Installing and using D&R Airlite Configuration Manager to configure Airlite settings
In this series of articles you’ll find step-by-step tutorials to get the most out of your D&R Airlite broadcasting mixer console.
In the previous articles you’ve learned how to connect the Airlite, configure Windows Audio Devices and use Airlite Control to send control commands to and from the Airlite.
In this article you’ll learn about Airlite Configuration Manager (ACM), a software program used to program the Airlite to fit your needs.
Series contents
- Introduction: Getting the most out of your D&R Airlite broadcasting mixer console.
- Connecting the D&R Airlite VoIP USB port to your computer and managing audio devices in Windows.
- Managing & renaming D&R Airlite Playback devices (channel faders) in Windows.
- Managing & renaming D&R Airlite Recording devices (audio busses) in Windows.
- Installing D&R Airlite Control for communication between software and Airlite.
- Installing and using D&R Airlite Configuration Manager to configure Airlite settings (this article).
Introduction to Airlite Configuration Manager (ACM)
Airlite Configuration Manager (ACM) is a free software utility from D&R. It connects to Airlite Control to read and write configuration settings from and to the mixer. Since it operates over IP instead of over USB, you can choose to install ACM on your main playout computer or on another computer in the same network.
Downloading Airlite Configuration Manager
You can download ACM for free from the D&R Broadcast.com website. Use the top menu to go to Support > User Manuals and click on ‘Software’ next to the Airlite. This will open the Airlite Wiki page where you can download all software and manuals for the Airlite.
Click on the Airlite Configuration Manager link in the Windows column to download the installer.
Installing Airlite Configuration Manager
Double-click the downloaded installer to start the installation process. This is a very simple ‘next’, ‘next’, ‘finish’ type of installation, where you can accept all defaul values.
Allowing ACM to communicate over the Local Area Network (LAN)
When you’re using the default Windows Defender Firewall on your computer, it will ask if you want to allow ACM to communicate with other computers over your local network. This is only necessary if you would like to run Airlite Configuration Manager on another computer than Airlite Control.
Connecting ACM to Airlite Control
As you’ve learned in the previous article, Airlite Configuration Manager cannot communicate with the Airlite directly. Instead, it uses Airlite Control to relay messages. Start by connecting ACM to Airlite Control. Open ACM by using the shortcut in the Windows Start Menu. The default interface opens.
Open ‘Options’, ‘Communication’ to enter the IP address of the computer where Airlite Control is running on. If this is the same computer, you can enter the localhost address 127.0.0.1.
Now press ‘Read’ to read the current settings from the Airlite.
If everything went well you’ll see some active settings. Note: default settings will differ from mine, since I’ve already configured some settings.
Using ACM to configure your Airlite mixer
For this baseline installation, I’ve created some recommendations that work nicely when using the Airlite with both ProppFrexx On-Air and mAirlist playout software.
The main ACM interface has a tab for every Module (or ‘Channel’ or ‘Fader’) on the mixer. Each tab contains all configurable settings for that specific module. Settings might differ, based on the type of module. For instance, the 3 microphone modules have some microphone specific settings that you won’t find on the 5 USB modules.
Channel States
Each channel or module can be in 1 of 3 states:
- Off / Inactive
- Armed / On with fader down
- On-air / On and fader active
Those states are primarily related to the ‘On’ button above each channel.
The On-button activates and deactivates a channel and can also be used to start / stop players in your playout software. The led colors can be configured using ACM. I prefer the following colors based on the state of a channel:
- Channel Off / Inactive : On-button led is turned off.
- Channel Armed / On with fader down: On-button color is red, signaling a player will start or a Mic will be on-air once you open a fader.
- Channel On-Air / On and fader active: On-button color is green, signaling a module is currently live and on-air.
Modules 1 through 3: Microphones and line-in devices
Channel 1 is my primary microphone. I’m using the following settings. Should you be needing more microphones, you can use the same settings for modules 2 and 3.
Fader Dynamics
- +10 dB reserve allows for 10dB headroom. When active, you don’t open your fader all the way to the top, but instead to the 10 dB mark. This allows to have some room to play with on your fader.
Auto Channel Off
- Enable ‘Auto Channel Off’ to deactivate the channel when you close the fader. This means the channel state returns to Off / Inactive and is not automatically reactivated upon opening the fader, instead you need to press the On-button again to reactivate the channel.
Switch Colors
Switch colors define the colors for the ‘On’-button and the ‘Cue’ button that you can find above each channel. Choosing the right colors helps board operators to quickly identify which player is currently active. In total, the Airlite has 8 On-buttons, 8 Cue-buttons and 16 programmable control buttons with customizable leds. I like to have the leds turned off by default. This is the least distracting setup and every active light has a dinstinct meaning: A red button is ready to go on air, a green button is currently on air and an unlit button is currently inactive. So, I’ve configured the following:
- On Active (armed): red.
- On and Fader Active (on-air): green.
- On Inactive (off): off.
- Cue Active (pre-fade listening (PFL) / off-air preview is active): red.
- Cue Inactive (pre-fade listening / off-air preview is inactive): off.
CRM Feedback Prevention
CRM means Control Room Monitor. This refers to the speakers in your studio. To prevent feedback (audio from your speakers getting picked up by your mic), it’s best practice to mute your monitor speakers when your mic is active.
- CRM mute automatically mutes the speakers that are connected to the CRM outputs to prevent feedback. I have this enabled.
- CRM Auto Cue (Auto Deactivate) prevents feedback when you use the Cue feature for a microphone channel, by disabling cueing to your CRM. This is useful when you have activated the cue buttons for your microphone and the VoIP channel to talk to a caller off-air. I have this enabled.
Phantom power for condensor microphones
- Phantom (+48V) enables phantom power on the XLR outputs to power you microphone.
Modules 4 through 8: USB players
Modules 4, 5, 6 and 7 have similar settings, but fewer options than the microphone channels.
On
- Active at power activates the channel when the Airlite is powered up. This is useful to continue a non-stop program after a power outage, when no one is in the studio.
Module 8 has an additional setting relating to the audio that callers hear over the VoIP channel:
- PGM off when CUE on deactivates sending the main program signal to the caller, when you activate the Cue button on channel 8. By activating the cue button for your microphone and channel 8 you can talk to the caller off-air. By enabling ‘PGM off when CUE on’ the main program signal the main program output is temporarily muted, allowing the caller to hear you without further distractions and loud music.
Master
Switch Colors
I’m using the same color scheme (red = active, off = off) for the Cue Aux, Cue Air and Cue Nonstop as for the Channel Cue buttons.
In Conclusion
You have downloaded and installed Airlite Configuration Manager and connected it to Airlite Control. Using the recommended settings you’ll have a nice baseline configuration which is optimized for following along with further tutorials.
The final step in the first series of Airlite articles is installing Airlite Meters.
- Installing and using D&R Airlite Meters to monitor output levels and settings.
