Sierra Video MADI Series User manual

SIERRA VIDEO
Sierra View MADI-XX
User’s Manual

SIERRA VIDEO
SIERRA VIEW MADI-XX
User’s Manual
Sierra Video
P.O. Box 2462 Grass Valley, CA 95945
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Version 3.0
Publication Date: September 2014
The information contained in this manual is subject to change by Sierra Video

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Contents - 1
Table of
Contents
Introduction 1
MADI-xx Expansion Slots 2
Powerful alarms 3
Remote control, monitoring and configuration
scheduling 4
Main features 5
The on-screen display 6
Bargraph scales 7
Alarm indicators 8
Network requirements 8
Level and alarm streams 8
Audio streaming 9
Operation 11
Operating modes 11
Normal mode 11
Menu mode 11
Control button summary 12
Menu Commands 13
Menu Navigation 13
Scales – analog and digital scale types,
reference value and colors 13
Bargraph scales 14
Analog and digital scale references 14
Level Bars – bar and label settings 15
Meter Rows 16
Ranges and colors 16
Bar labels 16
Peak hold indicators 16
Bar width, position and spacing 16
Analog and digital groups 17
Phase Bars – phase bar and multi-indicator
settings 18
Phase bar settings 18
Multi-indicators 18
Alarms configuration 19
Alarms 20
Anti-phase alarm 20
Resetting alarms 20
Using ALARM-xx frames 20
Network Settings 20
System – user config, IP settings, matrix setup,
audio mon, screen resolution 21
User configuration 22
Network Settings 22
Matrix setup 23
Using the on-screen matrix mimic 23
Audio monitor assign 24
Audio network stream 24
Screen resolution 24
Align monitor size/position 24
About – Firmware and installed cards 25
Firmware 25
Input card type 25
Installation 27
Power and fuses 27
Health and safety considerations 28
Disposal 28
Input card configurations 29
Connector I/O 29
Removing the top cover 29
Serial port assignments 30
Audio I/O connector pin assignments 31
Supplied accessories 33
Options 33
Upgrading firmware 34
Using SOFT-xx 35
CONFIG-xx 36
DISPLAY-xx 36
Installation Guide 38
System requirements 38
Initial Setup 39
Troubleshooting 41
Sample problems and their solutions 41
Specifications 45
Warranty 47

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Introduction
The Sierra View MADI-xx is a 128 x 128 channel MADI router with integral multi-channel
audio metering and signal fault alarms for up to 128 channels.
It is designed for live sound theatres, concert halls, radio and TV and is supplied as a 1U
rack mounting frame.
Chapter
1

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MADI-xx Expansion Slots
It has two slots for optional external audio expansion using 32 channel analog or AES/EBU I/O
cards. When fully expanded, the total usable matrix size is 192 x 128 (two I/P cards), 128 x 192
(2 O/P cards) or 160x160 (1 I/P card and 1 O/P card).
Any of the MADI inputs or analog or AES/EBU inputs or outputs (on a fully equipped frame) can
be converted to any of the three supported formats.
In addition, the MADI stream can be tapped into to break out up to 16 pairs of analog or
AES/EBU audio for external processing. The processed audio can then be fed back into the
MADI stream.
All audio level and alarm data can be viewed on a local display and streamed via a TCP/IP
network for remote visual monitoring.
Monitored parameters include audio level, audio-loss, carrier-loss (when using AES/EBU inputs)
over-level and sustained anti-phase between assigned channel pairs. Six industry standard audio
meter types are supported and each meter can have its own range colors, break points and
reference level and a choice of peak hold and phase correlation functions.

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An on-screen menu provides access to all parameters.
Up to four pairs of audio channels can be selected for audible monitoring. These can be streamed
over the TCP/IP network and are available in both analog and AES/EBU format via an optional
monitor output card.
Powerful alarms
Alarm settings and thresholds can be set independently for each channel or pair of channels.
This allows different alarm configurations for different programming such as pop, classical music,
news, sport, movies and drama. Not only does this significantly reduce the occurrence of false
alarms, but the entire gamut of MADI-xx settings, including alarm settings, meter types and
colors, can be scheduled to change over a 24 hour period using optional SOFT-xx PC software.

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Remote control, monitoring and configuration scheduling
Although the MADI-xx is designed to be used as a stand-alone monitor it may also be used with
control and monitoring software to monitor and configure multiple units over a network.
The optional Windows PC software (SOFT-xx) provides multiple frame integration, automated
control, event logging, configuration scheduling, real time diagnostics and unlimited user setups.
It also acts as a desktop meter bridge by rendering analog and digital audio meters and alarms to
screen for multiple frames.
Channels can be named for ease of use and associated with alarms and analog or digital meters
as required.
Other optional networked monitor accessories are available to further enhance the monitoring of
multiple audio streams in multi-channel control rooms.
For example, the ALARMS-xx remote alarm reads up to 32 channels of alarm data from a
single MADI-xx or AM-xx frame.
The unit has front panel LED indicators which show each type of alarm condition for each
channel. ALARM-xx units may be easily cascaded to monitor more channels.
REMOTE-xx is a 1U hard wired remote control panel which replicates the front panel keys to
allow MADI-xx or AM-xx to be mounted away from the main operational position.
Both REMOTE-xx and ALARMS-xx can be connected via LAN or RS422.
Audio level and alarm data may also be distributed over a LAN to other devices that can render
audio meter bargraphs and alarm status information to screen and the protocol used is available
by request.
Available accessories include audio input breakout cables for converting from XLRs (or
BNCs in the case of unbalanced AES/EBU) to 25 way and 37 way D connectors.

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Main features
92x192 router allows any input to be switched to any output
2 x Coaxial & 2 x Optical 64 channel MADI interfaces for 128 MADI channels
Optional external 32 channel audio I/O interface cards
Optional SOFT-XX control, source/bar labeling, monitoring and configuration scheduling
software for use with multiple units over LAN
DVI-I graphical output for audio metering and system menu
Optional audible monitor output card for 4 analog and digital pairs from any source
Audio streaming for up to 4 channel pairs via TCP/IP
DIN PPM, BBC PPM, NORDIC PPM, VU, VU EXTENDED, AES/EBU scale types each
with their own ballistics, range colors, break points and level reference
On-screen bargraphs may be grouped according to signal type or manually assigned to
sources irrespective of signal format
Sources can be named with up to 16 alpha-numeric characters
Per channel alarms for audio carrier loss, over and under level & anti-phase
Phase bar assignable to any channel pair
On-screen menu for unit configuration
1U rack-mountable
Keyboard socket for custom labels
Works with optional dedicated hardware monitoring units
Available accessories include audio I/P breakout cables to XLR / BNC

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The on-screen display
The MADI-xx meter/alarm display provides a visual status display of up to 128 channels in two
rows of 64 channels each. Each row can be assigned to display MADI input 1 or 2, or the input
External bus. If the second row is set to Off, the first row is rescaled to fill the screen.
The MADI-xx Meter/Alarm Display – default colors and break points
Break points and colors used for the upper and lower ranges of each bar type can be customized
to satisfy any in-house monitoring style for each of the six scale types.

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Bargraph scales
The following audio scales are supported:
Note: Each bar type can have different range colors, break points and level reference.
Where optional external audio cards are installed and preferences for different scale types has
been detected, external channels are placed automatically into two groups according to signal
type. This is dealt with in detail in the Analog and digital groups section in the Operation chapter.

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Alarm indicators
Flashing mini-alarms can be assigned to the bargraphs for under-level, over-level, anti-phase and
no-carrier (AES only).
The colors used are as follows:
・ Audio Loss: Yellow – position (left or right) indicates channel
・ Audio Over: Red – position (left or right) indicates channel
・ Anti-Phase: Cyan – middle alarm
・ Carrier Loss: White – middle alarm
If carrier loss occurs only that alarm will flash, unless audio loss had already been active for
the same channel.
Note: There are also mini-phase bars which can be turned on for each bar. The colors for in-phase and
out-of-phase are customizable.
Network requirements
There are many ways networks can be configured and a hard and fast rule is hard to make as
both latency and bandwidth will affect operation. Bandwidth requirements can be calculated from
are the sum of the alarm and level data together with any streamed audio monitoring feeds.
A MADI-xx frame being monitored by SOFT-xx will require up to 455kbps at startup assuming
one monitoring application and no streamed audio. Further monitoring applications will require up
to 370kbps each.
Streamed audio bandwidth is dependent on monitoring audio quality and the number of stereo
pairs being monitored. Full bandwidth quality requires 1.6Mbps for each stereo pair so the
maximum bandwidth needed for four stereo pairs would be 6.4 Mbps. This figure must be added
to the bandwidth needed for all of the Monitoring applications expected to be active at one time.
The next section discusses bandwidth requirements in more detail:
Level and alarm streams
Level and alarm streams use unicasting for every monitoring session invoked.
When the SOFT-xx starts it will establish one stream for a connected MADI-xx frame at
455kbps, which is the sum of the two streams. The alarm only stream is used for logging in the
configuration application (CONFIG-xx) and the other stream is used for a single monitoring
application (DISPLAY-xx). Each monitoring station requires a stream at 370kbps for level and
alarm data.

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Audio streaming
Audio streaming bandwidth is directly proportional to the number of audio pairs streamed and the
quality levels used:
Network bit-rate does not change when multiple stations are listening to the same stream since
multicasting is used for each stereo pair.

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Operation
The front panel user interface consists of 6 buttons. The functions assigned to control buttons
depend on the mode selected.
Operating modes
Normal or ‘locked’ mode is the normal operating mode. Configuration or ‘menu’ mode provides
access to configuration menus.
Normal mode
In normal use, the configuration menu will be locked to prevent inadvertent operation and
configuration menus are not available.
The main ‘normal’ mode controls are as follows:
Select Parameter buttons move channel-select cursor to select phase bar source
Lock button resets the peak hold indicators when pressed briefly
Lock button enters ‘menu’ mode when held down for about three seconds
Menu mode
To enter menu mode from normal mode (with the red Lock LED off) hold the Lock button down for
about 3 seconds. The configuration or ‘menu’ mode will be entered, on-screen menus will appear
and the red Lock LED will illuminate. If the Lock button is held down again, any changed settings
will be saved and the MADI-XX will return to normal meter mode.
The menu mode will return to the last menu item visited provided the unit has not been reset or
switched off since a configuration menu was last accessed.
The main ‘menu’ mode controls are as follows:
Function scrolls menu cursor up and down to select function
Select Parameter keys (<>) selects settings to apply to chosen parameter; also selects
main menu when menu name is highlighted
Insert On + Select Parameter (INS + <>) selects main menu page
Insert On + Lock confirms action in some menus
Lock button leaves ‘menu’ mode and saves settings when held down for about three
seconds
Chapter
2

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Control button summary
The 6 menu buttons are assigned functions as follows:
Note: Factory reset may be applied by holding down the Function/Fade buttons whilst performing a
power cycle – see the Trouble Shooting for further details.

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Menu Commands
The menu or configuration mode is entered by holding the Lock button down for three seconds.
This will allow configuration menus to be accessed.
Menu Navigation
←→Select submenu when menu name highlighted or change Parameter value within menu
↑↓Select item in menus and sub-menus
LOCK Press Lock (briefly) to return to main menu from sub-menu
Press Lock for more than 3 seconds to leave menu system
INS + ←→Move to another main menu
Scales – analog and digital scale types, reference value and
colors

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Bargraph scales
Standard scales and their corresponding ballistics may be selected. These may be positioned to
the left, right or both sides of the relevant bargraphs or turned off.
Analog and digital scale references
The AES/EBU scale is designed for use with digital audio. Analog scales can be used for
AES/EBU channels, (and AES/EBU scales may be used for analog channels) but the default
normal and upper range settings are re-scaled.