Video Transcript
Basic Signal Path
9m 33s
00:08
Let’s start off getting a better understanding of the Q-SYS system, by diagramming some basic signal paths—both in the software, and in the real world.
00:17
Although the sizes of designs can vary wildly, every design is going to have a Q-SYS Core, running the Q-SYS operating system.
00:25
In Q-SYS Designer Software, this is the only object prepopulated in your Inventory when you start a new design, and you can select which model Core you will be using in its properties.
00:35
There is a wide variety of Core models available, some of which include onboard audio inputs and outputs.
00:42
The next device in every design will be one or more network switches.
00:47
Your Core must be connected to one of the ports on one of your network switches, so that it can communicate with any other devices in your design,
00:55
such as native Q-SYS products or third-party devices—that are connected to other ports on your network.
01:01
The switch itself is not represented within the Q-SYS design in any way,
01:06
but your switches do need to be configured with certain protocols in mind in order to make sure that Q-SYS network traffic—known as Q-LAN—will work properly.
01:15
Q-LAN is simply a collection of standard IT protocols and priority levels that make Q-SYS audio, video and control transport possible.
01:24
To make this easier, QSC partners with major switch manufacturers to offer preconfigured network switches that work with Q-SYS right out of the box.
01:34
But most modern configurable switches can be configured to transport Q-LAN traffic,
01:39
with a little help from our Q-SYS networking requirements documentation, that can be found online.
01:45
You’ll design your system using the Q-SYS Designer Software, on a PC or laptop running Windows.
01:51
You can construct almost everything in your design without connecting your PC to a single Q-SYS device,
01:57
but it will need to be connected to your network in order to deploy your design to the Core.
02:03
In Designer, that’s called “Save to Core and Run,” which sends the design across the network to the Core, which then uses that design as its system instructions.
02:14
Once you’ve sent your file to the Core, your PC or laptop no longer needs to be connected to the system:
02:19
the Core will continue to run that design as long as it is running—and every time it boots up—until you send it a new design.
02:28
Let’s add some analog audio to this design.
02:31
In the real world, audio sources can be physically wired to any audio input, which can be found on some Core models,
02:39
or on a peripheral device, which we’ll talk about momentarily.
02:42
In the software, those physical inputs are represented by “Mic/Line In” components associated with that device.
02:51
There’s no need to represent the audio source itself in Q-SYS: Q-SYS doesn’t care if it’s a microphone, or a media player, or anything else...
03:00
it just cares that audio is entering the Q-SYS environment via this input channel.
03:07
Within the software, you would virtually wire that audio channel through any number of digital signal processing components,
03:14
which are available in your Schematic Elements library.
03:18
After all the mixing, processing, and routing, you would wire the audio channel to an output of your choice.
03:25
For example, this might be an analog line output on the Core itself—which could be delivered to an analog amplifier in the real world,
03:34
which would in turn be physically wired to some loudspeakers.
03:38
In this case, those analog amplifiers and loudspeakers would not be represented within Q-SYS,
03:44
because all Q-SYS knows is that the audio is leaving the Q-SYS environment, and you can then do anything you like with it in the real world.
03:52
(Although you might want to provide some inline speaker tuning, which we’ll talk about in later videos).
03:58
However, QSC also has amplifiers and loudspeakers that are networked Q-SYS devices themselves.
04:05
If you’re using a networked amplifier, this device would be represented within Q-SYS, as well as the loudspeakers it is connected to.
04:13
In the real world, these devices just need to be connected to the same network, and the Core sends its audio to the device via a “network audio channel.”
04:24
Many Q-SYS peripheral devices offer additional audio inputs and outputs beyond what is available on the Core itself.
04:31
These networked IO devices would generally be placed close to the physical input or output device in the real world,
04:39
and then transport those audio channels to the Core via another network audio channel.
04:45
Remember, different Cores can handle different numbers of network audio channels, which might largely be what determines which Core is right for your venue.
04:55
You’ll notice there’s no need to route any network audio channels inside the software.
05:00
Here, a microphone enters Q-SYS via an IO device and is delivered to a networked amplifier.
05:08
Even though the design makes it look like there’s a direct connection between the IO device input and the amplifier output,
05:14
all channels are automatically routed through the network to the Core for processing.
05:21
Some types of audio might actually originate within the Core itself.
05:25
For instance, the Core’s onboard audio player, or any of various available network streaming receivers (such as Dante)
05:32
can be used by the Core to introduce audio to the system without a physical input.
05:38
These audio types do not use up a network audio channel until they are delivered to a networked IO endpoint or networked amplifier.
05:46
You may have already noticed that the Q-SYS Designer file is essentially a flow chart.
05:51
Components generally have connection points (called pins) on their sides.
05:56
Channels flow from left to right, meaning that left-side pins are always inputs, and right-side pins are always outputs.
06:03
Because of this, we generally recommend that you build your design with components from left to right as well,
06:09
unless you’re a monster person who does it like this, in which case, you do you, buddy.
06:16
This same mentality applies to control and video channels as well.
06:21
Control pins have a different shape than audio pins,
06:25
and most audio components have control pins that can be added to them that allow you to control different aspects of that component.
06:33
Similar to audio, control might come from the real world, such as a physical button, a potentiometer, or the like,
06:40
and enter Q-SYS via a GPIO port, available on many Q-SYS devices.
06:46
Alternatively, controls might originate within the Core from custom digital buttons, or control pins from any other component.
06:53
Also much like audio, control wires flow from left to right, with all this processing taking place within the Core.
07:01
If controls are sent to third-party devices, this likely takes place via virtual components like third-party plugins,
07:08
network command strings, or scripting components—but might also include physical outputs like the previously mentioned GPIO connections.
07:18
Control components will be covered briefly in this Q-SYS Level One course, but far more extensively in our Control 101 training course.
07:27
Video components similarly have their own source components, routing components, and outputs, and are covered in more depth in our Video 101 training course.
07:39
Many installations will also require some degree of graphic interface to give the end user control of the system.
07:46
This user control interface—or UCI—is also built within the Q-SYS Designer software,
07:53
largely by incorporating the controls found within the various components used in the design, and is fully customizable in appearance and in style.
08:04
This UCI is traditionally delivered via a Q-SYS touch screen, which is another networked peripheral device, but it may also be deployed to iPads, iPhones, smart phones, and PCs.
08:18
You might even deliver your UCI through a dedicated in-room UC platform device.
08:24
So in summary, designs can be simple or incredibly extensive, but these basic principles will always be the same:
08:33
The Q-SYS OS drives the design file on the Core processor.
08:38
Audio, control, and video enter Q-SYS via Core inputs, network connections, or networked peripheral devices.
08:48
After being processed by the Core, audio, control, and video exits Q-SYS once again via Core outputs, network connections, or networked peripheral devices.
08:59
And control of the system is provided to the user via a custom-designed user interface.
09:04
And it’s worth mentioning: even though one Core runs one design, larger installations might use multiple Cores running multiple designs …
09:14
and there are component that allow those Cores to stream audio, video, and control channels from one design to another across the network.
09:23
We’ll look at the specifics of these devices shortly. Let’s take a break, and move along whenever you’re ready.
Lesson Description
Basic Signal Path
9m 33s
Learn how Q-SYS components create a signal path from input to output.
Downloads and Links
Basic Signal Path
9m 33s