Audia/Nexia Text Protocol

Command structure

The command structure for Audia and Nexia (ATP and NTP) is the same, and is shown below.  The descriptions reference Audia only, but are applicable to both Audia and Nexia.

• Command

  • SET - Tells Audia that a DSP attribute is to be set to a specific value – may contain negative numbers and/or decimal points

  • GET - Tells Audia that a DSP attribute is to be read – the response may contain a decimal point and/or a negative number.

  • INC - Tells Audia that a DSP attribute is to be incremented by a specific amount.

  • DEC - Tells Audia that a DSP attribute is to be decremented by a specific amount.

  • RECALL – Tells Audia that a preset is to be recalled.

  • DIAL – Tells Audia to dial a phone number on a telephone interface.

SETL and GETL can be used if negative numbers and/or decimals are not supported by a control system. Refer to the Audia software help file for more information.

• Device_ID
  • In a multi-unit system, each DSP block is assigned to a device during the compilation process.  See this page for more information on finding the Device ID of a block.
• ATTRIBUTE
  • Each processing block carries a set of attributes to control various settings of the block.
• INSTANCE_ID
  • A unique number assigned to each block during the compilation process.  See this page for more information on finding the Instance ID of a block.
• INDEX_1
  • Depending on the attributes, Index1 will refer to an input or a row of cross points.  Some commands don't require an Index1.  In these cases, the Index1 value is omitted from the command.
• INDEX_2
  • Depending on the attributes, Index2 will refer to an output or a column of cross points.  Some commands don't require an Index2.  In these cases, the Index2 value is omitted from the command.
• VALUE
  • Specified setting /adjustment to be performed on the defined attribute.
• <LF>
  • A line feed (ASCII hex 0A) must always terminate a command.

DeviceID, InstanceID, and Index can be seen in the Audia/Nexia software. Command and Attribute can be derived from the help file in the Audia/Nexia software. The Audia Nexia Command String Calculator helps with creating the desired syntax.

Example

 In a multi-unit system (Device 3), increase (INC) the gain of a level control block (FDR LVL). The Instance ID shall be 2, the channel 4 (Index 1) and the increment of 2dB (VALUE).

                         INC 3 FDRLVL 2 4 2 <LF>

Recall (RECALL) preset 1004 in a multi-units system (DEVICE_ID is 0 since presets apply to the entire system)

                        RECALL 0 PRESET 1004 <LF>

Full path ATP/NTP response

A slight adjustment to the ATP/NTP command can change the way the Audia or Nexia responds to the command.  Normally, a successful command elicits a response of "+OK".  However, in some cases, more information is desired.

1. Command Syntax
For maximum flexibility and complete backwards compatibility, firmware provides a set of services (ATP commands) for “full path” (or “Detailed”) responses:

•  SETD
•  GETD
•  INCD
•  DECD
•  SETLD
•  GETLD
 
The ATP/NTP command syntax is otherwise unchanged. In particular, for any valid SET/GET/INC/DEC command, the corresponding “D” variant is valid and will provide the “ full path” response.
 
The “Full path” response syntax is:   
1.   “#”
2.   followed by the original command less any value specified and a space;
3.   followed by the resulting value and a space;
4.   followed by the “full path off” response.
 
An example follows. Note that the IP address returned, underlined for identification, should  not be thought of as the set value, but the resulting value.

SETD 0 IPADDR  192.168.1.197  
#SETD 0 IPADDR 192.168.1.197 +OK

Following are examples of current commands and the corresponding new commands side-by-side for comparison. Responses are underlined for easy identification.

Current response format	"Full Path" response format
SET 1 IPADDR 192.168.1.197 +OK	SETD 1 IPADDR 192.168.1.197 #SET 1 IPADDR 192.168.1.197 +OK
GET 1 IPADDR 192.168.1.197	GETD 1 IPADDR #GETD 1 IPADDR 192.168.1.197
SET 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -1.1 +OK	SETD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -1.1 #SETD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -1.1 +OK
INC 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 1.0 +OK	INCD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 1.0 #INCD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -0.100000 +OK
GET MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -ERR:INVALID OBJECT	GETD MMLVLXP 38 1 1 #GETD MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -ERR:INVALID OBJECT
GET 1 MMLVLXP 39 1 1 -ERR:# 0x16  -ERR:XACTION ERROR	GETD 1 MMLVLXP 39 1 1 #GETD 1 MMLVLXP 39 1 1 -ERR:# 0x16 #GETD 1 MMLVLXP 39 1 1 -ERR:XACTION ERROR
GET 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -0.100000	GETD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 #GETD 1 MMLVLXP 38 1 1 -0.100000

Please note these details:
•  The INCD response provides the  resulting value, rather than the increment value. DECD behaves the same.   
•  One of the examples resulted in two error messages, and each is expressed with the "full path" syntax.

ATP/NTP protocol reference manual

In Audia/Nexia software, a complete list of commands is available under the “System Control” section of the help file. A control protocol manual is also available for download on the Biamp Systems website.

Further reading

• How to find the Instance ID and Device ID of a block