Specifications

MachineControl Guide18
Configuring a MachineControl
Device for Deck Control
To set up a MachineControl device:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals, and
click the Synchronization tab.
2 Configure your synchronization peripheral as
necessary. If you are using a Digidesign SYNC
peripheral, select Enable SYNC Peripheral.
3 Click the Machine Control tab in the Peripher-
als dialog.
4 In the 9-pin Machine Control (Deck Control)
section, select Enable.
5 Select the 9-pin MachineControl port from
the Port pop-up menu.
6 Choose the appropriate machine profile from
the Machine Type pop-up menu.
7 Set machine pre-roll for use when Transport =
Pro Tools. (See “Machine Pre-Roll” on page 18
for more information.)
8 Click OK to close the Peripherals dialog.
Machine Pre-Roll
You can set a variable amount of machine pre-
roll to account for the time it may take the ma-
chine to achieve servo lock. Shorter pre-roll val-
ues are usually better for non-linear machines.
Longer pre-roll values are usually better for older
tape transports.
The Machine pre-roll value is added to any pre-
roll specified in the Pro Tools Transport window.
To set MachineControl pre-roll:
1 In Pro Tools, choose Setup > Peripherals, and
click the Machine Control tab.
2 In the 9-pin Machine Control (Deck Control)
section, type the number of frames of pre-roll in
the Preroll box.
3 Click OK.
Configuring MachineControl for Serial Deck Control
Do not use the designated machine serial
port for any other function (such as time
code or MIDI metronome). Make sure that
9-pin is the only communication on the
selected port.
Pro Tools lets you define and save custom
machine profiles. See “Remote Track Arm-
ing” on page 29 for more information.
Machine pre-roll is different from the main
Transport pre-roll that is set in the Transport
window.
If you are using a Digidesign SYNC periph-
eral connected to your DigiSerial port, and
your machine has time code reader capabil-
ity, you can use serial time code for Posi-
tional Reference.