RunBeat Controller User Guide

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Overview

RunBeat Controller is a turnkey, end-to-end DAB multiplex management platform. It handles everything from audio encoding and multiplexing through to transmission chain monitoring — all from a modern browser interface. There is no separate software to install, no configuration files to edit, and no command-line access required.

When your multiplex account is created, the platform automatically sets up your entire transmission environment in the background. Within moments of receiving your login credentials, your multiplex is ready to configure — just add services, set your audio sources, and go live.

Controller is hosted at runbeatcontroller.com and is multi-tenant, with each multiplex operating as a fully isolated tenant with its own configuration, monitoring, and user management.

Getting Started

What happens when your account is created

When a RunBeat platform administrator creates your multiplex account, the following happens automatically in the background:

1. Your transmission environment is prepared — dedicated configuration, logging, and data storage are set up specifically for your multiplex.
2. A default ensemble configuration is generated — based on the Ensemble ID, label, and transmission mode specified during account creation.
3. The multiplexer is registered — your multiplex's core process is registered and ready to start as soon as you add your first service.
4. Asset storage is provisioned — secure cloud storage is set up for your PAD assets (station logos, slideshow images).

You'll receive an invitation email with a link to log in. By the time you reach the dashboard, everything is ready.

System health

Your dashboard includes a System Health panel showing the status of every component in your transmission chain. Green indicators mean everything is running normally. If any component needs attention, you'll see an amber or red indicator with a description of the issue — and in most cases, the platform will attempt to resolve it automatically.

First steps

1. Review your ensemble settings — Verify the Ensemble ID (EId), label, transmission mode, and country ID are correct.
2. Add services — Create radio services with Service IDs, labels, Programme Types, and language codes.
3. Configure audio encoding — Set codec (DAB or DAB+), bitrate, and protection level for each service.
4. Set up audio inputs — Configure the audio source for each service (stream URL, EDI, or local input). You can set up multiple sources per service with automatic failover.
5. Review capacity — Check the CU allocation bar to ensure your services fit within the 864 CU limit.
6. Start transmission — Start the transmission chain from the dashboard. The platform handles all the underlying processes.

Audio failover

Each service supports multiple audio input sources with priority-based automatic failover. If your primary audio source drops out, the platform automatically switches to the next available source — and switches back when the primary recovers. You can also upload a backup MP3 file as an ultimate failsafe that loops until a live source comes back online.

Onboarding Walkthrough

Here's what happens from the moment you sign up to the moment your multiplex is on air.

Step 1: Account creation (done for you)

A RunBeat platform administrator creates your multiplex account. You provide your Ensemble ID (EId), ensemble label, and transmission mode. The platform automatically provisions your entire transmission environment in the background — typically within a few seconds.

Step 2: Invitation email

You'll receive an email with a link to runbeatcontroller.com and instructions to create your account or sign in with Microsoft 365. By the time you log in, your dashboard is ready.

Step 3: Verify your ensemble

On the dashboard, check that your ensemble settings are correct — Ensemble ID, label, transmission mode, and country ID. These were set during account creation but can be adjusted.

Step 4: Add your services

Create a service for each radio station in your multiplex. For each service you'll need:

• A Service ID (SId) — the unique identifier for this station within your ensemble.
• A label — the name that appears on DAB receivers (up to 16 characters).
• A Programme Type — the content category (e.g. Pop Music, News).
• Codec and bitrate — DAB+ at 64–96 kbps is typical for most services.

Step 5: Configure audio inputs

For each service, configure where the audio comes from. The most common setup is an Icecast/Shoutcast stream URL from your playout system. If you use RunBeat Pulse for playout, you can link directly — the stream URL is configured automatically.

We recommend setting up at least one backup source per service, plus uploading a backup MP3 as an ultimate failsafe.

Step 6: Connect your transmission equipment

Configure the output chain to deliver the multiplexed signal to your transmitter. See Connecting your equipment below for details.

Step 7: Start transmission

From the dashboard, start the transmission chain. The platform starts the multiplexer, encoders, and modulator in the correct order. Monitor the System Health panel to confirm everything is running.

Step 8: Go live

Once the transmission chain is running and your transmitter is receiving the signal, you're on air. The platform monitors everything continuously and will alert you if any issues arise.

Connecting Your Equipment

RunBeat Controller handles everything up to the point where the multiplexed DAB signal leaves the platform. To get that signal to your transmitter, you need to configure the output chain. The method depends on your transmission setup.

What you need

At minimum, you need one of the following at your transmitter site:

• An EDI-capable DAB transmitter — most modern DAB transmitters accept EDI input over IP. This is the simplest setup: Controller sends the multiplexed signal over the internet directly to your transmitter.
• An SDR device (e.g. USRP, LimeSDR) — for operators who modulate and transmit from the same location as the Controller server. The platform's modulator drives the SDR hardware directly.
• A dedicated modulator — some operators use a separate hardware modulator that accepts ETI input. Controller can output ETI via a local pipe or ZeroMQ socket.

Option A: EDI over IP (recommended for remote transmitters)

This is the most common setup for operators whose transmitter is at a different location to the Controller server.

1. In Controller, go to Outputs and add a new EDI output.
2. Enter the destination IP address and port of your transmitter's EDI input.
3. Choose UDP (most common) or TCP as the transport protocol.
4. On your transmitter, configure it to listen for EDI input on the same port.
5. Start the transmission chain in Controller — the multiplexed signal will be delivered to your transmitter over the network.

For multiple transmitter sites (e.g. a regional network), add multiple EDI output destinations. Each transmitter receives the same multiplexed signal.

Option B: ETI local output (co-located modulator)

If your modulator or SDR device is on the same server or local network as Controller:

1. In Controller, go to Outputs and add an ETI output.
2. Choose the output type: local pipe (for a co-located modulator), ZeroMQ socket (for a network-connected modulator), or file (for recording/testing).
3. Configure your modulator to read from the same pipe or socket.
4. Start the transmission chain — the ETI stream flows from the multiplexer to your modulator.

Option C: SFN (Single Frequency Network)

For operators running multiple transmitters on the same frequency (Unlimited tier only):

1. Enable SFN mode in your ensemble settings.
2. Add EDI output destinations for each transmitter site.
3. Ensure each transmitter has a GPS receiver for synchronisation — the platform includes GPS timestamps in the EDI stream, but the transmitters need GPS to align their output.
4. The platform handles the timestamp insertion automatically.

Network requirements

Output type	Bandwidth required	Latency	Notes
EDI over UDP	~2 Mbps per ensemble	Low latency preferred (<100ms)	Most common for remote transmitters. Tolerates some packet loss.
EDI over TCP	~2 Mbps per ensemble	Tolerates higher latency	More reliable over unstable connections. Adds buffering latency.
ETI local pipe	N/A (local)	Negligible	For co-located modulator only.
ETI via ZeroMQ	~2 Mbps	Low latency	For network-connected modulator on the same LAN.

Firewall and port configuration

If your transmitter is behind a firewall, ensure the following ports are open:

• EDI input port — the port you configured in Controller (typically UDP or TCP, your choice of port number).
• No inbound ports are required on the Controller side — it sends outbound to your transmitter.

Testing your connection

Before going live:

1. Add your EDI/ETI output in Controller.
2. Start the transmission chain.
3. Check the Outputs page — the connection status should show as "active".
4. On your transmitter, verify it's receiving the EDI/ETI stream and locking to the signal.
5. If using SFN, verify GPS lock on all transmitter sites.

Ensembles

An ensemble represents a DAB multiplex — a collection of radio services broadcast on a single frequency block. Each ensemble is configured with:

• Ensemble ID (EId) — The unique identifier broadcast to receivers.
• Label — The display name shown on DAB receivers (up to 16 characters).
• Transmission mode — Typically Mode I for UK terrestrial broadcasting.
• Country ID — The country code for the ensemble.
• Local time offset — UTC offset for the ensemble's region.

Services

Each service represents a radio station within the ensemble. Service configuration includes:

• Service ID (SId) — Unique identifier for the service.
• Label — Display name on receivers (up to 16 characters).
• Programme Type (PTy) — Content category (e.g. Pop Music, News, Sport).
• Language code — The broadcast language.
• Service components — The audio subchannel carrying the service's audio stream.

Capacity Planning

A DAB ensemble has a fixed total capacity of 864 Capacity Units (CUs) shared across all services. Each service's subchannel consumes CUs based on its bitrate and protection level.

CU allocation bar

The CU allocation bar provides a visual representation of used and available capacity. It shows each service's CU consumption colour-coded, with the remaining free capacity clearly visible.

What-If mode

Use What-If mode to experiment with different configurations before deploying. Change bitrates, protection levels, or add/remove services and see the impact on capacity in real time — without affecting the live transmission.

Codec and bitrate options

Codec	Bitrate range	Typical use
DAB (MPEG-2 Layer II)	128–256 kbps	Legacy services requiring original DAB compatibility.
DAB+ (HE-AACv2)	40–128 kbps	Modern services — better audio quality at lower bitrates, more services per ensemble.

Audio Encoding

Controller manages audio encoding for each service. Configure:

• Codec — DAB or DAB+ per service.
• Bitrate — Audio quality vs. capacity trade-off.
• Protection level — Error protection (EEP levels 1-A through 4-A and 1-B through 4-B). Higher protection uses more CUs but improves reception reliability.

Audio inputs

Each service needs an audio source. Supported input types:

• Icecast/Shoutcast HTTP stream — Pull audio from an internet stream URL.
• EDI over UDP/TCP — Receive audio via the Ensemble Data Interface protocol.
• ZeroMQ socket — Low-latency audio input via ZMQ.
• ALSA/JACK local audio — Local audio input from the server's sound card.
• File-based input — Play from a local audio file (useful for testing).

PAD Management

Programme Associated Data (PAD) is metadata transmitted alongside the audio signal. Controller manages two types:

DLS (Dynamic Label Segment)

Scrolling text displayed on DAB receivers — typically artist and title information. DLS can be fed from:

• The audio source's metadata (e.g. Icecast now-playing).
• Manual text entry.
• RunBeat Pulse now-playing data (if the service uses a Pulse station as its audio source).

MOT Slideshow

Images transmitted via PAD and displayed on receivers that support it — typically station logos or now-playing artwork. Upload images through the Controller interface.

Transmission Monitoring

Controller provides real-time monitoring of the entire transmission chain:

• System health — At-a-glance status of every component: encoders, multiplexer, modulator, database, and storage. Version numbers are displayed so you can verify your system is up to date.
• Encoder status — Running/stopped state, audio levels, and error counts for each encoder.
• Multiplexer status — ETI output health, subchannel status, and CU utilisation.
• Modulator status — RF output status and signal quality indicators.
• Audio input health — Real-time connection status and audio level meters for every input source, with automatic failover indicators.
• Alerts — Automatic notifications when any component encounters an error. Alerts are sent to your configured email addresses and webhook URLs. Per-service station contacts can also be notified of events affecting their service.

Audio Failover

Each service supports multiple audio input sources arranged in priority order. The platform continuously monitors all sources and automatically manages failover:

1. If the primary source drops out, the platform switches to the next available backup source.
2. If all stream sources are unavailable, a backup MP3 file (if uploaded) is looped as an ultimate failsafe.
3. When a higher-priority source recovers, the platform automatically switches back to it.

Every failover and recovery event is logged with timestamps, and uptime reports are available showing per-service reliability over any date range.

EDI Distribution

For multiplexes with remote transmitter sites, Controller supports EDI (Ensemble Data Interface) distribution. EDI carries the multiplexed ensemble data over IP networks to remote modulators, enabling geographically distributed transmission from a central multiplexer.

SFN Support

Single Frequency Networks (SFN) allow multiple transmitters to broadcast the same multiplex on the same frequency. Controller supports SFN configuration with GPS-synchronised timestamps, ensuring all transmitters in the network are precisely aligned.

Pulse Integration

RunBeat Pulse stations can serve as audio input sources for DAB services. Controller can pull audio streams directly from Pulse stations, and DLS text can be automatically populated from Pulse's now-playing metadata. This provides a seamless path from cloud playout to DAB transmission.

User Roles

Role	Access
Mux Admin	Full multiplex management — ensemble configuration, services, encoding, capacity, monitoring, user management.
Station Provider	Manage own service(s) — audio input, PAD, and monitoring. Cannot modify ensemble-level settings.
Presenter	View-only access to monitoring and service status.

Subscription Tiers

Tier	Monthly	Services	Highlights
Single	£79	1	Turnkey deployment, single service management, monitoring, email support.
Multi	£159	Up to 6	One-click AWS deploy, multi-service management, What-If planning, EDI distribution, priority support.
Unlimited	£269	Unlimited	Docker self-hosted, full ensemble management, SFN support, multi-mux, API access, dedicated support.

Account Lifecycle

Your multiplex account goes through several stages during its lifetime. Here's what happens at each stage.

Active

Your multiplex is fully operational. All services are running, monitoring is active, and you have full access to configuration and management features.

Suspended

If your subscription lapses or is paused, your account is suspended. When this happens:

• All transmission processes are stopped automatically — your services go off air.
• Your configuration, monitoring history, and data are preserved.
• You can still log in and view your configuration in read-only mode.
• To resume, update your subscription — the platform will restart your transmission chain automatically.

Cancellation

If you cancel your subscription:

• Your account is suspended immediately (processes stopped).
• Your configuration data is retained for 30 days after cancellation.
• During the retention period, you can export your configuration or reactivate your subscription.
• After 30 days, all provisioned resources (configuration files, logs, stored assets) are permanently removed to free up platform resources.

Reactivation

If you reactivate within the 30-day retention period, your multiplex is restored exactly as it was — all services, audio inputs, PAD configuration, and monitoring settings are preserved. The platform restarts your transmission chain automatically.

If you reactivate after the retention period, a fresh environment is provisioned for you and you'll need to reconfigure your services from scratch.