behringer-mixer 0.1.0

Module to get basic information from Behringer digital mixers eg X32/XAir etc.

behringer-mixer

Python module to get basic information from Behringer digital mixers eg X32/XAir etc.

Initial inspiration (and some code) comes from https://github.com/onyx-and-iris/xair-api-python.

What it does and what it doesn't do.

This module is a simple interface to a series of Behringer digital mixers. It does NOT support all parameters or controls. It is primarily focussed on getting and setting fader information. It supports getting this information, both on a once off basis and subscribing for real-time updates.

It currently supports the following functionality for all channels/busses/matrices/dcas/main/lr:

• Fader Value (float and dB) [get/set]
• Fader Mute status [get/set]
• Fader Name [get]

It also supports

• Current scene/snapshot [get]
• Change scene/snapshot [set]

If you want a module that allows you to control the full functionality of the mixer, eg configuring effects/eq etc then I would recommend checking out https://github.com/onyx-and-iris/xair-api-python instead.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10 or greater

Installation

pip install behringer-mixer

Usage

This module depends on the asyncio module to handle multiple runnings tasks simultaneously.

Example

import asyncio
import logging
from behringer_mixer import mixer_api

def updates_function(data):
    print(f"The property {data.get('property')} has been set to {data.get('value')}")

async def main():
    mixer  = mixer_api.create("X32", ip="192.168.201.149", logLevel=logging.WARNING)
    await mixer.start()
    state = await mixer.reload()
    state = mixer.state()
    print(state)
    asyncio.create_task(mixer.subscribe(updates_function))
    await mixer.set_value("/ch/1/mix_fader", 10)
    await asyncio.sleep(20)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())

Property Keys

The data returned by both the state and subscription callback function is based on a number of property keys for the mixer. While these keys are 'similar' to the values used in the OSC commands they are not always the same.

Each key is a mixture of a base 'group' key eg /ch/1/ and a more specific key.
They keys have also been altered slightly to maintain a consistent approach between different mixers. eg. For channel/bus numbers the leading zero has been removed. on the XAir mixers the main fader is /main/lr whereas on the X32 it is /main/st. This modules returns both as /main/st.

mixer_api.create("<mixer_type>", ip="<ip_address>")

The code is written to support the following mixer types:

• X32
• XR18
• XR16
• XR12 (I currently only have access to an X32.)

The following keyword arguments may be passed:

• ip: ip address of the mixer (Required)
• port: mixer port, defaults to 10023 for x32 and 10024 for xair
• delay: a delay between each command, defaults to 20ms.
  • a note about delay, stability may rely on network connection. For wired connections the delay can be safely reduced.
• logLevel: the level of logging, defaults to warning (enums from logging eg logging.DEBUG)

The create function only creates an instance of the mixer, it does not 'connect' to it. You should call the mixer.start() function to prepare communication and then call mixer.validate_connection() to check that the connection to the mixer worked.

mixer.info()

Returns information about the mixer, giving the number of channels/busses etc as well as the base part of the 'address' for that component.

        {
            "channel": {
                "number": 32,
                "base_address": "ch",
            },
            "bus": {
                "number": 16,
                "base_address": "bus",
            },
            "matrix": {
                "number": 6,
                "base_address": "mtx",
            },
            "dca": {
                "number": 8,
                "base_address": "dca",
            },
            "fx": {
                "number": 10,
                "base_address": "fx",
            },
            "auxrtn": {
                "number": 8,
                "base_address": "auxrtn",
            },
            "scenes": {
                "number": 100,
                "base_address": "scene",
            },
        }

async mixer.load_scene(scene_number)

Changes the current/scene snapshot of the mixer. scene_number is the scene number as stored on the mixer.

async mixer.query(address) (Low Level Call)

This is a low level call and returns the response of a previous send call. You should not need to call this, but rely on the managed state instead.

async mixer.reload()

Causes the the mixer to be requeried for it's current state. This only updates the module's internal state. You would then need to call mixer.state() to receive the updated state.

async mixer.send(address, value) (Low Level Call)

This is a low level call to send an OSC message to the mixer. As this is a low level call, the address of the OSC message being sent would have to conform to that required by the mixer in its documenation, no changing of the address is performed. This call does not update the internal state. You should not need to call this, but rely on the managed state instead.

async mixer.set_value(address, value)

Tells the mixer to update a particular field parameter to the value specified. address should be in the format returned by the mixer.state() call. value should be in a format appropriate to the address being used. The module does no checking on the appropriateness of the value. This call also updates the internal state of the module.

async mixer.start()

Starts the OSC server to process messages. Data will not be returned/processed unless this has been run

mixer.state(<address>)

Returns the current state of the mixer. If the optional address parameter is provided then the current state of that address is returned. If the parameter is not provided then the entire state is returned as a dictionary of values.

{
	'/ch/1/mix_fader': 0.75,
	'/ch/1/mix_fader_db': 0.0,
    ...
	'/ch/1/mix_on': False,
	'/ch/2/mix_on': False,
	'/ch/1/config_name': 'VOX 1',
	...
	'/bus/1/mix_fader': 0.37829911708831787,
	'/bus/1/mix_fader_db': -19.7,
	...
	'/bus/4/mix_on': True,
	...
	'/bus/2/config_name': '',
	...
	'/dca/3/config_name': 'Drums',
	...
	'/main/st/mix_fader': 0.7497556209564209,
	'/main/st/mix_fader_db': -0.0,
	'/main/st/mix_on': True,
	...
	'/scene/current': 6
}

async mixer.stop()

Stops the OSC server and the ability to process messages

async mixer.subscribe(callback_function)

This registers a callback_function that is called whenever there is a change at the mixer on one of the monitored properties. The callback function will receive one dictionary parameter that contains the data that has been updated. The content of this data parameter is as follows

{ 
    'property': '/ch/01/mix_fader',
    'value': 0.85
}

async mixer.unsubscribe()

Stops the module listening to real time updates

async mixer.validate_connection()

Returns True if the connection to the mixer is successful, False otherwise.

Tests

These tests attempt to connect to a mixer to exercise get/set from the channels. The tests will change the state of the mixer, so it is recommended you save the current settings before running. It is also recommended that any amplifier is turned off as feedback could occur if signals are present on the channels.

To run all tests:

pytest -v.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details

Documentation

XAir OSC Commands

X32 OSC Commands

Special Thanks

Onyx-and-Iris for writing the XAir Python module