Collected in this article you can find some miscellaneous tips and bits of information that help you get the most of of aixtream. Maybe you learn something new!
Ferncast’s aixtream includes a novel feature with which even complex and ever-changing input/outputs scenarios can be handled: Virtual Ports. These work somewhat like a fully customizable virtual audio router, allowing the user to reuse a single input for multiple outputs and vice versa, or switch where a specific input is routed to with minimal configuration effort. They also allow the user to split a stream in order to send different channels to different targets or to combine a variety of incoming input channels into one stream. With the help of applet scripts Virtual Ports also allow the user to set up even highly complex backup stream scenarios.
See this in-depth guide for more details.
Working on multiple systems at once (perhaps even in the same browser window) can sometimes be confusing when all of them use the same or similar user interfaces and this in turn can lead to configuration errors or monitoring mix-ups. This is of course an issue that can easily come up in a use case in which multiple different aixtream devices have to be operated. For this reason the user can give each instance an explicit name and coloration displayed at the top of the page to identify at a glance which device they are currently on. These options can be found in the aixtream System settings under Website title and Website title color.
While most primary aixtream users are administrators or technicians, some operators, especially in larger organizations, are non-technicians. It is always a challenge to present a user interface for non-technicians that is not confusing and minimizes the chance for user errors to cause problems. For this reason, aixtream supports the option of limiting specific users to the Dashboard menu. As widgets can be configured in such a way that no unintended operations are possible, this greatly limits the chance of user error and also keeps the available options simple and clear. In some cases this may mean only offering a single play/pause button for these users, but in any case, confusion and user error are minimized.
Monitoring active audio calls and connections is very important in running a professional audio streaming setup, but it is not always feasible to give operators constant physical access to the pro audio codecs and streaming devices to check the audio signals via headphones. This is where aixtream’s listen-in feature comes into play. You can open aixtream’s media player in your web browser to check on the audio signals of active connections at any time using the audio hardware of your accessing device (computer, smartphone or others). Thanks to monitoring PIPEs this can even be done for multiple streams at once.
Protecting your data from storage failure or third party access is always important. This is true even when it concerns your audio recordings. aixtream maximizes both security and convenience by allowing you to configure an immediate upload of your audio recordings to external servers. This can be used to create backups or as final storage. As soon as a recording is finished, it is uploaded to the desired location. The upload functionality supports FTP, SFTP, HTTP, Samba and rsync. You can also choose whether to keep the files stored locally or delete them after the successful upload. If security of your audio recordings is a major concern for you, you can also encrypt the files before upload.
We are very proud of our intuitive and simple user interface, but we know that we could never cover all possible user preferences for control and monitoring. For this reason we have implemented a flexible REST API as part of our modern, forward-facing approach to software development.
Users who have to manage large systems often prefer dedicated management interfaces for their monitoring and even control. With our REST API you can either directly integrate aixtream into your overall workflow via HTTP or use it to interface with other management systems available on the market. This includes project-based integrations for all of the most common management systems available. If you would like to know more, contact us!
Most larger audio streaming and broadcasting applications include a monitoring concept, usually handled via a management system, in order to quickly react in the case of an error or other issue. Smaller applications often cannot afford such extensive systems, but would like to have some of that same functionality.
In aixtream, our smart control applets functionality cover both of these desires. With applets the user can configure system automation based on a trigger-action principle. When a specific triggering event happens, for example a major error is encountered, a specific action is automatically performed by the system. The range of possible actions also includes sending a prepared email to an administrator or technician, or using a web-hook. Both can be used to quickly communicate a warning or error to the right people.
Licenses bought for an aixtream system do not normally expire. They are available to you as long as you use that specific aixtream system. But sometimes you may need a few additional licenses for a limited period of time. For example when a sports championship or major political event requires you to manage additional audio connections for a few weeks or months.
For this purpose, Ferncast offers you the option of only renting licenses for a limited interval – naturally at an appropriately lowered price point. This way you can scale up your operation for a while or take advantage of features that you do not use under everyday circumstances.
Troubleshooting network issues is not easy at the best of times, especially in the extensive and complex networks many of our customers use aixtream in. We help simplify the error-finding process by allowing users to make network captures on every available interface directly in the aixtream GUI. There is no need to use third-party services to trace the incoming and outgoing packet traffic.
Users can find this feature in the Settings menu under the Network tab. The button for it can be found right next to the button for the Export of network configurations at the top left. Once the network capture has been made, it is saved in the eponymous folder in the Archive. From there it can be downloaded and analyzed with appropriate software programs like the well-known Wireshark.
We are constantly updating and improving aixtream with new features and quality-of-life improvements. This of course raises the question of update-handling. We are aware that not all of our customers can afford to leave an aixtream system connected to the internet. Whether the system is used in a DMZ, on the move or is otherwise cut off from the world wide web, the users must still be able to reliably update their systems when desired.
For this reason we introduced the option to perform offline updates. In addition to the existing option to start updates directly via the internet in the aixtream GUI, customers can now request update files from us for offline updates. These offline update files are simply loaded into the system in the System Settings menu. After they are loaded in, the update begins and soon the user can enjoy the newest version of aixtream.
The Log menu in aixtream is extremely detailed and tracks just about everything that goes on in the system. Because the depth of information can easily overwhelm a user, it also features many functions to filter the view in order to help users find specific system messages. This includes filtering by how critical the event is, which parts of the system are affected as well as specific reoccurring messages. But even so a user might sometimes just want to learn exactly what is going on with one specific connection or call. For this purpose it is possible to limit displayed log messages to those related to a specific PIPE.
Users can find this option in the PIPEs menu. Among the icons to the right of the PIPE, users can find a book icon (“Show log messages”). When clicked, a new window will appear that shows all recent log messages that relate to this PIPE only. This view can then be filtered further just like the main Log menu.
Among the many use cases supported by aixtream systems are all kinds of SIP communication. Multiple features in aixtream ensure that performing a SIP call is as quick and easy as possible, no matter whether you are a broadcaster, sound studio, voice actor or any other kind of SIP user.
Ferncast also offers a variety of SIP services via our own SIP servers. Customers can rent their own SIP accounts and even take advantage of advanced control and monitoring features for their accounts if desired.
Any customer using our SIP services together with an aixtream system enjoys a 10% discount on any SIP accounts and services they buy. This discount is not a one-time deal, but persists for the entire length of use of the aixtream SIP system.
If you are curious about exactly what kind of advantages Ferncast’s SIP services offer, feel free to take a look here: https://www.ferncast.com/products/sip-services/
In a complex system running productively, accidental changes of the configurations must be avoided at all costs. While the architecture of the PIPE concept makes such accidents unlikely to begin with, and quick to fix when they do happen, user errors can never be ruled out with absolute certainty. Furthermore, when multiple users are operating the same system, it is easy to inadvertently make changes to PIPEs other users have already configured fully or that you were not meant to touch in the first place.
The aixtream GUI helps prevent such errors by allowing users to “lock” a PIPE and thus bar users from making changes to the configuration without unlocking it first. The icon button to enable this can be found in the icon toolbar to the top right of the PIPE. Between the “Edit PIPE” and “Send to monitor PIPE” options.
Many audio streaming and recording use cases require very complex workflows. Sometimes these workflows are too context sensitive to be automatized fully. Thus they require manual switching of audio inputs/outputs or activation of various functions by a human operator. Even applications outside the master control room (MCR) or interview management can benefit from the ability to adapt the user interface to specific requirements.
For this purpose we have the Quick Actions widget. With this tool the user can configure a custom control panel in the Dashboard menu. You can define buttons and switches that trigger or regulate nearly every action possible in the aixtream user interface. Users can switch or reroute active inputs and outputs; change the number of output channels (for example from stereo to multichannel); play recorded jingles, messages or DTMF sequences and many more.
You can get started with Quick Actions by adding the Quick Actions widget to your Dashboard, defining some Quick Action applets in the Applet menu and setting the actions they trigger. Setting up a Quick Action control panel is powerful but complex, so feel free to contact us if you need help!
Depending on the operational circumstances, the ideal length of time a user may remain idle until they are automatically logged out of the system can vary a lot. For some users, having to log in again after leaving the user interface alone for a few minutes may be annoying or slow down overall operation. In other cases it is of vital importance there is no chance an unauthorized person can accesses the device via another user’s active session.
For this reason, aixtream supports a customizable session timeout for user logins. The user can precisely define the duration of inactivity after which the user is automatically logged out. Users can find the option to configure this in the System sub menu of the Settings menu. In the WebRemote folder they find the Session timeout field in which the length of time can be defined in minutes. If a user does not interact with the user interface for that many minutes, they are logged out of the system.
A danger that audio recording use cases have to deal with, especially those in which audio is continuously being recorded without any interruptions, is that the available storage space will eventually run out. The aixtream system deals with this by allowing the user to set an “archive quota” to determine how much storage space should always be kept free. If the amount of available space falls below this value, the system automatically deletes the oldest files in the archive until there is enough space available again.
The users can find the option to configure this in the System sub menu of the Settings menu. There is the Archive quota field, in which the minimum amount of storage space that should be left free can be defined (either in percent of total available space or absolute values).
Keep ind mind that you may have to also configure an external backup upload or regularly move recorded files manually before they are deleted from the aixtream system.
Many features to improve connection quality are available. Especially when performing a live audio call of some kind, latency should be small but the quality of the audio must remain high, even on low-bandwidth connections. That is why many techniques have been developed over the years to maintain audio quality even under difficult conditions.
In aixtream some of these are configured in the Call Profiles menu. There you can create a new profile (with your priority list of codecs and bitrates) and also define the size of the jitter buffer in milliseconds and enable Decoder PLC (Packet-Loss Concealment) for this profile. Once the profile has been created, you can set it as the used Call profile when creating or editing a SIP contact in the Phonebook menu and also when creating or editing a PIPE with RTP source or RTP sink elements in the PIPEs menu. This way you can set that call profile to be used with SIP calls and RTP connections respectively.
Unlike some other systems which limit the users to static, predefined user roles, the aixtream user role management allows admins to customize very precisely what users with a specific user role should be allowed to do. However, sometimes even more specific rules are needed. An example of this would be if the directors wanted to ensure that a group of users is generally forbidden from activating and pausing connections, but should be allowed to manage one particular PIPE. Whereas the general permission settings are limited to an “allow/deny” binary, the aixtream system also makes it possible to create LUA scripts to define very specific permissions. Technicians who are savvy coders may be able to write these themselves by referencing UUIDs from the Debug menu, but Ferncast also offers assistance in this matter. If you tell us what permissions you require, we can provide the finished LUA scripts directly to you.
Being able to quickly communicate issues with the system for the sake of troubleshooting in an error case can be a big help. The most important aspect in this regard when talking about live systems like aixtream is normally the log of system events. It allows specific errors to be found quickly. Some issues are not so easily identified though. In those cases it may be useful to track the overall system and network health. This includes CPU load, RAM usage and packet losses.
In aixtream there is the Monitoring menu for this. It displays all the aforementioned information in two neat columns. When it is necessary to communicate any troubleshooting information from this menu to us, a general screenshot of the view could be made with your computer, but this may be awkward for various reasons. If you just want to create a single image of one of the Monitoring statistics, you can simply click the floppy disk icon to the top right of each graph to save an image of only that graph. This image can then be transferred to the Ferncast support team without any hassle.
Configuring many different connections and streams can be very tedious. Especially if some aspects of the connection regularly change; for example because the remote destinations of a large-scale RTP streaming application regularly change or you regularly have to change the file used as an input in a non-live application. Changing all these manually to the same value when you have to do this for 50 or more connections is tiresome and time-wasting.
In aixtream you can define a preset when configuring a PIPE element. This serves two purposes: Firstly, the user can easily reuse a default configuration again and again. Secondly, and more importantly, they ensure that the same PIPE element across multiple separate PIPEs has exactly the same configuration. Any changes to the preset will apply to all PIPE elements using that preset. You can find the option to configure a preset in the top right corner of the element configuration window (the one you see after clicking on a PIPE element to configure it). Click this button, give the preset a name and confirm with the green floppy disk icon. Now this preset can be selected and applied to a PIPE element in the future by clicking the downward-facing triangle next to the Preset button and selecting the Preset. Any changes made to the configuration after the PIPE element has been assigned a preset, is applied to all PIPE elements with that preset.
Connections are not always stable in the broadcasting and streaming world. Sometimes the input fails due to human error or technical failure, sometimes a network or transmission issue makes it impossible to reach the destination. In those situations, it is important that operators do not have to manually restart connections, especially if the error resolves itself within a few seconds without any intervention from the operators. In aixtream automatic retries in the case of errors can be configured for each PIPE and entire PIPE groups.
For individual PIPEs, the maximum number of retries and the wait time between retry attempts in seconds can be changed in the Edit PIPE menu for the PIPE you want to configure. Click on the Settings button (wrench icon) next to the text field with the PIPE’s name at the top. In the dialog menu which now appears, you can find Auto-restart wait-time and Max. retry count. There you can adjust those values. Please note that “99” for retries means an infinite number of retries. “0” disables retries entirely. For PIPE groups, these options can be found in the Edit Streamgroup menu when creating or editing a PIPE group (pencil icon in the tool bar with the PIPE group name).
Managing a large number of audio connections and processes (especially when they may be of different types) is difficult at the best of times. Keeping an overview of which connections stream audio where and how becomes harder with every additional audio stream. For this purpose, aixtream allows users to tag individual PIPEs. These tags can then be searched for via full-text search or referenced by other functions. This way you can group up connections based on your own criteria.
You can add a new tag in the Edit PIPE menu. On the left side of the menu, below the name of the PIPE, you will find the field to enter new tags. Simply click into this field, input the desired tag title, and hit the ENTER key on your keyboard to add a tag. You can repeat this process until you have assigned all desired tags to the PIPE. Once you have assigned a tag to a PIPE, you will see the assigned tags in the list of PIPEs to the left of the control panel (STOP/PAUSE/PLAY) of the associated PIPE. You can now search for those tags with the search field at the top. When you do so, the view will be automatically filtered to only show PIPEs which share the tag you searched for. You can then also use the Multi Control, which appears below the search field. With it, you can control, lock or unlock, or even delete all the tagged PIPEs at the same time.
Keeping a good overview of activities on an en/decoder is especially important when you are using highly scalable systems, which may have hundreds of connections configured and active on a single system. Some of these connections may of different types or for different format or bitrates outputs.
In aixtream, the user has access to both a full text search field as well as multiple filter options. The search filters the displayed connections (PIPEs) based on the name of the PIPEs, used PIPE elements (like the name of the encoder or sink element) or any tags that the PIPE has been assigned. Once the view has been filtered this way, the user has access to the Multi Control to control all the PIPEs the search applies to at once. This way multiple PIPEs can be started/stopped/paused, removed, or un/locked. The state filters meanwhile limit the displayed PIPEs to those that are in one of the enabled states (playing/paused/inactive etc.).
This way the user can handle an arbitrarily high number of connections on any one system and quickly find the connections they are looking for.
Simplifying workflows is always in demand. Everything that reduces the time needed to operate your systems leaves you more time to focus on the content production or other tasks. Ferncast places a strong emphasis on making things as simple as possible for the users and our metadata mapper for on-demand content processing is another example of this. This feature makes it possible to define the output of an on-demand processing workflow based on tags present in the input metadata.
The options for the Metadata mapper can be found in the appropriate section of the Metadata configuration in the On-demand menu when creating or editing an on-demand workflow. The actual configuration is somewhat more complex, but the guide wizard and tooltips should help the users figure out the right inputs. The user must define the PIPE tag which identifies the PIPE(s) or PIPE group(s) that are used for the specific output. Then, they must choose the expression which the mapper should look for and where it would be found in the metadata. Additional conditions can also be added. If you need any help beyond what the user interface and our documentation offer you, please do not hesitate to contact Ferncast directly.
Using existing internet audio streams (or audio streams present in a private network) as an input for the output of transcoded or format-converted content is one of the more unique features of aixtream. The URL source can be used to reuse existing audio content in any number of ways, including recording the audio, transmitting it as MPEG TS or sharing it in your network via AES67, Ravenna or Dante.
Since aixtream 3.0, Icecast streams do not need to be published on an actual Icecast server anymore to use them in this way. The software can receive the Icecast streams directly, as if it were an Icecast server. Then, the user can use them in all the ways described above and more.
You can enable aixtream’s Icecast server service in the system settings (Settings > System). There you can find an accordion menu named Icecast server. In this section you can enable the Icecast server service and make all necessary configurations for receiving Icecast streams like an Icecast server.
SIP spam and other malicious use of SIP connectivity are unfortunately a sad fact of using AoIP communication over the public internet. Not all users can afford to limit calls to their own domain. In fact, many options for managing SIP spam have downsides.
For this reason, aixtream offers a way for you to limit who can call you while restricting SIP connectivity as little possible. What is even better: You can toggle this option individually for each SIP account on the system.
You can find the option in the SIP Accounts tab in the Setting menu. When you set up a new SIP account or edit an existing one, you can toggle the Whitelisting option. While it is toggled Off, anyone can call you. Depending on whether Automatic call accept is toggled On or Off, incoming calls are either automatically accepted or you receive a notification asking you whether you wish to accept or decline the call. If the Whitelisting is toggled On, all calls from SIP accounts which are not in your Phonebook are automatically rejected. In that case, make sure to add a new Phonebook entry when you want to give a new contact the ability to call you.
When integrating any system into a larger ecosystem, users must pay special attention to the aspects of monitoring and management. Operating every little system in the network or workflow directly is not an efficient or feasible option in most cases. That is why aixtream offers multiple options for monitoring and managing the system — including REST API, Smart Control Applets and SNMP.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is an established protocol for managing network participants. Its first version was introduced in 1990. It is up to version 3 now, and all versions are supported by aixtream.
You can enable SNMP in the System tab of the Settings menu. Scroll down and you will find the SNMP accordion menu. There you can separately enable and disable SNMPv1 & SNMPv2c or SNMPv3.
Below, in the lower left of the menu, you can also download aixtream’s MIB file (Management Information Base). This tells you how objects in aixtream are mapped, and how you can reference them with your SNMP solution.
SIP calls are often used for live remote communication and users do not always have the time to extensively test the line with their communication partner. This is why it is good to have the option to test as much as possible alone.
For this purpose, aixtream offers Echo mode. When echo mode is enabled, all the audio that aixtream receives from the other end of a SIP call is returned (“echoed”) to the caller. This means that the SIP caller can test whether the call goes through, the quality of the internet connection, if there are any issues with de/encoding and more, without you needing to actively provide audio input to send.
You can enable echo mode in the SIP Accounts tab of the Settings menu. Make sure to enable Expert view in the top right and you will find the Echo mode toggle towards the bottom of the menu.
Whether during a live production or remote recording, connection loss is never pleasant during any audio production. Unfortunately, it cannot be avoided with absolute certainty. Hardware failure or internet problems can strike at any time. In the best case, they only cost you time, but it can be also be much worse. So, when it does happen, you want to be sure your connection is up and running again as soon as possible. One way to do so is to ensure the last call is automatically re-established after the connection was lost.
In aixtream, you can configure just that via Call Profiles.
In the Call Profiles tab of the Settings menu, you find the toggle Auto-call on register. When this is turned On, the codec will automatically restart the last call that was active when SIP registration was lost. Since it triggers off SIP registration, it applies regardless of whether the cause of the disruption was a full system failure, an issue with the internet connection or just a SIP registration problem.
Audio-over-IP is the future of audio transport — and for good reason. It offers many technical and logistical advantages. Unfortunately, it is not always the easiest to configure. Ensuring an AES67 stream is correctly received by the other side is certainly more complex than plugging in the right XLR connector was in the old days. Understandably, users appreciate anything that makes the setup of a sprawling AES67 network easier.
One way to do so is easy access to SDP files (Session Description Protocol) on the sending side, which make it easier to configure the receiving side.
You can download the SDP of an active connection in aixtream, for this purpose. When a PIPE with an RTP or Audio-over-IP sink is active, you can find a special icon button among the toolbar on the right (where you also find the Edit pipe button). The Download SDP File button does just that (it looks like a cloud with a downward pointing arrow). Once the SDP is downloaded it can either be directly loaded into some receiving devices, or you can open it in a text editor to see all the SDP information within, which you can then paste into the receiving end. In either case, this will establish the connection.
Many users must orchestrate large workflows made up of many different systems. This is often achieved by using separate management or monitoring solutions to control and check all connected systems on a central platform.
In aixtream, interfacing with such solutions is usually done via its REST API, which allows monitoring and control of all system elements. One hurdle users sometimes find when using the REST API is correctly referencing specific instances of those system elements, since aixtream uses a UUID system (Universally Unique Identifier) to give each object a unique identifier, which is easy to read for machines, but not very helpful to humans.
If you need to find out the UUIDs of objects in your aixtream system, we recommend you enable the Debug menu and use it to identify the specific objects you want to inspect.
The Debug menu can be toggled on in the System tab of the Settings menu under Debug mode (WebRemote). Once it is enabled and the page refreshed, you will find the Debug menu (wrench icon, to the left of the Settings menu). In it, you find a list of all types of system objects. When you select one, you will also see all currently existing objects of that type. The field with Identifier tells you the full UUID. A convenient copy button is also provided to the right side of the Identifier field, to make it easy to copy and paste these UUIDs into other places — like your management systems or other automations, in which you want to reference these specific objects.