ALLEN and HEATH DM Series dLive Mix Rack User Guide
- August 31, 2024
- Allen and Heath
Table of Contents
- ALLEN and HEATH DM Series dLive Mix Rack
- Product Information
- Product Usage Instructions
- Limited Three Years Manufacturer’s Warranty
- IMPORTANT – Read before starting
- Packed items
- Introduction
- Installing the MixRack
- Rear Panel
- Front Panel
- Connect and power up
- Dimensions
- Technical specs
- References
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)
ALLEN and HEATH DM Series dLive Mix Rack
Product Information
Specifications
- Models: DM32, DM48, DM64
- Manufacturer: Allen & Heath Limited
- Warranty: Limited Three Years Manufacturer’s Warranty (AP9985)
- Operating Temperature: 0 to 35 degrees Celsius
- Website: www.allen-heath.com
Product Usage Instructions
Getting Started
Before starting, check www.allen-heath.com
for the latest dLive firmware and documentation.
Safety Instructions
Read the Important Safety Instructions provided with the equipment before
use. Follow all instructions and warnings for safety.
Firmware Update
Check www.allen-heath.com for the latest version
of dLive firmware. The MixRack function is determined by the firmware.
Software License Agreement
Agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA) by using the Allen & Heath
product and software. Find the EULA at
www.allenheath.com/legal.
Further Information
Visit the Allen & Heath website for technical support, knowledgebase, and
dLive setup information. Download the dLive Firmware Reference Guide at www
.allen-heath.com.
General Precautions
- Ensure proper ventilation and operating temperature (0 to 35 degrees Celsius).
- Avoid exposure to solvents and ensure the equipment is not obstructed.
- Refer to the local distributor for maintenance and repair needs.
Register Your Product
Register your product online at www.allen-heath.com/register.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
-
Q: What should I do if I encounter issues with the firmware update?
A: If you face problems during the firmware update, contact Allen & Heath technical support for assistance. -
Q: How can I ensure the safety of the equipment during storage?
A: When not in use for a long period, store the equipment in a safe environment with recommended temperature conditions and proper ventilation.
DM32, DM48, DM64
Getting Started Guide
Before starting please check www.allen-heath.com for the latest dLive firmware and documentation.
Limited Three Years Manufacturer’s Warranty
Allen & Heath warrants the Allen &Heath -branded hardware product and
accessories contained in the original packaging (“Allen & Heath Product”)
against defects in materials and workmanship when used in accordance with
Allen & Heath’s user manuals, technical specifications and other Allen & Heath
product published guidelines for a period of THREE (3) YEARS from the date of
original purchase by the end-user purchaser (“Warranty Period”).
This warranty does not apply to any non-Allen & Heath branded hardware
products or any software, even if packaged or sold with Allen & Heath
hardware.
Please refer to the licensing agreement accompanying the software for details
of your rights with respect to the use of software/firmware (“EULA”).
Details of the EULA, warranty policy and other useful information can be found
on the Allen & Heath website: www.allen-heath.com/legal.
Repair or replacement under the terms of the warranty does not provide right
to extension or renewal of the warranty period. Repair or direct replacement
of the product under the terms of this warranty may be fulfilled with
functionally equivalent service exchange units.
This warranty is not transferable. This warranty will be the purchaser’s sole
and exclusive remedy and neither Allen & Heath nor its approved service
centres shall be liable for any incidental or consequential damages or breach
of any express or implied warranty of this product.
Conditions Of Warranty
The equipment has not been subject to misuse either intended or accidental,
neglect, or alteration other than as described in the User Guide or Service
Manual, or approved by Allen & Heath. The warranty does not cover fader wear
and tear.
Any necessary adjustment, alteration or repair has been carried out by an
authorised Allen & Heath distributor or agent.
The defective unit is to be returned carriage prepaid to the place of
purchase, an authorised Allen & Heath distributor or agent with proof of
purchase. Please discuss this with the distributor or the agent before
shipping. Units returned should be packed in the original carton to avoid
transit damage.
DISCLAIMER: Allen & Heath shall not be liable for the loss of any saved/stored
data in products that are either repaired or replaced.
Check with your Allen & Heath distributor or agent for any additional warranty
information which may apply. If further assistance is required please contact
Allen & Heath Ltd.
dLive MixRack Getting Started Guide Issue 5
Copyright © 2021 Allen & Heath. All rights reserved.
Allen & Heath Limited, Kernick Industrial Estate, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9LU,
UK http://www.allen-heath.com
IMPORTANT – Read before starting
Safety instructions
Before starting, read the Important Safety Instructions printed on the sheet
supplied with the equipment. For your own safety and that of the operator,
technical crew and performers, follow all instructions and heed all warnings
printed on the sheet and on the equipment panels.
System operating firmware
The function of the dLive MixRack is determined by the firmware (operating
software) that runs it. Firmware is updated regularly as new features are
added and improvements made.
Check www.allen-heath.com for the latest
version of dL ive firmware.
Software licence agreement
By using this Allen & Heath product and the software within it you agree to be
bound by the terms of the relevant End User Licence Agreement (EULA), a copy
of which can be found at www.allen-heath.com/legal. You agree to be bound by the terms of the EULA by
installing, copying, or using the software.
Further information
Please refer to the Allen & Heath website for further information,
knowledgebase and technical support. For more information on dLive setup and
mixing functions please refer to the dLive Firmware Reference Guide available
for download at www.allen-heath.com.
Check for the latest version of this Getting Started Guide.
You can also join our Allen & Heath Digital Community to share knowledge and
information with other dLive users.
General precautions
- Protect the equipment from damage through liquid or dust contamination. Cover the MixRack when it is not being used for a long period.
- If the equipment has been stored in sub-zero temperatures allow time for it to reach normal operating temperature before use at the venue. Recommended operating temperature is 0 to 35 degrees Celsius.
- Avoid using the equipment in extreme heat and direct sunlight. Make sure the ventilation slots are not obstructed and that there is adequate air movement around the equipment.
- Clean the equipment with a soft brush and dry lint-free cloth. Do not use chemicals, abrasives or solvents.
- It is recommended that servicing is carried out only by an authorised Allen & Heath agent. Contact details for your local distributor can be found on the Allen & Heath website. Allen & Heath do not accept liability for damage caused by maintenance, repair or modification by unauthorised personnel.
Register your product
Register your product online at www.allen-heath.com/register.
Packed items
Check you have received the following:
- DM Mix Rack
- Getting Started Guide AP9985
- Safety Sheet
- IEC mains lead
Introduction
dLive is a distributed digital mixing system providing a uniquely flexible
solution for any live sound application. It separates the mix engine from the
control surface, putting the audio and processing where it is needed, and
offering a host of control and audio networking possibilities. Refer to the
Allen & Heath website to find out more about dLive.
The MixRack is the heart of any dLive system. It houses the XCVI processing
core complete with audio I/O, control and audio networking ports. It is
typically connected to a dLive Surface, but can also be controlled at the same
time as or even without a Surface using a laptop or iPad, Allen & Heath IP
remotes or third party controllers via TCP/IP. The system can be expanded by
adding up to 3 DX32 modular racks, and is compatible with the ME personal
mixing system.
dLive MixRacks
There are 3 sizes of dLive MixRack available. All feature the same mix engine
and differ only in the number of analogue I/O. All models can work with the
full 128 channels by adding DX expanders or patching digital sources.
dLive MixRack features at a glance:
- CVI 160×64 FPGA core
- 96kHz sample rate, 96bit accumulator
- Class leading, ultra-low latency 0.7ms
- 128 Input Channels with full processing
- 64 Mix Outputs with full processing
- DEEP processing embedded channel plugins
- Configurable 64 bus architecture (group, FX, aux, matrix, mains)
- LR, LCR and up to 5.1 mains mode
- 16 RackFX with dedicated stereo returns
- Multiple PFLs
- 16 DCAs
- Built-in signal generator, RTA and spectrogram
- Dual redundant, hot swappable power supply
- Flush front panel with ultra quiet fan
- Reversible rack ears design
Installing the MixRack
-
Free standing
The MixRack can be operated as a freestanding unit for shelf or floor operation. Check that its plastic feet are fitted. Ensure adequate air flow around the unit. It must not be covered in any way. Always stand the unit on a firm flat surface away from any soft furnishings or carpet. -
Rack mounting and flight casing
The DM32, DM48 and DM64 are designed as 19 inch rack mount units and occupy 7U, 8U, 10U of rack space respectively. The plastic feet may need to be removed before rack mounting; retain them for future use.
For rental, touring and other portable use, we recommend that you use a professional grade flight case with shock mounted internal rack frame.
Ensure natural convection of airflow around the unit by allowing good ventilation below, in front of and behind the unit. Rack equipment known to produce a significant amount of heat should not be mounted directly below the unit. Forced convection by means of a rack mounted fan-tray may be desirable in situations where space is restricted and the ambient air temperature is high. -
Rack ears
The rack ears can be mounted facing either the front or rear panel to suit the application. They are secured to the sides of the MixRack with 3 screws each as indicated below. Remove these screws using a Pozidriv screwdriver to remove or reposition the rack ears.
Rear Panel
-
Mic/Line inputs – Recallable preamps for balanced or unbalanced microphone and line level signals. Gain, Pad and 48V are digitally controlled within the preamp.
The PP indicator lights up when phantom power voltage is detected at the socket, whether internally or externally sourced.
Any socket can be patched to any Input Channel using the I/O or Processing / Preamp screen. -
Line outputs – Line level, balanced XLR outputs. Nominal level +4dBu. The outputs are relay protected to prevent power on or off thumps.
Signals can be patched to any output socket using the I/O screen. -
I/O Ports – 3x audio interface ports 128×128 channels each, independently assigned. Fit one of the option cards available for system expansion, digital mic splitting, recording or distributed audio networking. Refer to www.allen-heath.com for a list of available option cards.
iLive / GLD option cards (M-Dante, M-Waves, M-ES-V2, M-ACE, M-MADI) can be used with dLive when fitted with the M-DL-ADAPT ‘letter-box’ adapter. This provides a 64×64 48kHz interface with built-in Sample Rate Conversion. Use the I/O screen to patch signals from or to the I/O Ports. -
Network –2x RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet ports. Connect a laptop or a wireless router to use with dLive Editor or iOS apps. All devices on the network must have compatible IP addresses.
A recessed switch lets you reset the network settings to factory default. To reset, turn the MixRack off, insert a pointed object to press and hold the switch whilst turning the MixRack back on. Hold the switch in for at least 15 seconds. -
gigaACE link – MixRack to Surface link over Gigabit Ethernet (IEEE 802.3 Layer 2 compliant). A single Cat5e (or higher) cable carries bidirectional 96kHz audio and control. Use two cables for redundancy – the system will seamlessly switch cable in case of failures, without any audio dropout.
-
DX links – Dual redundant EtherCon ports for connection of up to 2 DX expanders over Fast Ethernet (IEEE 802.3 Layer 2 compliant). A single Cat5e (or higher) cable carries 32×32 channels of 96kHz audio and control. Connect the first expander to DX1 & DX2, the second expander to DX3 & DX4.
Use the I/O screen to patch signals from or to the DX expanders. -
ME – Dedicated EtherCon port for the Allen & Heath ME personal mixing system. A single Cat5e (or higher) carries 40 channels of 48kHz audio, channel names and stereo links. Connect a ME-1 mixer for daisy chaining or ME-U hub for power and audio distribution.
Use the I/O screen to patch signals to the ME system. -
Word Clock I/O – BNC connectors for syncing from an external audio clock or providing a clock to other devices. Use the MixRack / Audio / Audio Sync screen to select the clock source.
-
Audio Sync Lock – Indicates that the audio is sync locked to a valid clock source. If this does not light up then check that the correct clock source is selected in the MixRack / Audio / Audio Sync screen.
-
Phones – Standard 1/4” jack socket and level control for the built-in headphone amplifier. The output follows the PAFL selection.
-
Power Supply – Hot swappable power supply with mains IEC socket and On/Off rocker switch. To remove or replace, loosen the 4 screws indicated below and slide the PSU out of the slot.
dLive
MixRacks ship with one PSU fitted. A second PSU can be fitted for redundancy
(part number MPS-16). Loosen the 4 captive thumb screws securing the blank
panel*, slide the PSU into the slot, and tighten the 4 captive thumb screws
indicated above. The MixRack will automatically switch between the supplies
without interruption to the audio should one fail.
On early dLive units, remove the 4 screws securing the blank panel using a
star Torx T8 screwdriver.
Heed the safety warnings printed on the panel.
A plastic P-clip cable clamp is provided to secure the mains cable. Slot the
cable in or lock it in place using a star Torx T20 screwdriver to refit the
clamp around the cable.
Front Panel
Fan – Ultra-quiet fan. Make sure the ventilation opening is not obstructed.- Kensington Lock – A slot for fitting standard Kensington anti-theft security devices.
- Status indicators – Power ON indicators for the 2 power supplies. The Ready indicator lights up when the output sockets are ready to pass audio after power up.
Connect and power up
Switch on the MixRack. It takes around 15s for the mix engine to start passing audio. You should hear the relays click as they connect the outputs once the boot-up is completed. The Ready indicator on the front panel will light up at this point.
Surface connection
Plug a touring grade CAT5e (or higher specification) cable up to 100m long
between the dLive Surface and MixRack gigaACE ports. Use two cables for
redundancy if required.
Refer to www.allen-heath.com for cable
requirements, recommendations, and a list of CAT5 cables available to order.
Switch
on the Surface. The gigaACE Lnk/Err indicators flash at a steady rate when the
link is established. The red error indicator lights if a communication error
is detected. Check that the cables are correctly plugged in and are not
faulty.
It takes around 30s for the Surface to take control and the touchscreen to be
responsive.
Expander connection
Plug a touring grade CAT5e (or higher specification) cable up to 100m long
between the DX Expander and MixRack DX ports. Use two cables for redundancy if
required.
Refer to www.allen-heath.com for cable
requirements, recommendations, and a list of CAT5 cables available to order.
Switch
on the DX Expander. The DX port Lnk/Err indicators flash at a steady rate when
the link is established. The red error indicator lights if a communication
error is detected. Check that the cables are correctly plugged in and are not
faulty.
ME system connection
Plug a touring grade CAT5e (or higher specification) cable up to 100m long
between the MixRack ME port and the ME-1 or ME-U.
Refer to www.allen-heath.com for cable
requirements, recommendations, and a list of CAT5 cables available to order.
Connect a laptop or wireless router
Connect a laptop, router or access point to either of the Network ports to use
with dLive Editor or iOS apps. Read the Release Notes and Help Files
accompanying the software or apps for further information.
- MixRack 192.168.1.70
- Surface 192.168.1.71
- Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
- Gateway 192.168.1.254
For direct, wired laptop connections, set your laptop to a static, compatible
IP address, for example 192.168.1.10.
For wireless connections, set your router / access point to a compatible IP
address, for example 192.168.1.254, and its DHCP range to a compatible range
of addresses, for example 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200. Set any wireless
laptop or mobile device to DHCP / ‘obtain an IP address automatically’.
Dimensions
Technical specs
Inputs| | System|
---|---|---|---
Mic/Line XLR Inputs
| ****
Balanced XLR, +48V phantom power
| ****
Measured balanced XLR in to XLR out, 20-20kHz, minimum Gain, Pad out, signal @ 0dB (meter)
Mic/Line Preamp| Fully recallable| Dynamic Range| 110dB
Input Sensitivity| -60 to +15dBu| System Signal to Noise| -92dB
Analogue Gain| +5 to +60dB, 1dB steps| Frequency Response| 20Hz – 30kHz
+0/-0.8dB
Pad| -20dB Active PAD| THD+N (analogue in to out)| 0.0015% @ +16dBu output,
1kHz 0dB gain
Maximum Input Level| +30dBu (PAD in)| Headroom| +18dB
Input Impedance| >4kΩ (Pad out), >10kΩ (Pad in)| Internal operating Level|
0dBu
Mic EIN| -127dB with 150Ω source| dBFS Alignment| +18dBu = 0dBFS (+22dBu at
XLR
output)
Phantom Power indication| Per socket, internal or external phantom power sensing, triggered at 24V| Meter Calibration| 0dB meter = -18dBFS (+4dBu at XLR out)
Outputs
| | ****
Meter Peak indication
| ****
-3dBFS (+19dBu at XLR out)
Analogue XLR Outputs
| ****
Balanced, Relay protected
| ****
Sampling Rate
| ****
96kHz +/- 20 PPM
Output Impedance| <75Ω| ADC| 24-bit Delta-Sigma
Nominal Output| +4dBu = 0dB meter reading| DAC| 24-bit Delta-Sigma
Maximum Output Level| +22dBu| |
Residual Output Noise| -92dBu (muted, 20-20kHz)| Latency| 0.7 ms (MixRack XLR
in to XLR out, Input to Mix)
| -90dBu (muted, 20-40kHz)| | + 5 samples, Surface to Mixrack (GigaACE hop)
| | | + 8 samples, DX32 to Mixrack (DX hop)
Dimensions and Weights| | Power|
| Width x Depth x Height x Weight| |
DM32| 482.6 x 313 x 325 mm x 15kg (19″ x 12.3″ x 12.8″ x 33lbs)| Mains Voltage
Operating Range| 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz
DM48| 482.6 x 313 x 369 mm x 17.5kg (19″ x 12.3″ x 14.5″ x 39lbs)| Mains Power
Consumption| 300W max (MPS16 V1 300W)*
250W max (MPS16 V2 250W)*
DM64| 482.6 x 313 x 458 mm x 21kg (19″ x 12.3″ x 18″ x 46lbs)| i MPS16 power consumption is printed under AC inlet
Boxed
| | ****
Temperature
|
DM32| 590 x 420 x 470 mm x 17.5kg
(23.2″ x 16.5″ x 18.5″ x 38.6lbs)
| Operating Temperature Range|
DM48| 590 x 420 x 510 mm x 20kg
(23.2″ x 16.5″ x 20.1″ x 44.1lbs)
| Fitted with MPS16 V1 300w|
| 0°C to 35°C (32°F to 95°F)
DM64| 590 x 420 x 585 mm x 24kg
(23.2″ x 16.5″x 23″ x 52.9lbs)
| Fitted with MPS16 V2 250w|
| 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
References
- heath.com domain name may be for sale
- Allen & Heath - Heard Everywhere
- Allen & Heath - Heard Everywhere
- Register a Product - Allen & Heath
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