Loudness Plugin License Installation and Setup

Reading time ~4 minutes

The Loudness Control in Cinegy Playout is now provided by a third-party Linear Acoustics (LA) professional plugin and as such requires additional Licensing from Linear Acoustics (part of the Telos Alliance). There is an additional License cost incurred for permanent installations. Previous versions of Loudness control are no longer supported.

In order to run this feature a software license is required as well as installing third-party CodeMeter software. Activation can also be achieved by a hardware Dongle, but this does carry an additional cost and still requires CodeMeter software. Cinegy is happy to deal with Linear Acoustics to provide both time-limited testing and permanent licenses.

Warning

Activating the Loudness plugin without a license, by checking the Loudness Control checkbox in the Air Engine Audio Configuration menu without installing a license will prevent the Cinegy Playout engine from starting. Unchecking the option will restore the Cinegy Playout engine to its previous configuration.

This quick guide takes you through the steps to get your Linear Acoustics (LA) Loudness plugin license.

STEP 1: Preparing for License Installation

Before installation, make sure the machine you are using has the required Microsoft Windows operating system installed along with the recommended service packs. Details on system recommendations are available through the Cinegy Open website.

Check that any sets of custom codecs or fonts are installed on both the client and the playout server stations.

Download the latest Cinegy Air installation package (PRO or SOLO version), which includes the Cinegy Playout installation package. Copy the installers to a shared location in your network so that all client machines can access the package for convenient installation.

Note	Local administrator rights are required for both computers (playout client station and playout server) to install Cinegy Air.

STEP 2: Installing CodeMeter Software

The CodeMeter software has to be installed on the machine/server where Cinegy Playout is running. The installation package is available through Cinegy Partner and Cinegy User websites.

Follow the installation steps to get the CodeMeter application up and running.

Once installed, the application can be launched from the "Start" menu:

STEP 3: Generating LA License Request

Note	Please note that the LA license is machine-specific.

To start generating the LA license, open the CodeMeter Control Centre application.

Drag-and-drop the Linear Acoustics_APTO Stream.wbb file from the "softwareLicense" folder included in the Linear Acoustics Licensing package into the CodeMeter control panel (left-hand side). This will insert a blank license request into the list.

Select the newly added request and press the button button:

In the Welcome window of CmFAS Assistant that opens, press the "Next" button.

Proceed by selecting "Create license request" action:

You will be prompted to provide a file name for the license request and select a folder to store it:

Having finished generating a license request, select the file in .WibuCmRaC format and send it to your Cinegy representative via email.

STEP 4: Importing LA License Update

When the license update file is obtained from the Cinegy representative, it must be imported into the CodeMeter Control Center. It needs to be drag-and-dropped into the CodeMeter Control panel.

In the CodeMeter Control Center press the button button. Then choose the "Import license update" action:

Press "Next" and navigate to the folder where the license update file is stored. Select the file in .WibuCmRaU format and press "Commit":

The import process will start. When completed, click "Finish".

The license is now active:

STEP 5: Installing and Running the APTO License Service

Run the "APTO.stream License Service Setup.exe" file from the "License Service" folder. Follow the instructions of the installation wizard in order to install the APTO license service:

Caution

Please note that after installation is complete, it is recommended to restart your machine.

STEP 6: Selecting the Loudness Plugin in Cinegy Playout Configuration

Launch the Cinegy Playout Configuration tool and select the instance you would like to configure. Navigate to the "Audio" settings tab. Launch the Cinegy Playout Configuration tool and select the instance you would like to configure. Then select the required engine output channel(s) and right-click on the sound output box:

In the opened configuration window activate the "Loudness control" checkbox to access the operational settings and the Loudness standards required:

Press the "Settings" button.

Note	Default values should provide user with correct control settings and should not be adjusted unless a user is familiar with the required loudness control settings:

STEP 7: Troubleshooting the APTO License Service

In case the license has not been activated or seen by the license service, the Cinegy Playout engine will fail to start when the Audio configuration "Loudness control" option box is ticked.

For troubleshooting purposes, check whether the APTO.stream Licensing Service is running and restart it if needed.