New Convenience Features for STAGETEC AURUS
Software release 2.65 presented / Handier and faster configuration / OLED displays on channel strips
Berlin, Germany, May 2007: At the 122nd AES Convention in Vienna, STAGETEC presented their successful AURUS mixing console with the new 2.65 software release and a revised control surface. This software release includes three useful new functions that enable the AURUS to be operated even more conveniently and efficiently. An offline editor enables the console to be set up with a conventional Windows-based PC without physical access to the console. An offline mode allows configuration of NEXUS components that are not (yet) physically present on site and an extension to the user-interface (»virtual UI«) that allows the AURUS to be controlled from remote PCs via a cable network or a wireless LAN. There is also news of a significant hardware improvement: Graphics-enabled OLED displays showing channel and layer configurations on the channel strip will soon replace the matrix displays used formerly. The new software is now shipped with every AURUS console. A free update is available for existing customers. The new OLED displays are scheduled for delivery in summer 2007.
Offline Editor: Configuring an AURUS in its absence
Many users — in particular those frequently roaming about various production environments — will welcome the new AURUS offline-configuration options since these offer serious time and cost savings on tight production schedules, for example, on OB trucks or at live events. The offline editor allows an AURUS to be set-up even before it is physically present on site, or while it is still in use on another production. All set-up tasks including channel assignments, sum and group bus configuration, etc. are undertaken in this easy-to-use standalone editor software running on a Windows PC. The results can be stored as a project to a memory stick. This project can later be uploaded to the console just like any other project file. Similarly, projects can be exported from the console on a memory stick for tweaking on a computer using the offline editor software. The current hardware set-up of the specific AURUS is predefined in the editor software. This is updated when configuration changes are made or updates applied.
Offline Mode: Configuring the NEXUS without a pause
Setting up the NEXUS audio network from the AURUS master section also saves a considerable amount of time. Previously, crosspoints, filter settings, and other audio-network parameters could be set only if the NEXUS hardware was physically connected to the console. Especially in outside broadcasting, this led to delays for the OB-van crew — the audio network could be set up only after all the NEXUS stage boxes had been installed. With the new offline mode introduced with version 2.65, set-up can begin right away because in this mode NEXUS Base Devices that are not yet present are simulated. When all the stage boxes have been connected, the previously prepared settings can be loaded without delay.
Virtual User Interface: Mixing with the Computer
The third new convenience function implemented on the AURUS is of interest principally in theatre and sound-reinforcement applications. The console can now be controlled from a virtual control surface running on a remote Windows computer. The virtual UI displays selected console-interface areas on, for example, the screen of a network connected laptop computer. Faders, encoders, and keys can all be operated using the mouse. The channel-strip indications correspond to the physical status of the console. Connectivity to the AURUS is provided via Ethernet or wireless LAN. The latter option, in particular, enables a mix to be run during a theatre or musical rehearsal from the hall in order to check and optimise it.
OLED Displays: The Channel Strip Speaks Clearly
As of summer 2007, innovative organic-LED (OLED) displays will be among the standard components of the AURUS’ channel strips. Unlike matrix displays in current use, OLED displays are capable of displaying Arabian, Chinese, Japanese, or Cyrillic characters. Customers will be offered the option of specifying a second language to be implemented, ex works, in addition to English.