MC Control 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 Media Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 What’s Included . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Registration .
Chapter 7. Soft Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Revert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 1: Introduction: The Artist Media Controller 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.
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Chapter 2: Setup and Installation Unpacking and Elevating the MC Control Unpack MC Control, its power adapter, AC power cord, Installer disc, Ethernet crossover cable, and riser brackets. MC Control 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 either method requires turning MC Control over, it is easier to do this before attaching any cables. Turn it over and place it on a soft surface.
To remove the riser brackets: 1 Slide the side panels off. 2 Press the tabs to release the riser brackets. 3 Lift the riser bracket out of the MC Control to remove Attaching an MC Control to Additional Units An MC Control can be physically attached to up to four MC Mixes and one MC Transport to form a larger, stable control surface. If you are using multiple units, see “Surfaces” on page 32 to use EuControl to arrange the units in the desired order.
2 Lift the black plastic connecting part and side panel up and out of MC Control. Removing connecting part and side panel 3 On the MC Mix, remove the side panel on the end where it will attach to MC Control. 4 Slide the connecting part of MC Control into MC Mix to attach them together. MC Mix and MC Control attached by connecting at side panel Installing Software and Hardware You must install EuControl software before using your Artist Series media controller.
6 Plug one end of the AC power cord into the power adapter and the other into a power outlet. Make sure the AC power cord is pushed all the way into the adapter. Connecting the power adapter 7 Connect the DC output cable from the power adapter to DC In on the left side of the rear panel. H ITC TSW FOO 5V In 1 DC Connecting the power adapter 8 Plug one end of the Ethernet crossover cable into the Ethernet jack (labeled with) on the rear panel of the MC Control.
9 Plug the other end of the Ethernet crossover cable into an open 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.
12 If you did not see the green icon, do the following: • See “Surfaces” on page 32 and add the MC Control manually. • Shut down the MC Control and your computer, then turn them on (computer first, then MC Control). • If your Mac is pre-2002 and you are using an Ethernet router or switch, you need to purchase a normal straight-through Ethernet cable (instead of the crossover Ethernet cable supplied) from a computer store. • See www.avid.com/artist/support for the most current troubleshooting information.
Chapter 3: Common Tasks If you completed the steps in Chapter 2, “Setup and Installation”, you are ready to start learning MC Control. The following important user interface items and terms are used in tasks: • The Soft Knobs can be turned like a conventional knob and pressed like a switch to access an additional context-sensitive function (some do not have a second function). • The Soft Knobs access a hierarchical menu system.
Fader Strip To use the fader strip: 1 Press a fader SEL key on MC Control.The corresponding track is selected in your application and highlighted on the Touchscreen. 2 Move the fader up and down. You are now controlling the level of your track with MC Control. The top of the Touchscreen displays a level meter and other track information.
Transport Keys and Jog Wheel To use the Transport Keys and the Jog Wheel: 1 Use the PLAY, STOP, FF, and REW buttons to navigate the timeline of the edit window of your application. 2 Press the JOG key. 3 Spin the Jog Wheel clockwise and counterclockwise to move forward and backward, respectively, on the timeline.
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Chapter 4: Surface Controls MC Control has four channel strips each with a touch-sensitive fader, eight touch-sensitive knobs surrounding a 7-inch touchscreen, twelve soft keys, transport switches, a Jog wheel, and various navigation buttons. MC Control comes with an external DC power supply. Rear panel jacks include DC power input, RJ-45 Ethernet, and ¼-inch footswitch.
Power Switch Press and release the POWER switch to turn MC Control on/off. Shift Key The SHIFT key is used in conjunction with other keys to access the functions labeled in blue above the primary function. Press and hold the SHIFT key, found at the bottom-left and -right of MC Control, then press the other key. Locking the Shift Key The SHIFT key can be locked to access multiple alternate key functions without holding the SHIFT key down.
SOLO The SOLO key lights red when that strip’s track is soloed and is unlit otherwise. SEL Pressing a fader SEL key selects that track in the application and focusses it on MC Control. The SEL key lights yellow when the track is selected and is unlit otherwise. All knob functions operate on the focussed track. Some applications allow selecting multiple tracks if the Shift key on the QWERTY keyboard is held down while selecting tracks.
Moves the window one track to the right. If strips 1–4 had tracks 5–8, they now have tracks 6–9. Moves the window one bank (four tracks) to the right.
Knobs Eight touch-sensitive knobs surround the Touchscreen. Each is a continuously rotating knob that adjusts parameters such as pan and aux send levels. The knob has a built-in switch allowing it to 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. Knob Set Selection A knob set is an array of knobs used by EUCON-aware applications to control plug-ins, EQs, dynamics, aux sends, and other functions.
Knob Functions Each knob has the following controls: • Touching the knob’s image on the Touchscreen toggles the state of its primary parameter, such as EQ Band 1 on or off. When on, a small green LED lights on the lower left. • Pressing the SHIFT key and touching the knob’s image on the Touchscreen toggles its secondary parameter (if it exists), such as toggling an aux send between pre- and post-fader. This can also change the knob function between two or more parameters, such as EQ Frequency and Q.
Keys MC Control supports Surface Soft Keys (discussed in this section) and Touchscreen Soft keys (see “Soft Key View” on page 27). This is one of the most powerful features of MC Control (see Chapter 7, “Soft Keys”). Below the Touchscreen are 12 soft keys (six per row). The bottom of the Touchscreen contains labels for each soft key. Soft Key labels contain text plus an optional icon. HOME SOFT KEYS END Soft Keys Soft Keys are organized into pages with 12 Soft Keys per page.
Transport Controls REW Press REW to rewind. This function varies with the application. Implementations include: • Rewind until STOP or another key is pressed. • Rewind a fixed amount. • Rewind while the REW key is pressed until it is released. FF Press FF to fast forward. This function varies with the application. Implementations include: • Fast forward until STOP or another key is pressed. • Fast forward a fixed amount. • Fast forward while the FF key is pressed until it is released.
Chapter 5: Touchscreen and Controls MC Control has a wide aspect ratio Touchscreen mounted in its center. 3 2 1 1 5 4 The Touchscreen always shows the following: 1 Knob Displays Show the current knob function for their corresponding knob. There are four on each side of the Touchscreen. 2 Info Area Shows the application and workstation name, the primary and secondary time code displays, or the attentioned track name. Touch this area to switch between them.
Tracks View Tracks view shows up to 32 tracks at a time so quickly mute, solo, arm, and select tracks that are not banked to the faders. Track View Select an operation on one of the four circular buttons on the left and then touch one or more of the square track buttons to perform that operation on the selected tracks. Touch a selected track button again to deselect it. SOLO A yellow circle surrounding an S on the lower left of the track rectangle shows the track is soloed.
Soft Key View Soft Key View This view displays 24 Touchscreen Soft Keys in four lines of six each. v Scrolls forward to the next page of Soft Keys (unless on last page). ^ Scrolls back to the previous page of Soft Keys (unless on page 1). Touch a Soft Key to execute its function. See Chapter 7, “Soft Keys” to learn how to customize Soft Key pages and create your own Soft Key functions.
Setup Screens Less commonly used functions are found on the following Setup Touchscreens. The Soft Keys navigate through them. The top-right Soft Key is Exit, which returns to the Touchscreen last used. Control Room The Control Room Touchscreen selects the source of the control room volume knob, and provides talkback, dim, and mute functions. This is typically used to control Studio Monitor Express but can also control EUCON monitor sections if an application supports it.
Monitor The Monitor Touchscreen selects the source of the monitor volume knob or mutes monitor A. Holding down SHIFT and turning the control room knob changes the volume of Monitor A in Studio Monitor Express or the attached application if it supports a EUCON monitor section. Setup: Monitor Monitor Source Lists the possible sources to the monitor volume control. The up and down arrow buttons scroll through sources if there are more than four.
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Chapter 6: 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 Series media controllers on the network. EuControl’s configuration tasks are accessed by clicking the green icon on the taskbar (Mac) or in the Hidden Icons view (Windows) and selecting EuControl Settings.
Surfaces The Surfaces tab shows all Artist Series 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. When enabled, each Artist Series unit can bank independently of each other. In applications that support it, this lets you configure one unit for dedicated control of output busses, for example.
Remove Click Remove to remove the selected surface from My Surfaces and make it available to other instances of EuControl. Remove is disabled if no surface is selected. 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.
Workstations An Artist Series controller can control applications running on a second computer, referred to in this guide as a workstation. The Workstations tab establishes the list of workstations that the WORKSTATION key cycles through. Any workstation running EUCON software can be in this list, including those controlled by the System 5-MC, MC Pro, and MC Control. Workstations tab All Workstations All Workstations lists all EUCON-enabled workstations on the network.
Redirect Keyboard and Mouse Control to Attached External Workstation Your computer keyboard and mouse can control a second external workstation, if desired. Select this option to redirect keyboard and mouse control to the attached workstation. Note that the keyboard and mouse will no longer control your primary workstation. If this option is not selected (default setting), your keyboard and mouse control your primary computer.
Display Track Numbers on Surface Lets Artist Series units show track numbers as assigned by the current workstation (if supported). Solo Mode Lets you configure Artist Series units for the following Solo modes as (if) available in the current workstation: • Solo-in-Place • After-Fader Listen (AFL) • Pre-Fader Listen (PFL) See the documentation for your specific workstation for details on Solo modes.
Footswitch MC Control lets you connect a footswitch for hands-free punch in and out. Connect a footswitch to the 1/4-inch FOOTSWITCH input on the back panel. To configure the Footswitch in EuControl: In the Footswitch section of the Preferences tab, click to select the desired Punch In and Punch Out assignments: Record | Record When the application is rolling, pressing the footswitch once punches into recording on record enabled tracks.
Lock to Application This feature allows the transport controls and/or the entire surface to stay locked to the application listed at the top-left of the dialog even when that application is not focussed. Entire Surface Select this checkbox to lock the entire surface, including those of all linked Artist media controllers, to the listed application. Transport Select this checkbox to lock the transport controls (MC Mix and MC Control) to the listed application.
Chapter 7: Soft Keys Soft Keys tab This tab controls Surface and Touchscreen Soft Key assignments. The only difference between them is that the Surface Soft Keys are accessed by the 12 circular buttons below the Touchscreen, while the Touchscreen Soft Keys are accessed from the Soft Keys Setup Touchscreen (see “Soft Key View” on page 27).
Restore Click Restore to restore the Soft Key assignments to the factory default settings. Section Click the Section popup menu to select the Soft Key type to edit: Touchscreen or Surface. The Touchscreen Soft Keys appear on the MC Control’s Touchscreen and are executed by touch. The Surface Soft Key labels appear on the Touchscreen below the menu bar and are executed by pressing their corresponding circular keys below the Touchscreen.
Command Select a Soft Key (its outline highlights yellow) and click Command to view or edit the command(s) assigned to that Soft Key. Command Editor The figure above shows a EUCON Key Command that sets a right locator marker. The type of command is set in the left column (under Details). The center column shows the type of Key Command (Global Command). The specific Global Command is selected in the right column (Set Right Locator).
Select Repeat to repeat the command if the Soft Key is held down. For example, if the key executes a Nudge command and Repeat is selected, holding down the Soft Key will continue to Nudge. Click Delete to delete the selected command. EuCon The EuCon command types under the Details column are specific to each application. Each application supports many EuCon commands. Browse them to determine the most useful commands for your projects.
Create a New Soft Key The Record command is created in the default application set for most, if not all, applications. This section shows how to create a new Soft Key using the Record command as an example. To create a new Soft Key: 1 Select Touchscreen or Surface from the Section pop-up menu. 2 Select a blank key and click Command. 3 Select Add > EuCon. 4 Select Transport Controls from the left column. EuCon commands automatically label the button but do not select an icon.
Custom Jog Command Turning the Jog Wheel can insert key strokes into an application. This example inserts up and down arrows when the wheel is turned left and right, respectively. In most audio applications, this scrolls through the displayed tracks. To create a custom Jog command: 1 Select Wheel from the Section pop-up menu. Note that you must select the MC Control wheel icon. The Soft Key Wheel window opens.
2 Double-click the Jog label. The Jog Wheel Command Editor opens. Jog Wheel command editor 3 Click the + and enter arrow keys as the name for the command. Note that the lower pop-up is set to Turn Jog Right. The Jog Wheel must be programmed to turn right and left. 4 Select the Key command type from the Add pop-up menu. 5 Select Down Arrow from the Insert Special pop-up menu. You have assigned the command for the Jog Wheel to turn right, now assign it to turn left.
To assign a Soft Key to the Jog Wheel: 1 Select MC Control Surface from the Section pop-up. The Soft Keys dialog opens. Soft Keys dialog 2 Find a blank Soft Key and double-click it. You may need to select a different (or new) page to find a blank key. The Soft Key Com- mand Editor dialog opens. Soft Key Command Editor configured for Custom Wheel Command 3 Select the Wheel command type from the Add pop-up menu. 4 Select MC Control’s Jog from the Wheel pop-up menu.
Assignable Knob In some applications, the Jog Wheel can control knobs and sliders. Some applications require clicking on the control while others allow the cursor to hover over it. To assign the Jog Wheel to an Assignable Know: 1 Select MC Control’s Surface from the Section pop-up. The Soft Keys window opens. Soft Keys dialog 2 Find a a blank Soft Key and double-click it. The Soft Key Command Editor opens.
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Chapter 8: Setting the IP Address Most MC Control users will never have to set a static Internet Protocol (IP) address but in the rare cases that require it, use the instructions in this section. Normally MC Control uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to obtain its IP address, typically from a router.
Network Setup Touchscreen with IP Address and Subnet Mask fields 3 Touch the first box of the IP Address field. Adjust its value by turning any of the eight knobs or the Jog Wheel. 4 Use this technique to adjust all values of the IP Address and the Subnet Mask fields. Touch the Cancel button to cancel changes made to the IP address at any time. 5 Touch the OK button to save this static IP address. 6 Power MC Control off and on to use the new IP address.
Appendix A: Compliance Information Environmental Compliance Disposal of Waste Equipment by Users in the European Union EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) This model MC Control 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 Radio and Television Interference This symbol on the product or its packaging indicates that this product must not be disposed
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.
