Interfacing VXs with Consoles

Basic Studio Setup with an Axia Console

One of the many advantages of the Telos Alliance Axia line of broadcast mixing consoles is how quickly they integrate with other Livewire+ enabled products. Things like mix-minus feeds are generated automatically.

Configure the Studio in Telos VXs

In this example, we have configured a studio with two selectable channels, and assigned Livewire channel numbers 2000 and 2001 to them. We left the Manual Backfeed / Input setting at their default option, which is “auto.” This generates the automatically configured backfeed for use with Axia consoles.

The program buss of this studio’s console is Livewire channel 2201, so we’ve entered that in the Input Channel field under Program On Hold. (We did not enter / 2,1 afterward. This was generated automatically by VXs after we pushed SAVE to commit these changes.)

Configure the Source in your Axia Console

For this example, we are using an Axia Altus virtual mixing console, but the process is very similar for all Axia consoles.

Inside the Sources section of your Axia console, create a new Phone type source.

Set the source name to whatever you wish.

Leave the source input type set to the default of Livewire.

You can type the Livewire channel into the field manually, or bring up a list of all Livewire sources on the network by clicking the icon just to the right of the source selection field.

All of the other parameters can be left at their default settings, or modified to fit your needs.

Press APPLY and you’re done! You’ve virtually “wired” your phone system to your console, including an automatically generated mix-minus with just a few easy steps.

Here’s a screenshot of the Axia Altus console we’ve just configured with this VXs. As you can see, a 6 line call controller was automatically generated by Altus for perfect integration with VXs.

If you are using an Altus virtual console, make a special note of the last setting on the page - Hybrid for Telos Phone.  Your options here are None, Fixed, and Selectable.

• When set to "None" no call controller is added to the virtual console surface.  This setting is ideal if you are using a standalone call controller such as a Telos VSet.

• When set to "Selectable" a virtual call controller is added adjacent to the corresponding phone channel on the console.

• When set to "Fixed" a RING button appears on that console fader while the fixed line/channel is ringing.  Pressing the RING button answers the call.  The button will then be labeled AIR.  Pressing AIR will terminate the call.

Basic Studio Setup with xNode I/O

You can integrate VXs with any type of broadcast audio console using Telos Alliance xNodes for audio I/O. In this example, we will be using a Mixed Signal xNode, which contains I/O for analog, AES/EBU, and GPIO.

These instructions assume you are configuring a new xNode for this application, which isn’t currently in use for anything else.

Configure the Studio in Telos VXs

In this example, we have configured a studio with two selectable channels, and assigned Livewire channel numbers 15801 and 15802 to them.

We’re generating Livewire channels 21501 and 21502 on the xNode for send to caller audio, so we configure those channels here like this:

Note that we have changed the drop down menu to the right of the Address field from its default of To Source and made it From Source instead.

We’re using Livewire channel 21503 on the xNode for Program on Hold audio, so we’ve entered that in the Input Channel field under Program On Hold. (We did not enter / 2,1 afterward. This was generated automatically by VXs after we pushed SAVE to commit these changes.)

Change the xNode’s operating mode to Mono 8x8

On the xNode’s Simple Setup page, select the Mono 8x8 operating mode and press APPLY.

Configure Sources on the xNode

Here, we have configured the sources that were defined on the VXs Studio page above.  

We've used Stereo 1ms AES67 streams for interaction with callers where cumulative latency can be an issue, and a Standard Stereo (5ms) stream for the program on hold audio, where an extra 4ms of latency is not a concern.  

Configure Destinations on the xNode

We have configured the destinations that were defined on the VXs Studio page above.

Connect your Audio Wiring

Everything should now be ready to receive audio from and send audio to callers via the xNode. In this example, caller I/O is on analog output 1 of the xNode. The left channel is used for caller 1 I/O, and the right channel is used for caller 2.

GPIO

If GPIO indications and actions are needed, go to the Simple Setup page of the Mixed Signal xNode and assign the ports available Livewire channels. Note: GPIO LW channels do not advertise to the network, so you will not see them in the browse window. In this example, we’ll continue with the numbering scheme we started earlier, by manually typing those channel numbers in here.

We left off at Livewire audio channel 21508, so we’re starting with 21509 for GPIO. It is possible to utilize Livewire audio channel numbers for GPIO as well, but keep in mind that Livewire audio channels have certain GPIO functions tied to them in certain applications inside Axia consoles, which may interfere with VXs GPIO. Therefore, we highly recommend using completely different Livewire channel numbers for VXs GPIO.

You can see that we have configured one GPIO Action and two GPIO Indications on Livewire channel 21509. In this example, anytime GPI pin 1 is pulled to ground, it will mute the VSet ringer for this studio. (A common application would be when a mic is on or a call is being recorded.)

In this example, GPO pin 1 goes low to indicate that a non-Busy All line is ringing, and GPIO pin 2 does when Block All is enabled for the studio.

Please consult the xNode manual for proper wiring of the GPIO ports: https://www.telosalliance.com/Axia/xNodes

Single Mix Minus Routing with xNode

While all Axia consoles and some other manufacturers’ consoles create an individual mix-minus for each caller channel, there are some which share a common mix-minus among all phone faders. In this circumstance, it’s necessary to create a separate mix-minus for each fader so the caller on fader 1 can hear the caller on fader 2 and vice-versa.

The Telos Alliance xNode has a matrix mixer that can be used to overcome this obstacle. One thing to keep in mind is the internal mixing will use additional sources in the xNode.

We’ve gone to the Sources page in the xNode and set up our input and “New Mix Minus” channels. In this example, Line 1-L is the main mix-minus input and Line 1-R is the Program on Hold input for the studio. Sources 7 and 8 are configured as the “New Mix Minus” channels.

After doing this, and pressing APPLY, we go to the Mixer page of the xNode. The xNode mixer routing is configured as shown here:

Afterward, return to the appropriate Studio page in VXs and make the necessary changes. In this example, the manual backfeed setting is 21507 for caller 1, and 21508 for caller 2. Make sure to save your changes afterward.