Presets

Presets are used to change settings or values inside of AHM. These do not include Config-level changes such as stereo pairing, networking information, Profile settings, Room configurations, and others.

Presets can be used to change things such as channel routing, socket names, levels, IP Controller programming, EQ settings, Selectors, Room combinations, compressor settings, and much more.

There are 500 Presets available inside each AHM Config (each AHM can have 1 Config loaded at a time). By default, when storing a Preset, it saves the values of nearly everything. However, until a Recall Scope has been set, no values are recalled when the Preset is recalled. Because an AHM could be doing dozens of jobs or covering many rooms or zones all at once, scoping out what we want each Preset to do prevents us from accidentally affecting one area when we meant to leave it alone.

In the Manage > Presets tab find a list of all 500 Presets as well as any additional functions the Presets may include.

Name a Preset by clicking it in the scrolling window on the left side of the page then clicking the black bar in the Properties section on the right side of the page. Each Preset can have a name up to 16 characters long. Add notes in the box below to leave relevant information for the next technician or engineer, or just as a reminder for the future.

Preset Icons

Embedded Recall

Automate the recall of one or more Presets or Scenes from the local AHM (the one System Manager is connected to), other AHMs on the network, or Scenes on a dLive or Avantis upon recall of a Preset with Embedded Recall.

These are helpful if certain commands or changes need a time delay between recalls (e.g., tell the Projector to turn on, wait, then fade in the computer audio) or to tell multiple devices to change their Preset/Scene simultaneously (Fire Alarm trigger on one AHM telling all AHMs), or both.

We especially recommend Embedded Recall if using a Project with multiple AHMs and would like to trigger them all simultaneously or have them affect one another.

Once Embedded Recall in the Manage > Presets tab has been clicked, a dropdown menu labelled Unit Name will appear that will show any current AHMs, dLives, or Avantises on the network (the AHM currently Focused on or logged into will be the default Unit). Click on any discovered AHM, dLive, or Avantis in this dropdown to add one or more of their Presets or Scenes to the Embedded Recall List (the right-hand window of the Embedded Recalls pop-up). If an AHM is undiscoverable or remote, type in the IP address of the target device.

Below the Unit Name dropdown, find a field indicating which Preset or Scene to embed. Click and drag to the correct Preset/Scene or double-click to type in a number. The name of the Preset/Scene is displayed just below the number.

Set the Delay time for the embedded Preset recall. This is the time the system waits before recalling the Preset after recalling the primary Preset. Time can be set from 0 seconds (instant) to 4 minutes. Click and drag to the target delay time or double-click to type in a number.

Click Add to add the Preset to the Embedded Recall List. This list shows all Presets that have been included in the embedment with associated Units and delay times.

ⓘ A warning appears if the Embedded Recall feature detects any loops between AHMs  

Select a Preset from the list and click Remove to delete it from the Embedded Recall list.

Have the Last Preset Indicator (in Manage > Presets displayed by a blue triangle or in Custom Control as a Dynamic Label value) follow the Embedded Recalls by checking the Track Embedded Recalls box in the main Manage > Preset tab. If it is preferred to only have the primary Preset be indicated or shown, leave this box unchecked.

ⓘ When inside of a Project, many tabs include Unit-specific options. Change the Focus Unit by selecting the dropdown menu of the same name in the lower left of System Manager’s main window

Preset Recommendations

The following is our recommended step-by-step guide on storing and using Presets:

1. Name the Preset(s) you want to program
2. Scope out the properties you want to change upon recall
3. Copy To… or Copy From… any other Preset(s) that might have a related job to do
4. Make the change in the parameters
5. Store the Preset

System On and System Off Preset Example

1. Name Preset 1 “System On” and Preset 2 “System Off”
2. With Preset 1 highlighted, click Recall Scope
3. Click the Zone Mixing category title and choose All Zones > Mute
4. Click Copy To… to paste the scope to Preset 2
5. Navigate to Channels > Zones (If you’re using a Project, be sure to click Max All Filters with the All Units, All Channels View active [to show all Zones])
6. Right-click on the Level column header and click Mute to mute all shown Zones
7. Store the System Off Preset
8. Back in Channels > Zones, right-click on the Level column header and click Unmute to unmute all shown Zones
9. Store the System On Preset

ⓘ When inside of a Project, many tabs include Unit-specific options. Change the Focus Unit by selecting the dropdown menu of the same name in the lower left of System Manager’s main window

Preset Crossfades

Stored channel levels between different Presets can be very different from one another, depending on the programming. We can use Preset Crossfades to ease into the level differences over a period of time.

Under Manage > Preset Crossfades set crossfade times between 20 ms and 20 sec (in 20 ms blocks) and apply them to selected Inputs, Zones, Control Groups, or XPoints. If using an AHM-64 or AHM-32 with the Processing Expansion card fitted and configured for AEC, an option to apply a crossfade for the AEC Sound Reinforcement XPoint exists.

Preset Crossfade settings are stored per Preset – meaning that each Preset could have different Preset Crossfades applied.

After storing the Presets with their appropriate levels, recall the first Preset that should have a crossfade applied to it. Start by selecting any Inputs, Zones, Control Groups, or XPoints to crossfade. Then, assign the length of the crossfade with the Crossfade Time field (click and drag this block to assign a value, or double-click to type in a number). Click Apply to Selected ___ to apply the chosen length of time to whichever Channels or XPoints that are selected. The time value will then appear on each of the Channels or XPoints that are selected. Finally, store the Preset again (overwrite it). By recalling the Preset first and then storing, we ensure the correct values are being written.

 Each Channel or XPoint can have an individual Crossfade Time value, if the project benefits from it.

ⓘ When inside of a Project, many tabs include Unit-specific options. Change the Focus Unit by selecting the dropdown menu of the same name in the lower left of System Manager’s main window

Playback

AHM has been outfitted with ~2.5GB of internal storage dedicated to playback files. These can be triggered in a number of ways, including via Events, Preset Recalls, GPI, Custom Control, and many more. Any audio that’s been uploaded to the AHM are saved at the Config level and can be attached to a stored Config for easier transfer to another AHM.

The playback engine can be patched to any Input and routed around the system as necessary.

ⓘ Supported file types are mono or stereo .WAV (16/24-bit, 44.1/48/96kHz) and MP3. The AHM-64 additionally supports FLAC files

In Manage > Playback we can see the list of uploaded tracks, their Track ID and their duration in the Available Tracks pane. Below this pane is the Memory Bar that tells us how much of our allotted ~2.5GB has been used.

Clicking on a specific track will display relevant information below the Available Tracks pane such as title, format, duration, file size, and its sample rate.

Click Upload Tracks to upload one or several audio files to the AHM.

Click Delete Track to delete the currently selected audio file.

Click Delete All Tracks to remove all tracks from the AHM.

To trigger the playback of a track within the Playback tab, select the track from the Available Tracks pane, then click Start Selected Track.

On an AHM-64, the choice to run a track as stereo (even if it’s mono) or into one of the mono playback channels (Players) exists. When Split Mono is selected, two radio buttons labelled Mono 1 and Mono 2 will be displayed next to Mono Mode. When in Mono Mode, it can play two separate tracks at the same time so long as they are being played by different Players. Choose which Player to use in the Playback tab, or within the programming of the controller (e.g., IP4, IP8, Custom Control).

On an AHM-32 and AHM-16, there is only one Player available at a time. Choose which Player to use in the Playback tab, or within the programming of the controller (e.g., IP4, IP8, Custom Control).

While a track is playing, its title, player (Stereo, Mono 1, Mono 2), current duration, and percentage of completion are shown. A Play/Pause button and a Stop button also appear.

Play Mode allows us to switch between different modes including the following:

ⓘ If a track is triggered on the same player as a track that is already playing, the old track will stop playing and the new track begins

ⓘ When inside of a Project, many tabs include Unit-specific options. Change the Focus Unit by selecting the dropdown menu of the same name in the lower left of System Manager’s main window

Events

Each AHM has 50 programmable Events that can be used to trigger internal playback, Preset recalls, or the sending of logs via the AHM’s email notification system. These Events are stored at the Config level.

Navigate to Manage > Events and choose one of the 50 available Events and click Edit Selected Event.

Activity displays the occurrence of the Event: Disabled, Once (to trigger only one time), or Repeated (to decide a schedule for that Event).

The Event Type dropdown selects what kind of trigger should take place: Preset Recall, Track Playback or Email Logs. When the Event Type has been chosen, pick which Preset to recall, or which track to play (and which Player and Play mode).

Time displays the time the Event should be triggered in Hours, Minutes, and Seconds on a 24-hour clock.

Below the Time, two radio buttons are available to choose the Event to be triggered every day at the set time, or only on certain days. If Specific Days has been selected, tick which days of the week this event should occur on.

When done, click OK.

ⓘ When inside of a Project, many tabs include Unit-specific options. Change the Focus Unit by selecting the dropdown menu of the same name in the lower left of System Manager’s main window