Lesson Description
Part D: Q-LAN - Maximizing Channel Output
3m 31s
Use the "Fan-Out" method to consolidate network audio channels and bandwidth.
Video Transcript
Part D: Q-LAN - Maximizing Channel Output
3m 31s
0:08
When working on your system design, it may be important to maximize your audio output channels.
0:14
Every unique signal that you send to an I/O Frame uses one Network Audio Channel,
0:18
but when that signal is being shared amongst multiple amplifiers and loudspeakers
0:22
you can achieve far more physical output channels than Network Audio Channels.
0:26
The key to maximizing your channel output is to use your Network Audio Channels wisely.
0:32
If you have an I/O Frame with four Line Out cards, you could send one channel to this Frame
0:37
and then fan-out that one channel over all sixteen outputs in the I/O Cards.
0:43
Now you have sixteen physical outputs that are all carrying the same audio signal,
0:48
and you have only used one Network Audio Channel, which is packaged into one Network Audio Stream.
0:54
If you had sixty-four I/O Frames and each one of them only received one audio channel
0:58
(which could be sixty-four different channels, or it could all be the same channel)
1:03
then each of these I/O Frames would use one Network Audio Stream with one
1:07
Network Audio Channel in it, so on a Core 1000 you will
1:12
be at your maximum of 64 Network Audio Channels Out.
1:15
But each one of those 64 I/O Frames can then fan-out its audio signal over its 16 Line-Outputs,
1:23
meaning that you have achieved a maximum of 1024 output channels.
1:28
And different Cores can handle bigger loads! The Core250i has 64 flex channels,
1:33
meaning that you can use them for either network ins or network outs.
1:36
The Core500i has 128 flex channels. The Core 1000 has 64 channels in and 64 channels out,
1:44
but when running with Designer Software versión 3.0 or higher,
1:47
these can be used as flex channels as well. The Core 3000 can handle twice as many network audio
1:53
channels as the Core1000, allowing a maximum of 2048 channels out,
1:57
(when using the optimum Fan-Out method) and the Core4000 can handle up to 512 network audio channels
2:05
when sending 8 or more channels per Network Audio Stream.
2:09
The system can use up to 900 Mbps of bandwidth, so it is very unlikely that you’ll ever see a scenario
2:14
where you are running out of network bandwidth. However, if you’re sharing this gigabit network
2:19
with other devices outside the Q-sys system, you may want to keep bandwidth efficiency in mind
2:23
when building the system. Let me show you an example.
2:26
Every Network Audio Stream to or from an I/O Frame takes up some of your bandwidth from the network.
2:32
In this example, there are sixteen input channels all going into one I/O Frame,
2:37
which are packaged into one Network Audio Stream.
2:40
This then leaves the system via another Network Audio Stream to sixteen output channels
2:44
on a different I/O Frame. This design is very efficient.
2:48
But if an I/O Frame has both inputs and outputs, it will use two Network Audio Streams.
2:55
This design here has the exact same setup as the last one,
2:58
except the I/O Frames each have half the inputs and half the outputs.
3:03
You can see that this requires two Network Audio Streams in,
3:06
and two Network Audio Streams out,
3:08
which has increased the amount of bandwidth on the network that you’re using.
3:12
So if you weren’t sure before, hopefully this has clarified the different capacities of the Q-Sys Core.
3:17
With the right understanding of its abilities,
3:19
you’ll be able to maximize the efficiency of your system and make sure you customize your Core
3:23
to your installation’s specific needs. Thank you, and we’ll see you next time.
Helpful Tips and Definitions
Part D: Q-LAN - Maximizing Channel Output
3m 31s
Check Design: Select this option in the File Menu or press Shift+F6 to check on your DSP, NAC, NAS, and bandwidth use.
Fan-Out: A Network Audio Output Channel may be shared by multiple output channels in an I/O Frame. This means that one NAS carrying one NAC may be distributed to as many as 16 physical outputs on the same I/O Frame without increasing any network usage.
Flex Channel: A network channel that may be used as either an input or output channel. The Core 500i has 128 flex channels, which can be used for as many inputs or outputs as is needed up to 128 total.
Bandwidth: The system can use up to 900 Mbps. Bandwidth can be conserved by minimizing the use of multiple Network Audio Streams on a single I/O Frame
Downloads and Links
Part D: Q-LAN - Maximizing Channel Output
3m 31s