n8n-nodes-emberplus

This is an n8n community node package for interacting with Ember+ devices. Ember+ is a control protocol commonly used in broadcast and professional audio/video equipment, including Lawo audio consoles, routing systems, and other broadcast infrastructure.

This package uses the sofie-emberplus-connection library under the hood.

Features

• Browse - Explore the Ember+ device tree structure
• Get - Read parameter values from any path
• Set - Write values to writable parameters
• Subscribe - React to real-time value changes via trigger node
• Support for both numeric (0.1.2) and identifier-based (Root.Device.Param) paths
• Automatic reconnection on connection loss
• Comprehensive error handling with helpful messages

Installation

In n8n (Community Nodes)

1. Go to Settings > Community Nodes
2. Select Install
3. Enter n8n-nodes-emberplus
4. Select Install

Manual Installation

# In your n8n installation directory
npm install n8n-nodes-emberplus

From Source

git clone https://github.com/jonnelaakso/n8n-nodes-emberplus.git
cd n8n-nodes-emberplus
npm install
npm run build
npm link

# In your n8n directory
npm link n8n-nodes-emberplus

Credential Setup

Before using the Ember+ nodes, configure your credentials:

1. Go to Credentials in n8n
2. Click Add Credential
3. Search for Ember+ API
4. Fill in the connection details:

| Field | Description | Default | |-------|-------------|---------| | Host | IP address or hostname of the Ember+ device | - | | Port | TCP port of the Ember+ provider | 9000 | | Connection Timeout | Timeout in milliseconds for connection attempts | 5000 |

Example Configuration

Host: 192.168.1.100
Port: 9000
Connection Timeout: 5000

Nodes

Ember+ Node

The main node for interacting with Ember+ devices. Supports four operations:

Browse Operation

Explore the device tree structure to discover available nodes and parameters.

Parameters:

• Path (optional): Starting path to browse from. Leave empty for root.

Example Output:

{
  "operation": "browse",
  "path": "/",
  "nodes": [
    {
      "path": "0",
      "identifier": "Root",
      "description": "Root Node",
      "type": "node"
    },
    {
      "path": "0.0",
      "identifier": "Audio",
      "type": "node"
    }
  ]
}

Get Operation

Read a value from a specific path.

Parameters:

• Path (required): The path to read from (e.g., 0.1.2 or Root.Audio.MainFader)

Example Output:

{
  "operation": "get",
  "path": "0.1.2",
  "value": -12.5
}

Set Operation

Write a value to a writable parameter.

Parameters:

• Path (required): The path to write to
• Value: The value to set
• Value Type: String, Number, or Boolean

Example Output:

{
  "operation": "set",
  "path": "0.1.2",
  "value": -6.0,
  "success": true
}

Subscribe Operation

Get the current value of a parameter (for trigger-based subscriptions, use the Ember+ Trigger node).

Parameters:

• Path (required): The path to subscribe to

Example Output:

{
  "operation": "subscribe",
  "path": "0.1.2",
  "currentValue": -12.5,
  "subscribed": true
}

Ember+ Trigger Node

A trigger node that monitors an Ember+ parameter and fires when the value changes.

Parameters:

• Path (required): The path to monitor

Options:

• Include Previous Value: Add the previous value to the output
• Only On Change: Only trigger when the value actually changes (default: true)
• Include Metadata: Include node identifier and description

Example Output:

{
  "path": "0.1.2",
  "value": -6.0,
  "timestamp": "2025-01-11T12:34:56.789Z",
  "previousValue": -12.5,
  "identifier": "MainFader",
  "description": "Main Output Fader"
}

Example Workflows

1. Discover Device Structure

Browse the root of an Ember+ device to discover its structure:

[Manual Trigger] -> [Ember+: Browse] -> [Set Variable]

Configure the Ember+ node:

• Operation: Browse
• Path: (leave empty for root)

2. Read Multiple Parameters

Read several fader values and combine them:

[Manual Trigger] -> [Ember+: Get] -> [Ember+: Get] -> [Merge]
                    (path: 0.1.0)    (path: 0.1.1)

Or use a Code node to iterate:

const paths = ['0.1.0', '0.1.1', '0.1.2', '0.1.3'];
return paths.map(path => ({ json: { path } }));

Then connect to an Ember+ Get node with {{ $json.path }} as the path.

3. Set a Value Based on Condition

Adjust a parameter based on time of day:

[Schedule Trigger] -> [If] -> [Ember+: Set]
                              (path: 0.2.0, value: -20)
                       |
                       +----> [Ember+: Set]
                              (path: 0.2.0, value: 0)

4. React to Value Changes

Trigger a workflow when a parameter changes:

[Ember+ Trigger] -> [If: value > threshold] -> [Send Email]
(path: 0.3.1)

Configure the trigger:

• Path: 0.3.1 (or identifier path)
• Options: Include Previous Value = true

5. Mirror Values Between Devices

Copy a value from one device to another:

[Ember+ Trigger] -> [Ember+: Set]
(Device A)          (Device B, same path)

6. Batch Parameter Updates

Update multiple parameters from a spreadsheet or database:

[Google Sheets Trigger] -> [Ember+: Set]
                           (path: {{ $json.path }})
                           (value: {{ $json.value }})

Path Formats

Ember+ supports two path formats:

Numeric Paths

Reference nodes by their position in the tree:

0           # First root node
0.1         # Second child of first root
0.1.2       # Third child of 0.1

Identifier Paths

Reference nodes by their identifier names:

Root
Root.Audio
Root.Audio.MainFader

Tips for Finding Paths

1. Use the Browse operation starting from root
2. Navigate deeper by browsing child paths
3. Parameters (leaf nodes with values) show type: "parameter"
4. Nodes (containers) show type: "node"

Debugging

Enable debug logging by setting the environment variable:

EMBER_PLUS_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG n8n start

Log levels: DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, NONE

Error Handling

The node provides detailed error messages for common issues:

| Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | Connection timeout | Device unreachable | Check host/port and network connectivity | | Path not found | Invalid path | Use Browse to discover valid paths | | Invalid path format | Malformed path string | Use 0.1.2 or Root.Child format | | Not connected | Connection lost | Check device status, workflow will auto-retry |

Using Continue On Fail

Enable Continue On Fail in the node settings to handle errors gracefully:

{
  "error": "Node not found at path: 0.99.99",
  "errorCode": "PATH_NOT_FOUND"
}

Compatibility

• n8n: 1.0.0 or later
• Node.js: 18.0.0 or later
• Ember+ Protocol: Compatible with Ember+ 1.x providers

Tested Devices

• Lawo Ruby radio consoles
• Lawo R3lay virtual radio software
• Lawo mc2 series consoles
• Generic Ember+ providers using sofie-emberplus-connection

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start n8n with hot reload
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Run linter
npm run lint
npm run lint:fix

Resources

• Ember+ Protocol Specification
• sofie-emberplus-connection Library
• n8n Community Nodes Documentation
• Lawo Documentation

License

MIT

Author

Jonne Laakso ([email protected])

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request