Aviom 6416Y2 - Manual (Page 21)

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This section outlines some basic concepts of operation for Pro64 products. Pro64 I/O devices have some common
user interface elements that make setting up an audio network easy to understand. Although the 6416Y2
doesn’t have a front panel user interface with buttons and LEDs, its interface elements are similar to other Pro64
hardware I/O modules that use buttons and LEDs for comparable features (as seen in some of the examples). Any
combination of Pro64 devices can be used when setting up a Pro64 network.
A-Net Slot
Pro64 I/O devices come in a variety of configurations. To allow a large number of hardware audio input devices
to be available to the Pro64 audio network, Aviom has implemented the concept of the A‑Net Slot to simplify the
configuration of potentially complex audio networks. Simply put, an A‑Net Slot is a place in the network where an
audio input resource (analog or digital) is assigned so that it may be transported throughout the network.
A Pro64 network will always have a finite number of A‑Net Slots available that can be addressed by an unlimited
number of hardware channels. The actual number of available Slots is determined by the current sample rate.
Slots versus Channels
You might be wondering why Aviom chose to refer to the audio I/O resources in the Pro64 Series products as
‘’Slots.” Why not just call them “channels”?
We did this to avoid confusion between references to physical hardware audio resources and virtual network
audio resources. The word ‘’channel’’ is ambiguous and may cause confusion when configuring an audio network.
“Channel” appears in many contexts, including audio mixing consoles, mic preamps, DSP processors, and DAW
software.
We use the word ‘’channel’’ when referring to the physical audio inputs—analog or digital—on a piece of hardware
(such as the 16 line‑level XLR input jacks on the 6416i Input Module or a Yamaha console‑based resource such as
a direct output or aux bus send). Each of these audio input sources can be made active and added to the network
individually, and it is only when activated that they use any network resources (the A‑Net Slots). To allow this
functionality, Pro64 products separate the hardware resources from the available network resources by giving
each hardware input channel an on/off switch that allows it to be added to the network as needed.
It is these activated hardware resources that are being referred to as “Slots.” Pro64 audio networks can potentially
have a greater number of audio channels and hardware I/O devices connected than the network can make use of
at one time. This provides flexibility without requiring constant re‑patching. Managing resources in the network
can be simplified by using the Pro64 Network Manager software.
Keep in mind that a Pro64 A‑Net network can only manage a specific number of Slots at a time, and this number
varies with the sample rate being used (64 Slots at the 48kHz sampling rate).
In summary, think of “channels” as hardware resources that can be added to the network as needed and “Slots” as
locations within the Pro64 digital audio network pipeline that A‑Net uses to move data throughout the network.