Polycom C16 - Manual (Page 18)

Design Guide for the Polycom SoundStructure C16, C12, C8, and SR12
2 - 4
• It is easier to work with the system because all the input signals feed into
the single matrix and all the outputs are fed from the single matrix
• The a/v designer can be more creative as there are no limitations on how
signals from multiple devices can be used together
• The device linking scheme is completely transparent to the designer - all
input signals are shared to all devices dramatically simplifying the setup,
configuration and maintenance of large systems
• It is easier to set up the system with SoundStructure Studio as all inputs
and outputs are viewed on one screen, eliminating the need to configure
multiple devices and view multiple pages
This one big system design approach is the result of the SoundStructure
architectural design and the OBAM high-speed bi-directional link interface
between devices. With OBAM linking, up to eight devices may be linked
together. If there are plug-in cards installed in multiple linked SoundStructure
devices, the plug-in card resources are available for routing to any output
across the system. See the Hardware Installation Guide or Chapter 3 for more
information on how to link multiple devices together.
The one large system design philosophy means that the audio matrix of a
system of SoundStructure devices is the size of the total number of inputs and
outputs of all the component devices that are linked together. Since one
SoundStructure C16 device has a 16x16 matrix, two C16 devices linked
together create a 32x32 matrix and so forth.
The one big audio matrix architecture can be seen in the following figure
where a C16 device is OBAM linked to a C12 device which is OBAM linked to
a C8 device. The resulting system will have 36x36 inputs and 36 outputs
(16+12+8 = 36). In addition to all the inputs and outputs, the submixes of each
device will also feed the matrix allowing the designer to have 36 submix
signals (not shown in the following figure), one for each input that can be used
in the system.
Because of the OBAM design architecture, the A/V designer no longer has to
be concerned with device linking, as multiple SoundStructure devices will
behave as, and be configured as, one large system.
OBAM
OUT IN
OUT IN
OUT IN
OBAM
36x16
16x16 12x12 8x8
36x12 36x8
36x36