MachineControl Guide for Pro Tools 5.1 Digidesign Inc. 3401-A Hillview Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 USA tel: 650·842·7900 fax: 650·842·7999 Technical Support (USA) 650·842·6699 650·856·4275 Product Information (USA) 650·842·6602 800·333·2137 Fax on Demand (USA) 1·888·USE·DIGI (873·3444) International Offices Visit the Digidesign Web site for contact information. World Wide Web www.digidesign.com Digidesign FTP Site ftp.digidesign.
Copyright This User’s Guide is copyrighted ©2001 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this manual may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign. DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
contents Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A. Key Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Appendix B. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Appendix C. Machine IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Appendix D. 9-Pin Cable Pinouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
chapter 1 Introduction MachineControl™ is special purpose software for Pro Tools that enables serial communication with remote audio and video machines. MachineControl lets you integrate TDMequipped Pro Tools systems with external 9-pin or V-LAN machines. Serial Control Mode MachineControl Components With a USD Your MachineControl package includes: Track Arming Lets you arm tracks of external machines from within Pro Tools, for layback and transfer configuration.
commands. When online, this lets you select whether Pro Tools is the transport master with the machine chasing, or the machine is the transport master, with Pro Tools chasing. Cueing, Scrubbing, and Pre-Roll Numerous settings let you optimize MachineControl operation. Adjustable machine pre-roll, selectable edit and Memory Location chasing, and other preference settings are provided. System Requirements Macintosh • Pro Tools 24 MIX or MIXplus, or Pro Tools 24 system.
Machine Requirements • Video or audio machines that are Sony 9-pin or Videomedia® V-LAN™ compatible devices. Certain V-LAN machines may not require a time code reader card. Refer to your machine's documentation for more information. For 9pin Remote mode, a controller compatible with the Sony “P2” 9-Pin specification is required. About This Guide This guide assumes: • You have installed Pro Tools and verified that it works properly.
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chapter 2 Installation Installing MachineControl on your system involves the following steps: • Connect the machine (serial-to-9-pin connection) • Confirm synchronization • Install the MachineControl software • Enable and configure MachineControl in Pro Tools 9-pin Cables MachineControl requires its own connection between Pro Tools (or its host computer) and the machine.
Ports and MachineControl Serial port requirements vary depending on whether or not you are using a USD, a DigiSerial Port, or other synchronization devices. Before you install MachineControl, you must determine the ports you will use for your system’s connections. 9-Pin-to-Serial MachineControl communication requires a serial connection between your machine (9-pin or V-LAN) and Pro Tools, or your computer. Serial port requirements vary depending on your type of computer and Pro Tools systems.
Example Setup The following is one possible MachineControl installation on a Macintosh G4 computer: • MachineControl Serial Control cable connected to a Keyspan 28X, Port 1. • MachineControl Remote mode cable connected to a Keyspan 28X, Port 2. • The Serial Control cable and Remote mode cable are connected to their respective ports on the machine. • MIDI interface connected to a Stealth serial connector.
To connect to a Windows computer: Connect the serial end of your MachineControl cable to the computer, or to Pro Tools: Starting Up Your System ■ • If you are not using a USD, connect the other end to the DigiSerial Port on your Pro Tools MIX Core or d24 card. • If you are using a USD, use an available COM port for MachineControl connection. (See the Universal Slave Driver User’s Guide if you need more information.) You should start up (power) your system in a specific order.
Windows NT Windows Authorizaton 1 Insert the “MachineControl Install 1” diskette MachineControl for Windows NT is on two separate floppy disks. A DeAuthorizer application, named “MachineControl DeAuthorizer.exe” is installed automatically in the Pro Tools folder. This application lets you reclaim authorizations and return them to the “MachineControl Install 1" disk. You cannot temporarily authorize MachineControl for Windows by placing the key diskette in the computer’s floppy drive. into your computer.
To remove the MachineControl software: 1 Locate the MachineControl extension (in the DAE Extensions folder inside the DAE folder) and drag it to the Trash. 2 Empty the Trash. Configuring MachineControl To set up a MachineControl device: 1 Make sure your equipment is powered on, and launch Pro Tools. Windows NT 2 Choose Setups > Peripherals, and click Machine Control. To remove authorization from a hard drive: 3 In the 9-pin serial section, click Enable.
Machine Auto-detection Machine Pre-Roll If the machine is recognized, Pro Tools loads the corresponding Machine Type and Node, as well as the corresponding track layout and automatically enters the name of that machine into the Pro Tools Machine Track Arming window. You can set a variable amount of Machine preroll to account for any time it may take the machine to achieve servo lock. Set this value low for non-linear machines (including the DoReMi V1, for example).
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chapter 3 Remote Mode This chapter explains how to use Pro Tools when MachineControl is connected for Remote mode operation. Configuring Remote Mode To configure Pro Tools for 9-Pin Remote mode: 9-Pin Remote Mode makes Pro Tools operate as a virtual tape deck, capable of slaving to most standard Sony P2 9-pin commands. For a list of supported commands, see “9-Pin Commands” on page 14. By default, Pro Tools emulates a Sony BVW-75 model video deck.
6 If you do not want Pro Tools to respond to remote track arming commands, select Ignore Track Arming. 7 Click OK when you are done. 9-Pin Commands In Remote Mode, Pro Tools with MachineControl can respond to the following 9-pin commands: 8 In the Pro Tools Transport window, select Remote as the Transport master. • Play 9 Put Pro Tools online. • Pause Online Status Display When online in Remote mode, the Online button flashes until Pro Tools and the machine establish communication.
Recording in 9-Pin Remote Mode Track Arming and 9-Pin Remote Mode MachineControl lets Pro Tools support Auto Edit (selection-based) and Punch-in/Punch-Out (QuickPunch) commands. In 9-Pin Remote mode, Pro Tools responds to track arming (record-enable) commands for the first eight Pro Tools audio tracks that are not hidden in a session (video and MIDI tracks are not recognized, and will be ignored if any exist within the first eight tracks). Additional tracks can be record enabled manually in Pro Tools.
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chapter 4 Serial Control Mode and Transport Control This chapter explains how to use MachineControl in Serial Control mode. Serial Control mode is enabled whenever MachineControl is connected using the Serial Control cable. In this mode, MachineControl enables bi-directional transport, track arming, and machine command communication between Pro Tools and your machine. For more information about connecting and configuring Pro Tools for Serial Control mode, see Chapter 2, “Installation.
Online and Offline Operation To trigger Pro Tools playback or recording from an external source, you must put it online. There are four ways to put Pro Tools online: • Click the Online button in the Transport window • Select Operations > Online • Press Command+J or Control+J • Press Option+Spacebar (Macintosh) or Alt+Spacebar (Windows) MachineControl Preferences Preferences are available to specify the following aspects of MachineControl behavior.
To enable Serial Time code: Serial Time Code and USD Settings 1 In Pro Tools, choose Setups > Peripherals and When Serial Time Code is enabled, the Clock Reference setting in the USD Setup section of the Session Setup window switches to Video Reference/Video In/Word Clock 1x. click Synchronization. 2 Make sure USD and DigiSerial Port are the selected device and port. Additionally, the Positional Reference pop-up is dimmed and displays Serial Time code. Synchronization settings for Serial Time Code.
Transport Controls With MachineControl, the Pro Tools Transport window becomes a multi-function controller. To toggle the Pro Tools Transport between Pro Tools, Machine, and 9-Pin Remote mode: 1 Click the area labeled Transport (directly be- low the Online button in the Transport window) to display the Transport pop-up. Online button Transport = Machine In this mode, the controls in the Transport window are focussed on the machine. If online, Pro Tools will slave to the machine.
When Pro Tools is offline, Pro Tools operates in local mode. In local mode, Pro Tools responds only to Transport window commands, and does not respond to commands from the 9-pin master. Pro Tools will respond to requests from the 9-pin master for machine type and status, and respond that it is in local mode. Counter Display The Pro Tools Edit window counter displays the current machine (9-pin) or session time code location, depending on which device is the transport master.
Machine Cueing MachineControl provides two cue modes for remote machine operation: search and hi-speed. To fast-forward and rewind in hi-speed mode: 1 Select Transport > Machine in the Pro Tools Transport window. In search mode, the tape remains laced during Fast Forward or Rewind. 2 Press Command+period or click Stop in the Transport window to unlace the tape. In hi-speed mode, the tape is unlaced before fast-forward/rewind.
chapter 5 Remote Track Arming Pro Tools with MachineControl provides the ability to arm audio or video tracks on external decks. On MachineControl-equipped systems, the Show Machine Track Arming Window command is available in the Pro Tools Windows menu. To display the Machine Track Arming Window: Choose Windows > Show Machine Track Arming Window. ■ Configuring Track Arming Pro Tools provides automatic, direct support for track configuration of most common video decks.
Identifying your Machine Choosing a Record Protocol If Pro Tools does not recognize your machine, you can use the generic1 personality. However, you should try a few test laybacks, using backup tapes or other non-vital material, to determine the best settings for your system.
Choosing a Record Mode The Remote Track Arming window provides two choices for Record Mode: Insert This mode is used to perform insert editing (punching in individual tracks) where one or more audio tracks is replaced by new material and the video material is retained. As a safety precaution, Pro Tools does not support arming of video for insert editing.
Using Remote Track Arming The first step in using Remote Track Arming is to configure the parameters of the Track Arming window. To configure Track Arming: 1 Make sure your machine is properly connected and configured to slave to Pro Tools as described in your MachineControl and Pro Tools Guides. 2 Make sure Transport = Machine. 3 Open the Track Arming window. If the entire window is not visible, click the zoom box. 4 Designate the number of record tracks using the Record Tracks popup.
appendix a Key Commands Command Macintosh Windows Rewind Shift+< Fast Forward Shift+> Shuttle Backward Option+comma Alt+comma Shuttle Forward Option+period Alt+period Toggle Transport Master Command+\ Control+\ All Transport Buttons Off/Unthread Tape Command+period Control+period Search Mode Toggle (Play-Pause/Stop) Spacebar/Command+period When Transport = Machine: Locate to Selection Start Command+Left Arrow Control+Left Arrow Locate to Selection End Command+Right Arrow Control+
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appendix b Troubleshooting Machine Not Recognized Problem The session was saved with MachineControl, but now opens without it being selected in the Transport window. When opening a session saved with MachineControl, a dialog warns there were “problems initializing MachineControl.” When spotting a region, the “Capture Machine Time” button is dimmed. Possible Solutions Open the Peripherals dialog (Setups menu) and confirm that the correct port is chosen for MachineControl.
Time Code Inaccuracy Remote Mode Problem Problem The time code locations shown in the Selection and Position Indicator boxes do not match machine time code. While recording in Remote mode, Pro Tools is consistently a frame (or more) early, or late, for punch in or out. Possible Solutions Solution This problem can be caused by a number of things. Sometimes the Time Code times reported by machines are not in sync with the time code that gets played out of their time code ports.
◆ Make sure Pro Tools is in QuickPunch mode. Make sure your track is armed. The track arming light must be red. ◆ Make sure the controller knows what machine is connected. Pro Tools in Remote mode defaults to 0x2025, which is a BVW-75. Make sure the controller is properly configured for a BVW-75 machine. ◆ Problem Pro Tools appears to be recording, but nothing is actually recorded to disk. Solution Make sure that your controller has record enabled Pro Tools.
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appendix c Machine IDs The following table lists the machine profiles supported in MachineControl, by their Pro Tools hex ID. Machines, by ID number ID number Machine 0x2021 BVW-65 Not included are special IDs to support 48-track arming support.
Machines, by ID number 34 ID number Machine 0x0048 BVH-2830 0x0050 BVH-3000 (NTSC) 0x0060 BVH-3100 (NTSC) 0x0150 BVH-3000 PS 0x0160 BVH-3100 PS 0x2041 PVW-2800 0x1211 ASC Virtual Recorder 0x1011 Fostex D-10 0xF027 Otari R-DAT 0x7001 TASCAM DA-88 0xF01D TASCAM DA-88 0x7003 PCM-800 0x7000 PCM-7000 0xA088 AG-DS555 0x2051 UVW-1800 0xB000 DVW-500 0xB010 DVW-500 0xA050 V1 0x2124 BCB-70 0x2101 BVW-40P 0x2141 PVW-2800P MachineControl Guide
appendix d 9-Pin Cable Pinouts Remote Mode 9-Pin Cable Digidesign PN 918008813-00 Mini-8 wired to D-sub pins 9 and 1. 7 n/c 3 2 9, 1 8 5 n/c n/c DIN Mini 8 4 9 3 8 2 7 1 6 9-pin, female D-SUB Remote Mode 9 Pin Cable Mini - 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shield DB-9 NC NC 2 9, 1 8 7 NC 3 NC Shield Figure 1. MachineControl Remote Mode 9-Pin Cable pinout Shielding The outside shielding of the D-Sub 9 (female) should be wired to the outside shielding of the Mini DIN 8 (male).
Serial Control 9-Pin Cable 3 n/c 7 8 1 2 1 n/c 2 6 3 7 4 8 5 9 n/c 9-pin, male D-SUB DIN Mini 8 Serial Control Cable Mini - 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shield DB-9 NC NC 8 1 2 3 NC 7 NC Shield V-Lan Pin Configuration Mini - 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shield DB-9 NC NC 2 1 8 7 NC 3 NC Shield Figure 2.
index Numerics F 9500/9600 serial ports 6 frame offset for Remote mode 18 frame rate 17 frame-edge and serial time code 19 A adaptors for serial port 6 arming, safe (ignore) 15 Assemble 25 auto detection 10 Auto Edit 24 and Remote mode 15 Auto Spot with Machine as master 20 G G3/G4 serial ports 6 Generate and Remote mode 13 and serial time code 19 generic 11 C H cables pinouts, Remote Mode 9-Pin 35 pinouts, Serial Control Cable 36 required 2 caution 25 CH 1-2 Input 17 chasing 18 configuring track a
MachineControl 23 and DigiSerial Port 6 MachineControl DeAuthorizer.
U USD and DigiSerial Port 6 Use Serial Time Code for Positional Reference 19 V Video Ref for 9-pin Serial 19 Video Reference/Video In and serial time code 19 video track 25 VSD 3 W Windows NT system requirements 2 Z Zoom Box 23 Index 39
