How To | Configure Simple Multi-zone/Multi-room Control with Axon C1
Learn how to use Axon C1 to control multiple zones/rooms easily and efficiently.
Procedure
Simple multi-room or multi-zone control can be used when all that is required is for a single C1 to control volume, mute and metering either across multiple zones or across multiple rooms in a room combiner application and no other actions are required. If other actions are also needed such as source select, then see the "how to" on complete multi-zone/multi-room control.
As simple mode requires no menus, the menu button can instead utilized to trigger switching to the next zone or room. It does this by loading a saved snapshot which configures the C1 plug-in fields to point to the next zones settings for the C1. Setup is as follows…
“Normal” Mode
The C1 first needs to be configured using Attero Tech unIFY.
- Find the C1 on the control Tab and double click to open its configuration.
- Configure it to be in “Q-SYS” mode
- Under the "Menu Builder tab, enable "Volume/Mute" option, leave the “Menu Screen” option unchecked
- Apply those settings to the C1
Once that is complete, open Designer
- Add a C1 extension and drag the block into the schematic
- Add a gain component, one for each zone that requires volume control
- Enable “Script Access” property on each gain component to ‘Script' or ’All'
- Add a snapshot block with the number of snapshots equal to the number of zones required
- Enable “Script Access” property to ‘Script or ’All'
- Drag the block into the schematic
- Add the "Name" field and "Gain Ctl" from the "Zone" controls as well as the "#" control of the "Menu Button Function" on the C1 extension into the snapshot (see the highlighted fields)
- Optionally, add the "Meter Ctl" and Meter "#" field if metering on the C1 is also required
- Emulate or push the design to the Core
- In the C1 extension, set the "Nic" and “Dev IP” values to connect the extension to the device
- Once it is connected, click the “Sync” button to sync the extensions configuration with the devices
- Select the snapshot in the Menu Button Snapshot ‘Snapshot Ctl’ control
Starting with the first zone, repeat the following steps for each zone...
- Configure the "Name" field for the selected zone
- If metering required, configure the meter component and meter number for the selected zone.
- Select the "Gain Ctl" used for volume and mute of the selected zone
- For the "#" field, select the value of the next snapshot that will be loaded. If first zone is being configured the value should be ‘2’, the second the value should be 3 and so on. For the final zone in the sequence, the value which should be set to “1”
- "Save" the setup to the snapshot (use a different snapshot for each zone)
When the above is complete the snapshots should be configured as follows (where ‘n’ is the number of zones used).
|
Snapshot Number |
Zone / Room |
Zone Name Control |
Gain Ctl control |
Menu button "#" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1 | (Name for Zone 1) | (Gain for Zone 1) | 2 |
2 |
2 |
(Name for Zone 2) |
(Gain for Zone 2) |
3 |
… |
... | ... | ... | ~ |
n-1 |
n-1 | (Name for Zone n-1) | (Gain for Zone n-1) | n |
n |
n | (Name for Zone n) | (Gain for Zone n) | 1 |
To test, click "Load 1" on the snapshot. That should set everything on the C1 to "Zone 1". If you change the volume the gain for Zone 1 should change and if metering is being used, the metering for Zone 1 should be active. Once that's confirmed, press the menu selection button on the C1. That should then change everything so its now configured to zone 2. Repeat the tests for each zone. On the last zone, pressing the menu selection button on the C1 should cycle back to zone 1 again.
As an example, here's what the snapshots should load for a three zone setup
“Room Combiner” Mode
Note
These steps assume a correctly configured room combiner component already exists in the design.
The C1 first needs to be configured using Attero Tech unIFY.
- Find the C1 on the control Tab and double click to open its configuration.
- Configure it to be in “Q-SYS” mode
- Under the "Menu Builder tab, enable "Volume/Mute" option, leave the “Menu Screen” option unchecked
- Apply those settings to the C1
Once that is complete, open Designer
- Add a C1 extension and drag the block into the schematic
- Select Room Combiner mode
- Ensure the Room combiner component to be used with the C1 has “the ”Script Access" property se to “script” or “All”
- Add a snapshot block with the number of snapshots equal to the number of zones required
- Enable “Script Access” property to ‘Script or ’All'
- Drag the block into the schematic
- Add the "Name" field, and "Room Number" fields from the "Zone" section the "#" field designated for the "Menu Button Function" to the snapshot controls.
- Optionally, add the "Meter Ctl" and Meter "#" field if metering on the C1 is also required
- Emulate or push the design to the Core
- In the C1 extension, set the "Nic" and “Dev IP” values to connect the extension to the device
- Once it is connected, click the “Sync” button to sync the extensions configuration with the devices
- Select the room combiner to be used in the “Room Combiner” field
- Select the snapshot in the Menu Button Snapshot ‘Snapshot Ctl’ control
Starting with the first zone, repeat the following steps for each zone...
- Configure the "Name" field for the selected room
- If metering required, configure the meter component and meter number for the selected zone.
- Select the "Room #" used for volume and mute of the selected room
- For the "#" field, select the value of the next snapshot that will be loaded. If first zone is being configured the value should be ‘2’, the second the value should be 3 and so on. For the final zone in the sequence, the value which should be set to “1”
- "Save" the setup to the snapshot (use a different snapshot for each room)
When the above is complete the snapshots should be configured as follows (where ‘n’ is the number of rooms used).
|
Snapshot Number |
Room Number | Room Name | Room # field | Menu button "#" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1 | (Name for Room 1) | 1 | 2 |
2 |
2 |
(Name for Room 2) |
2 |
3 |
… |
... | ... | ... | ~ |
n-1 |
n-1 | (Name for Room n-1) | n-1 | n |
n |
n | (Name for Room n) | n | 1 |
Lastly, save the design.
To test, click "Load 1" on the snapshot. That should set everything on the C1 to room 1. If you change the volume the gain for room 1 should change and if metering is being used, the metering for room 1 should be shown. Once that's confirmed, press the menu selection button on the C1. That should then change everything so its now configured to room 2. Repeat the tests for each room. On the last room, pressing the menu selection button on the C1 should cycle back to room 1 again.
As an example, here's what the snapshots should load for a three room setup
