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Summary of Contents for Dspecialists ISOSTEM Expert
- Page 1 ISOSTEM High end multichannel from stereo ISOSTEM Expert ISOSTEM Live User Manual DSPECIALISTS Digitale Audio- und Messsysteme GmbH Helmholtzstr. 2-9 L D-10587 Berlin Manual version: v1.2 www.isostem.de Firmware version: Min. v3.0 www.dspecialists.de GUI software version: Min. v3.0 Content...
- Page 2 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Content...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ONTENT Content ...................... 3 Safety Instructions..................5 Introduction ....................6 Quick Start ....................8 1. Necessary Items ............... 8 2. Software installation ..............8 3. Cabling & Power On ..............9 4. Software Launch & Connection ..........9 5. - Page 4 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Write Protection ................. 26 Factory Reset ..................26 "Expert" Tab (Expert hardware version only) ......27 Panoramic Analyzer (PA) ..............28 Virtual Microphone (VM) ..............31 Multifunctional Area ................33 Monitoring and Bypass functions ............39 Phase, ISO and Master functions ............41 ®...
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Page 5: Safety Instructions
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL AFETY NSTRUCTIONS This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage inside the enclosure – voltage that may be sufficient to constitute a risk of shock. This symbol, wherever it appears, alerts you to im- portant operating and maintenance instructions in the accompanying literature. -
Page 6: Introduction
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL NTRODUCTION For many years now, TV technology has been developing at a rapid pace. Television in HD, 3D and surround is no longer merely a cinema experi- ence, but can also be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. The ex- tremely high picture quality has also led to demands for improved sound, providing the broadcasting corporations with a considerable challenge - either a great deal of the material only exists in stereo and the original re-... - Page 7 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL (This page is intentionally left blank) Introduction...
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Page 8: Quick Start
Start the installation procedure by execution of the file “setup_XXX.exe” After a successful installation you find the two GUI applications “Isostem Expert” and “Isostem Live” in the start menu of Windows. Use the expert version of the executable to connect to the Expert hardware variant and the live version to connect to the Live variant. -
Page 9: Cabling & Power On
& C OFTWARE AUNCH ONNECTION From the Windows start menu execute the GUI program “Isostem Expert” or “Isostem Live” whichever suits your device variant. In the GUI window, the "Hardware" tab should be selected. In the "Com" section (top left), use the "Port Name" option to select the COM port that your USB to RS232 adapter emulates. -
Page 10: Hardware Init & Preset Selection
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL After a successful connection the GUI may detect an older device firmware. In this case following message comes up: It advises to update the firmware. Of course you may reject the update. The update procedure is explained in the Firmware section. -
Page 11: Listening
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL 6. L ISTENING · Start your external signal source to play back some stereo audio. · Switch your surround monitoring system on. Starting with a low vol- ume setting in order to protect your speakers and your ears, set your desired playback level. -
Page 12: System Overview
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL YSTEM VERVIEW DSP T ECHNOLOGY The signal processing is carried out by an energy saving "Sharc" Analog Devices DSP. With just 3W power consumption, no ventilation is needed and the risk of overheating is reduced significantly. The high-performance system handles 32 bit real-time audio processing while the dynamic filtering variables are 64 bit. - Page 13 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL The "ISO" module calculates the difference between an internal stereo downmix of the upmixed 5.1 surround signals and an external stereo refer- ence signal. Controlling the signal in the frequency domain, ISO takes care of the following additional tasks: ·...
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Page 14: Hardware
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ARDWARE ® ISOSTEM is available in two different hardware variants: ® ISOSTEM Expert contains a full range of functions and setting parame- ® ters. Individual setups can be created using the ISOSTEM GUI software and saved as presets. Up to 6 presets can be stored locally in the hard- ware's memory, while the GUI also allows for unlimited preset storage on your computer. -
Page 15: Rear Panel Connectors
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ANEL ONNECTORS IEC: Mains power 90..250 VAC RS232 (D-Sub 9): Serial interface port for communication with ® ISOSTEM GUI software GPI (D-Sub 15): This is a binary control input port used to recall the six internally stored presets. External switch to electrical ground initiates preset recall WC In (BNC): Word clock input... -
Page 16: Synchronization
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL YNCHRONIZATION ® ISOSTEM hardware always uses a sample rate of 48 kHz. All Sync parameters are set in the "Sync" section of the "Hardware" tab in the GUI software (see "Hardware" Tab). In order to suppress any risk of digital clicks, each AES channel has an independent transceiver. -
Page 17: Gui Software Reference
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL GUI S OFTWARE EFERENCE ® Depending on the hardware variant, the ISOSTEM GUI software is organized in two or three main windows accessed by tabs in the top left corner. The "Hardware" tab is used for setting up clock and synchronization parameters, firmware updates and system automation, while the "Admin"... -
Page 18: Sync
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Latency Synchronization The minimum audio processing latency is 40 ms. If working in audio for video environments, it is recommended that you adjust the laten- cy according to the video frame rate used. Device Latency This display shows the current audio processing latency. Synchronize to Frame Rate Check this box to increase latency to a value suitable for the video frame rate set below. -
Page 19: Firmware
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Input Data Stream This display shows any valid audio data streams on the four AES inputs. IRMWARE UPDATE DEVICE Use this option to update the system firmware. Please follow the steps described below. After the installation of the GUI the firmware files are located in the installation folder within the “firmware”... - Page 20 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Step 3 - "Update Boot Memory of the Device”: The boot memory of the device contains the DSP soft- ware. Click the "UPDATE" button that launches the installation of the new internal DSP software. An "Update" dialog box tells you that if you should need to return to the previous version of the inter- nal software, the corresponding “.iup”...
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Page 21: Automation
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL UTOMATION The "Automation" section offers several automated operating modes that are selected with the "Mode", “GPI function” and “Channel Automation” options. Among others, these options allow for locking the audio processing parameters to fixed values, external preset switching and automated preset switching triggered by the recognition of certain audio signal types. - Page 22 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Parallel and Serial Channel Automation These two modes are dedicated to 5.1+2 broadcasting from various audio program tracks. The idea behind it is to setup a system that will automati- cally respond to certain signal input configurations (5.1 or stereo) by select- ing the appropriate presets.
- Page 23 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL The levels of channels specifi- cally allocated to 5.1 are moni- tored by the system. If levels pass a certain threshold value, a new preset will be loaded from the internal memory. The transition between the presets is performed smoothly using crossfades.
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Page 24: Admin" Tab
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL "A " T DMIN The Admin tab is used for administration tasks such as loading and saving presets in the hardware memory or on the computer's hard drive. These tasks are performed in the upper section of the window. The remaining window space is used for a detailed display that shows all parameters of the currently loaded configuration at a glance. - Page 25 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL To write a configuration to a target: · Select a target in the field behind "to" in the second line. The follow- ing options are available: Single Preset File – save the displayed settings in a single preset to a file on your computer All Presets File –...
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Page 26: File Backup
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ACKUP Using the "File" selection to be the target of a write process, presets can easily be transferred to a computer. The files created in this way carry the "*.ips" extension. This is an easy way of archiving presets or transferring them from one unit to the next. -
Page 27: Expert" Tab (Expert Hardware Version Only)
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL "E " T XPERT XPERT HARDWARE VERSION ONLY The Expert tab is used to edit the unit's audio processing parameters in real time. All parameter settings on this page are directly reflected by the audio processing. The Expert tab is divided into five sections: –... -
Page 28: Panoramic Analyzer (Pa)
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL (PA) ANORAMIC NALYZER Functionality The Panoramic Analyzer distinguishes the parts of a signal containing mainly diffuse or direct sound by iden- tifying the spatial energy distribution. These signal elements are isolated by dynamic filtering and can then be dis- tributed to the surround channels fol- lowing aesthetic considerations. - Page 29 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Please note: Both Angle and Depth parameters are the crucial basis for the Panoramic Analyzer's ability to separate direct and diffuse signal com- ponents from each other. They should be set carefully in order to fit the source material and user's individual application in the best possible way.
- Page 30 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Rear Mute/Solo These buttons are used to mute or solo the Rear fader signal. Rear Step Gain This read-only display shows the gain setting for the rear channels selected in the multifunctional area's "Misc" tab (see Multifunctional Area).
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Page 31: Virtual Microphone (Vm)
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL (VM) IRTUAL ICROPHONE Functionality The Virtual Microphone is another tool for surround sound creation that can be used independently or in combination with the Panoram- ic Analyzer. Based on an acoustic model, the stereo source information is translated to a virtual 5.0 microphone array – you may think of it as if a 5.0 microphone setup would be placed in front of a stereo speaker system. - Page 32 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL This parameter defines the center distance of all five virtual microphones. Unit: cm Range: 72 cm – 0 cm GUI Software Reference...
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Page 33: Multifunctional Area
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ULTIFUNCTIONAL The multifunctional area in the top right-hand section of the Expert tab fea- tures nine view modes that are selected using sub-tabs. Among others, they can be used to visualize parameter edits in audio processing modules such as the Panoramic Analyzer or the Virtual Microphone. - Page 34 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL PA Window The PA window features a visualization of the Panoramic Analyzer's dynamic filtering with overlapping filter bands. The angle set in the PA parameter section is represented by two light grey vertical lines. A vertical spectrogram of the incoming stereo source is shown between these lines.
- Page 35 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL VM Window The VM window features a graphic representation of the virtual 5.0 micro- phone setup used by the VM module. The angle set in the VM parameter section is represented by two light grey lines; the form of the virtual mi- crophones show the polar pattern set with the "Lobes"...
- Page 36 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Please note: The 7.1 mode does not correspond to the channel format of the same name, which includes five front channels (L, R, C, CL and CR) with two rear channels. TruePeak Limiter The function „TruePeak Limiter“ activates and configures a limiter at the output of the center channel to avoid a signal overdrive, which may occur on the center channel in extreme situations by the upmix.
- Page 37 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Misc Window The Misc Window features several special signal processing functions such as attenuation settings or signal smoothing options. Downmix Attenuation – C to L-R, LFE to L-R, sL-sR to L-R The "Downmix" parameters for C, LFE and sL-sR determine the coefficients to be applied to the respective chan- nels for the downmix to stereo.
- Page 38 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Delta Frequency Half width of the transition region. Unit: Hz Range: 0 Hz .. 234 Hz in steps of 23 Hz LFE -10dB attenuator (Dolby/DTS) Activates a 10 dB attenuation at the LFE output. Extra Sub to LFE The fader „Extra Sub to LFE“...
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Page 39: Monitoring And Bypass Functions
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ONITORING AND YPASS FUNCTIONS This section features solo and mute buttons for each chan- nel as well as a monitor source selector giving access to various signals. Also, certain processing elements can be bypassed with the "Functions" buttons. Please note that the monitoring applies directly to the L, R, C, Sub, sL and sR channels of the output matrix. - Page 40 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Functions – HCF The HCF button is used to toggle the HCF processing module between active and bypass mode. The HCF function is an attenuation of the high frequencies applied to the rear channels on the internal bus at the output of the PA and VM modules.
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Page 41: Phase, Iso And Master Functions
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL , ISO HASE ASTER FUNCTIONS Phase The "Phase" function shifts the phase of lateral and rear channels (L, R, sL and sR) because up-converting introduces a negative tendency in L-R and SL-sR correlation. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the correlated part of the original stereo signal meets in the C channel. -
Page 42: Isostem ® Live - Integration
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ® ISOSTEM NTEGRATION COPE ® ISOSTEM Live is intended for integration into professional studio and broadcast environments in three different ways: · Single device · Two daisy-chained devices · Two devices in parallel In single device operation, no functional redundancy is given. In case of a ®... -
Page 43: Daisy-Chained Audio Routing And System States
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Single device setup and alarm/processing interaction: ISOSTEM ISOSTEM 6 x GPI- 6 x GPI- Super- Super- PRESET PRESET visor visor FAILURE status – alarm active (contacts open) OK status - no alarm (contacts closed) No Processing = Bypass: AES-In → AES-Out Processing: AES-In →... - Page 44 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Daisy-Chained Setup: ISOSTEM#1 ISOSTEM#2 6 x GPI- Super- Super- PRESET visor visor Example: ISOSTEM #1 processes, ISOSTEM #2 bypasses, no alarm The alarm state overrides this situation: An alarm always forces the bypass state. The block diagram below presents an example of an alarm situation ®...
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Page 45: Parallel Setup For 24/7-Operation
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL 24/7-O ARALLEL ETUP FOR PERATION The diagram shown below presents the parallel audio setup of an ISO- ® STEM Live pair. An external audio matrix with following capability is re- quired: - Two quadruple AES-input cross points (CPI-1, CPI-2), - two quadruple AES-output cross points (CPO-1, CPO-2), and ®... -
Page 46: Preset Recall Synchronization
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL The schematic diagram shown below presents an example of the matrix´s conditional processing by merely handling the alarm relay output of ISO- ® STEM ® If ALARM#1 (independently of the alarm state of ISOSTEM #2) repre- sents a fully functional state, the audio matrix routes the AES data only to ®... -
Page 47: Appendix
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL PPENDIX A: I PPENDIX NTERFACE PECIFICATION GPI P ® The GPI port of ISOSTEM features an easy way to recall six parameter presets remotely. A preset is triggered by pulling the dedicated preset pin to the device´s electrical ground (GND). The GPI inputs are level-sensed. Thus, a momentary push-button has to be pressed (to close its contacts) for a very brief period of time (<1sec.). -
Page 48: Link Port
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL ® The link port is used to connect two ISOSTEM Live units in redundant mode. In a daisy-chained setup, a standard CAT5 cross-link cable interconnection is mandatory for automatic processing/bypass-handshake and backup- switchover. In a redundant parallel setup, a device interconnection is not mandatory. Future software extensions will enable the link port´s integrated data inter- face for automatic parameter/preset synchronization. -
Page 49: Alarm Port
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL LARM The alarm port indicates the device status electrically. It is a 2-pin 2.5 mm PHOENIX-male connector. Internally, the two pins are connected to relay contacts – thus it is a fully passive interface with two states: Contacts closed: No alarm, device fully functional. -
Page 50: Appendix B: Schematic Block Diagram
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL B: S PPENDIX CHEMATIC LOCK IAGRAM Appendix... - Page 51 ISOSTEM USER MANUAL Appendix...
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Page 52: Appendix C: Factory Presets
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL C: F PPENDIX ACTORY RESETS Preset Type Diversity Rear Level Input / Ouput Stereo In: AES 4 In Upmix L/R: AES 1 Out Upmix Upmix C/LFE: AES 2 Out Upmix sL/sR: AES 3 Out Stereo out: AES 4 Out narrow discreet Stereo In:... -
Page 53: Appendix D: Panoramic Analyzer Physics
ISOSTEM USER MANUAL D: P PPENDIX ANORAMIC NALYZER HYSICS Acoustic modeling has the goal of extracting the ghost sources of the ste- reo signal by their positioning in the stereo mix. The signal is treated by acoustic simulation and the pressure and pressure gradient data establish the distribution of the energy fluxes in the frequency domain at the listening point.
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