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Studer Vista 9 Operating Instructions Manual

Digital mixing system, sw v4.5

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Studer Vista 9

Digital Mixing System, SW V4.5

1.

Introduction, Operating Principles

2.

Vista Desk Operation

3.

Parameter Description

4.

Graphic Controller Operation

5.

AutoTouch+ Dynamic Automation

6.

Configuration Tool (Option)

7.

DAW Control / Studer RELINK

8.

SCore Live

9.

Application Notes

10. Update Information: (currently empty)

Operating Instructions

Table of Contents

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Summary of Contents for Studer Vista 9

Page 1 Studer Vista 9 Digital Mixing System, SW V4.5 Introduction, Operating Principles Vista Desk Operation Parameter Description Graphic Controller Operation AutoTouch+ Dynamic Automation Configuration Tool (Option) DAW Control / Studer RELINK SCore Live Application Notes 10. Update Information: (currently empty) Operating Instructions...
Page 2 Copyright by Studer Professional Audio GmbH Studer Professional Audio GmbH Technical Documentation Order no. BD10.275270 (Ed. 1010) Althardstrasse 30 CH-8105 Regensdorf -- - Switzerland http://www.studer.ch Subject to change Studer is a registered trade mark of Studer Professional Audio GmbH, Regensdorf...
Page 3 • Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer. • Use only with the cart, stand, tripod, bracket or table specified by the manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use cau- tion when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over. • 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 fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped. Note: It is recommended that all maintenance and service on the product should be carried out by Studer or its authorised agents. Studer cannot accept any liability whatsoever for any loss or damage caused by service, maintenance or repair by unauthorised personnel. • WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose this apparatus to rain or moisture. Do not expose the apparatus to dripping or splashing and do not place objects filled with liquids, such as vases, on the apparatus. • No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus. • Ventilation should not be impeded by covering the ventilation openings with items such as newspapers, table cloths, curtains etc. Warning: Do not use this apparatus in very dusty atmospheres, or in atmospheres containing flammable gases or chemicals.
Page 4 Safety nformation • The mains supply disconnect device is the mains plug. It must remain accessible so as to be readily operable when the apparatus is in use. • If any part of the mains cord set is damaged, the complete cord set should be replaced. The following information is for reference only. The wires in the mains lead are coloured in accordance with the following code: • Protective Earth (Ground): Green/Yellow (US: Green or Green/ Yellow) • Neutral: Blue (US: White) • Live (Hot): Brown (US: Black) As the colours of the wires in the mains lead may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug, proceed as follows: • The wire which is coloured Green and Yellow must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter E or by the earth symbol. • The wire which is coloured Blue must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter N • The wire which is coloured Brown must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is marked with the letter L Ensure that these colour codes are followed carefully in the event of the plug being changed • This unit is capable of operating over a range of mains voltages, as marked on the rear panel.
Page 5 Safety nformation Conforming to this directive will minimise the risk of hearing damage caused by long listening periods. A simple rule to follow is: The longer you listen, the lower the average volume should be. Please take care when working with your audio system –...
Page 6 nstallation General Installation Instructions Please consider besides these general instructions also any product-specific instructions in the “Installation” chapter of this manual. Unpacking Check the equipment for any transport damage. If the unit is mechanically damaged, if liquids have been spilled or if objects have fallen into the unit, it must not be connected to the AC power outlet, or it must be immediately disconnected by unplugging the power cable.
Page 7 nstallation / EMC Class I Equipment (Mains Operation) Should the equipment be delivered without a matching mains cable, the latter has to be prepared by a trained person using the attached female plug (IEC 320 / C13 or IEC 320 / C19) with respect to the applicable regulations in your country.
Page 8 EMC / Maintenance / ESD • Use a system grounding concept that satisfies the safety requirements (class I equipment must be connected with a protective ground conduc- tor) and that also takes into consideration the EMC requirements. When deciding between radial, surface, or combined grounding, the advantages and disadvantages should be carefully evaluated in each case.
Page 9 ESD / Repair • When performing a repair by replacing complete assemblies, the removed assembly must be sent back to the supplier in the same packing material in which the replacement assembly was shipped. If this should not be the case, any claim for a possible refund will be null and void.
Page 10 Repair / Disposal SMD Components Studer has no commercially available SMD components in stock for ser- vice purposes. For repair, the corresponding devices have to be purchased locally. The specifications of special components can be found in the service manual.
Page 11 Conformity Declarations of Conformity Class A Equipment - FCC Notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide a reasonable protection against harmful interfer- ence when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
Page 12 Beyond these specifications, possible problems are described below. Ambient Temperature Units and systems by Studer are generally designed for an ambient tempera- ture range (i.e. temperature of the incoming air) of +5 °C to +40 °C. When rack mounting the units, the intended air flow and herewith adequate cooling must be provided.
Page 13 Appendix evaporation (sublimation) may be expected; otherwise the system must be heated and dried while switched off. A system without visible internal formation of ice or condensation should be heated up with its own heat dissipation, as homogeneously (and subsequently as slow) as possible;...
Page 14 Appendix Appendix 2: Mains Connector Strain Relief For anchoring connectors without a mechanical lock (e.g. IEC mains connec- tors), we recommend the following arrangement: Procedure: The cable clamp shipped with your unit is auto-adhesive. For mounting please follow the rules below: •...
Page 15 License Programs of Studer The following Terms and Conditions grant the right to use all programs of Studer that are part of the System and/or its options at the time of its delivery to the Customer, as well as the installation software on the original data disk and the accompanying documentation (“License Material”).
Page 16 Reverse engineering is only permitted with the express consent of Studer. The consent of Studer can be obtained but is not limited to the case in which the interface software can not be provided by Studer. In any case Studer has to be informed immediately upon complete or partial reverse engineering.
Page 17: Table Of Contents
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 1 Introduction ..................................3 1.1 Operating Features ..............................3 1.1.1 Vistonics ................................4 ™ 1.1.2 Momentary/Latching Keys  ..........................7 1.1.3 Ganging ................................. 8 1.1.4 Copy/Paste ................................9 1.1.5 Scrolling ................................10 1.1.6 FaderGlow ™ ................................ 12 1.1.7...
Page 18 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1-2 Introduction SW V4.5 Date printed: 26.10.10...
Page 19: Introduction
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System InTRoduCTIon operating Features Studer Vista 9 incorporates operating features that are applicable throughout nearly the whole console operation: • Vistonics ™ • Momentary/Latching Key Activation • Ganging • Copy/paste • Scrolling • FaderGlow ™ • TFT screens for level metering These operating principles are described below, they are freely combinable. Some exceptions may occur where the combination of functions is not practi- cal. The real speed and easiness of operation will become obvious to a sound engineer by using and combining these operating principles in every day life.
Page 20: 1.1.1 Vistonics
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.1.1 Vistonics ™ Vistonics allows color and shape of controls to be varied according to good ™ ergonomic practice. A given audio function is always associated with the same color, and a parameter is always associated with the same icon displaying values graphically – just as or even more intuitive than an analog console. Vistonics makes it possible to bring the location where you can see a value to ™ exactly the place where you control it. Therefore, tiring translation processes between looking at a screen and finding the corresponding hardware control somewhere else are not existing anymore, saving just a little time and energy a few hundred times a day! Conventional TFT Approach Vistonics Technology Display Display Controls + Controls View = Control Location View = Control Location Great attention has been paid in order to make the current association clearly visible. Color coding has been used to indicate families of audio functions...
Page 21 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Global Views Up to four different parameters are shown in each channel strip. The same four parameters will be shown globally on the whole console. This mode is meant to be the ‘horizontal way of operation’, mostly used for e.g. operating auxiliaries or input settings. The picture below shows a global AUX 1...4 view. Global Bus Assign Overview Introduction 1-5 Date printed: 26.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 22 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Local Views By touching the graphics shown below the Vistonics rotary controls, the ™ whole parameter set of that specific curve is displayed, also covering some of the neighboring channel strips. It is also possible to touch any two curves in one bay in order to display both at the same time. The example below shows the complete dynamics section of the leftmost channel (the small dynamics view is highlighted), overlaid to a global AUX view. This philosophy is completed by three hardware keys underneath the Viston- display, showing different combinations of parameters as well as the bus ™ assignment of that specific channel, covering the whole Vistonics area. ™ Local Bus Assign View (here, channels can directly be assigned to a bus) 1-6 Introduction SW V4.5 Date printed: 26.10.10...
Page 23: 1.1.2 Momentary/Latching Keys
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.1.2 Momentary/Latching Keys  A lot of key presses during console operation are repetitive in order to com- pare settings or to make quick checks for monitoring purposes. The Studer Vista console has reduced the amount of needed key presses tremendously by incorporating a special logic for these cases: The Studer Vista control surface distinguishes long and short key presses and reacts differently in both cases: Pressing and holding a key will automatically reverse its activation upon release of the key – this is, however, applied only where appropriate. All keys featuring momentary/latching activation are labeled with a  symbol throughout this manual. For example, holding down a MUTE key for one second will automatically un- mute the signal again upon release. Further examples are ON/OFF switching...
Page 24: 1.1.3 Ganging
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.1.3 Ganging On top of grouping certain channels together in a way commonly known as VCA groups, Studer Vista has the ability to link multiple channels temporar- ily together and let them behave like one single channel. Such a link is called a Gang. It co-exists with VCA style groups (Control Groups) and is only a momentary help to influence multiple channels at the same time. A gang is created by pressing and holding one LINK / SEL key on one channel while the same key on a second channel gets pressed. This will link all channels between the two. By using the MULTI SEL key it is possible to select or de- select any channels on the surface without having them next to each other. The MULTI SEL key acts much the same as the Ctrl key on a standard PC keyboard. A gang is simply canceled by pressing any LINK / SEL key on the console again. Please note that always one channel is selected. Temporary de-activation of a gang is done by simultaneously touching identi- cal control elements (e.g. fader or rotary encoder) of two channels within a gang. Typical Applications • Trimming of some faders or auxiliaries by changing the corresponding control on any of the channels • Copying a certain setting to multiple channels by pasting the value to any of the ganged channels • Changing a bus assignment on all the ganged channels by changing it on...
Page 25: 1.1.4 Copy/Paste
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.1.4 Copy/Paste Copying certain audio settings across the console is made very fast and easy: Each channel strip hosts copy/paste keys dedicated to a certain audio func- tion, as EQ, dynamics, etc. Pressing one of these keys will make it fully lit, while all possible destination channels (channels that also have this same audio function) will show up half-lit. Selecting anyone of them will paste the value into that channel. It is possible to paste a value to multiple channels with the help of the MULTI SEL key or by creating a gang. However, there is a shortcut to paste a value to multiple channels located next to each other: Press and hold the  (Copy/Paste) key of the first channel while pressing the  (Copy/Paste) key on the last channel. This will paste the value to all channels in between. There is also a special  A (Copy/Paste All) key to copy a whole channel including bus assignment, as well as a (Undo/Redo) key to undo the last paste or clear function on each channel separately. Pressing this key after an undo operation again will redo the last copy. Note The (Undo/Redo) key can be used momentarily (long press) in order to compare settings on a channel: 1 Press the  (Copy/Paste) key twice in order to ‘memorize’ the current setting (i.e., by pasting it to itself)
Page 26: 1.1.5 Scrolling
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.1.5 Scrolling Most Vista installations will have more channels available in the DSP core than there are physical faders on the console surface. Most manufacturers deal with that fact by introducing ‘layers’. The console surface can be switched in order to show the different layers, all of which making all DSP channels available to the user. The Vista operating philosophy has modified this con- cept: Rather than thinking of layers sitting on top of each other, we think of the layers being arranged on a horizontal line. The ‘Layer’ is now called ‘Section’. The six sections are next to each other on an imaginary horizontal line, as indicated by the ‘Section Navigator’ keys in the control bay. As long as the user wants to switch to a specific section, there is no difference in operation to the ‘layer’ concept. Changing to another section is accom- plished by pressing one of the corresponding keys in the SEcTIoN NAvIgATor area of the control bay (below right), or by pressing the arrow keys located in each fader bay with ScroLL: SEcTIoN set to ON (below left). Information on which section is currently displayed is given by the lit keys (Control Bay) or the LEDs representing the different sections (Fader Bay). Looking at the Graphical Controller with the ‘strip setup’ screen in the fore- ground will also indicate the currently displayed section by putting a dark background to the displayed channels. The Difference from the Layer Concept Rather than just switching to another section, it is possible to scroll through the sections by pressing any arrow key (for this purpose, ScroLL: SEcTIoN has to be OFF on the fader bays). This will make the physical surface scroll through all sections with a step size of one bay (10 channels). It is therefore possible to move any channels close to the position of the operator, allowing him to stay in the ‘sweet spot’ at all times. This concept can also be imagined like moving a chair in front of an analog console. On Studer Vista, you move the surface of an imaginary console six times larger than the physical console. 1-10 Introduction SW V4.5...
Page 27 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Which DSP channel is shown where is defined in the ‘strip setup’ dialog in the Graphical Controller (refer to chapter 4.4.7). Desk Navigation Example Let’s assume a desk with 30 faders (between 20 and 70 possible in steps of 10). Since the desk can jump to six sections, this user can operate up to 6 × 30 DSP channels. Please note that it is possible to have the same DSP channel visible in multiple places within the six sections. Step 1 The user defines the order of the 180 DSP channels in the strip setup dialog box in the GC. There he will find six empty sections with 30 placeholders, each for a channel assignment. The definition will most likely be made in such a way that the user starts with a new section when he starts with new channel type (as shown below). Section Section Section Section...
Page 28: 1.1.6 Faderglow
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System key on a different bay; this will lock all bays in between and form a ‘lock group’. Multiple bays within a lock group will scroll at a time and perform common global view changes. In this way it is easy to split the desk for two- operator use. Scrolling a Locked Bay by One Section When both the ScroLL: SEcTIoN and the ScroLL: LocK BAY keys are ON on a fader bay, this is a special case. When pressing one of the arrow keys on that specific bay, the display of channels will jump by exactly one section. This function becomes very obvious when looking at the dark background indication on the Graphical Controller. This operation mode might be useful for operators who want to change to a different section with a locked bay. 1.1.6 FaderGlow ™ During a hectic live production, FaderGlow provides the operator with an ™ instant overview of the console status by illuminating each fader in one of eight freely-assignable colours. Now the operator can mark individual, important channels such as present- ers, main talents and other ‘must-never-lose-their-signal’ channels. Once the important channel is colored, it can be found within a fraction of a second, even after mixing on a different layer and coming back to a channel layout that may not have been on the surface for some time. Moreover, FaderGlow ™ allows the operator colouring entire channel groups (such as ‘band’, ‘guest’, ‘ambience’, ‘string section’, ‘rhythm section’ channels), in order to distin- guish them easier and locate them faster. One of eight different colours can be assigned to any channel strip. 1.1.7 TFT Level Meters TFT screens allow displaying all sorts of data, for example the metering.
Page 29 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System whatever is desired via the strip set-up. There are four configurable user page pages, one with ten slots in one row, one with 20 slots in two rows, and two with 40 half-width slots in two rows. So if calling up page four, there are 40 meters, and they can be virtually anything. The two meter slots at the right of the control bay TFT screen continuously show PFL and CR levels. The illustration above is an example of a meter screen, with mono, stereo and surround channels and different views in the lower area – such as metering of the L2 channel, history, bus assignment and surround view. Further informa- tion is displayed as well, such as fader glow color, gain reduction, correlation (for stereo signals) or surround signal type. Introduction 1-1 Date printed: 26.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 30: The Graphical Controller (Gc)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Graphical Controller (GC) An important feature of the Vista Digital Mixing System is the Graphical Con- troller, also referred to as ‘GC’. The Graphical Controller program is used for operating all mixing console functions that extend console’s functionality. Specifically, the Graphical Controller’s extended functions include: • General and channel-specific router control (defining the order of process- ing elements, e.g. EQ or dynamics libraries, within a channel) • Recall and management of snapshots and cue points • Saving of desk clipboards • Assignment of the DSP channels to the fader strips • Tone generator and metering control • Control group and linkage control • Production and Title management • System administration Various display windows and dialog boxes logically group the individual functions. Visual elements are optimized for simple and intuitive operation.
Page 31: 1.2.1 Gc Screen Examples
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.2.1 GC Screen Examples Internal Routing Matrix Control The Channel Patch screen is an audio path-oriented view for controlling the routing of a particular channel, and is used to set up the sequence of channel processing blocks (EQ, Insert, Delay, etc.) and metering locations within the signal path, as well as defining the direct out signal. This screen also displays the connections made to the channel’s various inputs and outputs. By double clicking on one of these display boxes the system will go directly to the associated connection in the General Patch. The Channel Patch also includes labeling and dynamics link facilities. Introduction 1-15 Date printed: 26.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 32 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Within the General Patch window, the various cross point routing of sources and targets (destinations) is displayed. For example, it will show which audio signals (AES/EBU in, Direct outs, etc.) connected to the DSP sections are assigned to the corresponding channels and outputs (Input channel, MADI out etc.). These connections are stored within Snapshots and Presets. The sources and targets can be identified by Fixed, Device, Inherited, or User labels. 1-16 Introduction SW V4.5 Date printed: 26.10.10...
Page 33 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Snapshot Functions Display and control of snapshot settings (in other words, complete ‘pictures’ of the operating desk’s controls and of the console’s internal settings) and factory/user presets provide basic working templates. Control of snapshot/preset filters and channel protection is achieved via separate windows: Introduction 1-1 Date printed: 26.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 34: Channels, Routing, And Buses
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Channels, Routing, and Buses Processing blocks, such as equalizer, dynamics, delay, etc., can be configured for all channel types. Input Channels Vista’s digital routing matrix is located between the console’s physical inputs and the actual DSP channels. This topology means that the physical analog and digital inputs can be assigned to any console channel via the General Patch page on the Graphical Controller. The patch setup forms part of each individual snapshot, and can be saved, updated and recalled within the Snap- shot/Preset system. Output Channels This also applies to the outputs. On the General Patch page, each channel’s output can be selected and sent to any analog or digital output destination. Auxiliaries The number of stereo or mono AUX sends is fully configurable. The users can establish the number and type of AUX sends they would like to use. The AUX master channel can be equipped with the same selection of processing blocks such as equalizer, dynamics, delay, and more. Clean-Feeds/Mix-Minus (N–1/N–X) Clean-Feeds/Mix-Minus or N–1/N–X buses can be set up in stereo or mono, and are configurable in number. Multi-track and Group Routing Full multi-track and group routing can be configured. Solo Modes Each channel features a Solo and a PFL Switch. Depending upon the mode selected within the Control Bay the SOLO key is active as SOLO or Solo-In- Place. Clearing these buttons can be achieved by opening the corresponding fader in case ‘PFL BC’ (Broadcast) is active. A very handy PFL/Solo Reset is provided to disengage any solos regardless of where they are engaged on the console. This eliminates the need to ‘search’ for solos with large console configurations. A key to define certain channels to be safe from being muted in ‘Solo-In-Place’ mode is also provided. This set will be stored with each...
Page 35: Processing Blocks
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Processing Blocks Equalizer Four fully parametric bands are provided on the Vista. Each band, which can be switched in and out independently, extends from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a ±18 dB gain range. The EQ features a psycho-acoustically corrected frequency response for high frequencies, similar to well-known analog EQ designs. The two mid-bands can be switched between constant-Q and con- stant-range modes. The high and low frequency bands can be switched to shelving mode. A second EQ type is available (defined in the Configuration Tool), which features an additional Notch filter. Filter Low-cut and high-cut filters are provided, with cutoff frequencies that are variable between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, and slope selections of 12, 18, or 24 dB/ octave. In addition, an analog low-cut filter with a cutoff frequency of 75 Hz and a slope of 12 dB/octave is available in the D21m Mic/Line preamplifier. Dynamics The Vista standard dynamics processing consists of four parts: Limiter, Compressor, Expander, and Gate. To avoid pumping and modulation, the dynamics processing sections feature high sampling rate transient detection. Distortion artifacts are minimized through selectable, program-dependent attack and release times. The Vista’s...
Page 36: Control Room
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Each channel is fitted with a talkback key that activates talkback to the direct output of the corresponding channel and, if the channel is an N–1 owner, to the N–1 output. For details see the talkback and signaling block diagram below. Talkback and signaling blockdiagram using D21m GPIO cards Studio A Studio B Ext Location 1 Ext Location 2 Ret 1 Ret 2 (Line level) (Line level) Ext 1 Ext 2 e.g.Speaker e.g.Speaker...
Page 37: Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Automation Static Automation Snapshots An unlimited number of snapshots can be captured, stored, and recalled for each Project Title. All control parameters of the console are stored in the snapshots. When a snapshot is recalled, the console typically requires 120 ms to fully reset itself. Snapshots recalls can be done with snapshot fil-...
Page 38: Input Channel Block Diagrams
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 1.7 Input Channel Block Diagrams Block Diagram of a Typical Mono Input Channel: Please note that, essentially, all channel types have the same structure, regardless of the type (input, AUX, group, master, etc.) 1-22 Introduction SW V4.5 Date printed: 26.10.10...
Page 39 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Block Diagram of a Typical Stereo Input Channel: Please note that, essentially, all channel types have the same structure, regardless of the type (input, AUX, group, master, etc.) Introduction 1-23 Date printed: 26.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 40 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Block Diagram of a Typical 5.1 Input Channel: Please note that, essentially, all channel types have the same structure, regardless of the type (input, AUX, group, master, etc.) 1-24 Introduction SW V4.5 Date printed: 26.10.10...
Page 41 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 2 Desk Operation ................................3 2.1 Fader Bay Overview ..............................4 2.2 Fader Bay Details ................................ 4 2.2.1 Area 1 – Channel Metering ........................... 5 2.2.2 Area 2 – Channel Control............................5 2.2.3 Area 3a – Channel Control ............................. 6 2.2.4 Area 3b – Faders ..............................8 2.2.5 Area 4 – Vistonics™ ............................10 2.2.6 Areas 5a, 5b – Channel Selection......................... 13 2.2.7 Area 6 – Desk Scrolling ............................14 2.3...
Page 42 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2-2 Desk Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 43: Desk Operation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System DEsk OPERATiOn Fader Bay 1 Fader Bay 2 Control Bay 1 Fader Bay 3... The desk consists of two types of bays: Up to seven identical fader bays and exactly one control bay. The fader bays contain the console channel strips with rotary controls, faders, keys, and meters. Ten strips are located next to each other in one bay. They are not dedicated to any DSP channel. If a fader bay should fail to operate, the others will continue working. In such a case, access to all channels is provided nevertheless thanks to the Vista desk scrolling feature. GC Screen The TFT screen displaying the Graphical Controller application (GC) is not an integral part of the console. It is therefore possible to connect any 3 -party TFT screen with a DVI input to the console. In order to provide power to this external screen, a mains outlet is provided at the rear as well as in the connection area on the front of the console. These outlets are under power whenever the control system is powered up; they are automatically set to the same voltage as the mains voltage provided to the console. Desk Operation 2- Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 44: Fader Bay Overview
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Fader Bay Overview The fader bay is subdivided into six areas: Area [1] contains the TFT meters dedicated to each channel strip. For details of the metering plese refer to chapter 2.5. Area [2] contains rotary controls dedicated to each channel strip. This rotary control can have one out of six functions, assigned by the attached viewing keys. Unless the bay is currently locked, changing the assigned function affects the whole console, not only that specific bay. Area [3] contains various controls, dedicated to each channel strip: Audio functions on/off, Copy/Paste, Selectors, and other standard elements, such as Fader, Mute, PFL etc. Area [4] hosts the Vistonics™ element with 10 × 4 on-screen rotary controls [3a] and a touch screen area. Some rounded keys are located next to the screen in order to change parameter views on the Vistonics™ screen. The Vistonics™ module can act as a channel-strip-specific control, dedicating four rotary controls as well as their associated bitmaps and graphical displays of the most important settings to each channel strip. It can also act in a sort of ‘central...
Page 45: Area 1 - Channel Metering
For further details of the TFT level meters refer to chapter 2.5. 2.2.2 Area 2 – Channel Control ‘Dedicated’ Rotary Controls: One of six available functions may be put onto this rotary control. This func- tion is selected by pressing one of the six ASSIGN keys. When ASSIGN: INPUT GAIN is selected and a Studer microphone preamplifier is connected, the analog gain will be controlled before the analog/digital converters. Otherwise the rotary control will adjust digital input gain. In any case, further control is available on the Vistonics™ module. The control of a Studer microphone preamplifier is indicated by a small red MIC LED at the bottom of the rotary control.  ASSIGN: INPUT GAIN – PAN – AUX1 – AUX2 – AUX1 S – AUX2 S Function selection for the ‘dedicated’ rotary control:...
Page 46: Area 3A - Channel Control
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.2.3 Area 3a – Channel Control  IN1 – IN2 – GEN Input Selector. Each channel has three patch points available (the channel patch is viewable on the Graphical Controller TFT screen, chapter 4.4.3). Input 3 is patched to the internal generator's output by default, but can be changed at any time.  HI CUT – LO CUT – DELAY – INS – COMP-LIMIT – EXP-GATE – EQ – PAN Audio functions on/off; if lit, the corresponding audio function is activated.
Page 47 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CLR After having pressed this key once, all possible destination keys (audio on/ off keys) are half-lit. Pressing one of them will reset its value to the default value. It is also possible to select one of the IN1, IN2, or GEN input selector keys. This will reset the input gain. Selecting the  A (copy/paste all) key as the choice to clear will reset all parameters within this channel, including bus assignment. It is also possible to use the MULTI SEL key (chapter 2.2.6) to clear multiple functions. In order to set the fader of the channel to 0 dB, it is possible to touch the fader after having pressed CLR. After releasing the fader, it will set to 0 dB. CLR can also be applied to a whole gang. USR 1 Programmable key for different functions such as signaling, fader start on/off etc. SWIT REC (in Dynamic Automation mode) Half-lit: Some of the keys of this channel are ‘armed’, that is, in WRITE or TRIM mode of the dynamic automation. Fully lit: Some of the keys are being recorded. Upon press: Punch-in/out. USR 2 Programmable key for different functions such as signaling, fader start on/off etc. KNOB REC (in Dynamic Automation mode) Half-lit: Some of the rotary controls of this channel are ‘armed’, that is, in WRITE or TRIM mode of dynamic automation. Fully lit: Some of the rotary controls are being recorded. Upon press: Punch-in/out. METER Toggles the meter tap point between input, post fader, or direct output.
Page 48: Area 3B - Faders
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.2.4 Area 3b – Faders ALT n-1 / PUNCH OUT ALT n-1 selects an alternate signal to be sent to the N–1 bus (see chapter 4.7.7.7). PUNCHes OUT of all controls of this channel (in Dynamic Automa- tion mode, see chapter 5). ISO / AUTO MODE ISO :The whole channel may be filtered from snapshot recalls by pressing this key. It is also possible to isolate only certain elements of a channel, such as the EQ. This is done by pressing and holding the ISO key while pressing the...
Page 49 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CONTRIB Very often it is useful to operate the console in ‘reverse’ way coming from an output fader, and operate the various input channels contributing to this output. By pressing the CONTRIB key the Vistonics™ rotaries will show all channel faders currently contributing to this master signal. In case of a matrix or AUX master output, the view shows all channels contributing to this output, hence input, subgroup or master channels. On the fader bay, this is especially usefull to see the contribution from N-1 bus owner channels. But also on master channels, the contribution view can be used the same way as in the control bay.  MUTE Mutes the corresponding channel. The small MUTE LED indicates when the channel is muted by a SOLO IN PLACE function. In dynamic automation mode, the small MUTE LED shows the MUTE value during the last mix pass (replay status). The MUTE LED also indicates if the channel is muted through activation of SOLO IN PLACE.  SOLO Depending on the setting of the SOLO and SOLO IN PLACE keys in the control bay’s CONTROL ROOM area, this activates the SOLO or SOLO IN PLACE function of the corresponding channel. FaderGlow The fader track can be illuminated in any of eight available colors based on session context. This color is repeated on the meter screen. The FaderGlow color is set in the GC strip setup page and saved with the strip setup. LED Channel Level Meter This level meter normally indicates the level of the channel on the L2 layer. Since this is a single (mono) bargraph, it displays the highest level of stereo or surround channels. The lower part is used as a gain reduction meter in the same way.
Page 50: Area 4 - Vistonics
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.2.5 Area 4 – Vistonics™  Vistonics™ Rotary Area Each rotary control is grouped with a key to form a control element. These control elements are sometimes used in a channel-related manner, dedicating four control elements to each channel strip; sometimes, neigh- boring channels are used in order to show a complete parameter set of one single channel. This is the case when touching any graphical dis-...
Page 51 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  VIEW: CHANNEL Brings up a view of all control elements of this channel besides dynamics, equalizer, and pan, covering the whole Vistonics™ rotary control area.  VIEW: MISC – View Selection of DYNAMICS, EQ, and PAN Controls Brings up a view of selected control elements out of dynamics, equalizer, and pan, covering the whole Vistonics™ rotary control area. The VIEW CHANNEL and VIEW MISC keys form a sort of ‘center assign panel’ function, known from many other consoles, such as the Studer D950 M2.  VIEW: BUS ASN Brings up the bus assign view of one channel, covering the whole touch screen area. When showing the bus assignment of a single channel, the assignment can be changed by touching the bus number. It is also possible to clear all bus assign- ments of a type by pressing the corresponding key on the touch screen. GLOBAL VIEW: LABEL TYPE Changes the label type of the second line in the generic display area to show: • Inherited label (also known as source label)
Page 52 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  GLOBAL VIEW: A/D CTRL – INPUT GAIN – OUT – FILTER – DLY-INS – COMP- LIM – EXP-GATE – EQ – PAN – AUX MONO ... – AUX STEREO... Function selection of the four Vistonics™ rotary controls. The different views will only cover the rotary controls that are necessary to display the corresponding function. The others will still show their previous function.
Page 53: Areas 5A, 5B - Channel Selection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.2.6 Areas 5a, 5b – Channel selection  MULTI SEL Used to make multiple selections; acts similar as the ‘Ctrl’ key on a PC key- board. LINK ALL Links all channels of one type together (‘Super Gang’) mainly for setup pur- poses. After LINK ALL is pressed, all LINK / SEL keys are half-lit, waiting for the channel type to be defined (for linking). A gang is canceled by pressing any LINK / SEL key on the desk. SWAP FADER: ROW 1...ROW 4 Swaps the current fader value and the MUTE key onto the selected rotary row, if the current global view on that row has a level control with the same range as the fader (–90...+10 dB), while the value of that row is temporarily displayed on the faders. The function is canceled when pressing the swap key again or when activating any other swap function.  FADER Pressing this key will make the keys ROW 1...4 half-lit. All fader and mute values of the current gang will be copied onto the control element shown on the corresponding rotary row, if there is an appropriate parameter visible; e.g.
Page 54: Area 6 - Desk Scrolling
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.2.7 Area 6 – Desk scrolling SCROLL: LOCK BAY Used to lock the corresponding bay. This prevents this particular bay from global scrolling and view changes. However, even a locked bay can be scrolled when using the scroll keys on this particular bay. Global view changes are also only affecting this particular bay if a GLOBAL VIEW key is pressed on the locked bay. The global view is not changed if a GLOBAL VIEW key is pressed on another bay. Since software version V3.3, it is possible to create a ‘lock group’ by pressing and holding this key on two bays at the same time. All bays in between will then also be part of the lock group. All bays in a lock group will react together in terms of scrolling and global view changes. In this way it is possible to operate the desk with multiple operators. Restrictions: Only one gang and only one pending paste action are available at a time. SCROLL: SECTION When activated, pressing the arrow keys will navigate not only by one bay, but by a whole section (= number of physical faders).
Page 55: Control Bay Overview
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Control Bay Overview The control bay hosts twelve faders and a Vistonics™ screen, as well as the keys for monitoring functions, dynamic automation, talkback etc., as known from other Vista consoles. The faders and the Vistonics™ screen are fully independent from the rest of the console in terms of view changes and scroll- ing. A separate set of four keys provides independent scrolling functionality of this section. In the strip setup window of the Graphical Controller, a second page is available, in order to set-up the strip usage of the control bay. Four [19a] fader pages with ten strips each are provided as a standard. By scrolling once to the left and the right, an extension of up to 120 strips is available for chan- nel access within the control bay. The Vistonics™ screen is used as a collection of 40 level controls, usually representing a duplicate view of the fader bays’ channel faders. The Viston- ics™ controls will then give access to the channel faders and graphically [11a] [12] [10a] indicate their settings. Tweaking any of the console’s output levels is therefore extremely easy and fast. The control bay is subdivided into 19 different areas: [19b]...
Page 56: Control Bay Details
Area 1 – system Power On/Off SYSTEM: STBY Indicates that AC power is connected to the desk. MAIN: ON Vista 9 contains two control PCs by default. One is the main system, the second acts as ‘meter’ control system that drives the graphics of the TFT meter screens. The ‘meter’ system also acts as a redundant system for the whole desk. If the main system should fail and the desk is switched over to the redundant system, the TFT screens will remain dark. In such a case the fader LED meters are used for metering.
Page 57: Areas 1 And 2 - Control Bay Metering
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.2 Areas 1 and 2 – Control Bay Metering Control Bay Meters The METER VIEW selector keys allow selecting from: FOLLOW – the same meter view as is shown on the fader bays, for the •  ten channels that are currently assigned on the control bay • AUX, GROUPS, MASTER, DIR OUT, BUS OUT, N–1, and MATRIX • Four USER pages: USER 1: A master meter page with space for 10 channel meters (1 row) USER 2: A master meter page with space for 20 channel meters (2 rows) USER 3 and USER 4: Master meter pages with space for 40 channel meters (2 rows, at half width). The meter selections shown with the USER 1...4 keys can be defined in the GC strip setup page. PFL and (CR) Monitoring meters are displayed at the far right in the USER 1...4 pages.
Page 58: Area 3 - Machine Control Panel (Optional)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.3 Area 3 – Machine Control Panel (Optional) LOC 1...LOC 4 Dedicated locator keys; pressing one of them will make the machine con- trolled via the 9-pin machine control interface locate to the corresponding TC address, if defined. CAPTURE CUE Will create a new cue point by looking at the incoming master TC (source set in the ‘Option – TC-Reader/Gen.’ menu). If the key is held and one of the LOC 1...LOC 4 keys is pressed at the same time, the corresponding LOC 1...LOC 4 key will be programmed to the current master TC.
Page 59 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System LOCATE  I  Locates to the TC visible in the ‘From:’ line of the Machine Control window, as shown below. Desk Operation 2-9 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 60: Area 4 - Monitoring Source Selector
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.4 Area 4 – Monitoring source selector SOURCE SELECTOR: CR – STUDIO A – STUDIO B Determines whether the source selector keys are active for the control room, for studio A or B.  SOURCE SELECTOR Each key can be assigned to two sources: One for the control room, one for the studio. Extended Source Selector mode: For the control room, it is possible to activate the SOURCE SELECTOR top row (keys no. 1...4) to be ‘sub-selectors’ rather than selectors, allowing 12 sources to be assigned to each of these keys. This functionality makes 48 sources available for listening in the control room, rather than the standard 16. Activation is done by editing the monitoring.ini file. This may be done by experts only.
Page 61: Area 5 - Cr (Control Room) Monitoring
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.5 Area 5 – CR (Control Room) Monitoring 5.1 – EX – MONO – LCRS – L-R Selects the control room monitoring format by muting the unused speakers. The MONO setting will sum the left and right monitor speaker signals. EX stands for the Dolby EX 6.1 monitoring format and is also used when working in 7.1 format. Which one of these two modes is active as well as the maximum number of surround channels is defined in the monitoring.ini file. This file may be edited by experts only.  Ø –  X Phase inversion on left channel, and left/right channel swap for mono or two- channel stereo mode.  INS DEC...
Page 62 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System PFL BC (PFL broadcast mode) activates a mode where PFL/SOLO on a channel is automatically canceled whenever the channel fader is open. CR INJECT If active: PFL/SOLO signals will be audible in the control room speakers as soon as any PLF/SOLO function is activated. SIP SAFE Pressing this key enters setup mode for editing the channels that should be safe from muting when activating SOLO IN PLACE on any other channel; by default, all master channels are safe from muting when SOLO IN PLACE is active. It may be desirable to protect effect returns from muting by adding them to the group of safe channels. When in SIP SAFE setup mode, it is pos- sible to select or de-select individual channels on the desk by pressing their LINK / SEL key. Pressing SIP SAFE again will cancel edit mode and activate the selected SIP protection. The information on which channels should be...
Page 63: Area 6 - Studio Monitoring
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.6 Area 6 – studio Monitoring A – B Selects the Studio A or B for which the controls are currently active. SEL – FOLW CR – PFL / SOLO Determines whether the studio is fed with: • what is selected on the SOURCE SELECTOR (32 keys), • the same source as the control room, or • the PFL/SOLO signal only.  A: RED LIGHT – B: RED LIGHT Indicates active red light. Can also be pressed in order to switch the red light on/off manually, if not already activated by e.g. open faders.
Page 64: Area 7 - Talkback / Headphones Control
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.7 Area 7 – Talkback / Headphones Control  TALKBACK Whenever TALK is pressed, the signal from the internal talkback microphone socket is fed to the corresponding group. Note: The talkback signal is inserted directly before the output interface of the core. If signals are routed internally to some other destinations, the talkback will not harm them. Available talk destinations: • AUX: direct outputs of all AUX masters • GRP: direct outputs of all group masters • MAST: direct outputs of all masters • STUDIO: talkback to both Studio A and B simultaneously • BUS: outputs of all multi-track buses (without faders in between) • DIR: direct outputs of all input channels.  AUX 1...4 STEREO...
Page 65 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Talkback and signaling blockdiagram using D21m GPIO cards Studio A Studio B Ext Location 1 Ext Location 2 Ret 1 Ret 2 (Line level) (Line level) Ext 1 Ext 2 e.g.Speaker e.g.Speaker Talk to Talk to...
Page 66: Area 8 - Dynamic Automation / Static Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.8 Area 8 – Dynamic Automation / Static Automation Please note that in this paragraph the AutoTouch+ dynamic automation system is briefly touched only just for explanation of the keys; refer to chapter 5 for more information. The static automation system (filtering) cannot be active on a console that has dynamic automation active. The decision which functionality is currently used is made by an entry in an file in the console’s PC before the application...
Page 67 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Option settings in the AutoTouch+ window may determine whether the ‘Begin’ and ‘End’ settings are cleared automatically when the mix pass is finished, in order to prevent erasing valuable automation data. GLIDE Determines whether a fade back to the previous value will be applied at the end point of writing, or whether it should be a jump. Glide time can be adjusted in the AutoTouch+ window. Static Automation: Activates/deactivates global snapshot cross-fading. GLOBAL RECORD: FDR – MUTE – KNOB – SWIT – HELD Pre-selector keys for global punch-in (fader, mutes, knobs, switches, all held objects); if corresponding elements are in TRIM or WRITE mode, they may be punched into record by pressing PUNCH IN. Only pre-selected keys/elements will be punched-in.
Page 68 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System ENABLE MODES: FDR – MUTE – KNOB – SWIT – HELD Pre-selector keys for global automation mode; used to change the automation modes of elements. Only the lit keys/elements will be changed upon pressing one of the global automation mode keys (READ, WRITE, TRIM, or ISOLATE, see below). Note: No elements will ever change their record mode when pressing only the pre- selector keys! ENABLE MODES: CLR/ALL This key will either clear all ENABLE MODES pre-selector keys (if some of them are already lit) or select them all (if all were dark before). Shortcut: In order to change automation mode of all elements in the console, press and hold this key while pressing one of the global automation mode keys READ, WRITE, TRIM, or ISOLATE. ENABLE MODES: LOCAL and EDIT (static automation) These keys are inactive in dynamic automation. However, when static auto- mation is active, they will open the ‘Filter Edit’...
Page 69 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • ISOLATE No changes to elements will be saved. Also no playback of dynamic or static changes will occur. Static Automation: Pre-selected elements may be put into READ (not fil- tered), ISOLATE (filtered) or TRIM mode (relative corrections applied for all following snapshot recalls, if activated in the Options page).
Page 70: Area 9 - Mute Group / Control Group / Conference Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.9 Area 9 – Mute Group / Control Group / Conference setup SETUP: GROUPS Pressing this key will enter/exit GROUPS (control or mute groups) setup mode. After having entered SETUP: GROUPS, the user selects the group he wants to edit by pressing LINK / SEL on the corresponding group master channel. Then the desired channels are added to or removed from the group by pressing their LINK / SEL key. Note: The MULTISEL key is active as standard, thus allowing to select and de- select individual channels. Clearing the entire definition of a control group is easily done by pressing the MULTI SEL key, so that it gets dark. After that, any press on LINK / SEL of any channel will clear all others. It is also possible to add multiple channels to a control group: Press and hold one LINK / SEL key and press another one on a different channel. All channels in between will be added to the control group.
Page 71: Area 10 - Control Bay Vistonics
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.10 Area 10 – Control Bay Vistonics™ Apart from monitoring and housekeeping functions, the control bay hosts twelve faders and a Vistonics™ screen. The faders are independent from the rest of the console in terms of changing fader pages. FOLLOW view is active, the Vistonics™ screen is used as a col- Unless the  lection of 40 level controls, usually representing a duplicate view of the fader bays’ channel faders. The Vistonics™ controls will then not only give access to the channel faders and graphically indicate their settings, but also indicate a real-time level meter on the screen right next to the corresponding rotary control. This allows viewing up to 40 meters at a glance while having direct access to all of their corresponding faders by using the rotary control next to it. Tweaking any of the console’s output levels is therefore extremely easy and fast.  VIEW... These keys allow accessing some predefined channel types (AUX, GROUPS, MASTERS, DIRECT OUT, BUS OUT, n-1) as well as five user-definable views. By using the third page (Vistonics Views tab) of the strip setup window, it is possible to define the user setups in a way very similar to the strip setup window. In order to make a user view, simply select the Vistonics™ elements...
Page 72: Area 11 - Control Bay Faders
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.11 Area 11 – Control Bay Faders Operation of the Control Bay fader area is identical to the one on the Fader Bays, with one exception: The CONTRIB row of keys is extended by the REDUCED: ON key. Very often it is useful to operate the console in ‘reverse’ way coming from an output fader, and operate the various input channels contributing to this output. By pressing the CONTRIB key the Vistonics™ rotaries will show all channel faders currently contributing to this master signal. In case of a matrix or AUX master output, the view shows all channels contributing to this output, hence input, subgroup or master channels. The contribution can be operated in two ways, depending on the state of the REDUCED: ON key on the left-hand side. REDUCED: ON key active: When pressing CONTRIB only the channels currently assigned to the corre- sponding master bus are displayed.
Page 73: Area 12 - Grand Master Faders
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.12 Area 12 – Grand Master Faders This control bay area hosts two ‘grand master’ faders. The user determines which two faders are most important for him and to which he wants con- stant access. This may be very useful as an ‘emergency access’ to important output faders, since these faders will never scroll or be switched over in any way. Which two channels are controlled by these faders is defined in page 2 (Control Bay tab) of the strip setup window. Any two console faders may be assigned as ‘grand master’ faders, regardless of their channel type. The operating elements of the ‘grand master’ fader area are identical to the normal ones in the control bay. Desk Operation 2- Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 74: Area 13 - Joystick
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.13 Area 13 – Joystick Alphanumeric display Indicates the inherited label of the channel currently assigned to the Joy- stick.  Y axis lock  X axis lock These keys lock the Y axis () or X axis () when moving the joystick. Pressing  and  simultaneously deactivates the joystick completely and clears the assignment to a channel. FOLLOW Activates the joystick to display the currently selected channel (select with LINK/SEL). If a gang is present, the joystick will influence the whole gang. FOLLOW can be deactivated by a second press; the joystick will then stay assigned to the current channel. D EFINE FOLLOW When a gang is active and the joystick is set to FOLLOW mode, the joystick will physically move to the average of all the pan values of the gang, allowing the user to make slight adjustments very quickly.
Page 75: Area 14 - Mute Groups
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.14 Area 14 – Mute Groups MUTE GROUPS: M1...M8 have dedicated keys on the left side of the control bay. Mute groups M9...M16, if required, can be operated using eight of the 32 monitoring source selectors. The use of these keys (either monitoring source selectors or mute groups) is defined in the ‘Option: Vista Settings’ menu. In order to set up a mute group, press the SETUP: GROUPS key on the control bay. The mute group master keys (dedicated MUTE GROUPS M1...M8 keys, and, if defined, the keys 9…16 in the SOURCE SELECTOR area) will be half- lit. Desk Operation 2-5 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 76: Area 15 - Keyboard / Trackball / Graphical Controller
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.15 Area 15 – keyboard / Trackball / Graphical Controller KEYBOARD: ESC – DELETE –  SHIFT – ENTER – CTRL, four arrow keys, trackball These keys duplicate the function keys of the drawer keyboard and can, together with the trackball, be used for operating the Graphical Controller application.
Page 77: Area 16 - Section Navigator
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.16 Area 16 – section navigator 1...6 Indication of the current position within all sections. Acts similar to a scroll bar, the same as the section indication LEDs. Pressing one of these keys will navigate the desk to the corresponding section directly.  Scrolling Arrow Keys By pressing one of these arrow keys, the desk will move by 10 faders to the left/right, similar to scroll keys on a PC. The keys have the same function as the arrow keys in the fader bay. 2.4.17 Area 17 – Fader Page selector A separate set of four keys provides independent scrolling functionality of the control bay. In the strip setup window of the Graphical Controller, a second page is available, in order to set-up the strip usage of the control bay. Four fader pages with ten strips each are provided as a standard. By scrolling once to the left and the right, an extension of up to 120 strips is available for chan- nel access within the control bay. Desk Operation 2-7 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 78: Area 18 - Cue List Keys
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.4.18 Area 18 – Cue List keys CUE: LIST Opens the cue list on the Graphical Controller. These keys give direct access to the cue list. They can be used to control various functions of the cue list and allow certain functions to be switched using a hardware key. Using the trackball and operating these functions on the Graphical Controller screen is possible as well. X FAD Switches the cross-fade function between cues on/off. PREVIEW Activates or deactivates the cue preview mode. PREV – NEXT Jumps to the previous or next cue in the list.
Page 79: Metering
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Metering The Vista 9 TFT metering displays everything you need to see, in a readily comprehensible format. There is a large, high-resolution bargraph meter for every channel type from mono to 7.1, with eye-catching indication of the actual overload dB value as well as gain reduction metering shown on the meter bargraph from top to bottom. Stereo channel meters include a correla- tion display, and the Control Bay features user pages with up to 40 assign- able channel meters on one single screen. Meanwhile the lower meter area provides additional views, such as user-definable recent meter history, bus assign view and surround view. A large scale bargraph meter is provided for every channel strip. Even though the space of the TFT display is divided into different areas displaying dif- ferent information, the large bargraph meter is visible at all times, since the metering needs to be looked at in a situation when something goes wrong, and where there is no time to navigate to a different view for a visualization of the input or output signal in question. A colour scheme and graphics design was choosen that provides maximum possible contrast while being minimally fatiguing for the eye. The bargraph meter can display formats that cover all available channel types: from mono over stereo up to 7.1 surround – all in the space of one single channel strip, representing the signal which is controlled by one single fader. The meter scale always is in dB with 0 dB at the top, with an additional overload segment clearly indicating overloads. In case continuous peak-hold is active, an additional readout value is provided. Stereo meters feature a correlation meter on top of the meter bars, both on stereo inputs as well as on stereo master channels. Desk Operation 2-9 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 80 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The area below the large bargraphs displays additional visual information, depending on the channel type and on what the operator prefers to see. When the desk is in ‘two layer’ mode, a smaller bargraph meter of the L2 channel (e.g. a spare microphone) is always shown. Furthermore there is the option to display the audio waveform of the signal that has passed the channel, so the operator can see the history of the audio back to a configurable time of up to 50 seconds. The waveform of the audio- signal not only gives very clear information about signal loss or overload (which colours that part of the waveform in alarming red) but also indicates the character of the signal, as in the age of DAWs most operators are used to interpret by looking at their waveform. The speed of the meter history view can be set in the Metering & Generator Settings window, as shown below. Surround channels per default come with a surround image view in the lower meter area, offering a spatial visualization of the surround signal. It...
Page 81: Faderglow
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System FaderGlow The fader tracks (including the ones of the Grand Master faders) can be illu- minated in any of eight available colors, based on session context. This color is repeated on the meter screen for additional clarity. The logical place for assigning FaderGlow colors is the Strip Setup, where ™ the layout of all channels on all six sections is shown; for setup details refer to chapter 4.4.6.1.7. The FaderGlow ™ setup is saved as a part of the Strip Setup, allowing different operators who might alternately mix a show having their own, personal color setup. Desk Operation 2-4 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 82: Virtual Vista
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.7 Virtual Vista ‘Virtual Vista’ is a Windows application that can be used both as an online and offline editor. An indicator visible on all fader and control bay screens shows whether the editor is currently online (i.e., connected either to a desk/core system or to a core only), or offline. The former option can be thought of in particular as a fail-safe scenario in case there should be a serious problem with the desk. It is strongly recommended that the computer on which Virtual Vista is installed has a minimum screen resolution of 1440 × 900 pixels. Operating Modes There are three different operating modes: Offline The offline editor is intended for setting up, preparing or changing shows without having access to the actual console. All parameters can be controlled. However, when working offline, no access to the monitoring facilities is avail- able. Online, With Desk Secondary Primary...
Page 83 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System O nline, With Desk/Core Takeover Virtual Vista can connect to the core only if there is a second network connec- tion from the Virtual Vista computer to the second port of the SCore Live’s bridge card. Secondary Primary Bridge Port 2 Bridge Port 1 Should the desk fail, e.g. due to a power loss, the online editor can be used to continue the session. This can be thought of as an additional failsafe sce- nario. In such a case, the CONNECT TO CORE button can be used for taking over direct control of the core. By turning yellow, it indicates that the takeover process has been started. However, since only one Vista instance can be used at a time, in such a case the Vista desk is disconnected from the core. Therefor using the CONNECT TO CORE button is recommended only if the desk can no more be operated. Notes The online editor has no access to monitoring facilities except PFL/Solo. Clicking PFL or Solo on a channel in the online editor will feed the selected signal to the PFL output of the desk. After a takeover, Virtual Vista always starts in the same (static or dynamic) operating mode that was used to start the console. In dynamic mode, however, operation is much more convenient with the touch-sensitive desk controls.
Page 84: Screen Layout
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.7.1 screen Layout Since the Vistonics screen picture already uses 1024 × 768 pixels and addi- tional space is required at the sides of and below the Vistonics screen area, the screen resolution should be at least 1440 × 900 pixels in order to display the complete Virtual Vista screen. The space below the Vistonics screen area (desk overview area) is used to display a downsized overview of a virtual desk with up 72 faders. This is the maximum possible desk size so that all possible titles can be viewed with the original strip setup and desk layout. The area to the left of the Vistonics screen area shows the global view selec- tion as well as central channel processing buttons (as used in Vista 5). Section navigation is at the bottom of this part. It will change depending on whether a fader bay or a control bay is currently selected. On the right side of the Vistonics screen area a central assign fader strip is shown. It will change, too, depending on whether a fader bay or a control bay is currently selected. The online/offline editor cooperates with Vista 5 (32 or 42 faders) as well as with the modular Vista 7, Vista 8 and Vista 9. For space considerations, mostly the Vista 5 operating concept is used. 2-44 Desk Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 85: Fader Bay View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.7.2 Fader Bay View By clicking into the meter area of one of the fader bay icons (Faderbay ...), the corresponding Vistonics view opens up. The upper part of the selected fader bay icon is highlighted in order to make clear which bay the operator is looking at. The LINK / SEL button below the label area of the Vistonics screen is used to assign a single central fader that is displayed on the right-hand side. As long as the fader knob is ‘touched’ (i.e., the mouse pointer is located upon it and the left mouse button is pressed), the current fader value is displayed in both channel label fields, as shown in the screenshot above. If FaderGlow is active, this is reflected on the single fader as well. Channel Grouping (Ganging) The MULTI SEL button allows grouping channels for parallel operation. If a channel is selected with its LINK / SEL button, a click on MULTI SEL fol- lowed by a click on the next desired LINK / SEL button builds a two-channel group; a third channel is added to the group by another click on MULTI SEL and the next LINK / SEL button, and so on, until all the desired channels are grouped. The other way round, a click on LINK ALL and any LINK / SEL button selects all currently displayed channels; then, using the MULTI SEL...
Page 86: Control Bay View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System By clicking into the fader area of one of the fader bay icons (Faderbay ...), the ten corresponding faders are shown instead of the Vistonics screen. The central fader on the right is then hidden. The lower part of the selected fader bay icon is highlighted – in order to make clear which bay the operator is looking at. Operation The hardware keys and buttons (also the keys next to the rotary encoder knobs) on the screen can be operated by clicking on them either with the right or left mouse/trackball buttons. Rotary encoder knobs can be operated by clicking-and-holding them with the left mouse/trackball button (this corresponds to touching the real encoder knob on the desk surface); the parameter value is then underlined and dis- played below the label area in addition. By moving the mouse or trackball to the right or upwards (or anything in-between) the parameter value is increased; by moving it to the left or downwards (or anything in-between)
Page 87 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System By clicking into the fader area of the control bay icon in the desk overview area, the ten faders of the control bay are shown. At the right of the screen the two GRAND MASTER faders are displayed. Desk Operation 2-47 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 88: Gc View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2.7.4 GC View The GC general patch view opens after a single click on the GRAPHICAL CONTROLLER – SHOW button (at the bottom right of any of the fader and control bay windows), or by a click on in the taskbar, followed by a click on the general patch icon. There are two other shortcut buttons as well: In order to have the clipboard library window displayed in front of the general patch view, click the GRAPHICAL CONTROLLER – CLIPBRD LIBRARY button; in order to have the strip setup window displayed in front of the general patch view, click the GRAPHICAL CONTROLLER – STRIP SETUP button.
Page 89 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 3 Parameter Description ..............................3 3.1 Introduction ................................. 3 3.2 View Change ................................3 3.2.1 Global View Change ............................. 3 3.2.2 Channel-Related View Change..........................4 3.2.3 5.1 Surround Input Channels..........................5 3.3 Global Views ................................6 3.3.1 Input Parameters ..............................6 3.3.2 Pre-Amp Remote Parameters ..........................9 3.3.3...
Page 90 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3-2 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 91: Parameter Description
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System PARAmETER DEsCRiPTion introduction The desk can show different audio controls on the Vistonics screens. The ™ controls differ in type of graphical viewing, shapes, and colors. If required, they are grouped together with frames in order to give the user maximum information without the need to read text on the display. The view of the audio controls can be changed either globally for the whole console, or locally within one channel. For details on selecting the different functions please refer to chapter 1.1.1. View Change 3.2.1 Global View Change When pressing one of the keys in the GLOBAL VIEW areas, the view of the whole desk is changed. (The control bay remains with its own view unless ‘Follow’ is active.) Each channel strip will show parameters on up to four rotaries and their associated key. Only one global view key can be active at a time.
Page 92: Channel-Related View Change
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.2.2 Channel-Related View Change The views listed below can be activated in a channel strip. Then the corre- sponding values of this particular channel are shown. • Dynamics (by touching the green dynamics view on the screen) • EQ (by touching the red EQ view on the screen) • Panning (by touching the yellow pan view on the screen) • Bus Assignment (by pressing VIEW: BUS ASN – as opposed to the GLOBAL VIEW: BUS ASN key described in chapter 3.2.1). • Channel parameters (by pressing VIEW: CHANNEL); this shows the remaining controls, together with AUX AND covers all 40 rotaries. • Miscellaneous parameters (by pressing VIEW: MISC); this shows a reduced view of EQ, dynamics, and pan parameters at the same time; it covers all 40 rotaries. When touching a curve on the TFT, a picture with the available parameters appears on the rotaries. The picture is ‘left-aligned’ to the selected channel. When touching the dynamics curve of the third channel strip, for instance, the corresponding graphics are shown on the rotary rows 3 through 7, since the dynamics parameters are covering five rows of rotaries. While the function is unfolded on the display, the corresponding graphic field (e.g. showing the...
Page 93: 5.1 Surround Input Channels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.2.3 5.1 surround input Channels With the 5.1 surround input channels, the user has input, EQ, dynamics and panning sections completely designed for premixed 5.1-channel input sources. The main goal is that he can adjust the most important parameters directly with a touch on the Vistonics™ screen, without the need to ‘spilling’ single mono or stereo channels to additional faders, while other important sources would be hidden and become unavailable. A global view of a 5.1 input channel is shown below. Parameters 3-5 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 94: Global Views
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Global Views 3.3.1 input Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: INPUT GAIN. For input sources IN 1, IN 2, and GEN (selection with the hardware keys below the channel meters), an input control view is available. The number of functions available on Input or Output channels, as well as on mono or stereo channels, depends on the active configuration. A DC reject filter is always active in each channel. For input and output channels, the following parameters are available: MONO/STEREO MONO/STEREO MONO INPUT STEREO INPUT MONO GROUP STEREO GROUP MASTER Parameters – – – – – –...
Page 95 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Input Parameters for Mono Channels only: Phase Two positions are provided (select either with the key or the rotary): • NORM/Off, in phase (default setting). • REV/On, out-of-phase. Input Parameters for Mono and stereo Channels: GaIn Input gain can set in 1 dB steps from –24 dB (attenuation by 24 dB) to +24 dB. Default value: 0 dB. In a stereo channel, left and right input gains are treated simultaneously. Input Parameters for stereo Channels only: Phase Four different positions are provided: • + +, in phase (default setting). • – +, left channel (or input A) out-of-phase. • + –, right channel (or input B) out-of-phase. • – –, left and right channels (or inputs A and B) out-of-phase. X = A + + : Y = B Left X = –A Phase –...
Page 96 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System input balance function to correct the levels of two channels feeding a stereo input channel, and then add them together to become a mono sum. A practical example is the feed of a stereo channel from a VTR, one channel containing ambient signals and the other one being the commentator. In this case the 2-channel mode is set to ‘mono’, and the input balance function is used to correct the mix between ambient and speech signals. 5.1 (surround) Channels Compared with mono or stereo channels, the global input control section of a surround input channel is slightly different: There is no phase control switch, and the 2 Ch Mode selector has been replaced by 5.1 oRDeR. DIG 1 GaIn As it is the case with mono or stereo channels, the digital gain stage acts as a trim after the A/D converter. Input gain can be set in 1 dB steps in a range of ±24 dB. The default value is 0 dB. In a 5.1 channel, all six surround input legs are treated simultaneously. 5.1 oRDeR Like the 2 Ch MoDe function in a stereo channel, this functionality provides a kind of patching within the 5.1 channel. The bus order in Vista consoles with SW V4.0 has been changed according to the ITU standard (L, R, C, LFE, Ls, Rs). The 5.1 oRDeR selector allows converting different surround formats to the ITU order. Format Input Channels  ITU Output Channels L R C L F E Ls Rs Studer (SW before V4.0) L R C Ls Rs LFE...
Page 97: Pre-Amp Remote Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.2 Pre-Amp Remote Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: A / D CTRL. Various analog functions of the D21m mic/line input cards can be remote controlled. On the 5.1 surround input channels these controls are linked for all six legs of the surround signal.
Page 98: Direct, Multi-Track And N-1 Output Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.3 Direct, multi-Track and n–1 output Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: OUT n-1. This view allows controlling the level of the Direct, Multi-Track and the channel’s contribution (‘send’) to the N–1 bus(es). If the channel is assigned as a bus owner of an N–1 bus, the N–1 bus outputs is controlled from here as well. From surround input channels, N–1 mono buses are fed with an ITU-compat- ible mono down-mix of the surround signal. N–1 stereo buses are fed accord- ingly with an ITU-compatible stereo down-mix. DIR oUT on/off Direct output on/off. DIR oUT Rotary Direct output level, MUTE (i.e. –∞ dB) to +10 dB. Mtrk Multi-track output level, MUTE (i.e. –∞ dB) to +10 dB. Pan on/off Allows panning of the channel’s output signal to the multi-track bus if set to ‘Pan On’, in addition to the standard channel pan. The panning is adjusted with the usual Pan controls.
Page 99: Mono Aux Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.4 mono AUX Parameters Press one of the GLOBAL VIEW: AUX MONO keys. The mono AUX view provides selection of the AUX bus (ON/OFF), send level adjustment, and pre-/after-fader switching. From 5.1 surround channels, mono AUX sends are fed with an ITU-compatible mono down-mix. aUX m x on/off Mono AUX bus selection. Other mono AUX bus views can be selected as well (5...8, 9...12, etc.). aUX m x Rotary The send levels for mono AUX 1 through the maximum number configured can be adjusted using this rotary encoder; adjustment range is from Mute (–∞) through +10 dB. aUX m x Pre/Post When the PRE / POST key in the fader bay’s GLOBAL VIEW area is active, the Vistonics ™ view changes as shown above at the right. The signal sent to the mono AUX bus can be selected PRE (pre-fader, i.e. before the fader) or POST (post-fader, i.e. after the fader). Parameters 3- Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 100: Stereo Aux Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.5 stereo AUX Parameters Press one of the GLOBAL VIEW: AUX STEREO keys. The stereo AUX view provides selection of the AUX bus (ON/OFF), send level adjustment, pre-/after-fader switching, and pan setting. From 5.1 sur- round channels, stereo AUX sends are fed with an ITU-compatible stereo down-mix. aux s x on/off Stereo AUX bus selection. Other stereo AUX bus views can be selected as well (5...8, 9...12, etc.). aux s x Rotary The send levels for stereo AUX buses can be adjusted using this rotary encoder; adjustment range is from MUTE (i.e. –∞) through +10 dB. aUX s x Pre/Post When the PRE / POST key in the fader bay’s GLOBAL VIEW area is active, the Vistonics view changes similar to the one shown above in the center. The ™ signal sent to the stereo AUX bus can be selected from PRE (pre-fader, i.e. before the fader) or POST (post-fader, i.e. after the fader).
Page 101: Filter Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.6 Filter Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: FILTER. This view enables the user to control the parameters of the hi- and low-cut filters. These filters are available on the channel-related EQ view as well, refer to chapter 3.4.1. In that chapter you will also find the parameter details. The two filter sections are activated with the HI CUT and LO CUT hardware keys above the Vistonics ™ section. For 5.1 surround channels, the high- and low-cut filter parameters applied here are valid for all surround signal legs, except the LFE. For further information on this subject, please refer to chapter 3.4.1. hI CUT/Lo CUT x dB Slope setting for the high- and low-cut filters, selectable from 12, 18, and 24 dB/octave (key toggles 12, 18, 24, 12...). hI CUT/Lo CUT Rotary Cutoff frequency adjustment for both the high- and low-cut filters: 20 Hz through 20 kHz, in 120 steps. Parameters 3-3 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 102: Delay And Insert Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.7 Delay and insert Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: DLY-INS. This view enables the user to control the delay and insert parameters. Please note: The two sections are activated with the DELAY and INS hardware keys above the Vistonics ™ section. For 5.1 channels the delay processing block has a maximum delay time of 700 ms (as opposed to the standard 240 or 100 ms delay in the mono or stereo channels).
Page 103 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Insert Parameters: The insert section provides selection and control of the insert point (INSERT ON/OFF) and the INSERT MIX function (ON/OFF), plus defining the dry/ wet mix ratio (INSERT MIX %). INSERT On/Off is selected with the INSERT hardware key above the Vistonics ™ section. ‘On’ activates the insert return signal; ‘off’ selects the Input Signal (that corre- sponds to the insert send signal). InseRT MIX on/off On activates the insert mix function; Off selects only the insert return signal. When the insert mix function is set to On, the ratio of the dry (send) to the wet (return) signal depends on the selected mix ratio. In other words, mixing between the insert send and the insert return signals is possible. InseRT MIX Rotary If the MIX function is On, this parameter allows mixing or blending of the dry (send) and the wet (return) signals. 0% setting: dry signal only; 100% setting: wet signal only. Insert Insert Send Return...
Page 104: Dynamics Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.8 Dynamics Parameters standard/Vintage Dynamics Since SW version 4.0 there is an alternative VMC processing block available for mono and stereo channels. It is called ‘Vintage Dynamics’ and consists of a compressor that can be used together with an expander/noise-gate. The design focus was very clearly set on the compressor. This compressor algorithm provides an alternative to the current dynamics section in the Vista consoles, which has been described as rather ‘transparent’. For some applications, however, a compressor can be utilized in a more pro- nounced way, i.e., as an effect itself. For this purpose the ‘vintage dynamics’ was created. It is targeted to be flexible enough for different types of sound coloration including extreme and unusual settings, but does not feature a dedicated limiter. Selection between standard or vintage dynamics is performed using the Ses- sion Configuration Tool, refer to chapter 6.4.3.2.
Page 105 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Standard Dynamics Section (left): LIM ThRs Rotary The limiter threshold can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –48 dB . The limiter threshold corresponds to the output level. LIM on/off Individual limiter on/off control. LIM aTCK Rotary The limiter attack time can be adjusted in 9 steps within a 200 µs to 1 ms range. CMP ThRs Rotary The compressor threshold level can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –96 dB CMP on/off Individual compressor on/off control. CMP RTIo Rotary The compressor ratio can be adjusted from 1:1 (no compression) to 20:1 (heavy compression).
Page 106: Expander / Gate Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.8.2 Expander / Gate Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: EXP GATE. This view enables the user to control the most important parameters of the dynamics section’s expander and gate parts. The complete parameter set is available on the channel-related dynamics view, refer to chapter 3.4.2. There you will also find all the parameter details. For 5.1 surround channels, the expander and gate settings are valid for all surround signal legs except the LFE. For further information on this subject, please refer to chapter 3.4.2.2. note The expander and gate parts of the dynamics section can be activated simultaneously with the EXP GATE hardware key above the Viston- section, in addition to the individual on/off keys described below.
Page 107 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System GaTe hyst on/off The gate hysteresis function provides an offset between the un-mute and mute thresholds. So the gate will remain open (un-muted) at a level slightly lower than the one required to open it in order to avoid effects such as chattering. Vintage Dynamics Section There are two different views for the vintage expander/gate view; one of them (below left) is displayed when pressing the EXP GATE hardware key, and the other one (below right) when pressing  (Shift) before the EXP GATE key. Standard View: ‘Shift’ View: Standard View GaTe ThRs Rotary The gate threshold level can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –96 dB GaTe aTTn Rotary The gate attenuation level can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB...
Page 108: Eq Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.9 EQ Parameters This view enables the user to control the most important parameters of the EQ section. The complete parameter set is available on the channel-related EQ view, refer to chapter 3.4.1. There you will also find all parameter details. For 5.1 surround channels the equalizer settings are valid for all surround signal legs except the LFE. For further information on this subject, please refer to chapter 3.4.1. All four bands of the EQ section can be activated simultaneously with the EQ hardware key above the Vistonics section, in addition to the individual ™ on/off keys described below. There are two different views for the EQ view; one of them (below left) is displayed when pressing the EQ hardware key, and the other one (below right) when pressing  (Shift) before the EQ key. Standard View: ‘Shift’ View: hI / hM / LM / Lo on/off On/off function for the selected EQ band. hI / hM / LM / Lo GaIn Rotary Boost/cut adjustment; ±18 dB in steps of 0.5 dB. hM / LM FReq Rotary Center frequency adjustment for the high-mid and low-mid bands. For both bands, the center frequency can be adjusted from 20 Hz through 20 kHz, in 120 steps. These controls are visible in the ‘shift’...
Page 109: Panning Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.10 Panning Parameters Press GLOBAL VIEW: PAN. This view enables the user to control the most important parameters of the pan- ning section. Representation is different depending on channel type (mono/ stereo/5.1/stereo upmix), and on the selected panning format. The complete parameter set is available on the channel-related pan view, refer to chapter 3.4.3. There you will also find all parameter details. The panning section can be activated with the PAN hardware key above the Vistonics section, in addition to the different, individual on/off keys. ™ Mono Channel: Stereo Channel: 5.1 Channel: St.Ch.Upmix LR: St.Upmix 5.1: St.Upmix 5.1 W.: The DIR WIDTH display on stereo channels only appears if this feature has been configured for the corresponding channel. If a channel is configured with the ‘Input Dir/Bal’ function, this view also displays the input balance function placed within the input section of the channel.
Page 110: Global Bus Assignment View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.11 Global Bus Assignment View Press GLOBAL VIEW: BUS ASN (at the left-hand side of the fader bay). This is an On/Off key that can be activated in addition to other global view keys. The bus assignment overview will cover the EQ, dynamics and pan curves on the lower part of the TFT; it disappears when GLOBAL VIEW: BUS ASN is pressed again. The displayed bus assignment bitmap varies depending on the channel type. On a master channel, for instance, no display is activated, since a master channel cannot be routed to a bus. Other channel types may show a part of the bitmap only, depending on possible bus assignments. Therefore the display may show a blank region for some channel types. 3-22 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 111: Generic And Label Display Area
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.3.12 Generic and Label Display Area Channel label display: The top line always indicates the inherited label (corre- sponds to the user label of the patched source – ‘track sheet’) of each channel. The second line normally is set to user label display, but can be changed by pressing GLOBAL VIEW: LABEL TYPE. The channel type is indicated with colors in the label display; in addition, the bottom right corner of the label field shows the channel type in writing, as shown below. Generic Displays, such as n–1, OVER (fader over-range), etc. are only shown if active: The numerical fader value is displayed in dB whenever the fader knob is touched; it disappears a short while after the fader knob has been released. The graphical display of snapshot preview value and current fader value pops up over the right-hand part of the display area, showing the values as bar graphs (current value in gray, snapshot preview value in pink). Parameters 3-23 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 112: Channel-Related Views
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Channel-Related Views 3.4.1 EQ / Filter Parameters eq Parameters: hI / hM / LM / Lo on/off On/off function for the selected (high, high-mid, low-mid, low) EQ band. hI / hM / LM / Lo GaIn Rotary Boost/cut adjustment; ±18 dB in steps of 0.5 dB. h I / hM / LM / Lo FReq Rotary Center frequency (or, if ‘shelf’ is selected for the HI or LO frequency band: turnover frequency) adjustment. For all four bands, the center/turnover fre- quency can be adjusted from 20 Hz through 20 kHz, in 120 steps. q/R or bell/shelf For the HM and LM bands, the Q type can be selected from Q (constant-Q) and R (constant-range) filter types. For the HI and LO bands, bell (same as ‘constant-Q’ for HM/LM bands) or shelf (shelving-type filter) can be selected. q value Rotary The Q (bandwidth) can be set to values from 0.27 through 8.7, in 30 steps. For the HM and LM bands Q can be set only if ‘bell’ is selected. HM, high-mid frequency, and LM, low-mid frequency: Q = 0.27 through 8.7, in 30 steps. 3-24 Parameters SW V4.5...
Page 113 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System high-Cut/Low-Cut Filter Parameters: hI CUT/Lo CUT x dB Slope setting for the high- and low-cut filters, selectable from 12, 18, and 24 dB/octave (key toggles 12, 18, 24, 12...). hI CUT/Lo CUT Rotary Cutoff frequency adjustment for the high- and low-cut filter: 20 Hz through 20 kHz, in 120 steps. notch Filter Parameters: Please note that these two fields only appear if the notch filter is configured (i.e., ‘EQ with Notch’ is selected for this channel in the console configura- tion). noTCh on/off On/off function for the notch filter. noTCh Rotary Center frequency for the notch filter: 20 Hz through 20 kHz, in 120 steps. notch q The notch filter’s Q is selectable from two fixed values; W (wide, Q=2), and N (narrow, Q=10). note The EQ, HI CUT and LO CUT hardware keys above the Vistonics section can ™ be used for activating or deactivating the complete EQ, high- and low-cut filter sections, in addition to the individual on/off keys described above. 5.1 surround Channels This view is the same as with mono or stereo channels. Please note that the equalizer settings applied here will be valid for all surround signal legs except the LFE. If an EQ setting has been made on a 5.1 surround channel, the normal Vis- tonics EQ display shows in small characters which signal legs are different ™ from the others (e.g. ‘Lf’), as shown left.
Page 114: Dynamics Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.2 Dynamics Parameters 3.4.2.1 standard Dynamics Limiter Parameters: LIM on/off Limiter on/off. LIM ThRs Rotary The limiter threshold (= output level) can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –48 dB LIM ReL Rotary The limiter release time can be adjusted in 13 steps within a 10 ms to 10 s range (10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms, 200 ms, 300 ms, 500 ms, 1 s, 2 s, 3 s, 5 s, and 10 s). LIM hold on/off Hold on = 150 ms, off = 0 ms. LIM aTCK Rotary The limiter attack time can be adjusted in 9 steps within a 200 µs to 1 ms range (0.2 ms, 0.3 ms, 0.4 ms, 0.5 ms, 0.6 ms, 0.7 ms, 0.8 ms, 0.9 ms, and Output level [dBFS] 1 ms). –5 –10 Curve Limiter Threshold [dB] –15 –20...
Page 115 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Compressor Parameters: CMP on/off Compressor on/off. CMP ThRs Rotary The compressor threshold level can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –96 dB CMP ReL Rotary The compressor release time can be adjusted in 13 steps within a 10 ms to 10 s range (10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms, 200 ms, 300 ms, 500 ms, 1 s, 2 s, 3 s, 5 s, and 10 s). CMP hold on/off Hold on = 150 ms, off = 0 ms. CMP aTCK Rotary The compressor attack time can be adjusted in 9 steps within a 200 µs to 20 ms range (0.2 ms, 0.3 ms, 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, 3 ms, 5 ms, 10 ms, and 20 ms). CMP RTIo Rotary The compressor ratio can be adjusted from 1:1 (no compression) to 20:1 (heavy compression) in the following steps: 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 5:3, 2:1, 3:1, Output level [dBFS] 5:1, 7:1, 10:1, and 20:1.
Page 116 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Gate Parameters: GaTe on/off Gate on/off. GaTe ThRs Rotary The gate threshold level can be adjusted in 1 dB steps from 0 dB to –96 dB GaTe ReL Rotary The gate release time can be adjusted in 13 steps within a 10 ms through 10 s range (10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms, 200 ms, 300 ms, 500 ms, 1 s, 2 s, 3 s, 5 s, and 10 s). GaTe hold on/off Hold on = 150 ms, off = 0 ms. GaTe aTCK Rotary The gate attack time can be adjusted in 9 steps within a 200 µs to 1 ms range (0.2 ms, 0.3 ms, 0.4 ms, 0.5 ms, 0.6 ms, 0.7 ms, 0.8 ms, 0.9 ms, and 1 ms). GaTe hyst on/off The gate hysteresis function provides an offset between the un-mute and mute thresholds. This means the gate will remain open (un-muted) at a lower level than the level than was required to open it. For example, a threshold can be set so that amp noise from an electric guitar will be attenuated as long as the guitar is not played. However, as the guitar sustains and loses energy (level) over time, the gate will remain open at levels below the one that caused it to open in the first place (un-mute threshold). Once the level falls far enough, the gate will close (mute) again.
Page 117 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System sC hI CUT/Lo CUT Rotary Both side-chain high- and low-cut filters feature cut-off frequencies continu- ously adjustable between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. MKUP GaIn auto on/off ‘auto on’ automatically compensates a compressor level loss. ‘auto off’ acti- vates the manual MKUP GAIN rotary control. MKUP GaIn Rotary To manually compensate a level loss caused by the dynamics processing, adjustable in 1 dB steps from 0 through +24 dB. LooKFWD on/off The Look-Forward Delay function allows inserting an audio delay after the dynamics level detector in order to work with higher attack times without any overshooting of levels. LooKFWD Rotary The Look-Forward Delay can be set in 11 steps within a range from 0 to 25 ms (0 ms, 0.2 ms, 0.3 ms, 0.5 ms, 1 ms, 2 ms, 3 ms, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, and 25 ms). By activating the look-forward feature, a real delay is inserted into the audio path. In order to avoid artifacts with other console channels, it is recom- mended to insert a corresponding delay into the other channels as well.
Page 118: Standard Dynamics For 5.1 Surround Channels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.2.2 standard Dynamics for 5.1 surround Channels Touch the green Vistonics dynamics field. ™ This view is the same as with mono or stereo channels with one exception, refer to the screenshot below. Please note that the dynamics settings applied here will be valid for all surround signal legs except the LFE. If a dynamics setting has been made on a 5.1 surround channel, the default Vistonics dynamics display shows in small characters which signal leg is ™...
Page 119 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Four different possibilities are available: All signal legs (L, R, C, Ls, Rs) are part of the sidechain link. Only the L, R, Ls and Rs signal legs are part of the sidechain link. Only the L, R and C signal legs are part of the sidechain link. Only the L and R signal legs are part of the sidechain link. sC LInK intKey/extKey The key source input can be selected from intKey (dynamics processing depends on the channel’s own input signal, i.e. an internal key signal), or extKey (processing is controlled by a signal connected via the patch, i.e. by an external key signal). Parameters 3-3 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 120: Vintage Dynamics
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.2.3 Vintage Dynamics The main differences between the vintage and standard dynamics sections is that the vintage dynamics are intended to be used as an effect by itself rather than being transparent. Its compressor has some additional parameters com- pared with the standard dynamics section, but no hold function instead; there is no limiter available, and the expander and gate sections cannot be used at the same time. Below, only the parameters different from the ones of the standard dynamics section are described. Vintage Compressor Parameters: CMP Knee Rotary The smooth transition (‘soft knee’) at the compressor threshold can be adjusted, the window size can be set between 0 and 60 dB. CMP Knee on/off Switches the compressor’s ‘soft knee’ on or off. CMP MIX Rotary If the CMP MIX function is on, this parameter allows mixing or blending of the dry (original) and the wet (compressed) signals. 0% setting: dry signal only; 100% setting: wet signal only. CMP MIX on/off ‘on’ activates the CMP MIX function; ‘off’ selects the compressed signal only.
Page 121 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CMP ReL Rotary The compressor release time can be adjusted within a 5 ms to 5 s range. CMP aTCK Rotary The compressor attack time can be adjusted in steps within a 200 µs through 250 ms range. CMP RTIo Rotary The compressor ratio can be adjusted from 1:1 (no compression) through 40:1 (very heavy compression). eXP / GaTe MoDe Rotary Used for selecting either the expander or the gate function for the vintage dynamics section. The threshold, release, attack and hold parameters of expander and gate are adjusted in common; they cannot be set individually.
Page 122 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3 Panning Parameters There are several panning options available. These range from a simple mono-to-left/right pan over a stereo direction pan with width control to the sophisticated family of Virtual Surround Panning (VSP) modules. Left/Right and VSP functions are available for mono input, group, multi-track input, and multi-track monitor channels. Direction and Direction with Width functions are available for stereo input and group channels. In addition, there exist upmix panning functions for easily inserting stereo sources into surround mixes.
Page 123 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System LR Pan for stereo Channels The PAN ON/OFF and PAN functions are extended to enable working with either standard (L/R) stereo or with MS (mono/side) signals. In addition, features are available to increase the stereo image manipulation possibilities, such as • Input direction or • Input balance, • Stereo width (pan width), and • Stereo direction. The stereo width function has to be activated with the Session Configuration Tool, if required. Direction Left Right –30° +30° Listening Position Virtual surround Panning (VsP) Various surround panning algorithms can be configured for mono input, group, multi-track input, and multi-track monitor channels using the Session Configuration Tool.
Page 124: Amplitude Panning Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.1 Amplitude Panning Parameters Mono Channels: Stereo Channels: LR Panning Parameters for Mono Channels: Mono channel LR PAN has only one panning function: left/right panning. It is useful for left/right panning to stereo master or group buses, or for odd/even panning to group or multi-track buses. General PAN on/off is selected with the PAN hardware key above the Vistonics section. ™ Pan Rotary The rotary encoder provides left/right (odd/even) panning control in 1° steps from –30° (fully left) to +30° (fully right). LR/Direction Panning Parameters for stereo Channels: Stereo channel DIR/BAL PAN is a stereo direction panning function. It is useful for controlling the direction of stereo signals to master, group, and multi-track buses. DIR WIDTH is identical to the DIR pan with an optional width control added (depending on the current session configuration). PAN on/off is selected with the PAN hardware key above the Vistonics section. ™ InP DIR / BaL on/off Activates the input balance or the input direction control, depending on the function selected with INP BAL / INP DIR. This function is placed within the signal path of the channel before the mono switch, selectable in the ‘2CH mode’ section.
Page 125 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System InP DIR / BaL Selection from two input functions: INP BAL or INP DIR. InP DIR / InP BaL Rotary The INP DIR function is used to control the direction of a stereo input signal. Turning the rotary encoder shifts the input direction in 1° steps from –30° (left) to +30° (right). The INP BAL function is used to control the balance of a stereo input signal. Turning the rotary encoder to the left attenuates the right channel from 0 to –∞ dB while the left channel remains at full input level, and vice versa. DIR WIDTh on/off Optional, only if the width function is configured. Switches the DIR WIDTH function on/off. DIR WIDTh Rotary Optional, only if the width function is configured. The DIR WIDTH parameter is used to control the width of the stereo signal. It is only functional if there is a difference between the left and right input channels, or if IBAL or IDIR has been used to create an offset between the channels. The ST DIR control directs the position of the stereo signal, while the DIR WIDTH control determines the width or stereo spread either side of that position. DIR WIDTH operates over a range from 0% (mono) to 200% (‘super stereo’).
Page 126: Upmix Panner Parameters (For Stereo Channels Only)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.2 Upmix Panner Parameters (for stereo Channels only) Still a significant number of stereo sources is used for a typical surround production, so these need to be brought into the 5.1-channel format. The upmix panner is a way to pan stereo signals to a surround mix, providing the possibility to ‘unwrap’ a simple stereo signal to a surround sound field.
Page 127: Multi-Format Panning Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.3 multi-Format Panning Parameters Surround panning consists of two panning algorithms: Multi-format panning, and VSP (Virtual Surround Panning). These support a variety of surround formats and applications; in all these modes, an LFE (Low Frequency Effects) control is available. Multi-format panning functions can be configured only for mono channel types. Please note that the view below shows 5.1 panning format; for other panning formats, one or more of the fields may be blanked. General PAN on/off is selected with the PAN hardware key above the Vistonics ™ section. LFe on/off On/off control for the Low Frequency Effects channel. LFe LeVeL Rotary LFE level control from MUTE (i.e. –∞ dB) to +10 dB. Within this section, no filtering is applied to the signal fed to the LFE bus.
Page 128 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System FoRMaT Rotary This serves as the format selector in all multi-format panning modes. The fol- lowing selections are possible: L-R, LCR, LCRS, 5.1, EX, and 7.1. Depending on this selection, the actually required parameters are displayed. PanaRnD on/off This key activates the unique Pan-Around function. If active, the FRONT L-R, F-R and REAR L-R controls become inactive. PanaRnD Rotary This is a single-knob function that provides an easy-to-use pan setting around all selected loudspeakers (depending on format) in a circular fashion. If active, the FRONT L-R, F-R and REAR L-R controls become inactive.
Page 129: Vsp Panning Parameters
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.4 VsP Panning Parameters Please note that the controls within the left part of the screenshot below are identical with the ones in chapter 3.4.3.2 – for details, please refer to the description in that chapter. Pan MoDe Rotary Sets the overall panning algorithm used for positioning the mono source in the desired virtual location. In all but the X-Y mode, a stereo microphone simulation is employed which will yield a more diverse sound field. • X-Y – A standard panning algorithm that only changes the amplitude of the signal to the various buses in relation to the position of the panner. This operation is well known and is used in all conventional panners. • hRTF – Mainly a cross-talk canceler using simplified HRTFs (Head Related Transfer Functions). If the listener is positioned exactly in the...
Page 130 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • oRTF – An idealized version of the common cardioid microphone setup according to angles and distances used for stereo miking. A more accurate sound field is created through the manipulation of both amplitude and time differences. • a-B – An idealized version of the common setup using omni-directional microphones. With this mode the sound stage is perceived as large, and is useful for solo instruments, audience, and choir. The positioning of the source is only established by changes in time delays. • UseR – When this mode is selected, the panning algorithms are establis- hed from the Microphone User Settings interface provided under the main Option menu in the system Graphical Controller. The settings made affect the relationship between amplitude and time differences, determined by the settings of the imaginary microphones. For details, see chapter 3.4.3.6. 3-42 Parameters SW V4.5...
Page 131: Panning Parameters For 5.1 Surround Channels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.5 Panning Parameters for 5.1 surround Channels Touch the yellow Vistonics pan field. ™ General PAN on/off is selected with the PAN hardware key above the Vistonics section. ™ CenT LeVeL Center level control from MUTE (i.e. –∞ dB) to +10 dB. FB on/off On/off switch for center channel contribution to the F-R control. FRonT L-R Front panning between the left, (center) and right channels in 1° steps. The contribution to the center channel is determined by the CENTER control. F-R This parameter allows variable blending from front to rear channels in 60 increments, either with a contribution from the center channel (FB On) or without (FB Off). ReaR L-R Panning between the left and right surround channels in 1° steps. PanaRnD on/off Activates the Pan-Around function. PanaRnD Single-knob function, allows rotating the surround sound field by ±180°. LFe on/off On/off selector for LFE channel use. LFe LeVeL LFE channel percentage control; 0% = no LFE channel use, 100% = LFE channel fully active.
Page 132 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CenTeR on/off On/off selector for center channel use. CenTeR Center channel percentage control; 0% = no center channel use (phantom center), 100% = center channel fully active. FRonT WIDTh on/off Switches the FRONT WIDTH function on/off. FRonT WIDTh The FRONT WIDTH parameter is used to control the width of the front signal. It is only functional if there is a difference between the left and right input channels. FRONT WIDTH operates over a range from 0% (mono) to 200% (‘super stereo’). F/R DePTh on/off Switches the F/R DEPTH function on/off. F/R DePTh The F/R DEPTH parameter is used to control the depth of the surround space. It is only functional if there is a difference between the front and the rear input channels. F/R DEPTH operates over a range from 0% (zero depth) to 200% (‘super depth’). ReaR WIDTh on/off Switches the REAR WIDTH function on/off. ReaR WIDTh The REAR WIDTH parameter is used to control the width of the rear signal. It is only functional if there is a difference between the left and right input channels. REAR WIDTH operates over a range from 0% (mono) to 200% (‘super stereo’). 3-44 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 133: Microphone Simulation Tool (Mst) - User Pan Mode
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.3.6 microphone simulation Tool (msT) – User Pan mode As a further sophistication of the VSP system, a Microphone Simulation Tool (MST) has been created. This allows the mix engineer to create his/her own multi-channel panning law, by simulating the placement of microphones in a virtual space. overview A user can define how the VSP varies the delays and amplitudes of the direct sound when panning between speakers. To instruct the VSP how to generate these signals, commonly known microphone symbols are used. Each symbol represents the signal that will be sent to one speaker. For example, if five omni microphones are set up at the same position, no panning effect will be achieved. Five omni microphones at certain distances will only create time differences when panning between speakers. Five shot- gun microphones positioned in one location will only generate amplitude differences. And five directional microphones positioned in different loca- tions will generate both amplitude and time differences between the speakers (based on the placement of the ‘microphones’). Sound Source...
Page 134 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Here are the placements for some of the Panner Mode presets: oRTF (With surrounds) The amplitudes vary due to the directionality of the microphones, while time delay is varied based on the distances between the microphones (each of them feeding a speaker). aB (With surrounds) Because all microphones are omni-directional, the amplitude is the same for all of them, but the delay differs due to the distances between the micro- phones. sphere The Sphere setting is based on a microphone as shown in the picture above. Amplitude, phase and frequency response is calculated based on measured signals from such a microphone. 3-4 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 135 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System User setting With the Microphone Simulation Tool, the mix engineer is able to set up his/her own microphone simulation using the dialog box available in the Options/VSP menu. The settings may be changed as follows: Microphone Positioning The front left and right microphones may be moved by grabbing one of them with the trackball and positioning it as desired. The opposite microphone moves to a symmetrical location. The same may be done with the rear left...
Page 136: General 5.1 Surround Channel View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.4 General 5.1 surround Channel View Pressing VIEW: CHANNEL brings up an overview of the channel selected with the LINK / SEL key, covering the whole Vistonics TFT. All available parameters are shown in the rotary section, except for dynamics, EQ, and panning. Only visible parameters are available for adjustment. As can be seen below, there is an additional selection possibility in the touch area that allows modifying the EQ and dynamics parameters individually for the Front, Center, LFE and Rear signals. Upon touching one of these fields (e.g. the green ‘Center’ dynamics field) the display changes to the individual dynamics setting of the ‘Inp x 1’ 5.1 input’s center channel. 3-4 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 137 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System After the individual setting has been made, pressing VIEW: CHANNEL again switches back to the standard channel view. In our case (where the front and LFE channels of Inp x 1 have individual dynamics settings), the dynamics field then displays the standard dynamics curve with supplementary, small L, R and Lf characters, indicating that the front and LFE dynamics settings are different from the displayed curve. A gain reduction bargraph is shown at the left of each of the four individual dynamics icons. Individual EQ settings for the different surround signal legs can be adjusted and are indicated in the same way. Parameters 3-49 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 138: Misc View (Miscellaneous Parameters)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.5 misc View (miscellaneous Parameters) Pressing VIEW: MISC brings up an overview for the channel selected with the LINK / SEL key, covering the whole Vistonics TFT. The most important parameters of a channel’s dynamics, EQ, and pan sections are shown in the rotary section. Only the visible parameters are available for adjustment. 3-50 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 139: Bus Assignment View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3.4.6 Bus Assignment View When pressing VIEW: BUS ASN, the display changes to the bus assign window of the channel selected with the LINK / SEL key. Only buses are shown here to which the current channel can be assigned. Pressing VIEW: BUS ASN on a master channel, however, will activate the ‘inverse bus interrogation’ view described below. The CLR buttons will clear the assignment to all buses of the corresponding type. Inverse Bus Interrogation Pressing VIEW: BUS ASN on a group master, an AUX master or a master chan- nel (having a bus routed to its input) opens the Strip Setup dialog on the GC screen, showing the currently assigned channels in magenta color. When pressing VIEW: BUS ASN on an N–X owner channel, the inverse bus interrogation is done on the associated N–X bus. Parameters 3-5 Date printed: 27.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 140 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3-52 Parameters SW V4.5 Date printed: 27.0.0...
Page 141 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 4 Graphical Controller Operation ............................ 5 4.1 Introduction ................................. 5 4.2 The GC Screen ................................7 4.2.1 The Toolbar ................................8 4.2.2 The Status Bar ............................... 9 4.3 Graphical Controller Basics ............................10 4.3.1 Sources and Targets ............................. 10 4.3.2 The Session Configuration ..........................11 4.3.3...
Page 142 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4 Snapshot Page ..............................42 4.4.4.1 Snapshots ................................ 43 4.4.4.2 Multiple Snapshots ............................46 4.4.4.3 Snapshot Crossfading ............................. 48 4.4.4.4 Additional Snapshot Functionality ........................ 49 4.4.4.5 Partial Snapshots ............................50 4.4.4.6 Typical Applications ............................52 4.4.4.7 Snapshot Filtering (Static Automation) ......................53 4.4.4.8 Presets ................................55 4.4.4.9 Default Settings .............................. 56 4.4.4.10 Files and Backup ............................56 4.4.5...
Page 143 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.5 Second Level of Operation: The Toolbar Functions ....................94 4.5.1 Page Selection ..............................94 4.5.2 Tools ..................................95 4.5.2.1 Title Memo ..............................95 4.5.3 Channel Selection..............................96 4.5.4 System Functions ..............................96 4.5.4.1 System Functions: Protect/Unprotect SysAdmin Mode ................. 96 4.5.4.2 System Functions: Label Mode Selector ......................97 4.5.4.3 System Functions: The Surveyor ........................97 4.6 Third Level of Operation: Menu Items ........................98 4.6.1...
Page 144 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7 Fourth Level of Operation: SysAdmin Menu ......................129 4.7.1 SysAdmin: General Patch/Subclassifying the Digital I/O Sections ..............130 4.7.1.1 Setting the Subclass Labels .......................... 131 4.7.1.2 Assigning Sources and Targets to Subclasses ....................132 4.7.2 SysAdmin: General Patch/ProBel Setup ......................133 4.7.2.1 -Party Control of Console Patch (Native Pro-Bel P-02/08 Support) ............133 4.7.2.1.1 Pro-Bel P-08 support ..........................137 4.7.2.1.2 Exclude Certain Patch Targets from Being Changed by Snapshots ............ 138 4.7.2.1.3 Label Import from 3 -Party Systems ....................
Page 145: Graphical Controller Operation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System GRAPHiCAl ConTRollER oPERATion introduction The Graphical Controller (GC) is an essential part of the Vista Digital System’s operation, because it enables the user to utilize all of its enhanced functions, such as the snapshots, book-keeping, AutoTouch automation, and much more. It is also the place where the operating software is started and shut down – becoming, in fact, the console’s main operations center. All the operating software – consisting of a large number of individual files needed for proper operation of the console – is saved on the Control PC’s hard disk. Even if there are hundreds of configuration, snapshot, and related files saved here from previous Vista sessions, the user basically needs to start only one application program: D950SYSTEM.EXE. The D950SYSTEM.EXE is represented by the following Windows shortcut icons on the GC monitor screen: Depending on the desired operating mode (static, i.e. with snapshot automa- tion, or dynamic, i.e. with the AutoTouch+ dynamic automation), use the appropriate icon.
Page 146 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Operation of the Graphical Controller is also fully Windows-compatible. Text strings, files, or even pictures can be copied from one location to the other using the Windows clipboard principle and keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl + c will copy to, and Ctrl + v will paste from the clipboard. This technique can be used, for example, to enter repetitive labels into the User Labels, or for copying mixes from one Title to another.
Page 147: The Gc Screen
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The GC Screen Upon starting the GC for the first time, the screen will look something like this: Main Window Title Bar Menu Bar Toolbar Workspace Controls Status Bar Please note the most important parts of the screen: • The Menu Bar, allowing access to all the Vista’s functions. Refer to chapter 4.6; • The Toolbar, containing various short-cut icons for the most important func- tions; • The Status Bar, displaying system information and short on-line help infor- mation; • The Workspace, where you will open the Main GC Pages and do other useful things; • The Vista Logo Splash, which will disappear a few seconds after the start;...
Page 148: The Toolbar
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.2.1 The Toolbar The toolbar contains a number of short-cut icons for the Vista’s most impor- tant functions. There are four (or five) individual toolbar parts: Page Selection, Channel Selection, Tools, System Functions (and Multidesk Groups, if configured). Page Selection Channel Selection Tools System Functions Each of the parts can be switched ON and OFF individually. The simplest way to do so is the View menu, item Toolbar: This menu item also contains the Status bar (refer to chapter 4.2.2). The...
Page 149: The Status Bar
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.2.2 The Status Bar The Status Bar has two functions: • Displaying system information; • Short on-line help information. Status information is displayed in the Status Bar continually. It is especially helpful to view the Status Bar during startup of the Vista system, because various information regarding the boot process and system parts will be dis- played on the monitor screen. ‘Ready’ in the Status Bar indicates that everything within the Vista is working satisfactorily. Check Status will be displayed if there is something wrong with the system (specifically, a red bullet appears in the Surveyor button, refer to chapter 4.8 for more information), and sometimes during system booting (which is normal). If you move the cursor over a specific item in the toolbar, on-line help information will be displayed. The information displayed describes the basic...
Page 150: Graphical Controller Basics
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Graphical Controller Basics This chapter describes the basic concepts of the work with the Graphical Controller (GC). 4.3.1 Sources and Targets Generally, all audio signals available to the Vista can be divided into Sources and Targets. These names are used rather than ‘Input’, ‘Output’, etc., in order to avoid any confusion regarding where the audio signal comes from, and to where it goes. Sources: A Source is anything that delivers an audio signal: • Digital Input Interface (e.g. AES/EBU or MADI); • Analog Input Interface (D19m Mic Input, A/D Converter);...
Page 151: The Session Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.3.2 The Session Configuration The Session Configuration is the physical and electrical definition of the Vista Digital Mixing System installed at your recording studio or production facility. A Session Configuration contains data about the mixing console channels, the patch, the labels, and so on – and it must be loaded in order for the console to function. We often refer to the Virtual Mixing Console (VMC) when speaking about the Session Configuration. VMC is another concept that forms the basic foundation of a Vista: all functions and the current Session Configuration data are saved within the VMC. A simplified definition of the VMC is: ‘a...
Page 152: Labels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.3.3 labels Labels are used extensively within the system to define objects, such as audio sources, channel names, etc., and to visualize these objects in various windows within the GC. Please note that all labels are saved within Snapshots and Presets, together with all audio settings. There are various ways to work with labels within the system. For a description of how to use labels, refer to chapter 4.4.2.6. Basic label types are described below: Fixed Labels These are generated automatically at the time of system configuration, and used to identify hardware-oriented objects. For example: Fixed Label Meaning D 1 AES B0 In 1 Digital AES/EBU, on PE/AES Board 0, Physical Input 1...
Page 153: First Level Of Operation: Main Gc
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System First level of operation: Main GC Pages There are five main Graphical Controller pages, each of which deals with a different operating part of the Vista System: • General Patch Page • Channel Patch Page • Snapshot Page • Cue List Page • Strip Setup Page These main pages can be accessed in three different ways: • From the Page menu, by clicking on the appropriate menu item: • Using the Page icons, by clicking on the appropriate icon in the toolbar (see above), or • Using the brown function keys on the control surface keyboard – which is probably the fastest way: GC Operation 4- Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 154: One Page, Or More
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.1 one Page, or More... The GC Workspace can be used to display one single page, or a number of pages and panels at the same time. Because different users will prefer diffe- rent page layouts, the User Menu enables Workspace layouts to be saved and retrieved for later use by any number of users. Page layouts can be manipu- lated using standard Windows techniques. 4.4.1.1 Working with one Single Page If you prefer working with a single page, select the page using one of the methods listed above. Then click to full-page mode: Click here to work with single pages The selected single page will now be fully visible. Selecting a single page has the advantage that you always see all parts of a page (except for the General Patch), and that operating via the Function Keys/Page menu always affects the page you want – because there is only one to work with. 4-4 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 155: Working With Multiple
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.1.2 Working with Multiple Pages A number of different pages can be opened on the screen at the same time, and drag-and-drop techniques used to position and size the selected pages.  Tip To open more than one page, open the first page using the methods listed above; then: • Use the Window menu item New Window, or • The Toolbar icon New Window, and • Select as many pages as you require. In this example, there are two active pages displayed on the same screen: GC Operation 4-5 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 156 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System You can also open the same page more than once, which can be useful for simultaneously viewing different areas of the General Patch page, for exam- ple. The page you used last will be selected, which is indicated by highlighting its Title bar in blue. Generally, this means that various functions activated through the function keys will only affect the selected page. To highlight another page, simply click on it once, or use the familiar Windows Ctrl+Tab key combination. To position and size the pages, use the normal Window menu items Cascade and Tile. Alternatively, use drag-and-drop techniques to position and arrange each page, and experiment with their locations to suit your own requirements. Once you have developed a favorite page layout, save it for later retrieval using the ‘Save Preferences’ and ‘Load Preferences’ User Menu items:  Tip If you should forget to save your particular preference, don’t worry. The system will automatically save the screen layout used when it is shut down. When starting the system the next time, the screen will appear exactly as it was left. 4- GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 157: The General Patch
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2 The General Patch The GC General Patch page can be accessed in three different ways: • From the Page menu, by clicking on the appropriate menu item • Using the Page icons, by clicking on the appropriate icon in the toolbar • Using the GLOBAL PATCH function key. This is the fastest way. The General Patch is the main tool used to establish and clear audio con- nections within the system. The name ‘Patch’ is used because it mimics the conventional patch bay used in analog consoles. It accomplishes all the tasks of a conventional patch bay, and much more. Patch cross-points are saved into the Snapshot/Preset memories. It utilizes an X-Y axis (or side-to-side/up-down) representation to aid viewing and editing of existing connections or cross-points (equivalent to the location of patch cords), and all existing Sources and Targets (equivalent to the patch- jack pairs used in most patch bays). The General Patch can be thought of as a number of ‘sub-patches’ whereby single subcategories of the sources and targets can be viewed at a time. Source Selection Bar X-Y Field Sources List Subcategory Drop-Down Menus Auto Select Function...
Page 158: General Patch Navigation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.1 General Patch navigation 4.4.2.1.1 Navigating the Sources/Targets List The audio sources list (located on the Y axis) and the targets list (on the X axis) allow the user to find and select a Source/Target pair, and to make or clear a required cross-point connection. There are different ways to navigate and select the required source and target for making or clearing patch connections. The simplest process to select the required Source/Target selection is described below: 1 Select the subcategory of the required source/target using the ‘Show Sources’ and ‘Show Targets’ drop-down menus. This will show in the X-Y axis list all the possible sources/targets available in the Session Configu- ration currently loaded. Scrolling using the standard windows scroll bar may be required to see all the sources/targets from the chosen category. Scrolling is not recommended as the fastest way to navigate the sources list. 2 Move the cursor into the Sources/Targets List and right-click. This opens a selection list to allow fast navigation to some pre-defined subclasses of Inputs or Channel types (such as Input Channels, Auxiliary Channels, etc.), see the next screenshot. Select the required Input or Channel type...
Page 159: Other Navigation Methods
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.1.2 Other Navigation Methods Choosing Source/Target Subcategory: There are two methods to select the required Source/Target subcategory: 1 Use the Source/Target subcategory drop-down menu. 2 Right-click directly in the Sources/Targets List. All the available subcatego- ries (identical to those in the drop-down menus) can be accessed directly from the lower portion of the menu. Source: Target: GC Operation 4-9 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 160 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Using ‘Auto Select’ Feature: For faster selection of the Source/Target subcategories, a useful feature can be activated called ‘Auto Select’. To activate this function, click on the ‘Auto Select’ checkbox. This function will automatically select the most logical subcategory of Targets as soon as a Source Subcategory is selected. That is, if the ‘Digital In’ Source Subcategory is selected, the Targets List will automatically switch to show the ‘Channel In 1’ subcategory. However, even if this option is selected, it is possible to navigate to other Target subcategories manually after Source navigation. Use of Color for Navigation: Color is used in the Sources and Targets lists to give a clear indication and overview of the sources and targets which have connections patched. If a Source is connected to a Target or multiple targets, the Source label in the Sources List will be highlighted by a color. Similarly, if a target is connected to a Source or a number of different Sources, then the Target label in the Targets List will be highlighted by a color. The meaning of the colors is as follows: GREEN A single connection is made to the indicated Source or Target.
Page 161: What Subcategories Are There
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.1.3 What Subcategories are There? There are different subcategories for each of the Sources and Targets Lists: Sources: Targets: Each subcategory contains a number of Sources or Targets, depending on the current Session Configuration. Sometimes certain sections will not be pre- sent; for example, if no Channel Inserts have been configured, there will be no Insert Send section within the Sources List, and no Insert Return section within the Targets List. The size of the X-Y General Patch automatically adapts to the number of channels, input interfaces, output interfaces, and to the presence of DSP function blocks in the channels – as defined in the Session Configuration. Some detail information on the sections: Sources List: Dir Out All Direct Outputs of all channel types. Input Ports All input audio interfaces (AES/EBU, MADI, or D21m A/D converters). Insert Send Sends from the inserts of all channel types. Bus Out Unlike analog consoles, with the Vista any bus is a valid audio signal source;...
Page 162: How To Deal With The Analog Interfacing
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.2 How to Deal with the Analog interfacing? ‘Where are the analog interfaces coming in?’, you might be asking. We still need some analog sound. Here is how we achieve that task: The Vista Patch and DSP systems only know about digital interfacing. Since all analog input and output cards in the D21m I/O system are equipped with D/A or A/D converters, respectively, there is basically no difference between analog or digital inputs/outputs for the DSP. DSP Channels Inputs Outputs Input Channels AES/EBU AES/EBU MADI...
Page 163: Digital Input/Output Subclasses
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.3 Digital input/output Subclasses The ‘input ports’ (sources) and ‘output ports’ (targets) subcategories show the list of available physical inputs and outputs of the loaded session confi- guration. These sources and targets provide all the interfacing of the console to the outside world. For this reason, these are the most used of the sources and targets. It would therefore be extremely useful to be able to group certain physical inputs and similarly physical outputs together within the General Patch to aid navigation and viewing possibilities. This grouping of the ‘input ports’ sources and ‘output ports’ targets is known as ‘subclasses’. For the cre- ation of these subclasses, please refer to chapter 4.7.1. Subclasses are usually generated by the facility’s system administrator only. 4.4.2.3.1 Using Subclasses to Aid Navigation To use the subclasses, ensure that the ‘Use Subclasses’ check box is selected in the ‘Sort By’ window. When either the ‘input ports’ or ‘output ports’ subcategories are showing, right-click on the Sources/Targets list to show the selection menu. Note: Subclass Names are saved within User Preference files. If changes are made to the Subclass Names, a User Preference should be saved (see chapter 4.6.5). GC Operation 4-2 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 164: Making And Clearing The Cross-Points
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.4 Making and Clearing the Cross-Points The creation and updating of cross-points is simple. First, select the Source and Target; the Selection Bars have to be crossed to form an X-Y pair. There are two ways of making or breaking a cross-point connection: • By double-clicking the left trackball button, while the cursor is positioned over the crossed Selection Bars, or • By using the function keys on the control surface keyboard; Using the MAKE CONNECT (make connection) function key will always make a default connection, depending on the Source- and Target-type combination. Using the CLEAR CONNECT (clear connection) function key will always clear any cross-point connection. (This is the fastest method to make or clear a connection.) Double-clicking the left track ball button: This method is more sophisticated, because it allows you to select from a number of connection options displayed in a pop-up menu box. The menu display depends upon the combination of...
Page 165 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Stereo Source – Mono Target Icon Indicates Connection Type Left to Mono Right to Mono Clear Connection Protected Connection Mono Source – Stereo Target Icon Indicates Connection Type Mono to Both Left & Right Mono to Left (Leave Right as is) Mono to Right (Leave Left as is)
Page 166 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  Tip A feature is available for fast diagonal patching of multiple Sources to mul- tiple Targets. The example below shows this feature used in practice. • By keeping the left trackball button pressed while dragging the pointer across a region in the General Patch view, multiple connections can be selected now. • While the left trackball button is still pressed, a right-click opens a selec- tion window; when Auto is selected, any desired number of patch points can be connected at the same time. In the same way, multiple patch points also may be locked, unlocked or cleared in one go. • A double-click on a patch point allows either connecting or disconnecting this patch point immediately. Patching Surround Sources A surround source can very easily be patched to a 5.1 input channel by using the ‘auto’ patch facility, where all six discrete mono sources are patched at once and with one single click. Moreover, there is a ‘+’ unfold icon with every 5.1 target. When clicking on it, all 6 individual legs of the surround target are shown and can be patched in any desired order. Clicking on ‘-’ closes this view to show only one single patch connection again. 4-2 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 167: Editing The User Labels In The General Patch
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Connection Protection: It is also possible to protect a certain connection from accidental change both by the user or by recalling a snapshot. Double-clicking on a connection selects the padlock item to lock the connec- tion. To unlock, double-click again. Both the background of the Target as well as the connection become red. When attempting to change a protected connection, a warning appears, toge- ther with the instructions on how to unprotect the connection. 4.4.2.5 Editing the User labels in the General Patch In order to edit the User Labels in the General Patch view, first click on the desired Source or Target in the Sources/Targets list. Both the User and Fixed Labels for the selected Source or Target will be shown in the Label Fields at the bottom of the screen: Click on the User Label Field of the Source or Target. This will open a dialog box that allows editing a User Label, such as changing it from ‘Inp m 1 In1’ to ‘Snare’: To automatically move to the next Source/Target in the list, either click on ‘Next’ or hit ENTER on the keyboard. To close the dialog box click on ‘OK’.
Page 168: Sorting Options
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.5.1 Sorting Options There is a number of options for sorting the display of the Sources and Targets in the General Patch Lists. This sorting is independent of which label type is being displayed due to the global label mode selection. Sort by Fixed Label: Independent of the User Label, the Sources and Targets will be sorted and displayed in alphabetical order, depending on the Fixed Label of the Sour- ces/Targets. Sort by User Label: The Sources and Targets will be sorted and displayed in alphabetical order, depending on the User Labels of the Sources/Targets. To select the sorting method, check the ‘Fixed Label’ or ‘User Label’ option button as shown below: If the ‘Use Subclasses’ checkbox is selected, then the ‘Digital Input’ Source List and ‘Digital Output’ Target List will be sorted and grouped by the defined subclasses. This selection has highest priority of sorting.  Tip The most useful sorting method is to Sort by ‘Fixed Label’ and ‘Use Sub- classes’. 4.4.2.5.2 How to View the Different Label Types It is typical that a user will work in a single mode of label type display within the GC. There are times, however, when it is useful to temporarily display another of the label types globally within the GC to help with patching. The Label mode is changed by clicking on the ‘Label’ button in the system tool- bar: Clicking this button will toggle the label view globally throughout all parts of the GC. The label display can be toggled between ‘User’, ‘Inherited’...
Page 169: Working With Labels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.6 Working with labels For a detailed description of different label types, please refer to chapter 4.3.3. The most important aspect of any audio patching system is its labeling. Clear labeling allows fast navigation and fault-free patching. Labels exist within the general patch window as well as within each single channel. Depending on your preferred way of working, some of the label fields may be filled in automatically by the system (by setting some options), or you choose to type the labels manually in all the places. Two principal automatisms for automatically copying labels exist within your system:...
Page 170: Automatic Label Propagation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.6.1 Automatic Label Propagation The philosophy on Vista consoles concerning labeling is not to name any labels within channels, but to name patch sources in the General Patch, let- ting the system propagate them to the connected channels. Specifically, we are talking about two kinds of labels which will be propagated in this way: Device labels (technical labels), and User labels (session labels, e.g. track sheet). This also supports the workflow, whereby the operator first names his sources and then patches them to any possible channel. Advantages: If a source is connected to more than one channel, or if a patch is changed, the labels are correctly updated on the actually patched channels. You see what you hear! Change View by Clicking on Label Type Button...
Page 171: What Are Device Labels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System This may look as follows: Large Label = "Inherited Label" Small Label toggles to show 3 Channel Label Types Note In the Strip Setup window it is possible to display either the session labels (standard) or the device labels, depending on the option selected in the lower right corner of the window. 4.4.2.7 What are Device labels? All labels shown in the general patch and within the channel strips are always saved together with all audio settings within snapshots and presets. Some of the labels you will name in the patch will most likely represent your studio environment and where your equipment is connected to the console. E.g. you might possibly want to label the AES/EBU input 30 as ‘Tascam 11’, in order to recognize that you have connected your recorder that way. Since these labels are contained within each snapshot or preset, it is theoretically also possible to change the labels just by recalling a snapshot. In some cases this may be very useful (e.g. if you have entered a track sheet, but would like to use a different one for your next song), but in some cases this can be a handicap: E.g. you change your studio wiring slightly, e.g. add new equipment, but still want to use some of your older project settings. This would lead to the fact...
Page 172: How To Activate The Device Label Functionality
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.8 How to Activate the Device label Functionality In order to activate the automatic import of your device labels from the device label file, two conditions must be met: • There must be a preset file named ‘ ’ matching your __DeviceLabels.pre current session configuration and holding your device label names. • The ‘User Device Labels’ option in the SysAdmin/Device Labels menu must be activated. This will automatically show the device labels in the General Patch window when switching to the corresponding label mode. 4.4.2.9 Where are the Device labels Saved? As you know, these labels are normally not changed for a specific session, but will stay constant in a studio installation. This is why they are saved in a preset ( ) file, being valid for a whole session configuration, rather than *.pre just a snapshot or title. If you make a new session configuration or edit an existing one using the Session Configuration Tool, you will need to import the ‘...
Page 173: Naming Auxiliary Buses
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.13 naming Auxiliary Buses A name can be given to the auxiliary master channel, which is automatically propagated backwards to all displays of the input channel. Renaming the auxiliary master user label is done within the channel patch window. Double- click on the Usr (label) area and enter a name, e.g. the name of the device attached to the output of this auxiliary master channel. The given name will then automatically show up on the input channels rather than the auxiliary number. Note Aux bus naming is also possible in the strip setup window. 4.4.2.14 Matrix Buses This type of bus/output is used very often for live applications, particularly in PA operation. A matrix bus is a kind of an auxiliary bus typically fed only by master channels (subgroups, masters, aux masters), but not from input channels. The Configuration Editor 3.4 application (and newer) offers the...
Page 174: Multi-Track Buses With Switch For Pre-/Post-Fade And Pan On/Off
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Standard AUX Bus Matrix-Style AUX Bus Standard AUX Bus Matrix-Style AUX Bus Right-Click to Define AUX Usage To avoid confusion about which master is a ‘true’ auxiliary master and which one is a matrix output, it is recommended to rename the user label of the ‘matrix style’ master channels to MATRIX 1, for example. This name will then be propagated and properly displayed on the input channels – as descri- bed at the beginning of these notes. 4.4.2.15 Multi-Track Buses with Switch for Pre-/Post-Fade and Pan on/off When configuring the ‘Multitrack Enhanced’ bus type, additional parameters become available on the console. In the global OUT n–1 view or the local CHANNEL view, a multi-track send level is visible. This level is used for all...
Page 175: Automatic Generation Of Intelligent Fixed Labels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.2.16 Automatic Generation of intelligent Fixed labels Structure of Intelligent Fixed Labels: AES input 3 (out of 16) of I/O card 1 inserted in Hub 4 (COM port 4) B 0 R4/6 Line In 1/5...
Page 176: Channel Patch
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System frame is connected to the console via a serial link. However, when recalling a snapshot containing the ‘non intelligent’ fixed labels (e.g. from older pro- ductions), this will overwrite the fixed labels as well and make the ‘intelligent fixed labels’ disappear. In this case, select Regenerate Intelligent Fixed Labels within the SysAdmin menu and update this snapshot. 4.4.3 Channel Patch The Channel Patch page of the Graphical Controller can be called up in three different ways: • From the Page menu, by clicking on the appropriate menu item; • Using the Page icons, by clicking on the appropriate icon in the toolbar; • Using the CHAN PATCH function key on the control surface – which is probably the fastest way. To quickly switch back from General Patch to Channel Patch page, just click the right trackball button while the cursor is positioned over the X-Y field in the General Patch. As its name implies, the Channel Patch is channel-oriented, which means that only one channel is displayed at a time. To select a channel to be displayed in the Channel Patch page: • Press the LINK/SEL key on the desired Desk Channel Strip, or • Use the Channel Selector in the Toolbar (refer to chapter 4.2.1).
Page 177: Using The Channel Patch For Patching Audio
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Essentially, the Channel Patch provides a block diagram of the selected channel’s audio path. All channel types can be selected. From the Channel Patch, you can: • View General Patch connections to and from the selected channel; • Directly access the channel’s patch points in the General Patch; • View channel’s DSP processing blocks; • Set the order of DSP processing blocks in the selected channel’s audio path; • Toggle three-way input selector of the selected channel; • Toggle selected channel’s two-way Dynamics key selector; • View and edit selected channel’s Desk Labels; • Switch off selected channel’s Label Inheritance function; • Set the Metering source point in the selected channel’s audio path; • Set the Direct Output source point in the selected channel’s audio path;...
Page 178: Setting The Order Of Dsp Processing Blocks
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.3.2 Setting the order of DSP Processing Blocks The following processing blocks (provided they have been configured) can be placed individually at different locations along the Audio Path of each channel: • EQ; • Insert Point; • Dynamics (Compressor/Limiter/Expander/Gate/Sidechain); • Delay; • Fader & ON/OFF Mute. The actual order of the system blocks is user-modifiable, and can be changed at any time. The order is saved with Snapshots and Presets. To change the system-block order, use the familiar drag-and-drop tech- nique: • Click on the selected blocks, and hold down the trackball button;...
Page 179: Set The Metering And Direct Out Source Point
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.3.5 Set the Metering and Direct out Source Point Set Metering Source Point: To set the Metering Source point in the selected channel’s audio path, click on one of the three Meter boxes. The channel meter will now be sourced from the selected point in the signal path. Available points in the signal path are: • After Input Block; • After Fader & Mute; • After Direct Out level control. The Meter Source point is saved within Snapshots and Presets. Note: There will only be two Meter Source points if Direct Outputs have not been configured for the selected channel. To set the Metering Source points for more channels at a time, use the Option – Meter/Generator menu (refer to chapter 4.6.4.1). Set Direct Output source Point: If a Direct Output is included in a channel’s configuration, it can be fed from one of three points in the audio path. To set the Direct Output source point, click on one of the three ‘wires’ connected to the Dir Box (the current con- nection will be shown solid, while the two possible connections are displayed as dotted lines). The Direct Out will now be fed from the selected point in the signal path. Available points in the signal path are: •...
Page 180: Setup & Activate The Dynamics Sidechain Link
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.3.7 Setup & Activate the Dynamics Sidechain link The effect of a Dynamics Sidechain Link, if activated, is identical to any item of outboard gear set to Link or Stereo mode. This function is used to control between two and eight Dynamics Processors inserted into up to eight different channels. Regardless of which channel is carrying the highest signal level, all processors will the provide the same gain modification. In this way, Stereo or Multi-channel Surround image stability will be preserved. Unlike in many analog consoles with dynamics units, the channels to be linked do not need to have adjacent locations. Note: The number of Sidechain Links available (if any) is determined by the Ses- sion Configuration. Additional links can only be created using the Session Configuration Tool. To activate the Sidechain Link for a selected channel, check the Enable Sidechain Link box. This will activate linking of the Sidechain with another channel, or with other channels assigned to that particular Link Group. The channel must be assigned to a Link Group in order for the Enable Sidechain Link box to function. The SCL (Sidechain Link) keys on the Vistonics...
Page 181 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Sidechain Link Setup: Click on the Sidechain Link Setup button to bring up the Sidechain Link editor screen, which allows selecting available links and adding/removing of channels to/from the links. Select Available Sidechain Links To Delete a Channel From a Link: Select it and Press DEL on the Keyboard...
Page 182: Snapshot Page
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4 Snapshot Page The Snapshot page of the Graphical Controller can be called up in three dif- ferent ways: • From the Page menu, by clicking on the appropriate menu item • Using the Page icons, by clicking on the appropriate icon in the toolbar • Using the SNAPSHOT function key on the console – which is probably the fastest way. The Snapshot Page deals with Snapshot and Preset management. Snapshots and Presets are extremely helpful when working with a digital console as they contain the static values for all console parameters. The difference between Snapshots and Presets is simple: while Snapshots can be edited freely, Presets can only be edited in System Administration mode (refer to chapter 4.7) after having entered the System Administrator password. Snapshots are saved within Titles, and Presets are saved with Session Confi- gurations. Because of this, Snapshots are readily available only while using the Title in which they were created. On the other hand, all Presets that were created using a particular Session Configuration are available in any Title that uses that configuration. This allows Presets to be used as templates (based upon that configuration), while Snapshots are specific to individual projects or sessions. An other difference between Snapshots and Presets is that any filtering mechanism is active for Snapshots only, but not for Presets. This means that...
Page 183: Snapshots
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.1 Snapshots To capture a new Snapshot of the various user controls, press the MAKE SNAPSHOT key on the console: The new Snapshot will automatically be numbered like SNAPSHOT #1 SNAP- etc. SHOT #2, GC Operation 4-4 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 184 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Now You Can: Recall a Snapshot • Select a Snapshot from the List, and • click on the Recall button, or • simply double-click on the snapshot you wish to recall. Clicking on the Next button will recall the currently selected snapshot, move down by one row in the Snapshot list and recall the next Snapshot. The Snap- shot that was recalled last is marked with a small triangle. If the ‘Snapshot Confirm’ option in the Options menu (refer to chapter 4.6.4.10) is checked, there will be a pop-up dialog requiring confirmation of Snapshot Recall. This capability is useful for live environments, where you may not wish to delete or overwrite too easily what you are doing. Note Once a Snapshot or Preset is applied, the existing parameter settings are replaced by those contained within the Snapshot or Preset. If the previous settings had not been saved, there is an Undo button available, in order to go back to the last settings before recalling the Snapshot or Preset. This has to be confirmed as well if the ‘Snapshot Confirm’ option in the Options menu is active, as mentioned above. Snapshot Preview If you are not completely sure whether the selected snapshot is the right one, click on the Preview button. Its colour changes to pink, and the Vistonics™...
Page 185 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Update a Snapshot • Select a Snapshot from the List, and • Click on the Update button. This action will bring up a window that allows the user to confirm the update. An update will save any changes you since made under the selected Snapshot’s name. Delete Snapshot(s) • Select a Snapshot from the List, or • Select any number of Snapshots from the List using the familiar Windows multiple-selection techniques (press Shift and select the first and the last snapshot with the trackball pointer, or press Ctrl and select whichever you desire with the trackball pointer). A click on Delete will bring up a window to confirm the deletion. View the Snapshot Info • Select a Snapshot from the List, and • Click on the Info button. This will bring up a window displaying the Snap- shot Name, the Snapshot Creation Date & Time, and the Snapshot Last...
Page 186: Multiple Snapshots
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.2 Multiple Snapshots Updating Multiple Snapshots Very often, certain parameters should be overwritten in multiple snapshots. It may be important that only certain parameters are overwritten and others are left as they are in the individual snapshots. In order to achieve this, place those parameters into ‘Isolate’ mode and recall a snapshot. If this action is now followed by an Update command, the values are changed as requested. By using Trim mode (see chapter 4.4.4.7), it is even possible to apply relative changes to individual parameters of snapshots. E.g. place the fader 1 into Trim mode and lower it by 8 dB. Recall the next snapshot and click Update. This will save the original value of the second snapshot, reduced by 8 dB, to the hard disk. See example #2 below for details. This can be done even faster: First select multiple snapshots and click Recall and Update once. Note The Update button is changing its name whenever multiple snapshots are selected. Selecting Multiple Snapshots Multiple snapshots can be selected at the same time by using the keyboard  SHIFT and CTRL keys. The selection of multiple snapshots is following standard windows rules:  SHIFT + click selects all snapshots in between the two, CTRL + click allows selection of individual snapshots. Example 1 Goal The value of channel 3 should be overwritten and set to –20 dB on ‘Snapshot #1’, ‘Snapshot #3’, and ‘Snapshot #5’ Procedure Place the fader to –20 dB. Hold ISO on channel strip 3. Touch the fader in order to put it into isolate mode. Select ‘Snapshot #1’ with the trackball. Hold the CTRL key on the control bay, and select ‘Snapshot #3’ and ‘Snapshot #5’.
Page 187 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Example 2 Goal The value of channel 3 should be reduced by 4 dB on ‘Snapshot #1’, ‘Snapshot #3’, and ‘Snapshot #5’. These snapshots currently contain the following fader values: ‘Snapshot #1’: 0 dB; ‘Snapshot #3’: –5 dB; ‘Snapshot #5’: –10 dB. Therefore, after the update they should contain the new, updated values: ‘Snapshot #1’: –4 dB; ‘Snapshot #3’: –9 dB; ‘Snapshot #5’: –14 dB. Make sure the Enable Trim mode option in the ‘Option: Snapshot Auto- Procedure mation’ menu is set. Recall any snapshot. Hold ISO on channel strip 3. Touch the fader twice in order to put it into Trim mode. Lower the fader of channel 3 by 4 dB (the exact trim value will be displayed on the Vistonics ™ screen). Select ‘Snapshot #1’ with the trackball. Hold the CTRL key on the control bay, and select ‘Snapshot #3’ and ‘Snapshot #5’. Click on ‘Recall and Update’, and confirm that you want to overwrite these snapshots. The console will automatically recall and update the selected snapshots. Since the console assumes that the controls being in Trim mode have been placed into this mode for the purpose of this update, the operator will be asked whether these controls should be taken out of Trim mode afterwards. GC Operation 4-4 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 188: Snapshot Crossfading
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.3 Snapshot Crossfading It is possible to define a crossfade time for each Snapshot. This is done by simply clicking on the crossfade time and scroll your trackball up or down. If the crossfade feature is deactivated (see below), it is impossible to adjust the crossfade time. The Snapshot crossfading may be deactivated by deselecting the Xfade Active option on the Snapshot Screen. Settings that cannot be crossfaded (switches) can either switch at the begin- ning, in the middle of the crossfade or after the crossfade. This behavior can be defined in the Snapshot Automation Options window selected from the Options menu. There, it is also possible to define a Default Crossfade Time. For an explanation of the Enable Trim Mode option, refer to chapter 4.4.4.7.
Page 189: Additional Snapshot Functionality
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.4 Additional Snapshot Functionality In addition to the dedicated MAKE SNAPSHOT hardware key, there are four SNAPSHOT 1...4 keys for saving and recalling four individual snapshots on these keys. Assign a Snapshot to a Key: To save a snapshot onto one of the 4 keys, push and hold down the MAKE SNAPSHOT key, then hit the key you would like it to be saved on. Depending on which of the keys you select, a snapshot will be generated in the Snap- shot List called , where x is the number of the selected button __Snapx_Key between 1 and 4. This snapshot can now be recalled at any time using the dedicated key by holding down the RECALL SNAPSHOT key and pressing the desired SNAPSHOT key. The need for a two-key operation provides a certain level of security. A new snapshot can be applied to one of the dedicated keys even if the button already has a snapshot saved to it. In this instance, the previously saved snap- shot will be overwritten.  Tip To ensure that a snapshot that has been saved on a dedicated key is not...
Page 190: Partial Snapshots
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Snapshot Preview: By clicking on the PREVIEW button, the console enters this mode. Regard- less of which Snapshot the user selects, pink elements within all Vistonics ™ elements will show any difference between the current console settings and the settings within the previewed Snapshot. It is still possible to recall any Snapshot by all mechanisms described above. When pressing any of the four dedicated SNAPSHOT 1...4 keys without pressing the RECALL SNAPSHOT key at the same time, that corresponding snapshot is automatically only previewed. It is also possible to preview it only momentarily by pressing e.g. the SNAPSHOT 1 key for a longer period; the key will be lit as long as the preview is active. 4.4.4.5 Partial Snapshots It is possible to create snapshots that do not affect the whole console when recalled. They are called ‘partial snapshots’. When recalling such a snapshot, only some of the channels – or even only some of their elements – are being changed on the desk. Partial snapshots are being marked with a checkmark next to the crossfade time. Creating a Partial Snapshot The easiest way to create a partial snapshot is to gang some channels and make a snapshot, while having the ‘New Snapshots include:’ setting set to...
Page 191 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System If no gang is present, the whole console settings will be saved in a full snap- shot. If the ‘New Snapshots include:’ setting is set to ‘No Mask’, there will always be made a full snapshot, regardless of a gang being present or not. It is also possible to set the partial snapshot to ‘Active Snapshot Filter’. This will actually create a partial snapshot out of the settings currently not masked out by a Snapshot Filter. Saving Snapshot Masks When working with partial snapshots (option available in ‘Option: ‘Snapshot Automation’), it is possible to right-click on the Edit link to the right of the snapshots. A context menu will allow not only copying and pasting of masks between snapshots, but also saving and loading of masks to/from files. The files will be saved in the C:\d950System\Users directory. This function can be very helpful when multiple operators are working on the console. During rehearsals, both operators may randomly save snapshots. After the rehearsal they select ‘their’ snapshots and apply a prepared mask to them. This will make these particular snapshots only influence the part of the console which the operator was working on. Other applications may contain any recall of more complex masks. Editing Snapshot Masks If a partial snapshot already has been made and the user finds that he forgot to have some channels in that snapshot, there is a powerful method to correct the mask contained in a partial snapshot. As it has been mentioned at the begin- ning of this chapter, each snapshot file in general contains all settings of the console. A partial snapshot just adds an invisible mask to the audio settings. Therefore it is possible to enter an edit mode, showing the mask of a partial snapshot and giving the possibility to edit it. Let’s say you had channels 1 to 5 in a gang and made a partial snapshot of them, it is easily possible afterwards to tell the system that this snapshot should have also contained the channel 6 data. How to do this? GC Operation 4-5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 192: Typical Applications
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Next to each snapshot there is an Edit link at the very right of the snapshot list. By clicking this button, you will put the console into the ‘partial snapshot filter edit’ mode. Then you will see the same edit dialog box on the screen as when editing the snapshot filter. Also the desk doesn’t show your audio set- tings anymore, but the mask defining the focus of that partial snapshot. You may now press ISO on one or more channels, create a gang, and add multiple channels to the partial snapshot, or touch and press any other control. The same mechanism will apply as when editing the snapshot filter. Upon clicking the Edit link again, you leave the edit mode, and the console is back to display normal audio settings. When you are not in the edit mode of the partial snapshots mask, you are also able to copy and paste masks across from one snapshot to one or multiple others. Simply right-click on the Edit link of a snapshot mask and use the standard windows commands. 4.4.4.6 Typical Applications Isolate one or more channels from being changed by upcoming snapshot recalls: Press ISO on the corresponding channels. The user may create a gang first in order to isolate multiple channels at a time. Isolate just the EQ of one or more channels from being changed by upcoming snapshot recalls: Press and hold ISO in order to enter the edit snapshot filter mode, indicated by magenta-colored frames within all Vistonics elements of this channel. All ™ LEDs will now display their isolation status but not the audio. E.g. if the EQ button is lit at this time, the EQ is isolated. In order to change the isolation...
Page 193: Snapshot Filtering (Static Automation)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.7 Snapshot Filtering (Static Automation) At the time of recalling a snapshot, there might be a filter active, leaving some console settings unchanged upon recall of any snapshot. Each console parameter can therefore be in one of the following states: • Isolate ( = part of the filter); this parameter will not be influenced by snap- shot recalls. Indication: yellow ‘I’. • Read ( = not filtered); this parameter may be changed upon recall of any snapshots. Indication: none. • Trim ( = offsets applied to snapshot recalls); any changes since the last snapshot recall will be applied in a relative way to upcoming snapshot recalls. Indication: red ‘T’. There are some different ways to define the parameters to be filtered out. Note: The static automation system (filtering) cannot be active on a console which has dynamic automation available. The decision which functionality is availa-...
Page 194 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System This window allows adding a whole group of parameters to your snapshot filter. Either select one of the four groups on top, or one of the listed buses. Audio Settings: Will add all channel processing functions to your snapshot filter. Input/Bus Assign Settings: Will add the input switches of all channels as well as all bus assignments to your snapshot filter. General Patch Setting: Will add the General Patch to your snapshot filter, meaning that no patch points will change when recalling a snapshot. User Labels: Will add all user labels (within the General Patch as well as within the channel strips) to the snapshot filter. Bus: This is a very powerful feature. By clicking e.g. on ‘Aux m 1’, you will add all relevant parameters to your snapshot filter, such that the Mono AUX Bus 1 will not be influenced by any snapshot recalling. Included are: • The levels of all channels routed onto that bus • The bus assign (on/off switch) of all channels for that bus • The corresponding master channel with all its settings • The output patch made from that master channel to any output ports. Caution: Clicking on the ‘Clear All’ button will completely remove the snapshot filter and therefore may change all console parameters upon the next snapshot recall.
Page 195: Presets
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System De-activating Snapshot Filters It is possible to de-activate an existing filter in order to re-activate it at a later point. Click on the corresponding icon in the toolbar to activate/de-activate the current snapshot filter, or press the MIX ON key on the Automation panel. If the snapshot filter is de-activated, the icon for entering the snapshot filter edit mode is grayed-out and not accessible. Trim Mode It is also possible to put elements into Trim mode. In that mode, you may have recalled a snapshot and make some corrections (e.g. push the fader up by some dB). This change will then be applied to all following snapshots when recalling them. This feature is very handy if you have prepared a performance and need to correct some levels when the show really starts. Obviously it is good to have that correction applied to all snapshots of the show. Note: When going back to Read mode, the elements will jump back to the original snapshot value. In order to activate the Trim mode as a third possible status of the elements, the Enable Trim Mode option must be activated in the Snapshot Automation Options window. Then the snapshot filter will not only contain two (Read and Isolate) but three modes: Read, Isolate, and Trim. Switches cannot go into Trim mode, therefore their indication is not different (yellow ‘I’). However, the rotary controllers and faders will toggle between ‘Read’, yellow ‘I’ for ‘Isolate’ and red ‘T’ for ‘Trim’. 4.4.4.8 Presets Presets are exactly the same as Snapshots. However, they normally can only be recalled but not edited; so their main purpose is to represent – as the name implies – a number of starting console setups that can be recalled, used to build particular refinements from there, and then saved as normal Snapshot files. To access Presets from the Snapshot Page, click on the Presets tag. Presets are saved with the Session Configuration, because it is assumed that they may be valid for more than one Title. The file extension is *.pre If the System Administration mode (refer to chapter 4.7) is activated (by ente-...
Page 196: Default Settings
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.4.9 Default Settings In the Preset List, there is always one line labeled defaultSettings. This is a Preset that is automatically generated for every Session Configuration, but no file will be found in the corresponding Session Configuration directory (as would be the case for other Presets). When recalled, the defaultSettings will reset the console to the defaults – it functions much like a Total Reset. DefaultSettings cannot be edited, renamed, deleted or updated. 4.4.4.10 Files and Backup Snapshots and Presets are saved as Windows-compatible files. Usually, Snapshots are saved in the current Title directory, with a file *.snp extension. Usually, Presets are saved in the Session Configuration directory, with a *.pre file extension. All Snapshot and Preset files can be copied or moved to and restored from a backup medium using the Make/Restore Backup facility (refer to chapter 4.6.1.3). 4-5 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 197: Cue List / Theatre Cue List
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5 Cue list / Theatre Cue list Two different cue list functionalities are available. It allows sorting snapshots as well as attaching MIDI and HiQNet commands to each of them. Each title can contain one cue list. It can be controlled from external controllers using MIDI. It is possible to use standard ‘MIDI show control’ commands as well as recalling certain cues with a user-defined MIDI command (note or program change). Cue lists are only available in ‘static’ mode, hence not when dynamic automation is active. Opening the cue list is done either by clicking on the Cue Icon in the GC screen’s toolbar, or by using the CUE: LIST key on the control bay. 4.4.5.1 ‘Standard’ Cue list The cue list helps to deal with parts of a musical piece or film you want to keep track of in time. That could be items such as Intro, Chorus A, Bridge,...
Page 198 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Capture To quickly make a cue (and edit the name and/or timecode stamp later, if necessary), either press CAPTURE CUE in the control bay’s MACHINE CON- TROL panel (option) on the console, or click on Capture in the GC’s cue list window when you hear the audio event to be marked: In both cases, a cue point will be generated, automatically numbered, and stamped with the current timecode address at the moment the key was pressed. Make Making a cue means: • First enter a name within the edit window that appears when you click the Make button • Wait for the right audio event to occur, and click the on-screen OK button, or press the ENTER key on the desk keyboard A cue point with the entered name will be generated and stamped with the current timecode as soon as you click OK or press ENTER. You can edit both name and TC stamp later, if necessary.
Page 199 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Edit Opens an edit window that allows changes to be made to the name and the timecode stamp of a selected cue from the cue list. Delete Opens an edit window that allows one or more cues to be deleted from the list. Select a cue in the list by clicking on it, or select any number of cues from the list using the familiar Windows multiple-selection techniques (drag trackball, or press SHIFT and select with the cursor). Click on the Delete button. This action will bring up a window asking you to confirm the delete operation. Info Calls up cue info: Click on the Info button; that will bring up a window displaying • Cue list name; • Cue list creation date and time; • Cue list last modification date and time.  Tip To enter timecode values, use the control surface keyboard’s numeric keypad. The keypad features a double-zero key (00) to speed up the process. You do not have to enter any punctuation marks – i.e., no colons or commas between hour, minute, second, and frame values – since they will be added automati- cally. Click-and-Scroll Method This is an alternate method for fast timecode entries. It is initiated by the clicking-and-holding the left trackball button followed by a trackball move. in vertical direction. Please note that the common TC entry shortcuts apply; for more information on this subject refer to chapter 5.16.4.2. GC Operation 4-59 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 200: Theatre Cue List
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2 Theatre Cue list In order to activate the ‘theatre cue list’ functionality, enter the ‘Option - Static Automation’ menu and tick the Enable Theatre Cue List item (the further menu options are described in chapter 4.4.5.2.15). The cue list window looks similar to the screenshot below. A detailed theatre workflow tutorial is given in chapter 4.4.5.3. In addition, the D950system.ini file must be modified by the system admin- istrator with the following entry: [options] - TheatreMode=Yes. The Virtual Vista application not only lends itself for offline system setup, but also for preparing a theatre cue list for a new show, while e.g. the console is still used for the show currently played. For details of Virtual Vista, please refer to chapter 2.7. The theatre cue list contains the Snapshots, Events and Configuration areas at its left. The Snapshots area shows the currently available console snap- shots; they can be dragged-and-dropped into the desired cue row of the cue list’s # column. The Events area allows dragging-and-dropping the desired 4-0 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 201: Cross-Fading Between Cues
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System events into the cue list’s Events column. If one of the events is selected, the Configuration area shows the settings and options useful for the current event. A click on the Library Entries button opens the cue actor overview window that gives a comprehensive overview of all library events. At the bottom of the theatre cue list window, the name of the current cue (and snapshot, if appropriate) is indicated in large characters so that it may be clearly read even from a certain distance. The last and the next cue’s names are displayed as well at the upper or lower border of this indication field in small characters. Any desired cue from the list can be recalled either by...
Page 202: Organizing Events
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Five seconds later, Cue #2 is recalled. Faders 11…20 will start moving down. After six seconds, faders 11…20 have finished their cross-fade and are set to –40 dB. After ten seconds faders 1…10 also have finished their cross-fade and are set to –20 dB. 4.4.5.2.2 Organizing Events It is possible to move events from one cue to a different one by using drag- and-drop. Also, snapshots may be moved between cues using drag-and-drop. In this way, snapshots can be replaced or exchanged within cues. 4.4.5.2.3 Updating Snapshots The snapshot names displayed in the cue list are only referring to the corre- sponding snapshot contained in the snapshot list. It is therefore possible to use the same snapshot in multiple cues, possibly using different cross-fade times. When updating a snapshot, the cues containing it will automatically use the updated snapshot. Note Snapshots can be updated from within the cue list window; right-click on the snapshot within the snapshot list in the top left corner in order to get different options, such as Make, Update, Name, etc.
Page 203: Xfade Active
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2.6 XFade Active It may be useful to temporarily disable cue cross-fades (e.g., during rehear- sals). This can be done by un-checking this item. 4.4.5.2.7 Preview The snapshot/cue preview mode can be activated either by a hardware key or by clicking on the button located in the top right corner of the cue list window. When in preview mode, the cue or snapshot currently selected (single click) is compared to the current audio settings. If there is a difference, Vistonics ™ shows both values at the same time, using a pink graphical indication. When pressing the dedicated snapshot keys above the trackball, the preview mode is automatically activated until the same key is pressed again. 4.4.5.2.8 MIDI Show Control Device It is possible to control the cue list by using ‘MIDI Show Control’ commands. Vista 8 acts as a slave in this case. The following ‘MIDI Show Control’ com- mands are supported: Go, Stop, Resume, Load, Reset, Standby+, Standby–, Sequence+, Sequence–. Vista is designated as a Music Command Format (0x11). The MIDI device ID is set in the ‘Option: Snapshot Automation’ menu. Examples Next Cue: F0 7F [Device ID] 02 11 01 F7 (Go command) Previous Cue: F0 7F [Device ID] 02 11 12 F7 (Standby Command), then F0 7F [Device ID] 02 11 01 F7 (Go Command) Recall Cue 3.5: F0 7F [Device ID] 02 11 01 33 2E 35 F7 (Go Command with Q specified)
Page 204: Event Types
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2.10 Event Types Library Events Cue-based theatre productions need a large number of parameter changes per channel, usually for a number of subsequent cues. Example: In scene 3, the character Jasbo Brown played by Daniel wears a wide-brimmed hat, changing the sound of his lavalier microphone due to reflections. The solution is to modify the EQ of his channel in order to make up for the different microphone response. This is valid for cues 3, 4, 8...10, etc., (‘Hat EQ’). For cues 5...7, the original EQ settings have to be applied, while cue 11 demands for a flat EQ. This can easily be achieved with Library Events. They may be adjusted while running the show, without the need to update the cue settings that are ahead of the current cue. A detailed theatre workflow tutorial is given in chapter 4.4.5.3. 4-4 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 205 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System MIDI/MMC Events The MIDI/MMC (MIDI machine control) event type can either be used for automatically sending MIDI commands if the symbol has been entered into the Events column (such as Program, Note On, Controller, MMC and Sysex), or for triggering the associated cue on arrival of the command if the symbol has been entered into the  column (such as Program, Note On or Control- ler). MMC commands are a subset of the MIDI Sysex (‘system exclusive’) com- mand set that are used for triggering transport commands for external play- back equipment, such as Stop, Play, Locate, etc.; ‘Deferred Play’ is a Play command that is executed after the playback transport has found the desired cue position. A MIDI event is entered either by dragging it from the Events area and drop- ping it into the Events column of the selected cue, or by a right-click into the Events column of the selected cue and selecting the desired event from the dropdown list. It can be configured in the Configuration area, or deleted if highlighted by a click and either pressing Del on the keyboard or clicking on the Cue Delete button. If MIDI input control signals are used, a MIDI event symbol is inserted into the  column of the cue list, either by dragging-and-dropping it from the Configuration area or just by double-clicking into the desired cue list cell. For deleting it, either highlight it with a click and press Del on the keyboard or click on the Cue Delete button. It can also be deleted from the cue list with a double click. In order to avoid undesired influence by external devices, the ARM CUELIST button is used to arm/disarm the cue list inputs. If not armed, the blackout function, MIDI In events, as well as the hardware NEXT and PREVIOUS keys on the console surface are disabled. Different options for this button can be set in the Option - Snapshot Automation menu.
Page 206 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Timed Events For a timed event, the time until the next cue is recalled as well as the number of the next recalled cue can be set. When clicking into the corresponding entry field, the recall time can also be adjusted by moving the mouse or the trackball up/down (range: 0…60 seconds). A progress bar is shown in the large cue area while the timer is running. Dynamic Automation Events With dynamic automation events, automatic parameter changes can be inserted into a cue, such as cross-fades, panorama or AUX level changes. Programming such events is very convenient and easy. Dynamic automation events are only used when working with the theatre cue list, therefore the console has to be started in static rather than in dynamic mode. After a click on the Dyn Auto icon in the cue list it is highlighted (blue back- ground), and the Configuration area shows the controls used for the dynamic automation, see below. For recording, e.g., a fade-in, just click on the record button. The automa-...
Page 207 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System recording is then started either by touching a control (fader or rotary knob), by pressing a key (e.g. MUTE), or by a click on the pause button. Once the recording is complete, click on stop. The easiest way to record different controls at once (such as for a cross-fade), this is best done on the console. However, since the automation system allows several record passes with different controls, one after the other, a cross-fade can also be recorded with Virtual Vista on the online editor, or even on the offline editor. All mix passes are saved, and if the operator is unhappy with the last one (or several of them), he just uses the Kill Pass x button in order to delete as many of the mix passes as desired. Please note that no ‘undo’ function is available for the Kill Pass x button. The cue mix files are saved in the CueMixFiles subfolder of the D950SYSTEM folder (main D950 projects folder). They follow the same...
Page 208: Vca / Channel Mute Mode
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System All channels currently muted are indicated in red. The ones being part of a VCA group have the group number in their upper part. When right-clicking on one of the channels, a list with all group assignment possibilities pops up; a channel can also be muted or un-muted without an assignment to a VCA group. A detailed theatre workflow tutorial is given in chapter 4.4.5.3. 4.4.5.2.11 VCA / Channel Mute Mode A snapshot includes all audio parameters of the console by definition. This means that the sound designer would have to specify for each cue what audio parameters should be masked from snapshot recall, so that only certain param- eters change. In most cases however, making changes of VCA assignments, VCA labels, and channel mute status per cue is preferred, rather than working with snapshots in the ‘normal’ sense. Aside from this, the desk has to work in a manual way whereby the operator is not concerned with snapshot recall but only with changes of certain parameters within certain cues. The theatre cue list offers a philosophy that does not only deal with snapshots and attached recall masks per cue, but offers that the snapshots of the VCA/mute and other parameter changes are handled per cue by a library system that stores the parameters. Please note that the VCA assignment and channel mute parameters are neither saved nor overwritten by snapshots.
Page 209: Isolate Labels And Vca Assignment
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2.12 Isolate Labels and VCA Assignment In order to allow label changes being copied into several snapshots (by recall- ing and updating snapshots) they need to be able being isolated on an input port-by-input port basis. This is done with the isolate button next to the User Label button in the general patch page; if isolation is active, the button is highlighted in yellow. Isolated User Label The VCA assigns need to be able to being isolated as well. The VCA assign isolation can also be done on the input channel side, individually channel- per-channel. This is done in the channel patch page. Isolated VCA Assignment Isolated VCA User Label 4.4.5.2.13 Mute Groups In theatre mode, the mute groups are fully independent from snapshots and VCA/mute events. Mute group mutes will neither be saved in the snapshots in this case, nor will they be overwritten by a snapshot recall. GC Operation 4-9 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 210: Hard Mute
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2.14 Hard Mute ‘Hard mute’ is an additional mute status. It can be used in the same way as a mute group, but doesn’t need a mute group setup and has, in particular, top priority over any other programmed mutes. This means that a hard mute is fully independent of what is recalled via a snapshot, a VCA/mute event or a mute group. It can be applied to every desired channel at any time, making sure that no audio is passing through this/these channel(s). Its main purpose is solving problems with a channel, if, e.g., a wireless microphone is defec- tive. In order to set up a hard mute, first the corresponding option needs to be activated. This is done in the User - Vista Settings window. Select the Misc tab and tick the Live mode activates Hard Mute entry. A click on the LIVE button (or pressing the small LIVE key in the desk’s CONTROL ROOM monitor section) followed by a channel MUTE button acti- vates a hard mute of this channel, regardless whether this channel is currently muted or not. If a channel is hard-muted, a indicator appears in the Vistonics label area, and the MUTE button is illuminated. If a hard mute is applied to a channel that already has a ‘soft mute’ caused either by the system (via a snapshot or a VCA/mute event) or manually with the MUTE button, this is indicated by illuminating the MUTE button together with the small MUTE LED, as shown below. 4-0 GC Operation SW V4.5...
Page 211: Cue List Options Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.2.15 Cue List Options Menu In the ‘Option - Snapshot Automation Options’ menu the following options are available: Default Crossfade Options The system allows cross-fading between two cues. The default cross-fade values may be defined here. These will be used whenever a cue is created. Switch Options Describes the behavior of switches (e.g. MUTE, EQ on/off etc.) during a cross- fade. They apply if a switch changes its state in the next cue. They may change their state before, during, or after the cross-fade. Default Crossfade Time Set default value of cross-fades when new cues are created (enter in seconds).
Page 212: Theatre Workflow Tutorial
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.3 Theatre Workflow Tutorial In general, a cue-based production usually has a workflow similar to the fol- lowing scenario: Console Setup The channels are labeled, patch connections are made, etc. Building Cues With the help of the script, the cues are created and named. VCAs are labeled and channels are assigned to VCAs. Mutes are made (per cue). Rehearsal Phase This is the first time that the cast is involved. No orchestra yet, just a piano. Mic gains and EQs are set, but only in a hurry, since rehearsals go fast (through all cues). With more rehearsals, the mic gain and EQ settings get refined. Cues need to be added. Dress Rehearsal Phase This is the first time that the orchestra/band is involved. These channels can now be setup (gain, EQ, monitor mix). Now with dresses, props and orchestra, vocals sound different; mic gains and EQs need to be refined. Preview Rehearsal Phase This is the first time that an audience is involved. Things sound different again since the audience modifies the acoustics of the venue. Fader levels, gains and EQs need to be adapted. Shows During the show, the console operator reads the script, goes from cue to cue and rides VCA master levels. Usually there is no time available for changing parameters apart from the VCA levels. Basically, the channel settings don’t change anymore, but it may happen anyway (almost every show) that an actor or a musician of the orchestra needs to be replaced due to sickness or other reasons.
Page 213: Console Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.3.1 Console Setup Tip: Always work with active device labels (SysAdmin – Device Labels – Use Device Labels, and Overwrite Chan. User Label with Device Label) In this phase, all the necessary console setup work is made. No actors or musicians need to be on stage. Therefore this setup phase can also be done with Virtual Vista without having the physical console available. • Create an appropriate VMC configuration. • Load this configuration and create appropriate project and title names for the particular production.
Page 214: Building Cues
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.3.2 Building Cues Cues can be built on the Virtual Vista. When the rehearsals begin at a later stage, the title needs to be transferred to the ‘real’ console. Depending on the time available, cues may, of course, be built on the ‘real’ console directly. In both cases the goal is having audio as soon as it is needed for the first rehears- als. Creating Actors Since the library events are sorted in the channel settings library by actor names, consider entering their real names, if they are already available at this stage. Having all the names already entered in the library ready to use and to save settings with it would be a good preparatory step. It may also be done later, however. Creating Cues This is the next step. It is usually done according to the script. The best way to do this is creating and naming all cues used for the play. In the process, the Cue Make and Cue Renumber functionalities can be used in order to build and update the cue list until it is complete. This phase may last throughout several rehearsal stages. Tip In order to be able later to make efficient use of library events, it is recom- mended that the first cue of a show has a snapshot attached, making sure that the console is in a 100% defined state at the beginning of the show. This would be the ‘basic settings’ snapshot created during console setup. Since the library and the VCA/mute events are completely separate from snapshots, the console’s basic settings remain static for all channels for which...
Page 215 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System no library events are used throughout the whole show. Adjusting any static parameters of the console and overwriting the ‘basic settings’ snapshot is an easy way of updating the static settings, without affecting or overwriting the changes that are caused through the VCA/mute and library events on a cue- by-cue basis. VCA Master and Mute Setup Along with the cues, it is very likely that input channels are grouped and assigned to VCA master faders. The setup is done in a very efficient way using VCA/mute events . The whole setup process is done in one single window. Normally, the channels that are not used in a cue need to be muted, in order to avoid that an actor who still wears his wireless microphone backstage while he is e.g. changing his costume can be heard over the PA system. Therefore, all channels not assigned to a VCA master are muted automati- cally if the Unmute/Mute VCA Members option is ticked in the Option – Snapshot Automation window, as shown below. Either a double-click on the VCA/mute icon or a single click on the VCA/mute icon followed by a click on the Edit VCA assignments... button (at the bottom of the Configuration area) opens the VCA Details window. It looks very similar to the strip setup window. Muted channels are shown in red, and the small digit at the upper end of every channel indicates to which VCA master this channel is currently assigned. By right-clicking on a name a history window is shown that lists the VCA names already used within the current production. GC Operation 4-5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 216 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System A right-click on the VCA/mute event icon of the current cue (i.e., the one that is currently highlighted) allows copying/pasting the VCA/mute settings from the current cue to a different one (that must be made the current cue, i.e. highlighted, before pasting). Please note that the VCA/mute event settings of the current cue are copied and applied whenever a new cue is created. Then, the VCA/mute event icon is grayed-out , indicating that this cue’s VCA/mute event settings are identical to the one in the cue immediately before. Alternatively, the mute setup can also be done on the desk with the MUTE keys of the desired channels. The update in the current VCA/mute event is then done by opening the VCA Details window and using the Get Current Settings button at its bottom. 4- GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 217: Rehearsal Phase
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.3.3 Rehearsal Phase Once the basic settings are transferred to and saved within the console and the rehearsals are at a stage where the original cast is rehearsing, e.g. already in costumes and with the stage props, the cue list can be completed with library events where necessary. Library Events Library events can be used to make the necessary parameter changes on a cue-by-cue basis, without the need of using snapshots to accomplish these changes. This makes the workflow easier, faster and more straightforward, allowing the operator focusing on the mix, rather than having to remember appropriate snapshot and snapshot filter states. Library event settings are visible in the clipboard library window that is opened with a click on the clipboard library icon . The collected settings are organized in such a way that a setting or a number of settings belong to a particular actor. Just select the desired actor from the Actor drop-down list to display his settings. If the Actors have not been created already, they can also be created on the fly, together with the actual library event settings by copying them from a channel strip. To do this, proceed as outlined below. • Go to the desired channel strip on the desk surface and copy the current setting of the desired processing block (or a combination of several pro- cessing blocks – PAN, EQ, DYN, INS/DEL, FILT, or ALL parameters of...
Page 218 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System in the channel through to the end of the cue list. If other library events have already been applied to cues further down in the play, the new applied setting will only be applied from the current cue to the one right before the cue where the next library event is active. Actor Overview... Window An overview window of all library events throughout all cues and all chan- nels is shown by a click on the Actor Overview... button. In this window the names of all entries are shown per cue. When right-clicking in this window, the entries can be changed, and further entries can be added. Other Events During the different phases of rehearsing, other events can be added to the cues as well: MIDI program changes, note-on, note-off and MMC (MIDI machine control) commands are available from the Configuration area once a MIDI event has been added. Plain notes, blackout events, timed cue events, dynamic automation events, and HiQNet events are available as well. 4-8 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 219: Shows
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.5.3.4 Shows Tweaks During the performances, all console parameters can be tweaked. If these are static parameters (settings that remain constant throughout the whole show) and there is only one single ‘basic setting’ snapshot at the very beginning of the cue list, they remain with the same tweaked value until the end of the show. If the changes should be kept for future shows, all these values can be updated simply by updating the ‘basic setting’ snapshot in the first cue. Parameters that have been pasted into a channel from the channel setting library (i.e., library events) can be tweaked as well, and the changes are automatically transferred to all the cues where the same setting is used. The...
Page 220 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System End Show Button There is an End Show button at the bottom of the clipboard library window. It is intended to be used at the end of a show performance, as the name implies. 4-80 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 221 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System This button opens a list that displays all tweaked library event settings. It prompts the operator to decide whether he wants to save or discard these tweaks, either globally or setting by setting. The End Show mechanism simply makes sure that no tweaked setting can be forgotten to be either discarded or kept. It may, of course, also be used during a show or a rehearsal in order to clean up the current changes. If there are any tweaked settings or modified mute events that have not been saved already, there will appear a dialog box upon closing the clipboard library window, asking the user whether he wants to save the unsaved data. So again, no setting can be forgotten even if there is pressure of time. GC Operation 4-8 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 222: Strip Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6 Strip Setup The Strip setup page can be called up in three different ways: • From the Page menu • Using the Page Icons • Using the STRIP SETUP function key in the Control Bay of the Vista sur- face. The Strip Setup page has a number of functions. Primarily, the ‘Strip Setup’ window allows the user to assign DSP Channels onto the Vista surface. It also, however, gives a very good overview of the console and may be used during general operation of the console to help the user navigate around the console. Please refer to chapter 2.4.16 for information on navigation philosophy. The ‘Strip Setup’ page (see below) provides a representation of the six sec- tions of the Vista ‘virtual surface’. Although the concept of navigation is based on scrolling in a horizontal plane, the representation of the six sections is displayed in a vertical plane because of the logistics of screen space. The navigation system allows the user to decide which area of the virtual console the Control Surface will represent. The number of bays within a section will automatically be identical to the number of physical bays of the control sur- face. In the example shown below, the Control Surface will have five fader bays – a total of 50 faders. The total number of virtual channel strips available...
Page 223 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Color is also used to aid the user in channel identification. The colors relate to the channel type being shown and these are consistent with the use of color for channel identification on the screens of the fader bays. GC Operation 4-8 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 224: How To Use The Strip Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6.1 How to Use the Strip Setup To create a new strip setup or to adapt an existing strip setup, first call up the strip setup page (see above). 4.4.6.1.1 Assigning a Single DSP Channel to a Single Channel Strip To assign a channel to one of the virtual channel strips, right-click on the virtual channel strip that the DSP channel is to be displayed on. This will highlight the chosen channel and a selection menu will appear, listing all the categories of channel types. These are submenus that contain a list of the available DSP channels in the loaded Session Configuration. Move the cursor...
Page 225: Moving Already Assigned Dsp Channels To Other Channel Strips
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6.1.3 Moving Already Assigned DSP Channels to Other Channel Strips If a DSP channel is already assigned to a channel strip, it is extremely easy to change the channel strip on which it is shown. Simply click-and-hold the left trackball button on the desired channel and drag-and-drop it onto any other channel strip. This will remove it from its present position and place it in the new channel strip. Whilst the left trackball button is held with a selected channel, a ‘ghost’ view will appear to aid navigation to its newly selected channel strip. If it is dropped onto a channel strip which is already displaying a channel, the new channel will replace the existing one. It is also possible to move numerous consecutive channels in one block by highlighting a number of channels. Click-and-hold the left trackball button and drag-and-drop the channels to the new location. A ‘ghost’ view of the selected channels appears to help navigation.  Tips By holding the Ctrl key whilst dragging-and-dropping channels, the DSP channels will be copied to the selected destination, instead of being moved from their original position. Standard Windows copy/paste functionality (Ctrl+x for cutting, Ctrl+c for copying, Ctrl+v for pasting) is possible once channel strips are highlighted.
Page 226: Useful Information
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6.1.4 Useful Information • Any DSP Channel can be assigned to any Channel Strip on the virtual control surface. • Any DSP Channel can be assigned more than once to several different Chan- nel Strips on any Section. • It is not necessary to assign all DSP Channels available in the loaded confi- guration; however, there will be no control of these channels from the control surface. • Assigning DSP Channels to Channel Strips has no affect on audio. It is purely a viewing function, and therefore changing the strip setup can be done at any time whilst operating the console. • An indication is provided to highlight which bays are currently displayed on the physical console. These displayed bays are in dark gray. 4.4.6.1.5 Labels in Strip Setup The most useful label type to show in strip setup is the ‘Inherited Label’. This is the session label of the source that is patched to a DSP channel and also relates to the large label in the channel strip display. See chapter 4.4.2.6 for more information regarding the Vista labeling system. For this reason, a checkbox is provided which locks the label type view of Strip Setup to show the ‘Inherited labels’ (see below). Check the ‘Show Inherited Labels’ box to always show Inherited Labels in the Strip Setup window. If the ‘Show Inherited Labels’ box is not checked, the label type shown in the Strip Setup will follow the choice of the label displayed by the smaller label in the Channel Strips. See chapter 4.4.2.6 for a description of this label.
Page 227: Metering
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6.1.6 Metering ‘Slow’ Meters The Strip Setup page provides an excellent overview of the meter activity of the channels on the virtual console. Every channel displayed on the virtual console surface has a slow meter which is a slow indication of signal activity at this channel’s input. Furthermore, by use of color the user can identify whether the channel fader is open and whether the channel is switched on. If the meter signal shown in the Strip Setup window is blue, this means that the DSP channel has its fader open and channel on. If the meter signal is gray, then the channel has a signal associated with it, but either the channel fader is closed or the channel is muted. If the meters are red, they are currently in Overload status. GC Operation 4-8 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 228 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System TFT Meters In the strip setup window also the assignment of channels to the TFT meters is performed. First, click either the ‘Fader Bay Meters’ or ‘Control Bay Meters’ tab. Then the window changes to the corresponding view. Entering channels is done with the same mechanism as used for the assignment of channels to bays, as shown in the screenshots below. When clicking into the lower part that is labeled ‘DEF’ per default, the display mode of the lower part of the metering screen can be selected (‘HIST’ for the history display, ‘BUS’ for bus assignment, ‘SRND’ for surround view, and ‘L2’ for layer 2 view. Options not available for a particular channel type will be grayed-out. More information on the TFT meters is available in chapter 2.5. 4-88 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 229: Faderglow
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.6.1.7 FaderGlow™ The FaderGlow™ color assignment is performed in the strip setup as well. After a right-click on the desired channel, click on the ‘Faderglow’ item; a list will drop down offering the eight available colors and ‘no color’, i.e. FaderGlow™ switched off. In order to give the channels within the same FaderGlow™ color group a label, click on the ‘Edit Color Labels’ item. A menu with label entry fields for every FaderGlow™ color will open up. The FaderGlow setup is saved as a part of the Strip Setup, allowing different ™ operators who might alternately mix a show having their own, personal color setup.
Page 230: Clipboard Libraries
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.7 Clipboard libraries On the Vista console it is possible to save and load clipboards to/from the external memory device. Clipboard files can contain one or more audio func- tions (e.g. EQ only, Dynamics only, or a combination of EQ and Dynamics) from a channel, or even can save complete channel settings. This is then rep- resenting a ‘clone’ of a channel, including bus assignment. By recalling such a channel from the clipboard library it is easily possible to bring the channels of a console into a certain status without even using snapshot functions. 4-90 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 231: Clipboard Library Window
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.7.1 Clipboard library Window The Clipboard Library window is automatically opened whenever a paste function is pending on the Vista console. In order to open the window manu- ally (e.g., to load the console clipboard with a saved value), select the corre- sponding icon from the toolbar or press the OPTIONS F4 key on the console. It is also possible to select the window from the View menu. The window may be closed by clicking on the close box on the top right corner of the window, by clicking on the Close button, or by pressing F4 again. 4.4.7.2 Paste into Clipboard library 1 Press the  (Copy/Paste) key on one or more audio functions of any channel strip(s) on the console surface. The Clipboard Library window will be opened automatically whenever a paste operation is pending. 2 Click on the half-lit  button in the window. If multiple audio functions are pending to be pasted (e.g. EQ and Dynamics settings), it is possible to click on the half-lit  A (Copy/Paste All) button in the window. The pasted values will be graphically displayed.
Page 232: Rename/Delete A Clipboard Library File
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5 Click on the  (Copy/Paste) button of the desired function in order to activate copying. The button will light, and all possible destination keys on the console surface will be half-lit. Shortcut: A double-click on the clipboard name in the list will activate copying of all contained audio values within that particular file directly. 6 Paste the value into one or more channels of the console, using the standard functionality. If the clipboard contained multiple audio settings, such as EQ and Dynamics, they may be pasted together by pressing the  A (Copy/Paste All) key of the destination channel. 4.4.7.4 Rename/Delete a Clipboard library File 1 Open the Clipboard Library window (see above). 2 Select the file you want to change or delete by clicking on it. Click on the ‘Rename’ or ‘Delete’ button of the Clipboard Library window in order to execute the desired action.
Page 233: Import A Clipboard File From Another Library
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.4.7.8 import a Clipboard File from Another library 1 Select ‘Import Clipboard’ from the file menu. 2 Navigate to the desired library. 3 Open the desired file. It will automatically appear and be saved within .cpy the library currently active. 4.4.7.9 Where are Clipboard libraries Saved? If you don’t want to maintain multiple libraries on your console, you never have to change or define a name; just start directly, using the library func- tionality. The system will then use a library called DefaultClipboardLib If there are multiple libraries, you may select ‘Open Library’ from the file menu of the clipboard window in order to select another library to work with. It is also possible to save the whole library under a different name or to save it to a portable storage device such as a CD-R by selecting ‘Save Library’ in this file menu. Selecting ‘New Library’ in the file menu creates a new, empty library. In technical terms, a library is a subdirectory of the C:\D950System Users directory, it may also be located within any other user subdirectory. Selecting...
Page 234: Second Level Of Operation: The Toolbar Functions
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Second level of operation: The Toolbar Functions The toolbar contains a number of short-cut icons for the most important Vista system functions. There are four (or five) individual parts of the toolbar: • Page Selection • Channel Selection • Tools • System Functions • Multidesk Groups (if configured). Each of the toolbar parts can be switched on and off individually. The easiest way to do so is the View menu, item ‘toolbar’ (refer to chapter 4.2.1): Page Selection Channel Selection Tools System Functions 4.5.1 Page Selection There are five main Graphical Controller pages, each of them dealing with a different Vista operating function: • General Patch Page • Channel Patch Page...
Page 235: Tools
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.5.2 Tools The various control panels from the Tools section of the toolbar can be called up or hidden in two different ways: • From the View menu; • Using the toolbar icons, by clicking on the appropriate icon. 4.5.2.1 Title Memo The Title Memo editor page allows any relevant Title information to be kept for later use. There is one Memo per Title. Its contents can include Studio name, Producer Name, Engineer Name, Artist Name, plus a free-form Memo pad. The Title directory location and modification date/time are displayed at the top of the Title Memo page. To open the Title Memo use: • The ‘notepad and pencil’ icon in the toolbar • The View menu, by clicking on the appropriate menu item. Note: The Title Memo has no function key on the control surface keyboard. GC Operation 4-95 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 236: Channel Selection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.5.3 Channel Selection This tool allows one console Channel to be selected for control of various centralized functions on the Graphical Controller, such as Channel Patch. There are three arrow buttons: Selects the previous channel from the list; Selects the next channel from the list; Opens the full Channel List to select a channel. Labels are displayed according to the selected Label Mode (refer to chapter 4.3.3). 4.5.4 System Functions 4.5.4.1 System Functions: Protect/Unprotect SysAdmin Mode This action allows the system user mode to be toggled from Standard to System Administration. The System Administration mode allows access to...
Page 237: System Functions: Label Mode Selector
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.5.4.2 System Functions: label Mode Selector This icon allows the Label Mode for both Desk Labels and the Source/Target Labels to be set at the same time. Label Mode is toggled through to display: Fixed Labels (labels created according to the Session Configuration); User Labels (labels entered by the user in the General and Channel Patch); Inherited/Device Labels (General Patch Source labels used on the control surface). Refer to chapter 4.3.3 for more information on Labels. 4.5.4.3 System Functions: The Surveyor The Surveyor button keeps the operator informed about general system status. The button’s icon changes to indicate the overall condition of the Vista. These indications are as follows: Yellow triangle: Loading. System is booting, look at the Status Bar;...
Page 238: Third Level Of Operation: Menu Items
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Third level of operation: Menu items 4.6.1 The File Menu The File menu contains most of the Vista system’s bookkeeping functions. Management of Projects, Titles, and Mixes, access to Session Configurations, Backup and Import functions, and the Exit menu are controlled from here. 4-98 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 239: Titles And Projects
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.1.1 Titles and Projects The Title is the main container for all the session data. Titles contain all Snap- shot, Mix, Cue List, Title Memo, and other files that relate to each session. Titles also contain pointers that recall the appropriate Session Configuration, Monitor file, and so on. Titles are found in a Project folder. Project folders may be created along with a new Title. For example, a Project folder might be created at the start of an album project when the Title for the first song was made. Subsequent Titles could be created for each of the other songs and placed in that album’s Project folder. Projects are located in the folder. D950PROJECTS New Title: This action opens a dialog box that enables the creation and selection of a name for a new Project and/or Title. You can freely create any number of Projects and Titles. Let us assume you wanted to create a new Project and Title in the Subdirectory . Click on File in the Menu bar, select New Title, and you’ll D950PROJECTS end up with a familiar Windows box: Click on the New Project button and a name entry box will appear. Type in a new Project name – for example, CITY TV1 – and click OK. A new folder with the name you just entered will appear in the list. It will be highlighted in gray, indicating that it has been selected to receive new Titles. The New Title name entry field (at the bottom of the box) will now automatically display Title #1 (or the next available number). This will be highlighted in blue, indicating that it is ready to be over-written with a proper name, for example, BLUES CITY. Once a new Title name has been entered, click the New Title button or press the Enter key. These actions will perform the following: • Creating a new Project subdirectory (...
Page 240 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Creating the necessary Title-oriented files that are saved within this Title subdirectory; • Display of the current Title name in the Title Bar. If you do not create a new Title, all your subsequent data will be saved in whichever Title is currently open. If a Title is not currently open (as is the case after loading a Session Configuration), you will be prompted to open or create a new Title before data can be saved.  Tip You should generally organize your Subdirectories in such a way that remains the parent directory, because the system automati- D950PROJECTS cally searches for that particular directory while opening Projects, Titles, etc. After several weeks of using the Vista system, your directory structure may create something like this: Parent Your Projects Your Titles Your Data \FirstSong.tit \FirstSong \Snap1 \Snap2 \SecondSong.tit C:\D950\Projects \SuperProductions_1 \Snap11 \SecondSong \Snap12 \Mix1 \Mix2 \EveningShow.tit...
Page 241 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Open Title: This action opens the list of Project folders from the directory. D950PROJECTS This enables the selection and opening of an existing Title from a selected folder. Titles can also be deleted from this menu item. To open an existing Title, first double-click on the desired Project Subdirec- tory, an action that will move you into its Subdirectory: The desired Title can now be opened by double-clicking on the Title folder or by highlighting it and clicking the Open button. This action will perform the following: • Make the new Title the current Title, making available all snapshots, mixes, etc; • Indicate the Current Title name in the Title Bar. A Title can be deleted by highlighting a Title’s name (while in Open Title) and clicking on the Delete button. You will be asked to confirm this action. You cannot directly delete a Project folder using this technique. However, if you delete the last Title from within a Project folder, you will be notified that the empty folder will be automatically deleted. Note: Titles are color-coded according to the status of the Session Configuration that was in use during their creation. Black, blue, and red Title names indicate the following: Black: The Session Configuration needed for this Title is currently loaded; Blue: The Session Configuration needed for this Title is not currently loaded. You will have the option of loading the needed configuration (if it is available on the PC), converting the selected Title to work with the currently loaded configuration, or canceling; Red: The Session Configuration needed for this Title is no more available on the GC Operation 4-0 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 242: Save
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Save Title As...: Opens a Windows dialog box allowing to select a new name and to save the current Title’s data under a new name. The process is similar to ‘New Title’ because it creates a new Title under a new name. The difference is that it also copies all the snapshots, mixes, etc., from the current Title into the new Title. So, it will do the following: • Create a new Title subdirectory with the new name; • Copy all data from the Current Title into this subdirectory; • Make the new Title the current Title; • Indicates the Current Title in the Title Bar. To save a current Title under a new name: • Select Save Title As... from the File menu; • Highlight the desired Project Folder; • Type an appropriate Title name in the entry box; • Click on the Save button or press the keyboard Enter key. 4.6.1.2 Save Selection of the Save menu item will save all Title oriented information to the currently opened Title. Since this happens automatically when changing to an other title or when leaving the application, this button possibly may never be used. 4.6.1.3 Make/Restore Backup The Vista provides a powerful and easy-to-use data backup utility. This fea- ture enables the creation of a Backup subdirectory that contains a copy of all files from the Title folder and all pertinent Session Configuration and system files needed to recreate the session on this or another Vista. These Backup...
Page 243: Import
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Restore Backup: This action opens the Restore Backup window entitled, where a Backup directory is selected for reloading. To restore a Backup directory: • Select Restore Backup from the File menu; • Highlight the desired Backup directory; • Click the OK button or press Enter on the keyboard; A pop-up dialog box will appear giving you the option of Replacing the Exi- sting Title, Saving the Restored Title as a new Title, or Canceling the Backup. If you select ‘Replace the Existing Title’, you will not be able to replace the Session Configuration if it is currently loaded and will be given the option to continue. You will also have the opportunity to replace the Monitor file if it also exists. Choosing ‘Restoring the Title As’ will result in the normal Window’s save screen. Notes: Regardless of the method used to create it, after a Backup has been restored, the resulting Title must be opened before use. If you move production data between different consoles, it is advisable not to restore certain files onto the destination console, since it may have different hardware. This is valid in particular for the files. You will monitoring.ini be asked whether you want to restore these files as well; in this case answer...
Page 244: Load Session Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.1.5 load Session Configuration If there is more than one Session Configuration on your Vista system, you may need to access this menu item in order to load a different Session Configura- tion. Since Titles will automatically open the correct Session Configuration (if its not already loaded), using the Load Configuration menu item is only necessary when loading a Session Configuration without opening a Title. Regardless of how a Session Configuration is recalled, this process takes 20 to 30 seconds to complete, and mutes the console during loading. Note: Keep in mind that all Titles contain pointers that enable the loading of the proper Session Configuration and other appropriate files. If the Title’s Session Configuration is different from the one that is currently loaded, you will be asked to either confirm the loading of the correct Configuration or to convert the Title for use with the current one. Therefore, during routine operation, it is not necessary to use the Load Configuration menu unless the user has created or modified a Session Configuration during that session. Typically, the Load Configuration menu item should only be used by the facility’s System Administrator or by advanced users. Session Configuration subdirectories reside in the subdi- C:\D950SYSTEMBD rectory. These subdirectories contain the following files: • Virtual Mixing Console (VMC) files: These files (with extensions) *.vmc...
Page 245: Exit Vista Application
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Notes: When a Session Configuration is loaded via the Load Configuration menu, the currently open Title will be closed; no new Title will be opened. Before any data can be saved using the newly loaded Configuration, an existing Title must be opened or a new one must be created. If a Session Configuration is displayed in red this means that this Configu- ration has not been compiled properly by the Session Configuration Tool. Either run the tool again or delete this Configuration. 4.6.1.6 Exit Vista Application There are three possible ways of quitting the Vista Software application. It is recommended to use the File menu’s Exit item. Exit GC This action will close the Graphical Controller (Vista System application) while simultaneously muting all monitoring outputs, and returning to the Windows NT operating system. All other programs and applications continue to run. Exit System This action will close the Graphical Controller (Vista System application) while simultaneously muting all monitoring outputs. It also quits all other running applications and the Windows operating System. The controller PC will then be ready to be switched off. In case the standard UPS (Un-interruptible Power Supply) is installed, and the associated PowerChute utility is configured to do so, this will also turn off the UPS/PC combination automatically after a pre-set time period.
Page 246: The View Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.2 The View Menu The View Menu contains commands for opening various Pages and Tools, and defining the appearance of the toolbar (refer to chapter 4.2.1). View/Toolbar: This action displays the various items of the Toolbar/Status Bar to be checked. The toolbar contains a number of short-cut icons for accessing the Vista’s most important functions. When checked, the following icon groups are displayed: • Status bar • Page Selection • Channel Selection • Tools • System functions. View/Snapshot Protection: This action toggles display of the Snapshot Protection window. View/Memo: This action toggles display of the Title Memo window (refer to chapter 4.5.2.1).
Page 247: The Option Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4 The option Menu The Option Menu is used to set up various operating modes, preferences, and options. It consists of several items, some of which may not be available if the appropriate Vista option is not installed. Items in the upper part will generally bring up a screen for selection of settings and operating modes; the lower part contains items that can be directly checked from the menu. 4.6.4.1 option: Meter / Generator The Meter/Generator page is used for adjusting various settings of the desk channel strip metering and test generator. Generator defaults are automatically saved in the file when quitting the system, so that D950system\shutdown.pfc the last used defaults are available after the next start of your system. Metering / Meter Position This action globally sets the metering signal source for all the channels of the same type to the same point within the signal path. It is usual to set the Input Channel and Monitor Channel meter sources to Input and those of the Group, AUX and Master Channels to the Post-Fader position. However, meter positions may be changed on a channel-by-channel basis and saved with Snapshots and Presets.
Page 248: Option: Tc Reader / Generator
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Metering / Overload LED If ‘Shows Entering Headroom’ is ticked, the Overload LEDs on the channel strips as well as the red overload sign on the TFT screens illuminates when the signal level enters the headroom set with ‘Headroom Threshold’ instead of an overload condition. Metering / Headroom Threshold The desired headroom can be set here; this setting doesn’t make any level changes but just sets the threshold level of the bargraph meters. Default set- ting: –9 dB , i.e. 9 dB below clipping occurs. Metering / Meter History This slider allows setting the speed of the meter history view in four steps from 0.5 s/div (fastest) to 5 s/div (slowest). Default: 1 s/div. Generator/Level Sets the test signal generator’s level to the desired value. Levels can be set to off and, in 1 dB steps, from –90 to +10 dB . The Generator Level can be turned off by moving the Level slider all the way to the left. Generator/Frequency: Sets the test signal generator’s frequency (sine wave only) to the desired value. The generator frequency can be set in 1/12 octave steps from 19.95 Hz to 19.95 kHz. Generator/Signal: Selects the waveform of the test signal generator, from Sine Wave, White Noise, and Pink Noise. Generator/Defaults: Sets the test signal Generator’s level and frequency defaults by using the arrow buttons to adjust the default values. To quickly apply a level or frequency default, rather than to adjust it manually, click on the appropriate Defaults button. Default levels can be set in 1 dB steps, from –90 to +10 dB . The Generator Level cannot be turned off from the Defaults controls. Default frequencies can be set in 1/12 octave steps from 19.95 Hz to 19.95 kHz.
Page 249: Option: N-1 Assign(Ment)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.3 option: n–1 Assign(ment) The N–1/Mix-minus Assignment window allows the setup and configuration of the N–1/CleanFeed/Mix-minus structure. The principle of N–1 is summing; i.e. all desired channels (N) get summed to a bus except the ‘minus one’ (–1). The N–1/Mix-minus bus is a special bus that sums the contributions of channels other than the Bus Owner of the Channel, thus performing the N–1 summation. Any number of Mono and/or Stereo N–1 buses can be con- figured in a Session Configuration. The Bus Owner channel is the channel which: • Does not contribute to the N–1 bus...
Page 250 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The chosen Bus Owner channel is shown in the list as (in our example, Ext Line 5), any assigned channels to the bus are shown in the list as (e.g. Inp m 8). Clicking on individual channel boxes will either select or deselect a channel; this makes the N–1 bus in fact being an N–x bus. It is also possible to mark a number of channels to be assigned by left-clicking and dragging across a number of channels for speed. It is also possible to assign channels to a configured N–1 bus by using the bus assign window on the control surface. The talkback and N–1 bus level control will be displayed in the assigned channel strip for the N–1 Bus Owner Channel.  Tip The N–1 settings are saved within snapshots. Option to bring back ALT N–X status upon closing fader Option active ( ...
Page 251: Option: Signaling Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.4 option: Signaling Setup The Signaling Setup Menu allows on-line assignment of available Signaling relays to functions, such as Red Light activation or Fader Start of remote systems. It also allows Save and Load of such assignment configurations for later use. Output Signaling is always related to the Patch Sources. The Vista console is fully assignable, meaning that: • A channel can be assigned to any channel strip; • An audio Source (for example, a CD Player) can be patched into any chan- nel and be accessed via any fader; • A Snapshot can change the entire Patch settings. For these reasons, it is impossible to assign an output Signaling device, such as a Fader Start relay, to a specific fader. Instead, it has to be assigned to the Patch source which, in turn, is assigned to a fader via the Patch. In this way, the system logic is able to activate, for example, the correct relay when a fader is opened. All output Signaling always follows the Sources, and the Signaling...
Page 252: Signal Out Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System This action will open the Edit relay labels page and first allow selection of the desired relay, and then to enter a User Label for each relay. Be sure to click ok when finished; otherwise all changes will be lost. The fixed relay labels have been automatically generated by the Vista system. They have the format SIGOUT0_REL01, where SIGOUT0, SIGOUT1, etc. define the relay card number, and REL01, REL02, etc. define the relay number on a particular card. There are 16 relays per card. Some of the physically present relays may be assigned to internal system functions and may therefore not be available for the Signaling Configuration.
Page 253 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Up to four different relays may be configured for each source. They may fea- ture different Trigger Setups (see later). For each relay, Latching or Impulse operation modes can be selected. Multiple sources can be configured to one single relay, forming a logical OR combination. There are four steps in the Signaling Configuration: 1. To configure the Signaling, first select a source in the Signaling Out List, 2. Within the Signaling Out Edit window, select the desired output 0 to 3. In most cases the correct Output (the next one that is unassigned) will be selected automatically. Now you can add or remove a relay to/from this source. Selected Source Add or Remove a Relay Select a Relay Select Operating Mode Select Fader Start or User-Defined Click to Remove Up to 4 Relays...
Page 254 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4. The Triggers have to be set according to the application of the selected relay. All Triggers always work in a logical AND fashion: • The desired Source must be patched to the appropriate Channel (implicitly understood and done in the Patch), and There is the possibility to check up to five other Triggers to finally trigger the relay: • User key 1, and • User key 2, and • Input Selector, and • Channel On (MUTE), and • Fader open. Any combination of the five possibilities above can be used. It is also possible to select from a default list of pre-configured Trigger combinations: • Fader start, or • User Defined. Typical fader start setup for two stereo sources (D1 and D2): Fader Start Trigger Defaults The typical Fader Start Trigger combination is: • Input selector, and • Channel on (MUTE), and • Fader (open).
Page 255: Red Light Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System You can also remove all assigned relays from the list by clicking on the Remove all outputs button.  Tip For a typical stereo source, such as a CD player, the same relay should be configured for both the left and the right signal part, as shown in the example above for D1 (relay cd1) and D2 (relay cd2). This action ensures that the CD player will start even if it is connected to two Mono Input Channels, and only one of the faders is opened. 4.6.4.4.3 Red Light Configuration Generally, Red Light Outputs are relays installed within the Monitoring frame. Only one relay is normally used for the global Red Light Signaling,...
Page 256: Load Signaling Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3. Now you have to select the relay itself (use the arrow button to open a list of relays), and to determine its mode of operation to either latching (contact closed when trigger conditions is fulfilled) or impulse (contact closed for a short time when trigger conditions is fulfilled, and then opened again). Impulse mode closure time can be set to 100 or 200 ms. Obviously, the actual relay that is externally wired for Red Light must be selected. 4. In the Settings window, an association to a Studio can be set. Usually, only one Studio is being used. If, however, more than one Studio should be present, each may require its own Red Light relay and its configured Sources. In this case, several relays can be configured independently. To select a Studio, click on the arrow button, and select a studio from the list. If a Studio is associated, the Red Light will also be shown on the Desk’s Studio Monitor Unit.
Page 257: Save Signaling Configuration As
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.4.5 Save Signaling Configuration As This action opens a window that allows entry of a new name for the Signaling Configurations to be saved. The directory will usually be C:\D950SYSTEMDB displayed first, and a Session Configuration must be selected. The Signaling Configuration files have a extension. This process will save all relay *.sig assignments for both the Signaling Out and the Red Light Configurations, and the relay User Labels. Any number of such Configurations can be saved and loaded at a later date. Note: Each title contains at least one file that holds the signaling settings of *.sig the time when the title was closed or saved manually. 4.6.4.5 option: Downmix Settings This item allows defining the way in which surround channels are downmixed to stereo outputs as well as their level contributions. GC Operation 4- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 258: Option: Shared Delay Configuration
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.6 option: Shared Delay Configuration The settings of the Stereo and Multi-format Monitoring Delays (for control room, PFL, headphones etc.) are made in the same dialog window where the ‘Shared Delay’ processes are set. In addition, the shared delays are no more saved in snapshots, but are valid for the whole title. The monitoring delays, however, remain identical throughout all titles (if desired), they are still saved in the monXxx.ini file. 4-8 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 259: Option: Audio Sampling Rate
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.7 option: Audio Sampling Rate This item allows selecting the audio sampling rate from 44.1, 48 (default), 88.2 and 96 kHz. 4.6.4.8 option: VSP Microphones This feature is described in chapter 3.4.3.6. 4.6.4.9 option: Snapshot Confirm The Snap Confirm option can be checked or unchecked: • If checked, the Snapshots/Presets can only be recalled with user confirma- tion (the user must click OK or press Enter to finally recall the Snapshot/ Preset, or click Cancel to cancel the Snapshot/Preset Recall). • If unchecked, the Snapshots/Presets will be applied to the console imme- diately, and parameter settings not already saved will be lost. Notes It may be advisable to leave Snap Confirm checked until fluency with Snap- shots/Presets is achieved. Snap Confirm applies to both Snapshots and Presets. GC Operation 4-9 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 260: Option: Snapshot Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.10 option: Snapshot Automation This item allows setting of all parameters for the static, i.e. snapshot automa- tion. 4-20 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 261: Option: Eq/Dynamics View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.11 option: EQ/Dynamics View The EQ/Dynamics View option can be checked or unchecked. If checked, the Graphical Controller will display an EQ and/or a Dynamics screen. EQ Screen The EQ screen is displayed for the channel on which any of the rotary enco- ders is touched or operated while the channel’s controls are in the EQ/Filter page. Please note that the EQ screen will appear when any EQ/Filter control is touched. However, for the EQ screen to be displayed, EQ/Filter must be engaged in the channel. The EQ screen is time-limited and will automatically disappear several seconds after the last touch, or when pressing Esc. It is always on top of any other screens/pages. GC Operation 4-2 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 262 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Dynamics Screen The Dynamics screen will appear when any Dynamics control is touched. However, for the Dynamics screen to be displayed, at least one of the LIM, COMP, EXP, or GATE functions must be engaged in the channel. The dynamics screen is time-limited and will automatically disappear several seconds after the last touch, or when pressing Esc. It is always on top of any other screens/pages. 4-22 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 263: Option: Control Group Filter
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.12 option: Control Group Filter For details on control group filters, refer to chapter 4.7.6. 4.6.4.13 option: VCA-Style Control Groups (‘Motors off’) The ‘Control Group Masters’ in a classic sense were implemented in such a way that all channel faders belonging to a certain control group would auto- matically move whenever the master fader was moved. This has the advantage that you always visually see the audio settings currently active in the DSP core. However, there are two drawbacks to this behavior: When the Control Group Master fader is closed, the user cannot adjust the balance between the member channels, since they are moved down together with the master fader. When the master fader is closed, it is still possible that there is some audio passing through some of the member channels, since their fader is not com- pletely closed. With software release 3.4, there is now an alternative way of how the control group master channels can work, that is very similar to the VCA groups of an analog mixing console. Sometimes, this new behavior is also called ‘motors off’. In this mode, the value set on the control group master channels (as seen on their scale) is added to or subtracted from all member channels, and the resulting (audio) level is set in the DSP core. The faders of the member...
Page 264: Hierarchical Cgms
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.4.13.1 Hierarchical CGMs It is now possible to have control group masters (CGMs) being a member of other CGMs. The indication of the control group number on master channels has therefore slightly changed: The green display next to the fader is now constantly showing to which master a channel belongs. If there is no further hierarchical level above a CGM, this area is dark. The number of the CGM itself can now be seen in the second line of the label display area. This Channel is CGM No..This Channel is Member of CGM No..4-24 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 265: The User Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.5 The User Menu The User menu allows the users to individually save various preferences including page layout, size, and position of various windows. User – Save Preferences... This action opens a dialog box that allows selection of a name for a new Preference file, and to create a new Preference file. You can freely create any number of Preferences. The dialog box will usually display the C:\D950SY- directory with all the available Session Configurations. The User...
Page 266: User: Vista Settings
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.5.1 User: Vista Settings The Vista Settings window allows different adjustments, most of them self- explanatory; there are five tabs for selection of Desk (timeout and delay time settings), Console Lighting, Speaker Calibration, and Misc(ellaneous) settings. 4-2 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 267 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Speaker Calibration To allow access to the speaker calibration, the Enable Setup function must be enabled. Please refer to chapter 4.7.5. Calibrate Mode Calibrate mode allows setting a level offset for a whole monitor group (MAIN, ALT or NEARFIELD) relative to the other two. To activate this mode, click the ‘Calibrate’ button and select a monitor group on the control surface monitoring section. The offset range is from –20 dB to +10 dB. The current calibration offset will be displayed in the display box. The calibration offset can be changed in steps of ¼ dB. Trim Mode Trim mode allows setting an offset for a single loudspeaker relative to others in a group. The offset range is ±10 dB. Trim mode is selected by clicking the ‘Trim’ button. Select the monitor group (MAIN, ALT or NEARFIELD) and SOLO the speaker to be offset on the on the control surface monitoring section. The current Trim value of the selected speaker will be displayed in the window. The Trim offset can be changed in steps of ¼ dB. To clear all Trim offsets within the selected monitor group, click the ‘TrimReset’ button.
Page 268: The Window Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.6.6 The Window Menu This menu helps with the organization of the Graphical Controller screen, and works in the same way as with most Windows-compatible applications. If multiple windows/pages are active, the lower part of this menu allows to make a particular page the current page (put on top). A checkmark () near a particular page indicates that this page is currently on top. Window – New Window: This action opens the New Window dialog box, and allows selection of an additional (new) window to be displayed on the Graphical Controller. For more details on working with multiple windows, refer to chapter 4.4.1.2. Window – Cascade: This action arranges all active screens/pages in a cascaded layout on the screen. Window – Tile: This action arranges all active screens/pages in a tiled layout on the screen. 4.6.7 The About Menu When selected, this menu item displays information pertaining to that specific Vista installation. This includes the software Release Number (version) and the Build Number.
Page 269: Fourth Level Of Operation: Sysadmin Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Fourth level of operation: SysAdmin Menu The SysAdmin (System Administration) menu is normally hidden from view within the Console’s standard operating mode, because it contains functions that are only useful during building the console and setting it up for operation. The menu contains various test and configuration possibilities that are not required during normal operation. Nevertheless, some of the functions from the SysAdmin menu will be exp- lained here, since they may be useful if the console is radically reconfigured, the Monitoring or Signaling systems are expanded, or some detailed trouble- shooting is required. Activating SysAdmin Mode from Standard Mode: Click on the closed padlock icon in the toolbar. You will be asked to enter the System Administration Password. After completing that, an additional SysAdmin menu item will be placed in the menu bar. GC Operation 4-29 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 270: Sysadmin: General Patch/Subclassifying The Digital I/O Sections
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.1 SysAdmin: General Patch/Subclassifying the Digital i/o Sections There is only one accessible item in this menu: Subclassifying the Digital In and Digital Out Interface Sections of the Patch. For more information on Subclasses refer to chapter 4.4.2.3. The Digital Inputs and Digital Outputs Patch Sections can be subclassified into eight subclasses each. Subclasses 1 through 8 belong to the Digital Inputs, and Subclasses 9 through 16 to the Digital Outputs. The process of Subclassifying is usually done by the facility’s system admi- nistrator. Y ou need to adapt the Subclass information only if there are changes in the interfacing due to a system upgrade or rewiring. 4-0 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 271: Setting The Subclass Labels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.1.1 Setting the Subclass labels Click on the ‘Edit labels...’ button to open the Subclass Label editor. Within the editor page, enter the names you wish to appear for each of the Subclasses in the Patch Lists. Confirm with OK, otherwise any changes will be lost. GC Operation 4- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 272: Assigning Sources And Targets To Subclasses
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.1.2 Assigning Sources and Targets to Subclasses To initiate the process of assigning, first select the interface type you want to assign: Digital Inputs, or Digital Outputs. IF List Assigned Subclasses Select what to Subclassify: Input or Output List Click on One to Subclassify the Selected IF Click Here to Delete a Subclass Item...
Page 273: Sysadmin: General Patch/Probel Setup
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System A Source or Target can be assigned to any of the Subclasses, but only to one Subclass at a time. To reassign an item or items from a Subclass, use the same selection tech- niques as above. Then you can: • Click on the Clear Subclass button to remove the selected items from the Subclass. This will return the selected items to the Digital Input or Digital Output Patch Section; • Click on a different Subclass button to directly re-assign the selected items from the current Subclass to another Subclass. The result of this process is that the subclassified sections are now visible in the Patch lists and can be directly accessed using the right trackball button. For details, refer to chapter 4.4.2.3. Notes: Subclass names are saved and recalled with User Preferences. Assignment of individual interfaces to subclasses is saved in each Snapshot Preset and can therefor vary from Snapshot to Snapshot. 4.7.2 SysAdmin: General Patch/ProBel Setup There is only one accessible item in this menu: Subclassifying the Digital In and Digital Out Interface Sections of the Patch. 4.7.2.1 -Party Control of Console Patch (native Pro-Bel P-02/08 Support) Since version 3.5 of the Vista Software, these products are able to support...
Page 274 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Setup Pro-Bel Enabling Pro-Bel Setup In order to activate and see the button on the General Patch window, the system has to be in SysAdmin mode. The SysAdmin menu Use Pro-Bel on General Patch contains a General Patch sub menu and a item. This setting will be written to the D950System.ini as well, resulting in the same behavior as if it was edited by hand in the first place. The button will then be visible whenever the system enters SysAdmin mode. Enabling COM Ports for Use with the Pro-Bel Protocol Ports that are used for Pro-Bel need to be specified in D950System.ini in the [d950SerialPorts] section. This gives the possibility to use non- standard data rates and parity settings. [d950SerialPorts] 1= {p} COM1 baud=115200 parity=N data=8 stop=1 2= {b} COM6 baud=38400 parity=E data=8 stop=1 ‘b’ is used to indicate Pro-Bel use. Only the COM ports defined in this way...
Page 275 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Targets with their respective connections can be selected by clicking on them in the list on the general patch. Selected targets change their color to pink to show their selection state. Map Currently Selected Clicking on the button maps the patches for the selected targets (the pink-colored ones) to the Pro-Bel connect command specified on the left. Listen to messages With enabled, incoming connect messages are mapped to the edit fields on the dialog. To select targets affected by this connect com- mand simply click on them in the target list of the general patch (color is set to pink). GC Operation 4-5 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 276 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Make sure to always associate the same Pro-Bel destination to the same set of targets. Any connection on the patch may be mapped to certain Pro-Bel connect commands. You are not limited just to outputs or inputs! Send spontaneous messages With enabled, the corresponding CON- NECTED message is sent whenever one of the defined patch combinations matches the same combination as when they were defined. Files Used to Save Pro-Bel Set-up The system creates human-readable files (ini format) in the D950System directory to save the set-up. The files are named according to the COM port used: PortX.Pro-Bel – with X being the COM port used. Example for a .Pro-Bel File [TARGET_1 SOURCE_6] Im23 Inp m 23 In1 left=D12L AES B 1 In4L left...
Page 277: Pro-Bel P-08 Support
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.2.1.1 Pro-Bel P-08 support In case the user wants to extend the number of controlled patch points to above 1’000 it is recommended to use the Pro-Bel P-08 protocol. This protocol also supports transferring labels from 3 party router systems at the same time (see chapter 4.7.2.1.3). However, no control over internal patches such as patching from an input port to an input channel is provided. Only one port can be used for P-08. Therefore continue to use P-02 in case of multiple controllers present or if you want to set system internal patches, e.g. channel input patches. A special mapping file is present in the system translating Vista interfaces to Pro-Bel P-08 commands (no ‘fixed labels’ used): Pro-Bel SW-P-08 Issue 21 2/1/0/0/0/0,1,1,0, 2/1/0/0/0/1,2,1,0, 2/1/0/1/0/0,2,2,0, 2/1/0/1/0/1,1,1,5, 2/4/0/0/0/0,9,0,0, 2/4/0/0/0/1,0,9,0, 2/4/0/1/0/0,0,0,9, The format is as follows: IO/InterfaceType/BoardNumber/PortNumber/ChannelNumber/PatchNumber,Index,Matrix,Level, InterfaceType 1 = AES in, 3 = Madi in, 9 = IO21 in 4 = AES out, 8 = Madi out, 10 = IO21 out BoardNumber Certain interfaces use board numbers PortNumber Certain interfaces use port numbers ChannelNumber Interfaces do not use channel numbers and it’s usually 0...
Page 278: Exclude Certain Patch Targets From Being Changed By Snapshots
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.2.1.2 Exclude Certain Patch Targets from Being Changed by Snapshots Some customers are using our consoles as audio routers for other studio instal- lations, controlling the internal router by protocols such as Pro-Bel or ARMI. When recalling console snapshots, the patch points set by these devices are reset to the value of the snapshot, even if this was not always requested. Since software release 3.4 it is possible to define certain patch targets as ‘isolated from snapshot recalls’. In other words, the user defines the patch outputs are controlled by Pro-Bel/ARMI devices and therefore makes those targets com- pletely independent from snapshot recalls by the console operator. This set-up is typically done once on a system. See service instructions for information on how to set-up this isolation. 4.7.2.1.3 Label Import from 3 -Party Systems In addition to getting patch control it is possible to exchange label information with external router systems, such as Pro-Bel and Grass Valley. Using a serial connection, a permanent label exchange can be set up in such a way that the ‘device labels’ used in Vista and D950 systems are permanently overwritten by received labels from the 3 party router. This means that you will auto- matically see the name of the original sources on your channel strip, even if a large routing system is placed before your console.
Page 279: Support Of External Monitoring Source Selector Panels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.2.1.4 Support of External Monitoring Source Selector Panels As an alternative to controlling patch points of the console by using 3 -party controllers (Pro-Bel protocol), Studer offers a ‘mini’ Pro-Bel controller module. The module may be mounted within the Vista console or anywhere externally. It hosts 32 freely programmable keys to set any number of patch points within the console. Each key may be defined to set a certain patch point (or a set of patch points.) The keys on the hardware panel are illuminated, if all of the defined patch points are currently set. As soon as one of them is cleared or changed, the key gets dark. This intelligence allows free grouping of the 32 keys to e.g. 16 groups of two sources each, or to one single group of 32 sources. Any combination in between is possible. It is also possible to use 16 keys as one group while using the remaining keys as two groups of eight, for example. If a set of keys are setting patch points to the same destination they are automatically recognized as a group and therefore their illumination will automatically indicate the correct patch state. Rule: A key is illuminated as...
Page 280: Fader Ramp Control ('Audio Follows Video')
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.2.1.7 Fader Ramp Control (‘Audio Follows Video’) Faders of all console channels can be externally controlled. When using this feature, the console operator determines the Fader Open/Close values, as well as the fade in/out speed. Various triggers are available in order to activate the fade. The channel patch window allows adjustment of all necessary set- tings. The fader ramp function might be particularly useful when doing TV work. Opening and closing of certain microphone channels may be controlled by the video switcher, using GPIs (general-purpose inputs, i.e. closure contacts in the monitoring rack). Another possible use is radio/TV talk-shows: Dif- ferent people have their microphones constantly opened and lowered. This action may be pre-programmed, and the fade in/out may be activated by just touching the fader or pressing one of the USER keys. The following options may be set in the channel patch window: Enable Fader Ramp: Select if you want to use one of the two USER keys to enable the fader ramp on a specific channel. It is also possible to activate it constantly, leaving the USER keys free for other functions. 4-40 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 281: Sysadmin: Surveyor
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System ON (Fader Value): Clicking on the Capture button will set the current fader value to be used when the GPI is active, hence the value used when the fader is opened. Alternatively the value may be typed using the keyboard or by using the track- ball: Click in the number field and drag the pointer up or down. This action is similar to the way time values are adjusted in the dynamic automation of the Vista consoles. OFF (Fader Value): Clicking on the Capture button will set the current fader value to be used when the GPI is inactive, hence the value used when the fader is lowered/closed. Alternatively the value may be modified as described above. Note: By using the same GPI on two channels and setting the ON value to the ‘fader closed’ position on one of the two and vice versa allows using one GPI to control opening and closing of different channels at the same time. Speed ON: Determines the time used for fading in the corresponding channel. Speed OFF: Determines the time used for fading out the corresponding channel. Activation: The fade actions may be activated by different events. Several events may be enabled at the same time. The fade will take place whenever one of the...
Page 282: Sysadmin: Monitoring
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.5 SysAdmin: Monitoring The Monitoring menu item contains several functions regarding the Vista loudspeaker control: Edit Monitor File: This action brings up the Monitoring Setup editing utility. The title bar will display the name and location of the currently loaded Monitor Configuration file. Panel Selection box: This box provides a pop-up menu used to select a control room or studio Assignable Source Selector panel installed in the control surface for editing. The Source Selector keys for the selected panel will be displayed in the Keys box, where they can be selected for editing. The name of the panel may also be edited using this box. Note: The four subpanels popping up on the screen upon activated option (experts only!) show up as individual panels with 12 source selectors each.
Page 283 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System plished by highlighting a source from the Source Selection list and assigning it to the desired loudspeaker feed using the appropriate double-arrow button (<<). When such an assignment is made, the source name will appear in the selected loudspeaker field. Selections may be cleared using the X buttons. Clear Selection button: This button will clear all Speaker/Source selections made for that Monitor Source Selector key. Source Type Selection box: This box provides a pop-up menu used to select the type of digital source for assignment (such as a mono master direct output or an AES interface). Once an item has been selected, all the sources of that type will be displayed in the Sources list below. Source Selection box: This box displays a list of digital sources of a specific type that are available for assignment to loudspeaker feeds. Load button: This button brings up a familiar Windows box from which an existing Monitor Configuration file can be loaded. Apply button: This button applies the current Monitor Configuration file to the Vista. This is handy when testing a recently edited file or recalling a previously saved file. Save and Save As... buttons: The Save button allows a previously saved Monitor Configuration file to be updated after editing. The Save As... button allows a new file to be named...
Page 284: Control Room Dim Level Adjustment
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Config Dump: This action will create a copy of the current Monitor Configuration file and place it in the directory. The copied file will be named D950SYSTEM MONCON- and is useful for troubleshooting. In this status this file is not FiGDUMP.DaT executable since it does not have a extension. However, it does contain *.ini all the parameter settings and other information. Reinitialize: This action will reinitialize the monitor system and reload the last used Moni- tor Configuration file. The monitors will mute during this operation. Test Command: This menu item is only used in the factory for testing the communication between the work-surface, the control PC, and the monitoring racks.
Page 285: Sysadmin: Control Group Assign
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.6 SysAdmin: Control Group Assign 4.7.6.1 Control Group Basics A Control Group is a group of console channels controlled by a Control Group Master (CGM), similarly to the VCA groups in analog consoles. Control Group Master The Control Group Master is a dedicated channel of a special type. The sole purpose of the Control Group Master is to control the audio functions of its Members. Up to 32 Control Group Master channels can be defined in the Session Configuration. The number of each Control Group Master is shown on the 7-segment display in the channel strip of each CGM, following the rule: Control Group No. Display The Control Group Master channel controls the audio functions of the Mem- bers. Master channels can be assigned to desk strips in the same way as any...
Page 286 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Operating an audio parameter on the Control Group Master influences that parameter on all members (if that parameter has been selected in the Control Group Filter Dialog Box during Control Group Edit mode). It offsets the member value by the move amount of the Master. Operating the parameter on the member influences only that member’s parameter. Control Group Setup The Control Groups are edited in the Control Group Setup Mode. This mode is activated through the SETUP: GROUPS key. 4-4 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 287 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System On first press, the SETUP: GROUPS key is lit to show that an activity has been started but not yet finished. All LINK/SEL keys of Control Group Master chan- nels are half-lit. Pressing one of these enables setting up the corresponding Control Group. The LINK/SEL keys of the Control Group members are lit, the ones of non-members are half-lit. The Graphical Controller automatically activates the Control Group Filter dialog (see above) for the selected Control Group. When a Control Group is selected for editing, member channels can be added or removed from the Control Group by using their LINK/SEL keys. If the MULTI SEL key is deactivated, all members are cleared upon pressing any LINK/SEL key, similar to creating a gang. During editing, the Control Group is not active, i.e. the setting of the Control Group Master can be changed without influencing the members. This can be used to adjust the offset between the Master and the Members if required. Editing a control group can be terminated either by pressing the LINK/SEL key of the master, or by exiting setup mode by pressing the SETUP: GROUPS key in the control bay. If you now want to proceed with editing of another control...
Page 288: Control Group Assignment
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System toggled when the Master Mute is used. If Toggle is not selected, all Mutes on the members will be forced to the same status as the Master Mute the next time the Master Mute is used, regardless of their original status. Member Behavior When a new member is added to a Control Group, it keeps its values until a change is made in the Control Group Master. At that moment, the change is transferred to all members. When a member is separated from a Control Group it keeps its current setting which includes the Master offset(s) that have been applied along the way. Member values can be changed locally at any time, without affecting the status of the other members or of the Control Group Master. Over-Range All controls can have an over-range. The over-range condition can occur if the Member Fader has reached its top or bottom position while the Master Fader is still moving. During over-range, the relative levels of the members are kept intact, even if the Fader (and the audio level) can not move anymore. Over-range can be positive or negative. The maximum value of over-range can be twice the normal working range of the Fader (100 dB) in both up and down directions. The over-range of a Member can be zeroed easily. Simply move the Fader of a Member in over-range by a bit, and the over-range will be zeroed. Note: This will, however, clear the initial relative level of that particular Member with respect to the other Members.
Page 289: Offline Conferencing
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.7 offline Conferencing When configuring the N–X buses, a subset of N–X owner channels may be defined to be members of a conference. Whenever their fader is closed, they will automatically hear all other members (without hearing themselves back), rather than the normal N–X signal. As soon as the fader is opened, they will instantly hear the N–X signal again. 4.7.7.1 offline Conference Setup By pressing the SETUP CONF key on the control bay, the console is put into conference setup mode. The LINK / SEL keys of all possible conference member channels (all N–X owner channels) are half-lit, and the user may select any number of them to be members of the conference. If the user...
Page 290: Conference Level
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.7.4 Conference level While in conference mode, the N–X send level of the channel conferencing may be adjusted. This level will then be used as a conference send level only. When opening the fader, the level previously set returns. In other words, the system remembers two level settings; one of them is active when conferen- cing, the other one is activated in normal N–X mode. 4.7.7.5 Monitoring the Conference Using the MPX Bus Within the new Configuration Editor software, the MPX bus type has been added. This bus only exists once within a configuration (similar to a PFL bus) and is used to monitor the conference. It is a mono bus. Any channel currently conferencing is automatically assigned to the MPX bus, and the MPX bus output may be monitored using a source selector key. Since the MPX bus output is a normal bus output, it can also be patched to any console output. This allows, for example, feeding this signal to a small loudspeaker for constantly playing back the conference signal. 4.7.7.6 Adding on-Air Signal to the Conference It is possible to add an amount of the master signal to the conference, in case the conferencing members should want to constantly hear what’s happening on air. This functionality is provided by a special function, whereby an auxi- liary master channel is added as a conference member. This AUX bus is fed by the on air signal from the masters.
Page 291: Alternate Signal To N-X Outputs (Cue)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4.7.7.7 Alternate Signal to n–X outputs (CUE) The new N–X bus type allows defining an ‘alternate N–X bus assignment’. It is possible to select any console channel (or multiples) to be the alternate N–X output signal. This signal is activated by the ALT n-1 key on the channel strip. This can be done only if the owner channel’s fader is closed. If you don’t want to use normal console channels to be the alternate signal, feel free to configure simple input channels not used otherwise during the production. Such a channel can be the ‘alternate cue signal’ source for all N–X buses – or you can define a different alternate source for each N–X bus separately. Set-up an ‘alternate N–X signal’ for a specific N–X bus: • Open the ‘Option: N–1 Assignment’ menu in the Graphical Controller screen • Select the N–X bus you want to define the alternate signal for • Check the Edit Alt. Source checkbox • Select any channel (or multiple) to be the alternate signal source for the...
Page 292 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Option to bring back ALT N–X status upon closing fader.  Option active ( ): The signal will switch back to ALT N–X upon closing the fader again, in case it was active before opening. This allows e.g. feeding an off-air signal to the outside lines while there are not on air (e.g. output signal from on-air console including commercials). Result: When the fader is opened, the outside lines get the normal N–X signal; when closed they are switched to the off-air signal. Option inactive (original behavior): If the ALT N-X key (i.e. USR 1 or USR 2 key defined above) was active and the fader was opened, the return signal would automatically switch to normal N–X. After the fader is closed again, the signal would stay on N–X. 4-52 GC Operation SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 293: Fifth Level Of Operation: The Surveyor
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Fifth level of operation: The Surveyor Vista constantly monitors the status of all major hardware and software sys- tems. This information is provided to the user via the Surveyor. The Surveyor is also the primary diagnostic tool used for troubleshooting and fault find- ing. The Surveyor displays its information in two ways: • The icon shown on the Surveyor Button in the Toolbar; • The Surveyor page. The Surveyor Icon: When enabled, the Surveyor icon is located in the Toolbar. It is intended to keep the operator informed about general system status. The icon changes to indicate the overall condition of the Vista. These indications are as follows: Yellow triangle: Loading. The system is booting (look at the Status Bar); Green square: OK. The console will operate normally; Green square with yellow diamond: Not Found. A system element cannot be found. This is sometimes seen while a Session Configuration is loading. If this icon remains on, a problem is indicated. The status bar will prompt you to check the system’s status;  Tip Sometimes an element cannot be found just because it has not been switched Red circle: Error. An error, fault, or failure is detected in the system. This is...
Page 294 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Surveyor Page: The Surveyor Page may be opened from the SysAdmin menu or by click- ing on the Surveyor button. The main window contains all the major system elements displayed as a directory tree. The status icon at the start of each directory indicates the general status of its contents. These icons utilize the same indication system as the Surveyor button (see above). If all elements display the OK icon (green square), the system will operate normally. If any of the directories display the Error icon, it can be opened to determine which of its contents has a problem. Since some system elements have many subsystems, several nested subdirectories might be contained within the main directories. As with the typical Windows directory system, directories that contain subdirectories have a ‘+’ symbol on the left of the status icons. To open these directories either click on the ‘+’ symbol or double- click the directory name or status icon. It might be necessary to open several directories to find the specific element that is having a problem. Surveyor Tools: The Surveyor features several tools to enhance its operation. These are avail- able as buttons on the Surveyor Page: • Refresh: Real-time updates of system element icons are not provided when the Surveyor Page is open. If a fault is corrected during troubleshooting, the system must be re-interrogated before the Surveyor Page will display the result. Clicking the Refresh button will survey the entire system and display the current the status of all elements. • View Log File: This tool allows the Vista Log Files to be viewed from within the Surveyor.
Page 295 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 5 AutoTouch+ Dynamic Automation ........................... 5 5.1 Getting Started Quickly ............................. 5 5.1.1 Basics ..................................5 5.1.2 The AutoTouch+ Automation Panel ........................6 5.1.3 Automation Keys on the Channel Strips ....................... 8 5.1.4 Mix Passes ................................9 5.1.5 Write Zones ................................. 10 5.1.6 How to… ................................11 5.2 The Details ................................13 5.2.1...
Page 296 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.7 Touch and Hold ................................. 52 5.7.1 Touch and Un-Touch ............................52 5.7.2 Touch Record ..............................54 5.7.3 Touch Hold ................................55 5.7.4 Touch Record + Touch Hold ..........................56 5.7.5 Held Controls ..............................57 5.7.5.1 Held Plays Mix ............................... 58 5.7.6 Auto Mode Key Function ............................ 59 5.7.6.1 Modified Un-touch Inverts..........................60 5.7.6.1.1...
Page 297 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16 Offline Mix Editing ..............................107 5.16.1 Event List Editing ............................. 107 5.16.2 OFLA Editing..............................112 5.16.2.1 Object Picker ..............................115 5.16.2.2 Channel Selector Panel ..........................116 5.16.2.3 Object Selector Panel ............................ 117 5.16.2.4 Channel/Object Tree Display Area ....................... 119 5.16.2.5 Function Controls ............................121 5.16.3 Mix Controls ..............................122 5.16.3.1 Active Mix ..............................122 5.16.3.2 Spread Source Mix ............................
Page 298 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5-4 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 299: Autotouch+ Dynamic Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System AuToTouCH+ DynAmiC AuTomATion Getting Started Quickly This short introduction to the AutoTouch+ Automation is meant to give the user an easy entry point in order to start working with the dynamic automa- tion. For simplicity some facts are not totally accurate and may have excep- tions. Also it is possible to modify the behavior of AutoTouch+ automation very much by varying option settings. In order to get a detailed overview of all available functions, please refer to chapters 5.2 and up. For Beginners We recommend to reset the automation system to the factory default settings. This is done by exiting the Vista application and deleting the C:\D950system\ file. After restarting the application, you have the factory D950Ofla.mop default settings applied. System Start with AutoTouch+ In order to start your Vista system with the dynamic automation active, double- click on the ‘Vista x.x dynamic’ icon. Note Static (i.e. snapshot) and dynamic automation cannot be used at the same time.
Page 300: The Autotouch+ Automation Panel
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.1.2 The AutoTouch+ Automation Panel Most keys on this panel can be roughly divided into three groups: [1] Preselector Keys These keys select the group of functions that will be influenced by the ac- tion keys located below them: FDR, MUTE, KNOB, SWIT, or all current HELD objects. The preselectors for faders, mutes, encoders/knobs, and switches influence the whole console, not only specific channels. [2] Action Keys These keys perform an immediate action when pressed, e.g.: • PUNCH-IN, PUNCH-OUT • Set objects into READ, WRITE , TRIM , or ISOLATE mode • CLR (clear) the ‘held’ state of all held objects [3] Mode Keys These keys put the automation into a specific mode, influencing its behavior for the next time the corresponding event occurs, e.g.: • GLIDE will switch on or off the glide mechanism for upcoming punch- outs. • HOLD will suppress the detection of the physical un-touch of an object.
Page 301 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System In WRITE mode: Examples 1. Correcting a constant value throughout a mix (WRITE TO: BEGIN) 2. In a music mix, when a solo is played: For finding a value while listening and applying the final value to the whole passage (WRITE TO: PUNCH- IN). In TRIM mode: 1. Trim an object back to the beginning of a mix while keeping its movements (WRITE TO: BEGIN) 2. Trim an object by a constant value between punch-in and punch-out point, while keeping the movements (WRITE TO: PUNCH-IN). AutoTouch+ 5- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 302: Automation Keys On The Channel Strips
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.1.3 Automation Keys on the Channel Strips PUNCH-IN/OUT Four keys are representing the recording state of its member objects: SWIT REC (USR 1) - for keys (‘switches’) KNOB REC (USR 2) - for rotary encoders (‘knobs’) MUTE REC (L2) - for mutes FDR REC (TALK) - for faders AUTO MODE (ISO) Toggles between different automation modes: READ, WRITE, TRIM, ISO- LATE. As a standard, only the objects selected in the ‘preselector area’ of the AutoTouch+ panel (e.g. FADER) are toggled, but not the whole channel. This key has also the important function to suppress the detection of a physical touch or un-touch of any objects. It is therefore possible to modify a value without putting the object into ‘held’ mode. Or – vice versa – it is possible...
Page 303: Mix Passes
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.1.4 mix Passes Normally a new mix pass is automatically being created when play speed of incoming timecode is detected. A mix pass finishes upon detection of non- play speed. In order to record slower than play speed (slow motion) or even write auto- mation data between two locate points, it is necessary to start and stop a mix pass manually. A mix pass is manually started by switching Stop Frame automation on using the STOP FRAME keys. It is finished when this key is switched to off again. Note The automation cannot record backwards; the automation records data up to any incremented timecode value. Therefore it is not possible to erase data by going backwards using the jog wheel. In order to locate precisely to a certain frame without ‘overshooting’, it might be useful to suspend the reading of timecode while searching for that specific frame. This can be done by activating the TC OFF key. Example The user wants to write data between 1:00:01:00 and 1:00:09.20, using the jog wheel to locate both points precisely. Procedure: 1. Find the starting point with the jog wheel. 2. Start a mix pass by switching STOP FRAME ON. 3. Punch-in requested objects. 4. Activate TC OFF. 5. Locate the end point 1:00:09:20 using the jog wheel (the user can freely jog around this point and even overshoot in order to locate precisely). It...
Page 304: Write Zones
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.1.5 Write Zones In order to protect any passages from being overwritten by automation data, it is possible to define a write zone in the graphical controller. If activated, it is not possible to write any data outside that zone. When working together with machine control (looping), it is possible to synchronize this write zone constantly with the set In and Out points of the machine control. 5-0 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 305: How To
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.1.6 How to… ...put the whole console into write mode? Activate preselector keys FDR REC, MUTE, KNOB, SWIT (or press the ALL/CLR key) and press automation mode WRITE (make sure you have TOUCH RECORD active in order to record any changes against timecode)..put all faders into write mode? Select FDR REC as preselector and press WRITE underneath in order to put all faders into write mode (make sure you have TOUCH RECORD active in order to record any changes against timecode). <Option> There is an optional setting (see menu ‘Automation Options…’, ‘Control Modes’, ‘Mode Enable sets non-selected to READ’, also refer to chapter 5.21.2) which determines whether the non-selected functions (e.g. MUTE,...
Page 306 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System ...activate a glide on one channel while another one shouldn’t glide back? As stated above, GLIDE is a mode key and does only influence upcoming punch-outs. You can switch this key while mixing. E.g.: GLIDE is off and you punch-out channel 8. It will punch-out without gliding. Then you switch GLIDE on and punch-out channel 9. Since GLIDE mode is now activated, channel 9 will punch-out and glide back to the value of the last mix pass..keep an object in ‘held’ mode while another one should not be held? There are two easy ways for this. The first one is similar to activating and deactivating GLIDE: Switch HOLD on and physically un-touch an object – it will stay ‘held’. Change the HOLD state to off, and the next time you physi- cally un-touch an object it will also come out of ‘held’ state. A second way is to hold down the AUTO MODE modifier key while releasing an object. This will invert the HOLD state for that specific event. Note The behavior of the modifier key can be defined in the automation options (Misc, Modified Un-touch Inverts) whether TOUCH RECORD or TOUCH HOLD will be modified..make an object louder for the entire mix while keeping its movements? In the WRITE TO section, activate EXTEND BACK TO / WRITE TO BEGIN and WRITE TO END.
Page 307: The Details
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Details Welcome to the AutoTouch+ dynamic automation system for Studer Vista digital mixing consoles. For Vista users, AutoTouch+ provides a powerful and comprehensive automation system that is easy and efficient to use. All users will find the flexibility to work in the way most appropriate for the task at hand without overly complicated procedures. Users will also find the power to efficiently create and fine-tune the optimal mix. AutoTouch+ allows any control defined within a VMC file to be automated. This includes faders, encoders, switches, and bus assignments. Connections made within the new and improved General Patch, audio oriented objects in the Channel Patch, and select Graphical Controller (GC) menu items may also be automated. 5.2.1 About this Chapter Assumptions This chapter is designed to explain the operation of the Studer AutoTouch+ dynamic automation system. It will prepare the reader for basic to advanced operation of the system. It assumes the user will have basic familiarity and operational proficiency with the Vista consoles. The full understanding of many of the terms and concepts depends on this familiarity. Refer to the Console Operation chapters of this manual as necessary.
Page 308: Description
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.2.2 Description Software AutoTouch+ is part of the Vista V4.5 software package. Hardware The Automation Panel is an integral part of the Vista desk surface. It integrates software and work surface aspects of the system. It also provides a logical and ergonomic interface for the user. 5.2.2.1 Features There is an impressive array of new features built into AutoTouch+. A sum- mary of these features follows. New Mix Management Automation Mix files are managed via a new Mix Tree System (MTS). The MTS will work in conjunction with the expanded Mix Pass Stack (8 Mix Passes). Each and every Mix Pass will be automatically saved and archived within the Mix Tree. Multiple Mix Trees can be created within a Title. Any previous mix can become the Active Pass (or Read Mix Pass) for a subsequent Record Mix Pass. The MTS is maintained between sessions, so that when a mix is recalled days or weeks later, the entire Mix Tree will be available to the new session. The Mix Tree may also be hidden so that all mix manage- ment can be done within the Mix Pass Stack. At any time the Mix Tree may be made fully visible again. Mix Passes may be named and comments may be added. A full mix link history is maintained. Static Objects When a mix is first created (when a Mix Tree is first opened) all automatable controls are Static Objects. Static objects act just like manual controls except that their final setting is remembered by the automation. All controls remain Static until a Dynamic move is recorded. Any switch, fader or rotary control (automation objects) may be classified as a Static object. They may be adjusted at any time during the mix process without needing to put them into a WRITE or RECORD automation mode (similar to mixing on an analog console). The value of all static objects is maintained on a pass-by-pass basis. This simplifies the ‘tweaking’ of the hundreds of controls within a mix session that must be adjusted, but will never change at timecode locations. Should a Dynamic move be required for...
Page 309 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Touch Hold Function With Touch Hold engaged, the setting of a touched control will be maintained when it is released. If Touch Record was enabled before the control was touched, it will stay in RECORD upon release. Touch Hold can function for faders, rotaries, and switches and can work in READ, WRITE, and TRIM modes. Held Plays Mix This feature allows the read mix to be heard, even though one or more ob- jects are being held in an audition state awaiting a punch-in. This allows true emulation of the resultant mix, while the mix pass is being run. Mix Pass Control Full flexibility is allowed for how a new Mix Pass automatically merges with the Active Pass Read Mix data. The setting of a control when it is punched out may be written to the punch-out point; the next data change in the read mix; when a level match occurs (auto-takeover); or the end of the mix, the end of time (23:59:59:2x), or a fixed cue point. In addition, the setting at the punch-out point may be extended back to the punch-in point, the beginning of the mix, the beginning of time (00:00:00.00), of a fixed cue point. Enhanced Glide Control When the Glide function is active, every transition between the Read Mix data and the new pass will Glide from one to the other according to the current glide time. In addition, some Glide transitions may be optionally set to ‘back time’ the Glide so that they are completed at the desired edit point, rather than started there. Also, specific Glide transitions may be suppressed while others are allowed.
Page 310: Operational Philosophy
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Auto-Punch When Auto-Punch is active the system will automatically punch Write En- abled controls into RECORD at the beginning of the Write Zone. Stop Frame Automation The Stop Frame automation feature makes it possible to write specific control values between timecode locations. The user can stop timecode playback at a specific location, set any number of controls to desired values, and move to the next location forward in time where values may again be adjusted. The initially set values will be recorded between the timecode locations. 5.2.3 operational Philosophy The automation system follows the paradigm that there is audio under each control. It is as if this were a conventional analog moving fader system, in which case the fader position always represents the audio level. This is re- ferred to as WYSIWYH (‘What You See Is What You Hear’). However, in order to enhance the operation of the system, this rule is broken from time to time. Those cases will be noted and they are the exception. The general rule is WYSIWYH. Formula Based System In order to make a very powerful system that is also easy to understand, the system is based on a set of consistent Rules that pertain to the behavior of each mode or function. It is the consistency of these Rules, that allow the system to be simple to understand, yet very deep and powerful. To these Rules, Conditions and Options may be imposed that further define the behavior of the basic modes or functions. It is these Conditions and Op- tions that add extra facility and flexibility to the system. Options essentially ‘fine-tune’ the functionality or operation of specific areas of the system. The combination of Rules, Conditions, and Options allows the user to start using the system in a basic and easy to use manner. As familiarity increases (and based on the needs of the production), more complex operations may be carried out by applying the appropriate Conditions and/or Options. The system also provides extreme flexibility so operation may be essentially ‘customized’ to the task at hand and/or the working style of the user. The net...
Page 311 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Options Options apply operational or functional details to specific areas of the system. Options further define the behavior of the associated mode, control, feature, or function. In some cases, Options may influence the system independently of the Rules and Conditions being applied. Options are set by selecting the appropriate tab on the Mix Options page. They are indicated throughout this document within brackets, i.e. <Option>. Operational Formula The essential aspect to understanding the system is the following formula: Rules + Conditions + Options = Exact Function The key to efficient operation is knowledge of this formula and the elements within. Rules provide the basis of operation and functionality, Conditions further define behaviors, and Options provide specific parameters to the vari- ous elements being used. In some instances (such as Switch and GC automation), the operation of the control will also influence its functionality. However, in the majority of cases the formula above will apply. Document Note When appropriate, this document will organize information with the opera- tional formula in mind.
Page 312: Essential Concepts
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Essential Concepts In addition to the various Rules, Conditions, and Options, there is a small set of ‘essential concepts’ that must be understood when operating AutoTouch+. An explanation of these concepts follows. 5.3.1 Static and Dynamic objects One of the primary tenants of the AutoTouch+ system is the concept of Static and Dynamic controls. By definition, the value of a Static control is remembered by the system, but does not change during the course of a Mix Pass. Dynamic controls are defined by having one or more changes recorded at specific timecode locations within a Mix Pass. Note The terms ‘objects’ and ‘controls’ may be used interchangeably. 5.3.1.1 Static objects The addition of Static (objects) controls allows mixes to be created in much the same way as mixes would be made on an analog console with fader/mute automation, but with the power to automate any audio control as needed (not just faders and mutes). Once set to the desired values, the vast majority of controls will not need to be automated. However during the course of a mix,...
Page 313 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System values of all controls at the time the new Mix Tree was created. This value will be retained in subsequent passes unless the Static value is changed. Any time a control is adjusted (without being in RECORD), its Static value will change. In other words, Static values may be changed as long as RE- CORD is not engaged for the control. Static Data Buffer Changed Static values are temporarily stored in the ‘Static Data Buffer.’ The next time a new Mix Pass is created (usually by recording a Dynamic change on another control), the contents of the Static Data Buffer will be stored in the new pass. The old Static values will be retained in the previous pass. The new values will be retained in any new Mix Passes made from the just created pass. The Static Data Buffer may be cleared by clicking the ‘Clear Static’ button in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. ‘Clear Static’ Button The ‘Clear Static’ button in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window has two functions: • When lit, the ‘Clear Static’ button indicates there is information in the Static Data Buffer and there is a difference between the current Static values and those stored within the Active Mix Pass. • Pressing/clicking the ‘Clear Static’ button clears the values in the Static Data Buffer and restores those stored within the Active Mix Pass. Clearing the Static Data Buffer cannot be undone. When the first Static object is changed within a Mix Pass, the STATIC key illuminates. As mentioned above, this indicates that there is data in the Static Data Buffer. The values in the Static Data Buffer will be retained and the button will remain lit until one of two things occur: • A new Mix Pass is created; • The STATIC key is pressed. Note Static values can only be cleared on a global basis and cannot be cleared individually.
Page 314: Dynamic Objects
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.3.1.2 Dynamic objects A Dynamic object is defined as any automatable control whose value changes at one or more timecode locations within a Mix Pass. Any switch, fader, ro- tary control, and some GC items (automation objects) may be classified as a ‘Dynamic object’. All moves applied to a Dynamic object are remembered by the automation and replayed at the corresponding timecode location. Dynamic controls may be adjusted at any time during the mix process and recorded to a new Mix Pass using WRITE or TRIM automation modes. In this way, the value of selected Dynamic objects is updated from pass to pass. Dynamic controls may also be Auditioned and/or ‘pre-set’ before a punch- in. All objects will remain static until a move is recorded. Once a move is record- ed, the object becomes a dynamic control. A dynamic control may be made static by erasing all recorded moves for that control for the entire pass. The majority of this document discusses the automation of Dynamic con- trols. VIEW key Pressing VIEW will cause the lights for all dynamic controls currently on the work surface to illuminate. This provides a very quick and easy means of identifying dynamic controls. 5-20 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 315: Mix Snapshot
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.3.1.3 mix Snapshot The Mix Snapshot contains two types of data: • The values for Static objects. • The initial values for Dynamic objects from the beginning of the Mix Pass up to the first recorded change. Every Mix Pass has a Mix Snapshot. When a Mix Tree is first opened, a Mix Pass is created that contains a Mix Snapshot with a Static value for each control. The Static value stored in the Mix Snapshot is the current value of the control at the time the Mix Tree was first opened. As a mix progresses the following operations occur: • Changes to Static values are written directly to the Mix Snapshot each time a new Mix Pass is created. • Changes made to Dynamic objects are written to timestamps (timecode locations) within the Mix Pass. When changes are made to Static Objects, the Mix Snapshot is automatically updated when the next Mix Pass is generated.
Page 316: Touch & Un-Touch Events
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.3.2 Touch & un-Touch Events Another crucial, but easy to understand concept is that of Touch and Un- touch. AutoTouch+ is a very tactile system and relies on physical actions for efficient operation. Faders and encoders are touch-sensitive and can be made to respond in different ways depending on the mode and operation being performed. Switches and automatable GC items are not sensitive to physical touch, but their actuation can generate similar messages as faders and encod- ers. Touch Events The physical touching of a fader or encoder produces a ‘Touch Event.’ Ac- tuating an automatable switch or GC item may also generate a Touch Event, depending on the current mode.
Page 317: File Management
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System File management Mix File Structure There may be multiple mixes within each Title. Each Mix has its own name and a folder in which its files are kept. There is one Mix Tree for each Mix. A Mix Tree is a collection of Mix Passes, along with a Mix Tree file. Each Mix Tree and its files are kept in the Mix Folder. This really eliminates clutter within the Title folder because no matter how many Mix Passes are stored, they are all within their own separate folder. Mix File Organization The files and folders created and used by AutoTouch+ are identified as fol- lows: • The Mix tree database file has an .mt extension (filename.mt); • Each Mix Pass ends in the pass number with a .mix extension (filename- 004.mix); • The folder that the mix tree file and mix pass files resides in is the name of the mix (filename). The following example shows the file structure for a Mix named ‘Baby Blues’: D950Projects (Main projects folder) ---WP Mixdown (Project folder) -----Untold Story (Title folder)
Page 318: Mix Tree
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.1 mix Tree Automation Mix files are managed via the Mix Tree System (MTS). Each and every Mix Pass is automatically saved and archived within the Mix Tree. Used in a linear fashion, the Mix Tree will have no branches. If at some point a previously written Mix Pass becomes the Active Pass, a new branch of the Mix Tree will start growing as new passes are generated. In this way, the Mix Tree provides a graphic representation of the evolution of all Mix Passes. See above. Each Mix Pass is displayed as well as its linked history (the branch of the Mix Tree from which the pass evolved). Working in conjunction with the Mix Pass Stack, the Mix Tree provides an efficient means of organizing the multiple Mix Passes that are created during the course of a mix. This is particularly useful when creating several final versions of a mix. The MTS is maintained between sessions, so that when a Mix is recalled days or weeks later, the entire Mix Tree will be available to the new session. All Mix Passes will be recalled and placed in their proper positions when the Mix Tree is opened. The last Active Pass used will be loaded to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes the Active Pass. (The Mix Pass Stack is not maintained when the Mix Tree is closed.) Any number of new Mix Passes may be generated. Any existing Mix Pass from any Title may be added to the Mix Tree.
Page 319: Passes In The Mix Tree
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.1.1 Passes in the mix Tree Mix Pass Info Each completed Mix Pass has the following information: • Assigned Mix Pass Number • Mix Pass Name • Mix Pass Notes Assigned Mix Pass Numbers Assigned Mix Pass Numbers are used by the system to identify each Mix Pass. For example, a Mix Pass is identified only by its number when it’s part of the Mix Pass Stack. As Mix Passes are added to the Mix Tree, an Pass Number is automatically assigned to each. Mix Pass numbers are assigned in the order in which passes were added to the Mix Tree. For a new Mix Pass, the assigned number will serve as a temporary Mix Pass Name unless an new one is entered. For an existing Mix Pass, the assigned number will be displayed before the stored pass name as it appears in the Mix Tree. Mix Pass Names As mentioned above, the assigned Mix Number will serve as a temporary Mix Pass Name for new Mix Pass. This name will persist until the current Mix Tree or Title is closed (or a new Mix Tree or Title is opened). If no name is entered, the assigned pass number will appear as the Mix Pass Name in the Mix Tree. The resultant stored file name will be the name of the Mix Tree and pass. For example, if a name is not entered, ‘Dulcimer-002.mix’ would become the stored file name for the second Mix Pass in the Mix Tree named ‘Dulcimer.’ The next time this Mix Tree is opened, this Mix Pass would appear as the second Mix Pass in the Mix Tree and have the pass name ‘2.’...
Page 320 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3. Type the new name for the pass and click the ‘OK’ button. The new Mix Pass Name will appear in the Pass Name field and in the Mix Tree. Mix Pass Notes A set of notes can be entered and stored for each Mix Pass. Combined with the Mix Pass Name, this can greatly benefit the organization of a large number of passes. Editing Mix Pass Notes A Mix Pass must be the Active Mix Pass before notes can be entered or edited. To enter or change Mix Pass Notes, use the following procedure: 1. Make the desired Mix Pass the Active Pass if it is not already. (Click its icon in the Mix Pass Stack or double-click its icon in the Mix Tree.) 2. Click the ‘Pass:’ button next to the current Mix Pass Name (to the right of the Mix Pass Stack). The Pass Info entry box will appear. See #2 above. 3. Type the new notes in the ‘Notes:’ field and click the ‘OK’ button. The first few lines of the new Mix Pass Notes will appear in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window whenever that Mix Pass becomes active. If the notes are lengthy, the complete set may be viewed by opening the Pass Info entry box. 5-2 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 321: Active Pass
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.1.2 Active Pass The Active Mix Pass provides the Read Mix data for subsequent RECORD Mix Passes. When a Mix Pass becomes Active the following events occur: • In the ‘AutoTouch+’ window: The name and assigned number of the Mix Pass appears in the ‘Pass:’ field The name of the Mix Tree appears in the ‘Mix:’ field Any notes belonging to the pass appears in the ‘Notes:’ field The Green Light illuminates above the associated position in the Mix Pass Stack • In the Mix Tree window: The Mix Pass is highlighted in green The Active Mix is normally the mix on the top of the stack. Refer to chapter 5.5.1 for details regarding the Mix Pass Stack. 5.4.1.3 mix Tree Display modes ‘Hide Tree’/’Show Tree’ Button AutoTouch+ may be operated with or without the Mix Tree displayed. The Mix Pass Stack will be available in either case and can be used without the Mix Tree if desired (as in V2.5). To facilitate working without the Mix Tree, it may be hidden so that all Mix management can be done within the Mix Pass Stack. The Mix Tree is hidden by clicking the ‘Hide Tree’ button in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. The Mix Tree will disappear as indicated below and the ‘Hide Tree’ button changes to ‘Show Tree’. At any time, the Mix Tree may be made fully visible again by clicking the ‘Show Tree’ button. AutoTouch+ 5-2 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 322 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Whether or not the Mix tree window is displayed, the Mix Pass number, name, and notes are always displayed for the currently selected Active Mix. See above. Mix Pass Display Modes Within the Mix Tree, Mix Passes are displayed in one of three ways: • Pass Name: • Pass Number: • Pass Name and Number: Changing the Display Mode There are two methods to change the Mix Pass display modes: • ‘Display Mode’ button: Clicking the ‘Display Mode’ button will cycle through the three display modes. The ‘Display Mode’ button is located in...
Page 323 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • ‘Display Options’ menu: Right-clicking within the Mix Tree window will bring up the Mix Tree menu. Selecting ‘Display Options’ from this menu will open a context menu which contains the three display modes. The desired mode can be selected from this menu. Notes Until a Pass Name is entered, the name defaults to the pass number. The sys- tem detects this and when the display mode is set to display the name AND number, if they match, only the number is displayed. The Mix Pass number, name, and notes for the Active Mix are always dis- played in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. Round and Square Corners Mix Passes within the Mix Tree have either rounded or squared corners. Rounded corners indicate the Mix Pass is part of the Mix Pass Stack. Squared corners indicates it is not. See graphic below. Green Highlight The Active Mix Pass is highlighted in green in the Mix Tree and by a green LED symbol in the Mix Pass Stack. Asterisk An asterisk will appear in the Mix Tree icons for all Mix Passes that contain Mix Pass Notes. This condition will persist regardless of the chosen Display mode, see the graphic below. AutoTouch+ 5-29 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 324: Mix Tree Click Functions
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.1.4 mix Tree Click Functions A variety of ‘click functions’ are available within the Mix Tree. These functions range from Left-Click Functions • Single-clicking a Mix Pass within the Mix Tree will ‘mark’ that pass by highlighting it in red. Clicking a marked pass will ‘unmark’ it and remove the red highlight. Only one mix at a time may be selected using this method.
Page 325 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Mix Tree menu items function as follows: • Set As Read Mix: Makes the selected Mix Pass the Active Pass (this is the same as double-clicking a Mix Pass in the Mix Tree) • Unmark This Pass: Unmarks the selected Mix Pass • Clears All Marks: Unmarks all marked Mix Passes (always available when any passes are marked) • Invert Marked Passes: Reverses which Mix Passes are marked and which are unmarked. (always available) • Mark This Branch: The selected Mix Pass and all subsequent passes made from this pass will be marked • Mark All Except This Branch: All branches except the one in which the selected Mix Pass is a member will be marked. Selecting a Mix Pass in the middle of a branch will prevent any member of that branch from being marked whether they were made before or after the selected pass. All other branches will be marked. • Pass Info…: Opens the Pass Info entry box for the selected Mix Pass. The selected pass does not need to be the Active Pass in order to open the Pass Info entry box in this way. • Display Options: Opens the context menu for Mix Tree Display modes. Name, Number, and Name & Number may be selected. (always avail- able) • Save Pass As New Tree: Creates a new Mix Tree with the selected Mix...
Page 326: Creating A New Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.2 Creating a new mix New Mixes To create a new Mix use the following procedure: 1. Select ‘New Mix Tree…’ from the Automation menu in the GC. The ‘New Mix Tree’ box will open and a display of existing Mixes will be shown. 2. Enter a name for the Mix in the ‘New Mix Tree Name:’ entry field. Please note that the selected directory is given by the opened Project and Title and cannot be edited. 3. Click the ‘New Mix Tree’ button. A new Mix folder, Mix Tree file, and first Mix Pass file will be created in the Title folder. A new Mix Tree will appear on the screen underneath the ‘AutoTouch+’...
Page 327: Loading An Existing Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.4.3 Loading an Existing mix Existing Mix Trees and Mix Passes made with software V3.0 or later may be loaded by selecting the following from the Automation menu: • ‘Open Mix Tree…:’ Loads an entire Mix Tree. A directory of existing Mix Trees within the current Title will be displayed. Double-clicking the desired Mix Tree (or selecting it and clicking Open) will load that tree. The last used Mix Pass will be loaded in the top position of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes the Active Mix. • ‘Load Mix…:’ Loads a single Mix Pass into the current Mix Tree. A direc- tory of existing Mix Trees within the current Title will be displayed. AutoTouch+ 5- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 328: Mix Pass
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Double-clicking the desired Mix Tree folder will open that tree and the Mix Passes within will be displayed. The desired Mix Pass may be loaded by double-clicking its name or icon. The newly loaded Mix Pass will be loaded in the top position of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes the Active Mix. Mixes may also be loaded from other Titles. Use the Import function (menu File – Import – Mix), select the Mix Pass in the desired Project/Title/Mix Tree, and click Open. Now you can select the Project/Title/Mix Tree folder to save the selected Mix Pass. It is even possible to rename the Mix Pass if required. Use the Load Mix function to load the Mix Pass into the current Mix Tree. Notes Whenever a single Mix Pass is loaded, it starts a new branch at the start of the Mix Tree. The Mix Pass Stack is not maintained after the Mix Tree is closed. However, the last Active Mix Pass is loaded at the top of the Mix Pass Stack when an existing Mix Tree is opened. mix Pass A Mix Pass contains a set of records for each dynamic control, fader Trim Replay Data if any, and a set of values for static controls. Creating a Mix Pass A new Mix Pass is created whenever any of the following occur: • A change in a dynamic control is recorded (such as using Touch Record...
Page 329: Mix Pass Stack
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.5.1 mix Pass Stack There is an eight-position Mix Pass Stack which holds up to eight Mix Passes in memory for immediate use. Mix Passes can only be played back from the Mix Pass Stack. The Mix Pass Stack is located on the AutoTouch+ window on the GC. Organization The eight positions of the Mix Pass Stack are represented by eight Mix Pass boxes arranged horizontally. The number of the Mix Pass will appear within the Mix Stack position (box) in which it is stored. A Mix Pass can appear only once within the Mix Pass Stack. The box the furthest to the right is the position where Mix Passes are added to the stack. As Mix Passes are added, any existing passes shift to the left. When the Mix Pass Stack is full and a new pass is added, the Mix Pass in the last position (far left position) will be deleted from the stack as one to its right is shifted down. In the example above, only three Mix Passes are loaded into the Mix Pass Stack and the #5 pass is Active. Adding a Pass to the Stack Mix Passes are added to the Mix Pass Stack in the following ways: • Creating a new Mix Pass: The newly created Mix Pass will be added to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes active. See ‘Creating a New Mix Pass’ above. • Double-clicking a Mix Pass in the Mix Tree: The selected Mix Pass will be added to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes active. • Right-clicking a Mix Pass in the Mix Tree: The Mix Tree Right Click menu will open. Selecting ‘Set As Read Mix’ will cause the selected Mix Pass to be added to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and become active. Active Mix Pass The ‘Active Mix Pass’ is the one played back and will be the basis for a new Mix Pass if any changes are made. It contains the ‘Read Mix Data’ that is...
Page 330: Mix Comparison
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System becomes active. • Creating a new Mix Pass: The newly created Mix Pass will be added to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and becomes active. • Right-clicking a Mix Pass in the Mix Tree: The Mix Tree Right Click menu will open. Selecting ‘Set As Read Mix’ will cause the selected Mix Pass to be added to the top of the Mix Pass Stack and become active. Conditions The Active Mix Pass cannot be changed while RECORD is engaged. 5.5.1.1 mix Comparison One of the unique features of AutoTouch+ is the ability to compare Mix Passes while the mix is running. Any Mix Pass in the Mix Pass Stack can be accessed at any time, even while a mix is being played back. Comparing Mix Passes Mix Pass comparisons can be performed in one of two ways: • Clicking a Mix Pass in the Mix Pass Stack: The clicked Mix Pass will become active after a short processing delay. Using this method, passes in the Mix Pass Stack can be activated in any order. • UNDO/REDO keys: The UNDO/REDO keys activate adjacent Mix Passes in the Mix Pass Stack (see below).
Page 331 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Using these keys activates adjacent Mix Passes within the Mix Pass Stack with UNDO moving backward through the stack and REDO moving forward. Note The UNDO and REDO keys move consecutively through the Mix Pass Stack. The order of passes heard while using the UNDO and REDO keys may not necessarily be in numeric order, depending on the order in which passes were added to the stack. UNDO / REDO The precise functions of the UNDO and REDO keys are as follows: • UNDO: Pressing the UNDO key will activate the most previous Mix Pass in the Mix Pass Stack from the currently active position. In other words, pressing UNDO will allows the previous adjacent Mix Pass to be acti- vated. • REDO: Pressing the REDO key will activate the next Mix Pass in the Mix Pass Stack from the currently active position. In other words, pressing REDO will allows the next adjacent Mix Pass to be activated.
Page 332: Kill Pass
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.5.1.3 Kill Pass The ‘Kill Pass’ function prevents a new pass from being written if flaws are detected while a new Mix Pass is being created. This is useful if a mistake is made during a RECORD pass and the resultant pass would not be worth keeping. The KILL PASS key is located next to the UNDO / REDO keys in the Automa- tion Panel. Killing a Mix Pass If KILL PASS is engaged when timecode is stopped, the new mix pass will not be written. To prevent a new Mix Pass from being written, press the KILL PASS key before playback of timecode stops. Note KILL PASS may be engaged and disengaged at any time while timecode is being played back. This allows the user to kill a pass and then change his or her mind before the timecode is stopped. As long as timecode hasn’t stopped, Kill pass may be toggled on an off at will. The Kill Pass state that exists when timecode is stopped will dictate the fate of the Record Mix Pass KILL PASS will always disengage at the end of a Mix Pass. Conditions KILL PASS functions only when RECORD passes are in progress. <Option> • With <Protect Static From Kill Pass> checked on the Misc Options page, changes made to Static controls are retained when KILL PASS is used; also refer to chapter 5.21.7. Note The Mix Options window is opened by clicking the ‘Options…’ button in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. Clicking the appropriate Tab will open the cor-...
Page 333: Control Modes
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Control modes There are four Control Modes used in the AutoTouch+ mix system: • READ • WRITE ENABLE • TRIM ENABLE • ISOLATE Each automatable control within the system is always in one of these four modes. Rule-Based System As mentioned before, the system is based on a set of consistent rules that pertain to the behavior of each mode or function. It is the consistency of these rules that allows the system to be simple to understand, yet very deep and powerful. The key to using the system is simply to learn the rules. The rules define how an control or feature will function under a given set of condi- tions. The conditions that define the exact function of each mode are determined by the selection of other functions, selected options, and record status. With this in mind, it may be helpful to think about Control Mode as the primary func- tion which maybe modified to yield the precise operation the user desires. In a few cases the basic rules will be broken, but these will be clearly not- Independent Control Modes Different channels may be in different automation modes. For example, some channels may be in WRITE while others may be in TRIM. In addition, different controls within channels may be in different modes. For example the fader may be in TRIM, while the mute is in WRITE, and the rotaries are in READ. Any combination is possible. READ LOCK With READ LOCK engaged, all controls are placed in READ mode. All mode changes are locked out, Audition mode is defeated, and only written values will be heard. In this regard, READ LOCK over-rides Control Mode selec-...
Page 334: Read
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Note In describing the behavior of each Control Mode it is assumed that the MIX ON function is active and timecode is running. If MIX ON is not active then all controls behave as if there were in ISOLATE mode. Document Note The next several chapters will provide a set of basic rules for each Control Mode. A set of conditions and options that further define the mode’s opera- tion will also be provided. The most pertinent conditions and options for each mode will be discussed, but it would be impractical to list every permutation. Some system conditions and options will be discussed as stand alone elements and their effects upon other areas will be noted. 5.6.1 Read READ is the data replay mode of the system. Controls in READ mode will playback changes written in the Mix Pass. READ Rules Record Off: • REPLAY: The control plays back the mix data to timecode. Static controls will be set to the value stored within the Mix Pass. (Static values are not timecode stamped.) Dynamic controls will be set to their stored values and subsequent changes will be replayed.
Page 335: Write
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.6.2 Write WRITE is the primary data recording mode of the system. Controls in WRITE ENABLE are armed for recording and those in WRITE RECORD will write changes to a new Mix Pass. WRITE Rules Record Off: • WRITE ENABLE: The control acts the same as if it were in READ (replaying the mix Read data), but is armed to go into WRITE RECORD. A new Mix Pass is not generated unless RECORD is engaged. Record On: • WRITE RECORD: The absolute value (level) of the control is written into a new Mix Pass. Read mix values are overwritten. At the end of a pass in which at least one control was in WRITE RE- CORD, a new Mix Pass is generated based upon the Active Mix Pass and the newly recorded data. Note WRITE RECORD is a destructive mode in regard that previously written data is overwritten. However, mix data is never lost because a new Mix Pass is...
Page 336: Trim
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Conditions • If touched and not in RECORD, the control will enter AUDITION for the duration of the touch. The control will snap back to its Read value upon release. • With TOUCH RECORD engaged, the control will enter WRITE RECORD (Punch-in) when touched and return to WRITE ENABLE (Replay) when released (Punch-out). When released the control will snap back to its Read value unless GLIDE is engaged. If glide is engaged the control will glide back to its Read value. • With TOUCH HOLD engaged, the control will enter AUDITION mode when touched and holds the audition value when released. • With TOUCH RECORD and TOUCH HOLD engaged, the control will enter WRITE RECORD (Punch-in) when touched and stays in WRITE RECORD when released. The control will stay in WRITE RECORD until punched out...
Page 337 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Faders The first time a fader is placed in TRIM, the null point is 0 dB and the fader will snap to this position. It should be noted that the fader is showing the null value rather than the Read Mix values and in this case it is 0 dB. As the pass is played, the changes in the Read Mix values will be heard with a 0 dB offset and the fader will not move. When the fader is moved from 0 dB, an offset equivalent to the amount of the move will be applied to the Read Mix data and the net result will be heard. The offset is displayed by a pink bar (replay value) and a gray bar (current value). When a recorded Trim is played back with TRIM enabled, the fader will move to indicate the Trim offset from 0 dB. If the value of the Trim Replay Data is recorded at –3 dB and then moves to –5 dB, the fader will move –3 dB and then to –5 dB at the appropriate time. The underlying Read Mix...
Page 338 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Read Mix (replay value) is roughly indicated by a pink-colored ele- ment. If the control is moved while in TRIM ENABLE (no Touch modes engaged), the Trim value will be AUDITIONED. The Trim values will offset the Read Mix Data and the net result will be heard. In other words, if the control is moved, the audio reflects the sum of the Read Mix Data plus the offset from the nominal Trim value of the control. So, if the Read Mix Data had a moving value, you will hear that same moving value, except it will be offset by the amount that the control has been moved from the nominal trim value. If changes to Trim values have been previously written, faders in TRIM will normally replay the Read Mix Data (which incorporates the previous Trim values) and the Trim Replay values will be shown on the faders and null indicators. Other controls will replay the Read Mix Data (which incorporates the previous Trim values). Changes to Trim values will be displayed by the control. Record On: • TRIM RECORD: Everything is the same as with Record Off, except that the Trim values are written into a new Mix Pass. For all controls, the Trim offset is combined with the Read Mix data in the new pass. The Trim Replay data is also modified for faders.
Page 339: Isolate
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Automation Menu • Selecting ‘Clear TRIM Replay Data’ from the Automation menu in the GC deletes the fader Trim Replay Data and creates a new Mix Pass with 0 dB recorded as the new Trim Replay value. Entering TRIM RECORD Controls in TRIM ENABLE can change to TRIM RECORD using any of the following 3 methods: 1. Local Touch (Touching the control on the Channel Strip) or CGM Touch. TOUCH RECORD engaged or the AUTO MODE modifier key must be used. 2. Local punch-in using the Channel Strip STAT (record punch) key. 3. Global punch-in via Global Record PUNCH-IN key, or Auto-Punch, or GPI (refer to chapter 5.8.5). 5.6.4 isolate ISOLATE is the system’s manual mode. Controls in ISOLATE neither re- sponds to or creates new mix data. In other words, the control is essentially removed from the automation system is becomes strictly a manual control. Note A control in ISOLATE mode differs from a Static control in regard that changes in an Isolated control’s position are not written to Mix Passes. Like-...
Page 340: Control Mode Entry
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.6.5 Control mode Entry Controls may be put into the various Control Modes using one of four meth- ods: 1. Globally using the Global Control Mode Activator keys and other controls on the AUTOMATION Panel. 2. Locally using the channel strip AUTO MODE key. 3. When AutoTouch+ is turned On using the MIX ON key on the AUTOMA- TION Panel. Activating the system will engage the Control Mode selected on the Panel Presets Options page. Note Multiple Control Modes may be active on the console simultaneously. 5.6.5.1 Global mode Entry Global Control Mode Entry The primary method to enter automation Control Modes is using the Control Mode section of the Master Automation Panel. Controls that are to enter the mode are ‘preselected’ using Control Mode preselector keys. The preselected controls are then entered into the desired mode using the Global Mode Activa- tor keys. Preselectors Global Mode Activators Global Mode Activators There is an activator key for each Control Mode. Pressing one of these keys puts the preselected controls on all channels into that mode. The controls af-...
Page 341 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Preselectors Control Mode preselectors determine which controls are selected when a new Control Mode is activated. Multiple preselectors may be active at a time. Any and all combinations are allowed. Preselectors will illuminate when activated. The following describes the control classifications as defined by the Control Mode preselectors: • FDR REC (Fader): The fader of all channel types • MUTE (Mute): The Mute of all channel types • KNOB (Encoders): All continuous controller type encoders (knobs or rotaries). This does not include knobs that control ‘selectors’ such as pan...
Page 342: Mode Entry
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System <Option> • <When Mix Status is Set to on> (also refer to chapter 5.21.2): Radio but- tons on the Control Modes Options page allow the selection of one of the following options to take effect when Mix Status is set to on (after the first time AutoTouch has been turned on for the first time): <Maintain Object Modes>: When the MIX ON key on the Automa- tion Panel is turned off, all controls are isolated from automation and operate as manual controls. With <Maintain Object Modes> selected, knowledge of the Control Mode for each control is maintained. When the system is turned back on, the Control Mode of all controls is re- stored. <Set All to Read>: Turning the MIX ON key on, after having turned it off, will set all controls to READ. <Set preselector Objects to WRITE>: Any controls that are selected in the Global Control Modes preselector will be set to WRITE. All others will be set to READ. <Set preselector Objects to TRIM>: Any controls that are selected in the Global Control Modes preselector will be set to TRIM. All others will be set to READ. • With <Mode Enable sets non-selected to READ> checked on the Control Modes Options page, all controls not preselected are placed in READ when a new Control Mode is enabled. In other words, only the controls...
Page 343: Control Mode Indicators
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.6.6 Control mode indicators In automation mode, the channel strips hold additional indications for detailed display of the current status. This chapter shows all possible indications of automation status and explains their meaning. There are some record indicators integrated within the channel strip’s record- ing keys: SWIT REC Recording overview for switches. If half-lit: One or more switches are armed (i.e., in TRIM or WRITE enable mode). If fully lit: One or more switches are recording. Pressing this key will either punch-in the held objects, or punch-out the switches currently recording. KNOB REC Recording overview for rotary encoders. If half-lit: One or more rotaries are armed (i.e., in TRIM or WRITE enable mode). If fully lit: One or more...
Page 344 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Rotary Value Current and replay value of the rotary control. If the current value is different from the one within the last mix pass, a pink colored element indicates the value of the last mix pass, while the main display is indicating the current value. Fader Value Current and replay value of the fader. If the current value is different from the one in the last mix pass, a pink colored element indicates the value within the last mix pass, while the main display is indicating the current value. Recording Recording and recording mode indicator: This always refers to the associated control. Characters without a frame indicate the status of the rotary control (I = Isolate, R = Read, T = Trim, W = Write). A red frame behind the ‘W’ or ‘T’ indicates that the rotary control is currently recording. Recording Recording mode of the fader (in the Vistonics generic display area): Characters without a frame indicate the status of the fader (I = Isolate, R = Read, T = Trim, W = Write).
Page 345 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System n–1 x n–1 x indicates that the channel is the owner of an n–1 bus, together with its bus number - e.g. ‘m 1’ for ‘mono 1’. Rotary Dynamic/Static Dynamic/static view of the rotary control: When pressing the VIEW key in the dynamic automation panel, this display changes to DYN, if this control contains dynamically automated elements Fader Dynamic/Static Dynamic/static view of the fader: When pressing the VIEW key in the dynamic automation panel, this display appears and indicates ‘FADER DYN’, if the fader is dynamically automated. AutoTouch+ 5-5 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 346: Touch And Hold
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Touch and Hold T ouch and Hold functions are key aspects of understanding the AutoTouch+ system. Knowledge of these functions and their permutations is essential to the operation of the system. As with Control Modes, there are rules, condi- tions, and options that determine the precise function of these features. Faders and Encoders on the channel strip are touch-sensitive. Switches are touch-sensitive in regard that touch events are recognized by the system when a Switch is actuated. Note This chapter will emphasize how touch events relate to Faders and En- coders. Switch automation information will be included, but for complete information regarding Switch automation refer to chapter 5.10.
Page 347 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Examples of possible operations that can be triggered by Touch and Un- touch events: • Touch Enter the enabled mode for that control (i.e. Audition) Punch-in that control (i.e. Enable to Record) • Un-touch Exit the enabled mode for that control (i.e. Audition) Punch-out that control (i.e. Record to Enable) Touch-sensitivity is always active on the work surface, even if TOUCH RECORD and/or TOUCH HOLD are not active. It should also be noted that when necessary, Touch and Un-touch events can be suppressed to facilitate specific functionality.
Page 348: Touch Record
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.7.2 Touch Record With TOUCH RECORD engaged, touching a Write or Trim enabled control will change it from ENABLE to RECORD. This will effectively perform a ‘Punch-In’ for that control. Touching a control in READ will change it to AUDITION. When released, a control in RECORD will change back to ENABLE, effec- tively ‘Punching-Out’ (if TOUCH HOLD is not engaged). Subsequent Touch/ Un-touch events will to toggle that control in an out of RECORD. Likewise a control in AUDITION will revert to READ when released. To sum it up, if TOUCH RECORD is used alone (without TOUCH HOLD) controls will change to either RECORD or AUDITION for the duration of the human contact with the control. Touch Record With only TOUCH RECORD engaged (without TOUCH HOLD), Touch/Un-touch events perform the following functions when dynamic controls are in the Control Modes indicated: • READ: Touch/Un-touch will toggle the control in and out of AUDI- TION.
Page 349: Touch Hold
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System <Option> • With <Read Safe> checked on the Misc. Options page, AUDITION mode is defeated for controls in READ, and only written values will be heard. • The TOUCH RECORD key may be overridden by checking options on the <Master Panel Overrides> section of the Master Panel Options page. Fad- ers and Encoders can have TOUCH RECORD set to <ON>, <OFF>, or to follow the Master Panel <Follows Panel>. TOUCH RECORD for Switches can also have <ON> and <OFF> overrides or be set to follow the Master Panel <Follows Panel>. 5.7.3 Touch Hold With TOUCH HOLD engaged, touching a control will change it to being in a ‘held’ state. Held Controls Controls that are in Held status have specific functional qualities: • They maintain their current status when physically released (Un- touched) • They may be selected as a group (Held Objects) for additional automation operations (such as a preselector set).
Page 350: Touch Record + Touch Hold
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Touch Hold With only TOUCH HOLD engaged (without TOUCH RECORD), Touch events perform the following functions when dynamic controls are in the Control Modes indicated (remember Un-touch events are suppressed): • READ: Touch will change to and stay in AUDITION. • WRITE ENABLE: Touch will change to and stay in AUDITION. • TRIM ENABLE: Touch will change to and stay in TRIM AUDITION. • ISOLATE: Touch/Un-touch events of Isolated controls are not recognized by AutoTouch+. <Option> • With <Read Safe> checked on the Misc Options page (see chapter 5.21.7), AUDITION mode is defeated for controls in READ, and only written values will be heard. • The TOUCH HOLD key may be overridden by checking options on the <Master Panel Overrides> section of the Master Panel Options page (see...
Page 351: Held Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Touch Record + Touch Hold With both TOUCH RECORD and TOUCH HOLD engaged, Touch events perform the following functions when dynamic controls are in the Control Modes indicated (remember Un-touch events are suppressed): • READ: Touch will change to and stay in AUDITION. • WRITE ENABLE: Touch will change the control from WRITE ENABLE to WRITE RECORD and stay in WRITE RECORD when released. • TRIM ENABLE: Touch will change the control from TRIM ENABLE to TRIM RECORD and stay in TRIM RECORD when released. • ISOLATE: Touch/Un-touch events of Isolated controls are not recognized by AutoTouch+. <Option> • With <Read Safe> checked on the Misc Options page (see chapter 5.21.7), AUDITION mode is defeated for controls in READ, and only written values will be heard.
Page 352: Held Plays Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Note The TOUCH HOLD key on the AutoTouch+ Panel may be overridden by checking options on the <Master Panel Overrides> section of the Master Panel Options page (also refer to chapter 5.21.5). Faders/Encoders and Switches can have TOUCH HOLD set to <ON> as an default option. When using this option, care should be taken not inadvertently place controls into Hold. 5.7.5.1 Held Plays mix When the HELD PLAYS MIX key is engaged, all Held controls play their Read Mix data when not in RECORD, but the controls can be set to different physi- cal positions. The Read Mix data is heard, even though one or more controls are being held in AUDITION. This allows a held control to be pre-positioned while awaiting a punch-in. The result is true emulation of the resultant mix, while the Mix Pass is being run. <Option> • With <Disabled While Touched> checked in the <Held Plays Mix> section of the Hold Options page (also refer to chapter 5.21.4) and HELD PLAYS MIX engaged, all held controls that are touched will change to AUDITION for the duration of the touch. The AUDITION value will be heard while...
Page 353: Auto Mode Key Function
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.7.6 Auto mode Key Function AUTO MODE Key The channel strip AUTO MODE key is also known as ‘modifier key.’ AUTO MODE Key Function Holding the AUTO MODE key down temporarily reverses the state of the TOUCH RECORD key on a local basis. For example, if TOUCH RECORD is activated on the AutoTouch+ Panel, holding down the AUTO MODE key will deactivate TOUCH RECORD on that channel as long as the key is held down. If however TOUCH RECORD is not active, holding the AUTO MODE key will activate it for that channel. Using the AUTO MODE Key The AUTO MODE key may be used as follows: • Global TOUCH RECORD Active:...
Page 354: Modified Un-Touch Inverts
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.7.6.1 modified un-touch inverts As an option, TOUCH RECORD or TOUCH HELD may have their modified Un-touch function inverted. In other words, if the AUTO MODE key is held down when a control is Un-touched (released) the normal Un-touch function of Touch Record or Touch Hold will be reversed. Either Touch Record or Touch Hold may be selected for Un-touch inversion, but not both. <Option> • Either the TOUCH HELD or TOUCH RECORD function may be selected for Modified Un-touch Inversion when the AUTO MODE key is held. This...
Page 355: Option Modified Un-Touch Inverts
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Both Global TOUCH RECORD and Global TOUCH HELD active: 4a While keeping the AUTO MODE key pressed, touching a control in ENABLE mode will not PUNCH-INto RECORD. The control will remain in HELD status. 4b A control being in RECORD status can be punched out by keeping the AUTO MODE key pressed, then touching and un-touching the control. At the moment the control is released, it punches out of RECORD while remaining in HELD status. 5.7.6.1.2 Option Modified Un-Touch Inverts <Touch Hold> Both Global TOUCH RECORD and TOUCH HELD inactive: 5a While keeping the AUTO MODE key pressed, touching a control in ENABLE mode will switch it to RECORD and HELD status. When releasing the con- trol it will remain in RECORD and TOUCHED. Global TOUCH RECORD active, TOUCH HELD inactive: 6a While keeping the AUTO MODE key pressed, touching a control in ENABLE mode will switch it to HELD but not to RECORD status, if the control is released before the AUTO MODE key.

Page 356 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Global Global Control Control Status Ref. Step Touch Touch AUTO MODE Key Action Action Condition/Reaction Record Hold ENABLE Press + Hold ENABLE Hold Touch RECoRD Hold Un-touch ENABLE ENABLE Press + Hold ENABLE Hold Touch + Hold...
Page 357 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Global Global Control Control Status Ref. Step Touch Touch AUTO MODE Key Action Action Condition/Reaction Record Hold ENABLE Press + Hold ENABLE Hold Touch ENABLE Hold Un-touch ENABLE + HELD ENABLE Touch + Hold RECoRD...
Page 358: Global Record
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Global Record Controls can be ‘punched in and out’ on a global basis. Global punch-ins and punch-outs are accomplished in one of three ways: 1. Manually: Using the PUNCH-IN and PUNCH-OUT activator keys on the GLOBAL RECORD section of the AutoTouch+ Panel 2. Automatically: Enabling the Write Zone and ‘Auto Punch-In/Out’ in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window of the Graphical Controller (GC). Refer to chapter 5.8.4, Auto Punch-In/Out. 3. Automatically via a GPI input (refer to chapter 5.8.5). Conditions If no controls of the type chosen of the GLOBAL RECORD preselector are enabled, Global PUNCH-IN has no effect. Likewise, if no controls of the type chosen of the GLOBAL RECORD preselector are in RECORD, Global PUNCH- OUT has no effect.
Page 359: Manual Punch-In/-Out
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CLR / ALL • Permits changing all preselectors at once: If one or more preselectors are active, then pressing CLR / ALL clears all of the preselectors. If no preselectors are active, then ALL preselectors get active. Holding CLR / ALL and pressing PUNCH-IN or PUNCH-OUT will bypass the preselector and select all controls. 5.8.2 manual Punch-in/-out The manual PUNCH-IN and PUNCH-OUT activators are located in the GLOBAL RECORD section of the Automation Panel. As described above, the controls to be punched in and out are chosen using GLOBAL RECORD preselectors and then manually ‘punched in and out’ of Record using the PUNCH-IN and PUNCH-OUT activator keys. Punch-in/Out Activators • PUNCH-IN: Pressing PUNCH-IN puts the preselected controls on all chan- nels <Option> into RECORD (if enabled). As with Control Mode entries, the controls affected are filtered by the preselectors that are currently active.
Page 360 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Enabling the Write Zone The Write Zone is enabled by checking the ‘Write Zone Enabled’ box in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. If this box is unchecked the Write Zone has no af- fect. Write Zone Begin Time The Write Zone Begin Time is the timecode location before which record- ing is locked out, assuming the Write Zone is enabled. Recording is allowed only after the Write Zone Begin Time, but only up to the Write Zone End Time. Auto Punch-In If Auto Punch-In is engaged, a punch-in will occur for enabled controls when the Write Zone Begin Time is encountered. Write Zone End Time The Write Zone End Time is the timecode location after which Recording is locked out, assuming the Write Zone is enabled. Recording is allowed only before the Write Zone End Time, but only after the Write Zone Begin Time. Sync w/Loop Pts Checking the ‘Sync with Loop Points’ function allows to set the Write Zone In an Out points, according to the selected cue points in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window. Any controls in RECORD will punch-out when the Write Zone End Time is encountered. This happened whether Auto Punch-In is engaged or not. Write Zone Begin/End T ime Entry The Write Zone Begin and End times may be entered in the following ways: • Highlighting all or part of the Begin or End Time entry field and typing in...
Page 361 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Entry Field Right-click Menu Right-clicking either Write Zone entry fields will open the Entry Field Right-click menu. This menu contains several items that assist the user in quickly entering timecode values. These items are organized in five basic areas: • Significant System Times: Mix Begin, Mix End, Current Time, Clear (00:00:00.00), and End of Day (23:59:59.2X) • Cue List Times: Allows access to the Title Cue List and provides the means...
Page 362: Auto Punch-In/Out
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.8.4 Auto Punch-in/out Automatic punch-in/punch-out is controlled via the AutoTouch+ window of the GC. Write Zone To set up an Auto Punch-in/Out, a ‘Write Zone’ with a ‘Begin’ and ‘End’ time must first be established. These will be the In and Out point for the Auto Punch-in. The times displayed were the last In and Out times used by the system. Direct entry of Begin and End times is possible once the Write Zone is enabled. Refer to chapter 5.8.3 for details. Auto Punch-in To activate the Auto Punch-in feature, the Write Zone must first be enabled, which is done by checking the ‘Enable’ box next to the End time field. Once the Write Zone is enabled, it is then possible to enable the Auto Punch-in facility. This is accomplished by checking the ‘Auto PUNCH-IN’ box located below the Write Zone Enable box. Performing the Punch Once Auto Punch-In is enabled and the desired controls are enabled, play back timecode (media). During the pre-roll before the Begin Time, the affected controls will act as if in RECORD ENABLE, but will not punch-in until the Write Zone Begin time.
Page 363: Data Transition Behavior
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Data Transition Behavior Data Transitions In simplest terms, a Data Transition takes place whenever new data meets old data. In more formal terms, a data transition is where Record Mix Data transi- tions to Read Mix Data and vice versa. This means a transition takes place when Read Mix Data transitions to Record data (such as at a punch-in) and when the Record Data transitions to Read Mix Data (such as a punch-out). Note Data Transitions are not limited to punch-in and punch-out locations. Last Recorded Value The Last Recorded Value is always the current value of the control at the time it is punched out. However, it should be noted that this value might have been set well before the actual punch-out. In this case, the location of the Last Recorded Value is earlier than the punch-out location. By definition, the Last Record Value is a Dynamic value. However, it should be noted that it is a singular, non-moving value. Understanding Behaviors One of the key aspects to AutoTouch+, is understanding where the Last Re- corded Value transitions to and from Read Mix data and how it makes the transitions. The ‘where’ behavior is determined in two ways: • Write To: Where Record Data transitions to Read Mix Data • Extend Back To: Where Read Data transitions to Record Data The Last Recorded Value may be applied up to or beyond the punch-out point. It may also be applied back to the punch-in point or before. These behaviors will be discussed below. The ‘how’ behavior is determined by whether the Glide function is On or Off and the Glide Options enabled. 5.9.1 Write To: The choice of Mix Pass ‘Write To:’ function determines where the Record...
Page 364 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System WRITE TO Keys The Mix Pass WRITE TO: keys determine the point at which the transition from Record Data to Read Mix Data will take place. As noted above, there are four different WRITE TO: functions, one of which must be selected. The selected function key will illuminate when that function is active. Only one function can be active at a time. The four WRITE TO: functions behave as follows: • PUNCH-OUT: The Last Recorded Value (punch-out value) will be applied until the Punch-out point. At the punch-out point, the Record Data will transition to the Read Mix Data. PUNCH-OUT is the default WRITE TO: function. • NEXT CHANGE: The Last Recorded Value will be applied until the next recorded change in the Read Mix Data. At that point, the Record Data will transition to Read Mix Data. • LEVEL MATCH: The current value of the control (by definition the Last Recorded Value) will be written until it matches the Read Mix Data. At...
Page 365 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Post Pass Processing NEXT CHANGE, LEVEL MATCH, and END transitions do not have to be per- formed in real-time. The active ‘Write To:’ function will take place even after timecode playback has stopped at the end of Record Pass. This saves time by eliminating the need to perform complete real-time passes when a control’s value can be written to a known location. This also means it is possible to overwrite mix data in locations that have not been heard. Care is suggested while using ‘Write To:’ functions. Important Note WRITE TO: NEXT CHANGE, LEVEL MATCH, and END are destructive functions in the regard that they will overwrite existing mix data until transitioning at their respective WRITE TO: locations. Even though previous Mix Passes are retained, for efficient operation care should be taken when using these func- tions. Setting a Fixed End Time Fixed End Times are set using the Write To End Time pull-down menu in the ‘AutoTouch+’ window of the GC. The pull-down menu will allow the selec- tion of an End Time definition (End of Mix, End of Time, or Fixed…). The End of Mix time is predetermined by the End Time of the Active Mix Pass and cannot be altered via this field. End of Time is always the last possible timecode location (i.e. 23:59:59.2X) and cannot be altered. When Fixed End Time is selected a T.C. Entry box appears. The desired Fixed End Time may be entered via this box by typing in a time- code location or using the click-and-scroll method (timecode locations cannot be pasted into this field) and clicking OK. When Fixed End Time is selected, the entered timecode location will be shown in the display field directly below the End Time pull-down menu. Changes or direct entries are not allowed us- ing this field. To edit the Fixed End Time, Fixed must be selected from the pull-down menu.
Page 366 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System These items are organized in five basic areas: • Significant System Times: Mix Begin, Mix End, Current Time, Clear (00:00:00.00), and End of Day (23:59:59.2X) • Cue List Times: Allows access to the Title Cue List and provides the means to sort and go to cues • Copy/Paste/Undo Changes: Entry field clipboard functions • Most Recent: A list of the most recently used timecode locations is main- tained by the system. Timecode locations from this list many be selected for the entry field value. The most recent timecode (current value) may be locked as the entry field value, to prevent it from being changed. A timecode may be manually added to the list. The list may be sorted and deleted. Hot Keys Hot Keys are provided to aid in the entry of fixed End timecode locations. A complete description of Hot Key functions is provided in chapter 5.23. <Option> <End of Pass Clears>: The End of Pass options (also refer to chapter 5.21.6) determine the behavior of specific functions when a mix pass is terminated by stopping timecode. The behaviors that take place are determined on the End of Pass Options page. Check boxes allow the selection of the following options: With <Write To End> checked, the ‘Write To: End’ function is disabled after the end of every Mix Pass and Punch Out is reset as the default state. This ensures that ‘Write To: End’ is only used for one pass without being reset as the ‘Write To:’ function.
Page 367: Extend Back To
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.9.2 Extend Back To: The choice of Mix Pass ‘Extend Back To:’ function determines where the Read Mix Data to Record Data transition takes place. In essence, the concept is as follows: ‘Take the last recorded value and extend it back to: _____________!’ The blank can be filled in with one of two ‘Extend Back To:’ locations: • Punch-in: Extend the Last Recorded Value back to the punch-in location • Begin: Extend the Last Recorded Value back to the specified Begin Time. These locations are also known as EXTEND BACK TO: Functions.
Page 368 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Post Pass Processing By definition, EXTEND BACK TO: transitions are performed as a post pass process. This also means it is possible to overwrite mix data in locations that have not been heard. Care is suggested while using EXTEND BACK TO: func- tions. Important Note EXTEND BACK TO: PUNCH-IN and BEGIN are destructive functions in the regard that they will overwrite existing mix data back to their respective EXTEND BACK TO: locations. Even though previous Mix Passes are retained, for efficient operation care should be taken when using these functions.
Page 369: Glide
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.9.3 Glide AutoTouch+ provides extensive ‘Glide’ functions. Glide determines how the new data transitions to old data and vice versa. The behavior of the Glide functions are determined by the specified Glide Time and the enabled Glide options. Glide allows Record Data to transition to and/or from Read Mix Data over a user-specified period of time. Controls can ‘glide’ from their Record values back to their Read Mix values at the desired ‘Write To:’ location. Unlike many other automation systems, controls can also Glide from the Read Mix value to the Record values at the desired ‘Extend Back To:’ location. Real-time/Post Process Glides G lide operations may take place in real-time or as a post Record pass process. Refer to the ‘Write To:’ or ‘Extend Back To:’ paragraphs above. Glide functions are engaged by pressing the GLIDE key in the Mix Pass section of the AutoTouch+ Panel. When Glide is active the GLIDE key will illuminate. Note If no Glide Options are selected in the Glide Options page, then no glide functions will take place within the system even if the GLIDE key is active.
Page 370 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Glide Before Transition Point (Back Time enabled <Option>): This feature is only available for ‘Write To:’ data transitions and at the end of the Write Zone when AutoPunch is used. ‘Write To:’ At the Record Data to Read Mix Data transition, Glide functions will start before the transition point by the amount of the Glide Time. The Glide will continue until the Read Mix Data values have been restored (at the specified transition point). The Glide op- eration will be completed by the Next Change or End location. For example, if a three second Glide is applied with ‘back time’ enabled, the control will start gliding back to its Read Mix data three seconds before its ‘Write To:’ transition point. Setting the Glide Time The Glide Time period of time it takes for controls to glide from their Re- cord values to their Read Mix values. This time can be any value between 00:00:00.00 and 23:59:59.2x and is specified via the Glide Time entry field on the AutoTouch+ window on the GC. Glide times can be typed in or entered using the click-and-scroll method. Right-clicking the Glide Time entry field will open the Entry Field Right- click menu. This menu contains several items that assist the user in quickly entering timecode values. These items are organized in five basic areas: • Significant System Times: Mix Begin, Mix End, Current Time, Clear (00:00:00.00), and End of Day (23:59:59.2X) • Cue List Times: Allows access to the Title Cue List and provides the means to sort and go to cues • Copy/Paste/Undo Changes: Entry field clipboard functions...
Page 371 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Hot Keys Hot Keys are provided to aid in the entry of glide times. A complete de- scription of Hot Key functions is provided in the Appendix. <Option> Glide can be applied to all transition points used within the system. The af- fected points are selected by checking the options on the Glide Options page (also refer to chapter 5.21.3). <Apply Glide to the following transition points when Glide is ON:> • <Write To:> Glide will be applied to the following ‘Write To:’ transition points: <Punch Out> <Next Change> <End> <Write Zone End (Auto Punch Out)> • <Extend Back To:> Glide will be applied to the following ‘Extend Back To:’ transition points: <Begin> <PUNCH-IN> • <Back Time Glide (End and Write Zone End Only)>: Glide will ‘back time’...
Page 372: 5.10 Switch Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.10 Switch Automation Switch automation using AutoTouch+ is both easy to use and flexible enough to facilitate numerous functions and modes of operation. Real-time Switch Editing The location of switch state changes may be edited in real-time. Adding or deleting switch events may also be easily accomplished. In general, the following types of switch events may be created and edited: • Mute On/Off: Turns the channel Mute on and off • Process In/Out: Engages and disengages the configured processes • Process Control Switches: Performs switch functions within configured processes Note Channel Mute operates within AutoTouch+ as a switch, but since it has its own Status key some Mute functions are performed differently as other switches. These differences in operation will be noted where needed. Other system controls that are seen by AutoTouch+ as ‘switches’ but have alternative means of control. These controls are discussed in detail elsewhere in this document, but warrant mention here: • Selectors: Choosing the routing of audio or audio processor functions (Channel Input Selector or Filter Slope for example). See below.
Page 373 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System VMC Switches VMC oriented switches can be automated using AutoTouch+. These switches are as follows: Mute: Channel Mute Encoder Parameter Switches: The switch associated with each of the four channel strip rotary encoders. Rotary Selectors: This also includes rotary encoders that are used as Selectors. (See Selectors below) Processor Block In/Out Switches: HI CUT, LO CUT, DELAY, INS, COMP- LIMIT, EXP-GATE, EQ, PAN Auxiliary In/Out Switches: AUX MONO 1..., AUX STEREO 1... Input Selector Switches (See Selectors below): IN 1, IN 2, GEN Control Switches Switches that are control-oriented are outside the AutoTouch+ system and therefore cannot be automated. Switches outside of the control of AutoTouch+ are as follows: LINK / SEL Key: Channel Select key...
Page 374: Switch Control Modes
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.10.2 Switch Control modes Since switches and selectors are not continuous controllers like faders or encoders, Control Modes affect switches in a unique manner. S witch operations will perform the following functions when dynamic switches are in the Control Modes indicated: READ The Read Mix data will determine the switch state. AUDITION mode is available.
Page 375: Switch Operation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System With Touch Record engaged, Switch Press will toggle the switch state and punch the switch into RECORD. The switch will punch-out when released. If its state does not match the Read Mix state, it will toggle to match upon release. TRIM While in TRIM previously written switch states may be edited. TRIM AUDITION mode is available. • Press and Release Actuation: Without Touch Record engaged, Switch Press will toggle the switch state and put the switch in Audition. The switch state will toggle back at the next recorded change of state. With Touch Record engaged, Switch Press will toggle the switch state and punch the switch into RECORD. The switch will hold its alternate state and stay in RECORD until the next recorded change of state. The switch state will toggle to its Read Mix state and will punch-out at the next recorded change of state. • Press and Hold Actuation: Using Press and Hold actuation on Trim Enabled switches yields the same results as if the switches were Write Enabled. The Trim of a switch cannot persist past the next recorded change of state for that switch. ISOLATE State changes of Isolated switches are not recognized by AutoTouch+.
Page 376: 5.10.3.1 Press And Release
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System AutoTouch+ recognizes Switch Press and Switch Release as separate and independent events. The Touch event produced by a Switch Press serves a separate from the Switch Press itself. This system allows the user to determine what will take place when a key is pressed and also when it is released. This independence allows switches to take on different behaviors depending on which functions Switch Press and Switch Release are allowed to perform. The result is the ability for switches to operate in different modes depending on the needs of the user. Switch Operating Modes Switches may operated using the following modes: • Press and Release: Momentary Press and Release; Pressing the key and immediately releasing it. • Press and Hold: Pressing and holding the key down beyond a predeter- mined time threshold. • Modified Press Function: Holding the AUTO MODE key will suppress the audio toggle function, but produces the Touch event when a key is pressed. This mode allows the switch to be punched-in without toggling its state. Each of these functions are described below. The Modified Press Function may be used with either Press and Release or Press and Hold operations. Document Note The next three chapters make the assumption that the switches actuated are in the proper enabled Control Mode as operations are carried out.
Page 377: 5.10.3.2 Press And Hold
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.10.3.2 Press and Hold Press and Hold is defined as using switches in a temporarily sustained manner. To perform a Press and Hold operation, press a switch and hold it down for a period of time before releasing it. AutoTouch+ senses how long the key is down and its mode of operation changes if it is held down longer than a speci- fied period of time (typically 500 ms or so). The function becomes similar to touching a fader, keeping a finger on it, and then releasing it later. Press and Hold operations perform the following functions: • Switch Press: Toggles the switch state Produces a Touch event • Switch Release: Punch-out With Press and Hold operations, switches toggle to their alternate state when pressed and then hold that state as long as the key is held down. When the switch is released, it may or may not toggle depending on the state recorded in the Read Mix Data at the time of release. If Touch Record is engaged, the switch will punch-in as well as toggle its alternate state when it is pressed. The switch will stay in that state and in RECORD as long as the switch is held down. Upon release, the switch will punch-out. It may or may not toggle states depending on the state recorded in the Read Mix Data at the time of release. The change of state may Written or Trimmed depending on the selected Control Mode. The behaviors that occur as the result of a Press and Hold switch operation is dependent on the switch’s Control Mode and whether Touch Record and/or Touch Record is engaged. Refer to chapter 5.10.2, Switch Control Modes. Press and Hold Threshold Whenever a work surface key is pressed, AutoTouch+ monitors the duration the key is held down. If the time a key is held down is longer than the Switch Press and Hold Threshold value, Press and Hold becomes active. If the hold duration is less than the threshold time the Press and Release functions are maintained.
Page 378: 5.10.3.3 Modified Press Function
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.10.3.3 modified Press Function It is possible to suppress the toggle function when a switch is pressed, but still allow the Touch event to be produced. This allows a punch-in or Audition to be performed by pressing a switch without toggling its state. This ‘Modified Press Function’ is very useful when the punch-in switch state matches the Read Mix state. This Modified Press Function is available for both Press and Release and Press and Hold operations. The key press may be modified by holding the AUTO MODE key while a work surface key is pressed. In this regard, the AUTO MODE key functions as a modifier key. Example With Touch Record engaged, press and hold the AUTO MODE key, then press and hold a record-enabled key. When the key is pressed, it will punch-in but...
Page 379: 5.11 Graphical Controller Automation
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.11 Graphical Controller Automation As discussed in the Switch Automation chapter, controls that are defined in the VMC may be automated. While most of these controls are work surface oriented, some controls are found only in the Graphical Controller. Automated Items Automatable items in the Graphical Controller are as follows: • General Patch Connections • Channel Patch: Input Selector Processor Block Order Dynamic Sidechain Link Setup Dynamic Sidechain Link Enable Dynamic Key Input Routing Direct Output Tap Location Meter Feed Tap Location 5.11.1 General Patch Connections within the General Patch may be automated. Both ‘Make Con- nection’ and ‘Break Connection’ operations may be stored as Static objects or recorded as Dynamic objects. All types of General Patch connections may be recorded. Connection Behavior T he General Patch does not have dedicated automation controls. The current global automation modes apply to the General Patch. The SWIT preselector must be used to select global modes. General Patch connections follow the rules of a Press and Release switch operation. Refer to chapter 5.10.3.1.
Page 380 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System As with any control, changes to General Patch connections may be Audi- tioned. Record a General Patch Change To automate a connection in the General Patch, use the following proce- dure: 1. Select the desired global Control Mode. Write will overwrite previous changes, both location and connection type. 2. Select TOUCH RECORD. 3. Select the desired ‘Write To:’ and ‘Extend Back To:’ functions. 4. Open the General Patch if it is not already open. 5. Select the connection point to be automated (single click at the desired location). 6. Make/break the desired connection as follows: • To make a simple mono-to-mono connection, press the MAKE CON- NECT function key above the trackball. (Double-clicking the connec- tion location will bring up the connection menu where a mono-to- mono connection may be made.)
Page 381: Channel Patch
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.11.2 Channel Patch There are several items within the Channel Patch that may be automated. These items may be stored as Static objects or recorded as Dynamic ob- jects. The following Channel Patch items may be automated: • Input Selector: Changes to the selected channel input may be automated (In1, In2, Gen) • Processor Block Order: Changes to the order of the channel processor blocks may be automated (EQ, Dynamics, Insert, Delay, and Fader) • Dynamic Sidechain Link Setup: The addition of channels to the Dynamic...
Page 382 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Patch items may be updated in the same manner as any other Static control. The following Channel Patch items have switches on the channel strip that duplicate the Channel Patch functions: • Input Selector • Dynamic Sidechain Link Enable • Dynamic Key Input Routing The channel Meter location can be set globally using the controls in the ‘Meter/Generator’ item in the GC Options menu (not the AutoTouch+ Options selector). Item Behavior T he Channel Patch does not have dedicated automation controls. The current global automation modes apply to the Channel Patch. The following Channel Patch items operate as Selectors: • Input Selector • Processor Block Order • Dynamic Key Input Routing • Direct Output Tap Location...
Page 383 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Channel Patch Operations Channel Patch items are operated as follows: • Input Selector: Place the cursor on or near the Input Selector icon. Each trackball click will cycle the selector through the inputs. A Touch event will be produced for each click. • Processor Block Order: Click and hold the processor block to be moved, drag it to the new location, and release the trackball button (click and drag). A Touch event will be produced when the trackball is released. • Dynamic Sidechain Link Setup: Clicking Sidechain Link Setup will open the Sidechain Link window where channels may be added to the available Sidechain Links. A Touch event will be produced when the ‘ADD’ button is clicked. • Dynamic Sidechain Link Enable: Clicking the Check Box will toggle the switch state. A Touch event will be produced when the box is checked or unchecked. • Dynamic Key Input Routing: The route with the solid line is the current state. Clicking the dashed line will select that route and a Touch event will be produced. • Direct Output Tap Location: The route with the solid line is the current state. Clicking the dashed line will select that route and a Touch event will be produced. • Meter Feed Tap Location: Clicking the alternate location (shown grayed- out) will select that location and a Touch event will be produced. Channel Patch Switches Two Channel Patch items operate as toggle Switches: • Dynamic Sidechain Link Setup • Dynamic Sidechain Link Enable From the Channel Patch, these switches follow the rules of Press and Release switch operations. However, if these functions are accessed via the channel...
Page 384: 5.12 Other Automated Functions
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.12 other Automated Functions There are several ancillary functions that may be automated. These functions are described below. 5.12.1 Bus Assignments Bus Assignments may be automated. Both ‘assignment’ and ‘de-assignment’ operations may be stored as Static objects or recorded as Dynamic objects. B us Assignments follow the rules of a Press and Release or Press and Hold switch operation. Refer to chapter 5.10. All Mix Pass ‘Write To:’ and ‘Extend Back To:’ conditions apply, except ‘Write To : Punch Out.’ As with any control, changes to Bus Assignments may Auditioned. Record a Bus Assignment To automate a Bus Assignment, use the following procedure: 1. Select the desired global Control Mode. Write will overwrite previous changes, both location and connection type. 2. Select TOUCH RECORD. 3. Select the desired ‘Write To:’ function. 4. Activate BUS ASN in the Touch Screen Area below the Vistonics™ sec- tion. 5. Press the desired bus number to make the assignment. 6. Press and Release or Press and Hold switch rules will apply depending on how the switch is operated.
Page 385: Snapshots/Presets
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.12.2 Snapshots/Presets VMC Snapshots and Presets may be recalled while AutoTouch+ is in use. The control values contained within Snapshots and Presets maybe applied to the console while AutoTouch+ is in operation, but only for controls that have been properly enabled. All Mix Pass ‘Write To:’ and ‘Extend Back To:’ conditions apply. Snapshot and Preset control values may be recalled and stored as Static values by recalling the desired Snapshot/Preset without engaging Write or Trim en- able. The Static values will be updated and saved the next time a Mix Pass is written. Recall Behavior T he Snapshot page does not have dedicated automation controls. The current global automation modes apply when Snapshots or Presets are recalled. Any preselector may be used to select global modes, depending on the controls/ functions the user wishes to enable. Switches and Selectors recalled using Snapshots or Presets will follow the rules of a Press and Release switch operation. Refer to chapter 5.10.3.1. Since values are being applied to VMC controls, the affects of recalling Snap- shots or Presets may auditioned. AutoTouch+ 5-9 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 386: Gc Menu Items
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Record Recalled VMC Values To record Snapshot or Preset values to controls, use the following proce- dure: 1. Select the desired global Control Mode. 2. Select TOUCH RECORD. 3. Select the desired ‘Write To:’ function (Trim will default to ‘Next Change’). 4. Open the Snapshot page in the GC if it is not already open. 5. Recall the desired Snapshot or Preset.
Page 387 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Record a Menu Item Change To automate a menu item, use the following procedure: 1. Select the desired global Control Mode. Write will overwrite previous changes, both location and connection type. Trim will allow the locations of changes to be moved without changing connection types. 2. Select TOUCH RECORD. 3. Select the desired ‘Write To:’ function. 4. Open the appropriate GC menu and select the desired item. 5. Perform desired operations to be automated. 6. At the time the desired operation is performed, AutoTouch+ will punch- in. The new item state will persist until the ‘Write To:’ conditions are met or a Global Punch-out occurs. (trimmed status will persist until the Next Change by default.) 7. Upon punch-out a new Mix Pass will be created. Note Like any other object within AutoTouch+, menu items are Static objects until a change state is recorded in the system. Therefore, menu items may be updated in the same manner as any other Static control. AutoTouch+ 5-9 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 388: 5.13 Mix Protection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.13 mix Protection Mix Protection allows individual controls or sets of controls to be ‘Protected’ or locked out from changes. Mix Protection may also be applied to the General Patch. When Protected, a control is essentially in a ‘read only’ mode. The Read Mix data for the Active Pass will be heard for all Protected controls. All the READ LOCK conditions apply to Protected controls (just not on a global basis). Controls and the General Patch may also be isolated from the mix using Mix Protection techniques.
Page 389: Protection Sets
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.13.1 Protection Sets Protection Sets Any combination of controls on any combination of channels may be orga- nized into ‘Protection Sets.’ These may be created, saved, and recalled as needed. Any number of Protection Sets may be created and stored. Protection Sets are available to any Mix Pass within the Title. 5.13.1.1 Creating Protection Sets To create a Protection set, execute the following procedure: 1. Click the ‘Mix Protection Enabled’ button to open the ‘Automation Pro- tection’ window. The first time it is opened no Protection Sets will be available and the various fields will be blank. 2. Click the ‘Edit…’ button. The ‘Object Picker for Select Objects to be Removed From Automation Scope’ will open. Using this picker, controls may be selected for Protection. For example, Mutes on channels 1...12 may be selected as a Protection Set. Refer to chapter 5.16.2.1 for informa- tion regarding the operation of the Object Picker. AutoTouch+ 5-95 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 390 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3. Once controls have been selected for Protection, click ‘Apply’ or ‘OK’ at the bottom of the object picker (OK will close the picker, Apply will keep it open). A temporary Protection Set will be created and made the current set. ‘Current Protection Set **Modified**’ will appear in red above the current set field to indicate changes have been made to the current set. (As in the previous example, the Mutes on channels 1-12 would constitute the **Modified** set.) 5-9 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 391: 5.13.1.2 Saving Protection Sets
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 4. Check ‘Protect From Automation Enable’ for the selected set of controls and/or the General Patch. Click the ‘USE’ button to enable Protection for the selected Protection Set. Note Either the ‘Current’ or ‘Both’ radio button in the ‘Use’ section of the Automa- tion Protection window must be selected to enable the ‘Edit’ button. 5.13.1.2 Saving Protection Sets Any number of Protection Sets may be created and saved. A temporary Protec- tion Set will persist in the system unless it is overwritten, even if the Mix Tree and Title are closed. Temporary and modified sets may be saved at anytime. Using the following procedure, Protection Sets may be saved: 1. Once a Protection Set has been created or modified, click the ‘Save As…’ button. The Protection Set save box will open. 2. Enter a name for the new set in the ‘New Protection Set:’ field. Click ‘Save’ and the new set will be created and assigned the entered name. The newly saved set will become the current Protection Set and will be added to the list of available sets (which appears in the Protection Set section of the Automation Protection window). AutoTouch+ 5-9 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 392: 5.13.1.3 Loading Protection Sets
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.13.1.3 Loading Protection Sets To make a Protection Set the current set, it must be Loaded unless it was the last set used or saved. Using the following procedure, previously created Protection Sets may be loaded: 1. Click the ‘Mix Protection Enabled’ button to open the ‘Automation Pro- tection’ window if it is not already open. 2. Click the ‘Load…’ button and a selection box containing the available Protection Sets will be displayed. The current Protection Set will be dis- played at the bottom of the box in the ‘Current Protection Set:’ field. The current set will also be shown in blue in the Protection Set list. All others will be in black. 3. Double-click the desired Protection Set or click it and ‘Load’. The se- lected set will become the current set and the selection box will close. Note Protection Sets cannot be loaded from other Titles. Protection Sets made within a Title are only available to that Title. Protection Sets made within a Title are available to all Mix Passes within that Title. 5-98 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 393: Applying Mix Protection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.13.2 Applying mix Protection One or more Protection Sets may be applied simultaneously. This affords mul- tiple layers of protection, which may be built up during the course of a mix. These layers of protection may be quickly applied and removed as needed. If a Title is being used as a production template, the saved Protection Sets may be used with any Mix Pass created using that template. Important Note When Mix Protection is enabled, Protection is applied to the Active Pass. All protected controls will be protected regardless of which Mix Pass is made active. Selecting Protection Sets How Protection Sets are selected is determined by selecting the desired radio button in the ‘Use’ section of the ‘Automation Protection’ window. These radio buttons allow the selection of Protection Sets one of three ways: • Current: The current Protection Set will be selected. • Checked: The checked Protections Sets will be selected. A list of Protection Sets is displayed in the Protection Set section of the Automation Protec- tion window. Each Protection Set has a box which may be ‘checked’ to include that set in the list of checked sets. The current Protection Set is...
Page 394: Removing Protection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Both: The current Protection Set and any checked sets will be selected. Applying Protection Sets To apply one or more Protections Sets, use the following procedure: 1. Click the ‘Mix Protection Enabled’ button to open the ‘Automation Pro- tection’ window if it is not already open. 2. Click ‘Current’, ‘Checked’ or ‘Both’ in the ‘Use’ section as appropriate. If ‘Checked’ or ‘Both’ are selected, check the needed Protection Set(s). 3. Check the ‘Protect From Automation Enable’ box in the ‘Protection Set’ section to apply Protection to the selected set(s) (Mutes on channels 1-12 per the example). 4. If desired, check the Global Patch ‘Protect From Automation Enable’ box to apply Protection to the General Patch. 5. Click the ‘Use’ button at the bottom of the window. The window will close and Protection will be applied to the controls included within the Protec- tion Set (Mutes on channels 1-12 in the example). The ‘Mix Protection Enabled’ LED will illuminate. Note If neither Protection Set nor Global Patch ‘Protect From Automation Enable’ box is checked, Protection will not be applied. 5.13.3 Removing Protection Just as Protection may be applied in layers, it may be removed in layers or entirely. To remove one or more Protection Sets, use the following procedure: 1. Click the ‘Mix Protection Enabled’ button to open the ‘Automation Pro- tection’ window if it is not already open. 2. Click ‘Current’, ‘Checked’ or ‘Both’ in the ‘Use’ section as appropriate.
Page 395: Isolate Via Protection
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.13.4 isolate via Protection Controls and the General Patch can be forced into ISOLATE using the Mix Protection selection methods. This is different from selecting the ISOLATE Control Mode in that Isolation persists only as long as the Protection Isola- tion is applied. This provides a convenient method of temporarily Isolating controls in any Mix Pass without creating new passes. To apply Isolation via Protection, the same methods are used as when creat- ing and applying Protection Sets. The only difference is ‘Isolate From Mix’ is checked for either Protection Sets, Global Patch, or both before Protection is applied. AutoTouch+ 5-0 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 396: 5.14 Miscellaneous Controls/Modes
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.14 miscellaneous Controls/modes A variety of controls and modes that are not explained elsewhere are described below. 5.14.1 mix on Engaging the MIX ON key activates the AutoTouch+ system. A Mix Tree must be open before the system may be turned On. When the system is On, the MIX ON key illuminates. 5.14.2 View Dynamic Pressing VIEW will cause the lights for all dynamic controls currently on the Work surface to illuminate. Static controls will not light. This provides a very quick and easy means of identifying which controls have Dynamic moves recorded and which are Static controls. See Graphic above. 5.14.3 View Alt Not implemented – for future use. 5.14.4 Function Keys Function keys A1 and A2 are not implemented – for future use. 5-02 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 397: Scene Capture/Recall
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.14.5 Scene Capture/Recall A Scene is a global ‘snapshot’ of the automation status of each control within the system. There are two buffers in which Scenes may be stored. Scenes will be stored and can recalled during subsequent sessions. Note The term ‘snapshot’ is not the same as a Snapshot in the GC. Snapshot in this regard refers to a picture of the automation status console-wide. Scene Capture Holding the STORE key and pressing CAPT will ‘capture’ a Scene in the first buffer. Holding the AUTO MODE and STORE keys and pressing AUTO MODE and CAPT will ‘capture’ a Scene in the second buffer. The RCL key will illuminate when a Scene has been captured in the first buf- fer. There is no indication of the status of the second Scene buffer. The following controls will be stored within a Scene: • Controls in RECORD • Controls that are Held • Controls that are being touched when the Scene is captured A list of controls and their values will be stored when a Scene is cap- tured.
Page 398: 5.15 Special Operating Modes
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.15 Special operating modes AutoTouch+ offers a series of special operating modes and features to ac- commodate specific production requirements and working styles. 5.15.1 Stop Frame Automation The Stop Frame automation feature makes it possible to write specific control values between timecode locations. The user can stop timecode playback at a specific location, set any number of controls to desired values, and move to the next location forward in time where values may again be adjusted. The initially set values will be recorded between the timecode locations. Stop Frame automation may also be used with the internal timecode genera- tor and LOCATE key when working with an EDL (Edit Decision List). This allows automation data to be recorded in a ‘pseudo offline’ fashion without the work media. Stop Frame Automation may be enabled at any point. After control values are written at a specific location, the media can be moved forward to the next location, and the next set of values can be written. If locations are not known, Stop Frame may be ‘suspended’ as the media is searched. Stop Frame Controls There are two keys on the AutoTouch+ Panel associated with Stop Frame automation. STOP FRAME keys perform the following functions: • STOP FRAME ON: When engaged, all enabled controls will switch to their active RECORD state. The values of these controls will be recorded at the current timecode location. If timecode is advanced, these values will be recorded to each consecutive location. At any time, the user may stop timecode playback and make further adjustments to the controls. The new...
Page 399 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • STOP FRAME TC OFF: When engaged, Stop Frame recording is suspen- ded. This allows timecode to be moved backward or forward so a the next timecode location may be found. No control values will be written while STOP FRAME TC OFF is engaged. Using Stop Frame Automation The procedures for using Stop Frame Automation are as follows: 1. Select WRITE ENABLE or TRIM ENABLE and the desired preselector(s). 2. Engage TOUCH RECORD so that touched, enabled controls change to RECORD. Also engage TOUCH HOLD so controls won’t snap back to previously written values when un-touched.
Page 400: Read Lock
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.15.2 Read Lock READ LOCK forces all controls into Read and locks out all changes. While in this mode, playing back the Read Mix data from the Active Pass is the only operation possible. This assures the Active Pass will be played back exactly as saved, which can be quite useful when printing a final mix or layback. Conditions With READ LOCK engaged, the following conditions exist: • All controls are placed into the READ Control Mode and then locked in READ. Only the stored values of the Active Pass will be heard. Changes to control values are not possible. All controls are Protected. • Changes may not be made to Static controls, the Channel Patch, or the General Patch • Control Mode changes are locked out • Controls may not be placed in a Held state (TOUCH HOLD defeated) • All Record functions are defeated (TOUCH RECORD, GLOBAL RECORD PUNCH-IN/PUNCH-OUT) • All Audition functions are defeated • SCENE RCL is defeated 5-0 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 401: 5.16 Offline Mix Editing
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16 offline mix Editing There are two methods of offline editing of Mix Passes: • Event List Editing: The location of automation records may be moved or ‘slipped in time.’ Automation records may also be deleted. Control values may not be edited. • OFLA Editing: Allows the value of automation records to be changed within a timecode window. Controls can also be reset to their default values or have their values frozen or spread across the timecode window. Controls can be made Static and Mix Passes may be merged. Together, these methods provide powerful and easy-to-use means of fine tuning Mix Pass data or working with Edit Decision Lists. Each Method of editing is described below.
Page 402 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System same timecode location, an Event List is created at that location. The Event List will contain all Events recorded at that location. Only the timecode location of an Event may be edited. Events may copied to new locations or be deleted from the new Mix Pass. Important Note Control values may not be changed using the Event List Editor. Displayed Events Since a vast number of Events may be generated during a mix, Event Lists become both very numerous and very large. In a large or complex project, the number of events can grow to be overwhelming. To solve this problem, the Events to be displayed may be selected in one of two ways: • Show Menu Selections: The Event Editor will display only the items se- lected in this menu • Event List Filter: The Event Editor will display only the items selected by the Event List Filter Show Menu Selecting an item from the ‘Show:’ pull-down menu will select the Events for that item’s controls to be displayed in the Event List Editor. The following sets of Events are available in the ‘Show:’ menu: • Custom…: Allows a customized set of Events to be displayed. Selecting this item will open the Event List Filter where an exact set of Events may be chosen for display (see below). If a set of custom set of Events has al- ready been selected, choosing ‘Custom…’ will display the Events within that set. • Mutes: Only Mute Events will be displayed in the Event List Editor • Switches: Only Switch Events will be displayed in the Event List Editor • Mutes & Switches: Only Mute and Switch Events will be displayed in the Event List Editor Event List Filter Using the Event List Filter, Events for specific controls can be selected for display in the Event column of the Event List Editor window.
Page 403 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Event List Filter provides the means to select desired controls within desired channels for display within the Event column. This set of Events is not limited to Mutes and Switches. Any combination of channels and controls is possible. Using the Object Picker for the Event List Filter, it is possible to select an exact set of controls for which Events will be displayed. For example, to edit Mute locations, only the Events for Mutes on selected channels may be chosen for display. This will remove all other Events from view and provide an efficient means of performing Mute Event edits. AutoTouch+ 5-09 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 404 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Notes Automated Graphical Controller items are not selectable using the Object Picker for the Event List Filter. If objects are selected for display that do not have recorded Events, the Event List will be empty. Event List Display Selected Events may be displayed in a number of ways. • Individual Events: Individual Events will be displayed next to their time- code location. The Event label contains the channel type, channel number, control, and control value. Timecode locations are always shown for each individual Events. • Consolidated Event Lists: Only timecode locations with recorded Events are displayed. If only a single Event is recorded, it will be displayed. If multiple Events have been recorded at the same timecode location, an Event List header will be shown, but the contents will not be displayed.
Page 405 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Event Lists: Individual Event Lists may be selected by clicking the Event List header or the associated timecode. • Selected Events and/or Event Lists: A group of selected Events and/or Event Lists may be chosen using any of the following methods: Click and Drag: Click and hold on an Event or Event List and drag the cursor over the desired items. This allows adjacent items to be selected. Control-clicking (holding the Ctrl key plus single-clicking): Allows selection of individual Events and/or Event Lists anywhere within the Event List Editor. Items may be selected regardless of location,...
Page 406: Ofla Editing
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Perform an Event List Edit To perform an Event List edit, use the following procedure: 1. Make the Mix Pass to be edited the Active Pass if it is not already. 2. Select ‘Event List Editor’ from the GC Automation menu. The Event List Editor window will open. 3. Click the ‘Edit List Filter’ button to open the Object Picker for the Event List Filter. Using this picker will allow Events for the desired controls on selected channels to be chosen for editing. Once selected, click either the ‘Apply’ button (if more edits will be performed) or the ‘OK’ button (if no more objects need to be selected). Events for the controls in the picker will be selected for editing and will appear in the Event column of the Event List Editor window. 4. Click the desired edit operation. If moving or copying Events and/or Event Lists, enter the new timecode location and click ‘OK’. The selected edit will be performed. 5. A new Mix Pass is written that contains the edited values. 5.16.2 oFLA Editing AutoTouch+ data may be edited using the OFLA offline mix editor. OFLA is stand alone mix editor that may be used with or without AutoTouch+. Being...
Page 407 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System OFLA Edit Types There are eight different Edit Types available. It should be noted that all Edit Types are not available for all control types (for example, the value of a mute or switch cannot be trimmed). The following edit operations may be applied to selected controls using OFLA: • Set: Sets a fixed control value within the timecode window. • Trim: Offsets the previously written control values by a fixed amount within the timecode window. Switches may not be Trimmed. • Freeze: The control value at the OFLA In time will be retained for the duration of the timecode window. AutoTouch+ 5- Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 408 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Clear: Controls will be reset to their default values within the timecode window. • Make Static: Controls will be made Static. All automation records other than the Static value will be erased for the entire Mix Pass. • Spread: Control values at a specific point in a source mix (Active or Mix Tree) may be applied throughout the timecode window. • Merge: Control values a timecode window within a source mix (Active or Mix Tree) may be applied throughout the timecode window. • Update Snap: Updates the Mix Snapshot. This applies the current control values from the beginning of the Mix Pass to the first recorded record. Each time an OFLA edit is performed, a new Mix Pass created. Edit a Mix Pass with OFLA To edit a Mix Pass with OFLA, use the following procedure: 1. Make the Mix Pass to be edited the Active Pass if it is not already. 2. Select ‘Edit Mix Pass’ from the GC Automation menu. The basic Edit Mix window will open. 3. Click the ‘Select’ button to open the Object Picker for Edit Object Selec- tor. Using this picker will allow the desired controls on selected channels to be chosen for editing. Once selected, click either the ‘Apply’ button (if more edits will be performed) or the ‘OK’ button (if no more objects need to be selected). The controls in the picker will be selected for editing and will appear in the Selected Objects section of the Edit Mix window. 4. Select the Edit Type from the ‘Edit Type’ pull-down menu. 5. Enter the new control value if necessary (depending on Edit Type). 6. Enter the Spread Source Mix or Merge Mix if Spread or Merge edit types are used. The Mix Passes in the current Mix Tree are available.
Page 409: 5.16.2.1 Object Picker
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.2.1 object Picker The Object Picker is used to select the elements within a mix you wish to edit. These elements are organized into channels and objects within chan- nels. Selection of elements can be as specific as an individual parameter value, within a particular object, within a single channel, and as broad as all parameters, within all objects, within all channels. Note It is important to realize that the channels and objects displayed in the picker are the same as contained within the VMC used to create the title and mix. If a different VMC is loaded, the channels and objects will change accordingly. In other words, the elements that appear in the Object Picker are determined by the console configuration that was in use when the data was created. There are five main sections in the Object Picker: • Channel Selector panel; • Object Selector panel; • Channel/Object Tree display area; • Function controls; • Open Mix Selector Tabs.
Page 410: 5.16.2.2 Channel Selector Panel
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.2.2 Channel Selector Panel This panel contains buttons that correspond with the channels that are pres- ent within the active mix. Using these buttons, channels can be selected for editing as follows: All Chans selects all channels for editing; Input selects all Input channels for editing; selects all Multitrack Input channels for editing; MT Input MT Monitor selects all Multitrack Monitor channels for editing; Group Out selects all Group Output channels for editing; Master Out selects all Master Output channels for editing; Aux Out selects all Auxiliary Output channels for editing. Activating the left-hand button at the beginning of each row will select all channels of that type. If both mono and stereo versions of a particular chan- nel type are included in the VMC, just the mono or stereo channels may be selected by clicking on the appropriate button. Channel types and/or ver- sions may be de-selected after a large selection (such as All Chans) has been made.
Page 411: 5.16.2.3 Object Selector Panel
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System channels assigned as members will have ‘Member’ buttons available with the group. In other words, whether or not the ‘Member’ buttons appear in the Channel Selector Panel is determined by the loaded mix/snapshot. Notes User Labels can be displayed on ‘Group’ buttons by selecting ‘User Labels on Group Buttons’ from the Options menu. The buttons on the Channel Selector Panel select channels and groups on a global basis. If individual (or subsets of) channels/groups are to be selected for editing, the ‘Show Channels>>’ facility must be used. 5.16.2.3 object Selector Panel This panel contains buttons that correspond with the elements (or objects) that are contained within the channels.
Page 412 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Using these buttons, objects can be selected for editing as follows: All Objects selects all objects for editing; Fader/Mute selects all fader and mute parameters for editing; selects all EQ parameters for editing; Filter selects all filter parameters for editing; Delay selects all delay parameters for editing; Gain selects all input gain parameters for editing; selects all limiter/compressor and gate/expander parameters for editing; selects all limiter/compressor parameters for editing; Lim/Comp Gate/Exp selects all gate/expander parameters for editing; selects all pan parameters for editing; Insert selects all insert parameters for editing; Dir Out selects all direct output parameters for editing; selects all bus assignments for editing; Bus Assign Aux Mono selects all mono auxiliary parameters for editing; Aux Stereo selects all stereo auxiliary parameters for editing; Patch selects all patch assignments for editing Selection of an object will select all objects of that type for editing. For ex-...
Page 413: 5.16.2.4 Channel/Object Tree Display Area
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.2.4 Channel/object Tree Display Area All channels and objects may be displayed in a tree format. This provides the means to select specific channels and/or objects on an individual, subset, or global basis. This display area is located to the right of the Object Selector Panel and will be blank if both trees are hidden. To view the Channel Tree, click the ‘Show Channels>>’ button located under the Channel Selector Panel. All the channels included in the VMC, along with their User Labels, will be contained in the tree (left part of the picture below). To view the Object Tree, click the ‘Show Objects>>’ button. All objects included in the configuration will be included within the tree. Only one tree...
Page 414 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System resolution, a much more precise set of elements may be selected than what is possible using the channel/object selector panels. An item can be checked or unchecked by clicking on the box next to its name. Several items may be selected by highlighting the item labels using the famil- iar Shift-click and Ctrl-click methods. Once the labels have been highlighted, Right-clicking will open a pop-up menu that allows the group to be checked or unchecked. Notes When all items within a channel/object section have been chosen, the associ- ated selector button(s) will illuminate with a dark blue light and the associated tree elements will be indicated with a black check. If only part of a section is chosen, the associated selector buttons will illuminate in light blue and the tree elements will be checked in gray. Notice the relationship between the channel/object selector panels and the tree displays. When an element is chosen using a selector panel, the corresponding element is checked on the tree. Likewise, if an item is checked on the tree, the corresponding selector button is illuminated. 5-20 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 415: 5.16.2.5 Function Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.2.5 Function Controls A set of function controls is provided below the Channel/Object Selector panels. These function buttons are as follows: Copy copies the Selected Objects Set to the PC clipboard; Paste pastes the contents of the PC clipboard (copied Selected Objects Set) to the Object Picker; Save… saves the Selected Objects Set as a file; Load allows saved object files to be reloaded; Clear clears the selection of all objects; Apply selects the objects chosen in the Object Picker for editing; if checked, the Selected Objects Set is copied to the clipboard when the ‘Ap- Copy Picked on OK ply’ button is clicked; Cancel cancels changes made to the Selected Objects Set since the last set was ap- plied, saved, loaded, copied, or pasted.
Page 416: Mix Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.3 mix Controls All edits are based upon an existing mix, known as the Active Mix. Depending on the type of edit selected, data may be needed from another mix or snapshot. The controls for the necessary mixes appear in the combo boxes to the right of the Object Picker or Mix Viewer window. 5.16.3.1 Active mix The Active Mix provides the primary data set that is used during editing. Ev- ery edit is based upon the selected Active Mix, the channels/objects selected within the mix, the portion of the mix to be altered, and the type of edit ap- plied. In other words, the data (parameter values) from the selected Active Mix objects is altered according to the chosen Edit Type and Edit Region when the edit is performed. Previously existing and altered data are combined and saved as a new mix. Most Edit Types (Set, Trim, Freeze, and Clear) need data from only the Active Mix for an edit to be performed. Spread, Merge, and Update Snap edits all require data from other mixes. When an additional data source is needed to perform an edit, an additional mix combo box (containing the appropriate controls) will appear when the corresponding Edit Type is chosen. Each mix needed for an edit has a combo box that contains the necessary controls for that mix and edit type. The Active Mix combo box has a primary control set: • Timecode Entry Fields, used to select the Edit Region. Timecode Entry Fields For most edit types to be performed, an Edit Region must be established within the Active Mix using timecode addresses (Update Snap does not use an Edit Region). The Edit Region can be as short as a single frame or as long as an entire mix. Edit Regions are defined using Timecode Entry Fields. The Active Mix...
Page 417 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Timecode addresses may be entered into all three fields in the following ways: • Capture the current timecode address using the ‘In’ or ‘Out’ buttons (if provided); • Highlight all or a part of the entry field and type in the address; • Highlight all or a part of the entry field and scroll the value up or down (‘click-and-scroll method’); • Press the ‘+’ or ‘–‘ key from the computer keyboard, and an additional Timecode Entry Field will appear. The value entered into this field will be added (+) or subtracted (–) from the existing timecode value. • Right-Click any part of the entry field and a menu of timecode address selections from which to choose will appear; Note Refer to chapter 5.16.4 for additional details regarding timecode entries. The In Time and Out Time entry fields are equipped with buttons that allow the capture of the current timecode address while the mix is stopped or running. Clicking on these buttons will enter the current address into the appropriate field. Changes made to one of the entry fields may effect the address(es) of one or both of the other fields. For example, changes made in the In Time or Out...
Page 418: 5.16.3.2 Spread Source Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.3.2 Spread Source mix The Spread Source Mix allows external mix data from a single point in time (Data Point) to be applied to the Active Mix. The data from the selected point in an external mix (Spread Source Mix) is applied to the selected objects, on the selected channels, in the Active Mix during the Edit Region. The Spread Source Mix combo box has two primary control sets: • Mix Selection Menu: used to select the Spread Source Mix; • Timecode Entry Fields: used to select the Data Point from the Spread Source Mix. In addition, an Offset combo box is provided, so that the Active Mix and the Spread Source Mix In Times can be easily offset from each other. Mix Selection Menu This pop-up menu box provides a list of mixes available to become the Spread Source Mix. This list contains the same mixes available to the Active Mix and functions using the same selection techniques.
Page 419: 5.16.3.3 Merge Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System default value; Offset Value Difference between the Active Mix and Spread Source Mix In Times (00:00:00:00 is the default value); Freezes the Offset value. Offset Lock The relationships between the Active Mix and Spread Source Mix In Times and the Offset Values are as follows: • If the Active Mix and Spread Source Mix In Times are identical, the Offset Value will be 00:00:00:00. • If the Active Mix In Time is 10 seconds greater than the Spread Source Mix In Time, the Offset Value will be +00:00:10:00. • If the Active Mix In Time is 10 seconds less than the Spread Source Mix In Time, the Offset Value will be –00:00:10:00. • Changing either In Time will cause a corresponding change in the Offset Value unless it is locked. • Locking the Offset field will freeze its value. When locked, its value re- mains constant when changes are made in the other fields. Changing either In Time will then cause a corresponding change in the other In Time. It is important to note that the Offset Value may be edited even when it’s...
Page 420 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Timecode Entry Fields For a Merge edit to be performed, a Data Region from within the Merge Mix must be selected. The Data Region is defined using Timecode Entry Fields. The Merge Mix has the following Timecode Entry Fields: In Time This is the starting point of the Data Region from the Merge Mix; Out Time This is the ending point of the Data Region from the Merge Mix. The Merge Mix timecode entries are selected using the same techniques as used for selecting the Active Mix timecode addresses. Notes The Data Region from the Merge Mix is applied to the Edit Region of the Active Mix. Therefore, the Data Region and Edit Regions must be the same length. Because of this, the Length field in the Active Mix box works in con- cert with the In Time or Out Time in both the Active and Merge Mix boxes. Changing the Length field will change the values in the Active Mix and Merge Mix boxes. Changing the Merge Mix In Time or Out Time will change the Active Mix In Time or Out Time values, as well as the Length value. Locking the Length field will affect the functions of the In Time or Out Time in both the Active Mix and Merge Mix sections. Refer to chapter 5.16.4 for additional details regarding timecode entries. Offset Controls An Offset combo box is provided to facilitate easy control of offsets between the Active Mix and Merge Mix In Times. The Merge Mix Offset controls function the same as the Spread Source Mix Offset controls. 5-2 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 421: 5.16.3.4 Update Snap Source Mix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.3.4 update Snap Source mix The Update Snap Source Mix allows external mix data from a single point In Time (Data Point) to be applied to the Active Mix. The data from the selected point in an external mix (Spread Source Mix) is applied to the selected objects, on the selected channels, in the entire Active Mix. It performs the same basic function as ‘Update Mix Snapshot’ from the Mix Options menu. The Update Snap Source Mix combo box has two primary control sets: • Mix Selection Menu: used to select the Update Snap Source Mix; • Timecode Entry Field: used to select the Data Point from Update Snap Source Mix. Mix Selection Menu This pop-up menu box provides a list of mixes available to become the Update Snap Source Mix. This list contains the same mixes that are available to the Active Mix and functions using the same selection techniques. Note The Update Snap Source Mix may be the same mix as the Active Mix. Timecode Entry Field For an Update Snap edit to be performed, a Data Point (a single timecode address) must be selected from within the Update Snap Source Mix. The Data Point is defined using a Timecode Entry Field. Update Snap Source Mix has one Timecode Entry Field: In Time This is the point from which the Update Snap Source Mix data originates; the timecode address of the Data Point.
Page 422: Timecode Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.4 Timecode Controls 5.16.4.1 General information All timecode values are expressed as positive numbers and are limited by the number of timecode addresses available. Times cannot be less than 00:00:00:00 or greater than 23:59:59:29 (in 30 non-drop). Only Offset fields can have both positive and negative time values. Timecode Entry Fields are interactive. Changes made to an entry field may effect other fields’ values. For example, changes made to the In Time or Out Time fields in the Active or Merge Mix boxes will change the value of the Length time. Changes made in the Length field will change the value of the Out Time of both the Active and Merge Mixes. Changes made to the Offset field may effect In Times, and so on. It is possible for the In Time and Out Time to be equal in value. When using the click/drag method of timecode entry, it is possible to scroll the Out Time downward until it matches the In Time. In that event, the Length time will be 00:00:00:00. Additional reduction of the Out Time value will also reduce the In Time value. Returning the Out Time to its original value will increase the In Time until it matches its original value. The current system timecode is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the OFLA screen when the Mix Viewer is enabled. 5.16.4.2 Editing Timecode Entries Timecode Entry Fields A variety of Timecode Entry Fields are provided for the definition and control...
Page 423 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Click-and-Type • Highlight all or part of the entry field with a click (hours, minutes, seconds, and frames may be selected individually or as a group); • Type in the desired timecode value (colons are not necessary when typ- ing); • Press Enter. Click-and-Scroll • Highlight all or part of the entry field with a click, and, while holding the trackball button, scroll the value up or down; an upward trackball motion will increase the timecode value, and a downward motion will decrease it; • Stop at the desired value and press Enter. +/– From Existing Time • Press the + or – key from the computer keyboard, and an additional Timecode Entry Field will appear; • Using one of the highlight methods above, enter a timecode value;...
Page 424: 5.16.4.3 Timecode Entry Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Clear: This clears the timecode entry for the selected field and resets the value to 00:00:00:00. The Backspace key will also clear entries, however, it resets all timecode fields. • End of Day: This will enter the last possible timecode address available. For 30 frame non-drop timecode, this value will be 23:59:59:29. Cue List Items • Go To: This is a transport control used when the Mix Viewer is enabled. • Sort Cues By Name: This sorts the Cue List items alphabetically by name. Items are usually displayed chronologically by timecode address. This function may be toggled On/Off, with On being indicated by a check next to the menu item.
Page 425: 5.16.4.4 Locking Timecode Fields
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System code fields to the values that were in use before changes were made; Redo restores the most recent changes; Save Copies all timecode values to the PC clipboard; Copies the saved timecode values from the PC clipboard to the Timecode Recall Entry Fields. 5.16.4.4 Locking Timecode Fields Timecode Field Locks Timecode values may be locked in the Length (in the Active Mix box) and the Offset fields (used with Spread Source Mix and Merge Mix). This allows the values in the locked field(s), which might otherwise change, to remain constant when the values in other fields are changed. Locking the Length or Offset field is accomplished by checking the Lock box to the right of the field. Locking the Length Field Locking the Length field is useful when the duration of an Edit Region needs to maintain its total time, but the In or Out Times must change. Changes made to the In Time will create corresponding changes to the Out Time and vice versa, while the Length field remains the same. Changes made to the Length field will change the Out Time field. It is important to note that the Length field’s value may be edited even when it’s locked.
Page 426 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Locking the Length/Offset Fields Both the Length and Offset fields may be locked simultaneously. This al- lows the Edit Region and Offset to remain constant when other fields are altered. In this case, it is possible to change the Offset field by more than ± one increment. Notes To fully understand the relationships between the various entry fields and their locking capabilities, experimentation with a variety of conditions is strongly suggested. Remember that Timecode Entry Fields are interactive, so changes to fields in one box (such as Merge Mix) may affect changes in other fields (such as Active Mix). 5-2 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 427: Selected Objects Display
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.5 Selected objects Display Selected Objects Window Once channels/objects have been selected and applied using the Object Picker, a list of the chosen objects is displayed in the Selected Objects window. It is the parameter values of these objects that will be affected when the edit is performed. Note Selected Objects (objects and parameter values) cannot be further defined using the Selected Objects window. Channels, objects, and parameter values can only be chosen using the Object Picker. Value Entry Field A Value Entry field is located in the lower right-hand corner of the Se- lected Objects combo box. It is used to enter the value to be applied when Set and Trim Edit Types are performed. This value is applied as follows: Parameters selected for editing will be set to the entered value for the duration of the Edit Region; Trim The values of the parameters selected for editing will be offset by the entered value for the duration of the Edit Region. Note The Value Entry Field is only available in Set and Trim Edit Types.
Page 428: Edit Types
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Parameters of similar type may be selected from similar types of objects. For example, ON/OFF parameters may be selected from Filters, EQ, Dynamics, Delay, and other objects that contain ON/OFF switches. However, parameters that are dissimilar may not be chosen for Set and Trim Edit Types. Note When incompatible parameters are selected (such as Fader level and Mute), Set and Trim Edit Types are not functional and values cannot be entered. This is indicated by a ‘Grayed Out’ Value Entry Field. 5.16.6 Edit Types General Information In order to provide power and versatility, OFLA offers seven distinct Edit Types. Each provides an edit function designed to perform a specific task. Edit Types can be chosen by clicking the arrow at the end of the display. A list of Edit Types will be displayed. Clicking one of the Edit Types will select it for use. Edit Types can also be selected using click-drag method in the Edit Type window. Edit Types are as follows: Parameters selected for editing will be set to the entered value for the duration of the Edit Region; Data for the parameters selected for editing will be offset by the entered value Trim for the duration of the Edit Region; Freeze Data for the parameters selected for editing will be frozen at the In Time for the duration of the Edit Region; Clear Data from the VMC Defaults will be applied to the parameters selected for editing for the duration of the Edit Region; Spread Data from a single point in an external mix will be applied to the parameters selected for editing for the duration of the Edit Region;...
Page 429: Offline Editing Tutorial
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.16.7 offline Editing Tutorial Select Objects 1. Click the ‘SELECT’ button on the AutoTouch+ page in the GC. 2. Using the Object Picker, click the channel buttons to choose groups of channels for editing. 3. Using the Object Picker, click the object buttons to choose groups of ob- jects for editing. 4. Click ‘Apply’ to select objects for editing. OR 1. Click the ‘Show Channels>>’ button. 2. Check items in the Channel Tree to choose individual or groups of chan- nels for editing. 3. Click the ‘Show Objects>>’ button. 4. Check items in the Object Tree to choose individual or groups of objects for editing. 5. Click ‘Apply’ to select objects for editing. Set an Edit Region 1. Click the ‘In’ button in the Active Mix box or enter a timecode address manually. 2. Click the ‘Out’ button in the Active Mix box or enter a timecode address manually.
Page 430: 5.17 User Files
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.17 user Files To help manage the multiple options available in AutoTouch+, the settings of all Options can be saved in a User File. The current AutoTouch+ Panel set- tings and presets are also saved within User Files. This allows each engineer to save his or her own preferred settings and recall them at future sessions. This eliminates the process of manually resetting all the AutoTouch+ Options and panel settings, adding to the ease of operation. Beyond creating custom setups for engineers, User Files can also be used to create automation templates for specific tasks. For example, one User File might be created for music mixing, while another is created for post. Users AutoTouch+ supports any number of Users. For each new User a folder is created in the ‘Users’ folder in the D950System directory. The User folder may be named as desired. Any number of User Files may be stored in a User’s folder. Users and User Files are not specific to a particular Mix Tree, Title, or Project. Because of this, any User File in any User’s folder is available for use with any Title or any Mix Pass. Create a New User & User File Use the following procedure to create a new User and User File: 1. Set all Options as desired. 2. Select ‘Save Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Save User File As window will open. 3. Click the ‘New User’ button. The New User window will open. 4. Enter a new User name in the field provided and click OK. A new User folder will be created. 5- AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 431 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5. Enter the name of the new User File in the Save User File As field and click OK. 6. A new User File will be created. Load a User File Use the following procedure to store a User File: 1. Select ‘Load Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Load User File As window will open. 2. The User folder containing the active User File will be open and the active User File will be indicated in blue letters. 3. If necessary open the appropriate User folder by clicking the + icon for that User or double-click the name. The folder will open and display its contents. 4. Double-click the name of the desired User File or single-click the name to highlight it and then click the ‘Load’ button. 5. The selected User File will be loaded. AutoTouch+ 5- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 432 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Update a User File Use the following procedure to update an existing User File: 1. Make changes to Options as desired. 2. Select ‘Save Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Save User File As window will open. 3. Either double-click the active User File (in blue letters) or enter the same User name in the field provided and click OK. A dialog box will indicate a file with the same name already exists and will ask if you wish to replace 4. Click YES and the chosen User File will be updated. Delete a User or User File Users and User Files may be deleted by removing them from the Users folder in the D950System directory. 5-8 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 433: Autotouch+ Panel Survey
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.18 AutoTouch+ Panel Survey ENABLE MODES (see also chapter 5.6) READ – Sets selected objects (depending on the preselector setting) into Read mode. WRITE – Sets selected objects (depending on the preselector setting) into Write Enable mode. These parameters are ‘armed’ and can be put into write (record). TRIM – Sets selected objects (depending on the preselector setting) into Trim Enable mode. These parameters are ‘armed’ and can be put into trim (record).
Page 434 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System TOUCH / HELD (see also chapters 5.7.1 through 5.7.4) TOUCH RECORD – If activated, touching a write or trim enabled control ele- ment (e.g. fader) will put it into record. TOUCH HOLD – If activated, touching and releasing a control element (e.g. fader) will simulate a touch and hold the object even if the control has been released. HELD PLAY MIX – When this key is engaged (see also chapter 5.7.5.1), all held controls play back their Read Mix data if not in RECORD, but the controls can be set to different physical positions. The Read Mix data is heard, even though one or more controls are being held. This allows a held control to be pre-positioned while awaiting a punch-in. The result is true emulation of the resulting mix while the Mix Pass is running. HELD CLR – Pressing this key will take all held controls out of hold. It will also clear the list of controls in the held controls buffer. GLOBAL RECORD (see also chapter 5.8) PUNCH-IN – Write or Trim enabled controls are put into record (depending on the GLOBAL RECORD preselector setting). PUNCH-OUT – Control elements currently in record are punched out (depend- ing on the GLOBAL RECORD preselector setting). GLOBAL RECORD Preselectors (see also chapter 5.8.1) Before globally any control can be punched in or out (Record, Play), the preselectors for the desired objects must be activated. These are:...
Page 435 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System (Mix Pass) GLIDE (see also chapter 5.9.3) GLIDE – Activates the Glide function. STOP FRAME (see also chapter 5.15.1) ON – Activates the stop frame automation. TC OFF – Stop Frame recording is suspended. This allows timecode to be moved backward or forward so a timecode location may be found. No control values will be written while TC OFF is engaged. GENERAL MIX ON – Turns the Automation system on (see also chapter 5.14.1) READ LOCK – Forces all controls into Read and blocks out all other controls. Nothing can affect playback of Read Mix (see also chapter 5.15.2). KILL PASS – If engaged when timecode is stopped, the new mix pass will not be written. To prevent a new Mix Pass from being written, press KILL PASS before playback of timecode stops. (see also chapter 5.5.1.3). UNDO – Sets the Read Mix to the previous pass in the Mix Pass Stack (see also chapter 5.5.1.2). REDO – Sets the Read Mix to the next pass in the Mix Pass Stack (see also chapter 5.5.1.2). VIEW – When held, dynamic objects are lit on the surface (see also chapter 5.14.2). SCENE (see also chapter 5.14.3) A Scene is a global ‘snapshot’ of the automation state of each control within the system. There are two buffers in which Scenes may be stored. Scenes will be stored and can recalled during subsequent sessions.
Page 436: 5.19 Desk Automation Controls
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.19 Desk Automation Controls This chapter gives an overview of the channel strip and central automation controls different from the ones found in the AutoTouch+ Panel. In automation mode, the channel strips hold additional indications for detailed display of the current status. This chapter shows all possible indications of automation status and explains their meaning. First, there are some record indicators integrated within the recording keys: Recording overview for switches. If half-lit: One or more switches are armed (i.e. in TRIM or WRITE enable mode). If fully lit: One or more switches are recording. Pressing this key will either punch-in the held objects, or punch-out the switches currently recording. Recording overview for rotary encoders. If half-lit: One or more rotaries are armed (i.e. in TRIM or WRITE enable mode). If fully lit: One or more rotaries are recording Pressing this key will either punch-in the held objects, or punch-out the ro- taries currently recording. Current and replay value of the channel mute. If the current value is differ- ent from the one in the last mix pass, this LED indicates the value within the last mix pass, while the main red LED within the key indicates the current value.
Page 437 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The meaning of the different Vistonics™ indicators is as follows: Displayed Value The displayed value (e.g. ‘–7.6 dB’) is always the current value, except when the control is in TRIM mode. Then it shows the offset from TRIM null point. It is underlined whenever the control is touched (‘hold’ in automation). Rotary Value Current and replay value of the rotary control. If the current value is different from the one within the last mix pass, a pink-colored element indicates the value of the last mix pass, while the main display is indicating the current value. Fader Value Current and replay value of the fader. If the current value is different from the one in the last mix pass, a pink colored element indicates the value within the last mix pass, while the main display is indicating the current value. Recording Recording and recording mode indicator: This always refers to the associated control.
Page 438 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Recording Recording mode of the fader (in the Vistonics™ generic display area): Characters without a frame indicate the status of the fader (I = Isolate, R = Read, T = Trim, W = Write). A red frame behind the ‘W’ or ‘T’ indicates that the fader is currently record- ing. n–1 x n–1 x indicates that the channel is the owner of an n–1 bus, together with its bus number - e.g. ‘m 1’ for ‘mono 1’. Rotary Dynamic/Static Dynamic/static view of the rotary control: When pressing the VIEW key in the AutoTouch+ panel, the display changes to DYN, if this control contains dynamically automated elements. Fader Dynamic/Static Dynamic/static view of the fader: When pressing the VIEW key in the Au- toTouch+ panel, the display indicates FADER DYN if the fader is dynami- cally automated.
Page 439: 5.20 Auto Touch Plus Window
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.20 Auto Touch Plus Window [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [1] Mix Tree window. Can be hidden by clicking on the ‘Hide Tree’ button. If hid- den, this button turns into ‘Show Tree’, the ‘Display Mode’ button becomes inactive (refer to chapter 5.4.1 for details). [2] Several Mix Passes are shown in the Mix Tree window. With the ‘Display Mode’ button the display mode of the mix passes can be changed, and it can be decided if only the Mix Pass number, only the Mix Pass name, or both shall be displayed (refer to chapter 5.4.1.3 for details). [3] Mix Pass Stack; holds up to eight Mix Passes for immediate use (e.g. direct comparison of Mix Passes (refer to chapter 5.5.1 for details). [4] Glide Time; defines the length of the glide. To enter a value just click in the box and type the desired glide time, or use the right click menu allowing e.g. to access the Cue list with timecode cue points (also refer to chapter 5.9.3). [5] Mix Protection allows individual controls or a group of controls to be pro- tected or locked-out from changes (also refer to chapter 5.13). If Mix Protec- tion is on, the yellow LED symbol is on. AutoTouch+ 5-45 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 440 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System [6] Extend Back to / Write to. In the entry box ‘Extend Back To:’ a Fixed value, the Beginning of Time, or the Beginning of the Mix can be selected. In the entry box ‘Write To:’ a Fixed value, the End of Time or the End of Mix can be defined. If ‘Fixed’ has been selected, an timecode entry box will be opened. Use the same method to enter a timecode as explained under point [4]. ‘Extend Back To:’ can be activated on the AutoTouch+ panel. Either Extend back to BEGIN or PUNCH-IN can be selected. Refer to chapter 5.9.2 for more information on ‘Extend Back To:’. Selected ‘Extend Back To:’ BEGIN (on the AutoTouch+ panel) will be dis- played in the GC Auto Touch Plus panel in red, to indicate that this function has been activated. This means that automated parameters will be written back to the selected timecode value (fixed, beginning of time, or beginning of mix) in the next mix pass. A green indication refers to activated ‘Extend Back To: PUNCH-IN’. The entered timecode value (fixed, beginning of time or beginning of mix) is not activated. That means that automated parameters will be written back to PUNCH-IN time in the next mix pass. Write to: is red and active if WRITE TO: END on the AutoTouch+ panel has been selected (also refer to chapter 5.9.1). Green indicates that Extend Back to: PUNCH-IN will be performed and the red Write to: shows, that ‘Write to: END will be performed. 5-4 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 441 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System [7] Write Zone is defined by a BEGIN and an END timecode value. If activated, automation data can be written in this zone only. If ‘Auto PUNCH-IN’ is checked, Write enabled parameters will punched in automatically at the write zone beginning and punched out at the write zone end. If ‘Sync w/Loop Pts’ is checked, the selected locator points in the machine control window will be used as Write zone BEGIN and END points. [8] Pass; shows the Begin and End time of the current mix pass. [9] Mix; shows the Begin and End time of the entire mix. [10] The timecode window displays the current timecode (hh, min, s, frames), the frame rate, and the timecode type. Timecode type can be GEN (internal TC Generator), 9 pin (serial TC), or LTC (external TC). These settings are made in the Option – TC Reader/Gen menu (also refer to chapter 4.6.4.2). [11] MIX ON / OFF indication (MIX ON key on the AutoTouch+ panel). [12] RECORD, READY or STOPPED automation status indication. [13] Indication whether the parameter currently touched is a dynamic (D) or static (S) object (also refer to chapters 5.3.1.1 and 5.3.1.2). [14] Clear Static; when a non-dynamic parameter has been changed, this button will lit. By clicking on the button the Static Data Buffer will be cleared, oth- erwise the static information will be written in the next mix pass. [15] Options...; (only activated if MIX is ON) Click on the this button to access the Mix Options (also refer to chapter 5.21). [16] Display Mode; mix pass display mode selection: it can be decided whether only Mix Pass number, only Mix Pass name or both shall be displayed (also refer to chapter 5.4.1.3 for details).
Page 442 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System [17] Hide Tree or Show Tree; will hide or show the Mix Tree window. [18] Mix Pass information; to activate the PASS INFO dialog box. A name and notes can be entered for the selected Mix Pass (also refer to chapter 5.4.1.3). Mix: Shows the Mix Tree Name Pass: Shows the name of the mix pass and allows to enter the PASS INFO dialog box Notes: Shows the notes. 5-48 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 443: 5.21 Mix Options
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21 mix options On one hand, AutoTouch+ is a relatively simple system to use, on the other hand it has tremendous depth. Creating a system that has both of these at- tributes is not easy. In addition, when such a large amount of functionality is available, it is difficult to define every single transition from one mode or state to another in a precise and dictated way. There are two reasons for this: • No two mixers will mix the same way. While one will want a feature to work this way, another equally proficient mixer will want it to work an- other way. • Even the same mixer will want different functionality at different times within the mix process or based on different types of projects. There is no right or wrong way to implement many of the functions in Auto- Touch+. There are just different ways. So in answer to the above, there is a large number of options that affect the specific functionality of very specific modes. In total, the option set defines the specific ways in which the system will work. Each individual option, however, allows the system to have another nuance that allows the mixer to best do his or her work, in a creative and ef- ficient manner. Mix Option Management A potential problem with having such a large number of options is the means to manage them all. When a mixer steps up to the console they need to be confident that the system will work in a predetermined way. In other words, they need to have ALL of the options set to a state that they have already pre set for their specific needs of the moment. AutoTouch+ offers a system of Mix management where each mixer can have their own unlimited number of options sets, known as User Files. Accessing Mix Options The ‘Mix On’ button on the AutoTouch+ Panel must be turned on before Mix Options may be accessed. All of the mix options reside in one convenient options dialog box which is accessed by clicking the ‘Options…’ button of the ‘AutoTouch+’ window.
Page 444: Saving/Loading Mix Options
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.1 Saving/Loading mix options A set of Mix Options may be saved as part of a User File and recalled at anytime. Only the sections that apply to saving and recalling User Files is presented here. Users and User Files are discussed in detail in chapter 5.17. Create a New User & User File Use the following procedure to create a new User and User File: 1. Set all Options as desired. 2. Select ‘Save Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Save User File As window will open. 5-50 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 445 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 3. Click the ‘New User’ button. The ‘Enter New User Name’ window will open. 4. Enter a new User name in the field provided and click ‘OK’. A new User folder will be created bearing the name entered. 5. Enter the name of the new User File in the ‘Save User File As’ field and click ‘OK’. 6. A new User File bearing the name entered will be created. Load a User File Use the following procedure to store a User File: 1. Select ‘Load Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Load User File As window will open: AutoTouch+ 5-5 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 446 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 2. The User folder containing the active User File will be open and the active User File will be indicated in blue letters. 3. If necessary open the appropriate User folder by clicking the + icon for that User or double-click the name. The folder will open and display its contents. 4. Double-click the name of the desired User File or single-click the name to highlight it and then click the ‘Load’ button. 5. The selected User File will be loaded. Update a User File Use the following procedure to update an existing User File: 1. Make changes to Options as desired. 2. Store any changes to AutoTouch+ Panel Presets (if any). 3. Select ‘Save Mix Options…’ from the GC Automation menu. The Save User File As window will open. 4. Either double-click the active User File (in blue letters) or enter the same User name in the field provided and click ‘OK’. A dialog box will indi- cate a file with the same name already exists and will ask if you wish to replace it. 5. Click ‘YES’ and the chosen User File will be updated. Delete a User or a User File Users and User Files may be deleted by removing them from the Users folder in the directory. D950System 5-52 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 447: Control Mode Options
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.2 Control mode options ‘Channel Auto-Mode’ Button <Order>: This list selects which Control Modes will be selected by press- ing the AUTO MODE key, and in what order. All four Control Modes may be selected or not in whatever order is desired. < Affects>: This set of radio buttons determines which controls within the channel will be affected by the AUTO MODE key when it is used to set Control Modes. • <Preselector Objects>: The state of the Control Mode preselectors deter- mine which controls will be affected by the AUTO MODE key when it is used to set Control modes. • <Fader>: The AUTO MODE key only affects the fader of the channel. • <Mute>: The AUTO MODE key only affects the mute of the channel. • <Fader and Mute>: The AUTO MODE key only affects the fader and mute of the channel. When Mix Status is Set to On This set of radio buttons controls what happens when the Mix On mode is selected and unselected (turned on and off)… • <Maintain Object Modes>: In this case turning MIX ON, on and off, will not change the control modes of any of the controls in the console.
Page 448: Glide
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Mode Enable sets non-selected to READ Normally you can use the preselectors in combination with the Control Mode activators to set various control types into different Control Modes. For example, you could select FDR (only) and hit WRITE and the faders will all go into WRITE. You could then hit CLR and ENCoders and then hit TRIM and the knobs will be in TRIM, while the faders are in WRITE. This is very flexible and useful, but if you want to ensure that only specific controls are in a specific mode (like making sure that the Faders are in WRITE and everything else is in READ), you would have to select all the preselectors (or Hold down the CLR/ALL key) and hit READ. Then select FDR and Hit WRITE. However, when this option is set, you are always assured that when you hit an Control Mode activator, all control NOT active on the preselectors will be set to READ when the selected controls are set to the activator mode. For example, if only FDR selected on the preselector and the TRIM activator is hit, it is assured that every control other than faders will automatically be set to READ mode. 5.21.3 Glide Glide at Punch-Out When a control is punched out of Record into Playback the control will glide from the punch-out value to the read mix value over the time period as set by the Glide Time setting. The system attempt to recalculate the glide vector after each frame so an attempt is made to have the actual glide duration match the set glide time as closely as possible. However, if the read data is approaching the gliding control quickly, the glide duration may be shorter than the actual setting. In no cases will the time be longer. This behavior is consistent with...
Page 449 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The punch-out glide will take place if the control is punched out… • While timecode is running (glide takes place in real-time) • As a result of Timecode being stopped (glide takes place in the post pro- cess) • And even if timecode is stopped in the middle of the glide (glide takes place partly in real-time and partly in the post process). This is a great feature because there are many times when a machine (TC) is stopped by one mixer just after another mixer has punched out and a glide has begun. In this case the glide will occur unscathed! Glide at Next Change When an old Read Mix data record is encountered for this control, a glide begins at that point and extends for the duration of the glide time (of course this assumes that the option is set and that the ‘Master Glide’ Button is active at the time of the next change). Glide at End When the end time occurs (either in real time or as part of the post processing) a glide begins. The glide starts at the end time if set to End of Mix or a Fixed timecode. If the glide takes place during the post process (after the mix pass is ended) then the ‘Master Glide’ Button must be active at the time that the Mix pass is stopped. If End is set to end of time, no glide occurs. (Also see Back Time option below.) Glide at Write Zone End If the Write Zone is active then a glide will occur at the Write Zone End time either in real time or as part of the post process (subject to the state of the option and the ‘Master Glide’ Button. (Also see Back Time option below.) Glide at Beginning If the Extend Back To: Begin is active, then a glide will occur at the begin time (beginning of Mix or a user-input TC) as part of the post processing (subject to the state of the option and the ‘Master Glide’ Button) Glide at Punch-In If the Extend Back To: PUNCH-IN is active, then a glide will occur at the Punch-in time as part of the post processing (subject to the state of the option and the ‘Master Glide’ Button at the time of Punch-in).
Page 450: Hold
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.4 Hold Held Plays Mix <Disable While Touched>: When HELD PLAYS MIX on the AutoTouch+ Panel is active channels that are Held, do not ‘play’ their held auditioned values, but play the Read Mix values instead. When this option is set, touching a control at this time disables this feature and allows a new audition (punch) value to be established by being able to listen to the Audition audio. If this option is unchecked, the Held Plays Mix function is not over-ridden and the Read Mix continues to be heard. Clear Held Objects <When Touch Hold Turned Off>: TOUCH HOLD (on the AutoTouch+ Panel) may be turned on and off during the course of a Mix pass. This options affects whether Held controls are cleared of their ‘held’ status when The Touch Hold mode is changed from On (active) to Off. If the option is not selected, then changing the state of Touch Hold will have no effect on Held controls. <Upon Punch Out>: Touch Hold is used for a variety of purposes. Sometime a write value needs to be held (so that un-touching the control while Touch Record is engaged does not punch it out of record), just until the control is punched out of record. At that point the control would return to playing back the Read Mix. With this option set, that is how the behavior would work. However, sometimes you will want to punch-in to that same held value later in the mix pass, even after you have punched out for this section of the mix. By deselecting this option the behavior will allow for this operation. The held value will remain until it is cancelled by other means. The new Mix Pass will, of course, not be affected. 5-5 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 451: Master Panel
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.5 master Panel This option page allows you to over-ride certain settings of the system that are normally controlled by the AutoTouch+ Panel. This allows for the Au- toTouch+ Panel to control functions for certain types of controls while al- lowing other types of controls to remain in specific modes or be blocked by them. Touch Hold Faders/Encoders: <Follows Panel>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Touch Hold. <On>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will always be in Touch Hold mode regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. <Off>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will never be in Touch Hold mode re- gardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Switches: <Follows Panel>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Touch Hold. <On>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will always be in Touch Hold mode regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. <Off>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will never be in Touch Hold mode regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Touch Record Faders/Encoders: <Follows Panel>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will follow the settings of the...
Page 452 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System <Off>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will never be in Touch Hold mode re- gardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Switches <Follows Panel>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Touch Record. <On>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will always be in Touch Hold mode regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. <Off >: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will never be in Touch Hold mode regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Extend Back To Begin Time Faders/Encoders: <Follows Panel>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Extend Back To Begin Time. <Off>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will be blocked from entering Extend Back To Begin Time regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Switches: <Follows Panel>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Extend Back To Begin Time. <Off>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will be blocked from entering Extend Back To Begin Time regardless of the settings of the Au- toTouch+ Panel. Extend Back To Punch-In Faders/Encoders: <Follows Panel>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Extend Back To Punch-In. <Off>: Faders and Encoders (knobs) will be blocked from entering Extend Back To Punch-In regardless of the settings of the AutoTouch+ Panel. Switches: <Follows Panel>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will follow the settings of the AutoTouch+ panel in regards to Extend Back To Punch- <Off>: Switches (keys) and Selectors (keys or knobs) will be blocked from entering Extend Back To Punch-In regardless of the settings of the Auto- Touch+ Panel.
Page 453: End Of Pass
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.6 End of Pass The End of Pass options determine the behavior of specific functions when a Mix Pass is terminated by stopping timecode. At the end of a Mix Pass each of the options control this behavior in the following manner. End of Pass Clears <Record>: If any controls are in record when the mix pass is ended they will be punched out of record if this option is set. <Write To End>: Because Write To End is a very destructive feature (although very much used and useful), this option ensures that it is only used for one pass and Write to End Reverts to Punch-In at the end of a Record Pass. There will be no effect by a play pass (which is the case with all of these options). <Extend Back to Begin>: Like Write To End, this destructive function can be set to be cleared after a Record pass has been written. <Extend Back to Punch-In>: Same as above. <Held Objects>: There are times when you want to hold objects (in record or audition) and have them revert to playing the Read Mix data when the next pass is run. And there are time when you want to audition a level and then run the pass again to do the actual record pass. In this case, by un-checking this option the controls can be held across passes. <…Only if Touch Record Active>: When checked, End of Pass will clear the items above only if Touch Record was active. AutoTouch+ 5-59 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 454: Miscellaneous
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 5.21.7 miscellaneous This option page contains options not addressed elsewhere. Protect Static <When Stopped>: Changes to Static objects will be ignored unless the system is ‘Mixing’ (timecode running or stop frame mode). <For Protected Controls>: When a control is protected (out of scope) changes to the control will not be stored as Static values. They can be auditioned and will return to their stored value when a new Mix Pass is started. <For Non-Automated Controls>: Changes to Non-Automated objects (like Pan Format) will not be stored as Static values. They can be auditioned and will return to their stored value when a new Mix Pass is started. <From Kill Pass>: Stored Static values are not affected by Kill Pass opera- tions. Modified Un-touch Inverts <Touch Record>: The AUTO MODE key acts as a modifier key for certain functions. For example, if the modifier key is held when an enabled control is touched, the control will or won’t go into record based on the inverse of the setting of the Touch Record function (of the AutoTouch+ Panel). Normally, when this radio button is selected, when un-touching a control, if the modifier key is held, the Touch Record functionality is again reversed. <Touch Hold>: By selecting this option, when un-touching a control, the ef- fect of Touch Hold is reversed rather than that of Touch Record. 5-0 AutoTouch+ SW V4.5...
Page 455: 5.22 Gc Automation Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Locate System on Standing Code <Never>: AutoTouch+ will never locate to a standing timecode location. <Always>: AutoTouch+ will always locate to a standing timecode location. <After>: AutoTouch+ will locate to a standing timecode location after the time specified by the millisecond pull-down menu. Other Miscellaneous Options <Read Safe>: Normally when a control is moved its changed value is able to be auditioned, and then it snaps back to the Read Mix value (unless Touch Hold is active). When this option is set, any controls in READ mode will NOT be able to be auditioned, they will always follow the read mix value regardless of the physical or virtual control position <Disable Trim Replay>: When this option is selected, faders will NOT play back any recorded Trim data. Note that this has no effect on the mix values that are being played from the read mix. Only that the faders will not track the any previous Trim values that were recorded. The Read Mix values already contain the effects of any previously recorded TRIMs. So this only affects how the faders respond when they are in TRIM enable mode. Also note that TRIM replay is only available on faders. 5.22 GC Automation menu The GC Automation menu contains several items used in the operation of AutoTouch+. These menu items are referenced throughout this document and are explained briefly below. New Mix Tree Selecting ‘New Mix Tree…’ from the Automation menu opens the New Mix Tree dialog window. A new Mix Tree may be created using this window. Open Mix Tree Selecting ‘Open Mix Tree…’ from the Automation menu opens the Open Mix Tree dialog window. An existing Mix Tree may be opened using this...
Page 456: 5.23 Hot Keys
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Edit Mix Pass Selecting ‘Edit Mix Pass’ from the Automation menu opens the OFLA of- fline mix editor. The Active Mix Pass control values and locations may be edited. Event List Editor Selecting ‘Event List Editor’ from the Automation menu opens the offline Event List Editor. The locations of the Active Mix Pass control changes may be edited. Clear Trim Replay Data Selecting ‘Clear Trim Replay Data’ clears the Trim Replay Data for the Active Mix Pass. Save Mix Options Selecting ‘Save Mix Options’ from the Automation menu opens the Save User File As dialog window. A new User and or User File may be created using this window. User Files contain Mix Options and AutoTouch+ Panel Presets. Load Mix Options Selecting ‘Load Mix Options’ from the Automation menu opens the Load Mix Options File dialog window. Any existing User File may be loaded using this window. User Files contain Mix Options and AutoTouch+ Panel Presets. Protection Selecting ‘Protection…’ from the Automation menu opens the Automation Protect control window. Protection may be applied to any set of controls using this window. 5.23 Hot Keys AutoTouch+ software supports a variety of ‘Hot Keys’ (shortcut keys) that improve efficiency when operating the system. These Hot Keys assist in the management of timecode entry and information. Note This chapter assumes that the appropriate window or entry box is active.
Page 457 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Function Right Arrow Next field to the Right Left Arrow Next field to the Left Shift Right Arrow Extend Selection one field to the right Shift Left Arrow Extend Selection one field to the left...
Page 458 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Timecode Entry Validation When free form entry of timecodes is performed, after all digits are entered or the selected field is changed, the entered data is validated. If there are invalid digits for the type of timecode, the highest order invalid field is highlighted and the text color goes red. At this point no operations are allowed until the timecode is corrected. Since the field in error is automatically highlighted, a direct entry for correction is easy. Commit/Cancel The timecode editor keeps two timecodes during editing, the committed timecode and the working timecode. As you bump, offset, enter digits, etc. the working timecode gets changed. Hitting Enter or leaving the edit box (i.e. the edit box loses focus) commits the edits. If after making changes, even in the middle of entering digits or with invalid timecode displayed in red, you can press ESC to cancel the changes and go back to the original timecode. Offsets up to 99 Frames When offsetting, the add/subtract editor window will allow frames to be en- tered up to 99 if the hh, mm and ss fields are all 0. For example if you wanted to offset the timecode 1.5 seconds at 30 fps you could either press +, 1, 1, 5, Enter for adding 1 second 15 frames, or press +, 4, 5, Enter for adding 45 frames. Remainder When converting from FODs to Timecode Strings there is the possibility of a remainder. There are roughly 100 FODs per frame. If an FOD is converted to a string and the string converted back to an FOD, any FOD between the start of the frame and the original FOD would be lost. For example,...
Page 459 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 6 Session Configuration Tool (Option) ..........................3 6.1 Installation ..................................3 6.1.1 Where to Install ..............................4 6.1.2 How to Install ................................ 4 6.2 Introduction ................................... 7 6.2.1 Features & Benefits ............................... 7 6.2.2 Virtual Mixing Console (VMC) Concept ......................9 6.2.3 The Practical Side ............................... 10 6.2.3.1 D ata Compatibility .
Page 460 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6-2 Session Configuration SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 461: Session Configuration Tool (Option)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System SESSion ConfiguRATion Tool (oPTion) The Studer Vista Digital Mixing Systems may be easily reconfigured using the optional Session Configuration Tool. Whereas the ability for reconfigu- ration is a great feature of the Studer Vista, it is important for an operator to fully understand the Session Configuration Tool and its functions. There is no safeguard functionality to prevent someone from configuring a console without e.g. the summing buses – and in such a case, the console may not function properly. Functions, features, and appearance of the Session Configuration Tool may be changed by modifying the software. For this reason the operation of the tool and its parts as described in this manual may be slightly different from your version. Information contained in this chapter has been carefully checked and is believed to be correct and complete. But as we all know, everybody makes mistakes, and we are not immune either. If you should detect a mistake, kindly notify us per email to studersupport@harman.com. We will be grateful for your feedback. No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies, errors or omissions, nor is any liability assumed for any loss or damage resulting either directly or indirectly from use of the information contained in the manual and any accompanying documentation. installation Note A good level of understanding PC basics is assumed for this installation. You...
Page 462: Where To Install
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.1.1 Where to Install The Session Configuration Tool may either be installed on the Studer Vista Control PC, or on any other PC, provided that above requirements are met. We recommend installation on a PC different than the Vista control PC. The program requires a lot of processor power while it is compiling. Whilst it will run without any problem in a multitasking environment with multiple programs running at the same time, its performance may be considerably slowed down under such circumstances. If speed is essential, we recommend running the Session Configuration Tool on a separate PC. In some cases, the Studer Vista Digital Mixing System may be delivered with the Session Configuration Tool already installed. 6.1.2 How to Install Installing from a Compressed File If you have obtained the Session Configuration Tool in compressed form, you will start by copying the file (usually called ) into the ScoreCfgTool.zip target directory and then running the self-extracting file. This will decompress the original files and create the necessary directories for you.
Page 463 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Start the Program: Double-click on the shortcut. There will probably be an error message ‘ Unable ’. This is because the file options have not yet to open file: xxxx .ini been set. Quit the message and the Session Configuration Tool screen will appear. Set the Options: Click on the menu item ‘Options’ and then on ‘Directories/Files’. The fol- lowing setup screen will appear: Here the names of directories and appropriate files that you have just copied have to be entered. The above graphic shows the files used for software ver- sion 1.7.02. Since those may vary for every installation and software version, you will now need to update these entries by using appropriate file names and paths, as installed on your system. The Browse button can be used to select the appropriate file, except for the following two entries: • Temp Files Path, and • Config Path, for which the appropriate paths must be entered manually; they must be fol- lowed by a backslash (\) character.
Page 464 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Test the Installation: Now that you have installed all files and set the basic options, you can proceed to test the whole installation, by generating an empty configuration. This empty configuration is loaded per default after starting the application. Select the menu item ‘Generate’ and then ‘All’. This will start the process of generating the DSP and control software that is needed to run a new Session Configuration on your console. Various messages will be displayed, and after a while, a message similar to the following one should appear: After the message ‘Build All finished successfully !!’ appears, click on ‘OK’ to finish the successful installation and test procedure. 6-6 Session Configuration SW V.5 Date printed: 28.10.10...
Page 465: Introduction
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System introduction 6.2.1 features & Benefits The Vista DSP Concept The concept of the Studer Vista allows to use multiple DSP processors in a fully scaleable and configurable way. It is possible to specify the power of the DSP core in fine steps in order to fulfil the exact need of an application. It can be said that the Studer Vista has a scaleable DSP resource pool of computing power, which can be used in many different combinations. Session Configuration So the concept of the ‘Session Configuration’ was born which allows to create many completely different mixers that can run on the same existing hardware. The operator is now able to choose the ideal mixer for the task he or she wants to work on. For this, the Session Configurations can be loaded and the Studer Vista console is restarted in a matter of seconds. Each Session Configuration can contain a different console configuration based on the available DSP power. In the ever-changing studio environment, it is now possible to have a ‘new’ mixer every day: Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Live Broadcast Multitrack Recording Mixdown Configuration Configuration Configuration...
Page 466 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The system must contain at least one Bridge card for communication and control. The total number of DSP cards in any combination can be nine at the maximum. For further details about SCore Live refer to chapter System Size &...
Page 467: Virtual Mixing Console (Vmc) Concept
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The Session Configuration Tool will tell you exactly how many DSP and I/O cards you will need in order to run a certain configuration defined by the number and type of channels, the number of summing buses, and the number of physical I/O interfaces. As a consequence, there is no finite maximum number of channels on the Studer Vista – the maximum can be anywhere between 100 and 300 channels. 6.2.2 Virtual Mixing Console (VMC) Concept The Studer Vista Digital Mixing System bases its operation on the concept of a Virtual Mixing Console (VMC). The VMC is a software structure that runs on the Studer Vista control PC and consists of two parts: • Console configuration (structure)
Page 468: The Practical Side
• the DSP core file called MyConfig.cor • the configuration knowledge file called MyConfig.ckf The name ‘MyConfig’ stands for any name selected by the user. The endings ‘ ’, ‘ ’ and ‘ ’ are mandatory. They are automatically created by .vmc .cor .ckf the Tool and do not have to be typed. It is good practice to keep all Session Configurations in the same Windows folder, because both the Session Configuration Tool and the Studer Vista System software can be set to search in this folder automatically. The Con- figuration Tool will automatically create a subdirectory (folder) with the same name as the Session Configuration, so the folder structure may look similar to this: When the generation process is finished each of the subdirectory folders will contain the following files and folders: When editing a configuration, the ‘old’ folder is generated automatically, in order to store the last configuration. 6-0 Session Configuration SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 469: Data Compatibility
MyConfig.cor Both files must be in the same subdirectory, otherwise the Studer Vista will not be able to load this configuration. The best practice is to always copy <MyConfig> the whole folder with both files inside and paste it to the D950SYSTEMDB directory. It is not necessary to copy the file. It is not used by the Studer Vista. *.ckf It is generated for maintenance reasons only. 6.2.3.1 Data Compatibility Studer Vista features such as Snapshot, AutoTouch Automation, etc. use Windows compatible files to store data. Since the contents of such files are dependent on the current configuration, each file is internally stamped with the Session Configuration ID. The configurations may be quite different – the resulting snapshot or automation files will be different, too. A Snapshot file made under Session Configuration A can not, therefore, be directly recalled under a different configuration B. A function called Import must first be performed using the appropriate controls within the GC. For more information on the Import function, please consult the Vista Operating Instructions. Import Rules A simple set of rules will apply for the import: • Unnecessary data are truncated • Only items of identical type can be imported, e.g. data for mono input channels can only come from mono input channels • If the source configuration A has 48 mono input channels and the current configuration B has only 32, just the channels 1 through 32 are imported and the rest of the source channels are ignored. When the item is saved it...
Page 470: The Fast Lane - Try It
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The fast lane – Try it! 6.3.1 Do Your own – use Existing or Start from Scratch? 6.3.1.1 use an Existing VMC Usually the changes that need to be made to a configuration are small. Adding two more AUXes or replacing the mono input channels by stereo input chan- nels may be two examples of such small changes. In such cases, an existing file can be loaded and modified. For the first try you can use the *.vmc *.vmc file that was delivered with your console as a starting point. The files can be treated in a similar way as word processing docu- *.vmc ments. They can be opened, saved, saved under a different name, moved and deleted.  Tip Please be careful to first save the file under a different name in order to keep the Studer Vista basic configuration intact! Use the Save As item in the File menu.
Page 471: Generate The Vista Configuration Files
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.3.2 generate the Vista Configuration files In this chapter, a simplified but complete configuration exercise is described. The example file will be used as the starting point and modified. A DSP *.vmc core file will be generated. You will need to start the Session Configuration Tool first. Open the File Use the ‘File/Open’ menu or the ‘open folder’ icon in the toolbar to open a file. *.vmc Save VMC as... To keep the original file intact, use the ‘Save VMC as...’ command from the File menu. Note that you do not have to type the extension . A new folder .vmc and a new file will be automatically created. *.vmc View the Configuration Use the ‘View/Channel Bus’ command from the menu bar to display the configuration contents. You may want to maximise the window in order to...
Page 472 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System As you can see, this configuration is for a console that has: • 4 mono input channels • 2 mono input channels • 2 mono groups + 2 group buses • 2 mono masters + 2 master buses • 4 mono Auxes + 4 mono AUX buses • 2 stereo Auxes + 2 stereo AUX buses • 2 SOLO buses • 1 stereo PFL bus Add More Channels Double-click on the channel area labeled ‘Input mono’. This will open an editing dialog box which will allow you, among other things, to change the number of mono channels: Go to the ‘Number of channels’ area and change the number from 4 to 8. Click on OK. Now you have increased the number of mono input channels to eight. Edit the Stereo Input Channel Now we will change the stereo input channel configuration and name. Double- click on the channel area labeled ‘input stereo’. On the left-hand side, in the area called ‘X Bar Section’, double-click on ‘Dynamics’ and on ‘Delay...
Page 473 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Add More AUXes Now we will add two more mono AUX masters. Double-click on the channel area labeled ‘AUX mono’ and change the number of channels to 6. Click on OK. Now you will have to adapt the number of AUX mono buses to reflect the above change. Double-click on the area labeled ‘Aux m Bus’. This will open a dialog that will allow you to set the number of buses to 6, matching the new number of AUX mono channels. Enter ‘6’ instead of ‘4’ and click on OK. This will add two more AUX mono buses to the system. Add New Group Channels Now double-click on the channel area labeled ‘new’. This will allow you to select a channel type and set its contents and number. Click on ‘Channel Attributes / Type’ and select ‘Group mono’. This will select the channel type to mono group. Set the ‘Number of chan- nels’ to 2. Add ‘4-Band EQ’ from the library by double-clicking on this item. Type in ‘my GRP’ in the user label area and click on OK. This will add two more audio groups including EQ to the configuration. Note that you now have two sets of mono group channels with completely different audio processing sections called ‘my GRP’ and ‘Example’. Note also that the bus connections have been extended with the small ‘on/off’ boxes indicating that the two new groups will have access to Master, Solo, PFL and AUX buses. By clicking on the ‘on/off’ box corresponding to the Master Bus, you can disable access from the new groups to the masters – so they can only be used for direct outputs. Finished? Not quite. We still have to increase the number of Group Buses to a total of four. Oops - the number is four already! The original configuration...
Page 474 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  Tip It is legal to have more buses than corresponding channel types, as in the exam- ple above. The reason for this is that the buses (unlike in analog consoles) are valid audio signals and can be used as such in the Studer Vista patch. They are simply summation buses which will output the sum of all assigned inputs. The newly edited configuration now looks as follows: • 8 mono input channels • 2 stereo input channels with changed processing • 2 + 2 mono groups, different processing + 4 group buses • 2 mono masters + 2 master buses • 6 mono Auxes + 6 mono AUX buses • 2 stereo Auxes + 2 stereo AUX buses • 2 solo buses • 1 stereo PFL bus Check the Interfaces We will assume that for this example, the interfacing does not need to be changed. We will only have a look at what interfacing is available in the configuration we just changed. For this purpose, select ‘Interface’ from the...
Page 475: Does My Console Have Enough Power
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System There are five D21m input interfaces with 104 configured channels, and three D21m output interfaces with 48 configured channels.  Tip Although we have been through many actions and have edited the original configuration quite a bit, we did not yet touch on all possibilities of the Con- figuration Tool by far. Please read on and acquaint yourself with all the details before you attempt to make a configuration and load it on your console. 6.3.2.1 Does my Console Have Enough Power? In order to see the console statistics, now select ‘Core’ in the ‘View’ menu. This will display the statistics of the channels, buses and I/Os, as well as the occupancy of the DSP core. Mixing Console Statistics Load of the DSP System When generating a new or editing an existing configuration, the core view displays a rough estimation of the required DSP power, instead of the actual requirements for a previously generated configuration. When you edit a configuration and see that it requires more cards than your existing core has, there are three possibilities to continue. Session Configuration 6- Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 476: Generate The Core File
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Generate Core and Check Again To get to the real number of cards, the full Generate Core process has to be done first, as will be explained in the next chapter. Once this is finished, it may happen that the requirements are less then estimated, and that your newly edited configuration could fit on the existing co Tip It is always recommended to run the Generate process before deciding whether a desired configuration will fit on a given DSP core. Reduce the Requirements If you do not have enough installed DSP power, you can either reduce your configuration slightly, by reducing the number of channels or by removing some Dynamics or EQs you do not really need, or by reducing the number of I/Os, until the configuration matches your actual card number. Add More Power The other way is, of course, to plug in the additional required number of DSP cards into the DSP frame and load your new configuration. You can even do this while the power is on. You may need to add some HD Links if you are expanding the number of physical I/Os. 6.3.3 generate the Core file To generate the core file for your new configuration, simply click on the ‘Generate / All’ menu item. This starts an automatic process which will end...
Page 477 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Compile Processes A DSP compiler/assembler generates all the individual DSP files needed to perform EQ, Dynamics, Summing, etc. First all channels and then all the summing buses are allocated to the required DSP card processors. Then the final core file is assembled from individual components: Finished ... And finally, the finished core and core knowledge files are automatically stored. You only have to click OK to finish the whole process after the mes- sage ‘Build All finished successfully!’. Session Configuration 6- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 478: Transfer The Files To The Console
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  Tip Please note that if you now display the core View, the lettering ‘(rough esti- mation)’ will be missing, indicating that the numbers displayed are now the real, load-balanced ones. The displayed warning does not mean that the configuration will not work. Its meaning will be explained in chapter 6.5.3.1. 6.3.4 Transfer the files to the Console The Core file and the ‘meta’ VMC files are now ready to be used on a Vista console. On the Studer Vista System If you are running the Session Configuration Tool on the Vista PC and the search paths are set as described before, there is nothing more you need to do in order to load a configuration. Simply switch to the Vista operating system (i.e., the GC) and load a new configuration from the GC File menu. On a Separate PC If you are running the Session Configuration Tool on a separate PC, you will need to transfer the configuration files to the Studer Vista control PC. Since all files are Windows files, it is a simple matter of using a transfer medium (CD-ROM, USB stick or even a LAN) to transport the files. Care has to be taken to store the files under the appropriate directory on the Studer Vista control PC as described above. The only files that must be transferred for each configuration in the above example are: • MyConfig.vmc • MyConfig.cor Both files must be in the same subdirectory, otherwise the Studer Vista will not be able to load this configuration. The best practice is to always copy the whole folder containing both files and paste it to the <MyConfig>...
Page 479: Detailed Tutorial
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Detailed Tutorial The previous chapter gives a brief run through all the basics needed to con- figure a Studer Vista console. We recommend reading it before you proceed with the detailed tutorial, found in this chapter. 6.4.1 Set Your own Workspace The Session Configuration Tool supports multiple windows. Up to now, a single view Window was used to operate the Configuration Tool functions. For a better overview of the configuration process, we recommend using two windows at the same time – the Channel/Bus page alternatively with the Interface page, and the Core page in addition. This allows following the rough estimation of the core requirements on-line, as you edit channels, buses and interfaces. Channel/Bus View to Work on Core View to Check...
Page 480: Sampling Rate
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.2 Sampling Rate The sampling rate can be set with the two according buttons on the toolbar (48/96). It may be set anytime during configuration; however, it is wise to do it first thing when editing or generating a new configuration. 6.4.3 Channel/Bus Page The Channel/Bus page is the main working area of the Session Configura- tion Tool. It allows adding new or editing existing channels, buses and their interconnections, displaying the configured console in a matrix arrangement. It displays all the configured channel types and their functions in a condensed way. Channel Types and Numbers Add New Channels Summing Bus Types Double-click and Numbers to Edit Which Channels go to which Buses?
Page 481: Add / Edit Channels
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.3.1 Add / Edit Channels Add New Channels Double-click on ‘new’ in the channel area of the Channel/Bus page. Edit Channels Double-click on an existing channel type in the channel area of the Chan- nel/Bus page. Both actions will open the ‘Add Channel’ dialog box that allows editing all the entries for new or existing channels. Current Channel Select Type/Number Select Channel Functions Double-click to Add Functions Select: Channel Type Enter a Label Enter a Number Double-click to Remove Functions...
Page 482 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System All channel types correspond to similar channels of an analog console. Each channel will be assigned to a channel strip on the Studer Vista Desk upon loading of the configuration. AUX mono and stereo masters are treated as normal channels in this respect. On selection, a set of factory default functions will be loaded to the Channel Structure area, depending on channel type. Trk I mono / Trk M mono The Vista desk can be run in two-layer mode. These channel types largely correspond to what is known as ‘in-line’ channels. Their structure is very similar structure to the one of input channels; the only major difference is in the way they are both assigned to the desk. The ‘Trk M mono’ channel is always assigned to the first layer of a section, and the ‘Trk I mono’ channel to the second layer. This simulates an in-line desk layout. Control Master The Mono Control Master is a special channel type having any audio functions – it is the Control Group Master used for the ‘VCA’ style control groups. Up to 32 Control Masters may be configured. User Label User label is an optional text label that can be entered to additionally differ- entiate the channel types. Usually, labels are used to differentiate channels of the same type but with different functions, e.g. Input Mono ‘with EQ’, Input Mono ‘without Dynamics’, etc. Number of Channels Any number can be entered here to define the quantity for this particular channel type. The maximum numbers are in function of the overall installed...
Page 483: Function Library
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Library / Available Functions In this area, the functions available from the system library are listed. The list changes slightly depending on the channel type (e.g. master channels do not have a Pan function available), but most functions are the same for all channel types. This means that master channels may be configured with an EQ, or an Aux master can have a limiter if needed. Functions can be added to the current channel by double-clicking on the function in the library, or by using the <<<< button. Please note that several restrictions to the X-bar section apply: • The X-bar section can contain a maximum of 6 functions. • ‘Delay 100 ms’ and ‘Delay 240 ms’ must not be used at the same time. • ‘4-Band EQ’ and ‘4-Band EQ Notch’ must not be used at the same time. • Standard and Vintage Dynamics cannot be used at the same time. • ‘VSP Surround PAN’ requires a lot of DSP power and cannot be used in a full channel, otherwise an error will be displayed during the Generate process. It is usually sufficient to remove Dynamics or EQ + Delay func- tions to allow fitting of the VSP PAN. Remove Channels Simply click on the channel type to be removed and hit the ‘Del’ (delete) key.  Tip Note how the requirements shown in the ‘Core Statistics’ area in the Core page change as you add or remove channels, change their number, or add/remove functions. 6.4.3.2 function library Functions Common for Mono and Stereo Channels: Input Selector 3-way input selector, or Input Selector PreAmp Ctrl 3-way input selector, with a control interface for D19m or D21m pre-ampli- fiers.
Page 484: Add / Edit Buses
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System VSP VSP (Virtual Surround Panning): Format selection: 2CH, LCR, LCRS, 5.1, EX, 7.1, Amplitude Panning, adjustable Divergence, Panaround feature, Intensity, Frequency-depending and echo Pan modes, Simulation algorithms for several surround microphone types (HRTF, ORTF, AB, Sphere), Simu- lation of Virtual Rooms with Room Size Control, Ambiance & Absorption Controls, Variable Source Distance. Functions for Stereo Channels Only: Input MS Mode Bal Phase MS/XY decoding matrix, stereo mode (Normal, LL, LR, Reverse, Mono), input balance and phase switch L, R, LR. Dir Stereo direction control. Dir Width Stereo direction with stereo width control 0...200%. Upmix Upmix panner for insertion of a stereo signal into a surround mix. Meter Correlation Level meter function, switchable to channel input or after fader, with addi- tional correlation display for optimum mono compatibility of stereo signal. Functions for 5.1 Surround Channels: Input Selector PreAmp Ctrl 3-way input selector, with a control interface for pre-amplifiers (D21m only).
Page 485 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Select Bus Type Click on the box to display the available bus types. Currently, the following bus types are available: • Mono Master bus • Mono Group bus • Mono Multitrack bus • Enhanced Mono Multitrack bus • Mono AUX bus • Stereo AUX bus • Mono SOLO bus • Stereo PFL bus • Mono N–1 bus • Mono N–X bus • Mono MPX bus • Stereo N–1 bus • Stereo N–X bus Number of Buses Any number can be entered here to define the quantity for this particular bus type. The maximum numbers are in function of the overall installed DSP capacity (check the Core page to see how requirements change).
Page 486: Special Configuration Function: Stems
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.3.4 Special Configuration function: Stems The Stems concept is unique to the Studer Vista. For Film style mixing, bits and pieces of film sound are put together from a variety of surround formats, ranging from mono to eight channels. Very often, there may be hundreds of audio sources that need to be mixed together and put into the right spatial image. In order to bring some order to such a vast number of sources and formats, a concept of Stems is often used. A Stem is a group of sounds (i.e., audio summing buses) that belong together. Stems can be 1-channel to 8-channel wide. For example, a console may be configured to have: 2 × Stereo stems for music, 3 × LCR stems for simple effects, 1 × 5.1 stem for effects, 1 × Stereo stem for dialog etc., 1 × 8-CH stem for effects, 2 × Dolby Surround (4-CH) stems for predubs. The basic Stem setup is defined in the Session Configuration – the number, type and assignment of Stem buses is fixed. In the Studer Vista GC, there are controls for dynamic Stem setup and for assignments of the related recorder tracks. In this way, the Stem setup may be changed dynamically as the need arises. The restriction to the total number of Stems is the number of buses for a certain Session Configuration. Studer Vista Master, Mono Group and/or Track buses are used to build a system of Stems (each stem consists of a number of buses) up to a maximum of 104 Stem buses at any time. Stereo stem for music Stereo stem for music LCR stem for simple effects...
Page 487: Interface Page
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System buses has been configured by adding new buses for a stem of 2, a stem of 2, a stem of 3, etc. All 136 input and group channels have access to all ten stems. 6.4.4 interface Page The interface page allows viewing and editing of the audio interfacing to the DSP core. It is important to assign enough audio input and output interfaces so that the configured system can work satisfactorily. Two interface types can be edited here: • IO21 In • IO21 Out They require a little DSP power and the right quantity of DSP cards. Session Configuration 6-2 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 488 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Edit D21m Interfaces To add D21m input interfaces to the system configuration, simply click on the ‘Add’ button in the D21m Inputs area and a dialog box will appear: Enter Number of D21m Input Channels The number of channels per each D21m interface has to be entered, and the process must be repeated for every D21m interface. The number of channels must be a multiple of eight which is the smallest function unit. After adding the required interfacing, the display will show the total number of interfaces and their distribution on the D21m card(s), starting with card number 00. To remove D21m input interfaces from the system configuration, simply select the interface to be removed (or to remove all, select the uppermost line) and click on the Remove button, or use the ‘Del’ (delete) key. 6-0 Session Configuration SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 489: Core Page
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.5 Core Page The Core page displays the statistics of the channels, buses, and I/Os, as well as the occupancy of the DSP core. The page has four parts: Mixing Console Statistics Load of the DSP System Mixing Console Statistics This area indicates the configured number of channels, buses, shared proc- esses (test tone generator, side-chain links), and input and output interfaces. These numbers reflect all the entries that have been made during the configu- ration process. Core Backplane Timeslots Shows the current communication load on the DSP system bus (not to be mistaken for audio buses in the mixing console). The number of buses must not exceed 1204. Session Configuration 6- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 490: Shared Functions Page
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.6 Shared functions Page The Shared Functions page allows adding and editing the so-called shared functions. Currently the following shared functions are available: • Generator (Vista) • Dynamics sidechain link (Vista) • Fader (Router) • Extended Fader (Router) • Tieline (Router) • Mixer (Router) • Stereo to Mono (Router) • Delay 240 ms (Router) • 4-Band EQ (Router) • Dynamics (Router) • Dynamics Stereo (Router) • + all shared processes, e.g. Downmix The router functions are only accessible for expert users. Generator The Generator is used to test the console with sine-wave, white noise, and pink noise signals. The number is automatically set to 1. Dynamics Sidechain Link The dynamics sidechain link allows to link the controls (sidechains) of the dynamics sections of up to eight different channels. It is similar to the ‘stereo...
Page 491: File Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.7.2 file Menu New Opens a new, empty configuration file called ‘Untitled’. Open Opens an existing configuration file. First looks into the folder as stated *.vmc in the ‘Options/Directories/Files’ menu, usually C:\D950SYSTEMDB Close Closes the current configuration file. *.vmc Save VMC Saves the current configuration file under the same name, thus over- *.vmc writing it. Save VMC As... Saves the current configuration file under a different name. The exten- *.vmc sion does not have to be typed out. Generates a new folder with the *.vmc same name as the configuration file and saves the configuration *.vmc *.vmc file there. Save VMC Overview Saves the Overview of the current configuration file as a file.
Page 492: Mc Tree View
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.7.5 VMC Tree View The VMC Tree View can be used to view and even edit the configuration. Edit an Item Right-click on any function and choose ‘Edit’ from the dropdown menu. Delete an Item Right-click on any function and choose ‘Delete’ from the dropdown menu. Delete all Buses Right-click on the ‘Bus’ item and choose ‘Delete’ from the dropdown menu. Delete all Channels Right-click on the ‘Channel’ item and choose ‘Delete’ from the dropdown menu. Delete all Interfaces Right-click on the ‘Interface’ item and choose ‘Delete’ from the dropdown menu. Delete All Shared Functions Right-click on the ‘Shared’ item and choose ‘Delete’ from the dropdown menu.
Page 493 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System  Important The number of functions is set to 1 per default. Enter the desired number of functions here. Add External Devices Right-click on the root item (‘VMC id :...’), choose ‘Add’ from the dropdown menu, and select ‘Ext Device’. The following dialog will appear, allowing to select Studer MicAD 8-channel mic preamps or standalone D19 4-channel mic preamps for remote control:  Important The number of devices is set to 0 per default. Enter the number of external devices here, otherwise there will be no remote control possibility. Note Ext Devices are not used with the current D21m I/O system. This is only used for operating vintage I/O units such as Studer D19m or Studer MicAD products. Session Configuration 6-5 Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 494: Generate Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.7.6 generate Menu All Starts the Load Balancing and automatic generation of the DSP core file. For a description, please see previous chapters. Detailed This menu item opens up an interactive dialog box that allows to start step-by- step manual Load Balancing and generation of the DSP core file. It allows an expert user to see more details of the current configuration as if Generate/All was used.  For Experts Only! It is not necessary to go to this menu item to do the whole generate process. The main reason for looking at this page is to see the load distribution to various DSP cards and individual PE processors. There is a lot of other information here that does not mean much to an ‘ordinary human’. This menu item becomes active only when you are in the expert mode. Expert mode is activated by right-double-clicking into the ‘About’ dialog box while holding the Ctrl/Shift keys. If a Generate process has already been done, the ‘CORE’ area will show the results of load balancing and distribution of the load to DSP cards. Click on one of the buttons to see the load distribution on one DSP card in detail. If the Generate process has not yet been done, the ‘CORE’ area is empty.
Page 495 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System • Gen Task Files • Batch • Generate Core File If all steps are completed, the new core file is generated.  Tip If you only wish to see the results of load balancing, but not to generate a core file, use only the following three boxes: • (VMC) Generate • Gen Proc Lib • Load Balance Procs which will then display the ‘CORE’ area. Click on one of the buttons in this area to see the load distribution on one DSP card in detail. Here the display for DSP card #1 is shown as an example: Session Configuration 6- Date printed: 28.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 496: Options Menu
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.4.7.7 options Menu Core Constants  For Experts Only! You are not allowed to change anything here, even if you are an expert user. Directories / Files... Allows editing the file, as described in the previous SCoreCfgTool.ini chapters. 6.4.7.8 Window Menu This menu contains standard functions for windows management. Multiple...
Page 497: Maintenance
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Maintenance 6.5.1 Managing the files – Which file is Where? Any Session Configuration starts with only two files: • myConfig.vmc • myConfig.cor They are stored in a subfolder (with the name of the configuration) of the Session Configuration folders on the Studer Vista PC. 6.5.2 SCoreCfgTool.ini The directory contains the file. This C:\SCoreCfgTool SCoreCfgTool.ini file tells the Configuration Tool where to look for various components and what the basic settings are. The contents of this file are set by the Session Configuration Tool software. The user should not find it necessary to edit the file using a text editor. This file is automatically generated if there is none available upon starting the Configuration Tool for the first time. 6.5.2.1 Example of a Core Knowledge file The Core Knowledge file offers the following information on a Configura- tion.
Page 498 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C:\sCoreSystemDB\MyFirstConfig\Test2\Test2c\Test2c.ckf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VMC id : 0x4c51728a creation time : Thu Jul 29 14:22:34 2010 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The configuration runs at 48k. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The configuration has the following functionality ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Channels: 4 Inp Mono 'Example' Channels Input Selector PreAmp Ctrl D21 Mono Input HPF/LPF &...
Page 499 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Shared Process 1 Generator 6 Dynamics Sidechain Link 4 MonStereoOld 5 Downmix 6 Delay 10s 1 sCore 1 MonMultiFormatOld 1 BusOrder LRCLfeLsRs Interfaces: 5 Digital Input D21m Interfaces 3 Digital Output D21m Interfaces ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Core statistics...
Page 500 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System PE 2: Channel Inp Mono #3 'Example' CtrlGrp1 Channel Inp Mono #4 'Example' CtrlGrp1 SharedProc Downmix 1 SharedProc Downmix 2 SharedProc Downmix 3 SharedProc Dynamics Sidechain Link 1 Channel Aux Stereo #1 'Example' CtrlGrp1 No Summing...
Page 501 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System PE 5: PE 6: task: PE D21m #2 slot: 3 cluster: B firstSlot: 344 #slots: 62 No Summation PE 1: IO21 IO21 Out B#3 P#0 IO21 IO21 Out B#3 P#0 IO21 IO21 In B#3 P#0...
Page 502 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System task: PE D21m #4 slot: 2 cluster: A firstSlot: 322 #slots: 22 No Summation PE 1: IO21 IO21 In B#2 P#1 IO21 IO21 In B#2 P#1 PE 2: PE 3: PE 4: PE 5: PE 6: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The configuration was generated with cfgTool V1.7.02...
Page 503 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System [GUI settings] ShowWindow=3 View=ChanBusView,1,0,0,946,521,0,0 [GUI settings-Summary] Bars=4 ScreenCX=1600 ScreenCY=1200 [Recent File List] File1=C:\sCoreSystemDB\MyFirstConfig\Test2\Test2b\Test2b.vmc File2=C:\sCoreSystemDB\MyFirstConfig\Test2\Test2c\Test2c.vmc File3=C:\sCoreSystemDB\MyFirstConfig\Test2\Test2.vmc File4=C:\D950SystemDB\MyFirstConfig\Test2\Test2.vmc [GUI settings-Bar0] BarID=59392 XPos=86 YPos=-2 Docking=1 MRUDockID=0 MRUDockLeftPos=86 MRUDockTopPos=-2 MRUDockRightPos=202 MRUDockBottomPos=30 MRUFloatStyle=8256 MRUFloatXPos=-2147483648 MRUFloatYPos=1168 [GUI settings-Bar1] BarID=59392 XPos=-2 YPos=-2...
Page 504: Troubleshooting
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 6.5.3 Troubleshooting The Session Configuration Tool was checked at the factory during more than a year for malfunctions and erroneous operations. Hundreds of different con- figurations were tried, and all sorts of tests have been made. Nevertheless, since there exists an almost infinite number of channel, bus, and I/O configu- ration combinations, not all of them could be tested. So it may happen that on a very rare occasion an error message will be issued during editing or during the Generate process. A description of some of the typical error messages is listed below. 6.5.3.1 Errors and Warnings During generate Process / in log file When Inserting a New Function When inserting a new function that exceeds the capacity of the core, the fol- lowing dialog will appear: This message is very likely to appear when the console is operating with 96 kHz, or when switching from 48 to 96 kHz.
Page 505 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System CHAPTER 7 DAW Control ..................................3 7.1 Basics ..................................3 7.2 Vista Settings ................................5 7.3 DAW Settings ................................6 7.3.1 General Recommendations ........................... 6 7.3.2 Digidesign ProTools .............................. 7 7.3.3 Apple Logic Pro ..............................8 7.3.4 Merging Technologies Pyramix .......................... 11 7.3.5 Steinberg Cubase / Nuendo ..........................12 7.3.6 Magix Samplitude Pro / Sequoia.........................
Page 506 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7-2 DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 507: Daw Control
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System DAW ConTRol Basics With the Vista consoles it is possible to directly operate Digital Audio Work- stations (DAW) from the desk surface. This is realized by using two differ- ent serial communication protocols: The more straightforward and simpler ‘Mackie Control Protocol’ and the more complex ‘Mackie HUI Protocol’. A choice of the most popular DAWs is supported and has been tested with the new Vista desk control: • Digidesign ProTools (Mackie HUI protocol) • Apple Logic Pro (Mackie control protocol) • Merging Technologies Pyramix (Mackie HUI protocol; Mackie control protocol not fully supported) • Steinberg Cubase / Steinberg Nuendo (Mackie control protocol; Mackie HUI protocol: only 8 channels supported) • Magix Samplitude / Sequoia (Mackie HUI protocol, Mackie control pro- tocol) • SADiE (Mackie HUI protocol: only 8 channels supported;...
Page 508 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Protocol selection (Mackie Control or Mackie HUI) is done in the Vista Settings dialog. This is not done automatically but has to be decided by the user: To enable transport control specifically for the connected DAW, there is a new menu option in the TC Reader / Generator setup dialog. Please note that the 9-pin serial control is disabled as soon as the DAW Control setting is selected: MIDI-Over-Ethernet: Instead of the MIDI connection normally used as the physical layer for the Mackie protocols, a MIDI-over-Ethernet solution is used that allows using one single Ethernet Cat5 cable instead of several MIDI cables. Therefore the ‘ipMIDI’ driver needs to be installed on both the Vista desk PC and on the DAW. 7-4 DAW Control SW V4.5...
Page 509: Vista Settings
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Vista Settings ipMIDI (to be installed on Vista console PC) • Install ipMIDI v1.6 (requires DirectX 8.1 or later) • Deactivate ‘Loop Back’ (un-tick the checkbox in the ipMIDI monitor window) • Define four ports in the ipMIDI monitor window • Restart the Vista console PC Specify MIDI Ports (i.e., MIDI ports used for DAW Control) • While using ipMIDI, add the following two lines into D950system.ini as shown below. (Please note: the entry is case sensitive). [Midi] DawPorts=”Ethernet MIDI”...
Page 510: Daw Settings
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The entered route will now appear under the Persistent Routes header, e.g. 192.168.2.41 DAW Settings ipMIDI (to be executed on the DAW) • Install ipMIDI v1.6 (requires DirectX 8.1 or later) • Deactivate ‘Loop Back’ (un-tick checkbox in the ipMIDI monitor window) •...
Page 511: Digidesign Protools
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.2 Digidesign ProTools (tested with V7.4) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: OK Mackie control protocol: Not supported Controller Settings Known Issues When closing Vista before ProTools: Access violation in ProTools, ProTools will not shut down correctly  the Windows Task Manager is then required to end the program. DAW Control 7-7 Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 512: Apple Logic Pro
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.3 Apple logic Pro (tested with V8.0.2) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: Not supported Mackie control protocol: OK Controller Settings 7- DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 513 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System DAW Control 7-9 Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 514 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Known Issues Solo un-mutes the channel on the DAW. 7-0 DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 515: Merging Technologies Pyramix
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.4 Merging Technologies Pyramix (tested with V6.0) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: OK Mackie control protocol: Not fully supported Controller Settings DAW Control 7- Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 516: Steinberg Cubase / Nuendo
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Known Issues When flooding Pyramix with messages (most commonly with a huge gang), a crash of Pyramix can be provoked. 7.3.5 Steinberg Cubase (tested with V4.0) / nuendo (tested with V4.2) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: Only 8 channels supported (Enable Auto Select must be disabled) Mackie control protocol: OK (Enable Auto Select must be disabled) Controller Settings 7-2 DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 517 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System DAW Control 7- Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 518 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Note: In Cubase/Nuendo, the controller #4 must be mapped to Ethernet MIDI port 1, controller #3 to Ethernet MIDI port 2, etc., as shown in the screenshots above, in order to get the correct order of DAW channels 1 through 32 on the Vista console. 7-4 DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 519: Magix Samplitude Pro / Sequoia
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.6 Magix Samplitude Pro (tested with V10) / Sequoia (tested with V10) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: Use the correct *.cps files (1 x Vista (HUI), 3 x Vista XT (HUI)) Mackie control protocol: Use the correct *.cps files (1 x Vista (MackieProto- col), 3 x Vista XT (MackieProtocol)) These *.cps files are provided by Studer with the Vista SW 4.1 release, they must be copied to the ‘Controller’ folder in Samplitude. Please contact Studer Customer Service if these files are not available. Controller Settings DAW Control 7-5 Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 520: Sadie
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.7 SADiE (tested with V5.6.2) Protocols Mackie HUI protocol: Only 8 channels supported Mackie control protocol: Only 24 channels supported Controller Settings 7- DAW Control SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 521 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Notes: In theory, SADiE supports 32 channels to be controlled with both types of protocol (Mackie Control Protocol, Mackie HUI Protocol). During the tests, instabilities of SADiE were experienced when using more than 8 channels in HUI protocol mode, and more than 24 channels in Mackie Control Pro- tocol mode. Therefore using max. 8 or 24 channels, respectively, is recom- mended. The ‘Heartbeat’ message (90 00 00) is answered by Vista (answer: 90 00 7F) only if Vista is operating in HUI mode. DAW Control 7-7 Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 522: Troubleshooting
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 7.3.8 Troubleshooting Problem Communication between Vista and DAW works only from DAW to Vista, but not vice versa. Solution The ‘persistent route’ has not been set correctly (see chapter 7.2). Control Keys in Channel Strip...
Page 523 8.5.9 Audio Sync for all Systems ..........................17 Network Setup Examples............................18 8.6.1 Vista 9 and Vista 5 – with a Switch ........................18 8.6.2 Vista 9 and Vista 5 – Peer-to-Peer ........................19 8.6.3 Vista 5 and Vista 5 – Peer-to-Peer ........................20 8.6.4...
Page 524 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 8-2 RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 525: Relink (Resource Linking)
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System RELINK (REsouRCE LINKINg) Studer RELINK is an I/O sharing network technology available for all Studer products (OnAir consoles, Vista consoles and Route 6000) allowing direct access to sources and targets throughout the entire network – provided that the desired sources and targets are configured as ‘NetSources’ and therefore available for remote components of the system. RELINK allows the design of ‘distributed’ audio network systems – enabling Studer products to access all sources and targets of the complete system, and therefore enhancing the flexibility of your facility. Mic control takeover mechanisms are implemented on both the OnAir and the Vista consoles. On the OnAir consoles, signaling is coupled with the I/O sharing, this means that red light, fader start and signaling connections are automatically follow- ing any console where the audio signal is used, and correctly applied to the source (Studio, CD Player, etc) from anywhere. RELINK requires the following SW versions (or newer): Vista SW V4.1, OnAir SW V3.1, and Route 6000 SW V2.0. RELINK is a software functionality that, on the Vista side, is not depending on hardware, allowing systems still using a Performa DSP core being part of the network, too, as long as all the mic preamplifiers are of the D21m type. Input Patching With SW V4.1, a new source and target navigator menu has been introduced. It still is a pull-down menu, but it shows not only local sources and targets, but also sources and targets of all systems connected via the network.
Page 526: Output Patching
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System output Patching ‘Set Outputs’ activates all preselected patch points to outputs on remote sys- tems. This introduces an additional step in creating a patch connection, which the Vista SW did not know up to now. The operator might want to switch several outputs to a different system (e.g. program outputs) at the same time. So when he is making the connections in the patch, they are marked in gray, indicating that the connection has not yet been established. Only when the ‘Set Outputs’ button is clicked, all the gray connections are set active at the same time. ‘Set Outputs’ only becomes active if some output patch connections are made to other systems. This is only necessary when doing patch connections manually. When using snapshots, the connections are applied immediately. There is now also a new Edit dialog that allows saving multiple output patches to shared targets as ‘Output Snapshots’. They must be given a name so that they can be recalled later from the lower right corner of the GC (Graphical Controller). An existing ‘Output Snapshot’ can be loaded as well, which means that the saved patch connections are not established but just shown in the gray, ‘pending’ state instead. In this state, the pending connections can now be edited and saved, e.g. under a new name. 8-4 RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 527: Mic Take-Over Procedure
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Mic Take-over Procedure The following status diagram shows how the mic control take-over mecha- nism is realized in the OnAir3000. This has to be followed, since it is firmly implemented in the DNet code. With the Vista desk, this dialog is handled in the channels Vistonics™ view in order to be able to link a number of channels and do the take-over handling for all of these channels at the same time (with a ‘gang’). There is one difference to the OnAir behavior: When a mic source of another system is patched to a local input channel as long as the mic control is not taken by another desk (i.e., ‘free’ in the OnAir terminology), control is auto- matically given to the local Vista and the mic control parameters are displayed immediately. RELINK 8-5 Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 528 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System There is a new parameter in the Vistonics™ view (Mic Ctrl) that allows setting the mic access control to ‘Free’, so that the mic can be controlled by other systems directly. A description of how all the necessary states look like is given below. 1a First, no mic is connected to the channel. Then, a shared mic currently in use by another OnAir or Vista console is patched to input channel manually: 1b First, no mic is connected to the channel. Then, a shared mic currently not in use by another OnAir or Vista console is patched to the input channel manu- ally: 8- RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 529 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System The same behavior is valid if one or more shared mics currently not in use by other systems is/are patched to the local input channel via a snapshot. 1c If one or several shared mics are used on other systems but then get patched to a local channel via a snapshot, the following message appears on the GC: If confirmed with yes, the control for all the shared mics patched in the snap- shot is taken over from the other systems. 2 A shared mic is patched to an input channel but then is taken over from a different desk: RELINK 8- Date printed: 29.0.0 SW V4.5...
Page 530: Vista Restrictions
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System If this happens (on one single channel or also on several channels at the same time), a warning message appears on the GC screen: This is the window that shows all I/O Sharing events. It disappears after a click on the OK button. Vista Restrictions • Signaling, such as red light or fader start, is not combined with I/O Shar- ing. • Vista systems cannot have any ‘NETInputs’ configured. • 96 kHz sampling rate configurations on Vistas can only be used when no OnAir console and no Router is involved in the RELINK network. As long as only Vista systems are within the RELINK network, 96 kHz configura- tions can be used. However, all Vistas then need to run at 96 kHz. 8-8 RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 531: Technical Details
Here is an example of the DNet ConfigTool container.ini file: ########################################################################## # container.ini: Necessary for initialization of each container (.exe) # Digital Mixing Console: VISTA # Studer Professional Audio GmbH, Regensdorf, Switzerland # Last modification : Sep, 1st 2006 # Compatible with OATreeLib : V2.1 # Author : SIA...
Page 532 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System # The containerid identifies this container # and must be unique within the mixing console system # This id is fixed to ‹10› (CORE) for all VISTA desks containerid = 20  ‚20’ is always standing when the container.ini is belonging to a configtool # The containername identifies this container in a readable way # and must be unique within the mixing console system.
Page 533 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Start ‘Config tool for DNet applications’ in the Vista console’s C drive (C:\Release ConfigTool\ConfigTool.exe) Select one of the DNet systems available in the network, select the appropriate Vista system. If the Vista or the other connected systems are not appearing, please refer to to verify the settings in the Container.ini file.
Page 534 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System In the next step a D21m frame is selected (the external frame Ext in our exa- mple: Now select the appropriate interfaces (e.g. MADI), one by one, for every single physical audio connection. When finished, click the Save IO Sharing button at the right-hand edge of the Configuration Tool GUI. This procedure only needs to be done once, during system setup. All these tie line configuration settings are saved on the consumer side and will remain after a system restart. 8-2 RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 535: Restricting Shared I/O
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 8.5.2 Restricting shared I/o Per default, all sources and targets attached to a Vista system can be seen and used by other systems that are part of the I/O Sharing network. Access to these I/Os may be restricted; they can then be used on the local Vista system only, but are not available to other systems within the network. This is done with a text file containing a list of fixed labels of the I/Os that should be visible to others; the file must be named SharedPatches.iosharing and saved in the folder of the VMC configuration which it is valid for, such as D950SystemDB\Config1. SharedPatches.iosharing Example: ... I 17 B 1 Ch17 I 18 B 1 Ch18 I 19 B 1 Ch19 I 20 B 1 Ch20...
Page 536: Container.ini
########################################################################## # container.ini: Necessary for initialization of each container (.exe) # Digital Mixing Console: VISTA # Studer Professional Audio GmbH, Regensdorf, Switzerland # Last modification : Sep, 1st 2006 # Compatible with OATreeLib : V2.1 # Author : SIA...
Page 537: D950System.ini
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System # Multicast # ------------- # If you use IGMP multicasts instead of broadcasts in your network, # you have to uncomment the lines below. It is possible that a # container is member of one or more than one multicast groups.
Page 538: Tie Line Management
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 8.5.6 Tie Line Management On every Vista console, tie lines need to be configured with the OnAir con- figuration tool. They may be any type of I/O, the most efficient of them are HD links giving 96 channels in both directions per Cat5 cable pair. Further- more, MADI interfaces with a maximum channel capacity of 64/64 are quite popular for tie lines. MADI tie lines may also be configured to use less than 64 I/O – any desired number smaller than 64. AES/EBU or Line interfaces can also be used as tie lines if only a small number of audio channels needs to be shared, such as for transmission lines. Tie line management is dynamic, therefore only the maximum number of audio channels used simultaneously needs to be considered. The total amount of configured tie lines is displayed in the I/O Sharing area of the general patch in the GC, with the number of the currently free tie lines. 8- RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 539: Control Network
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 8.5.7 Control Network All systems that need to be part of the I/O Sharing network need to be inter- connected via Ethernet. On the Vista side, it is always the desk that needs to be networked. HiQnet Device VISTA 9 IP: 192.168.2.XXX PC 2 PC 1 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 LAN 1 LAN 1 IP: 192.168.1.129 IP: 192.168.1.128 IP: 192.168.4.129 IP: 192.168.3.128 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 LAN 2 LAN 2 IP: 192.168.2.128...
Page 540: Ip Addresses
All systems being part of the network that can exchange audio via tie lines must be properly synchronized. The best option to do this is having a Studer D21 MasterSync unit feeding word clock in a star configuration to all the systems involved.
Page 541: Messages From Other Systems
Vista 9 Digital Mixing System Messages from other systems When there are patch connections to other systems in the RELINK network – e.g. when using a mic input of another Vista or OnAir console – or when outputs are patched to a Route 6000 or to an other console, the local Vista will receive status messages from these systems. Vista systems receive and display the following message types from OnAir and Route 6000 systems: • Power loss on Core and D21m frames • D21m hardware change • System shut down Vista systems send the following message type: • System shut down These messages are all displayed in the same type of window that also shows mic control messages: As long as no sources or targets of a remote system are used locally, no status messages of these systems are shown on the local Vista. Labels from other systems When patching remote inputs to a Vista system, the ‘user label’ of this input on the remote system is propagated to the Vista’s input channel label display. Locked Patch Points Locked patch points are treated in the same way as local sources. stereo and surround sources The following remote sources can also be in stereo or 5.1 surround formats:...
Page 542 Vista 9 Digital Mixing System 8-20 RELINK SW V4.5 Date printed: 29.0.0...
Page 543: Operating Instructions
Studer SCore Live (For Vista and OnAir 3000 Systems) Operating Instructions (October 2010, 6 Edition)
Page 544 Prepared and edited by Copyright by Studer Professional Audio GmbH Studer Professional Audio GmbH Technical Documentation Althardstrasse 30 CH-8105 Regensdorf – Switzerland http://www.studer.ch Subject to change Studer is a registered trade mark of Studer Professional Audio GmbH, Regensdorf...
Page 545 SCore Live Contents General ....................................3 1.1 Utilization for the Purpose Intended ..........................3 1.2 First Steps ..................................3 1.2.1 Unpacking and Inspection ............................. 3 1.2.2 Installation ................................3 1.2.3 Adjustments, Repair, Cleaning ..........................5 Introduction ..................................6 2.1 Block Diagram ................................7 2.2 The Frame and its Cards ..............................7 2.2.1 Bridge Card Redundancy ............................8 2.3 Control Signal Flow ..............................
Page 546 SCore Live 2 SCore Live Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 547: General
1.2 First steps 1.2.1 Unpacking and Inspection Your new system is shipped in a special packing which protects the units against mechanical shock during transit. Care should be exercised when unpacking so that the surfaces do not get marred. Check the condition of the equipment for signs of shipping damage. If there should be any complaints you should immediately notify the forwarding agent and your nearest Studer distributor. Please retain the original packing material because it offers the best protection in case your equipment ever needs to be transported. 1.2.2 Installation Primary Voltage The power supply units are auto-ranging; they can be used for mains voltages in a range of 100 to 240 VAC, 50 to 60 Hz. Power Connection The attached female IEC 320/C13 mains cable sockets have to be connected to appropriate mains cables by a trained technician, respecting your local regulations. Refer to the ‘Installation, Operation, and Waste Disposal’ chapter...
Page 548 SCore Live Ventilation Implementation A power dissipation estimation, considering the number of cards and their configuration within the frame, is strongly recommended. The following tables give some guidelines. Dissipation Card No. Card Name/Description (approx.) Backplane with power supply 10 W DSP cards: A943.0326 Host card 10 W A943.0331 Ext. Sync card 0.2 W A943.0360 DSP Pro card 11 W ridge A943.0370...
Page 549: Adjustments, Repair, Cleaning
Replacing the Supply Unit The primary fuse is located within the power supply module and cannot be changed. In case of failure, the complete power supply unit must be replaced. Please ask your nearest Studer representative. Cleaning Do not use any liquids to clean the exterior of the unit. A soft, dry cloth or brush will usually do. SCore Live ...
Page 550: Introduction
SCore Live IntroDUCtIon The SCore Live system occupies just 6U rack space and provides space for up to nine DSP cards. It also holds up to twelve D21m I/O cards of various formats in addition to one ( ) or two ( ) D21m gene- ral-purpose input/output (GPIO) card(s). Unlike other DSP platforms, however, the SCore Live (like its ‘Performa Core’ forerunner) is user-configurable to maximise the use of the DSP in different applications. The advantage of this is that the user can specify and purchase the optimum amount of DSP for current needs and yet not compromise future production requirements, as opposed to fixed-configuration DSP platforms that can add extensive cost onto a console system. The System Configuration Editor software, available as an option, allows clients to take the factory-defined settings, and make their own adjustments on a job-by-job basis, including changing the number of input channels, buses, and outputs. The SCore Live maintains full redundancy, with redundant power supplies, and even DSP card redundancy. In case of a hardware failure, any unused DSP card will take over the processing almost immediately. Further, a redundant link between desk and core is available, as is a redundant communication card. A new feature in the DSP allows delays of up to 10 seconds to be added to a signal in order to compensate for video delays through satellite links, etc.
Page 551: Block Diagram
SCore Live 2.1 Block Diagram The upper part of the frame houses the DSP section. Its backplane contains four buses, as shown below: TDM Bus Time Division Multiplex bus for audio and control data transfer between DSP and bridge cards Sync Bus Transport of sync signals between Ext. Sync card and Bridge cards System Clock Bus Internal synchronization bus C Bus System monitoring (card detection, monitoring of local voltages and tem- peratures). DSP Slot 1 DSP CARD (or BRIDGE EXT. GPIO HOST GPIO CARD DSP CARD DSP CARD DSP CARD BRIDGE CARD CARD SYNC PRIMARY PSU CARD CARD [redundant])
Page 552: Bridge Card Redundancy
Note When using a redundant bridge card, the SCoreLive’s maximum capacity for DSP cards is reduced from 9 to 8 cards. Single Bridge Card VISTA 9 PC 2 PC 1 LAN 1 LAN 1 IP: 192.168.1.129...
Page 553 SCore Live Two (Redundant) Bridge Cards ( V ista SW V4.1 or later only) VISTA 9 PC 2 PC 1 LAN 1 LAN 1 IP: 192.168.1.128 IP: 192.168.1.129 IP: 192.168.4.129 IP: 192.168.3.128 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 LAN 2 LAN 2 IP: 192.168.2.128 IP: 192.168.2.129 IP: 192.168.4.128 IP: 192.168.3.129 SUBN: 255.255.255.0 SUBN: 255.255.255.0...
Page 554: Control Signal Flow
SCore Live 2.3 Control signal Flow HD Link Desk EXT. BRIDGE GPIO CARD GPIO CARD DSP CARD DSP CARD DSP CARD DSP CARD SYNC PRIMARY PSU CARD CARD 24 V SCoreLive BACKPLANE TDM Bus Sync Bus System Clock Bus C Bus SECONDARY D21m BACKPLANE 24 V AUDIO I/O...
Page 555: Modules
SCore Live MoDUles SCore Live Modules Host Card A943.0326 DSP Pro Card A943.0360 A943.0370 Bridge Card (Redundant: A943.0370.35 and up) Ext. Sync Card A943.0331 Primary Power Supply DB15 A943.0304 Air Deflection/Filter Unit A949.0599 Fan Unit 1 U A949.0597 3.1 sCore live Host Card A943.0326 The Host card is the logical link between the Bridge card and the OnAir 3000 desk. It hosts the DNet mix engine control software. The backplane connector...
Page 556 SCore Live STATUS LEDs During power-up of the core, the Host card STATUS LEDs are controlled by the embedded controller. After the operating system has successfully started and initialized, the application (e.g. OnAir 3000) is taking over the control over the LED bar. Power-Up The STATUS LED bar behavior depends on the setting of two DIP Switches on the Host card (switch 2: POST, switch 4: DISPLAY) . If both switches are OFF (default) the LED bar displays 3 different states: Self-test, OS copy, OS initializing / application starting. The Host card self-test is indicated by a flashing bottom LED and takes approximately 10 seconds. As soon as the OS starts loading it displays the progress by sequentially lighting the LED bar from bottom to top (less than 5 seconds). When the complete OS is transferred into the memory the top LED starts flashing, indicating that the application is loaded and initialized. OS copy finished, application starting OS copy progress performing self-test self-test successfully completed The OS copy progress bar can be disabled by setting switch 4 (DISPLAY) to ON. Then the bottom LED will not stop flashing until the application is loading and initializing. If the self-test should not complete successfully and the OS cannot be copied, a more detailed information can be displayed on the STATUS LEDs. Switch 2 (POST) activates this mode by sending Power On Self-Test messages to the LED bar. This mode overrides the functionality of switch 4 if both are set to ON. If a POST message does not change after 20 seconds it can be used to identify an internal problem.
Page 557 SCore Live Application Status Regardless of the settings of the DIP switches on the Host card the applica- tion is taking over the LED bar after successful initialization of the OS and indicates the following: Reserved for future use; always off Reserved for future use; always off Reserved for future use; always off Reserved for future use; always off Reserved for future use; always off All specified SW modules (extensions) successfully passed to RUN phase All specified SW modules (extensions) successfully started Error Log extension successfully started Alternates whenever an "alive"...
Page 558: Score Live/Pro Dsp Card
SCore Live 3.2 sCore live/Pro DsP Card A943.0360 The SCore Live/Pro DSP card is used in the SCore Live for digital audio processing. The VDCA TDM bus interface allows the card to interchange audio data, serial data, and program code with the bridge card and other DSP cards. On the front panel, the card has two HD link ports consisting of 96 channels of input and output each, resulting in 192 inputs and 192 outputs at sampling frequencies of 48 kHz (for systems: 48 or 96 kHz). The capabilities of the two DSP clusters are depending on the configuration which is either fixed or created with the configuration editor software and downloaded to the card during runtime. A watchdog mechanism monitors the operation and disconnects the card from the TDM bus in case of a failure. Furthermore, the local voltages and temperatures are monitored and may be accessed by the host application. The card can be hot-swapped. Max. cable length for HD links 10 m Current consumption (5 V) approx. 2 A Operating temperature 0...40° C SCORE LIVE/PRO DSP CARD A.00 JTAG Port HD Link 2MByte UART RX Port ...
Page 559 SCore Live 1 2 3 4 S2 Default Setting: IDLE / FAIL IDLE FAIL LEDs Card is ready and waiting for code Card is processing Card has detected an error and is disconnected from the TDM Bus Card is booting code (HD) LOCK Indicates a valid HD link signal at the corresponding input.
Page 560: Bridge Card
SCore Live 3.3 Bridge Card A943.0370 (Redundant Version: A943.037035 and up) The SCore Bridge card is used in the SCore Live to manage the whole core system. Two Gigabit Ethernet connectors provide a redundant connection to the desk or host application. The card downloads code to the DSP cards and passes serial data, parameters, and meter data between the desk or host application and the DSP cards. Furthermore, a sub-circuit is acting as a master clock generator for the system. It can accept video, WCLK and AES inputs from the External Sync card, and generates a local clock from these. The implementation has been made in such a way that a change from internal to external sync or vice versa causes no audible artifacts, and the DSP cards will continue processing. In a system, the SCore Live runs with the last setting within less than 10 seconds after powering up thanks to a non-volatile memory (gold cap backup, capacity sufficient for approx. one week). Two bridge cards may be plugged into the frame for redundant operation (A943.037035 and up). The inactive bridge card will not be connected to the system buses and remains in idle mode. The card is hot-pluggable.
Page 561 SCore Live 1 2 3 4 S2 Default Setting: IDLE / FAIL IDLE FAIL LEDs Redundant card in idle mode Card is processing Card has detected an error and is disconnected from the TDM Bus Card is booting code 10 / 100 / 1000 Ethernet speed indication: ‘10’ on: 10MBit/s ‘100’ on: 100MBit/s Both LEDs on: 1GBit/s...
Page 562: 3.3.1 Bridge Card Ip Address Setting
SCore Live 3.3.1 Bridge Card IP address setting Each Bridge card within the network must have its own, unique IP address. • Connect your computer to the OnAir 3000 network and login to the Bridge card’s web interface using a web browser (http://192.160.1.60/). The default IP address of the primary port is 192.168.1.60, of the second- ary port 192.168.2.60. • Select ‘core management’, password: ‘studer’. • Select ‘View/Change IP addresses configuration’. For OnAir3000 consoles, the IP address of Ethernet port 1 is usually set according to the following rules: IP address = 192.168.SID.15 Subnet mask = 255.255.0.0 where SID is the system ID derived from the core’s serial number. The Bridge card in a core with the serial no. 2077 shall then have the static IP address 192.168.77.15. Note The IP address of the first network adapter must not be within the same subnet as the IP address of the second port.
Page 563: Reset The Web If Password
SCore Live 3.3.3 reset the Web IF Password to Default The following steps allow resetting the web login password to default (‘studer’). 1 Connect to port 1 of the Bridge card using FTP User name = root Password = Obelix 2 Open the folder /Studer/www/CGI-DATE/ 3 Delete the existing password file: manager_passwd Now you can login on the Bridge card’s web interface using the default pass- word (studer). SCore Live Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 564: Ext. Sync Card
SCore Live 3.4 ext. sync Card A943.0331 The SCore Ext. Sync card acts as a connector panel for audio clock syn- chronization inputs and outputs. Three inputs (VIDEO IN, WCLK IN, and AES SYNC IN) can be used; their signals are sent to the SCore Live sync bus on the backplane. While the video sync is separated on the card, the other signals are just driven onto the bus. A green LED indicates that the applied external sync is used by the system. The system clocks can be used from the WCLK OUT and AES 3x OUT outputs. Important If the system is using MADI links, the deviation of the external sync signal from the nominal clock frequency must not exceed ±100 ppm.
Page 565 SCore Live EXT LOCK Indicates that the applied external sync is used by the system. LED Setting DIP Switch VIDEO IN termination (default setting OFF: High-Z / ON: 75 Ω) reserved (default setting OFF) reserved (default setting OFF) WCLK IN termination (default setting OFF: High-Z / ON: 75 Ω) AES SYNC IN + 3x OUT (15-pin D-type, female, UNC 4-40 thread) Connector Pin Assignment Signal Signal...
Page 566: Primary Power Supply
SCore Live 3.5 Primary Power supply A943.0304 The 200 W primary power supply unit is auto-ranging (100...240 VAC, 50...60 Hz) with integrated power factor correction. A status output signal is available on the 15-pin D-type front panel socket. The fan unit’s supply can be taken from this socket as well. FAN/STATUS Connector (15-pin D-type, female, UNC 4-40 thread) Pin Signal Pin Signal 1 +24 VDC (fan supply, 650 mA max.) 9 GND 2 reserved - do not connect! 10 n.c. 3 GND 11 n.c.
Page 567: D21M I/O Subsystem
SCore Live For power supply to the fans and fan status monitoring, two connectors are provided – one at the front, the second at the rear of the unit. They are con- nected in parallel, so either one can be used depending on the application. If any of the fans should have a short or open circuit, the alarm signal is trig- gered. A 15-pin D-type cable (order no. C089.201167) for connection to the primary PSU is required. Please note that currently the fan monitoring is implemented for the use of the fan unit within the SCore Live only. For more information on cooling as well as guidelines for power dissipation estimation refer to chapter 1.2.2, paragraph ‘thermal considerations’.
Page 568 SCore Live 2 SCore Live Date printed: 28.0.0...
Page 569 Vista Digital Mixing System Chapter 10: appliCation notes / Update info Application Note 1: Matrix Buses – Panning in a PA Environment (Vista 5/8/9) ..............3 Application Note 2: TV Gallery ‘Pre-Hear’ (Vista 5/8/9) ......................4 Application Notes / Update 10-1 Date printed: 28.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 570 Vista Digital Mixing System 10-2 Application Notes / Update SW V4.5 Date printed: 28.10.10...
Page 571 Vista Digital Mixing System application note 1: panning in a pa environment (Matrix Buses) Even though matrix buses can be used for a number of applications, a most typical situation will be described here. A live venue has a number of speakers and wants to use the console panner for positioning sound sources within the given installation. The console’s panner is assuming the speakers to be placed at standard angles and distances with respect to the listener (such as, for the well known 5.1 format, left/right/center/left surround/right surround/LFE). Let’s assume that the venue has 10 loudspeaker channels. Obviously there is a need to map the standardized surround channels to these 10 speakers, depending on their placement within the venue. This is done by configuring 10 matrix buses that can be fed by the 6 master channels. Depending on a speaker’s position, the operator adds signal from one or several master chan- nels to a speaker channel, in order to match the sonic impression in the venue with the panner directions. It is also possible to add some DSP processing in the matrix output channels, e.g. some delay or EQ. The Channel/Bus view of the Configuration Editor software could look like this: Matrix Channels with their Matrix Buses In this very simple example the matrix buses are only fed by the master buses (such ‘short’ matrix buses will not need the same amount of DSP power as other buses in the system) The six master buses are used as surround masters, and the multi-format pan on the input channels is set to ‘5.1’. When working in two-channel stereo or LCR (3 channel) mode, the same principles apply. In this case, two or three master channels would be config- ured. The operator mixes the loudspeaker signal from the available masters.
Page 572 Vista Digital Mixing System pan formats and the installation by adjusting the matrix level on the master channels. The number of matrix outputs would always match the installation in the venue. application note 2: tV Gallery ‘pre-hear’ It is a common requirement in TV studios – especially when doing light entertainment and current affairs – that the director and producer in the studio control room want to hear the main presenters even when their mics are faded down. They normally listen on a small desk loudspeaker or via the comms system. It is of course a simple matter to route a pre-fade direct output of each presenter mic to an Aux and send this to the director. However when the presenter mic is faded up the director gets two signals, one from the main monitoring and the second from the pre-hear speaker. A simple use of the Vista/D950 conferencing automatically produces a simple pre-hear mix and removes presenters mics from this pre-hear when they are faded up. Configuration First the DSP configuration must be set to provide as many N–X buses as there are presenters, say 10. Also the configuration must include an MPX bus. The required N–X m buses (dashed) and one MPX bus (solid) are added. If you use the N–X Wizard do not add the master Aux bus to mix the program to the MPX bus. Build the config and then load it and create or merge to your title.
Page 573 Vista Digital Mixing System Open the general patch and select ‘Bus Out’ on the ‘Show Sources’ pull down menu. Patch this bus to the output port feeding the director’s loudspeaker. Application Notes / Update 10-5 Date printed: 28.10.10 SW V4.5...
Page 574 Vista Digital Mixing System Conference Setup Now we have to add the presenter mic channels to the MPX conference. On a Vista 5, 8 or 9, press the MPX key on the control bay. On Vista 6 or 7 press the F6 key on the control bay. The LINK/SEL keys of all possible conference members are half light, all or some of the bus owners are added as required by pressing the LINK/SEL keys. If the N–X system is used for external clean feeds from TBUs or Outside Sources; these thannels may or may not be members. On the strip setup page the assigned conference channels are indicated in blue. If the input channel meters should not show the conference signals the N–X metering can be disabled in the options menu: ‘Options/Vista Settings/ Misc’. Working! As soon as the fader of one or more of the channels is closed it will mix the pre-fader channel signal to the MPX bus. Global activation/deactivation of...

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