Connecting a Lawo Power Core console to Myriad Playout v7

Introduction

Starting with v7.1.2, Myriad Playout supports connecting to Lawo Power Core consoles using the Ember+ protocol.

The integration allows Myriad to:

• Monitor microphone and player channel states.

• Respond to a configurable MF key to start playback or pause/recue a playing item.

• Send Media Player playback status back to the console.

• Control source fader levels using Myriad commands.

Ember+ provides the control and status connection. Audio connections and routing between Myriad and the console must be configured separately.

Myriad Playout configuration

Before starting, you will need the Power Core’s IP address, its Ember+ port number, and the source identifiers for your microphone and Myriad player channels.

1. From the Settings menu, open Application Settings.

2. Select the Mixer Connections tab.

3. Choose Lawo Power Core from the Mixer Type dropdown.

4. Enter the Power Core’s IP address and port. Myriad defaults to port 9000; use the port configured on your Power Core.

5. Click Read Channels.

Myriad will open a text window listing the source identifiers reported by the console. Look for the microphones and sources carrying audio from your Myriad Media Players.

Under Mixer Channel Identifiers, enter your microphone source identifiers on the left and your Myriad player source identifiers on the right, with one identifier per row. Copy the identifiers exactly as reported by Read Channels, including spaces and capitalisation.

For example:

These are examples; use the identifiers from your own console.

The Myriad player rows must follow Media Player order. The first row maps to Player 1, the second to Player 2, and so on. A source called Cart can therefore control Player 4 if it appears in the fourth row.

Enabling MF key control and player status

Under Mixer Options, enable:

Use an MF key to start/stop/display player status:

Then select the MF key you want Myriad to follow. The available choices are:

1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5a, 5b, 6, 7, 8 and 9

This selection applies to each mapped source. For example, choosing 5a makes Myriad follow MF5a on each mapped source.

Clearing the checkbox disables the dropdown, MF key control and player status feedback to the console. The selected key is retained for when you enable the option again. Channel monitoring, fader-start behaviour and fader-position commands are configured separately.

The option is enabled by default, with 3 selected. Existing configurations therefore continue to use MF3 unless you change the settings.

Choose the mixer behaviour options you require, save the settings, and restart Myriad Playout to apply the configuration and establish the connection.

Using an MF key

With MF key control enabled, Myriad monitors the following Ember+ parameter on each mapped source:

PowerCore / Sources / <source identifier> / MF Keys / MF<selected value> / Key

For example, selecting 3 uses:

PowerCore / Sources / <source identifier> / MF Keys / MF3 / Key

Selecting 1a uses:

PowerCore / Sources / <source identifier> / MF Keys / MF1a / Key

When the selected key’s Boolean Key parameter changes to True, Myriad processes a channel-button press. For a mapped Myriad player source:

• If the player is stopped, pressing the selected MF key starts playback.

• If the player is playing, pressing the selected MF key pauses or recues it, according to the mixer behaviour settings.

Releasing the button does not trigger another action.

The Behaviour section on the Mixer Connections tab includes separate pause/recue choices for normal playback and preview playback. The Lawo mixer options also allow channel-on/fader-start behaviour to be used for starting and stopping playback.

The selected MF key must be available on the mapped source in the Power Core’s Ember+ configuration.

Sending player status to the Lawo console

Myriad can update Ember+ Input Signals to indicate whether each Media Player is playing.

Use an MF key to start/stop/display player status: must be enabled for Myriad to send these updates.

Status feedback uses the Input Signals described below. Choosing a different MF key does not change their names or automatically configure the console’s indications.

To use this mode, you need to decouple the normal MOM_Play 01 On/Fade behaviour from the Fader Ramps section in the Lawo configuration.

These signals are inputs from the console’s perspective: Myriad writes their states, and the Lawo configuration determines how the console responds.

Important note: the name of the GPIO group MUST be "Ember GPIO".

Configure the signals under:

PowerCore / GPIOs / Ember GPIO / Input Signals

Each signal must have a writable Boolean parameter named State. The signal identifier must use this exact, case-sensitive format:

EGPI_Play<number>_isPlaying

Replace <number> with the Myriad Media Player number, starting at 1. Do not include the angle brackets.

With the option enabled, Myriad automatically discovers matching signals when it connects. No additional signal mapping is required in Myriad.

For each signal, Myriad sets State to:

• True while the corresponding player is playing.

• False when it is not playing, including when paused, cued or closed.

Myriad also synchronises these states when it connects or reconnects.

In the Lawo configuration, connect these signals to the channel on/off functions, indications or other logic you require. Creating a correctly named signal allows Myriad to update it; the console configuration must define what that state controls.

Controlling channel levels using commands

Myriad commands such as WriteConsoleChannelFaderPosition can set a Lawo source’s fader level using its source identifier.

For Lawo, the position value is a level in dB, within the following range:

For example, targeting the source identifier Play 1 with a value of -191 lowers its fader fully. Setting it to 0 raises it to unity gain, while values between -191 and +9 select other levels.

This allows commands to turn a channel’s audio off or restore it to a chosen level by controlling the fader.

Checking the configuration

After saving the settings and restarting Myriad:

1. Confirm that Read Channels can retrieve the source list.

2. Check that each mapped source controls the intended Myriad player.

3. If using MF key control, confirm that Use an MF key to start/stop/display player status: is enabled and that the correct MF key is selected.

4. Press the selected MF key on each mapped player source and confirm the expected play, pause or recue action.

5. Start and stop each player and check that its EGPI_Play<number>_isPlaying signal follows the playback state.

6. If required, test a fader-position command on the intended source.

If an MF key does not control a player, check that the option is enabled, the selected key is exposed by the source, and the source identifier is mapped to the correct player row.

If player status is not reaching the console, check that the option is enabled, the signal’s spelling and capitalisation are correct, the player number matches, and its Boolean State parameter is writable.

If the signal changes but the console does not respond as expected, check how the signal is connected to the console’s functions or indications.

If you need assistance configuring the Power Core’s Ember+ signals or console logic, contact your Lawo installer or reseller.