tk07 Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Hello, I've searched everywhere for someone who's tried to do this but couldn't find anything. I've got an Elan C2 in a system with an HC800 and the 16x16 audio matrix. For anyone not familiar with the Elan product, it simply sits between the home owner's phone line and home phones and allows them to page the front door doorbell station or output paging audio to an outboard amplifier to page through speakers around the house. What I'm trying to do is temporarily interrupt the audio source playing in any of the 8 whole house audio zones with the paging output from the Elan C2, when a relay closes on the Elan C2 interface. And when the relay opens back up, have the audio zones go back to the source they were previously playing.The home owner wants to be able to pick up any of the phones in the house and page over the speakers in each of the zones. I know this is exactly what the Control4 announcement agent does, but it only plays back an audio file, and doesn't give you the option to temporarily play a separate audio source. The only way I can think of doing what I want is with a mess of variables, and even then I'm not sure what the best way to go about it would be. Any help is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wappinghigh Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 This is an unreal idea!! That way an existing phone system could also be integrated into the new AV touchscreen intercom? Yes? Could this possibly be made to work with any PABX? I have an LG Aria. Brilliant concept.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk07 Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 Just thought of how to do this with a loop possibly. Not sure if audio would return to the previous state it was in when the contact on the HC800, connected to the Elan's relay output, goes open again though? All I did in the screenshot was add an audio source connected to the matrix labeled "Elan Audio," as well as a doorbell contact that's bound to one of the contacts on the HC800. Would this work the way I want it to with the programming shown in the screen shot? I'm not on site, this was done in virtual director. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Let me just say this...I have announcements that occur for a number of different events. As long an I am not playing music it works well - IF however - I am playing music in several zones all the zones that I am NOT playing music in will blare the music for 1-2 seconds (very jarring) and THEN announce the announcement.Your client will get 1-2 seconds of the music that is playing elsewhere in a non-playing zone and then the phone announcement.What C4 SHOULD do that it does not is make sure that it either ramps down the music or mutes it BEFORE switching to the announcement.Just FYI.You may already have been aware of this.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth_j Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 The easier way to do it is with a bunch of relays and analog audio switching modules. I've done it. Isn't pretty. Not proud but it worked.By far the best way to do it is *not* sell an Elan C2 along side Control4 -- for the most part they are completely incompatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk07 Posted May 20, 2012 Author Share Posted May 20, 2012 haha I didn't sell it, was just asked to integrate it. Would the loop idea work? I thought about putting volume adjustments for each zone into it as well. I attached an updated screenshot of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted May 20, 2012 Share Posted May 20, 2012 Let me just say this...I have announcements that occur for a number of different events. As long an I am not playing music it works well - IF however - I am playing music in several zones all the zones that I am NOT playing music in will blare the music for 1-2 seconds (very jarring) and THEN announce the announcement.Your client will get 1-2 seconds of the music that is playing elsewhere in a non-playing zone and then the phone announcement.What C4 SHOULD do that it does not is make sure that it either ramps down the music or mutes it BEFORE switching to the announcement.Just FYI.You may already have been aware of this.BillDon't have that problem here Bill...that isn't one you can count on everyone having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasBill Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Let me just say this...I have announcements that occur for a number of different events. As long an I am not playing music it works well - IF however - I am playing music in several zones all the zones that I am NOT playing music in will blare the music for 1-2 seconds (very jarring) and THEN announce the announcement.Your client will get 1-2 seconds of the music that is playing elsewhere in a non-playing zone and then the phone announcement.What C4 SHOULD do that it does not is make sure that it either ramps down the music or mutes it BEFORE switching to the announcement.Just FYI.You may already have been aware of this.BillDon't have that problem here Bill...that isn't one you can count on everyone having.OK - Tech support said that they knew about and understood the issue and that it currently was the way that the product worked. We have tried everything tech has suggested and nothing stops the bleed through on an announcement. It simply does not mute the playing music before opening the announcement to the non-music playing zone.Everyone may NOT get this problem - but everyone that has a configuration like mine or the number of zones that I have (they have to cross amps - as I remember) will have the problem.At least that is what C4 tech says.They are working on the problem and understand it (that is what I am told).Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaltrader Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 I have the exact same problem as Bill and it is a problem with the C4 system I was told. I'm just curious how IloveC4 gets his to work without this issue.Let me just say this...I have announcements that occur for a number of different events. As long an I am not playing music it works well - IF however - I am playing music in several zones all the zones that I am NOT playing music in will blare the music for 1-2 seconds (very jarring) and THEN announce the announcement.Your client will get 1-2 seconds of the music that is playing elsewhere in a non-playing zone and then the phone announcement.What C4 SHOULD do that it does not is make sure that it either ramps down the music or mutes it BEFORE switching to the announcement.Just FYI.You may already have been aware of this.BillDon't have that problem here Bill...that isn't one you can count on everyone having.OK - Tech support said that they knew about and understood the issue and that it currently was the way that the product worked. We have tried everything tech has suggested and nothing stops the bleed through on an announcement. It simply does not mute the playing music before opening the announcement to the non-music playing zone.Everyone may NOT get this problem - but everyone that has a configuration like mine or the number of zones that I have (they have to cross amps - as I remember) will have the problem.At least that is what C4 tech says.They are working on the problem and understand it (that is what I am told).Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Nothing like that here but I have experienced this in previous OSs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 My bet is that it has something to do with your configuration RE: audio outputs/inputs from different controllers. I'm totally spitballing here though...since I don't experience the problem I haven't really given it any thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk07 Posted May 21, 2012 Author Share Posted May 21, 2012 Thanks for all the answers guys, but any thoughts on whether the loop example I made would work?Also, I've never ran into the Control4 announcement agent defect talked about here. We usually use the 16x16 audio matrix and a different brand of amplifier though, might have something to do with using the Control4 amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seth_j Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Your example would work and it would switch everything over to the Elan Com2 but you won't be able to switch everything back. I've heard others say they figured things out with containers. I never figured that out. I ended up using 16 Sonance AL2/S and a couple of DA's to split the COM2 audio. Mechanical yes... but it worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdepaola Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 This is where using the matrix switcher vs c4 amp is an advantage. Just use any of the widely available amps from TOA, Crown, etc that have this feature built in and that works flawlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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