DigiDesign D-show User Manual

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D-Show Guide

Version 1.1

Digidesign

2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard

Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA

tel: 650·731·6300

fax: 650·731·6399

Technical Support (USA)

tel: 650·731·6100

fax: 650·731·6384

Product Information (USA)

tel: 650·731·6102

tel: 800·333·2137

International Ofﬁces

Visit the Digidesign Web site

for contact information

Web Site

www.digidesign.com

This guide is copyrighted ©2005 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.

DIGIDESIGN, AVID, D-SHOW, and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice.

PN 9327-17917-00 REV A 07/05

Communications & Safety Regulation Information

Compliance Statement

The models D-Show Main, D-Show Sidecar, D-Show FOH Rack, and D-Show Stage Rack comply with the following standards regulating emissions and immunity:

• FCC Part 15 Class B

• EN55103 – 1, environment E3

• EN55103 – 2, environment E3

• AS/NZS 3548 Class B

• CISPR 22 Class B

• ICES-003 Class B

Canadian Compliance Statement:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

CE Compliance Statement:

Digidesign is authorized to apply the CE (Conformité Europénne) mark on this compliant equipment thereby declaring conformity to EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC.

Australian Compliance:

Important Safety Instructions

1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus.

11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the manufacturer.

12) Use caution when replacing the Lithium battery in the FOH Rack unit. There is danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type.

13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time.

14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

Radio and Television Interference

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

Communications Statement

This equipment has been tested to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device. Changes or modifications to this product not authorized by Digidesign, Inc., could void the Certification and negate your authority to operate the product. This product was tested for CISPR compliance under conditions that included the use of peripheral devices and shielded cables and connectors between system components. Digidesign recommends the use of shielded cables and connectors between system components to reduce the possibility of causing interference to radios, television sets, and other electronic devices.

Safety Statement

This equipment has been tested to comply with USA and Canadian safety certification in accordance with the specifications of UL Standards: UL60065 7th /IEC 60065 7th and Canadian CAN/CSA C22.2 60065:03. Digidesign Inc., has been authorized to apply the appropriate UL & CUL mark on its compliant equipment.

Warning

Part I Overview and Installation

Chapter 1. D-Show System Introduction

D-Show Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

D-Show Expansion Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

D-Show System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Operational Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Connection Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Compatibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

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Chapter 2. Configuring and Connecting D-Show

Determining Control Surface Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Connecting D-Show Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Connecting a Second Stage Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Power Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Audio and MIDI Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Control Surface Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Powering Up the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Powering Down the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Restarting the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Setting the System Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Enabling a Second Stage Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Part II System Description

Chapter 3. D-Show Control Surface Overview

D-Show Main Unit and Sidecar Top Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Input Channels and Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Assignable Channel Section (ACS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Assignable Output Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Assignable Output Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Master and Global Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Meter Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Trackball and View Mode Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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Contents iii

Chapter 4. Basic Commands and Modes

Control Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Config Mode and Show Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Global Modifier Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Software Screen Pages and Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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Chapter 5. Navigating and Selecting Channels

Banking Input Channels and FX Returns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Banking Graphic EQ Frequency Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Banking the Assignable Output Encoders and Assignable Output Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Selecting and Targeting Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Targeting Plug-In Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Screen Controls and Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Chapter 6. Options

Overview of Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

System Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Other D-Show Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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Part III Signal Routing

Chapter 7. Inputs and Input Routing

Configuring Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Assigning Inputs to Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Routing Channels To Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Routing Inputs to Direct Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using Built-In Dynamics and EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Using Inserts on Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Using Input Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Adjusting Input Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Chapter 8. Outputs and Output Routing

Configuring Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Routing Busses to Hardware Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Routing Group Outputs to the Main Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Using Inserts on Output Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Output Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Adjusting Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Adjusting Main Bus Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Monitoring the Main Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Direct Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Matrix Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Personal Q Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Assigning and Using VCAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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D-Show Guide

Chapter 9. Groups

Configuring Group Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Assigning Inputs to Group Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Managing Group Bus Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Group Bus Signal Flow Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Adjusting Group Bus Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Routing Group Bus Outputs to the Main Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Routing Group Busses to Direct Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Using Inserts on Group Bus Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Group Bus Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Simple and Expert Operational Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Chapter 10. Auxes and Variable Groups

Configuring Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Assigning Inputs to Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Managing Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Signal Flow Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Adjusting Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Routing Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses to Direct Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Using Inserts on Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

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Chapter 11. Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers

Matrix Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Personal Q Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Configuring Matrix and PQ Mixers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Adjusting Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Input Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Adjusting Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Output Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Using Inserts on Matrix and PQ Mixer Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Matrix and PQ Mixer Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Working with a PQ Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 12. Patchbay

Accessing the Patchbay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Overview of the Patchbay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Navigating the Patchbay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Routing Channels in the Patchbay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter 13. Metering

Channel Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

ACS Section Dynamics Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Meter Bridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Metering Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Contents v

Chapter 14. Solo and Monitor Busses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Solo Bus Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Solo Operation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Solo Bus Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Solo Safing Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Monitor Bus Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Talkback, 2-Track and Oscillator Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Chapter 15. Muting and Mute Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Muting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Mute Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Part IV Processing

Chapter 16. Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Built-In Compressor/Limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Built-In Expander/Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Channel Modes Affecting Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Adjusting Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Dynamics Settings and Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Side-Chain Keys and Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Chapter 17. EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Built-In EQ Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Channel Modes Affecting EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Adjusting EQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Graphic EQ for Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Plug-In Mapping of EQ Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

EQ Settings and Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Chapter 18. Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Connecting External Effects Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Assigning Hardware Inserts to Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Assigning Hardware Inserts from the Patchbay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

D-Show Guidevi

Chapter 19. Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Installing and Authorizing Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Overview of Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Plug-In Racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Rack Slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Assigning and Routing Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Adjusting Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Adjusting EQ and Dynamics Plug-Ins from the ACS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Plug-In Presets and Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Plug-In DSP Usage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Plug-In Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Plug-In Latency and Processing Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Part V Shows

Chapter 20. Shows and File Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Creating Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

Loading Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Working with Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Transferring Settings, Shows and Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Undoing Changes Using the History Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Chapter 21. Snapshots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Snapshots Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Snapshot Controls on the D-Show Control Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Snapshots List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Creating Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Recalling Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Managing Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Propagating Changes Across Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Changing the Scope of Snapshots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Undoing Snapshot Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Disabling Snapshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Adding MIDI Messages to Snapshots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

Adding Plug-In Data to Snapshots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Automation Safing Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Snapshot Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

Chapter 22. Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Automating Recall of Snapshots with MIDI Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Remote Control of Snapshot Recall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Triggering of External Devices on Snapshot Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Sending MIDI Messages on Snapshot Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Synchronizing with Word Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Synchronizing with Digital Audio Input. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Contents vii

Chapter 23. Using the D-Show Standalone Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Installing the D-Show Standalone Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Simulating a D-Show Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Transfer and Filing Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Exporting Patchbay Names to Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Part VI Specifications

Chapter 24. Mechanical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Chapter 25. Audio Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

D-Show Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Stage Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

FOH Rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Main Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Chapter 26. Signal Flow Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

D-Show Input Signal Flow Diagram. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

D-Show Output Signal Flow Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Chapter 27. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

Problem Solving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

In Case of System Failure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Restarting D-Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

Resetting Hardware Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Using the System Restore CD to Update or Restore the System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Main Unit and Sidecar System LEDs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

Meter Bridge Status Indicators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Part VII Reference

Chapter 28. Control Surface Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

D-Show Main Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

D-Show Sidecar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Chapter 29. FOH Rack Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

FOH Rack Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

FOH Rack Back Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

FOH Link Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

D-Show Guideviii

Chapter 30. Stage Rack Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Stage Rack Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

Stage Rack Back Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Contents ix

D-Show Guidex

Part I: Overview and Installation

Chapter 1: D-Show System Introduction

Welcome to D-Show™, Digidesign’s live sound mixing console. D-Show is part of Digidesign’s modular VENUE live sound environment.

D-Show offers an expandable console architecture, a flexible I/O scheme, powerful digital processing, plus options for integrated Pro Tools recording and artist-controlled monitor mixing.

D-Show Features

Control Features

• 24 bankable input channel strips, each with a touch-sensitive fader and two multi-purpose assignable rotary encoders

• Built-In High-Pass Filter, Dynamics and EQ processors on each Input channel strip

• Level meters on each input channel strip

• Assignable Channel Section (ACS) with dedicated Bus Assign, Aux Send, Direct Output, EQ and Dynamics controls

•8 multi-purpose Assignable Output Encoders, with solo, mute and select controls

•8 multi-purpose, touch-sensitive Assignable Output Faders, with solo, mute and select controls

• Up to 24 31-band Graphic EQs available for use on Output busses

• Main Busses conﬁgurable as Left–Center–Right or Left–Right+Mono

FOH Rack

•8 channels of analog I/O for connecting outboard equipment

• 2-channel analog/digital I/O for 2-track feed or playback

• 2-channel analog near-ﬁeld monitor system outputs

• Intercom mic input

• 16 channels of MIDI I/O

Control Surface

•Talkback mic input

• Headphone output

D-Show Expansion Options

The following options may be added to a D-Show system. For details on D-Show expansion and customization options, visit the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com).

Control Surface

Sidecars Up to 3 Sidecars (each with 16 input channel strips) can be connected to the Main Unit for a total of 56 bankable input channel strips.

Stage Rack

Expanded Stage Rack I/O Each Stage Rack can be expanded up to 6 input cards and 6 output cards, for a total of up to 48 inputs or up to 48 outputs.

I/O Features

Stage Rack

• Up to 48 inputs on each Stage Rack, with remotely controllable mic preamps and individually selectable Phantom Power

• Up to 48 outputs on each Stage Rack

Additional Stage Rack A second Stage Rack can be added for a total of up to 96 inputs or up to 96 outputs. (A second Stage Rack requires an additional FOH Snake card be installed in the FOH Rack.)

Redundant Digital Snake An optional redundant Digital Snake cable can be run between the FOH Rack and each Stage Rack. This redundant Snake automatically takes over communication if the primary Snake fails.

Chapter 1: D-Show System Introduction 3

FOH Rack

Mix Engine Cards Additional Mix Engine cards can be added to the FOH Rack (up to a maximum of 5 Mix Engine cards) for increased mixer and plug-in processing capacity.

FOH IOx Card An FOH Input/Output (IOx) card can be added to the FOH Rack, providing an additional 8 channels of analog I/O and 8 channels of AES/EBU Digital I/O for connecting outboard equipment.

Snake Card If a second Stage Rack is added, an additional Snake card is required in the FOH Rack. This additional Snake card supports the connection of a redundant Digital Snake cable to the second Stage Rack.

Record Options

FWx Record/Playback Option This FireWire-based option lets you record or play back up to 18 channels of audio directly from D-Show with a Pro Tools LE system.

HDx Record/Playback Option This option lets you record or play back up to 128 channels of audio directly from D-Show with a Pro Tools HD system.

Sidecar

• D-Show Sidecar unit

• AC power cord

• Console Link cable for connection to Main Unit or other Sidecars

FOH Rack

• FOH Rack unit with 2 Mix Engine cards

• AC power cord

• FOH Link cable for connection to Main Unit

• iLok USB Smart Key (for storing plug-in authorizations)

Stage Rack

• Stage Rack unit with 6 SRI (Stage Rack Input) cards and 1 SRO (Stage Rack Output) card

• AC power cord

Software CDs

• System Restore CD

• Standalone Software Installer CD

Personal Q Monitoring Option

The Personal Q (PQ) monitoring system lets performers adjust their monitor mix being sent from D-Show, using a PQ Controller unit. D-Show can accommodate one PQ Rack and up to 8 PQ Controllers.

Redundant Power Supply Options

Factory-installable redundant power supply options are available separately for the control surface Main Unit and Sidecars.

User-installable redundant power supply options are available separately for the FOH Rack and the Stage Rack.

D-Show System Components

Included Components

The following components are included in a standard D-Show system:

Main Unit

• D-Show Main Unit

• AC power cord

Additional Required Components

The following components must be purchased separately:

• Digital Snake cable: this cable can be purchased directly from Digidesign or assembled by your preferred vendor.

•Video Display (15-inch or greater ﬂat-panel TFT display recommended; 1024x768 minimum resolution)

• USB keyboard (Windows compatible)

Optional Components

The following components are optional, and must be purchased separately:

• USB ﬂash disk (or other portable USB storage device for transfer of Show data; 512 MB or larger recommended)

• Near-Field Monitor Speakers (for FOH monitoring)

• Headphones with 1/4-inch jack (for FOH monitoring)

• 3-pin XLR Gooseneck Lamps (2 for Main Unit, 1 per Sidecar)

• Dynamic microphone and XLR mic cable (for Talkback)

• Footswitches (up to 2)

• MIDI cables (for connecting external MIDI devices to the MIDI ports on D-Show)

D-Show Guide4

Operational Requirements

Connection Requirements

Temperature and Ventilation

D-Show units should be operated away from heat sources and with adequate ventilation.

Storage

D-Show should be stored and transported at temperatures not lower than 0 degrees F (–18 degrees C) and not exceeding 140 degrees F (60 degrees C).

Operation

D-Show should be operated at temperatures not lower than 40 degrees F (4 degrees C) and not exceeding 115 degrees F (46 degrees C).

During operation, the back panel of each D-Show Main Unit and Sidecar should be exposed to ambient air. Do not block the ventilation holes on any D-Show unit.

Water and Moisture

D-Show units should be operated away from sources of direct moisture and should be kept clear of liquids that might spill into the units.

If condensation is present on the unit, leave the unit to dry in ambient air for at least one hour before powering the unit on.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Power Connections

Each D-Show unit (Main Unit, Sidecar, FOH Rack, Stage Rack, and PQ Rack) requires its own power connection.

Make sure your power source is correctly rated for the number of units you are connecting. A surge protected power source (not included) is highly recommended.

Console Link Connections

Connections between the D-Show Main Unit and Sidecars or between individual Sidecars must be made with AES/EBU digital spec XLR cables, not with standard microphone cables.

FOH Link Connection

Connection between the D-Show Main Unit and the FOH Rack is made with the provided FOH cable. For replacement cables, contact Digidesign Customer Service.

See Chapter 29, “FOH Rack Reference.”

Digital Snake Connections

Connection between the FOH Rack and the Stage Rack is made with the provided Digital Snake cable. Replacement cables can be purchased directly from Digidesign or assembled by your preferred vendor. For Snake cable specifications and requirements, visit Digidesign’s Web site (www.digidesign.com).

If you need to clean the D-Show top surface, use a dry cloth. Do not apply any cleaning solutions, spray cleaners, or abrasives to the surface.

Audio Connections

All D-Show external analog audio inputs and outputs are balanced XLR or balanced 1/4-inch connections. All D-Show external digital audio inputs and outputs are AES/EBU or S/PDIF connections.

See Chapter 25, “Audio Specifications.”

Compatibility Information

For a list of system requirements, cable requirements, and expansion options, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).

Chapter 1: D-Show System Introduction 5

D-Show Guide6

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show

Main Unit Sidecar 1

Strips 1–16 33–40

Sidecar 2

17–32

(Bus ID 1) (Bus ID 2) (Bus ID 3)

Main Unit Sidecar 1

Strips 1– 6

Sidecar 2

17–24

(Bus ID 1) (Bus ID 3)(Bus ID 2)

25–40

The D-Show Main Unit and Sidecar can be placed in any order, and the input channel strip order configured accordingly. You can then bank input channels across the available input channel strips.

Determining Control Surface Layout

Standard System Layout

On a standard D-Show system (one Main Unit and a single Sidecar on the left), D-Show input channel strips 1–16 appear by default on the Sidecar module, and channel strips 17–24 appear on the Main Unit.

(Bus ID 1) (Bus ID 2)

Strips 1–16 17–24

Main Unit Sidecar

Expanded System Layout

On expanded D-Show systems, by default, input channel strips 1–16 appear on the leftmost Sidecar and progress to the right.

Input channel strip numbering on an expanded system

You can place Sidecars on either side of the Main Unit, and customize the order of input channel strips by changing the Bus IDs of the units. See “Setting Control Surface Bus IDs” on page 8.

Input channel strip numbering on a standard system

You can place the Sidecar on the other side of the Main Unit, and customize the order of input channel strips by changing the Bus IDs of the units. See “Setting Control Surface Bus IDs” on page 8.

Main Unit Sidecar

Strips 1–8

Alternative input channel strip numbering on a standard system

Alternative input channel numbering on an expanded system

(Bus ID 2)(Bus ID 1)

9–24

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show 7

Setting Control Surface Bus IDs

All units have a Bus ID selector in the upper left of the control surface top panel. Input channel strip numbering is determined by the Bus ID setting on each unit. Lower-numbered bus IDs correspond to lower-numbered input channels.

Bus ID selector

To set the Bus ID on a unit:

■ With a small ﬂat-head screwdriver, set the Bus ID as follows:

• Set the ID to 1 to have input channel numbering start on that unit. Typically, this will be the leftmost unit in your system.

• Set the ID to 2 on the unit you want to have the second set of input faders. For example, on a standard D-Show system (one Sidecar and one Main Unit) where the Sidecar is at the left of the Main Unit, the Main Unit should be set to Bus ID 2.

• Set the ID of other units to match the layout of input channels.

D-Show Guide8

Connecting D-Show Components

Main Unit Sidecar Sidecar Sidecar

Light Light

Console Link

Sidecar 4-6

Sidecar 1-3

FOH Link

VGA

Footswitch

To Rack

USB

IO IO

FOH Link Cable

FOH

USB

FOH Link

Control Surface

Power

FOH Rack (Front)

Console Link Cables

Com

TB Gain

MIDI

Out

1 2In

AES 3 4

OutAES

IO x

System Drive

Reset

USB

2TR SPDIFOut2TR AES

12345678

Mon Left

2TR Out

Mic

P R

Mon Right

2TR In

OutIn

AES 5 6

SNAKE

Out

12345678

AES SPDIF

OutIn

AES 7 8

910111213141516

Stage 1Expansion

Active

Sig

Stage 2

DO NOT OBSTRUCT FANS

964530300294856

SERIAL NUMBER

Analog Out

+4 dBu

Analog In

+4 dBu

Analog Out

+4 dBu

Analog In

+4 dBu

Word Clock

Active Sig

FOH Rack (Back)

Digital Snake Cables

Stage Rack (Front)

Figure 1. D-Show system component connections

SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRO

ABCDEFGHJKLM

STAGE

Primary Snake

Redundant Snake

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show 9

Connecting the D-Show Main Unit and Sidecars

The D-Show Main Unit and Sidecars are connected with Console Link cables (one 15-foot cable is provided with each Sidecar), which are 110-ohm AES/EBU digital cables. The maximum length permissible for each Console Link cable is 25 feet (7.6 meters). Up to three Sidecars can be connected to the “Sidecar 1–3” port on the Main Unit.

To connect the Main Unit and Sidecars:

1 Connect the Console Link In port on the back panel of the nearest Sidecar to the “Sidecar 1–3” port on the back panel of the

Main Unit.

2 On the successive Sidecars, connect the Console Link In port to the Console Link Out port on the previous Sidecar.

Light Light

Console Link

Sidecar 4-6

Sidecar 1-3

Figure 2. Console Link connections for Main Unit (left) and Sidecars (right)

3 On the last Sidecar only, terminate the Console Link connection with the Terminate switch.

FOH Link

VGA

Footswitch

To Rack

USB

IO IO

Connection must be terminated on last Sidecar in chain

Connecting the Main Unit to the FOH Rack

The D-Show Main Unit is connected to the FOH Rack with the provided FOH Link cable.

To connect the Main Unit and the FOH Rack:

■ Connect one end of the FOH Link cable to the FOH Link port on the back panel of the Main Unit. Connect the other end of

the FOH Link cable to the FOH Link port on the front panel FOH Rack. On each end, be sure to align the notch in the connector housing with the slot in the plug, and to rotate the collar until the connector is fully latched.

Light Light

Console Link

Sidecar 4-6

Sidecar 1-3

FOH Link

VGA

Footswitch

To Rack

USB

Figure 3. FOH Link connection between Main Unit (left) and FOH Rack (right)

FOH

USB

FOH Link

Reset

Power

Control Surface

D-Show Guide10

Connecting the Stage Rack to the FOH Rack

The Stage Rack is connected to the FOH Rack with the Digital Snake cable (purchased separately).

To connect the Stage Rack to the FOH Rack:

1 On the Stage Rack, connect the Digital Snake cable lead with the white connector sleeve to the Snake 1 In port (this port label

is outlined in white), and the Digital Snake cable lead with the red connector sleeve to the Snake 1 Out port.

2 On the FOH Rack, connect the Digital Snake cable lead with the white connector sleeve to the to the Snake 1 Out port (this

port label is outlined in white), and the Digital Snake cable lead with the red connector sleeve to the Snake 1 In port.

3 If you are using a second, redundant Digital Snake, connect it to the Snake 2 ports on each unit in the same manner, matching

the white connector sleeves to the ports whose labels are outlined in white.

The redundant Digital Snake must be the same length as the primary Digital Snake for each Stage Rack.

When the units are turned on, the Snake Signal LEDs (marked “Sig”) on the FOH Rack and the Stage Rack light solid to indicate the Snake connection. If the Snake Signal LEDs flash, a Snake connection has not been established.

If there are problems with the Snake connection, double check that all the BNC connectors are fully secured. If the problem persists, try reversing the red and white connectors on one end.

SNAKE

Signal LED

Connectors with white sleeves attach to terminals with white labels

Redundant Snake connects here

Figure 4. Detail of Digital Snake cable connection between Stage Rack (left) and FOH Rack (right)

If a second Stage Rack is used, an additional Snake Card must be installed in the FOH Rack. Follow the above instructions to connect the second Stage Rack to its corresponding Snake card.

Active Sig

Redundant Snake connects here

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show 11

Connecting a Second Stage Rack

Before connecting a second stage rack to a D-Show system, a second Snake card (purchased separately) must first be installed in the FOH Rack.

To connect a second Stage Rack:

1 Install a second Snake card in the FOH Rack. See the documentation that came with the Snake card.

2 Using a BNC cable (included with the additional Snake card), connect the Word Clock Out port on the ﬁrst Snake card to the

Word Clock In port on the second Snake card.

Stage 1

SNAKE

Active Sig

Stage 2

Word Clock connection between Snake cards

3 Connect the second Stage Rack to the FOH Rack with a Digital Snake cable. See “Connecting the Stage Rack to the FOH Rack”

on page 11.

The redundant Digital Snake must be the same length as the primary Digital Snake for each Stage Rack.

Word Clock

Active Sig

Word Clock

Active Sig

BNC Cable

Snake 1

SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRO

ABCDEFGHJKLM

STAGE

Stage Rack 1

SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRO

ABCDEFGHJKLM

STAGE

Snake 2

Snake 1

Snake 2

Com

TB Gain

MIDI

Out

System Drive

USB

Mon Left

Mic

P R

Mon Right

Primary Snake

2TR Out

2TR In

SNAKE

964530300294856

SERIAL NUMBER

FOH Rack

2TR SPDIFOut2TR AES

Out

AES SPDIF

Stage 1Expansion

Active Sig

Stage 2

DO NOT OBSTRUCT FANS

12345678

Redundant Snake

Stage Rack 2

Figure 5. Digital Snake cable and word clock connections for fully redundant system with 2 Stage Racks

Word Clock cable

Analog Out

+4 dBu

Analog In

+4 dBu

Word Clock

Active

Sig

Word Clock

Active

Sig

Snake Card 1

Snake Card 2

D-Show Guide12

Power Connections

Each power supply in the Main Unit, the Sidecars, the FOH Rack, and the Stage Rack requires its own power connection. (If any unit includes an optional redundant power supply, it will require two dedicated power connections.) Each power supply is auto voltage-selecting (100V to 240V). A modular IEC power cable is provided for each power supply in the unit.

Audio and MIDI Connections

Stage Rack Connections

Stage Rack Input Cards

Stage Rack Output Card

SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRI SRO

ABCDEFGHJ KLM

STAGE

Figure 6. Audio connectors on Stage Rack

Audio Inputs

(Balanced Female XLR Connectors)

◆ Connect analog mic-level or line-level input sources to any

of the input connectors on any SRI Card.

Applying Phantom Power to Stage Rack Inputs

Each SRI Card input has available standard 48V phantom power.

Before connecting or disconnecting a microphone on any Stage Rack Input, make sure phantom power is turned off for that input.

To apply phantom power to a Stage Rack input source:

1 Target a channel in the ACS section of the control surface.

2 Press the +48V switch in the ACS Input section.

The corresponding channel’s “+48V” LED on the Stage Rack Input Card lights to indicate phantom power is on.

Audio Outputs

(Balanced Male XLR Connectors)

◆ Connect analog line-level output destinations (such as

power ampliﬁers, crossovers, or speakers) to any of the output connectors on any SRO Card.

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show 13

FOH Rack Connections

section

IOx

section

(Optional)

Com Mic Phantom Power

Monitor

Com Mic Gain

Com Mic

Input

MIDI

IO x

Gain

Out

1 2In

OutAES

Outputs

2-Track Analog I/O

Com

Mon Left

Mic

P R

Mon Right

AES 3 4

OutIn

2TR Out

2TR In

AES 5 6

2-Track

AES/EBU I/O

OutIn

2-Track Digital

Format selector

S/PDIF I/O

AES SPDIF

OutIn

AES 7 8

2-Track

2TR SPDIFOut2TR AES

Analog I/O 1–8MIDI I/O

12345678

Out

12345678

910111213141516

Digital I/O 1–8 Analog I/O 9–16

Figure 7. Audio connectors on FOH Rack, showing standard IO connectors (top) and optional IOx connectors (bottom)

Audio Inputs and Outputs

Analog Inputs and Outputs

(Balanced 1/4-inch TRS Connectors)

◆ Connect the analog inputs and outputs of external proces-

sors to any of these 8 analog output and input pairs. (16 inputs and output pairs are available if the IOx option is installed.)

◆ Connect any analog output destination (such as a recording

device or broadcast feed) to any of the outputs in this section.

◆ Connect any analog sound sources (such as a CD player) to

any of the inputs in this section.

2-Track Inputs and Outputs

2-Track Analog Inputs and Outputs

(Balanced 1/4-inch TRS Connectors)

◆ Connect a 2-track analog playback source to the 2-Track

analog inputs.

◆ Connect a 2-track analog recording device to the 2-Track

analog outputs.

2-Track Digital Inputs and Outputs

(AES/EBU and S/PDIF Connectors)

◆ Switch the 2-Track digital I/O between AES/EBU and S/PDIF

by moving the 2-Track Digital Format selector switch to the

Digital Inputs and Outputs - IOx Option only

(AES/EBU Connectors)

◆ Connect the two-channel digital inputs and outputs of ex-

ternal processors to any of the 4 AES/EBU digital output and input connectors in this section.

◆ These connectors support 24-bit, 48 kHz digital signals. In-

put signals with other sample rates are sample-rate converted to 48 kHz.

corresponding position. Only one of these digital formats may be active at a time.

◆ Connect a 2-channel digital playback source to the 2-Track

AES/EBU or S/PDIF input.

◆ Connect a 2-channel digital recording device to the 2-Track

AES/EBU or S/PDIF output.

◆ These connectors support 24-bit, 48 kHz digital signals. In-

put signals with other sample rates are sample-rate converted to 48 kHz.

Analog Out

+4 dBu

Analog In

+4 dBu

Analog Out

+4 dBu

Analog In

+4 dBu

Monitor Outputs

(Balanced 1/4-inch TRS Connectors)

◆ Connect a monitor ampliﬁer or powered monitors to the

Monitor Output connectors.

◆ The Monitor Outputs, and the Headphone Output on front

of the Main Unit, are fed by the Solo/Monitor bus

D-Show Guide14

Com Mic Input

FOH Link To Rack

Footswitch

Console Link

Sidecar 4-6

Console Link

Sidecar 1-3

VGA

USB

VGA Display connector

USB connector

FOH Link To Rack

Footswitch

Console Link

Sidecar 4-6

Console Link

Sidecar 1-3

VGA

USB

USB connector

Com Mic Connector

◆ Plug a dynamic or condenser microphone, or any compati-

ble intercom system microphone into this connector.

Applying Phantom Power to the Com Mic

The Com Mic input has available 15V phantom power.

Talkback Level

◆ The talkback gain for this connector is ﬁxed at 20 dB.

◆ Adjust talkback send level by pressing the Talkback switch

in the Talkback/Osc section and turning the level knob.

Talkback Switch

◆ Activate talkback by pressing the On/Talk switch.

To apply phantom power to the Com Mic:

■ Move the Mic Power switch to the right.

Com Mic Gain

◆ Turn the Com Mic knob to adjust overall Com Mic gain.

MIDI Input and Output

◆ Connect a compatible MIDI device to the MIDI In and MIDI

Out ports. The D-Show Snapshot feature receives and sends MIDI commands, and generates and responds to MIDI Time Code.

Control Surface Connections

Talkback Mic

Talkback Mic Connector

◆ Plug a dynamic talkback microphone into this connector.

VGA Display

◆ Plug a compatible VGA display into this connector.

VGA display connector on back panel of the Main Unit

USB Keyboard

◆ Plug a compatible USB keyboard into any of the 3 available

USB connectors on the Main Unit.

USB connector on the meter bridge panel of the Main Unit

Talkback Mic connector

Talkback switch

Talkback level

On/Talk switch

Talkback microphone connector and controls on the Main Unit

USB connector on back panel of the Main Unit

USB connector on front panel of the Main Unit

Chapter 2: Conﬁguring and Connecting D-Show 15

Powering Up the System

Enabling a Second Stage Rack

D-Show faders move when power is turned on. Before powering up the system, make sure all fader paths on the Main Unit and Sidecars are clear of obstructions.

Power up the system in the following sequence:

1 Main Unit and Sidecars

2 Stage Rack

3 Front of House Rack

4 Any connected computers for recording/playback options

5 Audio monitoring system

On units with redundant power supplies, each power supply has a separate power switch.

Powering Down the System

Power down the system in the following sequence:

1 Audio monitoring system.

2 Any connected computers for recording/playback options.

3 Front of House Rack.

To enable and conﬁrm communication with the second Stage Rack:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

3 Click Edit.

4 Select Enable Stage2, and click Apply. D-Show restarts.

Enabling the second Stage Rack

5 Go to Options > Devices to view D-Show hardware status.

The connection to the second Stage Rack should be displayed in the FOH Rack graphic.

4 Stage Rack.

5 Main Unit and Sidecars.

Restarting the System

If at any time during setup or performance it becomes necessary to restart the system, you can restart the entire system or reset individual hardware devices.

For more information on restarting D-Show and resetting system hardware, see Chapter 27, “Troubleshooting.”

Setting the System Clock

When you first work with a D-Show system, make sure the system clock time, date and time zone are set appropriately. The system clock setting can affect data synchronization with portable storage devices. See “Synchronizing Settings, Shows and Presets” on page 157.

Changing the system clock while using a timed iLok license (for a plug-in with a demo period, or for a plug-in rental) may expire the plug-in authorization.

Detail of Devices page showing connection to second Stage Rack

The second Stage Rack must be enabled for the Devices tab to display the correct number of SRI (Stage Rack Input) and SRO (Stage Rack Output) cards in that unit.

D-Show Guide16

Part II: System Description

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview

D-Show Main Unit and Sidecar Top Panels

The following figure identifies the main sections of the D-Show control surface:

Main UnitSidecar

Input Section Assignable Channel Section Output SectionInput Channels

Make Stereo

BanksBanks

A A

A Input Channels (banks of 8) B Input Faders (banks of 8) C Assignable Channel Section (ACS) D Assignable Output Encoders

Figure 8. Control Surface main sections

The D-Show control surface consists of one Main Unit and one or more Sidecars. The D-Show Main Unit provides eight bankable input channel strips, the Assignable Channel Section (center section), eight Assignable Output Encoders, eight Assignable Output Faders, and one Mains Fader and Master Controls section.

Each D-Show Sidecar provides 16 additional bankable input channel strips. Sidecars can be attached to the left of the Main Unit (as shown above), attached to the right side, or kept free-standing (unattached) on either side.

Input Section

The Input Section provides Input Channels and FX Returns, with channel faders and two rows of assignable encoders.

KICKKICK

KICK KICK

E Assignable Output Faders F Master and Global Section G Meter Bridge H Trackball and View Mode Controls

Assignable Channel Section

The Assignable Channel Section provides expanded routing and processing controls for the currently targeted channel.

Output Section

The Output Section includes two sets of output controls that can be used to control two different sets of outputs at the same time:

• The Assignable Output Encoders adjust the assigned output or bus, or plug-in parameters (when in Insert mode), and are also where you set up Matrix and PQ sends.

• The Assignable Output Faders adjust the assigned output, bus, or VCA.

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview 19

Input Channels and Faders

Inputs include Input Channels and FX Returns. Each input strip provides level faders, solo, mute, and Select switches, two rotary encoders (with selectable functions), Bus Assign LEDs (routing indicators), as well as display LCDs and status LEDs.

Bus ID controls

Encoder 1 assignment controls

Bank Clip indicator

Safe switch

Bus assignment indicators

Encoder 1

HW Insert In switch

Comp/Lim In switch

Comp/Lim meter

Exp/Gate In switch

Exp/Gate meter

EQ In switch

Encoder 2

Bank Clip Indicator

The Bank Clip Indicator lights to indicate a meter clip on an Input Channel or FX Return at the corresponding position in an alternate bank of channels. This indicator obeys the same clipping threshold display rules as the Input Channel meters (as set in the Options > Interaction page). It gives you an indication of extreme signal level in a currently hidden (“off-bank”) layer.

Safe

Automation Safe or Solo Safe

The Safe switch controls either an input strip’s Automation safe status or Solo safe status, depending on the current Input Safe Switch setting. See “Input Safe Switches” on page 47.

Pressing a channel Safe switch toggles the current state of that channel as follows:

Auto Safe Mode If the Safe LED is lit, the channel will not respond to Snapshot-driven changes. If the LED is off, that channel will respond to any applicable changes driven by Snapshots.

Encoder 2 assignment controls

Source switch

Make Stereo switch

Global Modifier switches

Input meter

Stereo LED

Select switch

Solo switch

Name Display

Mute switch

FadersFader Banks

Solo Safe Mode If the Safe LED is flashing, the channel will not respond to solo commands (it will not be muted if another channel’s solo button is pressed). If the LED is off, that channel will be silenced when soloing another channel.

Input strip and fader controls

D-Show Guide20

Bus Assignment Indicators

These green LEDs indicate Group bus assignments, and can also show VCA or Mute Group membership for each channel. By default, Group bus assignment is displayed.

1–8

Stereo Pan

Group indicator LEDs on an Input Channel

C/M

Group Bus Assignment

◆ If the LR LED is lit, the input channel feeds the Left and

Right Main busses in either L–R or L–C–R panning mode (regardless of the Stereo Pan LED status).

◆ If the C/M LED is lit, the input channel feeds the C (center)

bus from the pan in L–C–R mode, or the M (mono) bus before the pan. Stereo channels are summed to the mono bus.

◆ If a bus LED (1–8) is lit, the channel is feeding the corre-

sponding Group(s). If an LED is off, the channel is not feeding that Group. The Bus Indicators can also show VCA and Mute Group membership.

Use the Bus Assign switches in the ACS to route and assign channels to busses (see “Assignable Channel Section (ACS)” on page 24).

VCA Membership

◆ When the VCA Show Members switch is pressed, Group in-

dicator LEDs ﬂash to indicate VCA assignment. A ﬂashing LED indicates that the channel is assigned to the corresponding VCA (1–8).

Mute Groups

◆ When the Mute Groups Show Members switch is pressed,

the Group indicators ﬂash to indicate Mute Group assignments. A ﬂashing LED indicates that the channel is assigned to the corresponding Mute Group (1–8).

Input Encoders and Assignment Controls

Input Channels contain two separate banks of rotary encoders that can be assigned to control a variety of channel functions such as input gain, HPF corner frequency, pan/balance/width, and specific parameters of built-in Dynamics processes.

The Encoder Assignment switches, located to the left of each row of encoders, determine the function of the encoders on Input Channels. The LCD within each set of encoder controls displays the current function.

Rotary and Switch Functionality

D-Show rotary encoders are dual-function controls that provide rotary and switch functions. In addition to adjusting parameters by turning the encoder, you can toggle parameters (such as taking the high-pass filter in or out of circuit) by pressing the encoder knob.

Encoder LEDs

Two types of LEDs surround each encoder:

◆ The LED ring around the encoder displays the relative posi-

tion of its currently assigned parameter.

◆ Below each encoder is an indicator LED, which indicates pa-

rameter status (in/out) and various conditions related to the current encoder function.

Encoder 1 Assignment Switches and Functions

The Encoder 1 Assignment switches assign the following functions to Encoder 1 on each input channel strip:

Comp/Lim Thrsh Assigns the encoders to control the Threshold for the built-in Compressor/Limiter. Pressing the encoder toggles the effect in and out of circuit.

Exp/Gate Thrsh Assigns the encoders to control the Threshold for the built-in Expander/Gate. Pressing the encoder toggles the effect in and out of circuit.

HPF Assigns the encoders to control the HPF corner frequency. Pressing the encoder takes the built-in HPF in and out of circuit. If the LED is lit, the filter is in circuit.

Delay Assigns the encoders to control the amount of delay in the channel. Pressing the encoder takes the Delay in and out of circuit. If the LED is lit, the delay is in circuit.

AUX 1•2 TO AUX 15•16 Let you select one of two Aux sends in odd/even pairs.

◆ With mono sends, the ﬁrst press of the switch selects the

odd numbered send (1, 3, 5, or 7) and the second press selects the even numbered send (2, 4, 6, or 8). The switch lights green for the odd-numbered selection, or yellow for the even-numbered selection.

◆ With stereo-linked sends, the ﬁrst press of the switch con-

trols level for the bus pair, and the second press controls pan for the bus pair. The switch lights green for level control, or yellow for pan control.

Pressing the Encoder 1 then toggles the send on or off. When the send level is shown on the LED ring and the send is off, at most a single LED in the ring lights. When the send is on, all LEDs light in a clockwise sequence from the lower left to the send level.

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview 21

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, the switches for Aux 1–2 through Aux 7–8 can be used to select Variable Group sends, and use the Encoder 1 to control the Variable Group send on/off, level, and pan parameters.

Aux Pan With stereo-linked Auxes or Variable Groups, the first press of this switch selects the level control for the Aux or Variable Group bus pair (green LED) and the second press selects the pan/balance control for the pair (yellow LED). When the Aux or Variable Group pair is following Main pan, the second press is not available. For more information, see “Aux Bus Signal Flow Options” on page 76.

Width (Stereo Channels Only) Assigns the encoders to control the ganged pan positions of Left channel and Right channel at the same time, but in opposite directions. Turning clockwise moves the pans towards full stereo, turning counter-clockwise moves the pans toward reverse-stereo. Since width is only applicable to stereo strips, this control is disabled when the associated input strip is mono.

Gain Assigns the encoders to control input gain according to the range available for this input. Pressing that holding the encoder initiates Gain Guess, in which D-Show automatically sets a nominal input gain level based on the incoming signal.

Pan mode is indicated by the single-dot LED ring light pattern. Stereo-linked busses use a yellow color backlight in their name displays in the Outputs section to indicate stereo linking.

FLIP When enabled, the current encoder parameter is mapped to the channel faders. It can still be controlled from the encoder row, so the channel fader mirrors the setting. When Flip is engaged, all channel name display backlights turn yellow, the same color as the flip switch.

It is not possible to flip controls for both sets of encoders at once, and the last-pushed Flip switch overrides any previous Flip state.

Display The 6-character display shows information about the currently selected function.

Table 4. Encoder 1 Displays

Switch Display

Comp Thr COMP

Gate Thr GATE

Delay DELAY

Aux AUX (number). Displays abbrevi-

Aux (stereo) APAN (number) Odd-numbered

Flip Retains current selection

HPF

ated name if Aux output is changed from default name

Auxes display pan information when Auxes are stereo-linked

Encoder 2 Assignment Switches and Functions

Right Offset (Stereo Channels Only) Assigns the encoders to control the gain offset of the right channel relative to the left. The offset ranges from –20 dB to +20 dB at the maximum but this range can be restricted depending on the current Gain setting.

AUX 1•2 to AUX 15•16 Same as in Encoder 1 Assignment panel (see “Encoder 1 Assignment Switches and Functions” on page 21).

Flip Same as Encoder 1 Assignment panel (see “Encoder 1 Assignment Switches and Functions” on page 21).

It is not possible to flip controls for both sets of encoders at once, and the last-pushed Flip switch overrides any previous Flip state.

Display The 6-character display shows information about the currently selected function.

Table 5. Encoder 2 Display

Switch Display

Pan/Bal PANBAL

Width WIDTH

Gain INP GN

Gain R RGHTGN

Aux AUX (number). Displays abbrevi-

ated name if Aux output is changed from default name

Flip Retains current selection

Aux (stereo) APAN (number) Odd-numbered

Auxes display pan information when Auxes are stereo-linked

The Encoder 2 Assignment switches assign the following functions to Encoder 2 on each input channel strip:

Pan/Bal Assigns the encoders to control channel Pan if the channel is mono, or stereo channel balance if a stereo. The indicator LED lights when the pan is at center.

D-Show Guide22

Insert In Switch

This switch toggles the hardware insert in and out of circuit (if assigned). If the switch is lit, the process is in circuit. Insert sends and returns are assigned in the Patchbay. On Inputs, the insert send is always sending. This switch does not affect inserted plug-ins. Plug-ins can be bypassed individually in the Assignable Channel Section.

Comp In Switch

Select Switch

This switch toggles the built-in Compressor/Limiter in and out of circuit. If the switch is lit, the process is in circuit.

Gate In Switch

This switch toggles the built-in Expander/Gate in and out of circuit. If the switch is lit, the process is in circuit.

EQ In Switch

This switch toggles the built-in EQ in and out of circuit. If the switch is lit, the process is in circuit.

Input Strip Meters

There are three meters within this section in the channel strip. D-Show Input (and Output) meters display nominal level.

Input Meter

The 10-segment input meter displays the level of the incoming input signal. A segment lights when the level of the incoming signal reaches or exceeds the segment’s corresponding label.

The entire meter lights red if the signal is clipping at any of the strip’s multiple clip points. Normally, segments up to and including the segment labeled 0 dB display as green and the segments above 0 dB display as yellow.

Because the lowest meter level is –30 dB, any input signal that is less than this value will not register on the input strip meter. The Selected Channel meter on the meter bridge and the on-screen meters register activity below –30 dB.

Stereo LED Below the input meter is a Stereo LED. This LED lights if the associated input strip is stereo. The LED flashes on/off anytime the strip is stereo and the difference in instantaneous peak level between left and right sides is 12 dB or more.

Comp/Lim Meter

The Compressor/Limiter meter has 6 LEDs to show the amount of gain reduction being applied to the signal by the built-in Compressor/Limiter. For more information, see Chapter 16, “Dynamics.”

The Select switch on each channel is used to target the channel in the Assignable Channel Section, and to include the channel in Multi-Select and Multi-Assign functions. A lit Select switch indicates the channel is selected. The name of the currently selected channel is displayed in red in the Channel Name display and in the ACS Selected Channel display. When multiple channels are selected, the red Channel Name display indicates which is channel is currently the ACS target.

Solo Switch

The Solo switch toggles the solo state of that channel. When enabled, the Solo switch LED is lit. When the channel is in Solo Safe mode, the Solo switch LED flashes. Channel Solo latches on a momentary press, and automatically releases if held for 2 seconds or more and released.

Source Switch

The Source switch changes the Channel Name display to show the source input which is feeding each channel.

Name Display

This 6–character display shows the name of the channel, or Source if the Source switch is pressed. The name display for the currently selected channel is lit red. The channel name display can show other types of information according to the state of the Source switch or the current action.

Names This is the default display which shows the abbreviated channel names on all displays.

Values When a control is moved (or a fader is touched), the Channel Name display changes to Values display mode, where it shows each fader level or encoder function level as it is adjusted. You can turn off Values display switching so that the Name display does not show fader values. See “LCD Displays” on page 48.

Source When this switch is pressed, the Name displays show the source input feeding each channel. Sources are abbreviated to indicate hardware input source and channel number. For example, if “S1A1” appears in a Channel Name display when Source is enabled, it indicates that the channel source is Stage Rack 1, Card A, Input 1.

Expander/Gate Meter

The Expander/Gate meter has 3 LEDs to show the open/closed state of the built-in Gate, or the amount of gain reduction applied by the Expander. For more information, see Chapter 16, “Dynamics.”

Mute Switch

The Mute switch mutes the channel at the (pre-fader) mute point. Channel pre-fader pickoff is post-mute.

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview 23

Faders

Each channel fader is a 100mm motorized, touch-sensitive fader.

The Options > Interaction screen lets you enable touch-sensitive channel selection. When enabled, touching a channel fader automatically selects that channel and makes it the ACS target.

Assignable Channel Section (ACS)

The Assignable Channel Section provides dedicated routing, EQ, Dynamics, and insert controls for the currently selected channel.

Auxes

Channel Config

Console Config/Show mode

The faders on D-Show can be moved even when they do not sense a touch. This allows use of the faders while wearing gloves. It also lets you “throw” a fader and have it stay where it lands, and not snap back to the point it was last touched.

Fader Banking Controls

Bank A–D The Bank A–D switches bank the Input strips. Bank width varies based on the number of Sidecars present. For example, on a system with one Sidecar, Bank A is channels 1–24, Bank B is channels 25–48, and so on. On systems with two Sidecars, Bank A is channels 1–40, Bank B is channels 41–80, and so on.

FX Returns The FX Return switches bank FX Return channels to the Input faders of the Main Unit.

Graphic EQ The Graphic EQ switches bank bands of graphic EQ to the faders. Graphic EQs can be used on D-Show outputs only. For more information, see Chapter 17, “EQ.”

Global Modiﬁer Switches

To the left of the Bank A–D switches are the global modifier switches. See “Global Modifier Switches” on page 30.

Multi-Select Lets you select multiple input channels.

Bus Assign

Input controls

Options, Snapshots and View modes

ACS main sections and controls

KICKKICK

KICK KICK

Insert Processing

Dynamics

Direct Out

Display

Solo

Channel Scroll

Mute

Input Controls

This section provides direct access to channel gain, HPF, delay, phantom power, and polarity (phase) for the currently selected channel.

Bus Assign

The Bus Assign switches are the primary routing controls for the currently selected channel, letting you bus it directly to the Main (L–R) bus or to any other mono or stereo group.

Default Lets you reset a parameter, section, or channel to default values.

Fine Lets you adjust rotary encoders with greater resolution for finer control.

User This switch is currently not implemented.

Make Stereo Switch

The Make Stereo switch lets you combine two mono channels into one stereo channel, or split a stereo channel into two mono channels. See “Combining Input Channels (Make Stereo)” on page 52..

D-Show Guide24

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, the Stereo Pan Switch in this section is used to display Variable Group parameters on the ACS Aux Sends controls.

Aux Sends

The Aux Sends section provides in/out and level control to route the currently selected channel to any available mono or stereo-linked Aux bus.

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, the controls for Aux 1–2 through Aux 7–8 can be used to route the currently selected channels to any available mono or stereo-linked Variable Group bus.

Output Encoders

Output Encoder function switches

LEDs

Channel Scroll

The EQ section provides dedicated controls for all built-in and compatible plug-in EQ parameters including band in/out, frequency, Q, and mode.

See Chapter 17, “EQ.”

Channel Conﬁg

The Channel Config controls include the Input Direct and Dyn Pre EQ switches.

Input Direct Bypasses the built-in Dynamics and EQ processing, and all inserts on the currently targeted Input Channel or FX Return. The switch flashes to indicate Input Direct is active.

Dyn Pre EQ Enable Dyn Pre EQ to route audio on the currently targeted Input Channel to built-in Dynamics first, then to built-in EQ. The switch lights to indicate Dynamics precedes EQ in the signal path.

Conﬁg/Show Mode

This switch toggles D-Show between these two operational modes.

The Channel Scroll switches let you target other channels to bring them to the ACS (as an alternative to pressing channel Select switches). Press “+” to select the next channel. Press “–” to select the previous channel. Holding down either Channel Scroll switch scrolls continuously until the switch is released.

Options and Snapshots

The Options and Snapshots section, directly above the View Mode switches, provides access to the snapshots list.

Selected Channel Fader

The Selected Channel Fader is a 100mm, touch-sensitive fader that duplicates the fader for the selected channel.

Assignable Output Encoders

This section includes the eight Assignable Output Encoders and their corresponding function switches.

See Chapter 6, “Options.”

Insert Processing

The Insert Processing section provides controls to bypass and adjust plug-ins on the currently selected channel, as well as to bypass hardware inserts.

Dynamics

The Dynamics section provides dedicated controls for built-in and plug-in dynamics processors, including a comprehensive set of Compressor/Limiter and Expander/Gate controls.

See Chapter 16, “Dynamics.”

Direct Output

The Direct Output section provides level and in/out control for the channel direct output.

Solo and Mute

These switches provide channel Solo and Mute for the currently selected channel.

Assignable Output Encoder section

The switches to the right of the output encoders determine the function of the Output section Encoder row and its controls. When a function is selected, the Output Encoder section provides level control (using the encoders), solo, mute, and select switches for that output type.

Output Encoder Function Switches

Aux 1–8 Assigns the Output Encoder section to Auxes 1–8.

Aux 9–16 Assigns the Output Encoders section to Auxes 9–16.

Groups Assigns the Output Encoders section to Groups.

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, this switch assigns the Output Encoders section to control Variable Groups.

Group Pan Assigns the Output Encoders to (stereo) Group pan.

Display Shows the currently assigned function of the Output

Encoder section.

Matrix and PQ Sends

The switches in the Matrix and PQ Sends section assign the Output Encoders to the following functions:

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview 25

Matrix Sends Assigns the Output Encoders to control matrix input source levels and enables.

PQ Sends Assigns the Output Encoders to control PQ input source levels and enables.

PQ Pan Assigns the Output Encoders to control PQ input source panning.

Matrix/PQ 1–8 Assign the Output Encoders to show Matrix or PQ send levels and enable status, or Pan for selected Matrix or PQ send.

Left, Center, Right, and User Send Control the level of the Left, Center, Right, or User bus to the currently selected Matrix or PQ bus. Rotating the encoder adjusts the level; pushing the encoder toggles the send in/out.

INSERT LED

Insert LED color indications

Color Meaning

Green Output has at least one of the fol-

lowing currently in-circuit: a hardware insert, and/or at least one non-EQ and non-Dynamics plug-in

Yellow Output has at least one of the fol-

lowing but none are in-circuit: a hardware insert, or a non-EQ and non-Dynamics plug-in

Off Output has no hardware insert or

plug-in

Solo, Mute, and Select Provide solo, mute, and select for Auxes or Groups assigned to the Output Encoders.

Output Encoder and Output Fader Status LEDs

These multi-color LEDs indicate EQ, dynamics, plug-in, and insert status for the corresponding Assignable Output Encoders and Assignable Output Faders.

EQ LED

EQ LED color indications

Color Meaning

Green Output has a Graphic EQ and/or

one or more EQ plug-ins assigned and in-circuit

Yellow Output has a Graphic EQ and/or

one or more EQ plug-ins, but none are in-circuit

Off No Graphic EQ or EQ plug-ins are

assigned on the current output

DYN LED

Dyn LED color indications

Color Meaning

Assignable Output Faders

The Assignable Output Faders control the currently selected Output type (Auxes, Groups, Matrix, PQ, or VCAs), chosen using the Output Faders switches.

Output Faders switches

Output faders

Aux 1–8 Assigns the Output Faders to control Aux 1–8 levels.

Aux 9–16 Assigns the Output Faders to control Aux 9–16 lev-

els.

Personal Q’s Assigns the Output Faders to control PQ mixer output levels.

Matrixes Assigns the Output Faders to control Matrix mixer output levels.

Green Output has a Dynamics plug-in

assigned and in-circuit

Yellow Output has one or more Dynamics

plug-ins, but none are in-circuit

Off No Dynamics plug-ins are

assigned on the current output

D-Show Guide26

Groups Assigns the Output Faders to control Group levels.

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, this switch assigns the Output Faders to control Variable Groups.

VCAs Assigns the Output Faders to control VCAs.

Master and Global Controls

The Master and Global section is located at the far right of the Main Unit. It includes the Monitoring, Mute Groups, Mains, Talkback/Com, Function, and Solo/PFL sections and controls.

Mute Groups

Mute Groups let you quickly mute multiple channels at the same time. You can create and recall up to eight Mute Groups comprising one or more channels.

See Chapter 15, “Muting and Mute Groups.”

Monitoring

Mute

Groups

Mains

Fader

Talkback/Osc

Function

Cancel

Solo/PFL

Mains Controls and Fader

This fader and its function switches let you control the Main bus levels (L–R+M, or L–C–R).

The function switches directly above the Mains Fader let you select which Main output bus the Main Fader controls. This lets you assign the Mains Fader to all the Main busses (L–R+M, or L–C–R) simultaneously, or to individual Main busses to trim and balance Main bus output levels.

On-screen, three discrete faders are provided for L, R, and C/M. By default, the on-screen L and R faders are linked for stereo level adjustment; drag the C/M fader to adjust its level. On the control surface, all three Mains channels are enabled at the Mains Fader (L, R, and C/M).

Talkback/Osc

The controls in this section provide comprehensive and flexible communication control, including a top-mounted Talkback input (XLR), Assign switches, and level control.

Function Switches

This section provides four Main Function switches (F1, F2, F3, and F4) and the Cancel switch.

Master and Global controls

Monitoring

This section provides level and delay controls for near-field monitors and headphones. Separate level controls are provided for the monitor and headphone outputs. The Delay switch lets you set an amount of delay to be applied to both, to time-align their output at the front of house position.

F1 Serves as a clutch to be able to trim one side of a stereo linked Aux without affecting the other side.

F2 When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode, the F2 switch is used to toggle display of Variable Group controls in the Input Encoder rows and the ACS.

The remaining Function switches are reserved for future use.

Cancel Cancels the current operation, such as Multi-Select or Multi-Assign modes, or channel solo.

Solo/PFL

This section provides control over the primary Solo features, including Solo Level and mode selection. Numerous options are provided to customize D-Show Solo operation in the Options screen.

See Chapter 14, “Solo and Monitor Busses.”

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview 27

Meter Bridge

The Meter bridge displays level for the currently chosen output type, as well as high-resolution Selected Channel meters for the currently selected channel.

Trackball and View Mode Controls

Trackball

The Trackball and its two switches are used to navigate on-screen.

View Modes

Selected Channel meters

System Status

Meters, displays, and controls in the Meter bridge

Output meters

Main Outputs meters

Output Meter Assign switches

Meters

The Meter bridge Output meters can be assigned to show Aux, Group, Mains, or other output levels. By default, output metering follows Output Fader assignment. You can also designate which output type to display in the Output meters.

See Chapter 13, “Metering.”

System Status Panel

The System Status Panel provides LEDs that indicate the status of system communication. Use these LEDs to confirm connections and communication between components, and for troubleshooting.

When all components are communicating properly, the Status LEDs light green. If any Status LEDs are flashing, or red, it indicates possible problems with that component of the system.

The View Mode switches (Inputs, Outputs, Filing, Snapshots, Patchbay, Plug-ins) display the corresponding pages on-screen. Pressing a View Mode switch repeatedly cycles through the individual tabs of that page. For example, pressing the Patchbay switch once displays the Patchbay screen. Pressing Patchbay again cycles through various tabs within the Patchbay page.

See Chapter 27, “Troubleshooting.”

D-Show Guide28

Chapter 4: Basic Commands and Modes

Tool Tip

Banner display Mode display

Control Overview

Most D-Show features and controls that are used during a performance are available from both the control surface and on-screen. Changes made on one are immediately reflected in the other, letting you use almost any combination of control surface and screen controls to mix.

The software screen is not required in order to mix a performance, as all mixing controls are provided on the control surface. However, the screen is essential when setting up and configuring the system before a performance.

Software-Only Controls and Displays

Many configuration settings and options are only available on-screen. These controls include hardware configuration settings, bus options, plug-in installation, and system diagnostics. For more information, see “System Configuration” on page 41.

Software Screen Banner Display

The software screen provides a banner display in the lower left corner. This display is provided to maintain line-of-sight mixing by showing the currently adjusted parameter (such as fader level or compression threshold) as you make changes to the parameter. The banner display also provides Tool Tip text and status messages.

Tool Tips

With the Trackball, place the cursor over a screen item to display a brief explanation of that item in the banner display.

Status bar showing Tool Tip

Status Messages

The banner display alerts you to certain operating conditions such as Multi-Select and Multi-Assign modes.

Banner display showing current state of the system

Control Surface and Software Screen Linking

The software screen is linked to control surface actions by default. For example, touching an input channel fader on the Main Unit or a Sidecar changes the screen to Inputs page, and touching an output bus fader changes the screen to the Outputs page.

You can customize how D-Show targets channels on the Assignable Channel Section to best match your working style. For more information, see “Interaction” on page 47.

Chapter 4: Basic Commands and Modes 29

Conﬁg Mode and Show Mode

Global Modiﬁer Switches

D-Show has two main operating modes, Config Mode and Show Mode. Use Config mode to set up your system and options; use Show mode to mix your performance.

Conﬁg Mode

Config mode provides access to the configuration settings that are typically performed as part of system setup (before mixing). For example, you must be in Config mode to do any of the following:

• Choose a Main mix format (L–R+M, or L–C–R)

• Designate the number and mono/stereo format of available auxes and groups, combine two mono channels into one stereo input channel, or split a stereo input channel into two mono channels.

• Install plug-ins

• Assign plug-ins in the D-Show software racks

• Route side-chain inputs to plug-ins

• Initialize (or reset) hardware devices and options

• Customize soloing, metering, and Talkback/Com routing

• Customize control surface and software interaction

• Move channels to different fader strips

• Perform system tests and diagnostics

Some Config mode operations interrupt audio throughput.

Show Mode

Show mode is the main operating mode for D-Show. All mixing and routing features are available, based on your settings for Config mode options.

D-Show provides a set of global modifier switches, located at the lower left corner of the Sidecar and Main Unit: Multi-Select, Default, Fine, and User.

Multi-Select

Default

Fine

User

Global modiﬁers

These switches provide frequently used shortcuts that can be applied to control surface actions and software screen interactions.

Multi-Select Switch

The Multi-Select switch lets you select multiple Input Channels and then apply an action to all selected channels. Multi-Select is useful for batch routing and assignment of input channels.

Most channel functions support Multi-Select (or Multi-Assign) as noted throughout this guide. For details on how to select one or more channels, see “Selecting and Targeting Channels” on page 36.

Default Switch

Toggling D-Show Between Conﬁg Mode and Show Mode

To toggle D-Show between Conﬁg mode and Show mode, do one of the following:

■ Press the Console Conﬁg switch (located at the upper right

of the Assignable Channel Section).

– or –

■ Double-click the Mode display in the Status Bar, located in

lower-right hand corner of the screen.

D-Show Guide30

The Default switch provides a quick way to reset a control to its default setting (or “zero” the setting). It is equivalent to, and interchangeable with, the Alt key on the keyboard.

Examples of Using Default

To reset a fader to 0 dB:

1 Press and hold the Default switch.

2 Press the Select switch on the channel you want to reset.

To reset all EQ parameters on a channel:

1 Press and hold the Default switch.

2 Press the EQ In switch (use the channel strip EQ In, or the

ACS EQ In switch if the channel is currently selected in the ACS).

To reset a single EQ parameter :

■ Hold the Default switch and press the encoder or switch for

that parameter.

To reset Threshold on-screen:

Click page name to display

1 Select an input or output channel on-screen.

Software Screen Pages and Tabs

2 Do one of the following:

•Right-click the Threshold encoder on-screen and choose Reset.

– or –

•Hold the Default switch on the control surface and click the Threshold encoder on-screen.

To reset a parameter using only the keyboard and trackball, press Alt+the on-screen control.

Fine Switch

The Fine switch lets you adjust controls (except for faders), on the control surface or on-screen, with maximum resolution. For example, if by default a controls adjusts a parameter in units of 1 dB, the Fine switch lets you adjust in units of 0.1 dB.

To adjust a control with ﬁne resolution:

■ Press and hold the Fine switch while moving a control. The

display associated with the adjusted control will show the values changes at the corresponding resolution.

Momentary and Latching Modes

Viewing Pages

To view a page, do any of the following:

■ Press a View mode switch (located at the bottom right of the

ACS).

– or –

■ Click the page name at the top of the screen.

When additional tabs are available for a page, go to those tabs by clicking their names.

The Fine switch supports momentary and latching operation.

Momentary In momentary mode, the Fine switch stays in effect for as long as you hold down that modifier switch.

Latching In latching mode, the Fine switch stays in effect until you explicitly clear its active state.

To use the Fine switch in Momentary mode:

1 Press and hold the Fine switch.

2 Adjust a channel, parameter, or processor.

3 Release the Fine switch.

To use the Fine switch in latching mode:

1 Double-press the Fine switch. The switch LED lights.

2 Select or adjust one or more channels, parameters, or pro-

cessors.

3 Press the Fine switch again to exit latching mode.

User

The User switch is reserved for future use.

Viewing pages

Chapter 4: Basic Commands and Modes 31

Overview of Software Pages

Filing

The software screen provides the following pages and tabs.

Inputs

Select, name, configure, and adjust parameters for input channels and FX Returns.

Inputs page

See Chapter 7, “Inputs and Input Routing.”

Load, save, and transfer shows and presets.

Filing (Load tab)

See Chapter 20, “Shows and File Management.”

Snapshots

Store and recall snapshots.

Outputs

Select, name, configure, and adjust parameters for outputs.

Outputs page

See Chapter 8, “Outputs and Output Routing.”

Snapshots page

See Chapter 21, “Snapshots.”

D-Show Guide32

Patchbay

Options

Route and name physical inputs and outputs to control surface channels.

Patchbay (Inputs tab)

See Chapter 12, “Patchbay.”

Plug-Ins

Configure and arrange plug-in racks by assigning plug-ins; patch/route and manage plug-ins.

Configure control surface, Main busses (L–R+M, L–C–R), customize/optimize targeting, metering, modes, devices, install plug-ins, and set other system options.

Options page (System Conﬁg tab)

See Chapter 6, “Options.”

Plug-In page

See Chapter 19, “Plug-Ins.”

Chapter 4: Basic Commands and Modes 33

D-Show Guide34

Chapter 5: Navigating and Selecting Channels

To bank Input Channels while keeping FX Return channels on the

Banking Input Channels and FX Returns

Many D-Show configurations utilize more physical inputs than input faders. For example, a standard D-Show system provides up to 48 discrete hardware inputs and 24 input faders. To navigate to channels beyond the number of physical faders, D-Show provides channel banking controls.

The Bank switches move the display of channels on the control surface through other available banks.

• Input Channels are banked using the Bank A, B, C, and D switches, located to the left of the input faders on both the Main Unit and Sidecars.

• FX Returns are banked using the FX Returns switches, located to the right of the eight input faders on the Main Unit.

Press to bank

FX Returns

Main Unit input faders:

■ Press any of the Bank switches (A, B, C, D) on any Sidecar.

To return the Main Unit input faders to Input Channel banking, do one of the following:

■ Press a lit FX Returns switch (1–8 or 9–16).

– or –

■ Press any of the Bank switches (A, B, C, D) on the Main Unit.

Banking Graphic EQ Frequency Bands

When a built-in Graphic EQ is inserted on the currently targeted output or bus, its frequency bands can be banked to the eight Input faders on the Main Unit.

See Chapter 17, “EQ.”

Press to bank input channels on Main and Sidecars

Bank switches for inputs

To bank Input Channels to the input faders:

■ Press the appropriate Bank switch (A, B, C, or D).

To bank FX Returns to the Main Unit:

■ Press a Fader Control switch (FX Returns 1–8, or FX Returns

9–16).

When you press the Bank switches (A, B, C, D) on any Sidecar (no the Main Unit), FX Returns will remain banked to the Main Unit input faders. This lets you have input and FX Returns available simultaneously.

Flip mode can be used to put Aux send level at Sidecar Input faders, leaving Main Unit input faders to control their FX Return level.

Banking the Assignable Output Encoders and Assignable Output Faders

Outputs can be targeted and banked to the Assignable Output Faders (AOFs) or to the Assignable Output Encoders (AOEs). These two sections can target independently, letting you view and control two banks of eight outputs simultaneously, as available in each control section, as follows:

Assignable Output Encoders These can target Auxes 1–8, Auxes 9–16, Groups (or Variable Groups), Matrix mixer inputs, or PQ mixer inputs.

Assignable Output Faders These can target Auxes 1–8, Auxes 9–16, Groups (or Variable Groups), Matrix mixer outputs, PQ mixer outputs, or VCAs.

Chapter 5: Navigating and Selecting Channels 35

To assign Aux, Group (or Variable Group), Matrix, or PQ controls to the Assignable Output Encoders:

■ Press Encoder Assign switch, located to the right of the Out-

put Encoder row.

Selecting and Targeting Channels

Each D-Show channel strip has a channel Select switch. The Select switch targets that channel for routing or processing assignment. Channels can also be selected by clicking their fader strips on-screen.

When a single channel is selected, it becomes the targeted channel. The fader level and all other parameters of targeted channel can be adjusted from the ACS or from the selected channel controls on-screen.

Press to assign encoders

Assignable Output Encoder controls

To assign Aux, Group (or Variable Group), Matrix, PQ, or VCA controls to the Assignable Output Faders:

■ Press the corresponding switch in the Output Faders sec-

tion. Choices are Aux 1–8, Aux 9–16, Personal Q, Matrixes, Groups, and VCAs.

To select a channel, do one of the following:

■ Press the Select switch on the control surface channel strip.

– or –

■ Click anywhere in the on-screen channel fader strip, except

on the fader, mute, solo or safe buttons.

Click to select channel

Clicking on-screen to select a channel

Multi-Select

Multi-Select lets you select multiple channels in order to apply an action to them in one step.

Press to assign faders

Bank switches for Output channels

D-Show Guide36

Multi-Select only applies to channels. To select multiple snapshots or other named items, use the Shift key on the keyboard.

To select multiple channels from the control surface:

1 Press and hold the Multi-Select switch (located above the in-

put Bank switches). The switch ﬂashes to indicate Multi–Select mode.

2 Press Select on each channel you want to include in the se-

lection.

3 Release the Multi-Select switch.

4 Perform a routing assignment or other function (for exam-

ple, press a Bus Assign switch on one of the included channels). The operation is applied to all selected channels.

You can use the Shift key on the keyboard in place of the Multi-Select switch to select multiple channels.

To exit Multi-Select mode, do one of the following:

■ Press Cancel.

– or –

■ Press the Select switch on a channel that is currently not se-

lected.

To select multiple channels on-screen:

■ Press and hold the Multi-Select switch (or hold Shift on the

keyboard) and click the fader strips on-screen.

To select an 8-channel bank on-screen:

■ Click the bank name below the on-screen fader strips.

Click to select banks of 8

Clicking a bank display to select multiple channels on-screen

To select all input channels or all output channels on-screen:

■ Double-click any bank name below the on-screen fader

strips in the Input or Outputs screen.

To remove a channel from a selection:

■ Control-click a highlighted channel.

See “Screen Controls and Shortcuts” on page 38 for additional on-screen features.

Multi-Assign

There are two types of Multi-Assign switches on D-Show, as follows:

Using Multi-Assign to Route Channels to Main or Group Busses

To route multiple channels to any number of Main or Group busses:

1 Target the ﬁrst channel you want to route to the Main or

Group busses by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns sec-

tion.

3 Press the Select switches on the other channels you want to

route to a Main or Group bus.

4 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press any of the Main or

Group bus switches so that they are lit.

5 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

Using Multi-Assign to Route Channels to Output Busses

To assign multiple channels to an Aux, Group (or Variable Group), or VCA:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Fader as-

signment section:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Groups

• VCAs

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch above the Assignable Output

Fader where you want to make the assignment. The ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch and the banner display at the lower left of the screen indicate that Multi-Assign mode is enabled.

3 Press the Select switches on the channels you want to assign

to the Aux, Group (or Variable Group) or VCA.

ACS Bus Assigns The Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section is used to route channels to the Main and Group busses.

Assignable Output Faders The Multi-Assign switch on each Assignable Output Fader is used to route channels to Output busses or VCAs.

4 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

See Chapter 8, “Outputs and Output Routing.”

Chapter 5: Navigating and Selecting Channels 37

Type Text Search

Type Text search lets you use the keyboard for fast navigation to a channel or snapshot. You can enter the first characters of a channel name or the absolute channel number to target that channel on the ACS. (See also “Selecting and Targeting Channels” on page 36.)

Screen Controls and Shortcuts

Adjusting On-Screen Faders

You can move on-screen faders independently or in ganged fashion.

To search for and select a channel by name:

1 Go to the Inputs, Outputs, or Patchbay page.

2 Type the ﬁrst few letters, channel number, or full name of

the channel. For example, type “s” to go to the ﬁrst channel beginning with the letter s (such as Snare).

3 Press the Tab key to cycle through and select any other

channels beginning with that letter (such as Snare Top, Snare Bottom, or Strings).

Channel Numbers and Names

D-Show channel numbers are “absolute” channel numbers. Renaming changes the displayed name associated with each channel, but the absolute channel number remains fixed.

To search for and select a channel by absolute number :

■ Type a number on the alphanumeric to select the corre-

sponding channel.

Type Text search can also be used to select snapshots in the Snapshots page. See Chapter 21, “Snapshots.”

Targeting Plug-In Inserts

Selecting a single channel targets that channel in the ACS. This lets you use the ACS and Assignable Output Encoders to adjust controls in plug-ins inserted on the targeted channel.

To target a channel in the ACS:

■ Press the channel Select switch.

To move a single fader on-screen, do one of the following:

■ Drag a fader in the on-screen channel strip section at the

bottom of the screen.

– or –

■ Select a channel and move its fader in the on-screen se-

lected channel controls.

Fader in

selected channel

section

Fader in channel strip section

Dragging a fader on-screen

To move multiple faders on-screen in ganged fashion:

1 Select multiple channels on-screen by Shift-clicking them.

2 Move the fader on one of the selected channels.

The faders on the selected channels will move in ganged fashion. Any offset between the faders is maintained until at least one of the faders is zeroed (moved to –INF) or maxed (set to +12 dB).

To adjust a plug-in on the ACS target channel:

1 Press a Select switch in the Insert Processing section of the

ACS.

2 Press the Insert Mode switch. Plug-In parameters appear on

the Assignable Output Encoders.

See Chapter 19, “Plug-Ins.”

D-Show Guide38

Selected channels

Dragging multiple faders on-screen

Adjusting On-Screen Encoders

Fader Shortcuts

You can adjust on-screen rotary encoders by dragging directly over the on-screen knob.

To adjust an on-screen rotar y encoder:

1 Click on the knob so that it is highlighted.

2 Drag up to turn the encoder clockwise; drag down to turn

the encoder counter-clockwise.

Dragging over an encoder on-screen

Adjusting Values On-Screen

In addition to typing numeric values in text boxes, you can adjust parameter values and numeric option settings on-screen by dragging directly over the corresponding text box.

To adjust a value on-screen by dragging:

1 Click in the text box to select the value.

2 Drag up to increase the value; drag down to decrease the

value.

The on-screen Fader display provides the following right-click shortcuts.

Right-clicking a fader on-screen

Reset Fader

Resets the fader position to zero.

Reset Strip

Resets every parameter on that channel to its default setting.

Make Selected Mono Strips Stereo/Make Selected Stereo Strip Mono

Combines two selected mono channels into a single stereo channel, or splits a selected stereo channel into two mono channels. D-Show must be in Config mode to change the stereo status of a channel.

Move Selected Strip

Adjusting a parameter value by dragging over its text box

Adjusting an option setting by dragging over its text box

Moves a selected strip from its current position to a new location. D-Show must be in Config mode to move channel strips.

To move a fader strip:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Select the channel you want to move.

3 On-screen, right-click on the strip where you want to move

the selected channel.

4 Choose Move Selected Strip Here from the pop-up menu.

Chapter 5: Navigating and Selecting Channels 39

Channel Strip Shortcuts

The on-screen channel controls provide the following right-click shortcuts.

Right-clicking channel strip controls on-screen

Reset Control

Resets the control to zero.

To reset an on-screen fader or encoder to its default value, do one of the following:

■ Right-click the control and choose Reset.

– or –

■ Alt-click the control.

Reset Strip

To reset an entire channel strip to its default settings:

■ Right-click the on-screen channel fader and choose Reset

Strip.

D-Show Guide40

Chapter 6: Options

Edit

Overview of Options

The Options page provides the following tabs:

• System Conﬁg (see “System Conﬁguration” on page 41)

• Busses (see “Busses” on page 44)

• Pickoffs (see “Pickoffs” on page 45)

• Snapshots (see“Snapshots” on page 46)

• Miscellaneous (see “Misc” on page 46)

• Interaction (see “Interaction” on page 47)

• Devices (see “Devices” on page 44)

• Plug-Ins (see “Installing and Authorizing Plug-Ins” on page 137)

To display the Options page, do one of the following:

■ Press the Options switch in the View modes section of the

Main Unit.

– or –

■ Click the Options tab on-screen.

The System Configuration and Devices screens provide the primary tools by which you configure D-Show mixing, routing, and processing options.

In Config mode, the Edit button becomes available to let you change settings. When a System Config setting is changed, the Apply button becomes available at the right of the screen to let you confirm and apply changes.

System Conﬁguration tab of the Options page

In Show mode, the Edit button is unavailable. This protects these settings from being changed during a performance (since changes to these settings can interrupt audio).

System Conﬁguration settings on a standard D-Show system

Input Channels FX Returns Graphic EQs

32, 48, 64, or 96 8 or 16 0, 8, 16, or 24

System Conﬁguration

The System Config page lets you allocate DSP resources used for routing and processing, configure the Main and Aux/Group busses, clear the console, and quit (shut down D-Show).

To access the System Conﬁg page:

■ Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

Editing System Conﬁg Settings

Settings available in the System Config screen can only be edited while in Config mode.

Changing the system configuration will restart the D-Show software and may interrupt audio.

To change a System Conﬁg option:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

3 Click Edit.

4 Change a System Conﬁg, Main Bus, or Bus Conﬁguration

option.

5 Click Apply to conﬁrm and apply your new settings.

Chapter 6: Options 41

System Conﬁguration Settings

FX Returns

The System Configuration section shows DSP and other resources currently available. Available configurations depend on the number of Mix Engine cards in your system (see “Devices” on page 44).

In Show mode, the System Config area is display-only. In Config mode, you can allocate resources for mixing, routing, and processing.

To change a System Conﬁguration setting:

1 Put D-Show in Config mode.

2 Click the Edit button on-screen.

3 Choose a new setting for Mix Engines, Channels, FX Re-

turns, or Graphic EQs.

4 Click Apply to conﬁrm the settings.

Designating the number of Input Channels

Mix Engines

On a complete D-Show system, the Mix Engine setting is determined by the number of DSP Engine Cards detected and cannot be changed.

Mix Engine allocation can be edited in the D-Show Standalone software, letting you pre-configure a Show file off-line then transfer the Show to a D-Show system. See Chapter 23, “Using the D-Show Standalone Software.”

Choose the number of FX Return channels you need. You can choose to have 8 or 16 stereo FX Return channels. Choosing the lower number leaves more DSP for plug-ins; choosing the higher number reduces the amount of DSP available for plug-ins.

Graphic EQs

Choose the number of Graphic EQs you will need for output processing. You can choose to have 0, 8, 16, or 24 Graphic EQs. Choosing a lower number leaves more DSP for plug-ins; choosing a higher number reduces the amount of DSP available for plug-ins.

DSPs Available for Plug-Ins

The amount of DSP available for plug-ins depends on your other System Config settings, and cannot be changed directly. To change the amount of DSP available for plug-ins, adjust other System Configuration settings:

To maximize the DSP available for plug-ins:

■ Reduce the number of Channels, FX Returns, or Graphic

EQs.

To increase the total amount of DSP available on your system:

■ Add Mix Engine cards, disable the second Stage Rack, or re-

duce the number of Channels, FX Returns, or Graphic EQs.

Enable Stage 2

Lets you enable an (optional) second Stage Rack to increase the I/O capacity of the D-Show system.

Enable HDx2

Channels

Choose the total number of Input Channels you need. This number represents mono channels; each stereo channel uses two mono channels.

Available choices will vary depending on the number of Mix Engine cards and resources available on your system. With a standard system containing two Mix Engine cards, you can choose 32, 48, 64, or 96 Input Channels.

Choosing a lower number of Input Channels leaves more DSP for plug-ins; choosing a higher number reduces the amount of DSP available for plug-ins.

D-Show Guide42

Lets you enable an (optional) second HDx card to increase the I/O capacity of the TDM Record/Playback Option.

Input Settings

L–C–R

With the HDx TDM Record/Playback Option, you can replace Stage Rack inputs with fixed HDx card outputs. On systems with 2 Stage Racks and 2 HDx cards, you can replace the inputs from each Stage Rack independently.

Input source selectors in the System Conﬁg page

See the HDx TDM Record/Playback Option Guide.

Main Bus Settings

The Main Bus Settings let you configure the Main mix bus. See “Configuring the Main Busses” on page 62.

This setting enables L–C–R mode, which lets you mix in “3-across-the-front” mode.

Changing the Main Bus mode will restart the D-Show software and may interrupt audio.

To change the Main Bus conﬁguration:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

3 Click Edit.

4 Click to choose a Main Bus mode.

5 Click Apply. D-Show restarts.

Bus Conﬁguration Settings

The Bus Configuration Settings let you choose the D-Show Aux and Group busses configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Main Busses options in the System Conﬁg page

L–R plus Mono

This default setting provides a stereo bus, plus one mono bus.

Bus Conﬁguration in Conﬁg/Edit mode

To change the Aux/Group/Variable Group Bus Conﬁguration:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Click the Edit button on-screen.

3 Click to select a Bus Conﬁguration option.

4 Click Apply. D-Show restarts.

Chapter 6: Options 43

Devices

The Devices page lets you view system connections, troubleshoot hardware and reset D-Show system components.

To display the Devices tab:

■ Click Options > Devices.

Devices tab of the Options page

On the D-Show system, you can use this page to update the system when adding expansion options, or to view component status after diagnostics or troubleshooting.

Other D-Show Options

Busses

The Busses page lets you customize characteristics for the Aux, Variable Group, Solo, and Main busses.

Busses tab of the Options page

Auxiliaries & Variable Groups

These options let you designate bus link status, pick off source, and stereo pan behavior.

To reset D-Show system hardware components:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the Devices tab.

3 Right-click any of the following hardware components:

• Inputs section of the Main Unit

• ACS section of the Main Unit

• Outputs section of the Main Unit

• Sidecar

• Stage Rack

4 Choose Reset.

Simulating a D-Show Conﬁguration with the Standalone Software

With the D-Show Standalone software, you can use the Devices page to simulate a D-Show system of any size for purposes of preparing shows. See “Simulating a D-Show Configuration” on page 178.

See Chapter 10, “Auxes and Variable Groups.”

Links When enabled, this option links the corresponding mono Aux or Variable Group busses into bus pairs. Control changes affect both mono Aux busses, and the Follows Channel Pan option becomes available.

Pickoff These options let you designate the pre-fader pickoff point feeding each Aux or Variable Group bus. Choices include pre-EQ, pre-mute, and pre-fader (post-mute).

Follows Channel Pan Each channel can be panned independently within each linked Aux or Variable Group bus pair, or configured to follow the channel pan by enabling the Follows Channel Pan option.

D-Show Guide44

To change the Aux bus or Variable Group bus conﬁguration:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

Stereo Group Panning Operation

(Not Available in Variable Groups Mode)

2 Go to the Options page and click the Busses tab.

3 Click Edit.

4 Conﬁgure the following settings:

•To link two mono Aux busses or Variable Group busses into a bus pair, select the Link option for the corresponding pair.

• Specify the panning for channels routed to Aux or Variable Group bus pairs by selecting or deselecting the Follows Channel Pan option.

• Click to select the pickoff point for each bus (Pre-EQ, Pre-Mute, or Pre-Fader).

5 Click Apply to reconﬁgure the system.

– or –

Click Cancel to exit without changing system settings.

Solo Operation

These settings customize Solo bus mode and operation.

See Chapter 14, “Solo and Monitor Busses.”

Type Solo mode choices include PFL (Pre-Fader Listen), Stereo AFL (After-Fader Listen), and Solo-In-Place.

The Stereo Group Panning Operation options provide different levels of flexibility for how channels can be routed to Groups.

See Chapter 9, “Groups.”

To change Stereo Group Panning Operation:

1 Put D-Show in Conﬁg mode.

2 Click to select Simple or Expert mode.

Pickoffs

The Pickoffs page lets you control bus pickoff point on input strips, as well as specify source and insert points for output busses. The Pickoffs page also provides master control for D-Show Delay Compensation.

Auxes/Var Groups Follow AFL Causes the controls for an Aux Send or Variable Group Send to be automatically displayed on the Input Channel encoders whenever the AFL switch is pressed on the corresponding output bus.

Auto Cancel Soloing a channel strip automatically takes any currently soloed channels out of solo.

Input Priority Makes soloed inputs temporarily replace soloed output busses on the AFL/PFL bus.

Panning/Center Divergence

The Panning section provides control over center channel divergence when the Main Bus is set to L–C–R mode. See “Main Bus Center Divergence Options” on page 67.

To set Center Divergence:

■ Enter a value or drag in the Center Divergence text box and

press Enter.

Pickoffs tab of the Options page

Throughout this guide, Pickoff options are explained where relevant.

Chapter 6: Options 45

Snapshots

The Snapshots page provides several snapshot preference settings to optimize D-Show Snapshot operation.

Modes Available MTC modes are MTC Off, MTC Read (slave), and MTC Generate (master).

Frame Rate This option sets the frame rate that is used when generating MTC.

Start Time This option sets the start time that is used when generating MTC.

MIDI

Designates the channel on which snapshots send or receive MIDI Bank Select and Program Change information.

See Chapter 22, “Synchronization.”

Snapshots Send on Channel This option sets snapshots to send Bank Select and Program Change commands on selected MIDI channel.

Snapshots tab of the Options page

Snapshot General Preferences

The following settings are available in the Snapshots page.

See Chapter 21, “Snapshots.”

Default Crossfade Time Defines the length of time it takes D-Show to crossfade between fader levels when recalling snapshots.

PRE

The options in the PRE section let you specify which parameters are recalled with Snapshots whose scope includes Pre settings. Click to toggle whether recalled Input snapshot data includes the following:

• Gain, Pad, and Phase

• +48V (phantom power)

• Delay

• HPF

Aux Mon and Aux FX

These settings let you classify individual Aux Sends or Variable Group Sends (or linked bus pairs) as monitor sends (“Mon”) or as effects sends (“FX”), which lets you scope each type separately from the Snapshots page.

This option is for organizing Aux Sends and Variable Group Sends for snapshot control only, and does not directly affect Aux bus or Variable Group bus operation.

Snapshots Respond to Channel This option sets snapshots to respond to incoming Bank Select and Program Change commands on the selected MIDI channel

MIDI Snapshot Output Safe Safes (shuts off) D-Show MIDI output of when snapshots are recalled. This does not affect sending of Bank Select and Program Change commands with the Snapshots Send on Channel option.

Misc

The Miscellaneous page provides utility and other settings.

Misc tab of the Options page

Oscillator

Lets you choose the tone, frequency, and level for the built-in oscillator.

MTC (MIDI Time Code)

The MIDI Time Code options let you control MTC operational modes, frame rate, and Start Time.

D-Show Guide46

While the Oscillator is set to Variable Sine, pressing the Osc encoder momentarily changes the Osc encoder function from level to frequency.

System Clock

Assignable Channel Selection

Sets the date and time for the system.

Talkback

Talkback Level Lets you activate Talkback and set Talkback input level.

Talkback Dim Level Sets the dim level, or amount of attenuation applied to the mix on the output bus when Talkback is activated.

2-Track

2-Track Level Lets you activate 2-Track input and set 2-Track input level.

2-Track Input Selects which 2-Track input (analog, or digital) is fed to the monitors and output busses.

Delay Units

Lets you set the display units on all applicable input and output delay controls. This makes it possible to set the delay based on any of the following:

• delay time (in milliseconds)

• distance to the source (in feet or meters)

• number of samples of delay

Interaction

The Interaction page lets you configure the Assignable Channel Selection, Input Safe Switches, Foot Switch, Meter, and LCD Display options.

Options in this section set the mechanism by which channels are targeted on the ACS.

To customize D-Show control surface and screen interaction:

1 Go to the Options page and click the Interaction tab.

2 Set the following Assignable Channel Selection options:

Change Target By

The Change Target By options let you specify whether the following actions target the affected channel on the ACS. More than one option can be selected simultaneously.

• Touching Input Faders

• Engaging Input Solos

• Touching Output Faders

• Engaging Output Solos

Targeting Changes View Mode

The Targeting Changes View Mode option updates the on-screen display to show the page for the channel targeted in the ACS. When this option is deselected, the on-screen display does not update when a channel is targeted on the ACS.

Input Safe Switches

The Input Safe Switches let you control two independent Safe functions: Automation Safe and Solo Safe. Only one of these Safe functions can be viewed and controlled at a time.

Act as Automation Safes When selected, this option sets the Safe switches (on the control surface Input Channels and FX Returns) and Safe buttons (on all on-screen channels) to toggle the Automation Safe status of the corresponding channel. You can also use Safe Selected mode to toggle the Automation Safe status of any channel. See “Automation Safing Channels” on page 170.

Interaction tab of the Options page

Act as Solo Safes Solo Safe applies only to Input Channels and FX Returns. When selected, this option sets the Safe switches (on the control surface and on-screen) to toggle the Solo Safe status of the corresponding channel. See “Solo Bus Operation” on page 103.

Chapter 6: Options 47

Footswitch Functions

Ethernet Control

Two Footswitch inputs are provided on the back panel of the D-Show Main Unit. The Footswitch options let you set the function of Switch 1 and Switch 2 to a variety of different snapshot, solo, talkback, and mute functions.

Choices for Footswitch 1 and Footswitch 2 include:

• Recall Next Snapshot

• Recall Previous Snapshot

•Target Next Strip

•Target Previous Strip

• Clear Solos

• Flash LittLites

•Toggle Talkback Button

• Mute All Stage Outputs

•Toggle Mute Group 1

•Toggle Mute Group 2

•Toggle Mute Group 3

•Toggle Mute Group 4

•Toggle Mute Group 5

•Toggle Mute Group 6

•Toggle Mute Group 7

•Toggle Mute Group 8

•Toggle Encoder 1 Flip to Faders

•Toggle Encoder 2 Flip to Faders

Meters

Ethernet Control settings let you configure the D-Show ECx Ethernet Control option (purchased separately) to allow remote control of D-Show over a wireless Ethernet network.

See the ECx Ethernet Control Option Guide.

LCD Displays

These options let you customize the behavior of the control surface LCDs.

Show Channel Strip Value While Moving Fader This option determines what is displayed in the Channel Name display when a fader is adjusted.

When selected (default), the Channel Name display switches from showing channel name to showing the value (level) when a fader is adjusted. When deselected, the Channel Name displays do not show values when a fader is adjusted.

Viewing Angle This option lets you configure the LCD displays for optimum viewing.

Plug-Ins

The Plug-Ins tab of the Options page is used to install plug-ins on the D-Show system. The Plug-Ins tab is available on complete D-Show systems only. It is not available in the D-Show Standalone software. See “Installing and Authorizing Plug-Ins” on page 137.

Metering settings provide the following options for meter ballistics, peak, and clip indication.

Ballistics This option lets you choose RMS or Peak ballistics for the control surface and on-screen meters.

Input Clip Margin and Output Clip Margin These options set the level, relative to the maximum (full scale) level, at which a clip is reported on a channel. When a clip is detected, the entire channel meter turns red.

To set Input or Output clip margin:

1 Click in the “dB Below Max” edit box for Input Clip Margin

or Output Clip Margin.

2 Enter a value or drag to change the value and press Enter.

The entered value is interpreted as a relative dB value from the maximum (where “Max” is considered +20 dBVU). For example, with the Input Clip Margin set to 6 dB below max (the default), peak levels within 6 dB of maximum level will trigger a clip indication

Clip Hold Time and Peak Hold Time These options specify how long clips and peaks are held. Default is 2 seconds for both Clip and Peak hold.

D-Show Guide48

Part III: Signal Routing

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing

3 Click Edit.

Conﬁguring Inputs

Types of Inputs

Two types of inputs are available: Input Channels and FX Returns.

Input Channels

Input Channels are used to control inputs from the Stage Rack, FOH Rack, or Pro Tools playback options. (Bus-fed plug-ins can also be routed to Input Channels.) Input Channels can be mono or stereo. Each mono channel controls one input, and each stereo channel controls two inputs in tandem. Input Channels can appear on any of the input channel strips on the Main Unit or Sidecars.

4 Choose the number of Input Channels from the Channels

pop-up menu.

Setting the number of Input Channels

5 Click Apply. D-Show restarts with the new Input Channel

conﬁguration.

Input Channels are displayed in banks on the control surface input channel strips. The number of channels in a bank depends on the number of Sidecars in the system.

FX Returns

Effects Return channels (or FX Returns) are used to control return signals from bus-fed plug-ins, or from hardware inputs on the Stage Rack, FOH Rack, or Pro Tools playback options. FX Returns are always stereo, and appear on the input channel strips on the Main Unit only.

FX Returns are displayed in banks of 8 on the Main Unit input channel strips.

Up to 16 stereo FX Returns are available, depending on how the system inputs are configured.

Conﬁguring Input Channels

Depending on the number of Mix Engines installed in the system, D-Show can be configured to have 32, 48, 64, or 96 available Input Channels. (This number represents mono channels; each stereo channel uses use two mono channels.)

Audio may be interrupted or may change levels during this configuration procedure.

To set the number of available Input Channels:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

Conﬁguring FX Returns

Depending on the number of Mix Engines installed in the system, you can set D-Show to have either 8 or 16 available FX Returns. FX Returns are always stereo channels.

Audio may be interrupted or may change levels during this configuration procedure.

To set the number of available FX Returns:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

3 Click Edit.

4 Choose the number of FX Return channels from the FX Re-

turns pop-up menu.

Setting the number of FX Returns

5 Click Apply. D-Show restarts with the new FX Return con-

ﬁguration.

2 Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing 51

Combining Input Channels (Make Stereo)

Pairs of mono Input Channels can be combined to make stereo channels, whose left and right sides are then controlled by one input channel strip.

Stereo Input Channel in the Inputs page

Combined Input Channels are shown in the patchbay as left and right sides of the Input Channel name. FX Returns are always stereo, so they cannot be combined or split.

To split stereo channels and make them mono:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

2 Press the Make Stereo switch so that it ﬂashes.

3 Press the Select switches on the stereo channels you want to

split into mono channels.

4 Press the ﬂashing Make Stereo switch to conﬁrm the opera-

tion.

Each selected stereo channel is split, placing the channels next to each other on the control surface and in the Patchbay. Channel order on the control surface is rearranged to accommodate the new mono channels.

Naming Channels

Input Channel and FX Return channel names can be changed from the Inputs page or from the Patchbay.

To change the name of an Input Channel or FX Retur n channel:

1 Go to the Inputs page or the Patchbay page.

2 Target the channel whose name you want to change by

pressing its Select switch or selecting it on-screen.

3 Double-click the channel name.

Stereo Input Channel in the Patchbay Input page

To combine pairs of mono input channels and make them stereo:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

2 Press the Make Stereo switch in the Fader Control section.

The Make Stereo switch ﬂashes when this function is active.

3 Press the Select switches on the mono channel pairs you

want to combine. The channels do not need to be contiguous.

4 Press the ﬂashing Make Stereo switch to conﬁrm the opera-

tion.

Each selected channel is combined with the next-highest selected channel, even if the selected channels are not contiguous. Channel order on the control surface is rearranged to accommodate the new stereo channels. All parameter values from the leftmost channel of each pair are applied to both channels.

The Stereo LED (just below the Input Level meter) lights to indicate that a channel is a stereo channel.

Changing the name of an Input Channel in the Inputs page

4 Type a new name and press Enter on the computer key-

board.

When naming channels in the Patchbay, press Tab on the keyboard to go to the next channel and Shift+Tab to go to the previous channel.

D-Show Guide52

Assigning Inputs to Channels

Available input sources for Input Channels or FX Returns include:

• Stage Rack inputs

• FOH Rack inputs

• Pro Tools playback option outputs

• Plug-In outputs

Assigning Inputs from Bus-Fed Plug-Ins

Inputs from bus-fed plug-ins are routed to Input Channels and FX Returns from the Plug-In Rack. For more information on routing signals to plug-ins, see “Using Plug-Ins as a Bus Processors” on page 145.

Routing Channels To Busses

Assigning Inputs from the Patchbay

Inputs from the Stage Rack, FOH Rack and any Pro Tools playback options are routed to Input Channels or FX Returns from the Patchbay.

To assign an input source to an Input Channel or FX Retur n from the Patchbay:

1 Go to the Patchbay page and click the Inputs tab.

2 To the left of the channel grid, click the Channels tab or the

FX Returns tab.

3 Click in the channel grid to assign an input source (listed

across the top) to an Input Channel or FX Return (listed on the left).

Assigning an input source in the Patchbay Inputs page

The Patchbay Inputs page shows the name of the input source and its destination. The input source is also displayed below the channel name in the Inputs page and Patchbay Inputs page.

Signal from Input Channels and FX Returns can be routed to any of the following output busses: Mains, Groups, and Auxes.

Routing Channels to the Main Busses

The Main busses can be configured to operate as L–R plus Mono (Left–Right stereo plus a Mono channel), or as L–C–R (Left–Center–Right). See “Configuring the Main Busses” on page 62.

You can route signals from an Input Channel or FX Return to either or both of the Main busses simultaneously.

To route a single channel to the Main busses:

1 Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

2 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press the L–R (left and right)

or C/Mono (center/mono) switch so that it is lit.

The L–R or C/M Bus Assign LEDs on the channel light to indicate that the channel is routed to the corresponding bus.

To route multiple channels to the Main busses:

1 Target the ﬁrst channel you want to route to the Main bus-

ses by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns sec-

tion.

3 Press the Select switches on the other channels you want to

route to the Main busses.

Input source and destination in the Patchbay Inputs page

A single input source may be assigned to multiple Input Channels or FX Returns (you can split or fan out the source to multiple channels). If a Stage Rack input is assigned to multiple channels, gain control, phantom power and pad settings are linked across those channels.

Each Input Channel or FX Return may be fed by only one input source (multiple sources cannot be routed to a single channel).

4 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press the L–R (left and right)

or C/Mono (center/mono) switch so that it is lit.

5 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

The L–R or C/M Bus Assign LEDs on each channel light to indicate that they are routed to the corresponding bus.

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing 53

Routing Channels to Groups

Compressor/Limiter

D-Show has 8 Group busses that can be configured to be mono or stereo as part of the overall Aux/Group bus configuration. For more information on configuring Group busses, see “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

You can route signals from an Input Channel or FX Return to any number of Group busses simultaneously. For more information on routing signals to Group busses, see “Group Bus Signal Flow Options” on page 72.

Routing Channels to Auxes

D-Show can be configured to have 8 or 16 available Aux busses as part of the overall Aux/Group bus configuration. Aux busses are always mono, but can be linked in pairs to function in stereo. For more information on linking Aux busses, see “Configuring Aux Busses” on page 75.

You can send input signals from any Input Channel or FX Return to any number of Aux busses simultaneously. For more information on routing signals to Aux busses, see “Aux Bus Signal Flow Options” on page 76.

Routing Inputs to Direct Outputs

All Input Channels and FX Returns have Direct Output capability. For more information on Direct Outputs, see “Direct Outputs” on page 68.

To use the built-in Compressor/Limiter on a channel, do one of the following:

■ Press the Comp In switch on the channel.

– or –

■ Target the channel by pressing its Select switch, then press

the Comp/Lim In switch in the ACS Dynamics section.

To adjust the Compressor/Limiter threshold from a channel:

1 In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Comp Thrsh

switch to assign Compressor/Limiter threshold control to the top row of rotary encoders.

2 Turn the assigned rotary encoder to set the Compres-

sor/Limiter threshold value.

To adjust Compressor/Limiter controls from the ACS:

■ Press the Select switch next to the Comp/Lim In switch and

meter in the ACS Dynamics section. The switch lights to indicate control of the Compressor/Limiter.

Expander/Gate

To use the built-in Expander/Gate on a channel, do one of the following:

■ Press the Gate In switch on the channel.

– or –

■ Target the channel by pressing its Select switch, then press

the Exp/Gate In switch in the ACS Dynamics section.

Using Built-In Dynamics and EQ

Each Input Channel has built-in Dynamics processors, a High-Pass Filter and a 4-band EQ; each FX Return has a built-in 2-band EQ. If the channel is a stereo channel, the processor controls are linked and apply to both the left and right sides of the channel.

Using Dynamics on Channels

A built-in Compressor/Limiter and Expander/Gate are available on each Input Channel. Modular controls for all of the built-in dynamics processors are in the ACS Dynamics section, and an input/output curve appears on-screen.

See Chapter 16, “Dynamics.”

D-Show Guide54

To adjust the Expander/Gate threshold from a channel:

1 In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Gate Thrsh

switch to assign Expander/Gate threshold control to the top row of rotary encoders.

2 Turn the assigned rotary encoder to set the Expander/Gate

threshold value.

To adjust Expander/Gate controls from the ACS:

■ Press the Select switch next to the Exp/Gate In switch and

meter in the ACS Dynamics section. The switch lights to indicate control of the Expander/Gate.

Using EQ on Channels

Click to assign

Click to go to the Plug-In Rack

Click to go to the Patchbay

Click to assign

A built-in High-Pass Filter and 4-band EQ are available on each Input Channel and a 2-band EQ is available on each FX Return. Modular controls for all of the built-in EQ processors are in the ACS EQ section, and an EQ response curve appears on-screen.

One of two EQ types can be selected for the built-in EQ, on a per-channel basis: a full-spectrum parametric digital EQ or an analog-modeled EQ.

See Chapter 17, “EQ.”

To use the built-in EQ on a channel, do one of the following:

■ Press the EQ In switch on the channel.

– or –

■ Target the channel by pressing its Select switch, then press

the EQ In switch at the bottom of the ACS Equalizer section.

Using Inserts on Channels

You can use software plug-in inserts or hardware inserts on any Input Channel or FX Return.

Using Plug-In Inserts on Channels

Plug-Ins are arranged in virtual racks, which allow signals to be sent to and from each plug-in as if it were an external processor. Plug-Ins can be used in two ways: as inserts, or as effects in a Send/Return arrangement.

Insert The plug-in is patched in at the insert point on an Input Channel or FX Return. Each Input Channel may have up to four plug-in inserts.

Send/Return Signal is sent to the plug-in over any of the system busses (usually an Aux Send) and routed back to an Input Channel or FX Return.

For more information on using plug-ins in a Send/Return arrangement, see “Using Plug-Ins as a Bus Processors” on page 145.

Inserting Plug-Ins on Channels

You can insert plug-ins on Input Channels and FX Returns directly from the Inputs page or from the Plug-In Rack.

To inser t a plug-in on a channel:

1 Go to the Inputs page and target the channel where you

want to insert the plug-in.

2 In the Inserts section of the Inputs page, do one of the fol-

lowing:

• Click one of the four Plug-In Insert pop-up menus and choose a plug-in directly from one of the Plug-In Rack submenus.

– or –

• Click one of the four Plug-In Insert buttons to go to the Plug-In Rack, and route the signal to the plug-in using Plug-In Rack controls.

Assigning a plug-in insert in the Inputs page

The name of the plug-in insert appears in the on-screen Plug-In Insert display.

Using Hardware Inserts on Channels

D-Show lets you insert external processors in the signal chain of Input Channels and FX Returns.

Assigning Hardware Inserts to Inputs

You can assign hardware inserts to Input Channels and FX Returns directly from the Inputs page or from the Patchbay.

To assign a hardware insert to an input:

1 Go to the Inputs page and target the channel where you

want to assign the hardware insert.

2 In the Inserts section of the Inputs page, do one of the fol-

lowing:

• Click the Hardware Insert pop-up menu and choose an insert destination directly from the menu.

– or –

• Click the Hardware Insert button to go to the Inserts page of the Patchbay, and assign the insert from the Patchbay.

See Chapter 19, “Plug-Ins.”

Assigning a hardware insert in the Inputs page

The name of the hardware insert destination appears in the on-screen Hardware Insert button.

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing 55

Setting the Hardware Insert Location

You can choose the location of the hardware insert in the signal path, relative to the four plug-in inserts, for each channel. A hardware insert does not need to be currently assigned to do this.

To set the hardware insert location:

1 Go to the Inputs page and target the channel where you

want to set the hardware insert location.

Using Input Direct

Input Direct mode lets you completely bypass the built-in dynamics and EQ processing, and all inserts on Input Channels and FX Returns. This mode routes the input signal directly from the Top of Channel pickoff to the channel fader.

Input Channels Input Direct bypasses the HPF, built-in dynamics and EQ, plug-in inserts, and the hardware insert point on Input Channels.

2 In the Inserts section of the Inputs page, click the hardware

insert indicator so that it lights red.

Click to set HW Insert location

Setting a hardware insert location in the Inputs page

Activating and Bypassing Inserts

After hardware and plug-in inserts are assigned, they can be activated and bypassed from the from the ACS section or the corresponding Input page controls.

Hardware inserts can be also be activated and bypassed directly from Input Channels and FX Returns.

To activate or bypass a channel’s plug-in or hardware insert from the ACS section:

1 Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press any of the Plug-In switches or the Hardware switch to

activate or bypass the corresponding Insert. The switch lights when the insert is activated.

To activate or bypass a hardware insert from an Input Channel or FX Return:

■ Press the Insert In switch on the channel. The switch lights

when the insert is in-circuit.

FX Returns Input Direct bypasses the built-in EQ, plug-in inserts, and the hardware insert point on FX Returns.

To bypass all processing on an input channel:

1 Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the Input Direct switch in the Channel Conﬁg section

of the ACS. The switch ﬂashes to indicate Input Direct mode is active on the targeted channel.

Adjusting Input Controls

Input Gain

Input Gain is adjustable from the rotary encoders on each Input Channel and FX Return. Mic inputs have a gain range from +10 dB to +60 dB. Analog line inputs and digital inputs have a gain range from –20 dB to +18 dB.

Gain Guess Feature

An automated Gain Guess function can be used to set a nominal level for a channel based on its incoming signal. When you press and hold the rotary encoder assigned to control gain (either the bottom row of input encoders or the Input Gain encoder in the ACS section), the system samples incoming signals and automatically sets the channel gain and pad for a 0 dB reference when the encoder is released.

Gain Indicators

When Gain is displayed on the lower row of input encoders, the encoder’s indicator LED lights to indicate that the gain is set to the default value (+10 dB for analog inputs, and 0 dB for digital inputs). Gain change is indicated by the encoder ring LEDs, and gain value is shown in the channel display.

D-Show Guide56

Setting Input Gain

Gain can be controlled from individual channel strips or from the ACS section.

To adjust input gain using the Gain Guess feature:

1 Press and hold the assigned rotary encoder while the chan-

nel is receiving input signal. The LED ﬂashes to indicate level sampling.

Encoder 2 Assign switches

Encoder 2

Aux Assign

Flip

Input meter

Select

Solo

Input controls on input channel strips

+48V 20

Polarity

Input Gain

Delay

HPF Freq

HPF

Available

Pan

(Width)

dB Pad

Right Offset

Default LED

In/Out LED

Default (Center) LED

ACS

Selected Channel Solo and Mute

KICKKICK

Input controls and their location in the ACS

To adjust input gain for a channel:

1 Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Gain switch to assign gain control to the bottom row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch. Gain control for the channel is assigned to the Input Gain rotary encoder in the ACS section.

2 Adjust the gain by turning the assigned rotary encoder.

KICK KICK

2 Release the rotary encoder to the current gain guess.

When gain control is assigned to Encoder 2, you can press encoders on multiple channels simultaneously to use Gain Guess on each channel.

Setting Right Offset on Stereo Channels

On stereo Input Channels and FX Returns, the Gain control affects both the left and right channels. The Right Offset feature lets you offset the gain of the right channel relative to the left channel by –20 dB to +20 dB, within the overall gain limits.

To adjust channel gain offset for a stereo channel:

1 Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Right Offset switch to assign offset control to the bottom row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch, then press the Right Offset switch in the ACS Input section. Channel Gain Offset is assigned to the Input Gain rotary encoder in the ACS section.

2 Adjust the right channel gain offset by turning the assigned

rotary encoder.

Stereo Level Offset Indication

With stereo channels, if the difference in signal level between the left and right channels is 12 dB or greater, the Stereo LED below the channel meter flashes.

Pan

Pan adjusts channel pan (for mono Input Channels) and stereo balance (for stereo Input Channels and FX Returns), allowing you to control panning of signal to Groups or to Mains.

To adjust channel pan/balance:

1 Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Pan switch to assign pan/balance control to the bottom row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch. Pan/balance control is assigned to the Width/Pan rotary encoder in the ACS section.

2 Adjust the channel pan/balance by turning the assigned ro-

tary encoder.

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing 57

Width

Delay

Width adjusts the stereo image of stereo Input Channels and FX Returns by controlling ganged pan positions of the left and right channels, in opposite directions.

Width can be adjusted from full L–R, to mono, to full reversed L–R. Width controls are not available on mono channels.

To adjust width of a stereo channel:

Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Width switch to assign width control to the bottom row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch. Press the Width/Pan rotary encoder in the ACS section to toggle control of width and pan/balance.

Adjust the width by turning the assigned rotary encoder. Turning the encoder clockwise moves the width to full stereo, and counter-clockwise moves the width to reverse stereo. The center position represents mono.

High-Pass Filter

A built-in 4th-order High-Pass Filter can be engaged on each Input Channel. The HPF corner frequency range is from 20 Hz to 500 Hz. The Blue LED below the HPF Freq encoder indicates the HF is available on the corresponding channel.

A variable delay can be applied to any Input Channel or FX Return. The delay range is from 0 to 250 milliseconds.

To apply delay to a channel:

Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the Delay switch to assign delay control to the top row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch. Delay control is assigned to the Delay rotary encoder in the ACS section.

Press the assigned rotary encoder to apply the delay to the channel. The rotary encoder “On” indicator LED lights when delay is applied.

Adjust the delay value by turning the assigned rotary encoder.

Phantom Power

48V phantom power can be applied to any Stage Rack input assigned to an Input Channel or FX Return.

To apply phantom power to a Stage Rack input:

Assign a Stage Rack input to a channel. See “Assigning Inputs to Channels” on page 53.

To engage the built-in HPF on an Insert Channel:

Do one of the following:

• In the Encoder Assignment section, press the HPF curve switch to assign HPF control to the top row of rotary encoders.

– or –

•Target the channel by pressing its Select switch. HPF control is assigned to the HPF Freq rotary encoder in the ACS section.

Press the assigned rotary encoder to insert the ﬁlter in the channel. The rotary encoder “On” indicator LED lights when the HPF is in circuit.

Adjust the HPF corner frequency by turning the assigned ro-

tary encoder.

Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

Press the +48V switch in the ACS Input section. The switch lights when phantom power is applied to the Stage Rack input. The corresponding channel’s “+48V” LED on the Stage Rack Input Card also lights.

If an input is moved to a different channel, the phantom power setting will move with the input.

20 dB Pad

A 20 dB pad can be applied to any Stage Rack input assigned to an Input Channel or FX Return.

To apply a 20 dB pad to a Stage Rack input:

Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

Press the 20 dB Pad switch in the ACS Input section. The

switch lights when the pad is applied to the Stage Rack input.

The Gain Guess feature may turn the Pad on or off to accommodate incoming signal level

D-Show Guide

Input Polarity (Phase) Invert

Channel Faders

The polarity of any Input Channel or FX Return signal can be inverted. With stereo channels, only the left channel is inverted.

To invert the polarity of a channel:

Target the channel by pressing its Select switch.

Press the polarity inversion (Ø) switch in the ACS Input sec-

tion. The switch lights when the polarity is inverted.

Channel Solo

Three Solo modes are available: Solo In Place (SIP), Pre-Fader Listen (PFL), and After-Fader Listen (AFL), and several options are available for configuring Solo bus operation. Channels can also be implicitly soloed as part of a VCA.

See Chapter 14, “Solo and Monitor Busses.”.

To solo a channel:

■

Press the channel’s Solo switch so that the Solo switch is lit.

Channel Mute

Channels can be muted in three ways: explicitly with the channel mute switch; implicitly as a result of another channel being soloed, and as a member of a Mute Group or VCA.

Channel Faders provide channel level control from – to +12 dB.

Fader Banking Controls

Input Channels are displayed in banks on the control surface channel strips. (The number of channels in a bank depends on the number of Sidecars in the system.)

To bank display of Input Channels on the control surface:

■

Press the Bank A, Bank B, Bank C, or Bank D switches to dis-

play the corresponding banks of Input Channels.

FX Return Display Controls

The channel strips on the Main Unit can be set to display Input Channels or FX Returns.

FX Returns are always stereo channels.

To display FX Returns on the Main Unit:

■

Press the FX Return 1–8 or FX Return 9–16 switch to display

the corresponding FX Returns.

∞

(–INF)

See Chapter 15, “Muting and Mute Groups.”.

To explicitly mute a channel:

■

Press the Mute switch on the channel. The mute switch

lights solid to indicate the channel is explicitly muted.

Chapter 7: Inputs and Input Routing 59

D-Show Guide

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing

Conﬁguring Outputs

Types of Outputs

The following types of output busses are available: Mains, Groups (or Variable Groups), Auxes, Matrixes, and Personal Qs.

In addition, VCA-style control of channel strips is available.

Mains

The Main busses can be configured in L–R+M or L–C–R formats. For more information, see “Configuring the Main Busses” on page 62.

The Main busses are controlled from the dedicated Mains controls and fader in the Output section.

Groups

Eight Group busses are available. These Group busses can be globally configured to be mono or stereo as part of the overall Aux/Group bus configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Group outputs can be controlled from either the Assignable Output Encoders or Assignable Output Faders in the Output section.

See Chapter 9, “Groups.”

Variable Groups

When D-Show is in Variable Groups mode , the 8 Group busses operate in much the same way as Aux busses. This bus configuration mode lets you send independently controllable signals to all 24 busses in the system.

When set to Variable Groups mode, the D-Show Output section has 16 available Aux busses and 8 available Variable Group busses.

Variable Groups mode is set as part of the Aux/Group bus configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Matrixes and Personal Qs

Eight Matrix mixers and 8 Personal Q mixers are available. Matrixes and Personal Qs function independently and can have separate input sources.

Matrix mixer and Personal Q mixer input sources are assigned in the Pickoffs tab of the Options page.

Matrix mixer outputs are mono and Personal Q mixer outputs are stereo.

Matrix mixer outputs and Personal Q mixer outputs can be controlled from the Assignable Output Faders in the Output section.

See Chapter 11, “Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers.”

Auxes

Up to 16 Aux busses are available. The number of available Aux busses is set as part of the overall Aux/Group bus configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Aux bus outputs can be controlled from either the Assignable Output Encoders or Assignable Output Faders in the Output section.

See Chapter 10, “Auxes and Variable Groups.”

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing 61

Conﬁguring the Main Busses

The Main busses can be configured to operate in the following ways:

To conﬁgure the Aux/Group/Variable Group busses:

Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

L–R Plus Mono Pans signals between the left and right chan-

nels to the L–R bus, and sums signals to a separate mono bus.

L–C–R Pans signals across left, center and right channels.

Audio may be interrupted or may change levels during this configuration procedure.

To conﬁgure the Main busses:

Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

Go to the Options page and click the System Conﬁg tab.

Click Edit.

Setting the Main bus conﬁguration

Select the conﬁguration for the Main Busses.

Click Apply. D-Show restarts with the new Main bus conﬁg-

uration.

Conﬁguring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses

Auxes and Groups (or Variable Groups) share the available system busses. Configuration options include the following:

Click Edit.

Select a bus conﬁguration.

Selecting a bus conﬁguration

Click Apply. D-Show restarts with the new bus conﬁgura-

tion.

Data Cleared When Changing Bus Conﬁgurations

When the bus configuration is changed, the following settings are cleared (or set to default) from the current console settings and from all stored snapshots, for all Groups (or Variable Groups):

• Group Bus Output levels

• Group Bus Plug-In routing

• Group Bus Graphic EQ assignments

• Group Bus Direct Output assignments

• Snapshot references to Groups

• Input channel routing to Groups

• Group Pan (mono) and Balance/Width (stereo) settings

• Group assignments to Mains

16 Auxes + 8 Mono Groups Divides the available system bus-

ses between 16 mono Aux busses and 8 mono Group busses.

8 Auxes + 8 Stereo Groups Divides the available system busses

between 8 mono Aux busses and 8 stereo Group busses.

16 Auxes + 8 Variable Groups (24 Bus) Divides the available

system busses between 16 mono Aux busses and 8 mono Variable Group busses (Variable Groups mode).

Audio may be interrupted or may change levels during this configuration procedure

D-Show Guide

Linking Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses

When working with Aux busses or Variable Group busses, you can link odd/even bus pairs and pan input signals into those bus pairs. Aux bus pairs and Variable Group bus pairs are linked on a global basis, and appear as linked on all channels.

For more information on linking Auxes and Variable Groups, see “Linking Aux Busses for Stereo Operation” on page 75.

Naming Channels

Groups switch

Output channel names can be changed from the Outputs page or from the Patchbay.

To change the name of an Output channel:

Go to the Outputs page or the Patchbay page.

Target the channel whose name you want to change by

pressing its Select switch or selecting it on-screen.

Double-click the channel name.

The Patchbay Outputs page shows the name of the bus or mixer and its destination. The destination is also displayed below the channel name in the Outputs page and Patchbay Outputs page.

Output name and destination in the Patchbay Outputs page

Routing Group Outputs to the Main Busses

You can route Group outputs to the Main busses on-screen or from the ACS.

Changing the name of an Output channel in the Outputs page

Type a new name and press Enter on the computer key-

board.

When naming channels in the Patchbay, press Tab on the keyboard to go to the next channel and Shift+Tab to go to the previous channel.

Routing Busses to Hardware Outputs

Mains, Groups (or Variable Groups), Auxes, Matrix mixer outputs and PQ mixer outputs can be routed to any hardware output on the system. Available output destinations include:

• Stage Rack outputs

• FOH Rack outputs

• Pro Tools recording option inputs

Busses and mixer outputs are routed to system outputs from the Patchbay.

To assign a bus or mixer output to a system output from the Patchbay:

Go to the Patchbay page and click the Outputs tab.

Variable Groups cannot be routed to the Mains.

To route a Group output to the Main busses on-screen:

1 Go to the Outputs page and select the channel fader strip tor

the Group you want to route to the Main busses.

2 Click the Bus Assign buttons on-screen to toggle the bus as-

signment for the selected Group.

Assigning a Group output to the Main busses from the Output page

To route a Group output to the Main busses from the ACS:

1 Press the Groups switch in the Output Fader assignment sec-

tion to assign control of Group levels to the faders.

To the left of the channel grid, click the Mains, PQ, Matrix,

Aux or Group tab.

Click in the channel grid to assign a bus or Matrix/PQ mixer output (listed on the left) to a hardware output (listed across the top).

Assigning an output in the Patchbay Outputs page

Assigning control of Groups to the Assignable Output Faders

2 Select the channel for each Group you want to assign to the

Main busses.

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing 63

3 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press the L–R (left and right)

or C/Mono (center/mono) switch so that it is lit.

Left–Right Center/Mono Main bus Assign switch

Main bus Assign switch

2 In the Inserts section of the Outputs page, do one of the fol-

lowing:

• Click one of the four Plug-In Insert pop-up menus and choose a plug-in directly from one of the Plug-In Rack submenus.

– or –

• Click one of the four Plug-In Insert buttons to go to the Plug-In Rack, and route the signal to the plug-in using Plug-In Rack controls.

Assigning a Group output to the Main busses from the ACS

4 Move the channel’s fader to set the Group output level.

Group Routing Indication on Assignable Output Encoders

When Groups are assigned to the Assignable Output Encoders, the encoder indicator LEDs indicate Main bus assignments as follows:

Off Group routing to Mains is turned off.

Yellow Group output is routed to the Mains L–R bus.

Green Group output is routed to the Mains C/M bus.

Red Group output is routed to both the Mains L–R bus and the

Mains C/M bus.

Using Inserts on Output Busses

You can use software plug-in inserts or hardware inserts on any of the following Output bus types: Mains, Groups (or Variable Groups), Auxes, Matrixes, and Personal Qs.

Click to assign

Assigning a Plug-In Insert in the Outputs page

Click to go to the Plug-In Rack

The name of the plug-in insert appears in the on-screen Plug-In Insert button.

If the output bus is assigned to the Assignable Output Encoders or Assignable Output Faders, the corresponding Insert LED lights to indicate the presence of an insert.

Using Hardware Inserts on Output Busses

D-Show lets you insert external processors in the signal chain of Output busses. Signals from these sources are routed to and from analog or digital I/O connectors on the FOH Rack.

Assigning Hardware Inserts to Outputs

You can assign hardware inserts to Output busses directly from the Outputs page or from the Patchbay.

To assign a hardware insert to a bus:

1 Go to the Outputs page and target the bus where you want

to assign the hardware insert.

Using Plug-In Inserts on Output Busses

You can insert plug-ins on Output busses directly from the Outputs page.

See Chapter 19, “Plug-Ins.”

To inser t a plug-in on an output bus:

1 Go to the Outputs page and target the bus where you want

to insert the plug-in.

D-Show Guide64

2 In the Inserts section of the Outputs page, do one of the fol-

lowing:

• Click the Hardware Insert pop-up menu and choose an insert destination directly from the menu.

– or –

• Click the Hardware Insert button to go to the Inserts page of the Patchbay, and assign the insert from the Patchbay.

Click to assign

Assigning a hardware insert in the Outputs page

Click to go to the Patchbay

The name of the hardware insert destination appears in the

Output bus selected (Group 1)

Graphic EQ Faders

on-screen Hardware Insert button.

If the output bus is assigned to the Assignable Output Encoders or Assignable Output Faders, the corresponding Insert LED lights to indicate the presence of an insert.

Setting the Hardware Insert Location

You can choose the location of the hardware insert in the signal path, relative to the four plug-in inserts, for each channel. A hardware insert does not need to be currently assigned to do this.

To set the hardware insert location:

1 Go to the Outputs page and select the channel where you

want to set the hardware insert location.

2 In the Inserts section of the Outputs page, click the hard-

ware insert indicator so that it lights red.

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Output Busses

A built-in 31-band Graphic EQ can be inserted on any of the following Output bus types: Mains, Groups (or Variable Groups), Auxes, Matrixes, and PQs. A maximum of 24 Graphic EQs are available, depending on the how they are configured in the System Configuration Options.

For more information on configuring and using Graphic EQs, see “Graphic EQ for Outputs” on page 129.

To inser t a Graphic EQ on an Output bus:

1 Target the bus by pressing its Select switch.

2 In the Outputs page, click the Graphic EQ tab.

3 Click the Graphic EQ pop-up menu and choose an available

mono or stereo Graphic EQ. The entire Graphic EQ is displayed on-screen.

Click to set HW Insert location

Setting a hardware insert location in the Inputs page

Activating and Bypassing Inserts

After hardware and plug-in inserts are assigned to an Output bus, they can be activated and bypassed from the from the ACS section or the corresponding Output page controls.

To activate or bypass an Output bus inser t:

1 Target the bus by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press any of the Plug-In switches or the Hardware switch to

activate or bypass the corresponding Insert. The switch lights when the Insert is activated.

Graphic EQ displayed in the Outputs page

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing 65

Adjusting Output Controls

The offset between the faders is maintained until the offset causes a fader to reach its maximum or minimum value.

Different types of outputs can be controlled independently from the Assignable Output Encoders and Assignable Output Faders.

• The Assignable Output Encoders can be used to control Aux outputs, Group outputs (or Variable Group outputs when in Variable Groups mode), and Matrix and PQ mixer inputs.

• The Assignable Output Faders can be used to control Aux outputs, Group outputs (or Variable Group outputs when in Variable Groups mode), VCAs, and Matrix and PQ mixer outputs.

Output Levels

To control output levels from the Assignable Output Faders:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Fader as-

signment section:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Personal Qs

• Matrixes

• Groups (assigns Variable Groups when in Variable Groups mode)

To control Aux or Group output levels from the Assignable Output Encoders:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Encoder

assignment section:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Groups (assigns Variable Groups when in Variable Groups mode)

Output Encoder Assignment controls

Assignable Output Encoders

2 Turn an encoder to change the level of its assigned output.

Output Polarity (Phase) Invert

Output Fader assignment switches

Assignable Output Fader controls

2 Move a fader to change the level of its assigned output.

To create a level offset between linked Aux bus or Variable Group bus output faders:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Fader as-

signment section:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Groups (when in Variable Groups mode)

2 Do one of the following:

•Touch one linked bus output fader while moving the other.

• Press and hold the F1 switch on the control surface and move one linked Aux bus fader.

• Hold the Start (Win) key on the keyboard and move one linked Aux bus fader on-screen.

The polarity of any output bus signal can be inverted. With stereo outputs (Personal Q outputs and stereo Group busses) only the left channel is inverted.

To invert the polarity of an output bus:

1 Target the bus by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the polarity inversion (Ø) switch in the ACS Input sec-

tion. The switch lights when the polarity is inverted.

Output Solo

To control the solo status of an output bus:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Fader or

Output Encoder assignment sections:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Personal Qs (Assignable Output Faders only)

• Matrixes (Assignable Output Faders only)

• Groups (assigns Variable Groups when in Variable Groups mode)

2 In the Output section, press an AFL switch to toggle the solo

status of the corresponding output bus.

For more information on Solo bus operation, see Chapter 14, “Solo and Monitor Busses.”

D-Show Guide66

Output Mute

Main Bus Mute

To control the mute status of an output bus:

1 Press one of the following switches in the Output Fader or

Output Encoder assignment sections:

• Aux 1–8

• Aux 9–16

• Personal Qs (Assignable Output Faders only)

• Matrixes (Assignable Output Faders only)

• Groups (assigns Variable Groups when in Variable Groups mode)

2 Press a Mute switch to toggle the mute status of the corre-

sponding output bus.

For more information on Mute operation, see Chapter 15, “Muting and Mute Groups.”

Adjusting Main Bus Controls

Main Bus Output Levels

The Main bus output levels are controlled from the single Mains Fader located on the far right of the D-Show Main Unit.

The mute status of the Main busses is controlled from the Mute switch located above the Mains Fader. When at least one of the Main busses is not muted, the Mains mute switch flashes.

To control the mute status of the Main busses:

1 Press any combination of the Left, Right, or Center/Mono

switches to assign control of the corresponding busses to the Mains Fader.

2 Press the Mute switch to toggle the mute status of the as-

signed busses.

Main Bus Delay

A variable delay (from 0 to 500 ms) can be applied to any of the Main busses.

To apply delay to a Main bus:

1 Target the Main bus where you want to apply delay by re-

peatedly pressing the Select switch in the Mains section, or by selecting it on-screen.

2 Press the ACS Delay rotary encoder to apply the delay to the

bus.

Safe

Select

Center/Mono

Left Right

Mute

Fader

Mains Fader and controls

The Left, Right, and Center/Mono busses can be controlled independently or in tandem.

You can create an offset between any of the Main bus levels, and it will be preserved when controlling any combination of the Main busses. The offset between the busses is maintained until at least one of the busses is zeroed or maxed.

3 Adjust the delay value by turning the Delay rotary encoder.

Main Bus Center Divergence Options

When the Main busses are set to L–C–R (Left-Center-Right) mode, the Center Divergence setting determines amount of center-panned signal sent to the center output.

◆ When Center Divergence is set to 100%, a channel panned

to center is sent to the center output only.

◆ When Center Divergence is set to 0%, a channel panned to

center is sent equally to the left and right outputs only (phantom center).

◆ A Center Divergence setting between 0% and 100% sends a

center-panned channel to the left, center, and right outputs with the center channel more prominent as the value increases towards 100%.

To set Center Divergence:

■ Enter a value or drag in the Center Divergence text box and

press Return.

Main Bus Automatic Delay Compensation

To control the Main bus output levels:

1 Press any combination of the Left, Right, or Center/Mono

switches to assign control of the corresponding busses to the Mains Fader.

2 Move the fader to change the level of the assigned busses.

D-Show automatically compensates for delays incurred by the use of Groups and insertion of plug-ins in the signal path to the Main busses. Delays are automatically applied to signals arriving at the Main busses from multiple destinations to maintain the proper time alignment.

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing 67

Monitoring the Main Mix

You can send the Main mix (the signal present on the Main busses) to the Monitor bus for routing to near-field monitors or headphones. See “Sending the Main Mix to the Monitor Bus” on page 105.

5 Select the pickoff point for the Direct Output by clicking the

letter to the right of the channel or bus name and choosing from the pop-up menu.

Direct Outputs

The following types of channels or busses have Direct Output capability: Input Channels, FX Returns, Main busses, Group (or Variable Group) busses, Aux busses, Matrix busses and PQ busses.

Available destinations for Direct Outputs include:

• Stage Rack outputs

• FOH Rack outputs

• Pro Tools recording option inputs

Each output destination may be fed by only one Direct Output signal (multiple Direct Output signals cannot be routed to a single output).

To route a channel or bus to a Direct Output:

1 Target the channel or bus you want to route to a Direct Out-

put by pressing its Select switch.

2 In the ACS Direct Output section, press the Assign switch.

3 In the Directs page of the Patchbay, click the tab for the

channel or bus type you are routing.

4 Click in the channel grid to route the channel or bus (listed

on the left) to an available output (listed across the top).

Selecting a Direct Output pickoff point in the Patchbay Directs page

6 In the ACS section, press the Direct Output rotary encoder

knob so that its “On” indicator LED lights.

7 Turn the Direct Output rotary encoder knob to set the Direct

Output level.

Up to 12 dB of gain can be added to the Direct Output signal. Direct Output level is displayed in the Options & Snapshots displays.

Direct Output Pickoff Points

The pickoff points for the Direct Output signal are selected in the Directs page of the Patchbay. The following pickoff points that are available for each type of channel or bus:

Input Channels

•Top of channel

• Insert return

• Pre/post fader

FX Returns

•Top of return

• Pre/post fader

Assigning a Direct Output in the Patchbay Directs page

D-Show Guide68

Outputs

•Top of bus

• Pre-fader

• Post-fader

Conﬁguring Direct Output Pickoff Points

Input Channels and FX Returns can be globally configured to have either a pre-fader or post-fader pickoff point for Direct Outputs. These pickoff points can be pre-mute or post-mute, depending on the channel or bus type.

On Input Channels and FX Returns, channel mute is pre-fader. On Output busses, channel mute is post-fader.

To conﬁgure the Direct Output pickoff point for Inputs:

1 Go to the Options page and click the Pickoffs tab.

2 Under “Input Strip Fader Pickoff Point,” click Pre-Fader or

Post-Fader.

Matrix Mixers

Eight Matrix mixers are available for sending up to eight mono mixes of output channels to any hardware output on the system. Each Matrix is a 12 x 1 mixer with the following sources: 8 Group busses or Aux busses (selectable in the Pickoffs tab of the Options page), the 3 Main busses (L–C–R or L–R+M) and one user-selectable channel.

To assign channels to VCAs:

1 Press the VCAs switch in the Assignable Output Faders sec-

tion.

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch above the Assignable Output

Fader for the VCA you want to use.

3 Press the Select switches on the Input Channels, FX Returns,

or Output channels you want to assign to the VCA.

Matrix input levels are controlled from the Assignable Output Encoders. The master output of each Matrix mixer is controlled from the Assignable Output Faders

See Chapter 11, “Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers.”

Personal Q Mixers

Eight Personal Q (PQ) mixers are available for sending up to eight discrete stereo mixes of output channels to any hardware output on the system. Each PQ is a 12 x 2 mixer with the following sources: 8 Group busses or Aux busses (selectable in the Pickoffs tab of the Options page), the 3 Main busses (L–C–R or L–R+M) and one user-selectable channel.

Each of these PQ mixers are remotely controllable by optional PQ Controller units, which allow adjustment of PQ mixer levels from the stage.

If no PQ Controllers are used, the PQ mixers are still available for use as stereo Matrix mixers at the console.

PQ input levels and PQ input pan are controlled from the Assignable Output Encoders. The master output of each PQ mixer is controlled from the Assignable Output Faders.

See Chapter 11, “Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers.”

Assigning and Using VCAs

4 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

Viewing Members of a VCA

To view the members of a VCA:

■ Go to the Outputs page and select a VCA channel. A list of

VCA members appears on the right side of the screen.

To view which Input Channels are members of a VCA:

■ Press the Show Members switch to the right of the Assign-

able Output Faders section. The Bus Assign LEDs 1–8 at the top of each channel ﬂash to indicate which Input Channels are members of the VCA.

Using VCAs

To adjust the levels of VCA members:

1 Press the VCAs switch, located to the right of the Assignable

Output Faders section, to assign control of the VCAs to the faders.

2 Move the fader for the VCA whose members you want to ad-

just.

To solo the members of a VCA:

■ Press the Solo switch on the VCA channels whose members

you want to solo so that the Solo switch is lit.

D-Show VCA controls emulate the operation of VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) groups. Up to eight VCA faders are available for remote control of Input Channel and FX Return, or Output channel fader gain.

VCAs control level of the assigned channels only. They do not act as a summing output bus.

VCAs directly control the fader gain of each channel assigned to the VCA fader, but do not change the position of the faders on those channels. The accumulated gain of a channel belonging to several VCAs is limited to +12 dB.

To mute the members of a VCA:

■ Press the Mute switch on the VCA channels whose members

you want to mute. The Mute LEDs on channels contained in the VCA ﬂash to indicate they are implicitly muted by the VCA.

Chapter 8: Outputs and Output Routing 69

D-Show Guide70

Chapter 9: Groups

C/M

1–8

Stereo Pan

The D-Show Output section has 8 available Group busses. Groups busses can fed by Input Channels and FX Returns. Group outputs can be assigned to the Main Output busses and to any hardware outputs on the system. Group outputs can also be the source for Matrix and PQ mixers.

Conﬁguring Group Busses

Group busses can be globally configured to be mono or stereo as part of the Aux/Group bus configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Assigning Inputs to Group Busses

You can route signals from an Input Channel or FX Return to any number of Group busses simultaneously.

To route multiple channels to a single Group bus:

1 Press the Groups switch in the Assignable Output Fader as-

signment section to assign control of Groups to the faders.

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch on the Output Fader strip for

the Group where you want to route the channels.

3 Press the Select switches on the channels you want to route

to the Group. You can also deselect channels to remove them from the Group.

3 Press the Select switches on the other channels you want to

route to a Group bus.

4 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press any of the Group

switches so that they are lit.

5 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

Managing Group Bus Assignments

Viewing Group Bus Assignments

You can view Group bus assignments from the Input section of the control surface or from an on-screen list of Group members.

Viewing Group Bus Assignments from the Input Section

The Bus Assign LEDs 1–8 on Input Channels and FX Return channel strips light to indicate that a channel is routed to the corresponding Group busses. The Stereo Pan LED lights when at least one bus is being fed as a stereo-linked pair or in true stereo.

4 Press the ﬂashing Multi-Assign switch to conﬁrm the assign-

ment, or press the Cancel switch to cancel the assignment.

To route a single channel to any number of Group busses:

1 Select the channel you want to route to a Group bus by

pressing its Select switch.

2 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press any of the Group

switches to route the channel to the corresponding Group busses.

To route multiple channels to any number of Group busses:

1 Target the ﬁrst channel you want to route to the Group bus-

ses by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns sec-

tion.

Bus Assign Indicators on an Input Channel

Chapter 9: Groups 71

Viewing Group Bus Assignments On-Screen

When a Group bus channel is targeted on-screen, its members are shown in a list on the right side of the Outputs page.

Members

Group Bus Signal Flow Options

Routing Signals to a Mono Group Bus Conﬁguration

When conﬁgured as mono busses, the eight Groups can be fed as 8 unlinked mono busses or up to 4 linked odd/even bus pairs.

Unlinked Mono Busses

To use unlinked mono Group busses:

1 Make sure the Group busses are conﬁgured as mono busses.

See “Conﬁguring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

2 While routing channels to Group busses, make sure the Ste-

reo Pan switch is off.

The Group switches in the ACS Bus Assigns section light green to indicate mono operation. In this configuration, input signals are handled as follows:

Mono Input Signals Contributing mono signals are summed to the mono Group bus. Any pan information from mono input channels feeding the bus is ignored.

Currently selected output (Group)

Group members shown in the Outputs page

Resetting Group Bus Assignments

You can remove input assignments from a Group bus on-screen.

To remove an input assignment from a Group bus:

1 Select the Group bus you want to change so that its mem-

bers are displayed on-screen.

2 In the list of Group bus members, right-click the input as-

signment you want to remove and choose Unassign.

To remove all input assignments from a Group bus:

1 Select the Group bus you want to change so that its mem-

bers are displayed on-screen.

2 Click the pop-up menu at the bottom of the Members list

and choose Reset Mix.

Stereo Input Signals Contributing stereo signals are summed to the mono Group bus with no attenuation. The balance and width information from each stereo input channel is ignored.

Linked Odd/Even Bus Pairs

To use linked mono Group bus pairs:

1 Make sure the Group busses are conﬁgured as mono busses.

See “Conﬁguring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

2 While routing channels to Group busses, press the Stereo

Pan switch so that it lights yellow.

The Group switches in the ACS Bus Assigns section and the Stereo Pan LED in the channel’s Bus Assign indicator light yellow to indicate stereo operation. In this configuration, input signals are handled as follows:

Mono Input Signals Contributing mono signals are panned across the linked odd/even Group bus pair. Pan information from each mono input channel determines its pan position in the bus pair.

Stereo Input Signals Contributing stereo signals are panned across the linked odd/even Group bus pair. Balance and width information from each stereo input channel determines its contribution to the odd and even sides of the bus pair.

D-Show Guide72

Routing Signals to a Stereo Group Bus Conﬁguration

When configured as stereo busses, the eight Groups can be fed as 8 true stereo busses or (in Expert mode only) as 8 dual mono busses.

Stereo Busses

To control stereo Group output balance and width:

1 Press the Group Pan switch in the Output Encoder assign-

ment section to assign Group balance control to the Assignable Output Encoders. The Output Encoder scribble strips show “GR BAL.”

2 Turn a rotary encoder to adjust the balance for the corre-

sponding stereo Group.

To use stereo Group busses:

1 Make sure the Group busses are conﬁgured as stereo busses.

See “Conﬁguring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

2 When routing channels to any of the Group busses, make

sure the Stereo Pan switch is lit yellow.

When working with stereo Groups in Simple Mode, the Stereo Pan switch is always lit to indicate all Groups operate in true stereo.

Dual Mono Busses

Dual mono busses may only be used in Expert Mode. See “Simple and Expert Operational Modes” on page 74.

Adjusting Group Bus Output Controls

Group Bus Output Levels

See “Adjusting Output Controls” on page 66.

Group Bus Output Pan

3 Press the Group Pan switch in the Output Encoder assign-

ment section a second time to assign Group width control to the Assignable Output Encoders. The Output Encoder displays show “GR WID.”

4 Turn a rotary encoder to adjust the width for the corre-

sponding stereo Group.

Group Bus Output Polarity (Phase) Invert

See “Output Polarity (Phase) Invert” on page 66.

Group Bus Output Solo

See “Output Solo” on page 66.

Group Bus Output Mute

See “Output Mute” on page 67.

Routing Group Bus Outputs to the Main Busses

See “Routing Group Outputs to the Main Busses” on page 63.

Group bus output pan is controlled from the Assignable Output Encoders. The pan controls adjust pan (when in mono Groups configuration) or stereo balance and width (when in stereo Groups configuration) of the Group output to the Main busses only. The Group outputs in the Patchbay are distinct left and right channels.

To control mono Group output pan:

1 Press the Group Pan switch in the Output Encoder assign-

ment section to assign control of Group pan to the Assignable Output Encoders.

2 Turn a rotary encoder to adjust the pan for the correspond-

ing mono Group.

Routing Group Busses to Direct Outputs

Group busses have Direct Output capability. For more information, see “Direct Outputs” on page 68.

Using Inserts on Group Bus Outputs

You can insert D-Show software plug-ins or hardware inserts on Group bus outputs. For more information, see “Using Inserts on Output Busses” on page 64.

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Group Bus Outputs

A built-in 31-band Graphic EQ can be inserted on Group bus outputs. For more information, see “Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Output Busses” on page 65.

Chapter 9: Groups 73

Simple and Expert Operational Modes

When configuring Group busses, you can choose between two operational modes that provide different levels of flexibility: Simple mode and Expert mode.

Working with Stereo Group Busses

When conﬁgured as stereo busses, Groups can operate in the following modes:

Simple Mode

Setting the Operational Mode

To switch between Simple mode and Exper t mode:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the Busses tab.

3 Under Stereo Group Panning Operation, select the mode

you want to use (Simple or Expert).

Setting the Group bus operational mode

Working with Mono Group Busses

When conﬁgured as mono busses, Groups can operate in the following modes:

Simple Mode

In Simple mode, either all Groups on a channel are mono, or all Groups on a channel act as bus pairs.

Expert Mode

In Expert mode, any of the 4 bus pairs can be stereo linked individually while leaving the other busses as mono, on a per channel basis.

In Simple Mode, all 8 Group busses function only as true stereo busses.

Expert Mode

In Expert Mode, any of the 8 stereo Group busses can be set to act as true stereo or as dual mono busses, on a per channel basis.

To set the link status of individual stereo Group busses for a channel (Expert Mode only):

1 Make sure Stereo Group Panning is set to Expert Mode.

2 Select an Input Channel or FX Return whose signal you

want to route to a Group bus. To select multiple channels, use the Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section.

3 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press the Stereo Pan switch.

The switch ﬂashes yellow to indicate bus link mode.

4 Press any of the Group switches (1–8) to set the correspond-

ing bus to stereo or dual mono. The Group switches ﬂash yellow to indicate stereo, or ﬂash green to indicate dual mono.

5 Press the ﬂashing Stereo Pan switch to conﬁrm the bus link

status for the selected channels.

To use dual mono Group busses (Exper t Mode only):

1 Make sure the Group busses are conﬁgured as stereo busses.

See “Conﬁguring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

2 Make sure the link status of the Group busses you want to

use is set to dual mono.

To set the link status of individual mono Group busses on a channel (Expert Mode only):

1 Make sure Stereo Group Panning is set to Expert Mode.

2 Select an Input Channel or FX Return whose signal you

want to send to a Group bus. To select multiple channels, use the Multi-Assign switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section.

3 In the ACS Bus Assigns section, press the Stereo Pan switch.

The switch ﬂashes yellow to indicate bus link mode.

4 Press any of the Group switches to link or unlink the bus

pairs (1–2, 3–4, 5–6, or 7–8). The Group switch pairs ﬂash yellow to indicate stereo linked, or ﬂash green to indicate mono.

5 Press the ﬂashing Stereo Pan switch to conﬁrm the bus link

status for the selected channels.

D-Show Guide74

When routing channels to a dual mono Group bus, the Stereo Pan switch will be off and the Group switch will light green to indicate dual mono operation.

Chapter 10: Auxes and Variable Groups

The D-Show Output section has up to 16 available Aux busses, and when set to Variable Groups mode, the 8 Group busses are replaced by Variable Group busses. Aux busses and Variable Group busses can be fed by Input Channels and FX Returns, which are routed to Auxes from the Input section.

Conﬁguring Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses

Aux Busses

Variable Group Busses

Variable Groups mode replaces the 8 Group busses with Variable Group busses, which operate in much the same way as Aux busses. When set to Variable Groups mode, the D-Show Output section has 16 available Aux busses and 8 available Variable Group busses.

Displaying Variable Group Controls

When D-Show is in Variable Group mode, Variable Group controls are displayed in the following locations:

On-Screen Variable Group Send controls replace the Aux Send controls.

On the Control Surface Variable Group Sends are displayed on the ACS controls for Aux Sends 1–8. (ACS controls for Aux Sends 9–16 are unused in this display mode.) Variable Group controls also replace Aux controls in the Input Channel Encoder rows and Encoder assignment controls.

To display Variable Group controls from on-screen:

1 Go to the Inputs page and target a channel by selecting its

on-screen channel fader strip. Select multiple strips by Shift-clicking.

2 Click the Var Groups button in the Bus Assign section. The

Var Groups button ﬂashes to indicate display of Variable Group controls.

Variable Groups mode is set as part of the Aux/Group bus configuration. See “Configuring Aux, Group, and Variable Group Busses” on page 62.

Labeling of Variable Groups

Variable Groups retain the “Groups” label in the D-Show Patchbay page, in the Options > Pickoffs page, and in the rotary encoder displays on the D-Show control surface.

Variable Groups are labeled as “Var Groups” in the D-Show Inputs page.

Variable Group controls displayed in the Inputs page

Chapter 10: Auxes and Variable Groups 75

To display Variable Group controls from the control surface:

1 Target an Input Channel or FX Return by pressing its Select

switch.

2 Do one of the following:

• Press the Stereo Pan switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section.

• Press the F2 switch in the Function section.

The Stereo Pan and F2 switches ﬂash to indicate display of

Variable Group controls.

F2 switch

4 Click the checkboxes above any of the bus pairs to link or

unlink each pair.

Linking a Variable Group bus pair

5 Click Apply.

The checked Aux bus or Variable Group bus pairs appear as linked on all channels.

Stereo Pan switch

Control surface switches for displaying Variable Groups

To change display back to Aux Sends, do one of the following:

■ Click the ﬂashing Var Groups button on-screen.

– or –

■ Press the ﬂashing Stereo Pan switch or F2 switch on the con-

trol surface.

Linking Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses for Stereo Operation

To link Aux bus paris or Variable Group bus pairs:

1 Put D-Show into Conﬁg mode.

2 Go to the Options page and click the Busses tab.

When an Aux bus pair or Variable Group bus pair is linked, the corresponding Stereo LED (marked “St”) lights in the ACS Aux Sends section.

With linked Aux bus or Variable Group bus pairs, the following controls operate in tandem, affecting both sides of the bus pair:

• Output faders

• Solo switches

• Mute switches

• Direct Output controls

• Delay Controls (Aux bus pairs only)

• Graphic EQ controls

Bus Pair

Links

Linking bus pairs in the Options > Busses page

3 Click Edit.

D-Show Guide76

Selecting Aux Send and Variable Group Send Pickoff Points

D-Show lets you set the pickoff point on Input Channels or FX Returns channels for Aux Sends and Variable Group Sends. The default pickoff point is Post-Fader, but can be switched to any of the following with the Aux Pre switches in the ACS Aux Sends section: Pre-EQ, Pre-Mute, Pre-Fader.

Pre Pickoff points are set for each Aux bus or Variable Group bus independently. If any Aux busses or Variable Group busses are linked, the pickoff point is set for the linked bus pair.

The following Pre pickoff points are available for activation with the Aux Pre switch on the control surface:

Pre-EQ This pickoff point is post-HPF and pre-EQ, Dynamics and Channel Inserts, pre-Mute, and pre-Fader. The Aux or Variable Group Send is not affected by the channel mute.

Pre-Mute This pickoff point is post-HPF, post-EQ, Dynamics, and Channel Inserts, pre-Mute, and pre-Fader. The Aux or Variable Group Send is not affected by the channel mute.

Pre-Fader This pickoff point is post-HPF, post-EQ Dynamics, and Channel Inserts, post-Mute, and pre-Fader. The Aux or Variable Group Send is affected by the channel mute.

To set the Pre pickoff point for an Aux or Variable Group Send:

1 Go to the Options page and click the Busses tab.

Pickoff point options

Setting Aux bus pickoff points

2 Select a Pre pickoff point for any of the busses or linked bus

pairs by clicking the Pre-EQ, Pre-Mute, or Pre-Fader button.

To activate a Pre pickoff point for an Aux Send or Variable Group Send on-screen:

1 Go to the Inputs page and target the channel with the pick-

off point you want to activate by clicking its on-screen channel fader strip.

2 Do any of the following:

•To activate an Aux Send Pre pickoff, click the corresponding Pre button in the Aux Sends section.

•To activate a Variable Group Pre pickoff, click the Var Groups button in the Bus Assign section to display Var Groups, and click the corresponding Pre button in the Var Groups section.

When the Pre button is lit, the selected Pre pickoff point is used. When the Pre button is off, the pickoff point is Post-Fader.

To activate a Pre pickoff point for an Aux Send from the control surface:

1 Target the channel with the Aux Send pickoff point you

want to activate by pressing its Select switch.

2 In the ACS section, press the Pre switch for the Aux Send.

When the Pre switch is lit, the selected Pre pickoff point is used. When the Pre switch is off, the pickoff point is Post-Fader.

To activate a Pre pickoff point for a Variable Group Send from the control surface:

1 Target the channel with the Variable Group Send pickoff

point you want to activate by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the Stereo Pan switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section.

Variable Groups 1–8 are displayed on the controls for Aux Sends 1–8 in the ACS.

3 In the ACS Aux Sends section, press the Pre switch for the

corresponding Variable Group Send. When the Pre switch is lit, the selected pickoff point is used. When the Pre switch is off, the pickoff point is Post-Fader.

4 Press the ﬂashing Stereo Pan switch to return the ACS con-

trols to Aux Sends display.

Classifying Auxes and Variable Groups for Snapshots

You can classify Aux Sends and Variable Group Sends as monitor sends (“Mon”) or as effects sends (“FX”) for the purposes of

scoping each type separately in snapshots. See “Classifying Auxes and Variable Groups” on page 171.

Chapter 10: Auxes and Variable Groups 77

Assigning Inputs to Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses

You can send signals from any Input Channel or FX Return to any number of Aux busses or Variable Groups simultaneously. Aux Send and Variable Group Send level controls provide a gain range of –INF to +12 dB.

To route channels to any number of Aux busses or Variable Groups from the ACS section:

1 Do one of the following to select input channels:

•Target the channel you want to send to an Aux bus by pressing its Select switch.

– or –

• Hold the Multi Select switch in the Input Channel Fader Control section and press the Select switches on each of the channels you want to send to an Aux bus.

To view input assignments to an Aux bus or Variable Group bus:

1 Go to the Outputs page.

2 Target an Aux bus or Variable Group bus output channel by

selecting its on-screen channel fader strip. Variable Group channels are labeled “Groups” in the channel display.

Input channels routed to the selected bus are displayed in the Members list on the right side of the page.

To go to any assigned input channel from the Outputs page:

■ Click the name of the input channel in the Members list.

Member input channels

2 Do one of the following to assign sends for the selected

channels:

•To assign the channel to an Aux bus, press an Aux Send rotary encoder knob in the ACS section.

•To assign the channel to a Variable Group, press the Stereo Pan switch in the ACS Bus Assigns section, and press an Aux Send rotary encoder knob in the ACS section.

When an Aux Send or Variable Groups Send is active, the encoder’s “On” indicator LED lights, and send level is shown by an expanding series of LEDs.

When an Aux Send or Variable Group Send is inactive, send level is shown by a single LED.

3 Turn the Aux Send rotary encoder knob in the ACS to set the

send level.

Managing Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Assignments

Viewing Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Assignments

When an Aux bus or Variable Group bus output channel is targeted on-screen, its members are shown in a list on the right side of the Outputs page.

Input assign pop-up menu

Currently selected output

Aux bus assignments shown in the Outputs page

Resetting Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Assignments

You can remove input assignments from Aux bus or Variable Group bus output channels on-screen.

To remove an input assignment from an Aux bus or Variable Group:

1 Target the Aux bus or Variable Group bus output channel

you want to change by selecting its on-screen channel strip. Variable Group channels are labeled “Groups” in the channel display.

2 In the list of member input channel assignments, right-click

the input assignment you want to remove and choose Unassign.

To remove all input assignments from an Aux bus or Variable Group bus:

1 Target the Aux bus or Variable Group bus output channel

you want to change by selecting its on-screen channel strip. Variable Group channels are labeled “Groups” in the channel display.

2 Click the pop-up menu at the bottom of the Members list

and choose Reset Mix.

D-Show Guide78

Copying Assignments Between Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses

Copying Mains Assignments to Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses

You can copy the current input assignments from one Aux bus or Variable Group bus to another bus of either type. If the busses are linked, assignments can be copied from other linked busses. This lets you quickly duplicate monitor mixes.

Copying Aux or Variable Group bus assignments overwrites all the assignments on the destination Aux or Variable Group bus.

To copy input assignments between Aux/Variable Group busses:

1 Target the Aux bus or Variable Group bus that you want to

be the destination of the copied assignments by selecting its on-screen channel strip.

2 Click the Input Assign pop-up menu at the bottom of the

Members list, choose Replace With Mix From, then choose the Aux bus or Variable Group bus whose assignments you want to copy to the currently selected bus.

3 Click the Input Assign pop-up menu at the bottom of the

Members list, choose Replace With Mix From, then choose the Aux bus or Variable Group bus whose assignments you want to copy to the currently selected bus.

You can copy the current Main bus assignments to Aux busses and Variable Group busses, which lets you build monitor mixes from a main mix. Assignments to the Main Left/ Right busses can be copied to linked Aux or Variable Group busses, and assignments to the Center/Mono bus can be copied to mono Aux or Variable Group busses.

To copy bus assignments from the Mains to Auxes or Variable Groups:

1 Target the Aux bus or Variable Group bus that you want to

be the destination of the copied assignments by selecting its on-screen channel strip.

2 Click the Input Assign pop-up menu at the bottom of the

Members list, choose Replace With Mix From, then choose the available Main bus (Left-Right or Mono) whose assignments you want to copy to the currently selected bus.

The state of the Aux or Variable Group controls follows the state of the corresponding controls on the Input Channels assigned to the Mains: Channel Mute maps to Bus Send, Channel Pan maps to Bus Pan, and Channel Fader level maps to Bus Send level.

Copying input assignments between Aux busses

Chapter 10: Auxes and Variable Groups 79

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Signal Flow Options

Input channel signals are routed to Aux busses or Variable Group busses (available only in Variable Groups mode) in a similar manner.

Routing Signals to Mono Aux and Variable Group Busses

To route a channel to an unlinked (mono) Aux bus or Variable Group bus from the Input section:

1 Do one of the following:

• Display Aux Sends on the input channels.

• Display Variable Group Sends on the input channels.

2 In either Input Encoder Assignment section, press an Aux

switch to assign control of the designated bus to the corresponding row of rotary encoders.

• The ﬁrst press of an Aux switch assigns level control of the odd-numbered send. The switch lights green to indicate an odd-numbered selection.

• The second press of an Aux switch assigns level control of the even-numbered send. The switch lights yellow to indicate an even-numbered selection.

3 On each of the channels you want to send to the designated

Aux bus or Variable Group bus, press the rotary encoder knob so that its “On” indicator LED lights.

4 Turn the rotary encoder knob on each channel to set the

Aux Send or Variable Group Send level.

When Aux busses or Variable Group busses are not linked, they are fed as true mono busses. In this configuration, input signals are handled as follows:

Routing Signals to Linked Aux and Variable Group Bus Pairs

To route a channel to a linked (stereo) Aux bus pair or Variable Group bus pair from the Input section:

1 Do one of the following:

• Display Aux Sends on the input channels.

• Display Variable Group Sends on the input channels.

2 In either Input Encoder Assignment section, press an Aux

switch to assign control of the designated bus to the corresponding row of rotary encoders.

• The ﬁrst press of an Aux switch assigns level control of the linked sends. The switch lights green to indicate the bus pair is selected.

• The second press of an Aux switch assigns pan control of the linked sends. The switch lights yellow to indicate pan control.

3 On each of the channels you want to send to the designated

bus pair, press the rotary encoder knob so that its “On” indicator LED lights.

4 Turn the rotary encoder knob on each channel to set the

send level or pan.

When Aux busses are linked, input signals are handled as follows:

Mono Input Signals Contributing mono signals are panned across the linked odd/even Aux or Variable Group bus pair.

• When the Follows Channels Pan option is off, panning of the mono signal to the bus pair is controlled by the Aux Pan control.

• When the Follows Channels Pan option is on, the pan information from each mono input channel determines its pan position in the bus pair.

Mono Input Signals Contributing mono signals are sent to the mono Aux or Variable Group bus. Any pan information from mono input channels feeding the bus is ignored.

Stereo Input Signals Contributing stereo signals are summed to the mono Aux or Variable Group bus. The balance and width information from each stereo input channel is ignored.

D-Show Guide80

Stereo Input Signals Contributing stereo signals are panned across the linked odd/even Aux or Variable Group bus pair. Stereo width information from the input channel is applied to the bus signal.

• When the Follows Channels Pan option is off, balance of the stereo signal to the bus pair is controlled by the Aux Pan control.

• When the Follows Channels Pan option is on, the balance from each stereo input channel determines its contribution to the odd and even sides of the bus pair.

Controlling Aux Send and Variable Group Send Pan

When Aux busses or Variable Group busses are linked, input signals are panned across the bus pair. Panning can be controlled from the Input section or from the ACS Aux Sends section.

To control panning of Aux bus or Variable Group bus pairs from the Input section:

1 Do one of the following:

• Display Aux Sends on the input channels.

• Display Variable Group Sends on the input channels.

2 In the Input Encoder Assignment section, press the Aux

switch for the bus pair you want to pan.

• The ﬁrst press of the Aux switch assigns control of the send level to the encoder. The switch lights green and the encoder display shows the odd-numbered send.

• The second press of the Aux switch assigns control of the send pan to the encoder. The switch lights yellow and the display shows a “P” before the odd-numbered send.

3 With the Aux switch lit yellow, turn the rotary encoder

knob on each Input Channel or FX Return where you want to adjust the send pan.

Adjusting Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Controls

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Levels

See “Output Levels” on page 66.

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Polarity Invert

See “Output Polarity (Phase) Invert” on page 66.

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Solo

See “Output Solo” on page 66.

Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Output Mute

See “Output Mute” on page 67.

Aux Bus Output Delay

To control panning of Aux bus or Variable Group bus pairs from the ACS Aux Sends section:

1 Target the channel whose bus pair you want to pan by press-

ing its Select switch. In a linked bus pair, the ACS Aux Send controls show the following:

• Odd-numbered rotary encoders control send level

• Even-numbered rotary encoders control send pan

2 Turn the even-numbered rotary encoders in the Aux Sends

section to adjust the send pan.

Setting Aux Send Pan and Variable Group Send Pan to Follow Channel Pan

Panning of the input signal can be set to follow the pan or balance values of the Input Channel or FX Return feeding the Aux bus or Variable Group bus.

To set the Aux Send or Variable Group pan to follow Channel pan:

1 Go to the Options page and click the Busses tab.

2 On any linked bus pairs, select the Follows Channel Pan op-

tion. This setting is applied globally to the corresponding Aux Send or Variable Group Send.

A variable delay (0–250 ms) can be applied to any of the Aux bus outputs. Variable Group outputs do not have this variable delay feature.

To apply delay to an Aux bus:

1 Target the Aux bus by pressing its Select switch.

2 Press the ACS Delay rotary encoder to apply the delay to the

bus.

3 Adjust the delay value by turning the Delay rotary encoder.

Chapter 10: Auxes and Variable Groups 81

Routing Aux Busses and Variable Group Busses to Direct Outputs

Any of the Aux bus or Variable Group outputs can be routed to the Direct Outputs, up to the maximum of 32 Direct Outputs. For more information, see “Direct Outputs” on page 68.

Using Inserts on Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Outputs

You can insert D-Show software plug-ins or hardware inserts on Aux bus or Variable Group bus outputs. For more information, see “Using Inserts on Output Busses” on page 64.

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Aux Bus and Variable Group Bus Outputs

A built-in 31-band Graphic EQ can be inserted on Aux bus or Variable Group outputs. For more information, see “Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Output Busses” on page 65.

D-Show Guide82

Chapter 11: Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers

The D-Show Outputs section offers 8 Matrix mixers and 8 PQ mixers for setting up alternate mixes, fill and delay tower feeds, and cue or monitor mixes.

Inputs

Matrix mixers and PQ mixers can be configured independently to have different input sources. Matrix and PQ input sources can be controlled from the Assignable Output Encoders or on-screen.

Outputs

Matrix mixers have mono outputs and PQ Mixers have stereo outputs. Matrix and PQ outputs can be controlled from the Assignable Output Faders or on-screen.

Remote Control of PQ Mixers (Optional)

With optional PQ Controllers, PQ sources and outputs can be controlled remotely. If no PQ Controllers are used, the PQ mixers are still available for use as stereo matrix mixers controllable from the main console.

Matrix Mixers

Each of the 8 available Matrix mixers can receive up to 12 channels of input, including 8 channels from Groups or Auxes, 3 channels from the Mains (L–R+M or L–C–R), and a user-selected input. Each Matrix mixer has a mono output.

Matrix Mixer tab

Matrix output level and controls

Reset and Replace selector

Currently selected Matrix mixer

Matrix Source controls

Matrix Mixer in Outputs page

Chapter 11: Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers 83

Personal Q Mixers

Each of the 8 available Personal Q mixers can receive up to 12 channels of input, including 8 channels from Groups or Auxes, 3 channels from the Mains (L–R+M or L–C–R), and a user-selected input. Each Personal Q mixer has a stereo output.

PQ output level and controls

Currently selected PQ mixer

Personal Q Mixer in Outputs page

Reset and Replace selector

Personal Q Controller System

With the optional Personal Q Controller system, performers can adjust the controls in the Personal Q mixer from a remote location. See the Personal Q Guide for details.

If no PQ Controllers are used, the PQ mixers are still available for use as stereo Matrix mixers controllable from the console.

PQ Source controls

Stereo Group Conﬁguration If the 8 Group busses are configured to be stereo, only the left and right channels of Groups 1–4 appear on the Matrix or PQ mixer. (The outputs of stereo Groups 5–8 are unavailable.)

Auxes

8 Aux Conﬁguration If the system is configured to have 8 Aux busses, all 8 appear on the Matrix or PQ mixer.

Conﬁguring Matrix and PQ Mixers

The input sources for Matrix mixers and PQ mixers are configured in the Pickoffs tab of the Options page.

Groups and Auxes

The first 8 inputs to the Matrix and PQ mixers can be set to receive signal from Group or Aux busses (pre- or post-fader):

Groups

Mono Group Conﬁguration If the 8 Group busses are configured to be mono, all 8 Groups appear on the Matrix or PQ mixer.

D-Show Guide84

16 Aux Conﬁguration If the system is configured to have 16 Aux busses, only Auxes 1–8 appear on the Matrix or PQ mixer. (The outputs of Auxes 9–16 are unavailable.)

Mains

The next 3 inputs to the Matrix and PQ mixers can receive signal from the Main busses (pre- or post-fader). The channel names reflect whether the Mains are configured as L–R+M or L–C–R.

To conﬁgure the Matrix and PQ mixers:

1 Go to the Options page and click the Pickoffs tab.

2 Under Matrix Sources, select the input source for channels

1–8 of the Matrix mixer and for channels 1–8 of the PQ mixer. Choices include Groups (pre- or post-fader) and Auxes (pre- or post-fader).

3 Select the input source for the Mains channels of the Matrix

Matrix and PQ controls

Left Send encoder

Center Send encoder

Right Send encoder

User Send encoder

Assign switch

mixer and the PQ mixer. Choices include pre-fader or post-fader.

Adjusting Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Input Controls

The Group, Aux and Main configurations are applied globally to all 8 Matrix mixers or PQ mixers.

User Input

The last channel of the Matrix and PQ mixers can receive signal from any Input Channel, FX Return, or hardware input. This User Input can be set individually for each Matrix mixer and PQ mixer, allowing for a variety of custom feeds and cue mixes.

To conﬁgure the User input for a Matrix or PQ mixer :

1 Press the Assign switch (located under the User Send en-

coder) to go to the Outputs page.

2 Select a Matrix channel or PQ channel to display the mixer

you want to conﬁgure.

3 Click the on-screen Source pop-up menu and choose an in-

put source.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Input Levels

The levels for the first 8 input sources (or “sends”) of a Matrix or PQ mixer are controlled by the Assignable Output Encoders. The levels for the Mains inputs of a Matrix or PQ mixer are controlled by the encoders marked Left Send, Center Send, and Right Send. The level for the user-selected input is controlled by the encoder marked User Send.

To control mixer input source (“send”) levels:

1 Press the Matrix Sends switch or the PQ Sends switch in the

Output Encoder assignment section.

Choosing an Input Source for the User Input

4 If the Input Source is an Input Channel or an FX Return,

choose a pickoff point for the input from the Pickoff pop-up menu.

Choices include Top of Channel, Insert Return, and Pre/Post-Fader (for Input Channels) or Top of FX Return and Pre/Post-Fader (for FX Returns). The Input Channel Fader Pickoff setting determines globally whether the fader pickoff points are pre- or post-fader.

Matrix and PQ mixer controls

2 Press any of the numbered Send switches (1–8) to assign the

corresponding Matrix mixer or PQ mixer to the Assignable Output Encoders and mixer Send encoders.

3 For each of the mixer input sources you want to activate,

press the encoder knob so that its “On” indicator LED lights.

4 Turn the rotary encoder knobs 1–8 and the Left Send, Center

Send, Right Send, and User Send encoders to set the level for the corresponding mixer input.

Chapter 11: Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers 85

PQ Mixer Input Pan

The PQ mixer input (or “send”) pan controls adjust the panning of each PQ mixer input across the stereo outputs of the PQ mixer. (Matrix mixers have mono outputs, so they do not have Pan controls.)

To control PQ send pan:

1 Press the PQ Pans switch in the Output Encoder assignment

section.

2 Press any of the numbered Send switches (1–8) to assign the

corresponding PQ 1–8 mixer to the Assignable Output Encoders and mixer Send encoders.

Adjusting Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Output Controls

Matrix and PQ Mixer Output Levels

See “Adjusting Output Controls” on page 66.

PQ Mixer Output Limiter

A limiter can be applied to the output of PQ mixers. PQ output limiter controls appear on-screen only. (Matrix mixers do not have output limiters.)

3 Turn the rotary encoder knobs 1–8 and the Left Send, Center

Send, Right Send, and User Send encoders to set the pan position of the corresponding mixer input.

Resetting Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Input Controls

To reset a Matrix mixer or PQ mixer parameter to its default value:

1 Select the Matrix mixer or PQ mixer you want to change so

that it is displayed on-screen.

2 Right-click the encoder on-screen and choose Reset.

To reset all Matrix mixer or PQ mixer parameter s to their default values:

1 Select the Matrix mixer or PQ mixer you want to change so

that it is displayed on-screen.

2 Click the pop-up menu at the bottom of the mixer area and

choose Reset Mix.

Copying Matrix Mixer and PQ Mixer Input Settings

You can copy mixer settings from one Matrix mixer or PQ mixer to another mixer of the same type. This lets you quickly duplicate monitor mixes or other signal feeds.

To use a limiter on the output of a PQ mixer :

1 Go to the Outputs page.

2 Select a PQ channel to display the mixer you want to con-

ﬁgure.

3 Click the on-screen Limiter In button to engage the limiter.

4 Drag the on-screen Limiter knob to set the limiter threshold.

PQ Mixer Output Balance

PQ Mixers provide a balance control for controlling the balance of the mixer output signal across its stereo outputs. (Matrix mixers have mono outputs, so they do not have Balance controls.)

To control PQ mixer output balance:

1 Target the PQ mixer output channel by pressing its Select

switch in the Assignable Output Faders section.

2 Turn the Pan rotary encoder at the lower left of the ACS sec-

tion to adjust the balance for the mixer output.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Output Polarity

See “Output Polarity (Phase) Invert” on page 66.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Output Solo

Copying mixer settings overwrites all the settings on the destination mixer.

To copy settings between mixers:

1 Select the Matrix mixer or PQ mixer that you want to be the

destination of the copied settings so that it is displayed on-screen.

2 Click the pop-up menu at the bottom of the mixer area,

choose Replace With Mix From, then choose the mixer whose settings you want to copy to the current mixer.

D-Show Guide86

See “Output Solo” on page 66.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Output Mute

See “Output Mute” on page 67.

Matrix Mixer Output Delay

A variable delay (0–500 ms) can be applied to the output of Matrix mixers.

To apply delay to a Matrix mixer output:

1 Target the Matrix mixer output channel by pressing its Se-

lect switch in the Assignable Output Faders section.

2 Press the ACS Delay rotary encoder to apply the delay to the

mixer output.

3 Adjust the delay value by turning the Delay rotary encoder.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Direct Output

Matrix and PQ mixers have Direct Output capability. For more information, see “Direct Outputs” on page 68.

Matrix and PQ Mixer Delay Compensation

D-Show automatically compensates for delays incurred by the use of Groups and the insertion of plug-ins in the signal path to the Main busses.

Using Inserts on Matrix and PQ Mixer Outputs

You can insert D-Show software plug-ins or hardware inserts on Matrix and PQ mixer outputs. For more information, see “Using Inserts on Output Busses” on page 64.

Working with a PQ Controller

When an optional Personal Q remote control system is connected to D-Show, it can be used to adjust the controls in the Personal Q mixers from a remote location.

For complete instructions on connecting and using PQ Controllers, refer to the Personal Q Controller Guide, included with the PQ Controller system.

Controller Detection

When a PQ Controller is detected, the Controller Detected indicator lights in the corresponding Personal Q mixer on-screen window.

PQ Controller Detected indicator in PQ mixer

Controller Lockout

Lockout From Console The PQ Controller can be locked out by clicking the on-screen Lockout From Console button in any of the PQ mixers. When this Lockout button is engaged, the PQ Controller cannot adjust PQ mixer controls. The performer using the PQ Controller cannot override this lockout from the controller.

Lockout From Controller Users can lock their PQ Controllers to prevent inadvertent changes to controller settings. When this is done, the on-screen Lockout From Controller indicator lights in the corresponding PQ mixer. This function does not lock out control of the PQ mixer from the console.

Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Matrix and PQ Mixer Outputs

A built-in 31-band Graphic EQ can be inserted on mixer output channels. For more information, see “Inserting the Built-In Graphic EQ on Output Busses” on page 65.

Calling the D-Show Console from the PQ Controller

To call the console from a Personal Q Controller:

■ Press the Master Volume encoder knob.

A call message appears on the D-Show console display that identifies which PQ Controller is calling. The Call LED on the PQ Controller flashes until the message is cleared from the console display.

Chapter 11: Matrix Mixers and PQ Mixers 87

D-Show Guide88

Chapter 12: Patchbay

Accessing the Patchbay

The main tools and sections of the Patchbay screen are the following:

To show the Patchbay screen:

■ Press the Patchbay switch, located in the View Modes sec-

tion, or click the Patchbay page name on-screen.

Jump to Patchbay from Inputs and Outputs Screens

The Inputs and Outputs screens provide a shortcut for accessing the Patchbay. By clicking on the channel routing indicator, the screen automatically jumps to the corresponding Patchbay screen (whether an input, output, or bus).

Channel Routing indicator

Jump to Patchbay

Overview of the Patchbay

The Patchbay screen lets you patch hardware I/O to D-Show input and output channels.

Tabs

The Patchbay is navigated using the following tabs.

I/O Tabs

Click to display and patch D-Show Inputs, Outputs, Directs, or Inserts. Other options in the Patchbay screen change to reflect the currently selected I/O tab.

Channel Type Tabs

Click these tabs to select specific types of D-Show Channels, as available for the currently selected I/O. The following table shows the available Channel Types for the current I/O.

I/O tab Channel Types available

Inputs Channels, FX Returns

Outputs Groups, Auxes, Matrix, PQ, Mains

Directs Channels, FX Returns, Outputs

Inserts Channels, FX Returns, Outputs

Hardware Tabs

I/O tabs

Channel controls

Channel Type tabs

Patchbay page (Inputs tab shown)

Hardware tabs

Patching Grid

Click these tabs to display the hardware inputs and outputs available for the current I/O and Channel Type. These represent the physical inputs and outputs of the system.

Choices include Stage Rack 1, Stage Rack 2, FOH, and any Pro Tools recording/playback options, displaying available analog and digital inputs. Available hardware inputs and outputs are based on channel type selection, system configuration and hardware device status. See “Unavailable I/O” on page 90.

Chapter 12: Patchbay 89

Patching Grid

Visual Indicators and Displays

The Patching Grid shows hardware I/O across the top, and D-Show channels down the left side for the currently selected I/O and Channel type. The grid squares represent patch points between hardware I/O and D-Show channels.

You can customize the routing of hardware I/O to D-Show channels by clicking the corresponding square in the grid. For complete patching instructions see “Routing Channels in the Patchbay” on page 92.

By default, inputs are routed in a 1-to-1 pattern to D-Show input channels resulting in Stage Rack inputs 1–24 appearing on D-Show Input Channels 1–24.

Channel Controls

These controls mirror the controls for the currently selected channel. For example, when showing Inputs, the Channel controls let you adjust Input Channel gain, polarity, phantom power, HPF, and basic level without leaving the Patchbay.

Channel Direct Outs

The channel area in the Patchbay provides access to all Direct Out controls (the Inputs and Outputs pages do not show the Direct Output level control).

To adjust Direct Output level from the Patchbay:

1 In the Inputs or Outputs page, select a channel.

2 Click the Direct Out routing selector to go to the Patchbay.

3 In the Patchbay channel controls, adjust the on-screen Di-

rect Output encoder.

The Patchbay uses the following visual display conventions in all its pages and tabs.

Unavailable I/O

The Patchbay displays hardware tabs for all possible configurations, even if your system does not include any expansion options.

The Patchbay indicates I/O that is offline or unavailable by graying out the columns beneath that device.

Unavailable I/O

Unavailable I/O (grayed columns)

Hardware I/O channels appear as unavailable whenever the required hardware is not present or offline. Hardware includes Stage Racks, FOH Racks, and audio cards installed in them. A hardware device is offline if it is not powered on, not communicating with the system, or it represents an expansion option that is not installed.

Even if hardware is unavailable, you can still assign routing from or to it in the Patchbay. Unavailable I/O appears itali- cized in all routing pop-up lists (such as the Inputs and Outputs screens).

Adjusting Direct Output level from the Patchbay

D-Show Guide90

Hardware I/O availability is saved with Show files, which store the status of hardware at the time of the last save performed at the system.

The D-Show Standalone software provides additional display options for hardware I/O (including unavailable I/O).

See Chapter 23, “Using the D-Show Standalone Software.”

Assigned I/O

When a hardware I/O channel is assigned, its channel number is darkened in all Patchbay screens. This lets you see which hardware channels are in use without having to switch back and forth between Patchbay screens.

DigiDesign D-show User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: D-Show System Introduction

D-Show Features

Control Features

Control Surface

D-Show Expansion Options

Stage Rack

FOH Rack

Record Options

Sidecar

FOH Rack

Stage Rack

Software CDs

Personal Q Monitoring Option

Redundant Power Supply Options

D-Show System Components

Included Components

Main Unit

Additional Required Components

Optional Components

Operational Requirements

Connection Requirements

Temperature and Ventilation

Storage

Operation

Water and Moisture

Cleaning and Maintenance

Power Connections

Console Link Connections

FOH Link Connection

Digital Snake Connections

Audio Connections

Compatibility Information

Determining Control Surface Layout

Standard System Layout

Expanded System Layout

Setting Control Surface Bus IDs

Connecting D-Show Components

Connecting the D-Show Main Unit and Sidecars

Connecting the Main Unit to the FOH Rack

Connecting the Stage Rack to the FOH Rack

Connecting a Second Stage Rack

Power Connections

Audio and MIDI Connections

Stage Rack Connections

Audio Inputs

Applying Phantom Power to Stage Rack Inputs

Audio Outputs

FOH Rack Connections

Audio Inputs and Outputs

Analog Inputs and Outputs

2-Track Inputs and Outputs

2-Track Analog Inputs and Outputs

2-Track Digital Inputs and Outputs

Digital Inputs and Outputs - IOx Option only

Monitor Outputs

Com Mic Input

Com Mic Connector

Applying Phantom Power to the Com Mic

Talkback Level

Talkback Switch

Com Mic Gain

MIDI Input and Output

Control Surface Connections

Talkback Mic

Talkback Mic Connector

VGA Display

USB Keyboard

Powering Up the System

Enabling a Second Stage Rack

Powering Down the System

Restarting the System

Setting the System Clock

Chapter 3: D-Show Control Surface Overview

D-Show Main Unit and Sidecar Top Panels

Input Section