AMX recently released its latest automation controllers that feature a modern embedded process that’s ten times faster than its predecessor. Myke Ireland checks out the unit to see how it stacks up.

This is the second piece of AMX product I’ve had the fortune to review in the past six months, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that this trend won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

AMX, along with many of the Harman brands in the AV space, has been pretty quiet for the past five years. Some people had even written them off altogether. Yet, every time I asked my Harman rep what was happening, he’d only ever reply with: “Wait, it’s coming, and it’ll change just about everything!”

“Come on,” I thought to myself. Being a jaded sceptic at the best of times makes me a great reviewer… but I think he was right.

At this point, I’m looking at AMX and the greater Harman group as a giant Kodiak bear that’s waking up from an unusually long hibernation. Where this becomes an issue is in my perception of most other manufacturers as happy campers enjoying some spring sunshine out the front of that cave… with little clue as to what’s going on inside.

First impressions

MUSE is the latest control programming platform by AMX, and whether fortunately or not, it inherits very little from its predecessor platform. This means that AMX has gone back to the drawing board on this one, building a brand-new platform from the ground up with innovation and versatility at the forefront.

Out of the box

At launch, MUSE is available in four hardware configurations. The smallest of the four is the MU-1000, a software-only box that has no physical I/O and is almost microscopic. Intended for spaces requiring only IP control, the MU-1000 boasts a processor speed ten times faster than its older NX cousin, making it more powerful than the top-of-the-range controller of the previous generation. Given that modern AV design methodology often hides hardware behind a display or under a table, the MU-1000 is sure to be a champion box. Oh, and it’s also POE compatible, adding just a touch more value to the ‘convenience’ column.

From there, we move to the MU-1300, which contains all the same processing power as the smaller unit but levels up with a one-third-width rack space unit including two serial ports, two IR ports and four I/O ports.

Next in line is the MU-2300, a one RU device that includes four serial ports, four relays, four IR ports, four I/O ports and an ICSLan network port, providing an isolated network for controlled devices.

Finally, the big daddy of the family, the MU-3300. A one RU device that includes eight serial ports, eight relays, eight IR ports, eight I/O ports and once again features an ICSLan network port, creating that air gap between the control and corporate networks.

Inside the box

In the words of Anakin Skywalker: “This is where the fun begins…” MUSE is less about the hardware and very much about the software. It is, in fact, the software that is jam-packed with innovation and design leadership.

One thing we know for sure is that the days of legacy AV control programming are now finished and the convergence of AV and IT is no longer a fantasy; it’s a mandate. It stands to reason that manufacturers are adopting common programming languages into their ecosystems, particularly those that lend themselves to great IT integrations. However, most have settled on one language and one ecosystem, which inherently does what the AV folks have always done: it cements you to them… not AMX.

MUSE is the first and only AV control platform capable of compiling and running three (technically four) programming languages in one environment and it can do it simultaneously! Yes, MUSE supports programs written in JavaScript, Python or Groovy and also natively supports Low-Code development with Node-RED. That’s three of the most widely used languages worldwide, and Node-RED, the cornerstone of industrial automation platforms.

It’s very clear that from the get-go, MUSE is designed to be integrated heavily into anything, anywhere… no jokes.

Compatibility

This is something else that AMX has poured a good amount of strategy into, and we’re starting to see this come to life. In 2023, AMX also released the Varia range of updated touch panels, which were beautiful, almost too beautiful to pair with a NetLinx controller. So that was a bit of a hint to the roadmap.

Of course, Varia is totally compatible with MUSE and capable of running native HTML5, which in theory adds a fifth programming language to the ecosystem. More recently announced is an updated range of DSPs from BSS, also part of the Harman range of manufacturers, with, guess what? Native support for MUSE right out of the box. Love.

I expect from here we will continue to watch this roadmap unfold, delivering integration after integration and more and more compatibility across more Harman verticals.

Built to be robust

Harman has one of the largest footholds in high-security and top-security facilities all over, and that market does not play around. Any manufacturer that wants a piece of that pie has to ensure they meet the highest standard of cybersecurity and network vulnerability standards. MUSE surpasses all those standards. This makes it a clear no-brainer for any integrators with government or defense markets, as you know all the compliance work has already been done.

What I love about it…

What don’t I? And I’ll be honest, I was never an AMX guy. I thought the software was clunky and hard to use, the controllers looked like they came out of the Apollo space missions, and honestly, they just forgot how to innovate. So, I was very sceptical.

MUSE is innovation incarnate. It offers as much flexibility in integration and development as you could ask for. The MUSE operating system is also built on AMX’s ultra-secure variant of Linux, so once more, a green flag for iron-clad facilities.

What I wish it had…

What tripped me up was the choice to opt for eMMC storage as opposed to something more SSD-like in nature. It makes sense commercially because eMMC is a little older and a bit cheaper, but it underperforms compared to SSD in most situations. Now, respectfully, control processors aren’t rendering 8K graphics, so you’re not going to notice massive performance drops daily, but if you’re building a platform for the future, why not go every last inch? I also wish the smaller hardware controllers had the same industrial design as the larger rack-mount unit because I follow the Steve Jobs philosophy that good design is still good, even when it’s not on show.

Finally, I want the virtual version of MUSE, and it’s coming! The Harman folks tell me that MUSE was designed as a virtual platform first and foremost, then crafted to sing on hardware, so I’m in eager anticipation. The future of automation and control in 90% of environments is virtual, so I can’t wait to see what added features are included when MUSE eventually goes virtual.

Side note to AMX – if you can build in redundancy failover measures between software and hardware platforms, that bear might nab himself a few more picnic baskets. Oh… and C# support next please guys.

Final words

Remember Big Kev? “I’m Excited”? Well, that’s me genuinely. MUSE isn’t just another small iteration in AV control, and it’s no minor update to a legacy platform. It’s a total reimaging of what programming code can do in the AV universe, and it’s a blank canvas for some of the most gifted and talented programmers not from the AV universe!

Things are really going to heat up when the virtual platform drops later this year, and I hope that AMX sticks by their promise and keeps pouring the same amount of R&D and market research into upcoming revisions. If this is how AMX leads into 2024, what is 2025 going to look like?

 

Manufacturer:
AMX
Distributed by:
MadisonAV