How It Works
Your primary channel is the one you're tuned to — where you transmit when you press PTT. Monitored channels are additional channels you can hear but not talk on.
- You hear audio from all monitored channels mixed with your primary channel
- You can only transmit on your primary channel
- Monitored channels are sent to the server so audio is routed to your device
- The audio relay handles all routing on the server side
Setting Up Monitoring
Open the Monitoring Drawer
On the PTT screen, tap the headphones icon to open the Monitoring Drawer.
Toggle Channels
You'll see all 10 channels listed. Toggle on the channels you want to monitor. Your primary channel is already active and can't be toggled off here.
Close the Drawer
Close the drawer. Monitored channels take effect immediately — you'll start hearing audio from them.
A common setup for 1st ADs: Primary on Channel 1 (All Call), monitoring Channel 2 (Camera), Channel 3 (Grip/Electric), and Channel 4 (Sound). This gives full awareness of key departments without constant channel switching.
Monitoring Behavior
Audio Mixing
Audio from monitored channels plays alongside your primary channel. If multiple channels have simultaneous transmissions, you'll hear all of them. The Opus codec handles this efficiently.
Channel Switching
When you switch your primary channel:
- The old primary becomes a regular channel (not monitored unless you set it)
- Your monitoring selections persist
- If you switch to a channel you were already monitoring, it becomes your primary
Reconnection
If your connection drops and auto-reconnects:
- Your monitoring selections are automatically re-sent to the server
- You don't need to reconfigure monitoring after a network hiccup
Restrictions
- Monitored channels respect channel restrictions — you can't monitor a channel you're restricted from
- Monitoring is limited to 5 additional channels (plus your primary = 6 total)
Technical Details
Channel monitoring uses a dedicated TCP message type (0x05) to tell the audio relay which channels to route to your device:
- Your app sends a monitoring message with the list of channel indices
- The server updates your
monitored_channelsset - Audio from those channels is routed to your device alongside your primary
- Your device's native audio engine decodes and plays all incoming audio
When to Use Monitoring
| Role | Recommended Monitoring |
|---|---|
| 1st AD | Camera, Sound, Grip, Art |
| Producer | All Call, Camera, Client |
| DP | Camera, Grip/Electric |
| Production Manager | Transport, Art, All Call |
| Sound Mixer | Camera, Director |
Monitoring is most useful for people who need situational awareness but don't need to actively participate in every channel's conversation. If you find yourself frequently switching to talk on a monitored channel, consider making it your primary instead.