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[Al Rettich]

Hey everyone. I hope all are getting ready for a great Christmas.

I'm finishing up a string of dates mixing FOH and we did a fly date yesterday and I saw something I had never seen before. Wondering how and if any of you knew how to do it.

The systems guy mixed the opening act and I saw that set up behind him was a TP beltpack system with a flasher. When the flasher went off his console lights blinked on and off.

Sadly, I never dealt to deep on the events of the Avid system but I want to include that on our next run. I like it. So, anyone know how he did it??

[Thomas Lamb]

He used the GPI ports on the console. He either had a belt pack that had output for a relay or modified the call light on the pack or a blazon or the like. You wire it to the Gpi port and write an action that when the GPI port is either opened or closed that it will flash the lights. Or mute the master buss or a vca or SIP the lead guitar thought the rig or whatever you want. The actions tab is where you setup tap tempo to function switches of footswitches or whatever.

[Chris Johnson [UK]]

There are a number of ways to do this. But a lot of 2 wire to 4wire converters (comms parlance for clearcom-style unbalanced audio w/ power to balanced audio converter) include relay outputs for call signalling. This can be connected to a GPI input or footswitch jack and trigger an event to flash the console lights.

[Al Rettich]

My monitor engineer seems to think that it won't work with SC48's (which is what we normally carry on this gig), as he seems to think you would fry the GPI with the voltage if you come directly out of a beltpack. Just need to find someone who can build a box for us, as my monitor guy wants it too.

There are a number of ways to do this. But a lot of 2 wire to 4wire converters (comms parlance for clearcom-style unbalanced audio w/ power to balanced audio converter) include relay outputs for call signalling. This can be connected to a GPI input or footswitch jack and trigger an event to flash the console lights.

[Mac Kerr]

My monitor engineer seems to think that it won't work with SC48's (which is what we normally carry on this gig), as he seems to think you would fry the GPI with the voltage if you come directly out of a beltpack. Just need to find someone who can build a box for us, as my monitor guy wants it too.

A Bud box and a couple of connectors, and THIS should do it for ya.

Mac

[Al Rettich]

Mac, YOU ARE THE MAN!!! Thank you..

A Bud box and a couple of connectors, and THIS should do it for ya.

Mac

[David Buckley]

Note of caution - the spec Mac quotes above notes that the grounds on the GPI socket are connected to mains ground, whereas pin 1 of the TP comms system ground is isolated from mains ground.  Just connecting the two together could cause annoyances like clicks as the followspot op's belt pack touches the truss as he swings about....

Modding a Blazon would be easiest, just pop a relay in there.  I've not taken a Blazon to bits, but I would wager the strobe module is 12v powered, and thus a 12V "ice cube" relay would provide the necessary isolation.

[Thomas Lamb]

Note of caution - the spec Mac quotes above notes that the grounds on the GPI socket are connected to mains ground, whereas pin 1 of the TP comms system ground is isolated from mains ground.  Just connecting the two together could cause annoyances like clicks as the followspot op's belt pack touches the truss as he swings about....

Modding a Blazon would be easiest, just pop a relay in there.  I've not taken a Blazon to bits, but I would wager the strobe module is 12v powered, and thus a 12V "ice cube" relay would provide the necessary isolation.

+1 but if what Mac proposed would work I would be interested in that from a cost perspective. There may be a way to work a relay into that also inside that project box which would allow for isolation and give you a simple contact closure.

[Mac Kerr]

Note of caution - the spec Mac quotes above notes that the grounds on the GPI socket are connected to mains ground, whereas pin 1 of the TP comms system ground is isolated from mains ground.  Just connecting the two together could cause annoyances like clicks as the followspot op's belt pack touches the truss as he swings about....

Modding a Blazon would be easiest, just pop a relay in there.  I've not taken a Blazon to bits, but I would wager the strobe module is 12v powered, and thus a 12V "ice cube" relay would provide the necessary isolation.

Even the 12V supply needs to be regulated down to 5V to get under the 5.5V maximum voltage on the GPI.

Mac

[Chris Johnson [UK]]

The best way to do this is via a 2-4 interface, for a number of reasons:

First, something like a EF701 allows you to not only send call signalling into the console, but also allows your monitor engineer to talk to and listen to the comms channel via the desk. This is very useful as it allows you to have a combined talkback & comms environment where the engineer can keep his IEMs in and use a single talk mic.

Secondly, an EF701 has a bunch of other uses (like interfacing with radio systems)

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