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Vorsis VP8 Plus Application Note

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AN2010-01
Introduction to Vorsis VP8 Plus
(Version 3.3.0 and GUI Lite)
AN2010-01 Rev. A
January 2010 - J. Keith
Wheatstone Corporation © 2010 All Rights Reserved
600 Industrial Drive New Bern, NC 28562 USA 252-638-7000
www.vorsis.com
techsupport@wheatstone.com

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  • Page 1 AN2010-01 Introduction to Vorsis VP8 Plus (Version 3.3.0 and GUI Lite) AN2010-01 Rev. A January 2010 - J. Keith Wheatstone Corporation © 2010 All Rights Reserved 600 Industrial Drive New Bern, NC 28562 USA 252-638-7000 www.vorsis.com techsupport@wheatstone.com...
  • Page 2 Table of Contents Page Introducing VP8 Plus Hardware Installation Installation and setup using the front panel Navigating to the “Presets” dialog Navigating to the “Modes” dialog Navigating to the “Input” dialog Navigating to the “Output” dialog The FM Mode Output Menu...
  • Page 3 Introducing VP8 Plus VP8 Plus is a collection of deep enhancements to the Vorsis VP8 product that are included in Version 3.3.0 software. The three essential parts of v3.3.0 software and how it is different from the previous release, v2.4.1 are: - New front panel setup and configuration capability.
  • Page 4 Installation and Setup using the Front Panel VP8 Plus is equipped with new front panel menu navigation functions to permit installation and configuration without needing a computer. The menu is navigated by the rotary encoder knob and illuminated “V” button. The items in the list are arranged in tree form in order to make navigation simple and logical.
  • Page 5 MODE(s) The VP8 is equipped with six completely different operating modes: MODE FM-HD AM-HD AAC/MP3 >48k AAC/MP3 <48k • FM, complete with stereo generator. • AM, complete with asymmetrical limiting and selectable lowpass filters and analog transmitter equalization. • FM-HD, with codec-optimized pre-processing. •...
  • Page 6 Such material can achieve far higher peak levels after the first stage of signal processing (in any modern audio processor, not just Vorsis!) and those signals may not have enough headroom to avoid clipping within the processor if the input level was already too high.
  • Page 7 OUTPUT The output menu tree is tailored to the current VP8 operating mode, with the most complex being the FM and AM modes due to their specialized processing requirements. The output menu trees for each of the six modes follows along with the corresponding GUI Lite output menu below it for comparison FM Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE...
  • Page 8 AM Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE INPUT OUTPUT PRE-EMPH FLAT ANALOG INPUT (AM) B-WIDTH FULL NRSC DIGITAL INPUT 4.5kHz PREDELAY 5.0kHz ANALOG OUT 5.5kHz 6K CCIR 6.5kHz 7.5kHz 10kHz NRSC OUT MODE MONO POSMOD 100-150% STEREO ANALOG 1 LEVEL dB PHASE ANALOG 2 LEVEL dB PHASE DIG OUT...
  • Page 9 FM-HD Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE INPUT OUTPUT ANALOG LEVEL dB ANALOG INPUT (FM-HD) DIGITAL INPUT DIG OUT DIGITAL LEVEL dB PREDELAY PHASE ANALOG OUT L/R Swap FM-HD Mode Output Controls...
  • Page 10 AM-HD Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE INPUT OUTPUT ANALOG LEVEL dB ANALOG INPUT (AM-HD) DIGITAL INPUT DIG OUT DIGITAL LEVEL dB PREDELAY PHASE ANALOG OUT L/R Swap AM Mode Output Controls...
  • Page 11 AAC/MP3 > 48kHz Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE INPUT OUTPUT ANALOG LEVEL dB ANALOG INPUT ( >48K ) DIGITAL INPUT DIG OUT DIGITAL LEVEL dB PREDELAY PHASE ANALOG OUT L/R Swap AAC/MP3 > 48kHz Mode Output Controls...
  • Page 12 AAC/MP3 < 48kHz Mode HEADPHONE SOURCE INPUT OUTPUT ANALOG LEVEL dB ANALOG INPUT ( <48K ) DIGITAL INPUT DIG OUT DIGITAL LEVEL dB PREDELAY PHASE ANALOG OUT L/R Swap AAC/MP3 < 48kHz Mode...
  • Page 13 MAC address. A MAC address is a fixed hardware identification that is intended to be specific to and different for each networked device. As is the case with most network gear, a Vorsis product’s MAC address cannot be changed in the field.
  • Page 14 VERSION SW: x.x.x VERSION HW: x.x.x DSP: x.x.x The version dialog displays the currently loaded versions of operating system, FPGA image, and DSP code, noting that these are displayed values only and cannot be changed without actually changing the version(s) that the VP8 is running, i.e., updating it to a new version. ACCESS LOCK ACCESS...
  • Page 15 Introducing ( ) … Vorsis GUI Lite! Version 3.x for VP8 Plus adds a brand new adjustment tool to the Vorsis arsenal called simply, GUI Lite. GUI Lite is our new simplified user interface whose under-the-hood intelligence distills the VP8’s more than 230 processing adjustments down to just six very easy to use controls.
  • Page 16 - The third and last page of GUI Lite is the “Configuration” page, hosting controls for selecting the processor mode, configuring the GUI communicate with host Vorsis audio processor programming the Scheduler. Note that for user convenience we’ve repeated the appearance of...
  • Page 17 The GUI Lite software is provided to permit access to VP8 sound processing controls not accessible via the front panel. To install the GUI Lite software insert the Vorsis VP-8 software CD into a Windows computer and: - Click Start...
  • Page 18 4. Next, enter a pet name for your VP-8, like “WABC VP8 2”, etc. 5. Then, enter the IP address that you wish this VP-8 to have, noting that its address must be unique if the VP-8 will be communicating over a network with other devices attached to it.
  • Page 19 4. First, enter the same pet name that you used when assigned address to the VP-8. This step absolutely necessary but it makes for easy identification when there are many VP8s in a facility. Edit Device Dialog 5. Next enter the IP address that you configured the VP-8 for in the previous steps.
  • Page 20 Under these circumstances the configuration of the GUI’s networking parameters, those VP-8, sometimes even interconnecting network, should be carefully examined to ensure that the destination TCP/IP address assigned to the VP and GUI Lite conforms to the expected networking parameters for the host network. Unless special routing has been configured by the IT department the controlling PC and the VP-8 must be on the same network subnet.
  • Page 21 Setting the Input Audio Levels - Connect the Analog or Digital audio inputs as appropriate for your installation. - Start up the VP-8 GUI Lite application and configure a device if you haven’t done so already and then connect to the unit. - Click on the Calibrate Input/Output Menu tab at the top of the GUI and select the input source to match the Input type you connected to the rear panel.
  • Page 22 If using the Analog outputs de-emphasized navigate to the Calibrate Input/Output screen and select the checkbox for Analog Out Mode: L/R de-emph (de-emphasized). Then adjust the Analog Output Gain control to set the correct output level. If using the AES Digital Outputs, connect it to the equipment being fed by the VP-8, navigate to the Calibrate Input/Output screen and adjust the Digital Output level as appropriate.
  • Page 23 Please feel free to experiment and try each preset we provide to see how it sounds on your station and in your market! We frequently add new presets to our Vorsis website for customers to download and play with. Presets can easily be installed into our VP-8 using the Preset management features of either GUI Lite or GUI Pro (more about GUI Pro later on…).
  • Page 24 Tuning Audio Processing – an Introduction During the many years we’ve spent designing, building, installing and tuning audio processors in all kinds of broadcast facilities there are a few things that have consistently been proven true. Since this seems like the perfect place to do it we’d like to share some of them with you now: No one at a radio station listens No one in the station's audience...
  • Page 25 GUI Lite’s six ‘Adjust Sound’ Controls GUI Lite’s six tweakers were specifically designed for manipulating Vorsis Factory presets, and each of the six controls has eleven positions. If someone wanted to know how many different sound settings (preset iterations) that makes, it’s easy math. Simply multiply eleven times eleven, and do it six times (once for each control).
  • Page 26 a couple of tweakers (knobs) that could get them the sound they wanted. We took their advice and set about to design a better way... There are only six tweakers associated with adjusting the sound of VP8 Factory presets. Four of them are assigned to tuning the processing “texture”...
  • Page 27 Var 3 Var 7 See the vertical bars representing ‘Var 3’ and ‘Var 7’? Now imagine that a single GUI Lite tweaker is simultaneously adjusting eight of GUI Pro’s controls, ‘Var 1’ through ‘Var 8’. Remember that these controls are not seen by a GUI Lite user but they do exist in GUI Pro. Remember also that each ‘Var’...
  • Page 28 The Six “Tweakers” “AGC Depth” Some users prefer deeper AGC action than our Factory presets provide while others prefer less. The “AGC Depth” tweaker allows this parameter to be adjusted up or down from our Factory settings. Higher settings will tend to hold fading program levels up for longer periods of time.
  • Page 29 “Density” The “Density” tweaker operates like a power control. Higher settings increase short-term density and the average audio level which makes the audio not only louder, but also fuller. Some formats desire a denser sound in order to create a certain emotional feel for their on-air presentation.
  • Page 30 The series of graphics below show the default EQ of a sample preset compared to the resulting EQ at the maximum and minimum settings of the GUI Lite MF/HF (Mid Frequency/High Frequency) EQ knob.
  • Page 31 “LF/Warm EQ” Rather than applying a boost and cut as the MF/HF controls do, we designed this tweaker to behave in a way that would allow users to choose between two different types of bass equalization. In the counterclockwise direction the tweaker provides deep bass with a small reduction of energy near 180-200Hz.
  • Page 32 As before, to reset the custom-generated equalizations back to their starting points simply recall the last preset taken. GUI Lite Caveats While ‘GUI Lite’ can’t compete with ‘GUI Pro’ in terms of the ability to perform deep customization of our Factory presets, it can help customers with limited audio processing experience quickly achieve their desired sound without needing to learn the interactions of literally hundreds of controls.
  • Page 33 5. GUI Lite is not permitted to recall a factory preset, modify it, store it, recall it, and then modify it again. Why. Such an exercise would likely not prove useful. If more control than GUI Lite is required, then GUI Pro is the tool to use. Understanding the differences between Factory, Legacy, and GUI Lite presets.
  • Page 34 The other two pages of GUI Lite… The ability to make simplified adjustments to Factory presets in order to put the VP8 in service is nice, but a way to configure settings such as the Input Source and Output Levels are also needed. That’s where the other two pages of GUI Lite come in.
  • Page 35 In the FM Mode certain there are specialized controls available for setting up the Stereo Generator, SCA (for subcarriers like RDS) and the output configuration required for the particular application. VP8 GUI Lite ‘Calibrate Input/Output’ Page Along with Stereo Generator controls there are others for selecting the Analog or Digital input, adjusting the gains for the Analog and Digital inputs, setting the High Pass Filter cutoff frequency, and selecting the audio source for the headphone output.
  • Page 36 Finally we come to the third and final page of GUI Lite, the Configuration page. This is the one that among other things, allows the VP8 to be switched to one of its six specialized operating modes. This page also hosts the links to the Preset Scheduler and Device configuration dialogs.
  • Page 37 Additional Notes on VP-8 Network to GUI Connectivity The VP-8 uses both TCP port 55890 and the first available UDP port in the range of 60001 to 60010 during normal communications sessions with the remote GUI software. The TCP protocol is used for controlling the VP-8 and reporting its control settings back to the GUI because that protocol works to repair all transmission errors that might occur on the network.
  • Page 38 Unlocking the Front Panel There is no factory default passcode for the VP8 – it leaves our factory in an unlocked condition. To unlock the front panel after you have locked it with a passcode do the following: Press in and hold the front panel knob until the “Pass 0000” prompt appears - the first two digits will be flashing.
  • Page 39 Contacting Vorsis Technical Support Our technical support department is available weekdays during the hours of 8am to 5:30pm, U.S. East coast time. Our telephone number is 1-252-638-7000. Our website can be found at www.vorsis.com and provides a wealth of information about our products. User manuals, specialized presets, the very latest software, and a plethora of application notes in PDF format are available for download.
  • Page 40 NOTES:...
  • Page 41 Visit www.VorsisProGUI.com and sign up to receive GUI Pro at no charge. We’ll provide you with login credentials, tell you how to download it, and turn you loose on the Vorsis processor of your choice.
  • Page 42 Wheatstone Corporation © 2009 All Rights Reserved 600 Industrial Drive New Bern, NC 28562 USA 252-638-7000 www.vorsis.com techsupport@wheatstone.com...