AMX ALR-AEC-8 ALERO User manual

QUICK START GUIDE
ALR-AEC-8 Alero 8-Channel Microphone Mixer
Overview
The Alero (FG1140-08) is an 8 channel microphone mixer with built in acoustic echo
canceler. The product acts as a USB audio device and there is also a possibility to
connect 3 analog input and 3 analog output channels. Alero supports 2 channel mono
line level speaker signal outputs.
Installation
Follow these steps which represent a typical installation procedure:
Physical Connections
1. Connect audio input and output channels to rear panel, including microphones,
using the included screw terminal Phoenix type connectors (FIG. 1). Refer to the
wire guide on the back panel.
2. Connect standard network cable for device configuration to the LAN 10/100 port.
3. Connect the power supply to PWR connector. Device will power on automatically.
Detect IP Address
1. Ensure Alero is powered on and connected to a network with an Ethernet cable.
2. In factory settings, the IP address is static (192.168.1.2). If DHCP is preferred
press the reset button for more than 1 second to enable it. Pressing Reset for less
than one second will return the unit back to its static IP address.
3. Locate all devices on network using zero configuration networking (zeroconf). If
there are more than one devices in the list, determine the IP of the current unit by
powering it off and observing which device disappears from the zeroconf utility.
Note: You may also locate a new Alero on a network using the default hostname by
entering the URL http://alero-aec-8.local
Configuration
Access the Configuration Page
1. Open a web browser
2. Enter the IP address for the device. Default login credentials are:
Username: admin
Password: admin
The configuration page is designed with a dashboard where the most relevant settings
can be adjusted. There are also five configuration pages:
Network Configuration
DHCP can be disabled and network settings entered manually here. See Figure 2.
Note: If the manual settings are bad, the device w ill not be accessible via a
configuration page since the network connection will not work. If this happen, perform a
factory reset.
Levels
This page (FIG. 3) provides an overview of current audio signal levels for all input and
output channels. All input and output signal levels can be adjusted with configurable
digital gain levels. It is also possible to adjust an analog gain for the analog input
signals.
1. Monitor signal amplitude on input channels and adjust gain if necessary.
2. Monitor signal amplitude on output channels and adjust gain if necessary.
DESCRIPTION USAGE
Front Panel LED Indicators
Power A continuously lit LED Indicates that the unit is powered on.
Microphones SIGNAL - A continuously lit LED indicates an active signal on the
corresponding microphone channel.
CLIP - Indicates risk of amplitude clipping on corresponding
microphone channel due to a strong signal. LED is only active for a short
time after a strong signal is detected. Reduce gain on the channel if LED
is active.
Rear Panel Connectors
VC Video Conference, audio channel input and output. Line level
LINE IN 2 analog line level inputs
LINE OUT 2 analog line level outputs
PA 2 mono speaker channel outputs. Line level
Microphones 8 microphone inputs. Line level/phantom power configurable.
Mute Muting of certain microphone groups.
Reset • Press more than 1 second to set the IP settings to DHCP. See Detect
IP Address section on page 1.
• Press less than 1 second to return the IP settings to a Static address
of 192.168.1.2.
• Press while powering unit “ON” to Return to factory settings. See
Factory Reset section on page 2.
USB Audio input/output.
LAN 10/100 Configuration of unit via network. The port has L/A (Link Activity) and
SPD (Speed) LEDs. The L/A flashes indicating traffic, otherwise is off.
The SPD LED is on by default when a network link is established.
12 V Power supply input, 12 V with securing screw terminals.
FIG. 1 PHOENIX STYLE CONNECTOR
Insert
Stripped Wire Screw
down
Back Panel
Wire Guide
Insert Phoenix style
male connector into
back panel
connections
PAGE TASKS
Basic Configuration Perform maintenance tasks like firmware upgrades, store and
load settings and change login credentials.
Network Configuration Configure network settings and enable DHCP
Levels Current audio signal levels for all input and output channels.
Signal Mixing Set or disabled AMM (Auto Mic Mixer) individually for each
output channel, configure input to output channel routing.
Microphone Settings Configure signal processing modules on the microphone
signals and set 48 VDC phantom power to microphones is
needed.
FIG. 2 NETWORK CONFIGURATION PAGE
FIG. 3 LEVELS CONFIGURATION PAGE

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The AMX Warranty and Return Policy and related documents can be viewed/downloaded at www.amx.com.
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AMX (UK) LTD, AMX by HARMAN - Auster Road, Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4GD United Kingdom • [phone] • www.amx.com/eu/
93-1140-08 REV: E
Last Revised: 12/09/2015
Signal Mixing
This page is provided to configure input to output channel routing and AMM settings.
1. Route analog/digital input channels to each desired output in the signal mixer. By
default almost all input channels are sent to all output channels with these
exceptions; USBin is not routed to USBout, and VCin is not routed to VCout.
Mixing can be set individually for each output channel.
The AMM module will select microphones to open based on activity detected on each
them. Remove any microphones from the selection if they should never be used.
Note: The AMM detects if a microphone is not connected so there is no need to remove
unconnected microphones.
An active microphone(s) is displayed by an "ACTIVE" indicator for that channel as
shown.
2. Disable AMM by pressing the red AMM symbol. This causes all microphone signals
to be added.
Microphone Settings
Use the Microphone Settings page (FIG. 5) to configure the signal processing modules
that operate on the microphone signals.
1. Select 48 VDC phantom power on/off for each microphone.
2. Configure signal processing on each microphone channel as shown in below.
Basic Configuration
Most maintenance tasks like firmware upgrades, store and load settings and change
login credentials are performed in the Basic Configuration page.
Firmware Upgrade
1. Go to the AMX website and download the latest firmware package to the local
drive.
http://www.amx.com/products
2. From the Alero web interface, select the Basic Configuration page.
3. Click Choose File to select the new firmware file from the local computer. The
naming convention of new firmware releases is
firmware-package_yyyymmddhhmm.bin
4. When the new firmware is selected, press Upload to start the firmware upgrade.
Alero will update the firmware and restart. Settings will be stored and used in the
new firmware.
Note: The device will keep its current settings (including network) when upgraded.
Factory Reset
If somehow Alero has ended up in a bad state, there is an option to reset the device to
factory settings. Follow these steps for performing a factory reset.
1. Turn the Alero power OFF.
2. Press the Reset button on the rear panel for approximately 5 seconds while
powering Alero back ON.
3. Wait for Alero to start.
Note: All settings and firmware upgrades will be lost when performing a factory reset
FIG. 4 AMM SETTINGS AND INPUT TO OUTPUT SIGNAL ROUTING
FIG. 5 CONFIGURATION OF SIGNAL PROCESSING APPLIED TO MICROPHONE SIGNALS
SIGNAL PROCESSING OPTIONS DEFAULT SETTING
Acoustic echo cancellation On/off On
Comfort noise generation On/off On
Residual echo suppression On/off On
Residual echo suppression Light/medium/strong Medium
Noise reduction On/off On
Noise reduction 0 dB to TBA dB 12 dB
FIG. 6 BASIC CONFIGURATION PAGE