Author: Debanka

Using the “LockUnlock” functionality you can secure audio objects. This will help you to safeguard Harman proprietary audio objects during collaboration. This feature encrypts Harman audio objects within the project, preventing unauthorized access by third parties. Additionally, you can hide the tuning data, ensuring sensitive information remains confidential when sharing the projects.

You can lock an audio object type or an audio object instance.  It is possible to lock a CAO instance as well. All the audio objects inside a CAO will get automatically locked.
You can even lock a part of the CAO signal flow. All the CAO instances will inherit the secure status.

Characteristics of secured audio object:

• Secure audio objects will not allow any of their properties to be edited. The Properties window will be disabled.
• New secure audio objects cannot be added to the signal flow.
• There is no way to remove, duplicate, or copy a secure audio object.
• Upgrade of secure audio objects is not possible. An error message will be shown to use the valid framework dll.
• Native panels cannot be opened from the signal flow or custom panel.
• If any secure audio object has been configured in the custom panel before locking, it will continue to work. However, after locking it is not possible to add a secure audio object native panel to the custom panel. Secure state variables will be disabled in the address assignment window.
• Secure audio objects will be hidden in State Variables Explorer, MIPS, Memory, Memory Latency, Linking, Custom panel designer and Streaming window.
• It will not be possible to export the DDF of the device which contains secure audio objects.
• In the XTP viewer, the secure audio object’s tuning will not be decoded.

In the toolbox, you can use the “Lock/Unlock” option available on the right-click of any audio object to secure any audio object. Once the audio object type is locked (password protected), all the instances of that audio object type will be locked across all the projects. The locking of the audio object feature is audio library-specific.

Once the lock is applied to any audio object type, the following changes will take place in the system.

• Locked audio objects are distinguishable from other audio objects with a lock symbol.
• The lock is on all instances of the particular audio object type across all projects based on the selected audio library version (until the W+1 release). From X release instance locking is possible.
• Audio objects will be locked in CAO instances. However, CAO types are excluded.
• When “Open Signal Flow for Tuning” is clicked on the Instance, the audio objects will remain locked.
• Audio objects remain locked in the  CAO instance signal flow
• Undo and Redo history will be cleared from the Signal Flow Design.
• In Parameter sets, Secure audio objects will be masked with the lock icon in the parameter sets window, and presets cannot be changed.
  
• You can export .set and .setr files from presets and import them back. There will be no change in .set files. However, secure audio objects will be excluded in the .setr file as it is human-readable. You cannot read the tuning data of secure audio objects in .setr files.
•  If the audio object is locked, the secured audio objects will be masked with a lock icon in the linking window.
  After locking the audio object it will not be possible to add the secure audio objects for linking. The linking continues to function as intended.
  
• When you lock audio objects in a project, remember to also export the secure DLL before sharing the project with others. This DLL is required to use the locked audio objects.
  On export of a project with the secure audio object, a warning message will be displayed to export the secure dll from the device designer.
  
• In the device designer, you can create an Xaf framework dll with the secure audio object information added to it.
  
• Exporting a secure DLL creates a copy of the specific audio framework version used in the project. This ensures compatibility between the project and the DLL.
  A project containing secure audio objects can only be imported if the corresponding secure DLL is available. This DLL provides the necessary security measures to access and use the locked audio objects.
  If the project creator doesn’t export the secure DLL, the other user importing the project might need a password. This password would be required to unlock and use the secure audio objects.
• The secure dll is the same as any other Xaf dll. It can be used for Integrated Virtual Processing (IVP). Also, all file properties of the dll will be retained.
• During project export and import, all audio objects will retain their secure status, including any passwords set on them. When the project is closed or opened, it retains its secure status.

When exporting the project with secure DLLs, it is mandatory to export the secure DLL. If not, you need to share the password with other users who want to use the project.

The Compound Audio Object type cannot be secured in the W release.

The Compound Audio Object template can be shared across multiple audio library versions. Only the Compound Audio Objects associated with the current device version will be available under the Compound Audio Objects section of the Audio Object Toolbox.

• Add new CAO to Toolbox: In Signal flow Designer, extract an audio object. To know more, refer to Create a Compound Audio Object.
  Newly created CAO will be added to Toolbox corresponding to device audio library version.
• Add imported CAO to Toolbox: In Signal flow Designer, import a compound audio object. To know more, refer to Import a Compound Audio Object.
  Imported CAO will be added to Toolbox corresponding to device audio library version.
• Port to different audio library version

1. 1. Create a project with a device for which CAO is existing. Add CAO instance in Signal-flow.
   2. Close Signal Flow Designer window, go to Device Designer, and change the device Audio Library Version to target dll version.
   3. Open Signal Flow Designer window, CAO template will be added to toolbox for target dll version.

If inner audio object incompatibilities are detected, delete CAO in Signal-flow > Edit CAO template and upgrade incompatible inner audio objects.

Ported CAOs remain mutually exclusive. Edit/Delete on CAO template in one dll version will not impact CAO template in a different dll version toolbox.

To launch a native panel, a device must be added to the device list.

Steps to launch Native Panel:

1. Create a new panel. For more information on how to create a panel, refer to the Create a New Panel.
2. On the panel, add Button from the Basic controls tools.
   
3. Select the Button to open the Properties view, and select the System Function tab.
4. On the System Function tab, click on System Functions. This opens System Function Editor window.
   
5. On the System Function Editor window, select the Function as Launch Native Panel from the drop-down list, and select the native panel type from the drop-down list. This opens a Configuration panel.
   
6. On Configuration panel, select the device/project and audio object from the drop-down list which you want link, and click OK.
   Depending on the selection of device/project the list of audio objects is displayed in the drop-down list.
   
   If you want you can customize the Button appearance.
7. Go the Properties view, select the Button tab, and change the button name, font style, text colour, fill colour, and border colour.
   
8. Click on Launch Current option from ribbon bar and click on button to open Native Panel.
   
   On the Native panel you can make the desire changes and store the changes.
   
9. This feature helps you to set processing state when you doesn’t have license to SFD.

To launch a native panel from the Signal Flow Designer, it is assumed that you have already created a signal flow. For more information on how to create a signal flow, refer to Create a Signal Flow.

Steps to launch Native Panel from Signal Flow Designer

1. On the Signal Flow Designer window, double-click on any audio object to open a Native Panel.

   Use the interactive widgets on the Native panel to make the desired changes to audio object properties.

   

   If there is any modification to Signal Flow Designer, a popup message will appear asking to save the changes.

   When Native Panels is open, you cannot make any changes to the Signal Flow Designer window.

2. Select the free preset slot numbers, enter the name of the slot, and click Store preset. This saves and stores the current tuning data to the selected slot.
   

If you do not enter a name of the slot, then it will take the default named “New Preset”.

You can switch between presets and apply their values to the native panel by simply clicking on them. You can also change the values in the native panel and/or the preset name after you’ve clicked it to override the preset.

Passing pin labels to native panels

The native panels display the corresponding names of the pin labels assigned to an audio object in SFD, thereby ensuring visibility.
This feature applies to the listed native panels.

• Delay
• Gain
• EQ/Biquad
• FIR, FIRMIMO, FastConv
• Limiter
• Mixer
• Router

On the Router panel first three characters of the out-pin labels will be displayed as a channel out names.

Look-up Table (LUT) panel has a separate mechanism to change the names of the channel.

Editing labels in native panels

You can modify Native panels pin labels. Double-click on a label, a text box will appear, enter the new name. The provided name will be updated both on the panel itself and on the corresponding pin in SFD.

For audio objects that have a configurable number of channels, the new value will be set for both the input and output pins. However, for other audio objects, the value will be updated separately for the input and output pins.

Depending on the panel, the displayed text may be trimmed if it exceeds the available space. This feature applies to all native panels except for the Biquad panel and the LUT panel.

Resizing Native Panel

When the native panel window is resized, the controls are resized to fit the window.
Following are the native panel which support resizing:

• Parameter Biquad,
• Crossover Biquad and
• Tone Control Extended Panels

Native Panel Presets

Preset or Tuning sets can be used to store the tuning data set of the native panel. This control is available in every Native panel.

Creating a Preset

Follow the below steps to create a preset:

1. On the native panel, tune audio objects signal flow.
2. Select a free preset slot (numbers), enter a slot name in the text box.

   If you do not enter a preset name, it will take the default name of the New Preset.

3. Click on Store Preset to save and store the preset.
   The preset will be stored in the slot you had chosen. The blue color indicates that the preset is applied to the respective native panel.

You can create several presets and switch between them to apply their values to the native panel by simply clicking on them. Once they are clicked, you can also override the preset by changing the tuning data of inner audio objects or the preset name.

Resetting the Presets

Follow the below steps reset a preset:

1. On the Preset section, select the slots, and then click on the settings icon.
   
2. Click on Reset Selected to reset the selected preset slots.

If you want to reset all presets of the respective native panel, click Reset All.