Status / Home Screen

1. System Status – Displays a list of system components. A green tick indicates the component is running correctly. A red cross indicates that an error is detected. A blue icon appears when a non-critical event is logged. Touch the component to display further information.

2. System Info – Displays firmware version, current User, and the last Scene and Show recalled.

When a system component is selected in the left column, information on that component is displayed here, for example status of PSU, cable redundancy, Audio Sync Lock and the type of I/O modules fitted in a DX32 Expander.

If an error is detected, touch on the ‘An Error Occurred’ message to open the Utility / Utilities / History page and display the logs. Contact Support for assistance.

3. Press Switch User to access the User login page. See the User Login section.

Press Lock Surface and confirm to lock all Surface and touchscreen controls. Parameters will not be changed if the Surface controls are moved while locked, for example when left unattended. Touch the screen again to unlock the Surface.

ⓘ If a password is set for the current User, then this must be entered when the User locks or unlocks the Surface.

Press Power Down and confirm to safely power down the system before you switch power off. Failures to power down correctly may result in recent parameter changes being lost or under rare circumstances, possible data corruption.

4. Clock – Shows the time in hours, minutes, seconds. Set using the Utility / Utilities / Date/Time screen.

User login

The system Administrator can set up to 9 User Profiles to protect settings and restrict access to certain functions. Touch Switch User on the Home page to log in as a different User.

1. Users list - Shows available Users. These can be configured and enabled in the Setup / Config / User Profiles screen. The Admin User is always displayed. Icons indicate if the User has a password or User Scene set. Touch a User to select then touch Login to change User.

If a password is set, it needs to be entered using the screen keypad when the User logs in using this screen, when the system is powered up, or when the User locks or unlocks the Surface.

2. User Scene – If one is set, it is recalled automatically on login when the User is changed. It is not recalled when the Surface is unlocked, or when the system is powered down and up again while the same User is current.

Memory / Show Manager

A Show file stores the complete Avantis setup. This includes the mixer bus configuration, system preferences, all Scene memories and all Libraries. User Profiles are not stored in Show files. Shows are stored in the Avantis and can be transferred between Avantis systems or archived via USB key.

ⓘ See the section in this guide for details on Scene and Show memory content.

User Shows can be overwritten, renamed or deleted. Factory Template Shows provide a quick starting point by giving you a familiar layout and classic mix architecture for typical FoH and Monitor applications. Template Shows cannot be edited or deleted. They contain a default Scene to reset the mixer settings, patch and strip layout to the starting point.

ⓘ See the section in this guide for an overview of available Template Shows.

1. Avantis Shows – Lists Template and User Shows stored on the Avantis. Touch Store Show and type in a name to store a new User Show.

Touch a Show to select it and press Overwrite to update it with current settings. You can Rename and Delete existing Shows. Touch Info to display the file size of the Show and the date it was last modified. Touch Recall and confirm to recall a Show.

When loading a show created in earlier firmware, a message will appear warning you that new features will not be reset. If
you select Yes to load the show you should then check the parameters of any new features before proceeding to ensure
they are set appropriately.

ⓘ Recalling a Show overwrites all system settings, bus configuration, Scenes and Libraries. If you want to keep your current settings for later use, archive them first as a User Show.

ⓘ Recalling a Show will briefly interrupt the audio. It is not intended for instant recall of band settings or theatre cues. Use Scenes for such applications instead.

ⓘ Avantis Shows stored on systems running more recent firmware will not load on systems running earlier versions. However, earlier versions of Shows are compatible with Avantis systems running later firmware.

2. USB Shows – Lists User Shows stored in the USB drive. The files are stored in the USB AllenHeath-Avantis/Shows folder. Touch a Show to select it and press Overwrite to update it with current settings. You can Rename and Delete existing Shows. Touch Info to display the file size of the Show and the date it was last modified. Touch Recall and confirm to recall a Show.

Select a USB Show and touch Copy to Avantis to copy the file to the Avantis memory. Select a Avantis Show and touch Copy to USB to copy the file to the USB drive. 

To copy all show files from the USB drive to the Avantis Memory, touch Copy All to USB. To copy all show files from the USB key to the Avantis memory, touch Copy All to Avantis.

Memory / Library Manager

Use this page to edit and transfer Library presets. Library memories include Channel Processing, Mix Processing, PEQ, NEQ, Gate, Compressor, FX parameters.

1. Avantis Libraries – Lists Libraries stored in the current Show. Touch a Library to select it. You can Rename and Delete existing Libraries. Touch Copy to USB to copy the Library to the USB drive.

2. USB Libraries – Lists Libraries stored in the USB drive. The files are stored in the USB AllenHeath-Avantis/Libraries folder. Touch a Library to select it. Touch Copy to Avantis to copy the Library to the Avantis memory.

ⓘ Avantis Libraries are stored within a Show file. If you want to use one or more Library in a different Show, archive them first to USB, recall the Show, and transfer the Libraries back to the Avantis.

Utilities / History

This page keeps a timed register of events such as system boot up or shut down, when Scenes are recalled, and any error recognized by the system.

⚙ Touch and hold Options and touch anywhere in this screen to access an option to Show detailed Event Logs.

If you suspect a problem with the Avantis system you can Copy Logs To USB Key and send them to Allen & Heath Product Support for diagnostic purposes.

ⓘ Any time an error is logged a warning message will appear in the Home Screen and a yellow triangle is displayed in the top right corner of the screen. Touch the triangle to navigate to the Home Screen and investigate the error.

Utilities / Date/Time

Use this page to set the current date and time. The time is displayed in the Home Screen and used in the History and Event Logs.

Utilities / Calibration

This page lets you recalibrate fader alignment, fader touch sensitivity and fader motor performance.

To calibrate the faders, touch the Calibrate button and follow the on-screen instructions, moving the faders to the positions instructed at each step.

ⓘ It may be necessary to re-calibrate the motor faders after you update the firmware or perform a full system reset.

Utilities / Diagnostic

This page lets you diagnose any hardware faults with your Avantis LEDs, faders, switches and rotaries.

LEDs & Faders - The Avantis will sequence through different fader positions and different colours and levels of brightness for LEDs, touchscreens and LCD displays.

Switches and Rotaries -You can check for correct operation of keys and rotaries. Press any illuminated key to turn off their illumination. Press any non-illuminated key to remove it from the list on screen. Turn rotaries one full revolution to turn their illumination.

Advanced Rotaries - Follow the on-screen instruction to test specific rotaries to ensure they are registering all values.

Utilities / Firmware

Use this page to view or update the current firmware, driver and OS versions. Firmware is updated via a USB drive.

ⓘ Keep your Avantis system updated with the latest version of firmware. Check www.allen-heath.com for the latest version and information.

ⓘ Updating Avantis firmware resets its parameters and preferences. If you want to keep your current settings save these as a User Show first. Updating firmware does not affect User Shows or User Profiles.

ⓘ Avantis Shows stored on systems running more recent firmware will not load on systems running earlier versions. However, earlier versions of Shows are compatible with Avantis systems running later firmware.

To update the firmware:

1. Download the latest firmware from www.allen-heath.com and save the .zip file.
2. Remove any previous Avantis firmware from your USB drive. To do this, look into the USB AllenHeath-Avantis folder and delete the existing Firmware folder and also the Firmware.md5 file. Do not delete other files or folders.
3. Open and extract the .zip file to the root directory of your USB drive.

ⓘ Do not change the folder name or browse inside the Firmware folder as doing this may cause firmware corruption. Attempting to navigate or open files within this directory may cause your Operating System to leave behind small temporary system files which can invalidate your firmware.

4. Safely remove the USB drive from your computer.
5. Plug the USB drive into the Avantis USB port, and touch Update in the Firmware page. The Avantis will reboot to a ‘bootloader’ screen and if valid firmware is found on the USB drive then details of the current versions and versions found on the drive will be displayed.
6. Touch the Update button.

ⓘ Do not interrupt this process. Failure to complete the transfer may result in firmware corruption. Make sure the mains power and connecting cables are reliable and that the system will not be disturbed or switched off during the update.

7. When the firmware has been successfully installed, the system will automatically reboot.
8. Once the system is fully booted, recall a Template Show or User Show to restore your settings.

Utilities / About

This page displays license information for the fonts used in the Avantis software.

MIDI / Control

Use this page to assign the MIDI channel number and operate the MIDI Transport controls (MTC). These send out the related MTC messages over TCP/IP.

1. MIDI Transport Controls - These can be used to control playback and record functions of a DAW connected to the Avantis using MIDI over TCP. See the article on Allen & Heath MIDI Control Help for more information.

2. Select the range of MIDI Channels  Avantis messages will use and respond to. Multiple channels are used to address all Input and Mix channels.

3. Send/Receive MIDI – Enable or Disable incoming or outgoing MIDI independently.

4. UFX Unit MIDI Channels – Choose the MIDI channel for parameter control of each Rack Ultra FX unit.

USB Audio / Manager

Set up and manage stereo recording to the local internal storage, and playback from USB or the internal storage.

Supported file types:

USB/Local Audio playback:

• Mono/stereo .WAV files (16/24bit, 44.1/48/96kHz)
• MP3 files
• FLAC files

Local Audio recording:

•  Stereo .WAV files (24bit 96kHz)

1. Play – Touch Assign to select the input channels to be used for playback from USB/Internal Storage. Use the transport controls to Play, Pause, Stop or Skip between tracks. Touch the dropdown menu to select between Play Single, Play All, Repeat Single and Repeat All.

2. Record – Select the channels to be recorded by touching the Assign button. Touch the Record button to begin recording and touch the Stop button to stop recording. A pair of Chromatic Meters indicate the level of the recorded signal. To configure the Chromatic Meters, navigate to Setup / Audio / Metering.

3. Audio Directories – Playback files stored on the internal storage will be visible in the Tracks tab. Tracks recorded to the local internal storage are shown under the Recordings tab. Compatible playback tracks on a connected USB storage device are visible under the USB tab.

When in the Tracks or Recording tabs, touch Copy to USB to copy the selected file from the internal storage to a connected USB drive. When in the Tracks tab, touch Copy to Internal to copy the selected file to the internal storage. Touch Delete to delete the selected file.

Remaining storage space on the internal storage is displayed when in the Tracks or Recordings tabs, and remaining space on the connected USB storage device is shown when in the USB tab.