Introduction

In this course, we’re going to look at three different features that are critical to deploying a Q-SYS system:

the Core Manager, the Administrator, and the Configurator.

The Core Manager is a web-based management tool that—you guessed it—lets you manage your Core.

I know, that was an easy one.

This includes basic functions like adjusting your Core’s date

and organizing the audio files that are saved on its internal hard drive,

as well as more complicated functions like configuring network protocols

and registering your Core for remote services.

Basically, most tasks that pertain to your specific Core will be accomplished via Core Manager.

Because of this, you can only access the Core Manager when your PC is actually connected to your Core.

The Administrator tool, on the other hand,

allows you to configure certain features without being connected to your Core.

This includes actions like scheduling events to occur at specific times

and the facilitation of your Public Address system.

These are the kinds of actions you want to be able to set up offline while you’re still working on the design,

so you can access the Administrator either while connected to a Core or in Emulation Mode.

Administrator can also be downloaded and installed independently of the Designer software.

The third feature is the Configurator,

which allows you a quick look at configuration options for all the Q-SYS Cores

and native peripherals that are discoverable on your local network.

This is where you can change the names and network settings of these Q-SYS devices,

so that you can then properly integrate them into your design.

It’s hard to decide which of these to show you first,

because they all feed into each other in different ways.

But since the Core Manager and the Configurator need a functioning network to work,

you’ll probably want to connect your PC and your Q-SYS Core via a network if you want to follow along with these videos.

With that in mind, let’s talk very briefly about networking.

If you want to dig deep, we fully explore these networking topics in advanced Q-SYS courses,

but we’ll try to keep things simple here.

We’ve mentioned that Q-SYS devices communicate via Q-LAN protocols over standard networking architecture.

Q-LAN is a collection of standard network protocols that we need enabled to transport audio properly.

Most modern switches can be easily configured to allow for Q-LAN,

or you could use any of the NS Series of network switches available from QSC,

which are preconfigured to work with Q-LAN right out of the box.

If you want more help determining which network setup is best for you,

you can check out qsc.com/networking.

Whichever path you choose, once your PC,

Core and any Q-SYS peripherals are all connected to the same network,

you’re ready to start deploying your design,

and you’ll need Core Manager, Administrator, and Configurator to do so.

You can access any of these tools by going to the Tools Menu.

Here you’ll see options for Show Configurator, Show Administrator, and Show Core Manager.

The Administrator and Configurator are also available by these quick links in the top toolbar,

although you’ll notice that they may be greyed out depending on which mode you’re currently in.

Configurator is always available, since your PC can always look at its own local network,

even if there’s nothing else connected.

Administrator can only be accessed in Emulation Mode or Run Mode,

and Core Manager can only be accessed in Run Mode.

We’ll start by looking at the Configurator tool. Move ahead to the next video whenever you’re ready.