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ZMC v4 - Whole house audio for HS3

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    #16
    Originally posted by LeoS View Post
    @CharlieWayne:
    Sounds good. I think I'm sticking with unamped for now. I still get bad distortion when playing low freq sound... but the primary function is voice announcements and it works well for that; and if I decide to use this for BGM, it'll probably light music (w/o bass) anyway.

    I've seen this array microphone mentioned a few times; might be worth checking out: http://www.amazon.com/Andrea-2S-Supe.../dp/B00FCLIE78

    @AshaiRey: I've wired some PZM-11 mics that I've already had for awhile (recommended from the 'previous' AP800 install thread by pkoslow; circa 2005) and I can see the XAP800 input activity lights triggered whenever I generate noise near the mics, but I can't direct the input to HS3 (nor any other speakers) to test yet.... What am I doing wrong? Is this a gating issue and should I unplug all the other mics or is it enough just to mute them?

    Do you get any distortions on certain type of sound/music with your setup? Am I setting mine wrong?
    Inputs 1-8 are ment for mics so they have a high gain input. Read the manual how to turn one into a line level input. Next on your input turn on the Post Gain VU meter and adjust your gain to where the bar reaches the yellow and not in the red. This goes for everthing

    A word of advice. Don't use volume control on the inputs!! Use the volume of the output. The reason behind this is that when you do echo cancelling and substracting audio sources the levels must be above some threshold and it's better that they stay fixed.

    @CharlieWayne
    I dont recall seeing any gain settings in Brams scripts, but really I wasn't looking for that either..
    It is possible to make direct call to functions within the script like this if you know the parameters: (see notes at the start of the script and the manual for the parameters)

    For the gain
    AZ_ZMC4.vb("SetGain","0|8|O|16|A")
    <unit_code> <channel> <group> <value in dB> <Absolute or Relative>
    - Bram

    Send from my Commodore VIC-20

    Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
    HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
    PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

    Comment


      #17
      Originally posted by CharlieWayne View Post
      I'm gonna start first with various small used speakers in the bedrooms. We have CAT6 jacks near every bed and will use them for line in/out.

      The speakers and amps will be under the bed facing outward, and I was thinking of placing a mic on top of the headboard. It's my thought this approach will help reduce noise when trying to use wakeup words for HS. If your in the bedroom your most likely in bed placing the mic only 2 foot from us.

      I haven't chosen a mic yet, but will probily just start testing with a spare headset mic I have. Might also look on amazon as most things are only 2 days away.
      That's the same setup i got. Some big Akai speakers from the '80 under the bed and a good quality boundary mic on the headboard. If you are aiming at open air VR then don't waste your time and money on a cheap mic. I've been there and tried over 20 mics and solutions including babyphone, walkieTalkie and mobiles. They work as long as you keep them (very) close to your mouth. If you are planning to go that route then consider to use a push -to-talk mic. However they can't be used for listening into a room from another room.

      For open air VR the mic is everything.
      I use these Samson CM11B omnidirectional boundary microphone.
      - Bram

      Send from my Commodore VIC-20

      Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
      HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
      PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

      Comment


        #18
        I need some help with an audio input connection.

        Anyone know what type of audio connection this is in the photo below. Its a female connector with a center pin that also has 2 exterior pins for "stereo" input.

        I could just solder to the back of the bread board but would prefer the proper jack.

        Charlie
        Attached Files
        HSPro: 3.0.0.194
        PL: Insteon PLM 3.0.5.20,Insteon Thermostat 3.0.1.1 , UltraM1G, RainRelay8, UltraECM3, UltraPioneerAVR3, BLBackup, weatherXML, Jon00 Network & PC Monitor
        HW : Win 7 64bit, Intel i7-2600, 16 GB DDR3 Ram, 60 Plus Insteon Dual Band Devices, Rain8 Pro2, Elk M1 Gold, Brueltech GreenEye.

        Comment


          #19
          Originally posted by AshaiRey View Post
          Inputs 1-8 are ment for mics so they have a high gain input. Read the manual how to turn one into a line level input. Next on your input turn on the Post Gain VU meter and adjust your gain to where the bar reaches the yellow and not in the red. This goes for everthing
          Thanks. Right now i'm testing the connections and the xap800 w/ gware directly, to make sure that everything works as intended before moving on to your script.

          All my PZM-11 mics are connected to input_1 to 8 and i can see the gware activity light of the corresponding input lights up when i snap my finger near the corresponding mic. But when i route the mics to output_1 (that goes to Hs3 microphone connector) or to any other output really ( connected to speakers)
          I couldn't hear any sound picked up by that mic.

          I will double check the pre-post gain and level things up.

          I just want to see the mics pick up sound and can be routed to output device properly, before resetting the xap800s again and loading your presets.

          Other than the samson cm11b, i've seen Shure boundary mics on Ebay for slightly lower price. Have you tested any Shures?

          @CharlieWayne:

          Dude, that's not the power plug?
          Got the picture of the opening? Could it be mini-xlr?
          HW: HS3 w/ Win8.1 on ASRock C2550d4i. Digi AnywhereUSB, Hubport, Edgeport, UZB, Z-trollers, PLCBUS, SONOS, GC-100, iTach IP2SL, WF2IR, IP2IR, RFXtrx433, Harmony Hubs, Hue, Ademco Vista 128BP, NetAtmo, NetAtmo Welcome

          Google Search for HomeSeer Forum

          Comment


            #20
            Originally posted by LeoS View Post

            @CharlieWayne:

            Dude, that's not the power plug?
            Got the picture of the opening? Could it be mini-xlr?
            Dahhhh, Stupid me. Man things just dont go together well at 4am. I was hung up on the idea that that cause there are 3 pins on the plug it had to be the audio input.

            Anyways. got the amp running and I must say the sound level is now 3,000% louder and no distortion until i go to max, but at that level its only useful for rock concerts.

            Looking forward to deployment.
            HSPro: 3.0.0.194
            PL: Insteon PLM 3.0.5.20,Insteon Thermostat 3.0.1.1 , UltraM1G, RainRelay8, UltraECM3, UltraPioneerAVR3, BLBackup, weatherXML, Jon00 Network & PC Monitor
            HW : Win 7 64bit, Intel i7-2600, 16 GB DDR3 Ram, 60 Plus Insteon Dual Band Devices, Rain8 Pro2, Elk M1 Gold, Brueltech GreenEye.

            Comment


              #21
              AshaiRey, perhaps you can help.

              I am trying to control my XAP800 directly.
              Something simple, as muting output 8:
              #50 MUTE 8 O 0

              Using g-ware works fine. I just cannot make it work writing a string into the port.

              Reason I am trying to do this directly is to test my system, as using the plugin from Blade also fails.

              I am using Termite to just send the string to the port. Nothing works.
              I see that unit settings has a choice for TEXT or BINARY modes, but changing it did not help.

              Any tips you can share on how to troubleshoot this

              Comment


                #22
                Originally posted by CharlieWayne View Post
                Dahhhh, Stupid me. Man things just dont go together well at 4am. I was hung up on the idea that that cause there are 3 pins on the plug it had to be the audio input.

                Anyways. got the amp running and I must say the sound level is now 3,000% louder and no distortion until i go to max, but at that level its only useful for rock concerts.

                Looking forward to deployment.
                Lol i get it

                I was fighting crackling output from my HS3 too yesterday, but i vaguely remembered that i've already tweaked it to sound clean before that... after fumbling about with the mixer settings, turned out reconnecting the usb sound stick did the trick.

                I'm ordering a better soundcard than this $5 pos....
                HW: HS3 w/ Win8.1 on ASRock C2550d4i. Digi AnywhereUSB, Hubport, Edgeport, UZB, Z-trollers, PLCBUS, SONOS, GC-100, iTach IP2SL, WF2IR, IP2IR, RFXtrx433, Harmony Hubs, Hue, Ademco Vista 128BP, NetAtmo, NetAtmo Welcome

                Google Search for HomeSeer Forum

                Comment


                  #23
                  Originally posted by LeoS View Post
                  All my PZM-11 mics are connected to input_1 to 8 and i can see the gware activity light of the corresponding input lights up when i snap my finger near the corresponding mic. But when i route the mics to output_1 (that goes to Hs3 microphone connector) or to any other output really ( connected to speakers)
                  I couldn't hear any sound picked up by that mic.

                  I will double check the pre-post gain and level things up.

                  Other than the samson cm11b, i've seen Shure boundary mics on Ebay for slightly lower price. Have you tested any Shures?
                  If you use a used unit then there may be settings that you not aware of. Following the signal level with the post gain VU-meters is a good thing to do. You might also check if your attuniation level in the matrix isn't set (or less then 0 dB) Right click the matrix crossing for that and have a look.

                  About the Shure mics. I haved tested these but i hear good reviews about them.
                  - Bram

                  Send from my Commodore VIC-20

                  Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
                  HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
                  PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

                  Comment


                    #24
                    Originally posted by jetkit View Post
                    AshaiRey, perhaps you can help.

                    I am trying to control my XAP800 directly.
                    Something simple, as muting output 8:
                    #50 MUTE 8 O 0

                    Using g-ware works fine. I just cannot make it work writing a string into the port.

                    Reason I am trying to do this directly is to test my system, as using the plugin from Blade also fails.

                    I am using Termite to just send the string to the port. Nothing works.
                    I see that unit settings has a choice for TEXT or BINARY modes, but changing it did not help.

                    Any tips you can share on how to troubleshoot this
                    Let's see
                    #50 means you got a XAP800 unit and the device ID is 0
                    The command is MUTE
                    The parameters for MUTE are <Channel> <Group> [Value]
                    So 8 O 0 gives
                    Channel 8, an Output and turn it Off

                    So far this seems oke.
                    Some questions i have
                    - Did you get a good connection with the XAP800?
                    - Correct baud rate,handshake ect. ?
                    - Are all wires connected one-on-one in your serial cable?
                    - Have you tried it with another terminal program such as hyperterm or telnet?

                    If all of the above is yes then you must get a reply with the unit's version in your terminal session when you send #50 VER
                    - Bram

                    Send from my Commodore VIC-20

                    Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
                    HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
                    PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Originally posted by AshaiRey View Post
                      If you use a used unit then there may be settings that you not aware of. Following the signal level with the post gain VU-meters is a good thing to do. You might also check if your attuniation level in the matrix isn't set (or less then 0 dB) Right click the matrix crossing for that and have a look.
                      Yes, they're all used units from Ebay... But i've already reset the units (holding the front middle button during power up), shouldn't that reset every values to default?

                      Btw, the gware version that i have shows the attenuation level in the matrix without havong to right click. They're all at 0..

                      About the Shure mics. I haved tested these but i hear good reviews about them.
                      Yeah, the pzm-11 doen't seem to pick up my voice loud enough even after setting the gain to +55db +20db ;(
                      I have to speak a little louder than normal at about 5m away... I'll continue to try tweaking the xap800 and mic setting in windows. Hopefully it's just user error in configuring things (as usual)
                      Last edited by LeoS; August 20, 2015, 09:55 AM.
                      HW: HS3 w/ Win8.1 on ASRock C2550d4i. Digi AnywhereUSB, Hubport, Edgeport, UZB, Z-trollers, PLCBUS, SONOS, GC-100, iTach IP2SL, WF2IR, IP2IR, RFXtrx433, Harmony Hubs, Hue, Ademco Vista 128BP, NetAtmo, NetAtmo Welcome

                      Google Search for HomeSeer Forum

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by LeoS View Post
                        Yeah, the pzm-11 doen't seem to pick up my voice loud enough even after setting the gain to +55db +20db ;(
                        I have to speak a little louder than normal at about 5m away... I'll continue to try tweaking the xap800 and mic setting in windows. Hopefully it's just user error in configuring things (as usual)
                        Yep, I'm see the exact same issue with my XAP800 & PZM-11. I got it to a point to recognize my voice, but not nearly as accurate as it should be. I've tried many settings in Gware but cannot get the right one. Either I get too much feedback (pin drop would echo forever) or Homeseer cannot recognize my voice properly and the Speaker client continuously responds with 'I don't Understand'

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                          #27
                          So dumb question but each of the outputs is mono, is it possible to pair them to create stereo channels?
                          HS3 Prod - Win10 - DSC - HVAC-GC-TBZ48 x3 - CurrentCost - BLRadar - RFXCOM/FRXTRX433 -ADIO - HSTOUCH - BLUPS - AB8SS - SONOS - Alexa - 1 wire - BlueIris -MyQ

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by Sireone View Post
                            Yep, I'm see the exact same issue with my XAP800 & PZM-11. I got it to a point to recognize my voice, but not nearly as accurate as it should be. I've tried many settings in Gware but cannot get the right one. Either I get too much feedback (pin drop would echo forever) or Homeseer cannot recognize my voice properly and the Speaker client continuously responds with 'I don't Understand'
                            Ah that's too bad. I'll have to reread pkoslow's threads again... he was happy with his pzm-11 installation; but that was AP800.

                            What do you plan to do?
                            HW: HS3 w/ Win8.1 on ASRock C2550d4i. Digi AnywhereUSB, Hubport, Edgeport, UZB, Z-trollers, PLCBUS, SONOS, GC-100, iTach IP2SL, WF2IR, IP2IR, RFXtrx433, Harmony Hubs, Hue, Ademco Vista 128BP, NetAtmo, NetAtmo Welcome

                            Google Search for HomeSeer Forum

                            Comment


                              #29
                              In my case, I'm just trying to do good VR in Homeseer. I have three pzm-11 placed in three rooms. Then I have ceiling speakers in each of those rooms. I know placement of mic to speakers may play a big part in getting good VR, but I'm not in a position to make any changes to that, so I gotta do the best tweaking (xap800) as possible.

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                                #30
                                Originally posted by LeoS View Post
                                Yeah, the pzm-11 doen't seem to pick up my voice loud enough even after setting the gain to +55db +20db ;(
                                I have to speak a little louder than normal at about 5m away... I'll continue to try tweaking the xap800 and mic setting in windows. Hopefully it's just user error in configuring things (as usual)
                                One thing that often is misunderstood is that what the mic hears and goes to the PC afterward doesn't have to be loud as long as it is crisp and clear. So if the mic VU meter level isn't going into the yellow area then that isn't a problem as long as there is just you voice and nothing else.
                                - Bram

                                Send from my Commodore VIC-20

                                Ashai_Rey____________________________________________________________ ________________
                                HS3 Pro 3.0.0.534
                                PIugins: ZMC audio | ZMC VR | ZMC IR | ZMC NDS | RFXcom | AZ scripts | Jon00 Scripts | BLBackup | FritzBox | Z-Wave | mcsMQTT | AK Ikea

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