BIAMP SYSTEMS TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP TECHNICAL NOTES. Vocia Interfacing external CobraNet inputs and Outputs VOCIA COBRANET INPUTS & OUTPUTS

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1 TECHNICAL NOTES Vocia Interfacing external CobraNet inputs and Outputs VOCIA COBRANET INPUTS & OUTPUTS Biamp s Vocia paging solution supports the transmission and receiving of CobraNet audio from CobraNet enabled devices such as a Biamp Audia Flex CM. Vocia CobraNet Inputs can be used to accept background audio in to the system and CobraNet outputs can be used to output background audio and paging (Pre Vocia signal processing). Vocia devices only support a CobraNet latency of 5 1/3 msec, 20-Bit depth and a 48 khz sample rate so the transmitting or receiving Audia or CobraNet capable device must match these settings. When a new Vocia CobraNet input or output is created the bundle number is statically assigned and cannot be modified. This is done since Vocia uses certain bundles for internal messaging, networking and control. For non-vocia devices that are sending audio to Vocia, the transmitting or receiving CobraNet device must be configured to the same bundle number allocated by the Vocia system otherwise the devices will not share audio. If using other non-vocia CobraNet devices on the same CobraNet LAN bundles 256 to 59,999 are reserved for Vocia devices. Meaning explicit bundles between other CobraNet devices must be allocated between bundles 60,000 to 65,279. If using Audia implicit CobraNet bundles, these will not impact Vocia devices as they are in the reserved bundle range above 65,280. A CobraNet Input can be enabled in the World Properties of the Vocia software by selecting World Properties > Vocia CN Inputs. This will allow the creation of a new CobraNet multicast audio bundle that can be used as a Background Source by a Vocia System. Each audio bundle can utilize up to 8 channels of audio. To utilize a CobraNet Output from a Vocia system a VO-4 is required and the output can be enabled in the Configuration & Settings of the VO-4 s General icon window. This will assign a post-processing Unicast CobraNet bundle number to the VO-4 outputs. The CobraNet output will include any non-emergency paging and background audio assigned to the Zone just as it would be heard if listening to the analog output. The CobraNet output and analog output can both be used at the same time. Vocia also uses CobraNet for its normal paging and message delivery. The maximum number of simultaneous pages available in a Vocia World is 30. The number of enabled CobraNet Input, VI-6 Background Inputs or CobraNet Output bundles reduces the available network bandwidth which will impact the number of simultaneous pages available in the local World. The total number of simultaneous pages available to the system is shown as part of the Validation and Compilation Results. Although not technically necessary, if other CobraNet devices are transmitting multicast bundles on the same Network, even if not being used by Vocia, these still affect the available network bandwidth and will impact the amount of simultaneous pages available. In order for the Vocia Compiler to account for these additional network resources, it s recommended to create Vocia CN Inputs and leave them unassigned. COBRANET TOPOLOGIES Vocia CobraNet traffic should be physically separated from regular Ethernet communications given that CobraNet uses broadcast transmissions which are resource intensive. When designing or assessing whether existing network infrastructure will be satisfactory for a Vocia system there s some specific points to be considered. If sharing Ethernet and CobraNet traffic on the same switch (not hubs ), the Ethernet switches should be of the 'managed layer 2' type. Managed switches offer several advantages including the ability to segregate switch ports into Virtual LAN s (VLAN). In addition, they offer Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) which is used for creating redundant network links, as well as trunking to increase network bandwidth. Another important point to consider is that CobraNet uses Layer 2 technology and is therefore non-routable. This means all Vocia devices within a Vocia World are required to be on the same network subnet otherwise they will not communicate or share digital audio with each other. Since CobraNet uses Ethernet cabling there is a limit of 300ft (100 meters) between each Ethernet switch and device. However, fiber-optic cable may be used to extend this distance limitation. Fiber-optic cable can be used with switches that have fiber-optic ports, or media converters can be used to interface fiber-optic cable with standard RJ-45 ports. Additional information regarding CobraNet compliant network topologies and protocols can be found at Page 1 of 5

2 Configuring a Background Audio CobraNet Input 1. Open a new or existing Vocia Project, open the World Properties and select the Vocia CN Inputs icon. 2. Select New to create a CobraNet Input bundle. The bundle number is automatically assigned and displayed in the upper right hand corner of the World Properties window. 3. Enable the required channels in the Bundle Channel Configuration section. Due to network bandwidth requirements the more CobraNet bundles and channels that are enabled will reduce the available number of simultaneous pages. Figure 1: Four CobraNet Input channels assigned to bundle 1 in World Properties > Vocia CN Inputs 4. On the transmitting CobraNet device, up to 8 channels per bundle are supported at a latency of 5 1/3msec.Configure the CobraNet bundle as Multicast and match the bundle number assigned in the World Properties > Vocia CN Inputs Dialog. Page 2 of 5

3 5. If using Audia, confirm the CobraNet latency settings via Tools > Equipment Table. Figure 2: Audia CobraNet Latency. 6. If using Tesira, confirm the CobraNet latency settings via Tools > Document Settings > Network Latency. Figure 3: Tesira CobraNet Latency. 7. Add a CobraNet Output Channel to the Audia or Tesira software layout file. The example below shows a four channel Block. Send the updated layout settings to the Audia or Tesira devices. Figure 4: Configuring Audia (left) or Tesira (right) CobraNet output bundle. Page 3 of 5

4 8. In the Vocia software Open the World Properties and select the Zones icon. Create a new Zone (alternatively select an existing one). 9. The Enabled CobraNet Inputs will be shown under the Background Channels field. Select the Background Audio channels you wish to be made available to the Zone then select Save. Figure 5: Zone 1 available Background Channels. Enable the required channels using the tick boxes. 10. In the Vocia software go online and send the Configuration to the system. 11. Open the World Properties > Audio & Live Control tab to manage the Current Background source selection for the Zone. Page 4 of 5 Figure 6: Background Source selection showing available CobraNet Channels.

5 Configuring a paging and background audio CobraNet Output A four channel CobraNet unicast output bundle can be configured on a VO-4 processor which enables pre-processing paging or background audio signals to be sent to another CobraNet device. The audio signal from whichever Zone is configured on the corresponding Output Channel will also be sent to the corresponding CobraNet Output 1. In your Project, open the VO-4 Properties Dialog. In General Settings there is the option to Enable CobraNet Output. 2. When selected a unicast transmit bundle number is assigned to the device. This bundle number must be matched in the CobraNet receiving device. Figure 7: VO-4 General dialog showing enabled CobraNet Output Bundle If using Audia Software confirm you are using 5 1/3 msec latency. In Audia go to Tools > Equipment Table. In Tesira go to Tools > Document Settings > Network Latency. 4. Add a four Channel CobraNet Input block to the layout and configure the CobraNet bundle number to match the Vocia Device. Page 5 of 5 Figure 8: Audia (Left) and Tesira (Right) configured for CobraNet Input Bundle 8448 If this application note did not answer your questions on the topic of Vocia Interfacing external CobraNet inputs and outputs, please contact Biamp Technical Support Group by phone at or by at support@biamp.com.