Overview

About livematrix

livematrix is a software intercom and talkback system. It gives fine-grained control over who can talk and listen to whom, and connects to external audio sources and other intercom systems.

The core concepts of livematrix are:

• Users
• Groups
• Party lines
• Keys
• Profiles
• Bridges

Users

Users are the core entities in livematrix.

A user is a person who takes part in conversations in livematrix.

With the right permissions, users can talk to and listen to other users.

Users connect to livematrix through an app (web, desktop or mobile), through external audio interfaces such as Dante intercom hardware, or through integrated third-party intercom systems such as Riedel, Clear-Com, RTS, Hollyland and Green-GO.

Administrators manage users on the Users page.

Keys

Users choose whom they talk or listen to with keys. A key always has one target. The target types are:

• Another user
• Party line
• Group
• Audio feed

Keys have a listen button and a talk button. The administrator can turn each one on or off separately, so there are three types of keys:

• Talk and listen
• Listen-only
• Talk-only

On a touch screen, the user holds a key’s talk or listen button to talk or listen to its target. Swiping over the button latches it. A latched button stays on, so the user keeps talking or listening to the target. Several keys can be latched at the same time, and talk and listen on one key latch independently.

With a mouse, a long click keeps the button on only while it is held, and a short click turns the latch on or off.

Keys explains every kind of key and how to use it.

Direct user keys

When a user turns on talk on a key whose target is a user, livematrix always sends their audio to the target user, whether or not the target user has listen on. Listen works the same way. With listen on, the user always hears the target user, whether or not the target user has listen on.

Party line keys

A party line is a channel that users talk and listen into. Users hear the audio on a party line only while they have listen on for it. Administrators create party lines under Party lines, feeds and groups.

Group keys

A group is a predefined set of users. Group keys work like direct user keys, but they target several users at once. Use group keys when someone needs to talk to several users at once and those users should not be able to turn this audio off. Administrators create groups under Party lines, feeds and groups.

Profiles

Administrators put keys into profiles. Each user is assigned a profile, which defines the keys they see.

Keys can be organized into sections. See Profiles and keys.

Devices and apps

Users can connect to livematrix in the web app by opening the server URL in a browser. Native apps are available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store, for Android on Google Play, and for macOS, Windows and Linux on the Download page.

A user can be logged in on several devices at the same time, and all of them share the key state. So a user can press keys on one device while their headset is connected to another.

Several devices can receive audio at the same time, but the microphone is active on only one device at a time. See Multiple devices.

Bridges

Bridges let administrators connect external audio devices to livematrix. A bridge connects audio from livematrix to an audio interface, such as an analog audio interface, Dante Virtual Soundcard or a physical Dante interface. If the audio interface is connected to the livematrix server, use the server’s embedded bridge. To reach audio interfaces that are not connected to the livematrix server, install the bridge on a separate computer, even in a different network. See Bridges.

External hardware panels (Stream Deck, X-keys) via Bitfocus Companion

Users can also press keys on hardware panels such as a Stream Deck or an X-keys panel.

You configure the panel in Bitfocus Companion. See Stream Deck, X-keys and Companion.

First steps

• As an administrator: install the server and go through the setup wizard.
• As a user: install the app, sign in and make your first call.

Learn more

For administrators

• Get started: install the server, open the admin and go through the setup wizard.
• Dashboard: ports, the audio matrix, and who is connected on which device.
• Users: add, change and delete users, see what a user hears, and admin users.
• Profiles and keys: the keys each role gets, what they allow, their priority and sections.
• Party lines, feeds and groups: the shared channels and sets of users that keys point at.
• Bridges: sound cards, Dante, remote bridges and linking two servers.
• Network access, DNS and SSL: livematrix.app names, your own domain, certificates and ports.
• Console and licence: connecting to the console, ports, licences and replacing a server.
• Settings: server-wide settings, updates and backups.
• Advanced networking: TURN, firewalls and reverse proxies.

For users

• Get started: install the app, sign in, choose your audio devices and make your first call.
• Keys: the kinds of keys, talk and listen, and listen levels.
• Buttons: talk with a Bluetooth button or a keyboard key.
• Priority and ducking: why some audio gets quieter while someone else speaks.
• Multiple devices: sign in on several devices and choose which one has the microphone.
• Stream Deck, X-keys and Companion: press keys on a hardware panel.
• Settings: audio, microphone, buttons, Apple Watch and diagnostics.

Need help?

Write to support@livematrix.io, or see Get help for what to include. Sales and demos: sales@livematrix.io.