The AMS8-1 is a compact one rack-unit aural and visual monitor designed to handle multi-channel format audio signals. Eight PPM/VU LED bargraphs display signal activity, while a sophisticated multi speaker system allows operators to listen, with great clarity, to the signal being monitored.

INPUTS
The AMS8-1 has four digital audio inputs. 110 Ohm balanced inputs are on Phoenix™ 3-pin screw terminal pluggable connectors and 75 Ohm unbalanced inputs are on BNC connectors. An internal switcher allows the operator to toggle between the two banks of four balanced and unbalanced inputs.

Options to expand the signal monitoring capability of the AMS8 may be added as required. The unit may be equipped with a Dolby Decoder card and/or a demuxer card. The demuxer card can be any of the SD or HD/SD models that WBS manufactures.

When a Dolby decoder card is added the four digital audio inputs may be PCM, Dolby E or Dolby AC-3 or any combination of the three signal formats. When an HD/SD demuxer card only is added the embedded digital audio must be PCM format. If both a Dolby Decoder and an HD/SD demuxer is added to the AMS8 it will allow audio monitoring of PCM, Dolby E, Dolby AC-3 and both PCM and Dolby Digital embedded signals.

A reference input for DARS is provided. This may be 110 Ohms, balanced, via a Phoenix™ 3-pin screw terminal pluggable connectors or 75 Ohms, unbalanced, via a BNC connector .

OUTPUTS
In the base unit (PCM only inputs) four AES output signals that are copies of the input signals are provided on the rear panel. The signals are provided as both balanced on pluggable Phoenix™ 3-pin terminals or unbalanced signals on BNC connectors.

If the AMS8 is equipped with a Dolby Decoder a decoded AES signal group Of the Dolby digital signal being monitored is present on these four output connectors (75 or 110 Ohm) in the following sequence:

OUT 1 L and R
OUT 2 C and LFE
OUT 3 LS and RS
OUT 4 LT and RT, if available

Additionally, an analog copy of the L, R, C, LFE, LS and RS signals is provided on the AUX DB25 multi-pin connector.

The unit provides an analog stereo output that is a copy of the signal being fed to the integral speakers. This stereo output may be configured to follow the front panel speaker level control or to be a fixed line level output.

Metadata extracted from a Dolby signal is provided on the labelled rear panel DB9 connector. The SERIAL COMM DB9 connector includes GPI and GPO inputs that may be used for tally and external control functions.

Ward-Beck offers a variety of demuxer cards that may be added to the AMS8 to extract embedded audio signals:

DEMUX 1 SD SDI with reclocked copy of input signal and two digital audio outputs
DEMUX 2 SD SDI with reclocked copy of input signal and two analog video outputs
DEMUX 3 HD/SD SDI with reclocked copy of input signal and two digital audio outputs

FIELD CONFIGURATION
The versatile AMS8 may be field configured to suit the monitoring needs of a particular operation or location, using a combination of the eight segment LED dot-matrix readout, the eight lighted pushbuttons and the two rotary shaft encoders with integral pushbutton switches. Ward-Beck has developed an intuitive scheme to ease programming of the AMS8.

Features that can be readily programmed to assist in monitoring include:

Creating preset monitoring configuration
Creating an infinitely variable proportional stereo mix-down of multiple audio channels
Providing global control for monitoring
Enable voice-over on Dolby signals