MC Mix User Guide
Legal Notices This guide is copyrighted ©2011 by Avid Technology, Inc., (hereafter “Avid”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Avid.
Contents Chapter 1. Introduction: The Artist Series Media Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What’s Included . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Registration . . .
iv Tech Pubs Style Guide
Chapter 1: Introduction: The Artist Series Media Controller The MC Control, MC Mix, and MC Transport comprise the Artist Series family of media controllers. They use a 100 Mbs Ethernet EUCON™ connection to control audio and video applications running on a workstation computer. EUCON is a high-speed communication protocol and enables control of virtually every application feature. Each Artist Series media controller can run as a standalone device.
System Requirements and Compatibility Avid can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved. For downloads and other Artist Series resources, visit: www.avid.com/artistsupport Registration Review the enclosed Registration Information Card and follow the instructions on it to quickly register your purchase online.
Hardware Keys on Artist Series Units The names of keys on Artist Series hardware are in bold (such as SEL). The SHIFT key on Artist Series hardware is indicated by bold text, in all-caps (SHIFT) to distinguish it from references to the Shift key on your QWERTY keyboard. SHIFT and SHIFT Lock The SHIFT key on Artist Series units is used in conjunction with other keys to access secondary functions that are labeled in blue above the primary function.
4 MC Mix User Guide
Chapter 2: Setup and Installation Unpacking and Elevating the MC Mix Unpack MC Mix, power supply, Installer disc, Ethernet crossover cable, and riser brackets. MC Mix can be elevated or angled using small foldout legs on the bottom of the unit, or elevated and angled by attaching the larger riser brackets. Since both methods require turning the unit upside down, do this before attaching any cables. Turn the unit over and place it on a soft surface.
Attaching an MC Mix to Additional Units Up to four MC Mixes can be physically attached to each other to form a larger and more stable control surface. An MC Control and MC Transport can also be joined to MC Mix. If you are using multiple units, see “Surfaces” on page 26 to use EuControl to link the units in the desired order. To join two MC Mixes (or other Artist Series unit): 1 On one of the MC Mixes, use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to remove the two silver screws.
Installing Software and Hardware EuControl software must be installed before using any Artist Series media controller. To install EuControl software for Artist Series media controllers: 1 Do one of the following: • Download the EuControl installer for your computer platform from www.avid.com/artistsupport. After downloading, make sure the installer is uncompressed (.dmg on Mac or .ZIP on Windows). – or – • Insert the Installer disc into your computer. 2 Double-click the EuControl installer application.
8 Plug one end of the Ethernet crossover cable into the Ethernet jack on the back panel of the MC Mix. o Euc n Ethernet cable and rear panel jack 9 Plug the other end of the Ethernet crossover cable into an available Ethernet jack on your computer, router, or Ethernet switch. • Note that connecting directly to the computer may require removing your Internet cable. If you have a Mac with two Ethernet ports, use Ethernet 1, rather than Ethernet 2.
11 Press and release the POWER switch on MC Mix. Do the following, as appropriate for your operating system: Mac Wait up to 60 seconds. A green icon in the menu bar indicates correct installation. EUCON icon on Mac Windows Wait up to 60 seconds. A green icon appears in the System tray (or, in Hidden Icons if your system is not configured to show all icons in the System tray).
Connecting a Footswitch The MC Mix has a ¼-inch FOOTSWITCH input on the back panel. The footswitch can be used to punch in and out of recording. Plug the footswitch in before powering on the MC Mix. See “Footswitch” on page 30 for more information.
Chapter 3: Common Tasks If you completed the installation steps in Chapter 2, “Setup and Installation”, you are ready to start learning more about MC Mix. The following examples demonstrate several common tasks. Fader Strip To select tracks, adjust volume and pan, and bank tracks to the faders: 1 Press the MC Mix strip 1 fader SEL key. The corresponding track is selected in your application.
4 Press the NUDGE > key to move all eight tracks over one strip. If tracks 1–8 were assigned to strips 1–8, tracks 2–9 are now as- signed to strips 1–8. SEL MIXER CLOSE NUDGE ON SOLO ON PLAY REC NUDGE HOME END BANK BANK NUDGE and BANK keys 5 Press the HOME key to restore tracks 1–8 to strips 1–8. The SHIFT key is used in conjunction with other keys to access secondary functions labeled in blue above the primary function. In this case, the HOME function is accessed by pressing SHIFT +
CFG CFG SOLO PAGE ON PAGE 12 FLIP CHAN AUTO REC N 6 INPUT INSERTS 0 5 DYN EQ ASSIGN SEL Y 10 GROUP AUX 20 MIX PAN 30 INSERTS key The names of the plug-ins on that track spill across the display screens. 6 Press the Soft Knob below the desired plug-in name to select it. The parameters of that plug-in spill across the display screens. 7 Turn the Soft Knob below the desired parameter to adjust its value.
14 MC Mix User Guide
Chapter 4: Surface Controls 1 2 3 4 POWER SEL SEL SEL SEL SEL SEL SEL SEL ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON MIXER CLOSE TOP BACK CFG NUDGE CFG SOLO PAGE ON SOLO ON SOLO ON SOLO ON SOLO ON SOLO ON SOLO ON SOLO 12 FLIP CHAN AUTO REC N 6 12 AUTO REC N 6 12 AUTO REC N 6 12 AUTO REC N 6 PREV NEXT 12 AUTO REC N 6 REW FF 12 AUTO REC N 6 STOP PLAY 12 AUTO REC N 6 AUTO END BANK REC 12 REC N HOME BANK ON PAGE RTZ NUDGE WORKSTATION APPLI
Power Switch Press and release the POWER switch to turn the MC Mix on or off. SHIFT Key The SHIFT key is used in conjunction with other keys to access secondary functions labeled in blue above the primary function. Two SHIFT keys are located at the lower-left and -right of MC Mix. The SHIFT key can be locked on like caps lock on a computer keyboard by pressing both SHIFT keys simultaneously. This is useful if you plan to access several Shift functions consecutively. Press either SHIFT key to unlock.
Fader The fader controls the track assigned to this strip. It is motorized so it reflects changes made in the application, such as automation. It is also touch sensitive, which some applications use for automation.
FF (Fast Forward) Press FF to fast forward. This function varies with the application. Common functions include: • Fast forward until STOP or another key is pressed. • Fast forward a fixed amount. • Fast forward until the FF key is released. STOP Press STOP to stop all other functions. PLAY Press PLAY to play the project from the current location. REC Press REC begin recording at the current location. All tracks armed for recording are punched into record.
NUDGE < Moves the window one track to the left. If strips 1–8 are assigned to tracks 9–16, they are now assigned to tracks 8–15. NUDGE > Moves the window one track to the right. If strips 1–8 are assigned to tracks 9–16, they are now assigned to tracks 10–17. BANK < Moves the window one bank (eight tracks) to the left. If strips 1–8 were assigned to the bank starting at track 9, they are now assigned to the bank starting with track 1.
Knobs Each fader strip has one touch-sensitive knob along with two knob switches (SEL and ON), shown in the figure. 2 SEL 1 TOP BACK 3 ON Knob controls 1 Each fader strip has one touch-sensitive, continuously rotating knob that adjusts parameters such as pan and aux send levels. Each knob can also be pressed from the top. This is called the Knob Top key and is typically used to access sub-menus but also to turn parameters on and off.
CHAN Key The CHAN key toggles between normal mode (CHAN key unlit) and channel mode (CHAN key lit). In normal mode, the focussed track name is underlined to show which track’s parameters will be expanded in channel mode. FLIP Key The FLIP key toggles what is currently assigned to the knobs (such as plug-in or send parameters) to the faders. A vertical double arrow appears in the OLED display when the faders and knobs are flipped. Press the FLIP key again to toggle the faders and knobs back to normal.
AUX Press the AUX key to display the Aux knob set to control auxiliary sends. In normal mode, the first aux send is displayed. In normal mode, press the PAGE > key to advance to the second aux send. In channel mode, up to eight aux sends can be shown at once. PAN Press the PAN key to display the Pan knob set to configure stereo or surround panning. In normal mode, the stereo pan control is typically displayed. In channel mode, the first page of eight pan knobs is shown.
Configuration Pages (CFG) Many knob sets have a configuration page to set up that knob set. The configuration page for the Inserts knob set, for example, is used to assign plug-ins to a track. The configuration page for the Aux knob set assigns aux sends to a track. Some applications can configure presets for plug-ins and EQs. Press the < PAGE > keys simultaneously to display a knob set’s configuration page, if it has one. When on the configuration page, both the < PAGE > keys light.
24 MC Mix User Guide
Chapter 5: EuControl EuControl is launched automatically upon starting your computer and runs in the background. EuControl is responsible for finding, linking, and communicating with all Artist media controllers on the network. Accessing EuControl Settings To open the EuControl Settings window: Do one of the following: • On Mac, click the green icon on the taskbar and select EuControl Settings. • On Windows, click the green icon in the Task or System tray (Windows) and select EuControl Settings.
Surfaces The Surfaces tab shows all Artist media controllers on your network and those connected to your instance of EuControl. Surfaces tab Control Unit Banks Independently This option is only available when an MC Control is selected in the My Surfaces list. Multiple MC Mix units always bank as a single unit. All Surfaces All Surfaces shows all Artist media controllers on the network.
Automatically Add The Automatically Add menu has two settings that control what happens to stored Surfaces between shutdown and startup. All Surfaces (Default) This setting is best used when you are the only person running EuControl in your home or studio. It provides an easy plug-and-play experience by automatically adding your All Surfaces list to your My Surfaces list so you never have to manually edit the My Surfaces list.
All Workstations All Workstations lists all EUCON-enabled workstations on the network. If the workstation is already in the My Workstations list, it is shown in gray and cannot be selected. My Workstations My Workstations lists the workstations that can be attached to by pressing the WORKSTATION key. It is possible to put a workstation in the My Workstations list that is already attached to another instance of EuControl running on another computer.
General The General tab controls how the Artist media controller and application software work together. General tab Workstation Tracks Knob Set Changes Lets supported workstations follow selection of knob sets on the Artist Series unit. Open Plug-ins on Workstation When Editing Lets supported workstations open plug-in windows on-screen when a plug-in is selected for editing on an Artist Series unit.
Wheel Sensitivity Sliders The sensitivity of the Jog Wheel and Shuttle Ring can be precisely adjusted using the Wheel Sensitivity sliders. The top two sliders pertain to MC Transport, the bottom is the Jog Wheel for MC Control. The center position is the default for each control. Click and drag a slider to move it right for faster response or left for a slower, more controlled movement. Click the Reset button to restore the center position.
MC Mix and MC Transport Display Screen Dim Time Drag the slider to set the amount of inactive time before the display screens of any MC Mix(es) and MC Transport in your system dims to half intensity. Assign The Assign tab manages how tracks are assigned to strips on the MC Mix and MC Control. By default, tracks are automatically assigned in banks of four.
Layouts The Layouts tab pertains to MC Mix and MC Control only. Use the Layouts tab to store and recall assignments. For example, you can use the Assign tab to “lock” (or “bank safe”) important tracks to specific faders, so they ignore banking. You can save that assignments as part of a Layout, so that you can easily switch between your “bank safed” layout and default banking, or other assignments.
Chapter 6: Setting IP Adresses Most MC Mix users will never have to set a static Internet Protocol (IP) address but in the rare cases that require it, MC Mix does allow for it. Normally MC Mix uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to obtain its IP address, typically from a router. MC Mix reverts to link-local addressing to generate an IP address if a DHCP server is not found on the network, such as when an MC Mix is connected directly to a computer with an Ethernet cable.
8 After setting the last IP Address field, press the keys to move the cursor to the first field of the Subnet Mask screen. Subnet Mask display 9 Use the techniques described to set the Subnet Mask. 10 Press the two left-most Soft Keys simultaneously to save this static IP address. Power MC Mix off and on to use the new IP address. To cancel any changes made to the IP address at any time, power off the MC Mix before pressing the two left-most Soft Keys simultaneously.
Appendix A: Compliance Information Environmental Compliance Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in the European Union EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) This model MC Mix complies with the following standards regulating interference and EMC: • FCC Part 15 Class B • EN 55022 Class B • EN 55024 Class B • AS/NZS CISPR 22 Class B • CISPR 22 Class B FCC Compliance for United States Communication Statement This symbol on the product or its packaging indicates that this product must not be disposed of with other
Australian Compliance Important Safety Instructions 1) Read these instructions. 2) Keep these instructions. 3) Heed all warnings. 4) Follow all instructions. Canadian Compliance 5) Do not use this equipment near water. This Class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. 6) Clean only with dry cloth. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.
Avid Technical Support (USA) Product Information 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA Visit the Online Support Center at www.avid.com/support For company and product information, visit us on the web at www.avid.
