I have an installation that currently runs with RANE DSPs. Those need to be replaced now (unfortunately). So the choice came to A&H AHM or Q-Sys. What I need in any case:
about 32 Inputs (analog + Dante mixed) with full processing (dynamics, EQ)
about 10 Outputs (analog + Dante mixed)
conferencing with AEC option
Touchscreen audio control
Also via Touchscreen: TCP/IP control of an external HDMI matrix and several blackmagic recorders
What I would like to have in addition:
automatic feedback detection on severeal inputs
automatic gain control on severeal inputs
Via Touchscreen: TCP/IP control of several PTZ cameras (preset recall only)
A Q-Sys system would be able to fulfill all of those requirements out of the box. On the other side I would expect that AHM will have a better audio quality. So as this project is 90% audio, AHM is a hot candidate.
But I see some drawbacks of AHM:
No automatic gain control… Why???
One has to decide to use AEC OR feedback detection… Why one can’t have both?? Will this be changed in future?
Furthermore, I am not sure if AHM is really suitable for controlling external devices via TCP/IP, meaning not only sending commands but also reading status of external devices.
So, any recommendation from experienced users is highly appreciated.
Hopefully our users will chime in and corroborate, but just to point out that AHM V1.6 added more advanced control options, including feedback from third party devices, initial handshaking, and support of HTTP/REST protocols as well as existing TCP/UDP. We have demonstrated the ability to control video switchers and PTZ cameras at the ISE show last week, from both IP controllers and the Custom Control app. For a video centric project or if you need video preview/thumbnails in the control app, Q-Sys still has the edge, but if sound quality or ease of deployment are critical then you should definitely consider AHM.
AGC, and mixed use of AEC and feedback suppressor have been requested before and on the list for future consideration.
Hey Nic. Thanks a lot for ur reply. I own Avantis and SQ consoles and am really happy with those guys and how they sound. So I really want to give AHM a try for my installation project. But there are questions and thoughts left.
The installed PA in this installation is a very high quality L-Acoustics system. So sound reinforcement must be premium, especially with the wireless mics we have there. On the other side, conferencing is a big point, so using AEC on the wireless mics is a must-have. Due to the high quality demand, I don’t want to use the partly AEC processed SR outputs of AHM’s AEC modules, meaning I have to split all the mic inputs which is 9 mics x 2 = 18 channels. So with all the additional inputs and the resulting input count, I will need AHM-64 which has 2U and is quite huge in depth (36cm).
AEC and feedback supressor really should be useable together. It’s a big point for me and both is standard in almost every fixed install DSP system available on the market. Can you say how long it will take to have them both be useable in parallel on AHM?
Same for Auto Gain Processing Block: when will it be usable within AHM?
May ANC in AHM be used for “Auto Gaining”? I mostly need it for bringing record outputs to an adequate volume. I could use a zone with ANC for this purpose as ANC is (only) available in zones…
Is there a sample project or app note for third party TCP/IP control via AHM? Documentation for this seems to be barely available at the moment.
Video preview from third party device is not needed.
AHM-64 together with Dante card and AEC module definetely will be the price of a mid-class Q-Sys core which already has everything on board (AEC, feedback, supressor, Dante, Auto Gain modules…). Are there any other advantages of the AHM that I don’t see at the moment?
When it comes to software, Q-Sys designer brings fast results as well. That point does not have so much impact.
Thanks for your reply in advance. Yours answers will determine if we will go with AHM or not.
I cannot comment on timeline for AEC and feedback suppressor on the same expansion module I’m afraid. If your selection depends on this feature, I suggest you look at alternatives or possibly consider 2x AHM-32, one for sound reinforcement and feedback suppression duties, one for conferencing and AEC.
ANC can only compensate gain based on noise metering in programme gaps, so it’s not suitable as an AGC. I would think a combination of AMM for the sources and compression/limiting on the mix should give you decent recording levels, but again if AGC is an absolute requirement, you might want to look elsewhere.
We have sample device control files for select Audio Technica, Visionary Solutions and Sennheiser devices. Drop us an email at support@allen-heath.com for my attention and we can send these over.