overall AGC Drive in the Xover Reduce the Release times to operate slower Backing off the clipping sect...

Page 30: ...rce material has it Omnia ONE FM can expose that deep bass and do it with muscle Tailoring Thunder Bass for more dominance is simple and is done by adjusting the following parameters and in the order...

Page 31: ...on You will not notice any significant loss of level but will notice a much cleaner and less fatiguing sound You may of course make up this modulation loss by operating the Omnia with a slight amount...

Page 32: ...drive to the limiters Instead it can be as non intuitive as creating the illusion of greater loudness by changing something simple like a time constant Sometimes the old adage of less is more really a...

Page 33: ...he clipper sections 5 A combination of all of the above yes it sounds crazy but it s true Always resist the temptation to make too many changes at once because it then becomes difficult to determine w...

Page 34: ...ny excessive EQ change can be undone by the subsequent AGC or Limiter The last option adjusting the Mixer is designed to provide a final minor trim to the spectrum If you ve noticed that we calibrated...

Page 35: ...itable not only for codec pre conditioning or provisioning but also for a range of other highly specialized signal processing challenges The following is a discussion of how Sensus technology can be a...

Page 36: ...visioning audio for codecs operating at these low bitrates With Sensus the innovative algorithm inside Omnia ONE Multicast it is now possible to have consistently high audio quality with a minimum of...

Page 37: ...asing the drive to the limiters Instead it can be as non intuitive as creating the illusion of greater loudness by changing something simple like a time constant Sometimes the old adage of less is mor...

Page 38: ...ctions will do the trick The following are some suggestions on where to begin to make changes For best results you should try them in the order we have listed below Increasing loudness can be accompli...

Page 39: ...Raise the threshold of the Hold function 3 Ease up on the Wideband AGC sections Reduce the Drive to the Wideband AGC Lower the Release setting to cause it to operate slower Backing off the limiting se...

Page 40: ...lone will provide a sufficient enhancement to the low end Bass adjustments should typically be done after selecting the preset you wish to use and the low pass filter that is appropriate for the codec...

Page 41: ...e A to D and D to A converters With both of these sections engaged the delay through the unit will be about 7 6 ms using the digital I O and 9 1 ms using the analog I O Equalization EQ Changes Tailori...

Page 42: ...e average level but will pass all peaks through un altered Be careful setting the Output Level to avoid clipping Aggressive Similar to General but with more aggressive compression and multi band peak...

Page 43: ...ng different presets you may compare the sound between them Here in the Preset menu you may select and load presets to use but not save delete or rename them Those operations may be accomplished from...

Page 44: ...knob When the desired character is found click This will return the cursor to select mode and you can again turn the knob to select the next character to edit To delete a character Select the charact...

Page 45: ...rotate the jog wheel until cancel is displayed and click Exit Click on this option to return to the Main Menu Adjust Processing This submenu allows changes to be made in any of the Omnia ONE s severa...

Page 46: ...er The tightly controlled filtered output of the Clipper feeds the built in digital Stereo Generator with composite clipper the headphone jack with its own automatic de emphasis and the XLR outputs an...

Page 47: ...fader keeping the average level more consistent for the following 4 Band AGC stage enabling it to stay in its sweet spot WB AGC Bypass Engage The wideband Automatic Gain Control AGC stage can be bypas...

Page 48: ...Bass An Omnia exclusive Phat Bass adds harmonic overtones to the lower bass frequencies The addition of these overtones causes small speakers to seem to produce bass response that they are not actual...

Page 49: ...in reduction in the Presence Band AGC Higher numbers result in more drive and because of the increased compression a more consistent output from the band Hi Drive Adjusts the amount of gain reduction...

Page 50: ...evel at which this freeze or hold takes place is controlled by the setting of the Gate Threshold control Higher numbers cause the gate to activate at higher audio levels In most applications this cont...

Page 51: ...ent failing to fully recover and punching a hole in its band of frequencies LFLim Hold Low Frequency Limiter Hold Threshold During operation of the limiter the algorithm is watching for very small dec...

Page 52: ...ut of which feeds the main Clipper Its purpose is to keep excessive bass out of the main Clipper reducing bass induced IM intermodulation distortion while keeping and even enhancing the bass punch of...

Page 53: ...vide some custom EQ to the sound it is better to perform that function using the Xover or Limiter Drive controls instead of the Mixer controls Like the Limiter Threshold controls the final Mixer is ma...

Page 54: ...ain clipper when the clipper is handling significant mid and upper midrange program material such as solo electric guitar etc We ve brought out a hidden control from the distortion canceling algorithm...

Page 55: ...ter This stage filters the audio for AM broadcast transmission and clips off any overshoots generated by the combining of the 4 Band limiters and the low pass filter The tightly controlled filtered ou...

Page 56: ...fader keeping the average level more consistent for the following 4 Band AGC stage enabling it to stay in its sweet spot WB AGC Bypass Engage The wideband Automatic Gain Control AGC stage can be bypas...

Page 57: ...re emphasis along the NRSC curve Deep Bass Adds girth to the audio by enhancing very low frequencies such as kick drum fundamentals or very low bass notes that may be present in the input audio progra...

Page 58: ...gher numbers result in more drive and because of the increased compression a more consistent output from the band Mid Drive Adjusts the amount of gain reduction in the Mid Band AGC Higher numbers resu...

Page 59: ...h Gate Threshold When the input audio falls below a certain level the gain control action of the AGC stage is frozen by the gate The level at which this freeze or hold takes place is controlled by the...

Page 60: ...limiter to hang after a transient failing to fully recover and punching a hole in its band of frequencies LFLim Hold Low Frequency Limiter Hold Threshold During operation of the limiter the algorithm...

Page 61: ...lipper operates between the output of the Low Band Limiter and the Low Band Mixer the output of which feeds the main Clipper Its purpose is to keep excessive bass out of the main Clipper reducing bass...

Page 62: ...s Adjusting all 4 controls an equal amount is virtually the same as adjusting the Clip Drive control If your desire is to provide some custom EQ to the sound it is better to perform that function usin...

Page 63: ...default setting for a preset and adjust it down in 0 5 dB steps until the loudness just drops below the desired level and then bring it up slightly from there This should be the optimum setting for y...

Page 64: ...add consistency and increase density at the same time This helps keep the following peak limiter stage from working too hard allowing it to work only on transient peaks The outputs of each limiter are...

Page 65: ...like an automatic hand on the fader keeping the average level more consistent for the following 4 Band AGC stage enabling it to stay in its sweet spot WB AGC Bypass Engage The wideband Automatic Gain...

Page 66: ...Bass An Omnia exclusive Phat Bass adds harmonic overtones to the lower bass frequencies The addition of these overtones causes small speakers to seem to produce bass response that they are not actual...

Page 67: ...om the band Pres Drive Adjusts the amount of gain reduction in the Presence Band AGC Higher numbers result in more drive and because of the increased compression a more consistent output from the band...

Page 68: ...evel at which this freeze or hold takes place is controlled by the setting of the Gate Threshold control Higher numbers cause the gate to activate at higher audio levels In most applications this cont...

Page 69: ...iguing audio Also setting the control for extremely slow release times especially when combined with fast Attack times can cause the limiter to hang after a transient failing to fully recover and punc...

Page 70: ...encies and it will help create the illusion of more bass on smaller speakers Also this algorithm which is mathematically derived will contribute lower midrange IMD components to the spectrum So live v...

Page 71: ...menu Sensus See a descriptive overview of the Sensus function beginning on Page 21 Sen Freq Sensus Frequency This sets the range where the SENSUS function begins its magic For example a setting of 5kH...

Page 72: ...ead limiter will sound busier or denser when more limiting is applied Drive The Drive control controls the depth of final limiting The amount of gain reduction occurring in the final limiter can be mo...

Page 73: ...the maximum frequency that may be applied to a sampled data system is one half the sampling frequency When signals beyond half the sampling frequency are present aliasing occurs which causes the appea...

Page 74: ...se Rotator The phase rotator improves waveform symmetry for program material that is highly asymmetrical in nature Examples of such programming are the human voice and sources with non sinusoidal wave...

Page 75: ...t Thresh Gate Threshold When the input audio falls below a certain level the gain control action of the AGC stage is frozen by the gate The level at which this freeze or hold takes place is controlled...

Page 76: ...ssover splits the audio signal into 4 independent bands to enable optimum processing for the bass L midrange M presence P and treble H frequency ranges There are two four band processing stages that s...

Page 77: ...times improve it Extremely slow attack times must be used with caution so as not to allow later stages to be overloaded during the time when the AGC is adjusting the level downwards Likewise extremely...

Page 78: ...sover section on Page 62 LFLim Att Low Frequency Limiter Attack The attack control adjusts how fast the limiter responds to sudden increases in audio level and higher numbers equate to faster response...

Page 79: ...actory setting Exit Click on this option to return to the Adjust Processing submenu Mid Band Limiter See description of settings for Low Band Limiter Presence Band Limiter See description of settings...

Page 80: ...recommended Filtering Adjusts the amount of time aligned low pass filtering after the Bass Clipper Normally this extra filtering is not needed but if heavy amounts of Bass Clipping are being used espe...

Page 81: ...en a clipper is pushed the audio may sound edgier This is from the added harmonic content In contrast the look ahead limiter will sound busier or denser when more limiting is applied Final Limiter Byp...

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Page 83: ...to return to the Input Output menu Input Src Input Source Allows the selection of Analog AES EBU digital or Livewire as the primary input source to the Omnia ONE Fover Time Failover Time Failover Time...

Page 84: ...put which is derived from the rear panel Ethernet Livewire RJ 45 connector See Proper Setting of Input Levels on Page 11 Right Trim Allows a 3dB adjustment of the right Livewire audio channel gain to...

Page 85: ...to swap the Left and Right internal channels that is the DSP Left Channel is fed from Right Channel input and the DSP Right Channel is fed from the Left Channel input Note that this selection is activ...

Page 86: ...J 45 connector This control adjusts both the left and right stereo channels simultaneously Right Trim Allows a 3dB adjustment of the right Livewire audio channel gain to correct minor left right balan...

Page 87: ...transmitter link STL In these kinds of installations it is very important that the Omnia ONE FM is the ONLY device applying the pre emphasis All other equipment following the Omnia ONE FM must have th...

Page 88: ...ht Channel AES A Pol AES EBU Digital Output Polarity for the Left Channel AES B Pol AES EBU Digital Output Polarity for the Right Channel LW A Pol Livewire Output Polarity for the Left Channel LW B Po...

Page 89: ...assumes no responsibility for such damage Tilt Adjustment Procedure Since the purpose of Low Frequency Tilt Equalization of an AM transmitter is to optimize its performance on low frequency clipped au...

Page 90: ...observe the signal envelope The modulated carrier should appear similar to Figure 1 The clipped 50 Hz waveform should have a flat top if there is no low frequency tilt in the transmitter If Tilt is v...

Page 91: ...ernet remote control connection Stereo Generator FM Style Only SCA Input Gain Control On Rear Panel The SCA Input Gain control is an analog trimpot and does not appear in the menu This trimpot is loca...

Page 92: ...at the pilot simply adjust the Pilot Injection control below 4 and the control indicates Off Pilot Phs Pilot Phase This parameter sets the phase relationship between the 19 kHz pilot and the 38 kHz su...

Page 93: ...space just after the last character in the name or select mode will be cancelled If this happens simply rotate the knob counter clockwise until Name is highlighted and click to re enter select mode W...

Page 94: ...aintenance and utility functions are found in this submenu including various Security options to prevent tampering by unauthorized personnel TCP IP networking parameters and other system wide paramete...

Page 95: ...utomatically highlighted with none displayed Click and none will vanish and be replaced by the editing cursor Rotating the jog wheel clockwise will scroll through the capital letters of the English al...

Page 96: ...o unlock the front panel rotate the jog wheel to highlight Password click twice and enter will be replaced by the editing cursor Rotating the jog wheel clockwise will scroll through the capital letter...

Page 97: ...n controls and is primarily governed by dynamic range of the Crystal Semiconductor CS5361 A D Converter which is specified as 110 dB The dynamic range of the internal digital signal processing chain i...

Page 98: ...material with a nominal average level VU reading of 4dBu will typically produce peak readings on the input meter in the range of 12 dBFS to 6dBFS This is the correct operating level A D Conversion Cry...

Page 99: ...ting according to AES3 standard External Sync Range Automatically accepts sample rates between 32kHz and 96kHz Connector EMI suppressed RJ 45 female pinned according to StudioHub standards Transformer...

Page 100: ...proval CE marked Environmental Operating Temperature 32 to 122 deg F 0 to 50 deg C for all operating voltage ranges Humidity 0 95 RH non condensing Dimensions 19 wide x 1 75 high x 16 deep 48 26cm wid...

Page 101: ...System Distortion Less than 0 01 THD 20 Hz 5 kHz second order harmonic distortion above 5 kHz is not relevant in the AM system due to the removal of harmonics by the system s 10 kHz low pass filter Sy...

Page 102: ...eo per AES3 standard Digital Output sample rate can lock to the input lock to an additional external sync source or use the internal 48kHz rate Connector EMI suppressed RJ 45 female according to Studi...

Page 103: ...er Requirements Voltage 100 250 VAC 47 63 Hz Less than 40 VA Power Connector EMI suppressed IEC male Detachable 3 wire power cords supplied for US and European use Power Supply Internal Overvoltage an...

Page 104: ...hms resistive Maximum Input Level 24 dBu Nominal Input Level 4dBu A 12dBu input results in 12dBFS input meter reading with Input Gain set to 0 0dB A 0dBu input signal results in a 12dBFS input level w...

Page 105: ...and 96kHz Connector EMI suppressed RJ 45 female pinned according to StudioHub standards Transformer isolated balanced and floating according to AES3 standard Remote Control Methods External Modem or...

Page 106: ...for all operating voltage ranges Humidity 0 95 RH non condensing Dimensions 19 wide x 1 75 high x 16 deep 48 26cm wide x 13 335 cm high x 40 64 cm deep including connectors Unit requires one EIA rack...

Page 107: ...ubleshooting techniques for isolating possible Omnia ONE problems in the field and also how to obtain help or repair service from Omnia To take complete advantage of this functionality you only need a...

Page 108: ...t click on the Factory Diagnostics link option in the Utilities section at the bottom of the Configuration screen A report similar to the below will be generated You can select the text and then copy...

Page 109: ...io output although the processing bargraphs are working The first thing to verify is whether the front panel jog wheel is operational Verification of front panel operation helps narrow down where the...

Page 110: ...e shipping label on the box Via the World Wide Web The Omnia Web site has a wide variety of information that may be useful for product support applications information software updates etc The URL is...

Page 111: ...rized dealers be liable for incidental or consequential damages or for loss damage or expense directly or indirectly arising from the use of any of the Products or the inability of the end user to use...

Page 112: ...98...

Page 113: ...Some screens and their available controls will differ slightly in the other styles This is a Java applet that requires the Java Runtime Environment JRE from Sun Microsystems version 1 4 or higher to b...

Page 114: ...utton Or simply press Enter The Main Menu should appear Remote Click on the Remote link option from the top menu or Meters remote control from the Main Menu You may see the Java logo and then the main...

Page 115: ...t as shown in the gray status bar at the bottom of the remote window click the Save Current button It does not matter what preset is highlighted in the preset list The currently running preset will be...

Page 116: ...d the left mouse button and drag the mouse either to the left to lower the setting or to the right to raise the setting When the desired setting is reached release the mouse button 2 Move the mouse cu...

Page 117: ...a previously saved IO Configuration from the Omnia ONE s memory save your changes to an existing IO configuration save your IO settings as a new IO Configuration or delete an existing IO Configuration...

Page 118: ...ed the Livewire channel to be used is assigned and the Livewire output stream mode is selected The Livewire output can also be disabled here In the Input to Omnia ONE section the channel from your Liv...

Page 119: ...er preset to your computer click on a preset name button and your browser s File Download box should pop up Click the Save button choose the desired folder to save the preset in from the Save As dialo...

Page 120: ...ansfer screen which is used for saving and loading I O configurations to and from your computer I O Configuration download and upload operations work similarly to the Preset download and upload operat...

Page 121: ...s have been entered appropriately for your network see Network Configuration on Page 80 for details and connect your Omnia ONE s Ethernet Livewire jack to your Ethernet network using a standard Cat 5...

Page 122: ...e The Installation Progress Monitor screen should appear The log box on this screen will be automatically refreshed every 8 seconds NOTE If the log box does not show up on your browser you can click o...

Page 123: ...radio button of the Bank that contains the new software version and click the Apply button In this example we decided to go ahead and activate the new software so we clicked on the Bank 1 radio butto...

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