Access, set-up and control of any aspect of an Artist system consisting of hundreds of intercom ports on multiple nodes is achieved using the comfortable and intuitive Director configuration software. Director provides the facilities, look and feel of most Windows software products, so that the basic navigation, location, and operation of the standard features are familiar. It’s quick to learn and extremely convenient to use. Configurations are easily edited by drag-and-drop. Programmable logic functions provide the possibility to handle even complex production requirements with ease, while freely definable markers allow a customized control of the system. With the Audio Patch function, all internal routing and DSP aspects of any control panel of an Artist system can be configured and saved remotely reducing a considerable amount of time in set-up and service of the system. A high degree of monitoring and diagnostic features are implemented allowing maintenance personnel to quickly solve a problem or to assist a user. This is achieved by the real-time Crosspoint View function in conjunction with the full remote control of each aspect of the system. Control panels and matrix activities can be logged for later inspection. Multiple PCs can control and monitor the system using the Ethernet connection on the network interface controllers. All PCs show the online configuration status simultaneously; each can access and change the configuration according to its user rights. Since the configurations are stored within each networking Artist frame, the system’s reliability won’t be affected by the failure of a configuration PC.