avantis Allen and Heath User Guide
- June 7, 2024
- avantis
Table of Contents
Allen & Heath Limited
Kernick Industrial Estate
Penryn, Cornwall,
TR10 9LU, UK
www.allen-heath.com
Technical Datasheet
Overview
- XCVI FPGA core
-96kHz sample rate
-Variable bit depth
-96bit accumulator
-Class-leading, ultra-low latency (0.7ms) - Twin 15.6” Full HD capacitive touchscreens with gesture control
- Innovative compact design with super-tough, lightweight full-metal chassis
- 64 Input Channels with full processing (LPF/HPF, Gate, PEQ, comp, Delay)
- Configurable 42 bus architecture with full processing (PEQ, GEQ, Comp, Delay) on Mix Outputs.
- DEEP Processing Ready
- 144 fader strips (24 faders, 6 layers) with optional dedicated master section
- SLink EtherCON connection for remote audio using gigaACE, GX, DX, ME, and snake protocols.
- 12 Local Mic/Line Inputs (XLR)
- 12 Local Line Outputs (XLR)
- 1 Stereo AES Input (XLR)
- 2 Stereo AES Outputs (XLR)
- 2 I/O Ports, both capable of 128×128 operation at 96kHz – for optional cards inc. Dante, MADI and gigaACE
- 8 Mute Groups
- 16 DCA Groups with DCA Spill
- 12 Stereo FX with dedicated FX Returns
- 24 Assignable SoftKeys
- 6 Assignable Custom Rotaries
- Comprehensive metering with multipoint peak detection
- Integrated Fader Illumination
- Built-in signal generator, RTA, and spectrogram
- AMM (Automatic Mic Mixer) up to 64 channels across 1,2 or 4 zones
- Quick copy/paste/reset for parameters
- User Permissions to restrict operator access
- 500 Scene memories per show
- Channel Safes, Global and per Scene Recall Filters
- USB stereo recording and playback
- USB transfer of Scenes, Libraries, Shows
- MIDI Control Driver for MIDI control via TCP/IP
- Wireless remote mixing apps for iPad
- BNC Word Clock connector (input or output)
- ¼” TRS and 3.5mm Headphone outs with dedicated analog volume control
A&E Specifications
The mixer shall be a compact digital mixer capable of standalone operation. It
shall be capable of 64 input channels, 42 mix busses, and 400 soft patchable
system inputs and outputs, all independently assigned. There shall be 12
stereo rack FX engines with dedicated stereo returns and 16 DCAs. The mixer
shall contain the mix engine. The mix engine shall run at a 96kHz sampling
rate and employ FPGA technology for digital signal processing. The system
latency from analog input to output shall not exceed 0.7ms.
The surface shall include 24 motorized touch-sensitive faders in two banks,
each with 6 layers accessed by dedicated keys. Fader illumination shall be
integrated into the armrest of the mixer and shall be adjustable via the
software user interface. All fader strips shall be configurable as input
channels, mixes, FX sends, FX returns, DCA masters, or MIDI strips. Each fader
strip shall have dedicated PAFL, Mix, and Mute buttons with indicators and a
rotary controller. 6 buttons with indicators shall provide a global model
for the rotary controls being Gain, Pan, Sends, and up to 3 custom functions.
Send levels to mixes shall also be adjustable via the faders.
Dedicated keys shall be provided for quick Copy/Paste/Reset of mixes and
processing parameters, pre/post and mix assignments, scene safes, freeze-in-
layers, and GEQ fader
flip. Further physical controls shall be user-assignable, including two sets
of 3 rotary encoders and 24 user-defined keys.
Two 15.6” Full-HD (1080p) capacitive touchscreens shall be provided for access
to the channel bank view, channel name blocks, channel processing, meters, FX,
I/O, scene management, setup, utilities, and diagnostics. The channel name
blocks shall display each visible channel’s name, color, type, number, status,
pan, gain, trim, metering, processor gain reduction, and other parameters.
Touching a channel name block shall select a channel, with the capability to
select one channel per touchscreen.
22-segment meters in the channel name block shall indicate channel and mix
levels. An additional onscreen 22-segment meter shall be provided for
monitoring the PAFL signal. A default Mains to PAFL sub-mix shall be provided.
Comprehensive and customizable input, output, and FX channel, and RTA metering
shall be provided on-screen in a dedicated meters interface.
Local analog inputs shall be provided on 12 balanced XLR sockets and connect
to fully recallable digitally controlled preamplifiers of high quality. These
shall be able to provide up to +60dB of gain, industry-standard 48V phantom
power, and include a switchable -20dB Pad to allow a maximum input level of
+30dBu. Local analog outputs shall be
provided on 12 balanced XLR sockets. These will have a nominal line output of
+4dBu and a maximum output of +22dBu.
One stereo AES3 input with SRC (32-192kHz) shall be provided on one XLR
socket. Two stereo AES3 outputs with SRC (96kHz, 48kHz, 44.1kHz) shall be
provided on two XLR sockets. There shall be an option to bypass the Sample
Rate Conversion on the digital inputs and outputs via the software user
interface.
There shall be a local “SLink” Ethernet audio expansion port with locking
EtherCON connector, supporting multiple protocols (gigaACE, DX, GX, snake, ME)
and providing access to a maximum of 128×128 digital channels, connected over
a single cable ‘digital snake’ and allowing remote preamp control of Allen &
Heath Remote Audio Units, as well as connection to Allen & Heath ME Personal
Mixing Systems.
Two 128-channel I/O ports for optional digital interface modules shall also be
provided. Optional interface modules shall include; MADI, Dante, Waves
SoundGrid, gigaACE, and AES/EBU.
A BNC connector shall be provided on the unit for Wordclock input or output,
switchable in software.
All input channels shall contain the following processing: Trim, Polarity,
High Pass Filter, Low Pass Filter, two Insert points, Gate, Parametric EQ,
Compressor, and Delay.
All output mix channels shall contain the following processing: External
input, Polarity, Trim, Insert, Parametric EQ, and Graphic EQ with RTA and
fader-flip mode, Compressor, and Delay.
The channel processing shall also include high-quality emulations of classic
preamps, compressors, and EQs. These emulations shall be insertable on the fly
on any
channel without using the internal FX and without the need for any external
plug-ins. The use of any emulation shall not result in added latency or affect
processing abilities elsewhere within the system.
All signal delays in the system shall be adjustable in milliseconds, meters,
feet, and samples.
12 user-assignable effect racks shall be provided with a library of factory
preset FX emulations. The FX racks shall be individually configurable as
send/return from a channel or
FX/Mix or inserted into input or output channels. The mixing system shall
provide the options of FX racks processed signals to be returned to other
mixes via dedicated FX input channels, with PEQ, assigned as sources to input
channels, daisy-chained to another FX rack by internal patching, or routed to
an output socket or interface channel.
There shall be 16 DCA groups, with DCA Spill functionality, and 8 Mute groups.
The mixer shall provide Automatic Mic Mixing (AMM) of up to 64 microphone
sources into 1, 2, or 4 zones. The AMM shall be capable of running in classic
gain sharing mode or optionally as a NOM (Number of Open Microphones)
algorithm.
A global source option for the direct out of each input channel shall be
provided in the routing screen. The tap-off point shall be adjusted to the
following positions in the
processing path: post Preamp, post-LPF, post-Gate, post-Insert A return, post
PEQ, post Compressor, post-Insert B return, and post Delay. There shall be
further global options to follow Fader, DCA, and Mute. Direct outputs shall be
assignable via the mixer soft patch bay.
A Talkback facility shall be provided with the ability to send to any output
mix with on-screen status indication. An option to enable talkback latching
and HPF shall be provided.
A signal generator shall be provided with the ability to send a variable level
signal to any input and output mix with visual assignment status on-screen.
The following types of signals shall be available: Sine, White Noise, Pink
Noise, and BandPass.
The mixer shall provide two gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbit/s) ports for Cat5
cable connection to a computer or MIDI over CP/IP control of mixer
parameters via a wireless router (access point) for live mixing control, and
the mixing system shall include application software for tablet devices
connected via a wireless network router to the LAN port.
Input and output channel processing and parameters in the mixer shall be saved
on-demand as a user library item for recall in other channels. All library
items shall be archived
with the show file. Library items shall be transferrable to a USB drive as
portable data to be used in other systems.
The mixer shall provide the facility to save 500 scenes. The scenes shall be
name-able and a descriptive text entry per scene provided. A comprehensive
table of Scene Safes shall be provided to prevent selected items from being
changed from their state when the safe was enabled. A
comprehensive scene filter shall be provided per scene to Allow / Block each
parameter saved in a scene from being changed as that scene is recalled. A Cue
List of scenes shall be provided to facilitate a running order of scenes from
the master list. A crossfade of up to 20 seconds shall be adjustable per
scene. Scene recall may be embedded into a scene with the option to delay the
start of the embedded scene recall by up to 4 minutes.
An option shall be provided for password protection for the log-in of several
users with different levels of system access and permissions. A specific scene
may be chosen to be recalled per change of user-login if desired.
The mixing system shall periodically record all current settings and return
the mixer to that state after a reboot following a power cycle.
The mixing control surface shall have a built-in power supply accepting AC
mains voltages of 100~240V, 50/60 Hz, 150W max via an earthed 3-pin IEC male
connector mounted on the rear chassis. A Two Pole Push-Button switch shall be
provided near the mains input.
Recommended operating temperature for the mixer shall be 5 to 40 degrees
Celsius.
The mixer shall be the Allen & Heath Avantis.
Dimensions
Mixer Specifications
Inputs
Mic/Line XLR Inputs | Balanced XLR, +48V phantom power |
---|---|
Mic/Line Preamp | Fully recallable |
Input Sensitivity | -60 to +15dBu |
Analogue Gain | +5 to +60dB, 1dB steps |
Pad | -20dB Active PAD |
Maximum Input Level | +30dBu (PAD in) |
Input Impedance | >4kΩ (Pad out), >10kΩ (Pad in) |
Mic EIN | -127dB with 150Ω source |
Phantom Power indication | Per socket, internal or external phantom power |
sensing triggered at +24V
Digital Inputs| AES3 2 Ch XLR, 2.5Vpp balanced terminated 110 Ω
SRC range 24 bit, 32k – 192kHz, with bypass option
Outputs
Analog XLR Outputs | Balanced, Relay protected |
---|---|
Output Impedance | <75Ω |
Nominal Output | +4dBu = 0dB meter reading |
Maximum Output Level | +22dBu |
Residual Output Noise | -95dBu (muted, 22-22kHz) |
-90dBu (muted, 0-80kHz)
Digital Outputs| AES3 2 Ch XLR, 2.5Vpp balanced terminated 110 Ω
96kHz sampling rate, globally switchable to 48kHz, 44.1kHz
Dimensions and Weights
Unboxed | Boxed |
---|---|
Width x Depth x Height | 917 x 627 x 269 mm |
36.1″ x 24.7″ x 10.6″ |
Width x Depth x Height
| 1100 x 850 x 425 mm
43.3″ x 33.5″ x 16.7″
Weight| 26kg
57.4lbs| Weight| 34kg
75lbs
System
Measured balanced XLR Into XLR Out, 22-40kHz, minimum Gain, Pad out
Dynamic Range | 109dB |
---|---|
System Signal to Noise | -92dB |
Frequency Response | 20Hz – 30kHz (+0/-0.8dB) |
THD+N (analog into out) | 0.0015% @ +16dBu output, 1kHz 0dB gain |
Headroom | +18dB |
Internal operating Level | 0dBu |
dBFS Alignment | +18dBu = 0dBFS |
(+22dBu at XLR output)
Meter Calibration| 0dB meter = -18dBFS
(+4dBu at XLR out)
Meter Peak indication| -3dBFS (+19dBu at XLR out)
Sampling Rate| 96kHz
Operating Temperature Rang| 0 deg C to 40 deg C
32 deg F to 104 deg F
---|---
Mains Power| 100-240V AC, 50-60Hz, 150W max
USB Audio playback| Mono/stereo .WAV files, 16/24bit, 44.1/48/96kHz
MP3 files
FLAC files
USB Audio recording| Stereo .WAV files,
24bit 96kHz
Avantis Technical Datasheet
Allen & Heath Ltd
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>