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 (jonne.laakso@gmail.com)

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