Axia Studios

To send audio from any of the Axia consoles [Main Studio, Production Studio, or News Booth] it is necessary to arm the tracks you wish to record. This is done by sending each source you wish to record to Program 4 or the record bus. This will need to be done for all board channels which you wish to record with the default record channel on the host computer.

• If you do not have any faders with "Program 4" selected, you will NOT get audio in Audition's default channel.
• The FM and webstream broadcast is ALWAYS "Program 1."

If you wish to send particular audio to WSUM broadcast and stream, but not record it in your own recording, do not arm that channel! It is always easy to remove silence from your recording later in Audition, or as the addage goes, "Fix it in Post!"

Update:  There are now multiple channels of audio coming from the console into the host computers.  In the audio control panel in Windows, one will see as many as 8 stereo channels of audio arriving at the host computer labeled as "Axia Wave 01, Axia Wave 02, etc..."   The default channels as they arrive at the computer from the console are as follows:

• Axia Wave 01 = Program 1 (ALWAYS THE FM BROADCAST AND WEBSTREAM IN THE MAIN STUDIO!!!!)
• Axia Wave 02 = Program 2
• Axia Wave 03 = Program 3
• Axia Wave 04 = Program 4 (Default Record Channel)
  
• Axia Wave 05 = Aux A
• Axia Wave 06 = Aux B
• Axia Wave 07 = Aux C
• Axia Wave 08 = Aux D

In order to assign audio to the aux channels on the Axia consoles, select the OPTIONS button on the channel you want to send, then on the right hand side of the mixer, press the AUX SENDS button.  The control knobs for each option are at on the back riser of the console.  Note that the knobs can also be pressed as a button to select the channel feed as PRE (fader position does not affect the level of the channel to the feed) or  POST (fader position on the console is used in the feed to AUX.) Pre is useful for re-editing levels and fades on sources after the show in order to tweak the final show or for feeding into effects units.

Listen Rooms

Recording from the Internet

If content from the Internet is to be used in your production, it is a good habit to capture the audio to file in advance of your show. The Internet and campus networks are great, but not infallible. Thus, having the audio on hand locally can be an advantage.

In WSUM's studios, the easiest way to record incoming computer audio is to assign the computer fader to the record bus (program 4 or just program in the listening rooms). This obviously will not work on all of the other computers since they do not have mixers.  Outside the studios, the computers do not normally include outbound audio with the inbound audio. It is possible, however, on most computers to do exactly this.

To assign the computer's outbound audio to the incoming audio, do the following:

• Under the Control Panel, select "Sounds and Audio Devices"
• Select the "Audio" tab.  Press the "Volume" button under Sound Recording
• Before anything is changed here, please check to see what is currently selected.  This is so you can set this back when you are done which is super important.
• Select the checkbox under "Stereo Mix" (or it may say "Playback") and make sure the volume fader is maxed up.
• Leave the volume window open so that you can set this back when you are done.

Now open Adobe Audition or your record app.  Press record and you should be getting audio from all applications running on the computer, including the Internet.   Note that when using Edit Mode in Adobe Audition, pressing F10 will turn on Audition's audio meters without having to record a file.  This is a great way to see if you are getting good audio.  Also, pressing Alt-X and Alt-Z (or using the Options -> Metering Menu) will respectivly turn on phase and frequency (EQ) analyzers.  I find both of these tools to be very handy.

When you are done recording, please set the Sound Recording input back to where it was.  In the WSUM news-room, this must be set back to Rear Input to enable the phone recorders.

End Show button

Each of the Axia consoles has a red "End Show" button on the control panel.  This button will reset the console to it's default settings.  Note that using this button will never interrupt a source in use.  If the default assignment for a channel in use is different that what it is currently doing, the channel will wait until it is turned of to make it's change back to a default state.

It is also a good habit to reset the board back to it's default settings before your show as well in the event the knucklehead before you did not do so.  Also, whenever the board is exhibiting odd behavior, it is a good idea to try this reset first.

You are encouraged to play with and adjust the broadcast console as you see fit.  It is very difficult to do somehting that cannot be fixed with the "End Show" button.  There are many features that can be adjusted like inputs, EQ's, compression and such, so if there is somehting that you think will make your show sound better, try it in the Production Studio and if it works use it in the Main Studio.  Just don't forget to reset the board when you are done!

Guest Metering

Sometimes when there is a studio full of people talking on all of the mics at once, it can be difficult to follow who is talking on what mic and when.  The Axia element mixer consoles have an additional metering page that can be used to monitor each of the microphones individually. 

To activate the extra meters;

1. Press the Meter Options button
2. Press the F6 knob.  It is on the riser at the back of the console, or the control that is all the way on the left and towards the back of the mixer.  Note that this is a knob that also works as a button.

To exit out of the meter page and back to the clock display, press the Meter Options button twice.

Host Computer paths

Every studio at WSUM has a computer dedicated to that particular studio.  These computers are connected to their particular studios not with audio cables but instead over the computer network.  This allows for some really cool functionality with the host computer that one cannot get by plugging in a laptop.

Each host computer has a muti-channel software driver that connects to the WSUM broadcast plant multiple times.  The result is that when one looks at the "Sound and Audio Devices" control panel in Windows, multiple audio devices appear.  Since these drivers are ASIO capable, they can be used with many different applications, including the default Adobe Audition that is installed on each of these computers.

These audio devices, or "channels" have different names and default settings which will allow for everything from recording one's broadcast session to using software to manipulate audio real-time for effects.  The channels can also be used for both recording and playback all at the same time. 

In the big studios at WSUM, the default settings are eight stereo channels in and out of the the host computer.  The outputs from the computer to the mixer each show up as seperate channels which can be used on seperate faders.  The first two of these faders show up on the default profile, but anything above that needs to be manually assigned to a fader.  To do that, select options on a fader that has a source that you will not be using, then select the source button on the top right section of the audio console. The inputs to the host computer from the consoles default to the standard outputs from the console.  Here is a chart of the host computer outputs:

Each of the three studios that has these outputs set up already has desktop links to open up VLC media player to use their respective channel output.

The default settings for console audio outputs coming back to the host computer are preset to allow recording from any of the output busses on the Axia consoles.  This makes it possible to record your session in any way that you see fit.  Specific recording instuctions can be found in the Recording Your Session section of this documentation.  Remember that the default record bus on the host computer is Program 4 which specifically needs to be armed to record.  Here is the chart of console outputs back to the host computer:

Note that when using Adobe Audition, there are some specific things to remember:

• Sessions should always be opened with a samplerate of 48000 as this is the native samplerate of the WSUM broadcast plant
• An input or output with an "M" instead of a "S" [IE, Livewire 01M] is a mono source and defaults to the left channel.  If just a vocal is to be recorded to a particular track, use the "M" source instead as it will save space and make smaller files.
• It is indeed possible to use the effects in Adobe Audition "real-time" to modify a particular sound coming throgh the mixer for a live show.  It takes some special settings to do so, so please contact MattRock for info on doing this.

PLEASE NOTE: Please feel free to modify the console settings to your own needs, but have the respect to reset the board when you are done with the "End Show" button after you are done.

Telephone Calls and the broadcast

WSUM uses a device known as a hybrid codec in order to be able to connect telephone calls to the program. This hybrid, or NX12 does a great job of both making telephone connections sound good and easy to do. With the NX12 hybrid, there is no need to use a handset at all for setting up a caller or making a call. Everything needed to work with the telephone system can be done with the Element Console.

Here is a sample of what the screen will look like when a call is being received by the Element console.

Note that the scribble icon (the graphic above the scribble strip on the fader channel that normally shows the channel number) shows a ring graphic to help you find the fader that is ringing.

Receiving Calls

When a studio line rings, the Element console will automatically see that inbound call and try to get your attention. The first thing the console will do is flash a red box on the status monitor with the phone number of the line ringing as well as the caller ID of the caller coming in. The console will also show a ring icon on the scribble strip at the top of the fader which is connected to the inbound call.

Answer call with console, but NO BROADCAST

On the fader that is ringing, press and hold the TALKBACK button, and then press the PREVIEW button, both on the fader which is ringing. This will answer the call and AUTOMATICALLY turn on the host microphone so that you can speak to the caller. You do not have to turn on the host mic fader to speak to the caller. In fact, you will notice the graphic above the host mic scribble strip change to show that the mic is in talkback mode. Optionally you can just press the PREVIEW button to answer the call, but then you will need to press and hold the TALKBACK button to speak to the caller. Note that if the preview speakers are turned up, you may get a bit of an echo. Put headphones on and turn the speakers down to get around this. When you are done setting the caller up, you can either release them (hang up) by pressing PREVIEW, or you can put the caller on hold by pressing the HOLD button (it is then safe to turn off the preview by pressing the PREVIEW button again). Note the icon box above the scribble strip when the caller is on hold.

Answer call ON THE AIR

When you are ready to put a preview, hold, or ringing caller On The Air, just turn the channel ON like normal and the call will behave as a normal source. Note that there is no automatic talkback at this time. If the caller is on the air, you need your mic on to speak to them. Pressing the OFF button will then hang up the line.

Placing Calls

All functions for placing calls are the same as receiving calls. If the scribble icon shows one dot, the line is ready to make a call. To do this, press and hold TALKBACK, press PREVIEW and release, or turn the channel on and you should get a dial tone. Once you can hear the dial tone, use the keypad on the right hand side of the element console to dial the phone number as if you were using a normal telephone.

Rane TTM57SL Mixer

• A1-Left Turntable
• A2-Left CD player
• A3-Right Turntable
• A4-Right CD player
• D1-Left computer deck
• D2-Right computer deck

Serato Scratch Live

• Two playback decks for each side of the mixer crossfader
• Digital "crates" for preparation of music on external hard and thumb drives
• Visual representation of the audio to help find downbeats
• Vinyl or CD control via Control Vinyl or control CD's
• More features listed on http://scratchlive.net/

Sports Stream Remote

1. Open the IP remote panel with PathfinderMini
2. Set the Sports OFF button to Sports ON
3. On the IP Mixer, check all of the following settings:
   • Audio: 48V Phantom Power OFF Output Level PRO Lock Channel Assignments NO Microphone 1 Settings: Input Gain Level: Line Pro Microphone 1 Settings: Audio Processing: None Microphone 1 Settings: A+B Channel Panning: Mid Microphone 1 Settings: Low Cut Filter: Off Microphone 2-4 Settings: Input Gain Level: Mic +40dB Microphone 2-4 Settings: Audio Processing: Voice Medium Microphone 2-4 Settings: A+B Channel Panning: Mid Microphone 2-4 Settings: Low Cut Filter: On Monitor 1-2 Settings: SND+RCV Monitor Pan: Mix Monitor 1-2 Settings: RCV Signal Mix: Mono L+R Monitor 1-2 Settings: RCV Mono Pan: Mix Monitor 1-2 Settings: SND Signal Mix: Mono L+R Monitor 1-2 Settings: SND Mono Pan: Mix
   • Codec: Encoding Mode: 16bit-PCM (can be changed if necessary, or will auto set) Minimum Bitrate: 1536 kbps Maximum Bitrate: 1536 kbps Send Mix: Discrete Stereo Minimum MPEG Buffer: 0 ms Maximum MPEG Buffer: Unlimited
   • Network: Streaming Interface: Ethernet Port Ethernet Config: DHCP: Enabled
4. Plug from "Main Out L" on the sidecar mixer into INPUT 1 on the IP Mixer. Make sure it is set to +4!
5. Producer uses IP mixer front panel headphone connector
6. Plug headsets and mics into 2-4 for talent

Cartridge/Headshell Assembly

	Mount your cartridge with the screws supplied. Make sure it is parallel to the sides of the headshell.
	An auxiliary weight may be necessary between the cartridge and headshell, mostly in a DJ application. Many new cartridges and new turntables come with these weights. If you cannot achieve the recommended tracking force, then this weight is what will be needed.

Installing the Cartridge Assembly

Install the headshell/cartridge into the front of the tonearm, as shown. Turning the locking collar will hold the shell in place.

Tonearm Balancing

	With the tonearm locked in place, put the anti-skate dial on "0" and push the counterweight onto the rear of the tonearm. Make sure that the numbers face to the front of the turntable. Turn the weight until you feel it "click" into place.
	Unlock the tonearm from the rest, and move it toward the middle, about one inch from the edge of the platter. Hold the arm off the surface with your right hand on the fingerlift. Begin turning the counterweight one way or the other, until the arm seems to just float.
	As seen in the picture, the arm, when properly floating, will not face up nor down, it will stay parallel with the platter. It may take a few tries to get this correct. Lock the tonearm back on it's rest.

Counterweight Adjustment

	Holding the rear, silver, section of the counterweight with one hand, use your other hand to turn just the number ring. It doesn't matter which direction you turn it, but you will want "0" to face up when you are done.
	Using just one hand, turn the entire counterweight (the silver part) COUNTERCLOCKWISE until the recommended tracking force is achieved. New cartridges will tell what the ideal number is. As a rule of thumb, however, most "hifi" cartridges track between 1 and 2 grams, while most DJ cartridges track between 3 and 5 grams.

WSUM Cartridges

WSUM currently supplies Shure SC35C cartridges for general use. If you are looking for a different sound or are not willing to be subject to the habits of others who use the turntables, hosts are always welcome to install their own head shells and cartridges for their own use. Here are the general statistics and information on the SC35C cartridge and the SS35C stylus from Shure's website:

SC35C DJ Phono Needle, Standard - Scratch/Mix/Spin

This highly acclaimed favorite is an ideal choice for all-purpose DJ use. The SC35C is our standard DJ needle for all applications.

• With a tracking force range of 4to 5 grams, the SC35C provides for significant skip resistance.
• Sharing Shure's versatile Type I cantilever design with the M35S and M35X, the SC35C offers high-definition sound reproduction at all audible frequencies.

DJ Phono Needle, Standard - Scratch/Mix/Spin

Anti-skate adjustment

Set the anti-skate dial to coincide with the tracking force. In other words, if the tracking force is 2 grams, set the anti-skate dial to "2". The exception is for DJ's who scratch and back-cue. Your anti-skate must be left on "0"

That's the whole procedure! This should be done every time the turntable is moved, transported or shipped. It is also a good habit to do this at the beginning of every shift for which you will be playing vinyl as the last time the turntables were used, they may have been adjusted to different taste. After a few tries, it will become a 10 second job, and will save your vinyl, your ears, and your sanity!

Ripping CD's

There are many programs which can be used to rip CD's. This guide will focus on using the free Exact Audio Copy program. This guide is based upon recommendations put forth by the community at Hydrogen Audio Forums. Specifically, this guide follows the EAC Lossless Backup page.

If EAC is already installed and ready to go, you are ready to get music from the CD into files on your computer. Insert a CD and the tracks should show up in the window as unknown.

Press the CD icon, and EAC should look up the CD @ CDDB. If not, this is the point where you will need to manually enter all of the track information.

Make sure CD title, artist, and tracks are all filled in before the rip begins. Once the info is set, press the "MP3" button to rip the CD to files. You will need to choose a folder to save the files. Use your P: drive to put the music in your own network folder.
Make sure you either have no or all tracks selected, or the rip will only rip the selected tracks.

If all has gone as it should, at this point, you should have a new folder labeled with artist-album in the location you selected. In this folder should be the .FLAC audio files for each track you selected or the whole CD. If you are not adding this music to the music library, you can stop here.

Tagging ripped music files

Before any media is added to the music folder, the files need to be properly tagged. This is incredibly important due to the fact that there are many automated steps down the line which could be accessing the ID3 tags in the files. Most important is the radio automation systems. If a mistake is made here, the information will likely be wrong for a long time to come. If the time is taken right now to get this information correct, the likelyhood of problems down the line is diminished exponentially. ALL media which has been added to the digital music library by the WSUM techs has undergone the following process.

If Picard Tagger is installed, you are now ready to index and save your ripped music into the music library. Launch the application, select the "Add Folder" button and find the ripped music you wish to add to the digital music library. This will load the files into MusicBrainz.

If the files are already tagged by CDDB or manual entry, pressing the "Cluster" button will organize all files by album.

The next step is to see if the music is represented on the MusicBrainz website. Click on the Album and press the Scan button.

At this point Picard is scanning the music files for a fingerprint to see if the files are in MusicBrainz. If the files are not found, a manual search can still be done by pressing the "Lookup" button. This will open the MusicBrainz website which will also have a green "tagger" button.

Pressing this tagger button will load the metadata for the selected album into Picard. Files can be dragged from the left side of Picard onto the correct song title on the right side. If this is all correct, you are ready to rewrite the tags and save the file to the music folder. Highlight the album title and press "Save." If your files turn green and get a checkmark, your done!

At this point, the files should have all of the ID3 tags corrected, album art should be added if it was in MusicBrainz, and the files should be moved out of your save location and now are in the M:\music folder. Take a look!

$if2(%albumartist%,%artist%)-%album%/$num(%tracknumber%,2)%title%

$if2(%albumartist%,%artist%)-%album%/$num(%tracknumber%,2)%artist%-%title%

M:\music

*.jpg *.png *.tif *.tiff

configuring audio hardware

If you do not get audio into Adobe Audition, you will need to check the Audio Hardware Configuration.

Audition Hardware Configuration

Under the EDIT menu, select Audio Hardware Setup...
Open the Control Panel sub menu and make sure Axia Wave01 is checked for both DirectSound Input and DirectSound Output.Select OK to exit the menu.
Make Sure [01S], not [01M] is selected for both Default Input and Default Output. Set this under both the EDIT VIEW tab and MULTITRACK VIEW tab.

Recording with Audition

Recording Audio

EDIT MODE, If for some reason your window does not look like the picture, use the Workspace: button on the top right of the screen to Reset Current Workspace.
It is necessary to open a file before a recording can be made. Either selecting FILE->New or Ctrl+N will open a new file. Sample Rate = 48000 (note: 48000 is the samplerate of all audio in the WSUM plant) Channels= mono for voice records and stereo for music records Resolution = 16-bit [for compatability with WSUM systems]
Press the RED CIRCLE record button on the bottom left to start recording.
When you are done recording, please be sure to save the file in your network [P:] drive and not on the local machine. Local machines purge information saved to them, and your network folder is accessable from anywhere in the station.
MULTITRACK MODE, Multitrack is used to combine multiple audio files into a single file. Multiple files or songs can be opened under the FILE tab and then dragged into the various tracks in order to combine the files into a single file. Multitrack also requires that a Session be created in order to contain all of the pieces used for the session.
To record straight to a track, arm the track by pressing the red R button and then proceed the same as the EDIT instructions above.
After your multitrack session is complete, save the session to your own folder on the P: drive. Then to get a usable audio file, select FILE->EXPORT->Audio Mixdown. This will render your session to a single file.

Installing EAC

If you are installing EAC for the first time, the Wizard will ask some questions and configure the drive for you. Please be sure to select "I prefer to have accurate results" for the drives configured.

Continuing the install, you will be asked for "Encoder Selection." Choose FLAC.

Go ahead and enter an e-mail address to access CDDB. This will help in the final tagging of audio files.

Finally, select the Filename Configuration. This isn't super important other than to help keep files organized. Our process will rename the files again later.

Any configuration for AccurateRip can be set to your choice. It is a nice but unnecessary feature for what we will be doing. Once you are past this point, EAC should be installed.

EAC Settings

Here are all preferred settings for EAC.









Additional command-line options:

-8 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "COMMENT=%e" %s -o %d

Construction of filenames from ID3 tags:

%N-%T

Installing MusicBrainz Picard

Skype in the big studios

One feature of using Skype in the Main, Production, or News studio is the ability to send the ring audio to an alternative board fader other than the Skype fader.

In order to be able to hear a Skype ring without the audio going out over broadcast, follow these steps:

1. Select PROGRAM 2 in your monitor path.  This will switch your headphones and booth speakers to the Program 2 channel.
2. In Skype settings, set Speakers to "Axia Wave01" and then set Ringing to "Axia Wave02."
3. Turn on both the "COMPUTER" and "COMP 02" faders on the board.  Un-set the "COMP 02" fader from "Program 1."

Now you can hear Skype ring, but it will not get broadcast.