ProAudio: Locking Two (or More) Zones Together (PuTTY / Direct Commands)

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Locking one zone to another makes it automatically follow that zone's source, volume, and tone controls — commonly used to keep a subwoofer in sync with the main speakers, or to make several zones in the same space behave as one. This is done using the LZ command, sent over serial or TCP/IP.

This covers:

Locking two or more zones together so they behave as one
Sending volume to one zone and having another follow it
Making one zone always switch to the same source as another
Making a subwoofer follow the same source as the main speakers

Configuring via Control4 or the Config Tool instead? See ProAudio: Locking Two (or More) Zones Together (Control4) or ProAudio: Locking Two (or More) Zones Together (Config Tool).

Locking a Zone

Assume a set of stereo speakers is connected to Zone 1, and a subwoofer to Zone 2. To make the subwoofer follow the speakers:

^LZ @2,1$    ; zone 2 follows zone 1

From now on, whenever Zone 1 changes source or volume, Zone 2 follows. Zone 1 itself shows no visible change.

Locking Multiple Zones to the Same Target

More than one zone can follow the same zone. You can send separate commands:

^LZ @2,1$    ; zone 2 follows zone 1 ^LZ @3,1$    ; zone 3 follows zone 1

Or combine them into a single command using multiple @ prefixes — this is equivalent to the two commands above:

^LZ @2@3,1$    ; zones 2 & 3 follow zone 1

Unlocking a Zone

To stop a zone from following another, set its target to 0:

^LZ @2,0$    ; zone 2 no longer follows another zone

What Follows vs. What Doesn't

Follows the locked zone	Stays independent
Volume (including mute)	Equalizer settings — lets a subwoofer use different EQ than the main speakers
Bass and Treble	Output Level — lets a subwoofer's level be trimmed independently
Source changes	Lip Sync Delay — lets timing be compensated separately per output

Re-locking a zone that already has followers will silently unlock them. If a zone is already being followed by others and you send an LZ command locking it to a different zone, every zone following it reverts to unlocked. The same happens if a zone is accidentally set to follow itself. There's no error response for this — the command will still succeed — so double-check the lock chain before changing a zone you know others are following.

Backing Up the Zone Lock Settings

Back up after every change. Once your zones are locked as needed, send:

^SS 512$    ; backup zone settings

Without this, a power outage can silently revert your zone locks.

Need help with zone locking?

Our support team can help troubleshoot command syntax or zone lock issues.

UK: 01202 413 610 | US: (858) 748-8250 | support@pulse-eight.com

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