D&R Sirius User manual

Sirius Digital On Air Console Manual
V1.0.0.8

Contents
Sirius digital Mixer from D&R Phone [phone], email: [e-mail] Page 2
Dear Customer,
Thank you for choosing the SIRIUS console.
The Sirius is designed by specialists in the field of radio broadcast and intended to be used
as a 24-hour "On-Air" console as well as a production console.
You are not faced with a huge manual because it is simply not necessary because of the
natural recognition of all functions on the user interfaces. All functions are self-
explanatory and you will certainly appreciate the ergonomics of this design. No digital
layering just direct access to all relevant functions, as we think it should be in daily practice
Jan Betten and Anton Prins both equally responsible for the design of the Sirius always
value suggestions from you once you have become familiar with your Sirius.
We will certainly learn from your comments, and we will very much appreciate the effort
and time it will take for you to communicate your idea’s and suggestions.
We are confident that you will be using the Sirius for many years to come, and wish you a
lot of success.
With kind regards,
Duco de Rijk
PRESIDENT
D&R ELECTRONICA WEESP B.V.
Rijnkade 15B
1382 GS WEESP-HOLLAND
The Netherlands
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: http://www.d-r.nl
E-mail: [e-mail]

Contents
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1INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................5
2WHY IS THE SIRIUS IS A DIGITAL CONSOLE? ................................................................................................6
3SYSTEM PARTS..........................................................................................................................................................7
3.1 THE CONTROL SURFACE ...................................................................................................................................7
3.2 THE IN-OUTPUT RACK .......................................................................................................................................7
3.3 THE CONTROL PROCESSING UNIT AND ITS SOFTWARE ................................................................................7
4AUDIO SIGNAL PATHS ............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 INPUT MATRIX......................................................................................................................................................8
4.2 BUSS STRUCTURE................................................................................................................................................8
4.3 OUTPUT MATRIX .................................................................................................................................................8
5PROCESSING..............................................................................................................................................................9
5.1 INPUT PROCESSING AND ROUTING ....................................................................................................................9
5.2 EQ .......................................................................................................................................................................10
5.3 DYNAMICS ..........................................................................................................................................................10
5.3.1 Gate...............................................................................................................................................................10
5.3.2 Compressor.................................................................................................................................................11
5.4 LEVEL AND ROUTING.......................................................................................................................................11
5.4.1 Aux. busses..................................................................................................................................................11
5.4.2 Program busses..........................................................................................................................................11
5.4.3 Mix busses...................................................................................................................................................11
5.4.4 Cleanfeed busses........................................................................................................................................12
5.4.5 CUE buss.....................................................................................................................................................12
5.4.6 Fader/VCA groups....................................................................................................................................12
5.5 SEND MODULES AND OUTPUT ROUTING.........................................................................................................13
5.6 MASTER AND CRM FUNCTIONALITY..............................................................................................................14
5.6.1 Clock and Timer........................................................................................................................................14
5.6.2 Master functions........................................................................................................................................14
5.6.3 Master meters.............................................................................................................................................15
5.6.4 CRM.............................................................................................................................................................15
5.6.5 Studio...........................................................................................................................................................16
6INTERFACING...........................................................................................................................................................17
6.1 I/O RACK............................................................................................................................................................17
6.1.1 CPU...............................................................................................................................................................17
6.1.2 MUX .............................................................................................................................................................17
6.1.3 Power supply + ON/OFF switch.............................................................................................................19
6.1.4 Digital to digital unit................................................................................................................................19
6.1.5 Analog to digital unit...............................................................................................................................20
6.1.6 Digital to analog output unit..................................................................................................................21
6.2 CONTROL SURFACES........................................................................................................................................22
6.2.1 How do I connect the Control Surfaces?..............................................................................................22
7THE SOFTWARE.......................................................................................................................................................23
7.1 GLOBAL SETTINGS ...........................................................................................................................................24
7.1.1 Clock source...............................................................................................................................................25
7.1.2 Selection......................................................................................................................................................25
7.1.3 Generator.....................................................................................................................................................25
7.1.4 Metering ......................................................................................................................................................25
7.1.5 CUE set-up ..................................................................................................................................................26

Contents
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7.1.6 Audio watchdog.........................................................................................................................................27
7.1.7 Remotes........................................................................................................................................................27
7.1.8 Remote in.....................................................................................................................................................27
7.1.9 Remote out ..................................................................................................................................................27
7.2 INPUT AND OUTPUT SET-UP..............................................................................................................................28
7.2.1 Input set-up .................................................................................................................................................30
7.2.2 Related output............................................................................................................................................30
7.2.3 Input settings..............................................................................................................................................31
7.2.4 Remotes........................................................................................................................................................31
7.2.5 Input active generates:.............................................................................................................................32
7.2.6 Digital to digital input set-up..................................................................................................................33
7.2.7 Analog to digital input set-up.................................................................................................................33
7.2.8 MIC to digital input set-up......................................................................................................................34
7.2.9 Output set-up...............................................................................................................................................34
7.2.10 Related input.........................................................................................................................................34
7.2.11 Output settings......................................................................................................................................34
7.2.12 Remote....................................................................................................................................................35
7.2.13 Output mute controlled by..................................................................................................................35
7.2.14 Digital to digital output set-up..........................................................................................................35
7.2.15 Digital to analog output set-up ........................................................................................................35
7.3 MACRO SWITCH SET-UP...................................................................................................................................36
7.4 USER MANAGEMENT .........................................................................................................................................37
7.4.1 New user.......................................................................................................................................................37
7.4.2 Edit user.......................................................................................................................................................37
7.4.3 Delete user...................................................................................................................................................39
7.5 SNAPSHOTS AND PRE-SETS..............................................................................................................................39
7.5.1 Total snapshots..........................................................................................................................................39
7.5.2 EQ pre-sets..................................................................................................................................................40
7.5.3 Dynamics pre-sets......................................................................................................................................40
7.6 WORK ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................................................41
7.7 SERVICE .............................................................................................................................................................42
7.7.1 Control surface...........................................................................................................................................43
7.7.2 19” Rack......................................................................................................................................................43
7.7.3 Update embedded software......................................................................................................................44
8SPECIFICATIONS.....................................................................................................................................................45
9PRODUCT SAFETY..................................................................................................................................................50

Introduction
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1Introduction.
This manual will give you a detailed explanation of all the possibilities of the Sirius.
Itisadvisedtoreadthismanualoncebefore hittingthefirstknoborswitchoreventohookup
the entire system.
I know that that is actually the firsts thing you want to do but please do NOT and discipline
yourself to read the manual first.
The manual gives all sorts of valuable information before starting and it avoids lots of
unanswered questions otherwise addressed to us.
You can use this manual later on as a reference for your questions.
In the first chapters we shall try to give an overview of the Sirius and its features. In this way
you can have an impression of how to implement the system in your application.
The next chapters will deal with interconnecting the various parts of the system and its
external interfacing with your equipment
WhentheSiriusisinstalledandwired,youcanfinalizeitsinterfacingwiththeinstructioninthe
following chapters.
After having installed the Sirius you will have a very complete ON-AIRandproductionmixer
with a human interface that is very intuitive and understandable thanks to its real time
positioned motor-pots.

Why is it the Sirius is a digital console?
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2Why is it the Sirius is a digital console?
Digital audio is slowly accepted as the new standard for audio. The Sirius is a design based on
new generation software for mixing consoles with Digital Signal Processing. The Sirius is
designedusingthelatestavailabletechnologyinitsfieldanditsdesignsimplysurpassesmost
other digital design techniques.
The Sirius accepts all digital audio sources without any loss of quality. Use of sample rate
convertersonallinputssimplyeliminateallproblemsrelatedtodifferentsamplefrequenciesin
older digital desks.
You can virtually connect any of today’s digital and analog sources to the Sirius.
Inthedigital domain there areevenmoreadvantages, such as reproducingandcopyingsignals
without any loss. Patching is also a thing of the past; the built in digital router takes care of
this.
All processed data through the whole system is floating point. It means infinite headroom
throughout the whole system. It means that if you useextensiveEQ-in, the processing could
lead to signal being pushed into the red area of the led-bars and the fader, or even an output
really can compensate it for send control. It’s amazing is not it?
The same goes for an overdriven mix-buss;thiscanbecorrectedbyloweringtheoutputsend
level. Features only available in a modern up to date digital system.
In the digital domain it is possible to implement extra features. Outboard
gates/compressors/limiters are a thing of the past. The Sirius has one in everyinput channel!
More exciting features are that every parameter of an input signal flow can be stored and
retrieved later. You can build a library of snapshots and pre-sets and save them on hard disk
or floppy.
Digital technology shall give you more flexibility and power than ever experienced in the
analog domain. Reliability is built in by using the industrial Windows NT operating system.
Special attention has been given to reliability equally well in hard and software in many areas
of the design.

System structure of the Sirius
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3System Parts
The Sirius is constructed out of a number of components. The control surface, the in-output
racks and the processing power with operational software.
3.1 The Control Surface
The control surface is actually that part of a system that you interface with the most.
The Control Surface is constructed out of different system parts that can be built into studio
furniture.
It is possible to connect a maximum of two fader control units (with up to 32 faders)and a
Super Module to the main processing power unit. Every unit has its own power supply (115
volts or 230 volts) and a sub-D connector for interfacing with the In-Output (I/O) rack.
3.2 The in-output rack
This rack can be mounted in a rack system accepting 19” rack system parts. It can accept
variousI/Ounitsalltoyourownindividualneeds.Therackmountableunitsaretakingcareof
all in-output signals as well as all remote interfacing.
The main CPU that controls the entire mixer shall also be a part of this rack.
We shall discuss this in one of the next chapters in detail.
The I/O rack (including processing unit) has two power supply connectors (115V of 230V) and
three connectors (9 pin SUB-D) for interfacing with the control surfaces.
3.3 The Control Processing Unit and its software
Thisistheengine of the Sirius. It is herethat all (audio) datais processed. Due tothe fact that
the Sirius is software based, all functions can be checked in real time. All i/o’s can be routed,
inputs can be labeled, equalizers set, etc.
We will extensively explain how this works in detail in the following sections of this manual.

audiopath in the Sirius
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4Audio Signal Path
TheSiriusisadigitalOn-Airmixerwithincredibleflexibility.Itisthereforeanecessitytofully
understand its potentials and we will try to give you a clear picture of all the features of this
mixer.
It is possible to connect a total of 64 inputs and 64 outputs to this mixer. As is standard
practice in professional digital audio, there is no direct physical connection to the input
modules on your control surface.
It is therefore advisable to clearly label all cables connected to the I/O units to avoid
misunderstanding.
4.1 Input matrix
The Sirius gives you the possibility to route any or all of the 64 in-and outputs to any in or
output of the control surface.
The Sirius offers you a 64 to 32 input router to interface the audio with 32 input channels.
A second Matrix, the CRM input matrix is a router of all 64 inputs plus all busses to 6 stereo
monitoringinputs.Thisgivesyouthepossibilitytolistenonyour CRM to a selection of inputs
and /or busses (for instance Prog. 1 and an On-Air signal).
A similar matrix is used for the studio buss.
4.2 Buss structure
The processed 32 audio signals can be routed to different busses.
Busses that are available are;
•2 stereo program busses
•3 stereo aux. busses
•8 mono/4 stereo mix-busses
•8 mono/4 stereo cleanfeed busses
•Stereo CUE buss
The 6 CRM sources (selected from the CRM input matrix) are summed into the CRM buss.
The6Studiosources(selectedfromtheStudioinput matrix)aresummedintotheStudiobuss.
4.3 Output matrix
All busses of the Sirius can be routed via an output matrix of 32 to 64 to a selected output.
It is also possible to connect more than one output to the same buss.

Processing
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5Processing
It is possible to process 32 channels in parallel. Every channel processing handles input, EQ,
dynamics and level.
Optional there is a Send module that behaves like an output router.
Now we will give you a global view of the power of the Sirius digital mixer. All hands on
possibilities described here can be found on the main screen of the system. Just like any
analog system.
5.1 Input processing and routing
The input signal can be processed as soon as it is converted into
thedigitaldomain.Butbeforeyouareabletoactually change the
input signal it has to be assigned to a specific input module.
Youcanassignaninputsignaltoamodulebyclickingontheinput
area labeled N.C. (Not Connected).
Having done this you are presented with a list of all available
inputs to choose from. It is here that you decide which input
source is connected to which input module. This is a matrix type
of input selection that is very convenient and sources can be
selected in any sequence just the way you want it to be. These
settings can be saved for recall at any time.
When you are ready with selecting the input sources you need for the job, you can now trim
yourinputlevelwitharangeof40dB(-20dBto+20dB)bywayoftheinputgainpotentiometer.
This can be done on screen or on the gain motor potentiometer in the Super module, as is the
case with the phase reverse switch.
Youcanassign a stereo source toamoduleinthe same way. The softwarerecognizesthatyou
are assigning a stereo signal and subsequently connect these signals in stereo to a module.
The chart below here shows you all possibilities when dealing with mono or stereo signals.
‘L to L+R’-knob ‘R to L+R’-knob Function
Off Off Stereo
On Off Left to left and right
Off On Right to left and right
On On Mono
Thelowestknobactivatesthegenerator. Thisfunctionoverrides allotherinputselectionsand
provides you with your own selection of test signals. These selections are made in the Global
settings chapter that is discussed in one of the next chapters. For now it is good to know that
you can select out of Pink Noise, White Noise and a Sine wave.

Processing
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5.2 EQ
The Sirius has a full four band parametric Equalizer.
The LF band can be used as a low shelving band or as a
“low cut” filter.
The LMF en HMF bands can be used in a “bell” or
“notch” mode.
The HF Band can be used as a high shelving equalizer
or “high cut” filter
All bands have adjustable level, frequency, and
bandwidth with absolute values written in real time on
your screen.
Each band can individually be switchedon or off.
An overall EQ on/off switch overrides all individual
on/off EQ switches.
All settings can be done in real time on the Super module by rotating the pots there. Or it can
bedonebywayofaMousemovement(themotor-pots will follow) or in caseof loading settings
from memory all motor-pots in the Super Module will instantly go to the memory position of
the saved EQ setting.
5.3 Dynamics
Everychannelhasa dynamicssection withagateand
a compressor. Dynamics can be switched on or off as
a “pair”, but also individually a gate can be switched
off or the compressor.
5.3.1 Gate
Gate parameters are Threshold, Ratio, Attack,
Release and Range.
The Threshold adjusts the level the gate opens.
When an input signal is higher than this pre-set level
the gate will open. The Attack controls the speed in
which the gate opens. The Ratio control can be used
to create a downward expander. The 1/20 position
creates a 100% gate function