New and Changed Features in version 2.1

For full details see Complete release notes (PDF)

New Q-Sys Hardware

New Q-Sys IO cards are available for the IO Frame and Core; additionally there is a new peripheral in Q-Sys Designer V2.1. The new hardware includes the following:

• CobraNet Card (BETA) - Adds CobraNet capability to Q-Sys. You can install the card in the Core or an I/O Frame.
• Standard Mic/Line In Card (BETA) - Provides a lower cost solution for mic/ line input scenarios.
• TSC-8 Touch Screen Controller The TSC-8 series products are network enabled, 8.4-inch, capacitive touch-screen control panels. You can create User Control Interfaces (UCI) in Q-Sys Designer for use with the TSC-8.

New Software Components
Q-Sys Designer V2.1 adds several new components including: 
Control

• Event Log Component - The Event Log component displays the last item added to the event log. The information displayed is: date/time, severity, category, and message. You can use the Event log to send this information to a Lua Script. For the complete Event Log, refer to the Q-Sys Administrator Event Log topic.

Effects

• Auto-Pan Component (BETA) - The Auto-Pan Component allows you to take a mono signal and automatically pan it between the channels of a stereo output, or a stereo input and pan the channels automatically between the stereo output channels.
• Chorus Component (BETA) - The Chorus Component mixes two identical signals, with one of the signals delayed by a small, slowly modulated amount.
• Echo Component (BETA) - The Echo Component enables you to create a delay or echo effect for mono or stereo inputs and outputs.
• Flanger Component (BETA) - The Flanger Component mixes two identical signals, with one of the signals delayed by a small, slowly modulated amount.
• Tremolo Component (BETA) - The Tremolo Component allows you to modulate the gain of a mono input to get a mono or stereo output, or a stereo input to a stereo output.

Inventory

• CobraNet (BETA) - The CobraNet card is represented in Q-Sys Designer by two components that you can add to your design; the CobraNet In Component, and the CobraNet Out Component. You may install up to four CobraNet cards in an I/O Frame, and one in a Core. The CobraNet card (BETA) gives you four input and four output channels of CobraNet digital audio.
• RS-232 Serial Port - There is an RS-232 Serial Port, on the rear panels of the Core and I/O Frames. The representative RS-232 Serial Port Component is automatically in the Q-Sys Designer Inventory list as part of the Core, and any I/O Frames you add to the Inventory. When you add the component to your design, and connect it to the Control Script Component, you establish a connection to the RS-232 connector on a Core or I/O Frame. You can now write an appropriate Lua Script to control and read from devices such as DVD players, recording hardware, video, lighting, and so on.

Component Enhancements and Changes
Several changes have been made in many components in V2.1 including: 

• Audio Player Component - Playlists, created in Q-Sys Administrator > Audio Files, are available for selection in the Audio Player. You can select to Repeat the list, shuffle the list, or play in the file order of the Playlist. In Shuffle mode, if Repeat is on, QSys re-shuffles the list, and plays it again.
• Delay Component - There are three types of Delays available in the Delay Component: Standard, Fractional, and Crossfaded.  The Standard Delay rounds the Delay time to the nearest whole number of samples, and ramps the signal level down to -20 dB then ramps back to the original signal level but at the new delay time.  The Crossfaded Delay rounds the Delay time to the nearest whole number of samples, and maintains two delay lines for each tap. When the Delay time changes, one of the delay lines is updated with the new delay time, the other uses the original delay time. The output signal changes to the new time by cross-fading from the original Delay time to the new Delay time.  The Fractional Delay interpolates the audio signal between samples if the Delay time is not equal to a whole number of samples, and ramps the Delay time to the new Delay time. The signal level is not changed.  The Delay Component now has a Linear Gain option, in the Properties, in support of acoustic positioning control.
• Delay Matrix Mixer Component - The Delay Matrix Mixer now has the option, in the Properties, to select the Type of delay. The choices are Standard, Crossfaded, and Fractional.  The Delay Matrix Mixer component now has a Linear Gain option, in the Properties, in support of acoustic positioning control.
• Dynamics Components - The following change applies to the Automatic Gain Control, Compressor, Expander, Gate, Peak Limiter, and Priority Ducker Components.  In Gain is applied to both the main Input and the Side Chain input, regardless of whether the Side Chain Input Property is No (internally connected) to the main Input, or Yes (externally connected) to the main Input. In earlier releases, when you bypassed the Component, In Gain was not available at the main Input and the Side Chain input. This could cause a Side Chain signal level shift that would make it difficult to adjust the Component while bypassed. In this release, Q-Sys Designer always applies In Gain to the Side Chain input signal, regardless of the state of Bypass.  There is a new Property, Bypass Gain Meter, to determine if the Applied Gain Meter is active or not. When set to Active, the Applied Gain meter is active regardless of the state of the Bypass button. This means you can adjust the dynamics processor in Bypass mode. When set to Inactive, the Applied Gain meter is inactive to give you an indication that the component is in Bypass mode.  This change applies to all Dynamics components. When the Bypass button is active, the word BYPASSED displays in the middle of the Response Graph.
• EQ Components - This change applies to all Equalizer and Filter Components with the exception of the FIR Custom Filter. When the Bypass button is active, the word BYPASSED displays in the middle of the Response Graph.
• E-mailer Component - The E-mailer Component now works with SSL email accounts. Examples of email accounts requiring SSL are Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.
• PA Router Component - The PA Router has two new buttons: Cancel All Commands, and Cancel Queued Commands Only Parametric EQ Component High- and Low-shelf options are now available in the Parametric Equalizer Component.
• Responsalyzer Component - The following Control Pins are now available for the Responsalyzer: Clear, Coherence, Impulse Response, Magnitude Response, Phase Response, RTA, and Update. The intention of the Control Pins is for use in Lua Scripts.
• Router Component - The Router Component Properties has a new choice under Selection Controls called Output Select Mode. When you choose the Output Select Mode, the Control Panel displays an Output selector knob and a Mute button for each Input, as opposed to Input selectors for each Output.  The maximum limit for Input and Output Count, for Crosspoint and Combo Box controls has been raised from 4096 (64 Inputs * 64 Outputs) to 16384 (128 Inputs * 128 Outputs). For Input/Output counts above this, up to maximum of 512/512, the Knob control is available.

 

Q-Sys also saves time during system set-up and commissioning. While many existing systems are agonizingly slow to assemble a new configuration, Q-Sys designs can be compiled and deployed in seconds. Once the system is designed, you will find that Q-Sys also offers a useful suite of trouble shooting and measurement tools. A test probe provides an RTA display of the signal at any point in the design. FFT-based real-time analysis and impulse response are also provided for on-site acoustical measurements. All you need to bring is a measurement microphone.

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

1. IBM PC compatible computer (Windows PC)
2. Intel Pentium 4 CPU or better
3. CPU speed of 2.1 GHz or faster
4. 1 GB of RAM or greater
5. Hard drive with at least 1 GB of space available
6. Display resolution of at least 1024x768
7. CD-ROM drive for installing Q-Sys Designer
8. Network Interface Card (10/100/1000 Mbps)
9. OS: Windows XP Pro or Vista

Software Requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 7 (64 or 32 bit), Windows Vista SP1 or Windows XP Professional Version 2002 SP3
  • Required
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
  • Required
  • Installed with Q-Sys Designer - Internet access require
• For web panel requirements, please see the release notes