Document version 1.0 (December 13th, 2024)

Introduction

Version 12.0.0 is starting another new era of releases for mc² consoles. This new version introduces HOME mc² DSP, a CPU based variant of mc² processing backend.
Furthermore this new version introduces a free-of-charge channel extension for mc²36 MkII ,elevating the performance of this console from 256 to a total of 384 processing channels, with up to 256 busses.

This software release package applies to the following products:

  • mc²96
  • mc²56 MKIII
  • mc²36 MKII
  • mc²36 MKII xp
  • A__UHD Core

  • A__stage series

  • A__digital64

  • A__madi4/6
  • A__mic8
  • mc² Compact I/O
  • HOME mc² DSP

Release date: December 13th, 2024

Contained Versions

  • MCX: 12.0.0 #8
  • NODESYS: 4.2.0 #1
  • HOME: 2.6.0 #9
  • HOME mc² DSP: 1.5.1

Power Core Compatibility

  • Power Core Gateway - OnAirDesigner. 8.0.0.14 or higher required
  • Power Core RP v2 - OnAirDesigner 8.2.0.2 required

crystal Panel Controller

crystal Control Panel Firmware 8.2.82 or higher required


Before you begin.
Please make sure that you have all necessary applications and tools available before you start the update.
We strongly recommend that the software versions used are from the same release packages.

If you are upgrading from prior versions, ensure that you review the release notes of all intermediate versions to identify any breaking changes or updates that may impact the upgrade process.


Upgrading HOME Cluster to Release 2.0

Online as well as offline installers are available.
Note, that the default network interface description has been changed with HOME 2.0. These need to be adapted in the network interface configuration in the HOME servers.
And the general Documentation here: https://docs.lawo.com/home-media-infrastructure-management

Update redundant A__UHD Cores safely

When upgrading A__UHD Cores that are part of a redundancy group, please follow the procedure below:

  • The primary A__UHD Core should be active.
  • Update the passive/backup A__UHD Core first.
  • After successful update - turn off the backup/passive A__UHD Core.

  • Update the primary A__UHD Core

  • When primary comes back online, power up the backup/passive A__UHD Core again.

Using NodeSys Upgrader will handle this automatically - beware to enable automatic failovers in NodeSys Upgrader, once the upgrade is finished.

Updating A__UHD Cores and A__line Devices

After updating NodeSys based devices, always perform a full power cycle of the devices afterwards.

KICK

Release 12.0 requires KICK software version 2.2.0.1 or higher

LCU

There were improvements made on the LCU proxy (HOME version 2.1.3) - For a seamless integration please use comimx_lcu-10-4-0-52 firmware included on the AP 10.8.2.1 release package

Power Core Gateway

  • Due to the implementation of Power Core Rev3, a backup of the crosspoints needs to be created. After the update the Power Core loses existing cross points and uses default connections, similar to what happens during a coldstart
  • It is necessary to upload a converted config to the device, otherwise signals may be wrong or not available. 
  • Please note that source related Loudness gain parameters and settings available in On-Air designer and Web UI should not be used in production. They are experimental features only and will be licensable add-on.
  • The maximum samples per frame for an outgoing stream is reduced to 64. If a higher value was previously configured, it will be reduced to 64 automatically.
  • Due to the new logic engine of VisTool, projects needs to be recompiled and may report errors of non-connected logical states. These need to be set again.

What's new?

HOME mc² DSP

HOME mc² DSP is Lawo's newest audio signal processing companion for all current mc² consoles.

From Audio Production mc² release 12.0.0, this HOME App is available as an alternative to the A__UHD Core processing units. It offers the full range of features known from the A__UHD Core FPGA processing platform in a CPU-based package, delivering unprecedented granularity in mc²-grade DSP processing.

Features

  • Audio Mixer App designed for mc² consoles.

  • Direct Audio Routing (direct I/O routing).

  • mc²-style processing channels (identical to A__UHD Core).

  • Support for Mono, Stereo, 5.1, and Immersive formats (with MCX surround constraints applied).

  • Up to 2048 Inputs.

  • Up to 256 Auxes, 96 Groups, and 96 Sums.

  • Downmixing for Stereo, 5.1, and Immersive processing channels.

  • AFL 1 (stereo & surround), PFL 1 (stereo).

  • AFL 2 (stereo), PFL 2 (stereo).

  • Co-Mixer functionality (e.g., for monitoring).

  • Built-in generator for Sine, White Noise, Pink Noise, EBU Stereo, and BLITS 5.1.

  • 48 kHz Sampling Rate.

  • Support for up to 32 Automix Groups.


HOME mc² DSP Known Issues

  • Delay Module only provides up to 1365ms of delay.
  • DSP Apps should in this version not be configured with more than 1024 DSP channels.
  • Mix Latency should not be set to 333us for critical applications.
  • Per default the Input Alignment Window is set to 5ms, which will add an additional buffer of 5ms to all receivers. This can be changed in Advanced > General, while the App is being stopped. The Input Alignment Window can be set to values from 0-20ms.
  • Senders should not be configured to other packet times than 6 samples (0.125ms) or 48 samples (1ms).
  • There has been an additional Core Count requirement added for large Input and Output Signal counts.

Please also see the Known Limitations section below.


MCX

Resource Increase

With HOME mc² DSP integration, the resource limits have been increased in the mc² control system to support the following capacities:

  • Inputs: Up to 2048.
  • Groups: Up to 96.
  • Sums: Up to 96.
  • Auxes: Up to 256 (unchanged).
  • Listen Sums: 24.


AfV Events on the Command Triggers Page

AfV (Audio-follow-Video) events are now available on the "command triggers" page. This enables easy mapping of vGPIOs (virtual GPIOs) to AfV events for each production.


NodeSys

Increased DSP Resources for the mc²36 Consoles

With the latest release, we have expanded the DSP capabilities for the mc²36 MkII console.

  • Processing Channels: Up to 384.
  • Busses: Up to 256.

These enhancements include increased DSP channel counts at both 48 kHz and 96 kHz sampling rates.

New and existing users of mc²36 MkII consoles will benefit from these expanded resources immediately upon updating their console to the latest NodeSys version.



HOME


2.6.0.1



Change Logs

MCX

12.0.0

  • [RNDMCX-2226] - AfV Events on the Command Triggers Page
  • [RNDMCX-2521] - MCX increase channel limits for HOME mc² DSP
  • [RNDMCX-2515] - Disconnecting a stream does not clear terminals
  • [RNDMCX-2563] - After POLLERR on nats connection mcx does not retry connection
  • [RNDMCX-2599] - Avoid role specifiers in short labels
  • [RNDMCX-2620] - Production Load crashes MCX after 10.12 update

NodeSys

4.2.0

  • [RNDNODESYS-1375] - Logout SSH after 30 minutes of inactivity
  • [RNDNODESYS-1494] - Repair Security Bug in libember (ember-plus)
  • [RNDNODESYS-1553] - configure mc²36 DSP to 384 channels
  • [RNDNODESYS-1433] - UHD core: 1/3/5/7ch streams RX disturbed
  • [RNDNODESYS-1477] - RTCP sockets remain open after unsubscribe
  • [RNDNODESYS-1481] - MGMT IP address not on display with mgmt-bonding active



Known Issues / Limitations


mc²/MCX Control System

  • USB file transfer not yet supported, if system uses external (redundant) control system (XCS).
  • User-assignable monitoring buttons not yet assignable, but must be routed manually.
  • MCX Signallist: RTW Metering Outputs not listed in Misc > Matrix/Monitoring Outputs.
  • De-Esser is not yet operable in ISO BAY mode.
  • Couple does not work for double-tap reset of parameters.
  • mxGUI: VirtualBox host-only adapter IP address is not displayed properly in mxGUI.
  • mxGUI: When using mxGUI on macOS based systems with retina display, it is necessary to adjust the resolution macOS is using to run VirtualBox. Go to Applications, right-click VirtualBox and select Show Package Contents. Continue to Contents > Resources > VirtualBoxVM and press command + I. Now check the option Open in Low Resolution.
  • OASIS Label transfer only works from Pyramix to MCX, but not the other way around.
  • OASIS Metering is not supported.
  • HOME UI cannot be displayed natively inside the console UI.


A__UHD Core

  • A__UHD Core redundancy does only work for HOME native devices and NMOS registered endpoints. (requires NMOS HOME license)
  • A__UHD Core redundancy is not supported with NATS Relay (NATS messages forward by the A__UHD Core on Gateserver systems) L3 network routing required!
  • RX statistics not yet supported in the WebUI.
  • Enabling/disabling senders and receivers not yet supported (use HOME instead).
  • Front display control / interaction not yet supported.
  • Factory defaults sets the device to DHCP.
  • Sync Input does not support Video Sync.
  • Ext Keys are limited to 8 even though A__UHD Core is able to provide up to 32.


HOME mc² DSP

  • Supports a maximum of 4096 input signals.

  • Supports a maximum of 4096 output signals.

  • Supports a maximum of 2048 DSP channels in total (Inputs + Busses).

  • Supports a maximum of 256 Senders and 256 Receivers.

  • No redundancy support yet (App auto restart).

  • AMBIT 5.1 Upmix is not yetsupported.

  • 2 Fs / 96 kHz sampling rate is not yet supported.

  • 44.1 kHz sampling rate is not yet supported.
  • No support yet for NDI, SRT, and Dante I/O.
  • No support yet for mDNS/SAP announcements for transmitters.
  • HOME Apps does not yet consider media interfaces other than 100G, when calculating available resources, this can overrun the system, when using 10/25G media interfaces.


A__mic8, A__stage series, A__digital64, A__madi4/6, mc² Compact I/O

  • Input / Output metering not yet supported.
  • RX statistics not yet supported in the WebUI.
  • Enabling/disabling senders and receivers not yet supported in the WebUI (use HOME instead).
  • A__mic8: Front display control / interaction not yet supported.
  • A__mic8: Factory defaults / upgrade from RAVENNA Suite Butler sets the device to DHCP.
  • A__madi: Second and third bridges do not report health data.


HOME

  • User labels for Signals are not yet supported.
  • There is no possibility to restrict HOME Snapshots. A HOME Snapshot is a global recall functionality, that can be compared to a Snapshot of a Virtual Machine.
  • It is not possible to update an existing HOME Snapshot - delete the old Snapshot and store a new one as a workaround.
  • Health issue notification always pops up on any mc² console / mxGUI, even if it does not affect assigned resources.
  • Health monitoring does not respect Dell servers and mc² console surfaces yet.
  • Existing Signal Ownership Groups cannot be renamed - delete the old group and store a new one as a workaround.
  • Available Ownership Groups always pop up on any mc² console / mxGUI, even if it does not affect assigned resources.
  • DHCP/DNS is not supported, when HOME Services are located on the Gateserver.
  • Radius Authentication is currently not working with Cisco Catalyst 9300A switches.
  • Tie-Line Streams between A__UHD Cores don't bring up corresponding Signals in the mc² Signallist - use External Tie-lines as a workaround.
  • Power Core Streams cannot be renamed.


mc²36 MKII

  • Point-to-point mode for mc²36 MKII with directly connected NodeSys I/O needs manual configuration, but does not setup connections automatically.
  • HOME does not handle mc²36 MKII as a single device, but as 4 single components (MCX, A__UHD Core, VMixer, Local I/O).



Breaking Changes History

BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.12.0.x introduced breaking changes in Waves API integration

Waves will now use a different API, which is based on the OSC protocol. The previous API will no longer work with systems utilizing MultiRack Soundgrid.


BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.6.0.x introduced breaking changes in bus routing

MCX: Stereo channels cannot be individually deselected in bus routing, hindering assignment to a Stereo Bus on individual Legs, L/R


BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.4.0.x introduced breaking changes compared to previous versions

MCX Ember Provider: Remove trailing whitespaces from scribs/labels upon getValue.

MCX Ember Provider (applies from Release 10.4.0.9). Any external Ember+ connection will be disconnected upon production load. External controller will have to reconnect again. Will prevent flooding external controllers with Ember+ data. 


BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.2.4.x introduced breaking changes compared to previous versions

Ember Provider Channel metering is now using the Ember streaming format instead of int64.

Compressor and Expander Hold parameter has been removed from the Ember Provider, since it actually is not available in the system.

Physical GPIOs are no longer available in Command Trigger and Ember+ Provider of MCX, but may only be used using TCL. Physical GPIOs need to be connected to vGPIOs in Home, in order to use them in MCX.

The Aux Bus pickup point has been removed, previous Aux Bus pickups are automatically converted to Aux AF (after fader).


PRODUCTION / SNAPSHOT INCOMPATIBLITY: Release Version 10.2.0

Release 10.2.0 introduced incompatible hash-codes, resulting in newly created external device signals in the console, being incompatible with the ones being restored from productions and snapshots. Release version 10.2.2 is required, in order to properly load and restore production files coming from 10.0.2 and 10.0.0. This only affects native Home devices like A__line devices. External Tie-lines and Third-Party proxies are not affected by this. Productions created with 10.2.0 are not compatible with versions > 10.2.0 and need manual porting! If this is required please reach out to AP PL!


BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.2.0.x introduced breaking changes compared to previous versions

Over Snap Incompatibility: 

Over Snaps that have been created with 10.0.0 or 10.0.2 release versions are not compatible with 10.2.0 and will be discarded!

Over Snaps that have been created with 6.4.0 release versions are compatible and will be loaded.

Behaviour of receivers of A__UHD Core and A__line (NodeSys): 

If one routes a source stream with fewer channels (S) than the receiver (R), then only the first S audio channels of the receiver will have signal.

If one routes a source stream with more channels (S) than the receiver (R), then only the R audio channels as specified by the receiver will be present.

Ember+ Provider: 

The panning granularity of all DSP channels and GPCs has been changed to +-100. Depending on the implementation of an Ember+ consumer, this may break compatibility!

Output DSP gain parameter range has been changed from -128 ... 15 to -4096 ... 480 with factor 32 in order to be consistent with other gain parameters in the Ember+ tree.


BREAKING CHANGE: Version 10.0.2.6 introduced one breaking change about NATS Relay configuration!

If the system relies on NATS Relay on the A__UHD Core (the A__UHD Core forwards NATS messages from media networks to a Gateserver in the management network, this is e.g. mandatory for mc²36 MKII) you have to adapt your system by invoking the following command on the Gateserver:

rm -r /data/config/home
rm -r /data/config/nats/cluster.conf
touch /data/config/nats/leafnode.conf


BREAKING CHANGE: Version 10.0.2.5 introduced one breaking change in the Ember+ provider!

Output DSP gain parameter range has been changed from -128...15 to -4096...480 with factor 32 in order to be consistent with other gain parameters in the Ember+ tree.


BREAKING CHANGES: Version 10.0.2.1 introduced breaking changes with respect to TCL configuration and Ember+ provider!

TCL Configuration File Locations: 

Please be aware that from now on MCX expects its TCL configuration files in a different location. The location has been changed from /data/config to /data/config/mcx.

This change affects both physical systems, as well as mxGUIs with an externally mounted mxgui_config_share and in the case of the latter it affects the configuration for each product type individually.

For physical systems and mxGUIs the new versions include a helper script migrateEarlyPhase2Config (that can simply be invoked from CLI) to convert a set of configuration files to the new structure. In case of a physical system the script has to be executed once and then has to be followed by a reboot of the system.

For mxGUIs multiple conversions can be performed subsequently by passing an explitcit base path as the one and only argument to the conversion script.

Please note, that further custom configuration files (such as Mackie HUI or special custom configs) might need to be adapted manually!

Ember+ Provider: 

In the signal's 'labels' node, the identifier changes from 'userLabel' to 'user'. /signals/{sources,targets}/<signalId>/labels/userLabel becomes .../user. Furthermore, there have been added more parameters in this node (namely 'userShort', 'startupShort', 'inheritShort'), making use of a new schema 'com.lawo.emberplus.labels.v1.0' instead of 'com.lawo.emberplus.signal.labels.v1.0'.

The AfV event identifiers have been changed from 'event1' to 'event-1' etc. /mixer/global/afv/eventX becomes .../event-X


Information about open source packages and versions used in this release

This information is provided within the WebUIs of each device.

MCX

Open the MCX Landing Page and navigate to the bottom section of the page.

NodeSys Devices

Open the WebUI and navigate to General Settings under the About section.

HOME

Open the About window on the WebUI by clicking the LAWO Logo in the left upper corner and navigate to Open Source Attributions.

Power Core

Open the WebUI and navigate to the Licenses tab.