Element Setup Question

[radioguy]

We are going to be master controlling some broadcasts from our studios where the Element resides. On the other end will be a small setup using a Mackie console. We are connecting the two venues using Xstream ISDN units.

I want to use one channel to send the program audio from the remote venue to the studio. I want to use the other channel as a talk back for the remote producer and board op sitting at the Element. We have hooked the two systems up using Xstreams set in L3 Dual Mono. My Xstream comes into the Element on two channels... one for left and one for right. I am using the left channel for the communication channel and the right for program. When I push talkback on the left channel I see my audio hitting the Xstream on the left channel. When I push talkback on the right channel I get nothing on the right or left channels.

Can someone run me through a basic setup so that I can make sure I have everything configured correctly? I want to know everything from the setup of the Xstream in Axia to feedback sources, etc.

It works now... sort of. I think I am missing something and my brain is fried from trying to think through it all.

Doug

[AXIA_milos]

Some info is missing, but I'm going to guess that you have a 2-Ch input into the Axia domain from your Xstream. This would mean the two channels are the same Livewire channel, one channel is the Left side of the Livewire channel and the 2nd channel is the right side of the Livewire channel. You have either two different source profiles loaded or the same profile loaded twice and you have the mode selected to Left for one and Right for the 2nd. This is fine... but you run into a problem with the backfeed. If you're not familiar with backfeeds, do a search in the forums for backfeeds for more info. Backfeeds are made in reference to the Livewire channel number and you can't have two backfeeds for the same channel, only one backfeed per Livewire channel. So if my above assumption is correct, the first instance loaded to the surface would be the generator of the backfeed while the second is loaded and placed into "Listen Only" mode, meaning you only get the audio but do not generate the backfeed. You would also get an "X" above the fader where the channel number is typically shown. This would explain why one would have Talkback and the other would not.

Also, you must know that source types that are configured as CODEC have dualmono backfeeds (mix-minus). As stated in the Element manual, the left channel is where the talkback audio interrupts the normal return audio while the right is only return audio (no talkback).

[radioguy]

Your assumptions are right on the money and explain exactly what we are experiencing. We have the Xstream profiles set up in the Axia as a Xstream Left and Xstream Right and that's how we load them into the console.

I knew we had to have a backfeed issues but again, spent a bit of time thinking about it and my brain just refused to think about it any longer.

So will the Left channel always be the one that works with the talk back or is it whichever is loaded first on the console gets the proper backfeed and the other loses out?

Thanks for the answer.

Doug

[AXIA_milos]

You are taking a 2-channel source and loading it to a fader. A 2-channel backfeed is generated per the previously explained rule (Talkback on Left channel and vanilla backfeed to right). You load a second instance of the same 2-channel source and get the audio... but no backfeed is generated since you are in LISTEN ONLY mode for the second instance. The fact that you are taking the LEFT channel or the RIGHT channel means nothing other than it impacts the audio going to the fader. The logic works the same since the channel is the same channel in both cases. So, the first instance of the codec being loaded will be the generator of the 2-channel backfeed.

If you wish to treat the two A and B codecs as two independant sources, you need to configure them as such and that means configuring each MONO source a unique Livewire channel.