AstralComm

AstralComm is a proprietary communication protocol developed by Sound Devices and DiGiCo to enable network-based macro integration between Sound Devices Astral Series devices and DiGiCo consoles.

Macro Output Commands are sent from the Astral ARX16 / ARX32 receiver or its paired Astral transmitters to trigger macros on a DiGiCo console. Each user-defined command is configured using four parameters: Name, Source, Condition, and Command ID.

Macro Input Commands are received from a DiGiCo console to trigger designated actions on the Astral ARX16 / ARX32 receiver or its paired Astral transmitters. Each user-defined command is configured using four parameters: Name, Target, Action, and Command ID

Equipment Requirements

Setup

Establishing Network Connection

The first step in establishing network communication between the ARX16 / ARX32 and a DiGiCo console is to connect a network cable between the Astral receiver's Network Control port and the DiGiCo console's Network Control port.

**Note: Network switches can be used when connecting multiple devices within the control network.

Identifying Network IP Addresses

Identify and document the Control IP addresses of both the Astral receiver and the DiGiCo console.

A. Astral Receiver

1. From the Main Menu of the Astral receiver, navigate to the Network menu.
2. Document the IP address listed under Control IP. (In this Example the Astral Receiver's IP address is 10.5.1.89)

B. DiGiCo Console

1. From the DiGiCo Master Screen, navigate to Setup > External Control.
2. Locate and document the Console IP address displayed at the bottom of the External Control window. (In this example the DiGiCo's IP address is 10.5.1.222)

**Note: If the IP Address displays 0.0.0.0, navigate to Options > Console, to confirm Enable Console Network is set to YES and the correct network adapter is selected.

Establishing the Network Link

1. Add the DiGiCo Console to the Astral Receiver

1. From the Main Menu of the Astral receiver, navigate to System > Macros > DiGiCo Console List.
2. Select Add to enter the DiGiCo console's IP address. (In this Example the DiGiCo Console IP Address is 10.5.1.222)
3. Select Save to add the console to the list.

**Note: An AstralComm network can consist of up to 10 ARX16 and/or ARX32 receivers (standalone or in RF Mirror Mode) and 10 DiGiCo consoles. When working with DiGiCo consoles with dual engines, add the IP address for each engine to the console list. Only the “active” engine will listen to the received AstralComm commands.

2. Configure External Control on the DiGiCo Console

1. In the DiGiCo console's External Control window, select Enable External Control so that it displays YES.
2. Under External Devices, select Add Device.
3. Choose Astral from the drop-down menu.
4. Once Astral has been added to the External Devices list, enter the Astral receiver's Control IP address (In this example the Astral Receiver’s control IP address is 10.5.1.89)
5. Confirm the DevID if using multiple external devices.

**Note: When using two Astral receivers in RF Mirror Mode, DevID 1-A and 1-B are supported under the same device ID. For independent receivers operating without RF Mirror Mode, assign each receiver a unique DevID (1, 2, 3, etc.).

1. Select Enabled for the Astral receiver in the External Devices list.
2. If the network link is successful, the device will display OK in green in the list.

3. Enable Astral Integration on the DiGiCo Console

1. From the DiGiCo console, navigate to Setup > Audio I/O.
2. In the bottom-right corner, locate the Integration menu.
3. Select Astral to open the Astral Integration Routing window.
4. Under Integration Options, select Enable Astral Integration.

Astral Telemetry on DiGiCo Quantum Channel Strips

Astral Telemetry enables real-time monitoring of Astral transmitter status directly from DiGiCo Quantum console channel strips. This integration provides at-a-glance visibility of key system information, including battery level, Quality Meter, NexLink status, transmitter power state (On/Off), and audio mute state (On/Off). Engineers can monitor wireless performance and transmitter status directly from the DiGiCo Quantum console, without needing a direct line of sight to the Astral receiver or requiring access to the Astral Wireless WebGUI.

Configuring Channel Strip Telemetry

Before configuring channel strip telemetry, ensure that the AstralComm network setup has been completed, including IP address configuration, DiGiCo External Device setup, and enabling Astral Integration on the console.

To assign Astral Telemetry to a DiGiCo Quantum console channel strip:

1. From the DiGiCo Quantum console, navigate to Setup > Audio I/O.
2. In the bottom-right corner, under the Integration menu, select Astral to open the Astral Integration window.
3. Select the desired Audio I/O socket where telemetry will be displayed.
4. In the Astral Integration window, assign the corresponding RF Channel to the selected socket.
5. Repeat these steps for each additional channel strip requiring Astral Telemetry.

Macro Programming

Configuring Transmitter Controls

To trigger a command from an Astral Series transmitter:

1. From the Astral receiver's 1RX view, select the gear icon for the channel associated with the transmitter.
2. In the settings menu, verify that the Control Ring Type or Switch matches the control ring or switch option installed on the transmitter.
3. Assign the desired transmitter button or switch function to Control.

Note: If the button or switch is assigned to None, the button or switch is disabled and will not trigger Astral commands.

Note: If the Astral Series Transmitter is in the off state or if RF is muted, Astral commands will not be triggered.

Configuring Macro Outputs

From the Main Menu of the Astral receiver, navigate to System > Macros and select Macro Outputs from the macro dropdown menu to send macro commands from the Astral receiver to the DiGiCo console.

1. Select New to create a new macro.
2. Create new macros by defining the following parameters:

Name

Enter a descriptive name for the command. The default name is 'Macro'. Up to 20 alphanumeric characters are permitted.

Source

Selects which receiver channel, TX Group, or Mirror Mode function is the source for the macro command.

Options include:

• RX Channel Number (ex. 1 - 32).
• TX Group Number (1 – 8).
• All TX Group.
• RF Mirror.

Condition

To send a command from the selected source, choose the paired transmitter button action, transmitter control switch position, transmitter state, or ARX16 / ARX32 action that should trigger it.

A. Transmitter Button Actions

• [Button-L, Button-C, or Button-R] Release
• [Button-L, Button-C, or Button-R] Press/Release

B. Transmitter Control Switch Position

• [Control Switch] On/Off
• [Control Switch] On
• [Control Switch] Off

C. Transmitter State

Sends the command when the ARX16 / ARX32 receives confirmation that the transmitter state is true.

• [TX Power, TX Mute, TX Record, or TX RF] is On
• [TX Power, TX Mute, TX Record, or TX RF] is Off

D. ARX16 / ARX32 Action

Sends the command immediately when the ARX16 / ARX32 initiates the action from its interface or the web app. It does not wait to receive confirmation from the transmitter.

• Initiate [TX Power, TX Mute, TX Record, or TX RF] On
• Initiate [TX Power, TX Mute, TX Record, or TX RF] Off
• [TX Group 1–8 Power, TX Group 1–8 Mute, TX Group 1–8 Record, or TX Group 1–8 RF] On
• [TX Group 1–8 Power, TX Group 1–8 Mute, TX Group 1–8 Record, or TX Group 1–8 RF] Off
• [All TX Group Power, All TX Group Mute, All TX Group Record, or All TX Group RF] On
• [All TX Group Power, All TX Group Mute, All TX Group Record, or All TX Group RF] Off
• [RF Mirror] None
• [RF Mirror] Active

Command ID

Range: None, 1 to 256.

The Command ID must match the Command ID configured in the corresponding DiGiCo console macro. If the IDs do not match, the macro command will not be executed.

Configuring the DiGiCo for Astral Output Macros

1. From the DiGiCo Master Screen, navigate to Setup > Macros.
2. Select New to add a new macro.
3. Define the macro parameters in the Macro Editor. Refer to the console's user manual for more information on macros.
4. To trigger the macro from an AstralComm command, select External in the Macro Editor.
5. Confirm that Astral is selected and define the Device and Command ID to match the Command ID configured in the Astral receiver.

Configuring Macro Inputs

Commands sent from a DiGiCo console can be assigned to target Astral ARX16 / ARX32 receiver channels, TX Groups, Receiver Display Views, or WebGUI Display Views.

The image below displays a DiGiCo console sending Command ID 6 to be received on channel 1 of an ARX16 / ARX32. When the command is sent, the transmitter assigned to receive channel 1 will TX Mute.

Name

Enter a descriptive name for the command. The default name is 'Macro'. Up to 20 alphanumeric characters are permitted.

Target

Selects the receiver channel, TX Group, or receiver interface that will receive and execute the incoming macro command

Options include:

• RX Channel Number (ex 1 – 32).
• TX Group Number (1–8).
• All TX Group.
• OLED.
• Web App.

Action

The action that is performed on the selected Target when an incoming macro command from a DiGiCo console is detected and validated.

A. Target Type: RX Channel Number

• TX Power On, TX RF On, TX Mute On, TX Record On, TX ID On
• TX Power Off, TX RF Off, TX Mute Off, TX Record Off, TX ID Off
• TX Power On/Off, TX RF On/Off, TX Mute On/Off, TX Record On/Off, TX ID On/Off (Macro toggles the On/Off state)
• Set Gain To [-6 to 60dB]
• Increase Gain By, Decrease Gain By [1 dB, 2 dB, 5 dB]
• Set HPF To [Off, 40 Hz, 60 Hz, 80 Hz, 100 Hz, 120 Hz, 160 Hz, 200 Hz]
• Increase HPF Frequency, Decrease HPF Frequency
• Set RF Power To [2 mW, 10 mW, 20mW, 40 mW, 100 mW]
• Increase RF Power, Decrease RF Power

B. Target Type: TX Group Number

• TX Power On, TX RF On, TX Mute On, TX Record On, TX ID On
• TX Power Off, TX RF Off, TX Mute Off, TX Record Off, TX ID Off

C. Target Type: OLED (Use to trigger the Astral ARX32 front panel to show a specific view)

• None, Show RX Channel 1 - 32, Show RTSA, Show TX List, Show Home, Show RF Menu, Show Audio Menu

D. Target Type: Web App (Use to trigger the Astral Web App to show a specific view)

• None, Show RX Channel 1 - 32, Show RTSA, Show TX List, Show Home, Show RF Menu, Show Audio Menu

Command ID

Range: None, 1 to 256.

The Command ID must match the Command ID configured in the corresponding DiGiCo console macro. If the IDs do not match, the macro command will not be executed.

Configuring the DiGiCo for Astral Input Macros

1. From the DiGiCo Master Screen, navigate to Setup > Macros.
2. Select New to add a new macro.
3. Select Sound Devices from the Command Types
4. Select Fire Astral Macro as the Command

5. Define the Device and Command ID to match the Command ID configured in the Astral receiver.

   

Macros and RF Mirror Mode

Macro commands created on a Primary ARX16 / ARX32 are mirrored to a Secondary unit when RF Mirror Mode is activated.

Depending on the Mirror DiGiCo Console List setting, the system can be configured so that both units send macro commands or only the active unit sends macro commands.

Configuring RF Mirror Mode

1. Navigate to Network > RF Mirror Mode.
2. Enable or disable the Mirror DiGiCo Console List setting as follows:

Mirror DiGiCo Console List Settings

• On: Only the active unit (Primary or Secondary) sends macro commands. This configuration is typically used in single-console applications.
• Off: Both the Primary and Secondary units send macro commands. This configuration is typically used when the Primary and Secondary ARX16 / ARX32 units are each feeding their own consoles.