AR Series Control Features Overview
The AR series provide the most flexible control functions for the recording and playback of audio on the market today.
The following control functions are available on select AR units. Please check the Master AR Series Feature Chart to see which AR units support the following features. Click the links below to find out more about each control feature.
MIDI
The AR series works well with MIDI. MIDI phrases can be recorded and played back. Standard MIDI files can be imported into the AR and played back. MIDI can also control the phrase selection and playback of AR phrases.
Applications include:
Music generation using Standard MIDI files from an AR and a standard MIDI file sound module. Many hundreds of hours of music can be stored using SMF playback.
Integration of AR units playing audio in a show control system using MIDI control via the show control program
MIDI lighting and other show devices controlled from AR phrase playback MIDI control from a touch panel
Control Outputs
The AR series will create a GPI or contact closure at different times during the playback of a phrase. The main times are when phrase playback has started and when playback has finished. These Contact Closures can be Offset by user adjustable times. “Phrase Busy” command: GPI closure that occurs during phrase playback. This command can be offset up to 59.9 seconds. “Control Output” is a contact closure that occurs when phrase playback ends. This command can be offset up to 59.9 seconds
Applications include:
Using Phrase Start to trigger a light or other controllable device
Using Phrase End to turn off an Amplifier or trigger some other device or start playing another AR phrase.
Pattern Phrase
AR phrases can contain either MIDI data or Audio data. A Pattern Phrase consists of a list of phrases that can contain any type of AR phrase including other Pattern Phrases. The phrases listed in a Pattern Phrase are played in sequence.
Pattern phrases have a number of phrase parameters. Phrases in the phrase list keep their individual Fade in and Fade out times. Phrases levels can be adjusted for each individual phrase. Delayed playback times can be set for each phrase up to 60 seconds.
| Pattern phrases have 4 different playback modes: |
| Sequence Mode |
All of the included phrases are played in order including
Fade in and out times
Individual Level setting
Individual Phrase delay time |
| Random1 Mode |
The phrases within the Pattern Phrase are played back in Random order |
| Random 2 Mode |
Phrases are played back in random order
After a certain number of phrases have been played, based on a user setting, one phrase from Phrases 101-128 is inserted into the playlist;
The Phrases that are inserted into the Playlist are chosen in order from Phrase number 101 to Phrase number 128.
After the first inserted phrase, the playback of the original phrases continues in Random Order for the predetermined number of phrase. Then the next phrase from 101-128 is inserted.
The user selectable range of the number of phrases played before the insertion of a phrase from 101-128 is from one to twenty five phrases. |
| Random 3 Mode |
Phrases are played back in random order
After a certain number of phrases have been played, based on a user setting, one phrase from Phrases 101-128 is inserted into the playlist;
The Phrases that are inserted into the Playlist are chosen randomly from phrases located from Phrase number 101 to Phrase number 128.
After the first inserted phrase, the playback of the original phrases continues in Random Order for the predetermined number of phrase. Then the next randomly selected phrase from Phrase Range 101-128 is inserted.
The user selectable range of the number of phrases played before the insertion of a phrase from numbers 101-128 is from one to twenty five phrases. |
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Applications include:
Background music systems
Background music phrases with interspersed messages
Sync
The AR clocks can be synchronized together. To accomplish this, you need at least one AR-3000 or AR-3000IP unit and an AR Link Cable for each AR unit. When multiple AR units are synchronized, they will play back with sample accuracy. A typical multi-channel system would have one AR-3000 and then a number of AR-200 units. If the AR units are triggered using Contact Closure or some other method, they will all play back in Sample Accurate sync.
External MIDI Time Code can be input into a master AR-3000 or AR-3000IP. When this is the case, then all AR units that are synchronized with the Master AR unit will play back with sample accurate lock. In this case, Time Code can be started at any time and the AR units will resume playing at that point, even if it is in the middle of a phrase.
The total number of channels possible in one synchronized AR system, with at least one AR-3000 or AR-3000IP and multiple AR-200 units is 64 channels of sample accurate playback.
Song Phrase
Song phrases are a type of Pattern Phrase that uses a Time Code time line for the assignment of the phrases. Individual phrases are assigned to a Song Phrase based on a Time Code start location. If the AR units are synchronized to external time code, then the system will “chase” the time code and play the appropriate audio when time code is started or stopped or relocated. When a Song Phrase is played without use of external Time Code, then the phrases will play based on where they are in the timeline, which will “begin” when the phrase playback was initiated.
Applications include:
Multi-channel background or program music
Sound effects played in sync from individual speakers
Vocal effects coming from different animated characters in different locations
Periodic messages with long silent intervals
Direct Play
AR units can be played back using locally controlled GPI triggers. A phrase can be “hard wired” to each of the unit’s Direct Play contacts and the assigned phrase will be played when that contact closure is “made”.
| Direct Play Modes |
There are a number of Direct Play modes that affect the priority of a GPI contact closure when a phrase is already playing including: |
| Normal Mode |
When a phrase is playing, if a lower numbered phrase is triggered, that trigger is ignored; the higher numbered phrase playback continues.
If a higher numbered phrase is triggered, then that takes precedence and playback changes to that phrase.
Constant triggering of the same numbered phrase repeats the playback of that phrase
Loop playback of one phrase can be accomplished using this and the next two modes. |
| First In |
Overlapped Phrases are ignored; So if one phrase is playing and another phrase is triggered, the original phrase continues to play
Constant triggering of phrase repeats the phrase |
| Last In |
Overlapped Phrase plays that Phrase; So if another phrase is triggered during playback of a phrase, the new phrase plays back
Constant triggering of phrase repeats the phrase |
| Sequenced |
Overlapped Phrase number is stored and that phrase is played at end of current phrase; Constant triggering of phrase ignored |
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Applications include:
Triggering of phrase playback by visitors to a museum or installation using buttons or other UI
Triggering of phrases by moving vehicle from positional sensor or some other device
Program Play (List Mode)
The AR series can store 5 lists of up to 100 Phrases.
These phrases can be played in order from GPI inputs
The commands include
Changing the list being played back
Incrementing the phrase number to be played
Decrementing the number of the phrase to be played
Start Play
Stop Play
Applications include:
Playback of list sequence that is triggered by master show control
Broadcast application playing back predetermined list of messages or commercials
Binary
All of the phrases in an AR unit can be played back using binary numbers created by a combination of GPI contact closures. The contact closures from contacts 1 to 9, for example, act as binary numbers, defining the phrase number to be played. Besides selecting the number of the Phrase to be played, there are also Start and Stop commands. There are also a number of modes that determine what happens with overlapping commands. See the AR Series Feature Chart for details.
Applications include:
Choice of many phrases to be played back from show control or other similar system
Fixed Interval (AR-200)
The AR-200 has a unique mode called Fixed Interval Playback. Using this mode, a list of phrases can be played back at certain user selectable intervals. A GPI input is used to select the interval. Interval selection ranges from 1 second to 30 minutes
Applications include:
Message Playback. Combined with the AR’s ducking feature that lowers incoming line input level to user selectable setting, the Fixed Interval playback is great for in-store messaging.
Ducking
The AR series has line inputs for connection to external audio sources such as CD players and satellite feeds. When a message in the AR plays, the external audio input is lowered, or ducked, to a user definable level. There also is a user selectable time for the Fade In and Fade Out of the external audio.
Applications include:
Background music combined with message playback.
This feature is a great way to combine message playback with background music from a CD player or a satellite music service.
Dual Mono Mode
The AR series is capable of independently controlling two different phrases. This allows for independent, two channel operation of the AR phrase playback, using the AR playback triggering methods. Dual Mono Mode is a global setting for each AR unit.
Applications include:
Doubling the number of sound effects that can be independently played from an AR unit.