Anatal XBAY 256 User manual

USER MANUAL
programmable analog patchbay
XBAY 256

2
Page 2
Introduction page 3
Safety Tips and Precautions page 3
What’s In The Box? page 4
Port Overview page 5
The Power of XBay and AOS Introduction
Quickstart Windows page 6
Quickstart Mac OS page 7
Quickstart Linux (x86/x64 and ARM) page 7
How To Use AOS
Introduction page 8
UI Overview page 9
Setting up Your Devices page 10
Devices in Use page 10
Device Library Overview page 11
General Settings page 12
Matrix View page 13
Chain View page 14
Troubleshooting Guide page 15
Table of Contents

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Page 3
Safety Tips & Precautions
Always use the supplied PSU to
power your XBay
All supplied accessoires have been chosen for providing
you with the safest and best possible experience while
using our XBay. As such, always use the PSU (Power Supply
Unit) that was shipped with your XBay.
Always use the recommended parts
and accessoiries
Using any unauthorized parts with your XBay may cause
unintentional damage to the XBay and will void the warranty.
Content disclaimer for this manual
As research and development is a continual process, Anatal
Electronics reserves the right to change the features
and specications described herein without notice or
obligation. The latest version of this manual.
Keep liquids away from the XBay
and power supply
To avoid any accidental damage to the XBay and the power
supply, please keep liquids away from the XBay and the
power supply. If either do come into contact with liquids,
turn off the XBay and unplug.

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Page 4
Congratulations on purchasing XBay, Anatal’s innovation in routing management. In
essence XBay is a programmable analog patchbay which is congured remotely using
the XBay control software.
XBay allows each of its inputs to be routed to any of its outputs like a conventional
(manual) patchbay. XBay software is able to store patching and recall congurations in one
operation. MIDI control can be used to switch seamlessly between routing congurations,
opening up a range of live performance and automated routing applications.
XBay is a device that does one thing very well - switching audio in the most clean possible
manner. It is a very exible base station that can be used in every imaginable context. It
can be enhanced with our add on products or 3th party products to make it suite your
needs perfectly.
What’s in the box?
The Xbay
The XBay box in 64, 128 or 256 conguration
External PSU
The Power Supply Unit for the XBay
Audio converter

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Page 5
XBay Overview
DB25/DSUB output ports*
Each DSUB port handles 16 output ports (max
8 balanced outputs for connecting your output
devices to the XBay)
USB-B Host Socket
15V DC Power socket Grounding Terminal
*Your XBay model number represents the
number of available patchports. For example, the
XBay 256 (pictured below) has a total of 128 input
and 128 output ports.
DB25/DSUB Input ports *
Each DSUB port handles 8 balanced outputs for
connecting your input devices to the XBay.
XBay 256 19” rack mountable 4U high enclosure.

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The XBay is a powerful piece of hardware but also comes with a powerful piece of software
to match: the Anatal Operating System (AOS for short). The software enables to you to
congure your XBay to your heart’s content. It also allows you to save your devices and
allows for remote access to your XBay!
The power of the Xbay and AOS helps you spend less time setting things up, allowing you
to spend more time on being an artist. The next pages detail several subjects regarding
AOS: our quickstart guides for Windows, Mac OS and Linux -based systems and our
guide for the AOS user interface.
You can skip these steps if your XBay came with a Raspberry Pi: simply turn on the XBay,
and head over to the “How To use AOS” chapter to learn more about the user interface.
If you want to reinstall AOS on your Raspberry Pi, go to the “AOS Quickstart Guide -
Linux” page.
The Power of XBay and AOS - Introduction
System requirements:
Any recent version of Windows, like 7, 8 / 8.1 or 10.
(The drivers come pre-installed on Windows 10)
Go to one of the following links and make sure to choose the correct version for your OS:
www.anatal.io/AOS-win32.zip (for 32-bit ) www.anatal.io/AOS-win64.zip (for 64-bit)
Extract the .zip le to a location you can easily reach (like your desktop). Open the folder
you just extracted. Inside the AOS folder are serveral les, including a “CH341SER”.
zip. Unzip this folder and open the “CH341SER” le to install the USB driver. After the
installation is complete, run the “Start.- bat” le or the “AOS.exe” le.
If everything went well in the previous steps, AOS will be ready for use. The “How To Use
AOS” chapter of this manual will explain more about AOS and its functions.
AOS Quickstart - Windows

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System requirements:
any recent Mac OS, like (High) Sierra. Mac OS Mojave and up are recommended, be-
cause the drivers are pre-installed. If you have an older version of Mac OS, you need to
install the CH341SER drivers using the “CH341SER_MAC.zip”
Go to www.anatal.io/AOS-mac64.zip . Extract the .zip le to a location you can easily reach
and open the AOS application inside the folder.
AOS is now ready to use. Skip ahead to the “How To Use AOS” chapter of this manual to
learn more about AOS and its functions.
Note: Some Mac OS versions might require you to allow the application + driver installer
in the Security menu before you can actually open them.
To change these preferences on your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences,
click Security & Privacy, then click General.
At the bottom of this screen, click “Allow” .
The Power of XBay and AOS - Introduction
AOS Quickstart - Mac
System requirements: any recent Linux version.
There are two Linux versions available: one for regular distribu- tions like Debian and a
special ARM package for Raspberry Pi-like devices:
Go to www.anatal.io/AOS-linux64.tar.xz for the regular distributions.
Go to www.anatal.io/AOS-linux-arm.tar.xz for the ARM version.
Extract the .tar le to a location you can easily reach (like your desktop). Open the folder
you just extracted and run the “nwjs” le.
If everything went well in the previous steps, AOS will be ready for use. The “How To Use
AOS” chapter of this manual will ex- plain more about AOS and its functions.
AOS Quickstart Guide - Linux (x86/x64 and ARM)

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The AOS enables you to connect your devices with your XBay and use them in your
creative process. Each feature of AOS has been designed with one thing in mind: making
it quick and easy for you to use powerful features.
How To Use AOS
How to Use AOS - UI Overview
The interace offers two methods of organising your connections; Chain View or Matrix View.
Patch history
Track your session
and snapshot
your project.
Menu
Open and save les.
Change the settings or switch between
Chain View and Matrix view.
Devices
Lists all the
devices you have
connected.
Demo
conguration
Save your
conuration and
node type.
Settings
From here you can view and edit your Devices in use and
access the Device library and General settings.
Device library General settings
Matrix View
View your project in a visual layout.
Chain View
View your project in a list layout.

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This chapter will highlight the features of the program such as; the Chain and Matrix
View, how to add your devices to XBay and how to congure them to your liking. If you
run into any issues, there’s a trouble- shooting section in the back of the manual with a
couple of common issues you could run into while using AOS.
How To Use AOS
How to Use AOS - UI Overview
Change program settings
Chain View or Matrix View
The Menu Bar
The Side bar panels
Save current conguration
Open conguration
le (.json les)
Clear the active setup
Display the internal
connections
Patch history
Track your session
and snapshot your
project.
Demo conguration
Save your congurations
and add the node.
Devices
See all your devices. The
devices are created in the
settings section.

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How To Use AOS - Setting up your devices
Various devices can be used with your XBay but they need to be set up in AOS before you
can actually use them. The Settings menu contains all of the features you will need to set
up your device conguration. There are three sections in the Settings menu and each of
these will be adressed in the next pages:
01 - “Device Library”
02 - “Devices in Use”
03 - “General”
Settings
The Device Library lets you manage of all the devices that are known to your AOS
installation. It shows you a list of known devices along with their specications; such as
the connector type, amount of I/O ports and the color tag. You can also copy any existing
device making it easy tp set up similar devices.
01 - Device Library
Import a device + list dvices
Add new device
Installed devices

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How To Use AOS - Setting up your devices
Opening the Settings menu and clicking on the rst tab will take you to this section. This
menu will allow you to set up your inputs and outputs to the each available port on your
XBay. Each port has two blocks: the top block is used to select your device. The bottom
block is for choosing a specic port of your device (or all of them with the * option).
The devices will have the color tags and other settings that you have chosen for them
in the “Device Library” tab. The amount of rows here change depending on the “XBay
Version” setting in the “General” tab. Make sure to set it to the model you’re currently
using.
02 - Devices in Use
Current devices in use Devices Library General settings
The Add Device Specication allows to to create a New Device. Here you can name and
catagorize your device, add notes and assign input and out for that device.
+ Add a Device
Manage your Input
and Output ports
Device type
Name device
Connector

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The General Settings menu allows you to change specic settings in AOS; such as the
XBay model, model revision you use in your studio and the way the UI displays certain
elements. You can also nd some experimental settings in this section showing the
PatchView and exposing developer tools for debugging / troubleshooting purposes.
03 - General setting
MIDI Inputs
Xbay Version
Xbay Software update
Adjust the Matrix
visual style. Adjust the Matrix
visual style.
How To Use AOS - Setting up your devices

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AOS Overview - The Matrix
The Matrix View allows you to link up your I/O devices by drawing lines between the
connections. The available devices correspond with the ones you set up in the “Devices
in Use” section of the “Settings”menu.
Simply click on the grid to link the specic inputs and outputs together. Tooltips will
show up as you move around the grid, giving you handy advice as you’re setting up your
devices - for example warning you about a potential feedback loop.
Any connections you create in the Matrix View are automatically set in the Chain View
as well, allowing you to modify your device connections no matter which view you use.

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AOS Overview - Chain View
The Chain View allows you to link up your I/O devices by chaining them together. The
available devices correspond with the ones you set up in the “Devices in Use” section of
the “Settings”menu.
Simply click on the circle at the top to add the input or output of a device. Tooltips will
show up as you move around the grid, giving you handy advice as you’re setting up your
devices - for example warning you about a potential feedback loop.
Any connections you create in the Chain View are automatically set in the Matrix View as
well, allowing you to modify your device connections no matter which view you use.

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My XBay is not turning on / the power light is off?
Check if your XBay and the power supply are receiving power. Check if the power supply
is plugged in.
Troubleshooting

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No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form
or by any means, whether mechanical or electronic, without
the written permission of Anatal Electronics, Lelystad The
Netherlands.
As research and development is a continual process, Anatal
Electronics reserves the right to change the features and
specications described herein without notice or obligation.
Anatal Electronics cannot be held responsible for any loss or
damage arising directly or indirectly from any error or omission
in this manual.
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