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D&R Visual Radio Control

Version 1.0.0

With the Visual Radio Control you can control Broadcasting Software. Currently Open Broadcaster Software 's OBS Studio is supported.

By using D&R's device Camcon Visual Radio it is possible to switch scenes automatically, depending on who is talking.

The Visual Radio Control connects the scenes from the Broadcasting Software to channels on the Camcon device. With metering and the MicOn information that the Camcon provides to the Visual Radio Control it is possible to make decisions on which scene needs to be made active at a given moment.

This section describes where you can download Visual Radio Control from and what the installation options are. Also the first time the software is used, some initial settings must be checked to ensure proper operation of the software.

Download the Visual Radio Control from the D&R website:

Visual Radio Control

Run the `visualradiocontrol_vxxx - setup.exe`.

Choose the installation folder.

Choose to have Desktop icons and/or QuickLaunch icons installed as well.

Good to go.

The Visual Radio Control uses drivers to access other software and hardware.

Built-in drivers for release version 1.0.0 are:

• D&R Camcon Visual Radio
• Open Broadcaster Software OBS Studio

Please do note that the Camcon must be installed and configured separately. See Appendix A Setting up the CamCon software for more details on this.

Please do note that OBS Studio must have the ability to be controlled by other software, using a Websocket. See Appendix B Setting up OBS Studio for more details on this.

Some additional settings might be required, depending on your setup.

In the system-tray (lower right, next to the clock), click the `Network`-icon. Then open the link `Network & Internet Settings`. Open the `Status` tab. There it should show `Private network`.

If it shows `Public`, then change it by clicking on the `Properties` button. Then select the `Private` network profile.

The Visual Radio Control consists of two main elements:

1. the scene switching engine, and
2. the user accessible Web Interface.

By default the software is configured that everything is installed on the PC. It is however quite possible to have different parts of the whole switching system running on different PCs. Or just configure the Visual Radio Control engine from a mobile device.

To check if the current configuration is working, let's start the Visual Radio Control.

First make sure that the Broadcasting software, like OBS Studio is already running.

Then open the Visual Radio Control web link that is installed in Windows Start Menu. Or simply point a web browser to http://localhost:10840/ (this is the default installation). You will now be presented with an interface to control and configure the engine software.

On the left side of the screen, the application menu is presented by a couple of icons. Click on the 'Cogwheel' icon labelled 'Configure'.

You are now presented with a list of connections that are maintained by the Visual Radio Control. The first connection is that of the Web browser and the engine -backend. When you are using a PC where all this software is installed on, this should show a green 'check-mark' indicating that there is a live connection. When you are using an other PC or a mobile device and pointed the web browser to the actual PC, you will most likely have a yellow-ish round pointing arrow figure. This indicates that there is no active connection, but the software is trying. In this case change the contents of the `Websocket` field from `ws://127.0.0.1:10840` into `ws://<ip-address-of-pc>:10840`. Then click the `Apply` button directly underneath this box. This should establish the connection.

Then the other connection boxes become relevant. The connection information in these boxes are seen from the engine perspective. When everything is installed on a single PC, there will be no difference and all connections can lead to `localhost`. When some devices or software is running on other PCs, this will become more of a hassle. In that case, make sure that you enter the correct hostnames or ip-addresses of the individual PCs. Followed by clicking the `Apply` button directly underneath the field that was changed.

Every connection box should end up with a green checkbox next to it. When you have this, you're good to go.

What is inside this software. Let's go through the menus.

Under the scenes menu is the main action of the Visual Radio Control. Here scenes from the Broadcasting software will be connected to audio sources, so the Visual Radio Control will know which scene to active when an audio source become active. Also other parameters can be set to influence the engine's decisions.

The engine will also indicate which scene is currently active. This will continiously be updated from the broadcasting software.

When a scene is active in the broadcasting software that is not under control of the Visual Radio Control, then no scene in the UI will appear to be active.

For more information on how to use this menu, see 2.1 Editing Scenes .

The configuration menu holds the hard- and software connection configuration information to the outside world.

Here the connection information to the broadcasting software and monitoring hardware need to be entered.

Please refer to the documentation of the respecive hard- and software for the connection details. Or look at the appendixes of this manual for some details.

Please do note that this information is sent to the engine, so all connection information must be relative the this engine. This is only important when you use the term `localhost`, which refers to the local PC, relative to the engine.

Reference to online documentation (this).

Now that the software is connected to the different backends, let's put it to work.

The Visual Radio Control will control only the scenes that are configured here. To add scenes under control of the engine, go to the `Scenes` page, using the left-hand side menu.

When the steps of the Using it for the first time are followed and both hard- and software are properly setup, you should be able to add scenes here.

To do so, click the `Edit scenes` button on the lower right. This activates the edit mode. The `Edit scenes` button will stay pressed until it is clicked again.

While there are scenes and sources available, the `Add scene` button will be available. When either all available scenes or all available sources are allocated, the `Add scene` button will not show up in edit mode.

By clicking the `Add scene` button, you will be presented with a Dialog Box for a new scene. In this box you will see:

• Scene name,
• Audio (metering) source,
• MicOn source,
• Metering threshold,
• Scheduling priority,
• Hold time, and
• Activation delay time.

Figure 2.1: A configured scene tile

The `Audio` and `MicOn` sources will be retrieved from the connected hardware.

The `Scene name`s will be retrieved from the connected broadcasting software.

When either scenes or sources are missing, please check the responsible hard- or software.

Lets explain the properties that can be configured and how they might affect the Visual Radio Control software. An example of configured properties can be seen in Figure 2.1.

The list of scene names is retrieved from the broadcasting software automatically. When the broadcasting software is properly configured (see Using it for the first time , Configuration Menu and Appendix B. Setting up OBS Studio ), this list should be the same as in your broadcasting software. From this list, you can select the scene that you want to have the Visual Radio Control software under its control.

In order to have proper control, also the `Audio source` and the `MicOn source` must be assigned.

The audio source will provide metering information to the Visual Radio Control. Based on this information, the software can decide if there is activity on a channel (someone is talking) and this channel (and corresponding scene) should be considered to be activated (e.g. receive the focus).

The metering information is not the only parameter that is considered in this decision. It might even be completely ignored. The channel also has a `MicOn source`, which must be active before the metering information is even monitored.

A `mic on source` is usually the combination of a mixer channel that is turned `On` and the fader of that channel set to anything other than minus infinity.

In some cases, for instance when using a Camcon Device, this could be the `GPI` signal on the channel that is also used as `Audio source`. In such case the audio mixer device will generate the appropriate Mic-on signal and should be physically connected to the Camcon Devices' GPI input port.

The `MicOn source` must be active before a scene's `Audio source` is monitored and considered to have its scene be activated.

When a `Mic on` is active and metering information is available on the `audio source`, the threshold level comes into play. The metering level must be above the level that is indicated here.

Do note that this is a metered level and the channel's `Gain` settings do apply to these measured values.

When two or more sources are active and have metering levels above their threshold (two or more speakers interrupting each other), the `Scheduling priority` helps deciding who will actually receive the focus.

A lower value for the priority means that it will be more likely to be picked. Think of the Top-40, the best is always at 1.

When two, or more, sources are active and have equal priorities, the first scene as it is configured and appears in the list will be activated.

To prevent flickering and too frequent scene switching, a hold time can be set. This holds the scene active for at least the given time, even if the metering level drops below its threshold or even the `mic on` gets deactivated within that time.

Do note that choosing longer hold times, some side effects might occur. For instance, when the `hold time` is long enough, an other channel can become active and inactive during the hold time of this channel and therefor the other channel's scene will not receive the focus.

It can be useful to wait to active a scene, even though the channel is active. This can have various reasons, like coughing or enthusiastic agreeing noises. Or maybe even intermittent noise static or occasional plugging-in sound plops.

For this an `activation delay` can be set. This results into a period of time that a channel needs to be active before its scene gets the focus.

Do note that the `activation delay` time and the `hold time` can run concurrent. This means that a channel's `activation delay` time can already have passed, while the current scene's `hold time` is still preventing the actual activation of the scene.

Go to edit mode by clicking the `Edit scenes` button. In the edit mode, each configured scene can be changed on all its properties except for the scene it is attached to.

When you want to change the scene for the given sources, you will have to remove this configuration to free up the sources and create a new scene.

Go to edit mode by clicking the `Edit scenes` button. In the edit mode, under each configured scene, a `Delete` button will appear.

Be careful, clicking the `Delete` button will remove the configured scene, immediately and without undoing this action.

When done, click the `Edit scenes` button. All configured scenes are now under control of the engine and will automatically be activated in the broadcasting software.

The Visual Radio Control engine can and will do its thing in the background. It does not need a web browser to be opened. As long as there are configured scenes available, the engine will try and direct your configured broadcasting software.

However the engine will connect and update the web browser UI when it is open (or actually the other way around). So it will be possible to monitor the engine from the browser and even influence it.

It is possible to bypass all algorithms and activate a (configured) scene by hand, simply by clicking on it. You will see that the scene that currently has the focus, will have a different recording indicator in front of the scene's name and that it will have a colored band as well. Clicking a different scene, will eventually lead to receiving the focus, as it will be visible by the recording indicators.

Please do note that closing the web browser will not stop the engine. As indicated before, the engine holds the connections to both hard- and software. The engine will continue to try and direct the broadcasting software. The engine must be stopped separately to prevent further (unwanted) scene switching.

When CamCon Configuration Manager is running in the background (please check if the tray-icon exists). Click the tray-icon and select 'Toggle console'.

When messages appear in this console regarding unknown message IDs, please close the Camcon Configuration Manager and power down the Camcon Device. Wait a couple of seconds. Then restart the Camcon device and the configuration manager.

When the message 'There are no scenes available' is shown in the screen, please check the following:

• Camcon Configuration Manager is running and
• OBS Studio is running with the 'Websockets Server' installed.

When both these applications are present and running, please go to the Configuration Screen of the Visual Radio Control. The configuration screen can be reached by clicking on the 'Cogwheel' on the top right corner of the blue ribbon.

In the configuration screen there should be list of configurable items with green check-marks in front of them.

If the list is only of one item and the check mark is missing from there as well, then either:

• the Visual Radio Control software is no longer running the background, please launch the software again, or
• the Visual Radio Control is running on an other PC or port other than the standard. In this case, please correct the information in the URL box with the proper value. The format should still be

  ws://<hostname>:<port>/api

  for proper working of this web-page. After changing the value, please click the 'Apply' button to try and establish the connection.

When more items are shown in the list, but they do not have green check-marks with them, please check if their corresponding values are correct. When you change a value, please click on the 'Apply' button directly underneath the options, so that the new connection information can be stored and a new connection attempt can be made.

When all the check-marks are present, this screen can be closed and you can return to the main screen by clicking the 'Close' button on the lower right of the screen.

Windows Defender reports virus during/after upgrading. Uninstall software and install, rather then upgrade.

At this moment Camcon / Visual Radio Control has only support for OBS Studio.

In order to have support for customers with vMix software, it is possible to have a little workaround to combine the two.

Setup OBS Studio to output to a network video stream. Configure this stream with little to none compression and little to none output buffering. This to reduce any additional unwanted latency.

Now setup OBS Studio to control the cameras that are needed and setup Visual Radio Control as normal.

Configure vMix to pick up the network video stream.

Download and install the software from: CamCon

After installation, point your web browser to: http://localhost:8519/

You will see an image like in Figure A.1.

Figure A.1: Camcon Configuration Manager

This exact image will shortly be replaced with the actual Camcon information as it is attached to your computer, or a blank screen when there is no Camcon connection.

Make sure that your Camcon Device is connected over USB to your PC and that it is turned on. You Camcon Device should appear on the screen with the `ON` LED (under `Status`) turned on green.

To make the channels easy recognizable in the software later, you can assign them names, other than “Ch #1” for instance. Simply double-click the Channel name, or right-click on the channel and select `Change channel name` from the menu. Then enter a new name in the Dialog Box and click `Ok`.

When you are not sure your device is connected, or when you have multiple Camcon Devices connected to the PC, you want to make sure that you are working with a specific device. You can identify the device by either:

• click the `Camcon` word, or
• click the `D&R` logo, or
• right-click on the left side of the device and select `Identify` from the menu.

When any of the these actions are performed, the Camcon Device should respond by blinking with all of the `Gain` LEDs. When nothing happens, the connection between the PC and the Camcon Device is failing. Please check [Troubleshooting](#3-troubleshooting) below.

It is also possible to let just only one channel blink its LEDs by:

• clicking the separator bar of the channel, or
• right-click on the channel and select `Identify channel` from the menu.

This could be helpful when wiring up the Camcon Device and you want to make sure you have the right channel.

In order for OBS Studio to be allowed to be controlled by other software, a plugin is required. The Visual Radio Control software requires the Websockets Plugin for this.

Download the OBS Studio Websocket Plugin from:

https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-websocket-remote-control-obs-studio-from-websockets.466/

On the middle-right of the page, click on `Go to download`. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and download the websocket plugin for your system.

Now install the downloaded file as is appropriate for your system. Install instructions are included on the page as well.

Please do note that in the current version (1.0.0) only support for Websocket Protocol version 4.X is included!

When the Websocket plugin in properly installed, after (re)starting OBS Studio, it should present itself in the `Tools` menu.

Click `Tools` > `Websockets Server Settings`. You should get the image as in Figure B.1.

Figure B.1: OBS Studio Websockets Server Settings

Please make sure that the `Websockets server` is `Enabled`.

If so desired a `Password` can be set to control access to your `OBS Studio`. The password must then also be configured in the `Visual Radio Control`'s settings. See 1.3. Using it for the first time for more details on how to do this.