Channels

Workflow & Shortcuts

System Manager has several hotkeys and shortcuts to make workflow faster and more seamless.

For any Fader

Right Click	Set Fader to -Infinity or 0dB
Shift + Click/Drag	Move Fader in 5dB increments (rounded to the nearest dB ending in 0 or 5)
Cmd or Ctrl + Click	Jump Fader to pointer

In the Bird’s Eye View (no block opened)

Cmd or Ctrl + Click	Bypass/Enable a particular processing block (available when blocks are hidden or shown)
Right Click on Column Labels	Hide/Show bypassed processing blocks
Right Click on Level Column Label	Change level or mute state of all Channels (If using Custom Views, this only applies to Channels inside the chosen View)
Right Click on Name Column Label	Change colour of all Channels (If using Custom Views, this only applies to Channels inside the chosen View)
Right Click – Level Block	Change level/mute state or open the Quick View of the chosen level block
Right Click – Name Block	Change colour of chosen name block. Click Select All to select all Channels quickly
Right Click – PEQ Block	Open the Quick View of the chosen PEQ block
Right Click – Compressor/Gate	Open the Quick View of the chosen Compressor or Gate block
Right Click – Delay	Open the Quick View of the chosen Delay block
Parameter Ganging (Cmd or Ctrl + Right Click)	Make relative, absolute, or mirrored changes across the ganged channels. Available on Levels, Delays, PEQ, Compressors, Gates, and Name blocks. Hold Cmd or Ctrl + right-click to add or remove channels from the gang.

Movement When Inside a Block

Left/Right Arrow Keys	Move between blocks of the same Channel
Up/Down Arrow Keys	Move between Channels of the same block
Escape Key	Exit the opened block
Paste Multiple	Paste a copied multi-line text (newline separated values) to name many fields at once. Available in the Name Field of any Input, Zone, Group, Selector, or Socket Nickname

Ganging

Ganging can help adjust processing block parameters across any AHMs in a system or Project while skipping the need to go to each block to make individual adjustments. This can save time and make tuning multiple Zones or Inputs fast and easy.

ⓘ Ganging can be accessed by either the Multi button or by holding Cmd or Ctrl + Right-Click in the Bird’s-Eye-View. Continue holding Cmd or Ctrl + Right-Click to add other Channels into the Gang

Change the mode with the Mode dropdown to swap between relative (respect each block’s current parameters; make changes but don’t erase what it is already doing), absolute (no matter what that block’s parameters are doing, their value will now be X), or mirrored (each block should look just like the Primary [the block being referenced, seen at the top of this window]) modes.

Ganging Examples:

Original	Change	Absolute	Relative	Mirrored
Depth 30dB	+5dB	35dB	+5dB	35dB+ all parameters matched
Level -25dB	+10dB	-15dB	+10dB	-15dB+ all parameters matched
Hold 180ms	-20ms	160ms	-20ms	160ms+ all parameters matched

Select which Channels from which Units should be included in this gang with the Select ___ button that matches the block you’re in. Left-click on a block in the main grid area to temporarily include or exclude that block from changes that may be applied at any moment. Excluded blocks are heavily darkened. Right-click on a block in the main grid area to have the option to change which Channel is Primary, include all selected blocks, include only the selected block, or exclude only the selected block. Click Close when done.

Views

When using a Project, customise which Channels are seen at any given moment with Views, available in the Channels > Inputs and Channels > Zones tabs. They could be Channels from across different Units or organized in a way that makes sense given your workflow. These Views are stored at the Project level and are regardless of each AHM’s Config.

By default, All Units, All Channels will be shown. A Min All Filters/Max All Filters button is available at the bottom of the tab. Select which View are currently displaying with the Inputs View or Zones View (respective) dropdown menu.

Manage the Views by clicking Manage Views. A pop-up window appears and displays all available Views. The default All Units, All Channels is locked and cannot be edited or deleted.

Click New View to begin creating new filters.

Name the new View by typing in a name that best fits the circumstance (e.g., showtime, VIP, Conference Hall A, East Wing, Even/Odd). This will be the name that appears in the Inputs View or Zones View dropdown menu.

Click New Filter to create a new section within this View and give it a name. This name will appear at the top of its section in the Bird’s Eye View. By default, a new Filter will have Initially Open and All Units/Channels ticked. Deselect the Initially Open box to have the Filter be minimised when this View is selected. While manoeuvring through and minimizing or maximizing Filters, System Manager will remember and return them to its last known min/max setting. Deselecting the All Units/Channels box allows the choosing of specific Channels and/or specific AHMs to include in the Filter. Pick a colour to outline this Filter in the Bird’s Eye View.

Click Copy to copy a Filter’s settings to a new Filter.

Click Delete to permanently delete the selected Filter.

Once done creating the View click OK.

Edit an existing View by clicking Edit in the primary Manage Views window.

Copy one View to a new View by clicking Copy.

Delete a View be selecting it and clicking Delete.

When done, click Close to exit the Manage Views window – Views will now be available respectively in the Inputs View or Zones View.

Inputs

The Channels > Inputs tab displays Input Channels, their processing, their patching, and their routing. The signal flow is horizontal with a grey line running into and out of processing blocks that are active and running on top of processing blocks that are inactive (bypassed). Hide or show bypassed block by right-clicking on the column headers and clicking Show/Hide Bypassed Processing.

Click on any block to open and edit, manage, or monitor it.

Cmd or Ctrl + Click to easily bypass or reinsert a processing block.

Right-click on the Level or Name column headers to quickly make an adjustment to all (viewable) Inputs’ Level or Colour assignment.

Right-click on a Gate, EQ, Compressor, Delay, or Level block to access its Quick View. Cmd + Right-click on these blocks to Gang them.

Name

The Name block is where we can name the Input Channel. Each Channel can have a name up to 16 characters long. Choose a colour to associate with this Channel to make it easier to identify in System Manager or on other controllers. Right-clicking on the name field and choosing Paste Multiple will allow the naming of many Inputs all at once (starting with the Channel currently being viewed) by pasting a copied newline separated list of names – each new line will name the succeeding Channel.

ⓘ Stereo Channels will require two lines of text when using Paste Multiple, and only the first name is used

Click Library to manage any stored Input Channel Libraries. Store, recall, overwrite, rename, or delete an Input Channel Library with the given respective buttons. These can be imported and exported via the System > User Libraries tab. To learn more, see the User Libraries section of this guide.

Input

The Input block is where we can individually patch a socket to an Input Channel. To patch many at one time, it is recommended to navigate to Assign > I/O Patchbay.

The Source menu displays a pop-up window where any socket may be chosen: a local mic/line input on the back of the AHM, a playback Channel, an input from the I/O Card Slot, the output of a Zone, one of the eight internal signal generators, or simply unassigned. For sources with a recognised preamp attached (e.g., local analogue, an input from a DX box, an input from a DT168/1164-W), the preamp settings will appear. The Gain box changes the gain of the preamp itself and can be clicked and dragged to change values or be double-clicked and have a value manually entered. The Pad switch adds in a -20dB input attenuator and the combined Gain and Pad value is shown in the Gain box.

Click 48V to enable phantom power.

Trim provides a +/-24dB control after the socket and is associated only with the Input Channel – sockets assigned to multiple channels have separate trim levels.

Click Polarity to toggle between normal and reverse polarity.

For Channels configured as stereo (via Configure > Unit > Input Stereos) the Stereo Mode dropdown is displayed. The available modes are as follows:

L/R	Normal stereo input
R/L	Reversed stereo input
L -Pol/R	Stereo with inverted polarity on left
R -Pol/L	Reverse stereo with inverted polarity on right
Mono	Mono summation of both channels
L/L	Left as mono source on both channels
R/R	Right as mono source on both channels
M/S	Mid/Side decode to stereo (1^st signal is Mid, 2^nd is Side)

Width adjusts the stereo image with 100% being full stereo and 0% being mono.

Gate/Ducker

Each Input Channel has a switchable Gate/Ducker. Gates and Duckers are useful tools that can help us eliminate lower-level noise or compress signals.

Gates are commonly used to minimise mic handling noise or any unwanted ambiance bleeding into a microphone. Duckers can be used in artistic and utilitarian ways, but the job remains the same: to compress a signal to allow (usually) another to pass through less inhibited. If looking to compress multiple channels of audio to allow a Channel such as paging, announcements, or emergencies through, we recommend checking out Priority Inputs in the Zones section of this guide.

The following parameters are outlined for each mode:

Parameter	Gate Mode	Ducker Mode
Threshold	The level at which the Gate allows signal through	The level at which the Ducker begins attenuation
Attack	How quickly the attenuation decreases once the keyed source rises above the threshold	How quickly the attenuation increases once the keyed source rises above the threshold
Hold	How long the Gate remains open once the keyed source drops below the threshold	How long the Ducker attenuates once the keyed source drops below the threshold
Release	How long for the signal to attenuate after the Gate closes	How long for the signal to recover after the keyed source drops below the threshold
Depth	How much attenuation is applied when the keyed source is below the threshold	How much attenuation is applied when the keyed source is above the threshold

The Side Chain Source (also referred to as a keyed source) is used as a reference point for the Gate/Ducker and can be an Input or a Zone. This means the Side Chain Source is what the Gate/Ducker looks to for decisions on whether to open or stay closed. In Gate Mode it is typically best practice to leave this as Self Keyed to allow the Channel to open its own Gate. In Ducker Mode, it is typically set to the Channel that needs more room for (e.g., an announcement mic side chain source on a music Input) – though, we recommend using Priority Inputs under Zones for multi-channel ducking scenarios.

The Side Chain Source also has a high-pass, low-pass, and band-pass filter to limit the frequency range of the keyed source. This is helpful when there are extenuating frequencies mis-triggering the Gate/Ducker. The combined line turns yellow when the filter(s) is/are switched in. The high-pass and low-pass filters can be toggled into shelve filters by clicking their respective buttons below the filter graph.

The meter to the left of the Gate/Ducker graph displays the key source. The Gain Reduction meter to the right of the Gate/Ducker graph displays how much attenuation is actively being applied.

Below the Gate/Ducker graph is a histogram displaying the gain reduction over the last 10 seconds.

Click Reset to return the block to its default state. Copy To… and Copy From… will copy or paste programming to or from another Channel. Library will display a window to store, recall, or otherwise manage libraries of the block currently open.

The Multi button opens the Multi-Edit Window where you can temporarily gang together processing blocks to make relative, absolute, or mirrored changes across blocks of the same type on any AHM in the Project.

Inserts A & B

External equipment or additional processing from the Processing Expansion Module can be inserted into the signal path of an Input Channel.

Input Channels provide two insert points:

Insert A = Post Gate/Pre PEQ

Insert B = Post Comp/Pre Delay

Use the respective dropdown menus to change the Send and Return patching. The Operating Level dropdown allows the choice to send the signal as Digital (0dB) for use with digital equipment, Analogue (+4dBu) for nominal levels on balanced analogue outputs (to retain overall gain of insert circuit at 0dB), or -10dBV as the standard for consumer equipment.

For users of AHM-32 and AHM-64 outfitted with the Processing Expansion Module and configured as AEC (via Configure > Unit > Processing Expansion), assign this Input to an AEC Channel with the Assign AEC button. For more information on AEC setup and settings, please see the AEC section of this guide.

Parametric Equaliser (PEQ)

Each Input has an 8-band PEQ block with fully adjustable bands of equalisation.

Click and drag any of the 8 band handles to adjust their centre or corner frequency. The overall frequency response curve is yellow when the PEQ is active and is grey when bypassed.

Each of the 8 bands can be set to the following Types:

Bell	Bell curve with a gain range of +/- 15dB and Q values between 0.5-12.00
Bell Const Q	Bell curve with a gain range of +/- 15dB and a constant Q value throughout the gain range
L/HF Shelf	Classic low- or high-frequency shelf Baxandall curve
L/H Pass	12dB/octave low or high-pass
Notch	Notch filter with adjustable width of 10Hz, 40Hz, 80Hz or 100Hz

The Freq field sweeps the centre or corner frequency for each band. Q adjusts the width in octaves of the bell-shaped EQ bands. Gain allows up to +/- 15dB boost or cut for each band.

Click Band In to toggle the in and out state of each band. This can also be achieved by holding shift while clicking on the EQ handle.

Compressor/Limiter

If we need to assert more control over the level of an Input, compressors and limiters are excellent tools.

We can swap whether the Compressor is running in Peak Mode or RMS Mode. Peak Mode applies compression based on the peak values of the signal. RMS Mode applies compression based on the “average” level. Their use cases are application-dependent, but we recommend starting with Peak Mode to ensure elimination of any possible clipping.

The following parameters are available:

Threshold	The level at which the compressor begins attenuating
Attack	How quickly the attenuation increases once the keyed source rises above the threshold
Release	How long for the signal to recover after the keyed source drops below the threshold
Gain	Amount of level boost (in dB) to apply to the compressed signal
Ratio	The ratio of decibels of exceeded threshold to the amount that is passed through e.g., a ratio of 4:1 means for every 4dB above the threshold a signal is, the signal is only allowed 1dB

ⓘ A compressor with a ratio greater than 10:1 is generally considered a Limiter

The Side Chain Source (also referred to as a keyed source) is used as a reference point for the Compressor and can be an Input or a Zone. This means the Side Chain Source is what the Compressor looks to for decisions on whether to compress or not. For most commercial applications, leaving a compressor self-keyed is most practical.

The Side Chain Source also has a high-pass, low-pass, and band-pass filter to limit the frequency range of the keyed source. This is helpful when there are extenuating frequencies mis-triggering the Compressor. The combined line turns yellow when the filter(s) is/are switched in. The high-pass and low-pass filters can be toggled into shelve filters by clicking their respective buttons below the filter graph.

The meter to the left of the Compressor graph displays the key source. The Gain Reduction meter to the right of the Compressor graph displays how much attenuation is actively being applied.

Below the graph is a histogram displaying the gain reduction over the last 10 seconds.

Delay

Input Delays can be measured in milliseconds, metres, feet, or samples by clicking the respective radio button in the Channels > Inputs tab inside the Delay block.

The default unit of measurement is milliseconds and can be adjusted up to 683ms (65,535 samples).

Automatic Mic Mixing (AMM)

AMMs are tools that allow us to automatically mix microphones and are particularly helpful when there isn’t a technician on site to do the mixing live. Note that while theoretically using AMMs to mix instruments is possible, it is recommended to only use them on “talking heads” or people speaking (not singing).

Opening an AMM block on any channel will display the global settings for the AMM where to view and manage which Channels are assigned to an AMM.

Each AHM can have up to a specified amount of simultaneous AMMs running: an AHM-16 up to 1 AMM, an AHM-32 up to 4 AMMs, and an AHM-64 up to 8 AMMs.

ⓘ AMMs are unique to each AHM and currently can only include Channels from itself. For Channels from different AHMs to be part of one AMM instance, audio must be patched between the AHMs

In the Settings tab inside the AMM block (Channels > Inputs > AMM) adjust the global settings for all instances of the AMM on that AHM. When on an AHM-32 or AHM-64, choose the Number of AMMs with the dropdown of the same name. The Mode dropdown allows the selection between two different modes: NOM (number of open mics) and D-Classic.

Channels can be assigned to an AMM by opening the AMM tab to assign a Channel and clicking Set Assigned Inputs. Any Channel can be assigned to any AMM but can only be assigned to one at a time. If the project necessitates it, easily assign every Channel to a single AMM.

The Follow Fader checkbox toggles the Channel fader’s influence over the Channel’s level going into the AMM.

A sidechain filter is also available in the AMM Settings tab to help mitigate mis-triggers of the mixing.

ⓘ 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

NOM Mode

NOM is a gated algorithm with additional controls available. This is considered a more “intense” mixing as it applies a version of a Gate to any microphone that is not currently being “opened” by the algorithm. This is a good mode when there is a lot of ambient noise or the people/microphones in the AMM are physically close to one another. The level adjustment for each opened Input is equal and is dependent on the number of microphones opened paired with the NOM Attenuation. NOM Mode senses the background ambient noise level and automatically adjusts the open threshold to ensure consistent triggering regardless of background noise. Ambient Maintenance keeps the last open microphone locked on until another Channel is opened to ensure background noise does not noticeably change when there is a break in speaking. If only one microphone is active in the AMM, it is held open.

Off Attenuation sets the amount of attenuation applied when a Channel is not opened by the AMM and ranges from -10dB to -90dB.

On Hold Time sets the amount of time an open mic is held open once the trigger is removed and ranges from 1 to 5 seconds. The elected Chair mic is not affected by Hold Time.

NOM Attenuation sets the amount of attenuation applied for each doubling of open microphones (3dB, 4.5dB, or 6dB).

Chair Sensitivity will set the sensitivity to trigger the elected Chair’s opening (thus ducking the other mics). The sensitivity ranges from 1 to 10 with 1 being the least sensitive and 10 being the most sensitive.

Chair Duck Level is the amount of attenuation applied to all other mics that are not the Chair and ranges from -3dB to -40dB.

One or more Channels can be elected Chair in the AMMs respective tab by clicking Chair under the Channel’s name and On status. The On button toggles the AMM for a specific Channel and takes control using the AMM’s own gain element (post-fader). The Solo button also found in this view manually selects which Channel should be opened and turns all others down.

The Active button toggles the AMM instance on or off.

Best Mic is an option ensuring a single participant with the strongest signal activates the algorithm. This can help prevent crosstalk, phasing or other ambience issues when one voice can trigger multiple microphones. The Chair mic is not part of the Best Mic calculation. We recommend only using Best Mic if all microphones involved are of the same type and are positioned closely together with similar gain structure.

D-Classic Mode

D-Classic is a gain-sharing algorithm AMM. Instead of using gates with fixed gain attenuation, this algorithm uses constant gain-sharing calculations to dynamically adjust the gain for each mic, proportional to its Input level. This means louder signals will receive more gain in the mix automatically. Effectually, this AMM Mode means we can have a more hands-off approach to mic mixing and requires less dialling-in and fine tuning.

In D-Classic Mode, in the respective AMM tab, we can set a Priority Level for each Channel. The Priority level will offset the amount of gain on a mic as it enters into the AMM calculation to artificially inflate or deflate that Channel’s “importance” to the mix. This is a variable slider (or, double-click to type in a value) ranging from -15dB (low priority), 0dB (no offset applied), to +15dB (high priority).

The On button toggles the AMM for a specific Channel and takes control using the AMM’s own gain element (post-fader).

The Active button toggles the AMM instance on or off.

Level

The Level block acts as the primary level control of the Input and affects everything downstream the signal chain.

Click and drag the fader to set a level, double-click the value field and type in a value, hold shift while clicking and dragging to move the fader in 5dB increments, or hold Cmd or Ctrl + Click to jump the fader to the position of the computer’s pointer.

Additionally, right click on the fader and set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

The Mute button stops the signal from continuing down the chain.

XPoint Routing

Once we have Inputs patched and processed, it is most often we would like to send those Inputs on to be mixed with other Inputs before heading out to local sound reinforcement. We achieve this with XPoint Routing. In the XPoint Routing block of an Input, we can see which Zones we are sending a particular Input to, and by how much.

Click Edit Routing to choose any Zones. A pop-up window will appear. Click on the Zones to send this Input to. Click the top left checkbox to select all available Zones. Click the checkboxes located next to each row of Zones to choose the entire row. Click OK when done. Alternatively, XPoint routing can be set in the Assign > XPoints tab.

Selected Zones will now appear in the main XPoint Routing block area with a fader (that changes how much of this Input is being sent to that particular Zone) and a mute (which only affects this Input going to that particular Zone).

As with all faders, click and drag the fader to set a level, double-click the value field and type in a value, hold shift while clicking and dragging to move the fader in 5dB increments, or hold Cmd or Ctrl + Click to jump the fader to the position of the computer’s pointer.

Additionally, right click on the fader to set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

The Mute button stops the signal from continuing down the chain.

Clicking on the Title Block of each Zone will jump over to that Zone’s Channel Strip with the Zone’s own XPoint Routing block opened.

Zones

The Channels > Zones tab displays Zone Channels, their processing, their patching, and their routing. The signal flow is horizontal with a grey line running into and out of processing blocks that are active and running on top of processing blocks that are inactive (bypassed). Hide or show bypassed blocks by right-clicking on the column headers and clicking Show/Hide Bypassed Processing.

Click on any block to open and edit, manage, or monitor it.

Cmd or Ctrl + Click to easily bypass or reinsert a processing block.

Right-click on the Level or Name column headers to quickly make an adjustment to all (viewable) Zones’ Level or Colour assignment.

Right-click on a Gate, EQ, Compressor, Delay, or Level block to access its Quick View. Cmd + Right-click on these blocks to Gang them.

Name

The Name block is where we can name the Zone Channel. Each Channel can have a name up to 16 characters long. Choose a colour to associate with this Channel to make it easier to identify in System Manager or on other controllers. Right-clicking on the name field and choosing Paste Multiple to name many Zones all at once (starting with the Channel currently being viewed) by pasting a copied newline separated list of names – each new line will name the succeeding Channel.

ⓘ Stereo Channels will require two lines of text when using Paste Multiple, and only the first name is used

Click Library to manage any stored Zone Channel Libraries. Store, recall, overwrite, rename, or delete a Zone Channel Library with the given respective buttons. These can be imported and exported via the System > User Libraries tab. To learn more, see the User Libraries section of this guide.

Selector

A Selector is a helpful tool to allow end users to quickly toggle between sources (Inputs or Control Groups) or recall a Preset. Control over Selectors can be assigned to Controllers or used in Custom Control.

Under Channels > Zones > Selector, up to 20 items can be placed into each Selector instance. Click on Add Sources or Add Presets to choose what should be included in this Selector. Clicking the top left checkbox to select all available Channels. Click the checkboxes located next to each row of Channels to choose the entire row. If more Channels are selected than are available in the Selector, a confirmation pop-up will appear to warn that some may not be added. Clicking All Off will include an option in the Selector to have nothing actively selected or chosen.

Click OK when done.

ⓘ Inputs included in a Selector still need to be routed via XPoints into the Zone

ⓘ Channels inside of a Selector are toggled at the XPoint for Inputs and on the primary fader for Control Groups

ⓘ When a Channel is chosen as the Active Source in a Selector, all other Channels within the Selector have their XPoint (Input) or fader (Control Group) taken down to -Inf

ⓘ Any Channel not inside of the Selector is unaffected by the Selector (e.g., Emergency or Paging microphones routed to the Zone but not in the Selector)

When adding Sources or Presets, their current names and colours are copied into the Selector, but friendly names (nicknames) and colours can be assigned, as well as setting an On Level.

After a Source or Preset has been added, select it in the Sources/Presets window; the Selected Source section will display pertinent information and settings. Type in a nickname for the Source or Preset (up to 16 characters) if it makes more sense to the end user (this will not change the name of the Channel or Preset in System Manager). The On Level will be the level that the XPoint (Input) or fader (Control Group) will be set to once the Source is selected. Change the Input, Group, or Preset after adding it to the Selector by clicking the respective dropdown of the same name, found below the colour selection.

Use Move Up or Move Down to change the order of items. Remove will remove the item from the Selector.

Source Fade In and Source Fade Out allow a smooth transition between Sources.

The Current Active Source indicates which Source is currently being selected/made active – this is also shown in the Selector block on the Channel Strip and in the Bird’s Eye View. Use the dropdown menu to change the active Source from inside the Selector block.

ⓘ Selectors are unique to each AHM and currently can only include Channels from itself. For Channels from different AHMs to be part of a Selector, audio must be patched between the AHMs or use Presets with Embedded Recall to allow the AHMs to communicate

ⓘ 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

Priority Inputs

Priority Inputs are used as mechanisms for ducking an entire Zone to leave space (sonically) for Inputs of Priority such as emergency announcements, paging mics, and more. We recommend this over a per-Channel ducker when multiple Channels need ducking by the same (or multiple) Inputs.

AHM-64 and AHM-32 both have two Priority Inputs available on every Zone. Priority Input 1 has priority over Priority Input 2.

AHM-16 has one Priority Input available on every Zone.

ⓘ Each Zone can have different Priority Inputs, but wherever an Input is used multiple times (across multiple Zones), their ducking settings will remain the same. Individual ducking settings for the same Input will require it to be patched to other Input Channels

Click Unassigned in the Channels > Zones > Priority Inputs block to choose from any of the AHM’s Inputs. Click Configure once chosen to configure how the Input will duck the Zone.

Threshold is the level at which the ducking of the Zone will begin once the Input crosses it. The meter to the left of the graph displays the Input. Depth is how much attenuation will be applied once the Input is above the threshold. The meter to the right of the graph displays the reduction in gain. Release sets the time and amount (in dB/second) for the Zone to return to its normal level.

ⓘ An Input set as a Priority Input will still need to be routed (via XPoints) to the Zone in order for the Zone to hear it. Otherwise, a ducking effect will still happen, but no Input will be audible

ⓘ Priority Inputs can only include Channels from itself. For Channels from different AHMs to be a Priority Input, audio must be patched between the AHMs

ⓘ 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

XPoint Routing

Zones are typically mixes of Inputs or other Zones. In order to bring Channels into a Zone, we utilise XPoint Routing. In the XPoint Routing block of a Zone, we can see which Inputs or other Zones we are bringing into a particular Zone, and by how much. For users of AHM-32 and AHM-64 outfitted with the Processing Expansion Module and configured as AEC (via Configure > Unit > Processing Expansion), the AEC SR (sound reinforcement) outputs to Zones via XPoints. For more information on AEC setup and settings, please see the AEC section of this guide.

Click Edit Routing to choose any Inputs and/or Zones. A pop-up window will appear. Click on any Inputs or Zones to send to the current Zone. Clicking the top left checkbox allows the selection all available Channels. Click the checkboxes located next to each row of Channels to choose the entire row. Click OK when done. Alternatively, XPoint routing can be set in the Assign > XPoints tab.

Selected Channels will now appear in the main XPoint Routing block area with a fader (that changes how much of that Input or Zone is being sent to this Zone) and a mute (which only affects that particular Input or Zone going into this Zone). Zones have an additional signifier above them with the appropriate label to warn that Zone-to-Zone routing is enabled. This can be powerful for group processing but make sure to not create an audio loop.

ⓘ The XPoint Routing block of a Zone is showing all the Channels being sent into a Zone

Additionally, right click on the fader and set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

The Mute button stops the signal from continuing down the chain.

Clicking on the Title Block of each Zone will jump to that Channel’s Strip with the Channel’s own XPoint Routing block opened.

Insert

External equipment or additional processing from the Processing Expansion Module can be inserted into the signal path of a Zone Channel.

Zone Channels provide a single insert point.

Use the respective dropdown menus to change to Send and Return patching. The Operating Level dropdown allows the choice to send the signal as Digital (0dB) for use with digital equipment, Analogue (+4dBu) for nominal levels on balanced analogue outputs (to retain overall gain of insert circuit at 0dB), or -10dBV as the standard for consumer equipment.

For users of AHM-32 and AHM-64 outfitted with the Processing Expansion Module and configured as FBS (Feedback Suppression, via Configure > Unit > Processing Expansion), assign this Zone to an FBS Channel with the Assign FBS button. For more information on FBS setup and settings, please see the FBS section of this guide.

Parametric Equalizer (PEQ)

Each Zone has an 8-band PEQ block with fully adjustable bands of equalisation.

Click and drag any of the 8 band handles to adjust their centre or corner frequency. The overall frequency response curve is yellow when the PEQ is active and is grey when bypassed.

Each of the 8 bands can be set to the following Types:

Bell	Bell curve with a gain range of +/- 15dB and Q values between 0.5-12.00
Bell Const Q	Bell curve with a gain range of +/- 15dB and a constant Q value throughout the gain range
L/HF Shelf	Classic low- or high-frequency shelf Baxandall curve
L/H Pass	12dB/octave low or high-pass
Notch	Notch filter with adjustable width of 10Hz, 40Hz, 80Hz or 100Hz

The Freq field sweeps the centre or corner frequency for each band. Q adjusts the width in octaves of the bell-shaped EQ bands. Gain allows up to +/- 15dB boost or cut for each band.

Click Band In to toggle the in and out state of each band. This can also be achieved by holding shift while clicking on the EQ handle.

Switchable Graphic/Parametric Equaliser (GEQ/PEQ)

By default, each Zone has a 28-band 1/3 octave graphic equaliser available that can be toggled to another set of 8 parametric bands of EQ. Click the GEQ or PEQ button to toggle between modes.

Each band has a range of +/- 12dB of gain available and can be clicked and dragged to adjust.

The top area of the GEQ displays the combined frequency response curve and turns yellow when the GEQ is active and is grey when bypassed. The LEDs at the top of each band are peak indicators. An RTA is superimposed on the graph when signal is present.

The Multi button and Ganging function is only available for PEQ. To learn more about these and PEQ in general, please see any PEQ section of this guide.

Compressor/Limiter

If we need to assert more control over the level of a Zone, compressors and limiters are excellent tools.

The following parameters are available:

Threshold	The level at which the compressor begins attenuating
Attack	How quickly the attenuation increases once the keyed source rises above the threshold
Release	How long for the signal to recover after the keyed source drops below the threshold
Gain	Amount of level boost (in dB) to apply to the compressed signal
Ratio	The ratio of decibels of exceeded threshold to the amount that is passed through e.g., a ratio of 4:1 means for every 4dB above the threshold a signal is, the signal is only increased 1dB

ⓘ A compressor with a ratio greater than 10:1 is generally considered a Limiter

The Side Chain Source also has a high-pass, low-pass, and band-pass filter to limit the frequency range of the keyed source. This is helpful when there are extenuating frequencies mis-triggering the Compressor. The combined line turns yellow when the filter(s) is/are switched in. The high-pass and low-pass filters can be toggled into shelve filters by clicking their respective buttons below the filter graph.

Delay

Zone Delays can be measured in milliseconds, metres, feet, or samples by clicking the respective radio button in the Channels > Zones tab inside the Delay block.

The default unit of measurement is milliseconds and can be adjusted up to 683ms (65,535 samples).

Ambient Noise Compensation (ANC)

In some areas or public spaces, it is helpful to be able to automatically compensate for the change in the ambient noise floor. This can help ensure that all voice lift, sound reinforcement, emergency announcements or pages can be heard at an appropriate level no matter the circumstance. For this, we can use Ambient Noise Compensation (ANC).

Each Zone has ANC available and can be located in the ANC block within Channels > Zones. AHM’s ANC uses gap sampling (versus continuous sampling) to monitor and adjust for ambient level changes. Gap sampling means the ANC will wait for the program material (whatever may normally be playing through the Zone such as background music) to drop below a certain threshold for a certain amount of time before “listening” and making an adjustment.

The following parameters are available to dial in the ANC:

Ambient Level Metering Point	Controls for the ambient Input
Channel	Channel referenced for ambient noise. Typically, an ambient microphone in the space
Meter Point	Point in the Ambient Channel’s signal chain to meter from
Gain Differential	Difference the Controlled Gain will ride above/below the Ambient Level
Gap Metering	Trigger settings
Threshold	Level at which the program material must fall beneath for the ANC ambient sampling and Controlled Gain to begin
Time	Length of time the program material must fall beneath the threshold for the ANC ambient sampling and Controlled Gain to begin
Controlled Gain	How much the Zone Level will change
Min Gain	Minimum level the Zone will reach
Max Gain	Maximum level the Zone will reach
Rate	How quickly (in dB/second) the Zone Level will change

Level

The Level block acts as the primary level control of the Zone.

Additionally, right click on the fader to set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

The Mute button stops the signal from continuing down the chain.

Speaker Processing

Often, in cases of sound reinforcement, we want to apply some form of speaker processing, crossovers, or control. In AHM, we can use the Speaker Processing block to achieve this. By default, all Zones have Speaker Processing turned off.

A Zone is a processing output Channel. We can use some of these processing outputs towards Speaker Processing. Learn more about this configuration in the Zones Configuration part of this guide.

If there are processing outputs available, when opening the Speaker Processing block, a simple dropdown menu labelled Number of Ways is displayed. Click on None to choose 1,2,3 or 4 Ways (bands). If there are less than 4 processable outputs available, the list will be truncated to show the number of Ways that are assignable. The Full Range output of a Zone remains available and is the default patch.

ⓘ Ways must be patched to their respective sockets and are not automatically patched to any particular location

To add or remove Ways, simply click on the Number of Ways and choose the new amount. Clicking In at the top of this block will toggle the bypass/engagement of all Ways.

Each Way of Speaker Processing includes a high-pass and low-pass adjustable slope filter, an all-pass filter, polarity control, EQ, delay, and a limiter.

A graph displaying the Ways with dB (y-axis, -30dB to 0dB) over frequency (x-axis, 20Hz-20kHz) is shown. A handle is available on each corner frequency for quick grabbing and adjustment of frequency. By default, Ways are linked at their crossover point and will move together. These can be separated and made independent by clicking the Linked button between two Ways.

Frequencies can be changed by clicking and dragging on either the handles of the corner frequencies or on the Freq fields in each Way’s processing section. Double-click on the number to type in a value.

The following slopes are available for each Way’s high-pass and low-pass filter:

Butt 12	Butterworth filter with 12dB/oct slope
Butt 18	Butterworth filter with 18dB/oct slope
Butt 24	Butterworth filter with 24dB/oct slope
Butt 48	Butterworth filter with 48dB/oct slope
L-R 12	2^nd order Linkwitz-Riley filter with 12dB/oct slope
L-R 24	4^th order Linkwitz-Riley filter with 24dB/oct slope
1^st Order	First Order filter with a 6dB/oct slope

Click the Slope dropdown in each Way’s processing section to choose the kind of filter and slope to apply.

An All-Pass filter is also available for each Way. Click In to engage or bypass it. Click on All Pass to open the All-Pass filter edit window. A graph displaying the filter is shown. The Type dropdown allows the choice between a 2^nd Order or 1^st Order filter. Click and drag (or double click to type) Freq to set the frequency value. If using a 2^nd Order filter, Q is adjustable between 0.5 and 12.00. Click Invert to flip the polarity of the filter.

Much like the Channel Strips themselves, a horizontal grey line is shown to indicate processing order and display which blocks are engaged or bypassed at a glance. A switchable GEQ/PEQ is available on each Way. For more information on GEQ/PEQ settings and its Ganging function, please see a GEQ/PEQ section of this guide.

Click Delay to engage a per-Way delay. Change the unit of measurement by clicking on the relevant radio button. The delay can range from 0ms to 683ms. For more information on Delay settings and its Ganging function, please see a Delay section of this guide.

Level gives an individual control of a Way, and an additional Polarity button for convenience. As with all faders, click and drag the fader to set a level, double-click the value field and type in a value, hold shift while clicking and dragging to move the fader in 5dB increments, or hold Cmd or Ctrl + Click to jump the fader to the position of the computer’s pointer. The meter to the right of this window displays the Way’s signal level. For more information on Level’s Ganging function, see a Level section of this guide.

Click Limiter to access a Way’s limiter settings (this is also available in the Outputs/Limiters block). More information on Limiters and their Ganging feature can be found in the Outputs/Limiters section of this guide.

Outputs/Limiters

There are several ways to patch outputs from a Zone to a socket. The Outputs/Limiters block is one of those ways, found in the Channels > Zones > Outputs/Limiters block. Another way is to navigate to Assign > I/O Patchbay.

A Zone can be patched to any number of sockets. An AHM-16 can have up to 136 output sockets, an AHM-32 can have up to 140 output sockets, and the AHM-64 has access to up to 268 output sockets – these are not including the digital loopbacks available as Input sources. Click the Output Socket block in the middle of the tab to choose any number of sockets. Click OK when done. If more than two sockets are chosen, the total number of sockets is displayed.

If Speaker Processing is used, an Output Socket block is shown for each Way. Stereo Zones will show an Output Socket block for the Left and Right channels along with a Polarity button for each side.

Limiters on the final outputs of a system are good practice. AHM provides dynamic processing along the entire signal chain, but output Limiters are frequently used as protection for the loudspeakers in a system. If Speaker Processing is used, a Limiter is made available for each Way in addition to the Full Range output.

The following parameters are available:

Main Level	On the Full Range output Limiter. A duplication of the Zone’s primary Fader
Level	On a Way’s output Limiter. A duplication of the Way’s individual Fader
Threshold	The level at which the Limiter begins attenuating
Attack	How quickly the attenuation increases once the keyed source rises above the threshold
Release	How long for the signal to recover after the keyed source drops below the threshold

The meter to the left of the Limiter graph displays the key source. The Gain Reduction meter to the right of the Limiter graph displays how much attenuation is actively being applied.

Below the graph is a histogram displaying the gain reduction over the last 10 seconds.

Control Groups

Each AHM has access to 32 Control Groups, and they are a used to control the level of multiple Channels or XPoints with one Fader or Mute. There is no processing available for Control Groups.

See the Faders and Mutes for each Control Group in the Channels > Control Groups tab. Each Control Group can have a name with a length up to 16 characters long alongside one of eight colours. Edit which Inputs and Zones are in a Control Group by clicking Edit Assigned Inputs and Edit Assigned Zones respectively.

For XPoint assignment, because there are so many possible choices, navigate to Assign > Control Groups and select the XPoints radio button. Combined Mode allows a selection of a XPoint and then the choice of which Control Group(s) it should be assigned to. Alternatively, Single Mode allows the selection of the Control Group to edit and then choose any XPoints to be assigned into it.

Additionally, right click on the fader to set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

ⓘ 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

Input (I/P) Direct Outs

Direct Outs are useful when to send or otherwise patch an Input directly to another location such as a camera or recording device.

Patching the I/P Direct Outs can be done via the Assign > I/O Patchbay but the settings for these live in the Channels > I/P Direct Outs tab.

Faders for all Input Channels are available. And as with all Faders in System Manager, click and drag the fader to set a level, double-click the value field and type in a value, hold shift while clicking and dragging to move the fader in 5dB increments, or hold Cmd or Ctrl + Click to jump the fader to the position of the computer’s pointer. Additionally, right click on the fader and set the level to 0dB or -Inf easily.

The Global Pick Point for I/P Direct Outs is chosen under the Global I/O Direct Output Source dropdown. The choices are post Preamp, post Gate, post Insert A’s return, post PEQ, post Comp, post Insert B’s return, or post Delay.

By default, Direct Out levels are not affected by Fader levels or Mutes on the Input Channels or Control Groups that include the Input. However, Direct Out levels can be globally configured to:

Follow All	Follows/is affected by Control Group Faders/Mutes and Input Faders/Mutes
Follow Channel Fader	Follows/is affected by Input Channel Fader
Follow Channel Mute	Follows/is affected by Input Channel Mute

ⓘ Follow Channel Fader and Follow Channel Mute can be chosen together or as a single option

ⓘ When Follow All is turn On, other options are no longer available

ⓘ 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

HELP CENTRE

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HELP CENTRE

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Workflow & Shortcuts

Ganging

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Zones

Control Groups

Input (I/P) Direct Outs

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