MUSIC | AUDIO POST | VIDEO | FILM Artist Series professional control surface i USER GUIDE Document Revision: B
USER GUIDE professional control surface In the interest of continued product development, Euphonix reserves the right to make improvements to this manual and the product it describes at any time, without notice or obligation. Artist Series, MC Mix, MC Control, MC Pro, System 5-MC, and EuCon are trademarks of Euphonix, Inc. ©2008 Euphonix, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Canada This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada USER GUIDE professional control surface European Union Australia ABN 91 051 557 905 Japan iii Artist Series
USER GUIDE professional control surface IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lighting flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electrical shock to persons.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
vi
Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1: Introduction to the Artist Series ..................................................... 11 Chapter 2: Setup and Installation ..................................................................... 13 Setting Up the MC Mix ................................................................ 13 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.2 Elevating the MC Mix ..............................
professional control surface USER GUIDE 4.5 Knobs ........................................................................................ 33 4.5.1 4.5.2 4.5.3 4.5.4 4.5.5 4.5.6 Chapter 5: 4.6 APPLICATION.............................................................................. 39 4.7 WORKSTATION ........................................................................... 39 EuControl ........................................................................................... 41 5.1 Surfaces....
1-1 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-5 2-6 2-7 2-8 2-9 2-10 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 3-5 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-5 4-6 4-7 4-8 4-9 4-10 4-11 4-12 5-1 5-2 5-3 5-4 5-5 5-6 5-7 A-1 A-2 A-3 MC Control and MC Mix ................................................................................. 11 Foldout leg (left); riser bracket (right) ........................................................... 13 Removing side panels (left); removing riser brackets .................................... 14 Removing screws from the bottom panel ............
x
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Artist Series The MC Mix and MC Control comprise the Artist Series desktop control surfaces. They use a 100 Mbs Ethernet EuCon connection to control audio/video applications running on a workstation computer. EuCon is a high-speed communication protocol and enables control of virtually every application feature.
USER GUIDE professional control surface Conventions Used in this User Guide The User Guide refers to all functions labeled on the MC Mix surface and rear panel with all caps in bold type (i.e., NUDGE X, PAN, SEL, SOLO). 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 MC Mix’s bottom-left and -right.
Chapter 2: Setup and Installation Euphonix is dedicated to making your MC Mix experience enjoyable and troublefree so we will periodically update the following software and documentation: • EuControl: This software runs your MC Mix and communicates to your audio/video application. Always download the new version if prompted to do so when you launch EuControl. • MC Mix User Guide (PDF): This is the complete user guide for your MC Mix and the document you are currently reading.
professional control surface USER GUIDE Two larger, detached riser brackets elevate and angle the unit more than the foldout legs. Use moderate force to snap them into the bottom panel as shown in Figure 2-1. To remove the riser brackets: 1. Slide the side panels off (Figure 2-2 left). Figure 2-2 Removing side panels (left); removing riser brackets 14 2. Press the tabs to release the riser brackets (Figure 2-2 right). 3. Lift the riser bracket out of the MC Mix to remove SETUP AND INSTALLATION 2.1.
To join two MC Mixes: 1. On one of the MC Mixes, use a #2 Phillips screwdriver to remove the two silver screws (Figure 2-3). The screws may be tight, so you may have to use some force. USER GUIDE professional control surface Figure 2-3 Removing screws from the bottom panel 2. Lift the black plastic connecting part and side panel up and out of the MC Mix (Figure 2-4). 15 3. On the second MC Mix, remove the side panel (see Figure 2-2 left) on the end where it will attach to the first MC mix. 4.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 2.2 Installation 1. Insert the installation CD into your Macintosh or, if you downloaded the latest software from the web, double-click on the installer. Follow the instructions to install the software. If prompted to download the most current version of EuControl, follow the onscreen instructions. EuControl will launch automatically and is running when this icon in your menu bar. appears EuControl icon Figure 2-6 Menu bar with EuControl icon 2.
5. Plug one end of the Ethernet crossover cable into the Ethernet jack (labeled with ) on the rear panel of the MC Mix (Figure 2-8). USER GUIDE professional control surface o Euc n Ethernet cable Figure 2-8 Ethernet cable and rear panel jack 6. Plug the other end of the Ethernet crossover cable into an open Ethernet jack on your computer, router, or Ethernet switch (Figure 2-9). Figure 2-9 MC Mix connected to router (left) and directly to computer (right) 7.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 8. Press and release the POWER switch on your MC Mix. Look at the top-right of your screen and wait up to 60 seconds. A green icon in the menu bar indicates correct installation. If you did not see the green icon: • See My Surfaces on page 42 and add the MC Mix manually. • Shut down the MC Mix and the Mac and repeat steps 7 and 8.
Connecting a Footswitch The MC Mix has a ¼-in FOOTSWITCH input on the rear panel. The footswitch can be used to punch in and out of recording. Plug the footswitch in before powering on the MC Mix. See page 47 for details.
Chapter 3: Common Tasks If you completed the steps in Chapter 2: Setup and Installation, you are ready to start learning about your MC Mix. We recommend performing these simple tutorials of common tasks in the order presented. Fader Strip USER GUIDE professional control surface 1. Press the MC Mix’s strip 1 fader SEL key (Figure 3-1). The corresponding track is selected in your application. 2. Move the MC Mix’s strip 1 fader up and down.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 4. Press the NUDGE X key to move all eight tracks over one strip (Figure 3-2). If tracks 1–8 were assigned to strips 1–8, tracks 2–9 are now assigned to strips 1–8. SEL MIXER CLOSE NUDGE ON SOLO ON PLAY REC NUDGE HOME END BANK BANK Figure 3-2 NUDGE and BANK keys 5. Press the HOME key (Figure 3-2) to restore tracks 1–8 to strips 1–8.
Inserts 1. Add a plug-in on track 1 of your application. 2. If tracks 1–8 are not assigned to strips 1–8, press the HOME key (Figure 3-2) to restore tracks 1–8 to strips 1–8. 3. Press the MC Mix’s strip 1 fader SEL key (Figure 3-4). USER GUIDE professional control surface 4. Press the CHAN key to enter channel mode (Figure 3-4).
USER GUIDE professional control surface 8. Press the PAGE keys to access more parameters (Figure 3-5). SEL TOP BACK CFG ON CFG SOLO PAGE ON PAGE Figure 3-5 BACK and PAGE keys 9. Press the BACK key to exit that plug-in (Figure 3-5). 10. Press the CHAN key to exit channel mode (Figure 3-4).
Artist Series 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 SEL Y ASSIGN AUTO REC N SOLO ON 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 PREV RTZ SEL Y ASSIGN AUTO ON SOLO REC N ON SEL 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 SEL Y ASSIGN AUTO REC N REC PLAY 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 60 SEL Y ASSIGN AUTO REC N STOP FF ON SOLO 60 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 ON SOLO ON SEL 60 SEL Y ASSIGN AUTO REW NEXT REC N ON SOLO ON SEL 60 40 30 20 10 5 0 6 12 ON SEL 8 8 8 8 Fader strips 60 SEL Y AS
USER GUIDE professional control surface 4.1 Power Switch Press and release the POWER switch to turn the MC Mix on/off. 4.2 • All displays shows a Euphonix logo upon power up. • All activity on the displays and LEDs ceases upon power down. 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 MC Mix’s bottom-left and -right.
Fader Strips The MC Mix provides eight fader strips, each with a touch-sensitive fader and a touch-sensitive knob, that control tracks in an audio or video application. 4.3.1 Display Screens At the top of each fader strip is a 128 x 64 pixel Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display that shows the following items: track name/value meter knob name/value knob position 5.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 4.3.2 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 when automating.
Transport Controls SOLO ON RTZ PREV SOLO ON REW NEXT SOLO FF ON SOLO ON STOP PLAY REC Figure 4-4 Transport Controls RTZ Press RTZ (Return To Zero) to move to the beginning of the project. PREV Press PREV to move to the previous marker. Not all applications support markers. NEXT Press NEXT to move to the next marker. Not all applications support markers. REW Press REW to rewind. This function varies with the application.
professional control surface USER GUIDE 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. 4.3.6 SEL Pressing a fader’s SEL key selects that track in the application and attentions (see Channel Mode on page 34) it on the MC Mix.
4.4 Fader Navigation Controls Scroll through the application’s tracks using the BANK and NUDGE keys. HOME and END are shortcuts to the first and last banks, respectively. USER GUIDE professional control surface SEL MIXER CLOSE NUDGE ON SOLO ON PLAY REC NUDGE HOME END BANK BANK Figure 4-5 Fader navigation controls 4.4.1 BANK and NUDGE The BANK and NUDGE keys change which tracks are assigned to the strips.
professional control surface USER GUIDE BANK W Moves the window one bank (eight tracks) to the left. If strips 1–8 had the bank starting at track 9, they now have the bank starting with track 1. Pressing BANK W again does nothing because the first bank is already shown. BANK X Moves the window one bank (eight tracks) to the right. If strips 1–8 had the bank starting at track 9, they now have the bank starting with track 17. 4.4.2 MIXER and CLOSE Not all applications support these keys.
4.5 Knobs Each fader strip has one touch-sensitive, 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/off.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 4.5.2 Knob Modes The eight knobs can be in normal or channel modes. Normal Mode Each knob controls the same parameter for every track on the strips. Figure 4-8 Normal mode Channel Mode Channel mode is useful for editing EQs and plug-ins that have many parameters. The eight knobs control up to eight different parameters on a single attentioned track. Press a fader SEL key (page 30) to attention that track.
Knob Set Selector Keys A knob set is an array of knobs used by EuCon applications to control plug-ins, EQs, dynamics, aux sends, etc. One of the eight Knob Set Selector keys is always selected and lit and displays its knob set until another Knob Set Selector key is pressed. When the MC Mix first starts, the PAN knob set is selected by default. INPUT INSERTS DYN EQ GROUP AUX MIX PAN Figure 4-11 Knob Selector keys The Knob Set Selector keys enter the MC Mix menu system.
USER GUIDE professional control surface INSERTS Pressing the INSERTS key displays the inserts knob set for editing plug-ins. In normal mode, the first plug-in is displayed on the knob. Pressing one of these Knob Tops in normal mode toggles the MC Mix into channel mode and displays the first eight plug-in parameters for editing. Pressing a plug-in’s Knob Top displays its parameters for editing. EQ Press the EQ key to display the EQ knob set to configure equalization controls and filters.
Dual-Function Knobs Some knobs have two functions that are toggled by pressing the knob’s SEL key (i.e., EQ Frequency and Q). The knob name changes in the display to show the current function. Dual-function knobs are supported in normal mode. 4.5.5 Knob Set Navigation Keys Since a knob set may have more parameters than knobs, the PAGE W and PAGE X keys scroll among them.
USER GUIDE professional control surface NOTE: Configuration pages work only in channel mode.
BACK Press the BACK key once to return to the previous knob set. Press the BACK key repeatedly to back out of all sub-menus and display the top of the current knob set. TOP Press the TOP key to immediately back out of all sub-menus and display the top of the current knob set. This is equivalent to pressing the BACK key repeatedly. 4.5.6 USER GUIDE professional control surface Knob Sets and Multiple MC Mixes Up to four MC Mixes can be linked to form one large surface.
USER GUIDE professional control surface SURFACE CONTROLS 40 Artist Series
Chapter 5: EuControl EuControl is launched automatically upon starting your Mac and runs in the background. EuControl is responsible for finding, linking, and communicating with all MC Mixes and MC Controls on the network. EuControl’s configuration tasks are accessed by clicking the green icon on the Mac taskbar and selecting EuControl Settings. USER GUIDE professional control surface Only one instance of EuControl can run on a workstation.
USER GUIDE professional control surface Figure 5-2 Surfaces tab 42 All Surfaces All Surfaces shows all MC Mixes on the network. An MC Mix shown in light gray is already connected either to your own or another instance of EuControl running on a different workstation. In both cases, it is not selectable. My Surfaces My Surfaces shows the MC Mixes connected to your instance of EuControl. If there is more than one MC Mix in this list, they are linked into a single large surface.
Add B is disabled if all MC Mixes in All Surfaces are connected to any instance of EuControl. 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. USER GUIDE professional control surface Show Info Select an MC Mix and click Show Info to display the name and hardware/software information on strip 1’s channel display and in a dialog on the Mac.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 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 This tab controls how the MC Mix and application software work together. Figure 5-4 General tab 5.3.1 45 General Preferences Workstation tracks knob set changes The workstation is aware of which knobset is selected and displays appropriate controls. Open plug-ins on workstation when editing When a plug-in knobset is selected on the MC Mix, the workstation opens the plug-in’s window.
professional control surface USER GUIDE Auto-bank to selected track Selecting a track in the application causes the MC Mix to display the bank containing that track. This keeps the selected track assigned to the surface. Display track numbers on surface The track number is included with the track name in the channel display. 5.3.2 Solo Mode Preferences Solo in place Mutes all tracks except solo track. After-Fader Listen (AFL) The Solo level is derived after fader level.
5.4.1 MC Mix display screen dim time Drag the slider to set the amount of inactive time before the MC Mix display screens dims to half intensity. 5.4.2 Footswitch The footswitch punches in and out of recording. It is useful when recording and getting ready to play an instrument. USER GUIDE professional control surface Two types of footswitches can be attached to an MC Mix: • Momentary – There are two momentary types: normally open, push to close; normally closed, push to open.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 5.5 Assign 48 Figure 5-6 Assign tab This tab manages how tracks are assigned to the MC Mix’s strips. By default, tracks are automatically assigned in banks of eight. NOTE: When a project is reopened, the first eight tracks are assigned to the strips. EuControl Click in the Assigned To column to pop up a menu with the following options: • auto assigned: Tracks are assigned automatically in response to the Bank and Nudge buttons.
5.5.1 Display application’s track numbers Select this checkbox to display the track number in addition to the name. 5.5.2 Clear All Click Clear All to set all strips to being automatically assigned. 5.6 USER GUIDE professional control surface Layouts 49 Figure 5-7 Layouts tab The tracks assigned to the MC Mix strips can be saved as a Layout. A Layout is created from the current strip assignments and can receive a name. It can then be recalled at a later time. 5.6.1 Recall 5.6.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 5.6.3 Clear Highlight a name in the Name column and click Clear to delete that Layout. 5.6.4 Clear All Click Clear All to clear all Layouts. A dialog appears to confirm that you wish to delete all existing Layouts.
Appendix A: Setting the IP Address Most MC Mix users will never have to set a static Internet Protocol (IP) address but in the rare cases that require it, the MC Mix does allow for it. Normally the MC Mix uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to obtain its IP address, typically from a router. The MC Mix will revert 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.
USER GUIDE professional control surface 3. Press the PAGE X key to move the cursor to the next screen, in this case the first field of the IP Address screen (Figure A-2 left). The Knob Top key can also be used to perform the same function as the PAGE X key. Press the PAGE W key to move the cursor back to the previous field or screen to change a parameter to a different value. Figure A-2 IP Address displays 4. Use the knob to set the first field of the IP Address. 5.
