Hello! I do not know , if somebody here has experience with RANE products. Setup now is: DA26 distribution amp with 3x VR1 remote level control (wired) and I would like to control volume with Pronto TSU3000 . I am not sure if it is possible replace VR1 remotes with some IR controlers or if I can replace whole DA26 with something IR capable. Please , help me if you have any idea. Thank you Rob

just learn the codes form the VR1 remotes into the Pronto.. case closed

Well , I would like , but VR1 is manual remote level control..... [Link: bhphotovideo.com] ,or I am missing something? I can not believe that nobody here has experience with this product. Please help.Thank you.. Rob

The DA-26 does not support IR Remote control. These are Commercial Fixed level processors. Why anyone would need IR Remote control for this app is the question here.... Sounds like someone speced the wrong unit.

Thank you , Impaqt for your response. This audio system installed MUZAK co. here in Chicago in bar and they forgot prewire 3xVR1 remote level controls on main floor. They put them on rack in basement , so now if you want to set volume - one guy (bartender) is in basement adjusting volume and another guy (waiter) is on main floor and they use cell phone to communicate... You can imagine , that more people in bar you need louder music and at lunch time they want to keep music quiet , so they have to adjust volume couple times per day. They use Pronto TSU3000 to control 5 flat screens + sat. receivers (located in bsmt. rack) so my idea was , to replace either VR1 or DA-26 with something , what they would be able to control with their Pronto and make it easy for them. Other solution is move 3xVR1 in to bar area on 1st floor , but basement is whole drywalled and I would have to run exposed wires all over basement. I wanted to try make it nice and usable. Rob

Sounds like you need to get Muzak back out there and retro in some volume controls! If you wanted to do it yourself, you should just get some cable raceway that you can surface mount to the ceiling and easily run the wires without the need to rip out drywall, and still keep the neat clean look... Good luck!
Mike

My apologies. I haven't used Rane gear for a long time. I just assumed that this unit was IR capable. Begs the question why a lot more pro audio gear hasn't implemented some IR control protocols on their gear (another topic).

if it's only three zones, a possible band aid solution would be to get a Yamaha reciever that is three zone capable and use those three zones of IR pre amp control to attenuate the three amplifier channels that the Rane volume controls are controlling. Then you can use the RF remote.

Teknobeam1 , is this really possible?? I was thinking about this , but I have no experience with comercial audio. I am not sure if I can replace VR1 with Yamaha , because they (RANE ) use 22-gauge stranded 3- conductor betwen VR1 and DA-26.What about connections?? Did you think - replace DA-26 and VR1 with Yamaha receiver and use existing power amps from this setup? Do not I need to keep Da-26 in this setup? I am sorry for all these questions , but like I said - I do not have experience with Rane products. Thank you very much for help Rob

lvsrobs, How about at the top of the stair wall to place the volume controls?
So the Basement is drywalled. What is it used for? Do customers see it?

I would try to get the VR1s somewhere near the first floor and save the potential service issues with a loose IR remote in a commercial enviroment. Who is going to get the call at midnight when the remote slips off the shelf onto the floor and breaks?


Other services, such as phone, may go through to the basement, see if you have a spare or another route. Many remote controllers, including the RANE, use just a 10K linear potentiometer to control the volume with just three wires, non shielded. You can use shielded though if that is all you have. If you get this hooked up, everyone will know how to use it and it will not fail.
Wiretrack and Conduit are never out of place in a Chicago pub. Put it in tonight, most everyone will be lit and it will go unnoticed :)

The DA26 is no doubt feeding three channels of discrete power amplification? It pretty much has to be. Are you using microphone paging in this setup? If so, reconfigure the jumpers on the rear of the DA26 to route priority paging to the Zone #1 output. Feed Zone#1 output to the CD input of the Yamaha rxv 2500 or any other three zone capable IR reciever. Set up the reciever to have these three zones operate in a 'variable" volume mode. Connect each of the Zone outputs on the Reciever to the power amplifier inputs that the DA26 used to feed. Then program the Pronto accordingly.

Even if you could run wire from the existing equipment rack to the bar (sounds like it's not going to be easy), I think you will be farther ahead having a single unified control device (the Pronto) that does everything in one box. You can also set up macro's etc. I reccomend having a spare Pronto available that you can provide if it get's lost or gets dropped.

I was wondering, how are you switching between the background music source (Muzak) and the video sound from the sat recievers or a VCR? The DA26 only has one input other than the priority input which could be used to toggle between two line level sources with a simple switch. I agree, doesn't sound like the system was very well designed.

The DA26 is a really limited product,but if there is a budget for a change and before you decide to stick a bunch of consumer gear in a commercial enviroment, just consider another processor. Rane also makes a RPM44. I have not used this piece before. This has a Ethernet jack that allows for control. If you have ethernet available in the equipment location, you could use the Sales Computer (POS) to operate the system. Most are a Micros Touchscreen system running windows OS and most are ethernet enabled for transaction data to the server.
There are other control systems and processors that are ethernet enabled or have control ports. Peavey, DBX, and TOA are some to investigate.

He's already got a bunch of consumer gear in a commercial environment, the only thing that isn't commercial is the Rane piece. Everything else is on a unified platform ( the Pronto) and communicating in IR. The poster wants to use the Pronto to control the zone volume levels. " I would like to control volume with Pronto TSU3000"

The gear in question is in a remote location away from the environment and the Yamaha would only be serving as a pre amp (no power issues) and the three zone IR controller.

If he had a Cat5 where he wanted to control the volume from then he could use a DBX ZonePro 641 (dasiy chain all of the ZC1 controllers instead of the Rane system). That means only one Cat5 to run and you gain a lot of DSP such as limiting, extensive EQ, delay, etc. But that might not be an option for him, and he would also have to source the 641 and then learn how to use it properly.


I think you would be asking for a lot more potential problems and hassle moving the control of this little system onto a POS ethernet platform.

OK guys, I am sorry , I was not around for some time. Thank you very much for all your ideas , I can see now couple of solutions. Basement in this bar is storage only , reason why I said it is not going to be easy to pull wires was that I will have to run wires over basement (70ft.) ,but this is possible if I use some wire covers or conduit. I wanted to do this with pronto and Yamaha receiver, because it would look fancy plus all equipment would finaly work right. Situation now is - Muzak installed sound system with DA-26 -three VR1 on rack , only one single audio source is tuner!!!! No microfone paging.... Other guy installed video equipment ( 5 flat screens , 5 sat. receivers , Elan video switcher , DVD player , Pronto remote ......) so now whole setup kind of suck. The owner spent $$$$ and got two separate systems , did not know what he is doing....... Same old story.. I do not want to run into ethernet control - this would be sweet , but I am not sure what computers , software and hardware is there and honestly - I am not sure how I would handle this... But this looks like very fancy idea. I really like that Yamaha idea , this will give me chance to send sound from diferent sat.receivers to diferent zones (finaly) . Second Pronto as backup is very , very , good idea !! Teknobeam1 and GotGame , thank you very much , I really appreciate your help. Rob