Mackie DXB200 User Manual

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Page 1

Manual Rev 1.0.4

March 7, 2005

OWNER’S MANUAL

X.200

Page 2

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.

Digital X Bus

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 ampliﬁ ers) 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 ﬁ t 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 speciﬁ ed by the manufacturer.

12.

Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table speciﬁ ed by the

manufacturer, or sold with the apparatus. When a cart is used, use caution when moving the cart/apparatus combination to avoid injury from tip-over.

PORTABLE CART WARNING

Carts and stands - The Component should be used only with a cart or stand that is recommended by the manufacturer. A Component and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the Component and cart combination to overturn.

CAUTION AVIS

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE

NE PAS OUVRIR

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK)

NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE

REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED PERSONNEL

ATTENTION: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES DE CHOC

ELECTRIQUE, NE PAS ENLEVER LE COUVERCLE. AUCUN

ENTRETIEN DE PIECES INTERIEURES PAR L’USAGER. CONFIER

L’ENTRETIEN AU PERSONNEL QUALIFIE.

AVIS: POUR EVITER LES RISQUES D’INCENDIE OU

D’ELECTROCUTION, N’EXPOSEZ PAS CET ARTICLE

A LA PLUIE OU A L’HUMIDITE

The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product’s enclosure, that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.

Le symbole clair avec point de fl che l’int rieur d’un triangle

quilat ral est utilis pour alerter l’utilisateur de la pr sence l’int rieur du coffret de "voltage dangereux" non isol d’ampleur suffisante pour constituer un risque d’ l ctrocution.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user of the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance.

Le point d’exclamation l’int rieur d’un triangle quilat ral est employ pour alerter les utilisateurs de la pr sence d’instructions importantes pour le fonctionnement et l’entretien (service) dans le livret d’instruction accompagnant l’appareil.

13.

Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long

periods of time.

14.

Refer all servicing to qualiﬁ ed service personnel. Servicing is required

when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as powersupply 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.

15.

This apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing, and no ob-

ject ﬁ lled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus.

16.

This apparatus has been designed with Class-I construction and must

be connected to a mains socket outlet with a protective earthing connection (the third grounding prong).

17.

This apparatus has been equipped with an two-pole, rocker-style AC

mains power switch. This switch is located on the rear panel and should remain readily accessible to the user.

18.

This apparatus does not exceed the Class A/Class B (whichever is

applicable) set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department

limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as

of Com mu ni ca tions.

ATTENTION — Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant las limites applicables aux appareils numériques de class A/de class B (selon le cas) prescrites dans le réglement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicté par les ministere des com mu ni ca tions du Canada.

19.

Exposure to extremely high noise levels may cause permanent hearing

loss. Individuals vary considerably in susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss, but nearly everyone will lose some hearing if exposed to sufﬁ ciently intense noise for a period of time. The U.S. Government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has speciﬁ ed the permissible noise level exposures shown in the following chart.

According to OSHA, any exposure in excess of these permissible limits

could result in some hearing loss. To ensure against potentially dangerous exposure to high sound pressure levels, it is recommended that all persons exposed to equipment capable of producing high sound pressure levels use hearing protectors while the equipment is in operation. Ear plugs or protectors in the ear canals or over the ears must be worn when operating the equipment in order to prevent permanent hearing loss if exposure is in excess of the limits set forth here.

Duration Per Day Sound Level dBA, Typical In Hours Slow Response Example

8 90 Duo in small club

6 92

4 95 Subway Train

3 97

2 100 Very loud classical music

1.5 102

1 105 Tami screaming at Adrian about deadlines

0.5 110

0.25 or less 115 Loudest parts at a rock concert

WARNING — To reduce the risk of ﬁ re or

electric shock, do not expose this apparatus

to rain or moisture.

X.200

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Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................8

Getting Started ..........................................................................................................9

Connections................................................................................................................................................ 9

I/O Cards.............................................................................................................................................................................. 9

1. MIC/LINE 4 CARD............................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

2. MIC/LINE 8 CARD ...........................................................................................................................................................................................9

3. LINE CARD.........................................................................................................................................................................................................10

4. DIGITAL CARD .................................................................................................................................................................................................10

5. AES/EBU CARD................................................................................................................................................................................................10

6. FIREWIRE CARD ...............................................................................................................................................................................................11

7. MIX OUT Card...................................................................................................................................................................................................11

8. SYNC CARD ......................................................................................................................................................................................................12

Other Connections............................................................................................................................................................ 13

9. FOOT SWITCH 1 and 2.................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

10. SERIAL 9 PIN................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

11. MIDI IN and OUT ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

12. ETHERNET ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13

13. USB ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................13

14. IEC Power Receptacle.................................................................................................................................................................................. 13

15. Power Switch..................................................................................................................................................................................................14

More Connections.............................................................................................................................................................14

16. Mouse...............................................................................................................................................................................................................14

17. Keyboard..........................................................................................................................................................................................................14

18. USB....................................................................................................................................................................................................................14

19. Video Card.......................................................................................................................................................................................................14

Owner's Manual

Console Surface Controls...................................................................................... 15

Channel Strip............................................................................................................................................. 15

20. Meters.............................................................................................................................................................................................................15

21. Assign................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

22. Auxes................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 15

23. Dynamics......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

24. Equalizer .........................................................................................................................................................................................................15

25. Surround .........................................................................................................................................................................................................15

26. V-Pots...............................................................................................................................................................................................................15

27. SELECT..............................................................................................................................................................................................................16

28. ASSIGN ............................................................................................................................................................................................................16

29. SOLO ................................................................................................................................................................................................................16

30. MUTE ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................16

31. Channel Fader.................................................................................................................................................................................................16

Control Room Section............................................................................................................................ 17

Phones Section.......................................................................................................................................... 17

Talkback Section ...................................................................................................................................... 17

Solo Section...............................................................................................................................................18

Macros.........................................................................................................................................................18

Transport Section.....................................................................................................................................18

Owner's Manual

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The Screens................................................................................................................ 21

Overview.................................................................................................................................................... 21

Meters and Switching Banks..........................................................................................................................................21

Accessing Windows...........................................................................................................................................................21

Channel Layout Reconﬁ guration................................................................................................................................. 22

Fader Swap......................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Digital X Bus

The File Menu............................................................................................................................................22

New Session (Ctrl+N)........................................................................................................................................................................................ 22

Open Session (Ctrl+O)...................................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Save Session (Ctrl+S)..........................................................................................................................................................................................23

Save Session As… (Ctrl+Shift+S)......................................................................................................................................................................23

Import D8B Session............................................................................................................................................................................................23

Save As Template….............................................................................................................................................................................................23

Open File Manager............................................................................................................................................................................................ 24

Launch Executable (.EXE)................................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Install Packages…............................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

Shutdown (Ctrl+Q)............................................................................................................................................................................................24

The Edit Menu...........................................................................................................................................25

Undo (Ctrl+Z) ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z)............................................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Cut (Ctrl+X).......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Copy (Ctrl+C)....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Copy Filtered… (Ctrl+Shift+C) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 25

Paste (Ctrl+V) ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Modify Levels… .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 25

Insert Global Time….......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Delete Global Time…........................................................................................................................................................................................26

Clear Automation.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 26

History List (Ctrl+H) .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Clear History .......................................................................................................................................................................................................27

Copy Mix To Bus .................................................................................................................................................................................................27

The Channel Menu...................................................................................................................................27

Channel Settings (Ctrl+B) ................................................................................................................................................................................ 27

Channel Presets.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

Setup Groups (Ctrl+G)......................................................................................................................................................................................28

Un-Group .............................................................................................................................................................................................................28

Link Channels… (Ctrl+L) ...................................................................................................................................................................................28

UnLink Channels (Ctrl+U) ................................................................................................................................................................................28

Faders to Unity (Ctrl+])....................................................................................................................................................................................28

Faders to Off (Ctrl+[)........................................................................................................................................................................................29

Adjust Channel Delay…....................................................................................................................................................................................29

Reset Channel Delay…...................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Reset Selected Channels.................................................................................................................................................................................. 29

Select Fader Bank (Alt+A)................................................................................................................................................................................ 29

Select All Faders (Alt+Shift+A)....................................................................................................................................................................... 29

The Options Menu.................................................................................................................................. 29

Solo Latch ............................................................................................................................................................................................................29

Automation Submenu...................................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Transport Submenu...........................................................................................................................................................................................30

Meters Submenu................................................................................................................................................................................................. 31

VU Meters Submenu..........................................................................................................................................................................................31

Dynamics Submenu............................................................................................................................................................................................ 31

DAW Emulation Mode Submenu.................................................................................................................................................................... 31

Faders To Tape..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 32

Route to Bank Submenu...................................................................................................................................................................................32

Bank to Outputs Submenu ..............................................................................................................................................................................32

X.200

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The Windows Menu.................................................................................................................................32

About......................................................................................................................................................................................................................32

Hot Keys ................................................................................................................................................................................................................32

Close All Windows..............................................................................................................................................................................................33

Setup (Ctrl+1)........................................................................................................................................................................................................33

Automation......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36

Snapshots (Ctrl+2) ..............................................................................................................................................................................................37

Locator (Ctrl+3) .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 38

Equalizer (Ctrl+4) ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 39

Dynamics (Ctrl+5) ..............................................................................................................................................................................................40

Surround (Ctrl+6)............................................................................................................................................................................................... 42

Auxes .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................43

Assigns................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 43

Mix Editor (Ctrl+7)............................................................................................................................................................................................. 46

Effects Rack (Ctrl+8) .........................................................................................................................................................................................49

MIDI Map (Ctrl+9)..............................................................................................................................................................................................49

DAW Bank............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 50

I/O Conﬁ guration (Ctrl+0).............................................................................................................................................................................. 50

Tools Submenu.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 51

Applications..............................................................................................................52

Setting Up For a Session.........................................................................................................................52

Listening Environment.....................................................................................................................................................52

Channel Conﬁ guration/Planning .................................................................................................................................52

Owner's Manual

Installation and Connection of Optional I/O Cards......................................................................52

Anti-Static Precautions....................................................................................................................................................53

Installation Procedure .....................................................................................................................................................53

I/O Cards............................................................................................................................................................................ 54

Checklist for Basic Operational Functionality.................................................................................55

Input Source.........................................................................................................................................................................................................55

Channel EQ and Dynamics ...............................................................................................................................................................................55

Signal Routing......................................................................................................................................................................................................55

Monitor Speaker.................................................................................................................................................................................................55

Power-up Procedure.........................................................................................................................................................55

Setup Window................................................................................................................................................................... 56

Connecting Input Sources.............................................................................................................................................. 56

Connecting Analog Multitrack(s) ................................................................................................................................ 56

Connecting ADAT (Lightpipe) Multitrack(s)..............................................................................................................57

Connecting TASCAM (TDIF) Multitrack(s)..................................................................................................................57

Multitrack Recording ......................................................................................................................................................57

Sample Tracking and Mixdown Setup........................................................................................................................ 62

Tracking................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 62

Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 62

Mixdown ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................62

Effects/Plug-ins................................................................................................................................................................64

Dynamics and EQ Applications .................................................................................................................................... 65

Owner's Manual

Page 6

MIDI and the Digital X Bus............................................................................................................................................. 66

MIDI Basics...........................................................................................................................................................................................................66

Word Clock and the Digital X Bus —The Kitchen Sync........................................................................................................................... 67

Proper Sync Connection.................................................................................................................................................................................. 67

Verifying Word Clock Sync Between Devices and the Digital X Bus...................................................................................................68

Troubleshooting Word Clock Problems...................................................................................................................................................... 69

Digital Audio Workstation Setup................................................................................................................................70

Cabling and Hookup .........................................................................................................................................................................................70

Settings.................................................................................................................................................................................................................70

Digital X Bus

Post-Production Setup.................................................................................................................................................... 72

Bouncing/Summing Using Bus Outs........................................................................................................................... 72

Using Basic Automation ..................................................................................................................................................73

What Type of Data Can Be Automated........................................................................................................................................................73

Two Types of Automation................................................................................................................................................................................73

Where Do I Start?..............................................................................................................................................................73

Time Code From Playback Device................................................................................................................................................................. 74

Start Automation................................................................................................................................................................. 74

Trim Levels........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 75

Automate EQ, Dynamics, and Effects.......................................................................................................................................................... 75

Editing Automation........................................................................................................................................................................................... 75

Appendix A: Service Information........................................................................76

Warranty Service......................................................................................................................................76

Troubleshooting .......................................................................................................................................76

Repair ......................................................................................................................................................... 77

Appendix B: Connections ..................................................................................... 78

XLR Connectors .......................................................................................................................................78

1/4" TRS Phone Plugs and Jacks ..........................................................................................................78

Balanced Mono .................................................................................................................................................................78

Stereo Headphones .........................................................................................................................................................78

1/4" TS Phone Plugs and Jacks............................................................................................................. 78

RCA Plugs and Jacks................................................................................................................................ 78

Unbalancing a Line.................................................................................................................................. 78

DB25 Connectors..................................................................................................................................... 79

Analog.................................................................................................................................................................................. 79

Digital ..................................................................................................................................................................................79

AES/EBU............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 79

TDIF........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 79

Appendix C: Technical Info ..................................................................................80

Speciﬁ cations (Under Construction).................................................................................................80

Digital X Bus X.200 Signal-Flow Diagram.........................................................................................83

Digital X Bus X.200 Block Diagram ....................................................................................................86

X.200

Page 7

Appendix D: Software Installation....................................................................88

Digital X Bus Software Installation Procedure...............................................................................88

Windows XP Users............................................................................................................................................................88

Windows 2000/ME/98SE Users.................................................................................................................................. 89

Mac OS X Users .................................................................................................................................................................90

Mac OS 9.x Users................................................................................................................................................................91

Index...........................................................................................................................94

Digital X Bus Limited Warranty.......................................................................... 97

Owner's Manual

Don’t forget to visit our website at www.mackie.com for more information about this and other Mackie products.

Owner's Manual

Page 8

Introduction

Thank you for choosing a Mackie Digital X Bus for your next-generation digital recording console. The Digital X Bus offers you the ﬂ exibility to conﬁ gure it for virtually any recording application through its extended card cage and I/O routing options. And it was designed with the ability to upgrade as

Digital X Bus

advancements are made in digital recording technology. But with 32-bit ﬂ oating point processing, you have more power than just about any other digital mixing console in its class.

If you have any experience using a digital mixing console, like our D8B, you’ll ﬁ nd that using the Digital X Bus is very similar and you’ll be mixing away in no time. If this is your ﬁ rst experience with digital mixing, we’ll run you through some of the unique aspects of using a digital mixing console. You will ﬁ nd that once you’ve learned these differences and the incredible ﬂ exibility that digital mixing has to offer, you will have a very short learning curve, and wonder how you have lived without the power of digital mixing for so long.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL

We know that many of you can’t wait to get your new Digital X Bus hooked up, and you’re probably not going to read the manual ﬁ rst (sigh!). So refer to the Digital X Bus Quick-Start Guide to help you get the mixer set up fast so you can start using it right away. At the end of the Quick-Start Guide are some hook-up diagrams that show typical hookups for tracking, mixdown, and using the Digital X Bus with a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).

Then, when you have time, read this owner's manual. It contains descriptions of every knob, button, and slider on the console, and all the menus and windows on the touchscreens.

Throughout this manual you’ll ﬁ nd illustrations with each feature numbered. If you want to know more about a feature, simply locate it on the appropriate illustration, notice the number attached to it, and ﬁ nd that number in the nearby paragraphs.

This icon marks information that is critically important or unique to the X.200. For your own good, read them and remember them. They will be on the ﬁ nal test.

This icon leads you to in-depth explanations of features and practical tips. While not mandatory, they usually have some valuable nugget of information.

Note: If you are unfamiliar with using a digital mixing console, refer to "Operational Basics" in the X.200 Quick-Start Guide for information on fader banks, V-Pot controls, and using the touchscreen.

Please write your serial number here for future reference (i.e., insurance claims, tech support, return authorization, etc.)

Purchased at:

Date of purchase:

X.200

Page 9

Getting Started

Owner's Manual

Once you’ve unpacked your new Digital X Bus, you’ll want to position it where you can sit comfortably and reach the touchscreens

and controls, and have relatively easy access to the rear panel, in case you need to make any changes to the connections. Typically, once you’ve set it up and made the connections, you won’t have to make any changes unless you change your external equipment.

Connections

The Digital X Bus comes with a Mix Out card (control room card) and a Sync card already installed in the card cage in the rear panel. There are also connections for a USB mouse/keyboard, footswitches, MIDI and other fun stuff. While not required to operate the Digital X Bus, the mouse and keyboard can be handy for quickly entering data or when clicking is easier than touching (the touchscreen).

Depending on your particular conﬁ guration and re- quirements, we have a variety of analog or digital I/O cards that you can install in the card cage to suit your application. Here’s a quick run-down of what we offer:

I/O Cards

1. MIC/LINE 4 CARD

This card has four female XLR balanced microphone inputs, and four 1/4" TRS balanced/unbalanced line-level inputs, for a total of eight analog inputs. Note that this card does not provide any outputs.

Each mic input provides an individual phantom switch (+48 VDC), and a digitally controlled input trim. All these controls are found in the I/O Conﬁ gu- ration window.

Each line input on the Mic/Line 4 card has a corresponding –10 dBv/+4 dBu jumper (J10-J13) on the card that determines the input level reference point. These jumpers come pre-installed from the factory at a +4 dBu input level. However, if you have unbalanced or low line-level sources, you may choose to remove these jumpers and set the input reference to –10 dBv to better use the headroom of the mixer. You can physically see these jumpers on the printed circuit board of the card itself, and they can be removed simply by pulling them off the card.

2. MIC/LINE 8 CARD

The Mic/Line 8 card has two female DB25 connectors, one for inputs and one for outputs. The input connector accepts eight balanced analog inputs that can be switched between mic- or line-level inputs. As with the Mic/Line 4 card, each mic input provides a phantom power switch and a digitally controlled input trim.

The output connector provides eight balanced linelevel outputs. These DB25 connectors use the TASCAM standard pinout for analog signal connections (the same standard used on the analog cards for the Mackie D8B and Hard Disk Recorder). If you are connecting these to another device using the same DB25 standard, you can use a DB25-to-DB25 audio cable. Otherwise, you will need to use DB25 cables that breakout to XLR, 1/4" TRS, or TT connectors.

SYNC C • SLOTSD • SLOT B • SLOTS A • SLOTS

WORD CLOCK

SMPTE

OUT

SYNC CARD

OUT

MIX OUT CARD

AES/EBU

OUT

SPEAKERS

PHONES

MIX OUT

SPDIF

TDIF

I/O

OUT

OPTICAL

IN A

IN B

OUT A

OUT B

FIRE CARDDIGITAL CARD

AES CARD

I/O

LINE CARD

OUT

LINE CARD

OUT

MIC/LINE 8 CARD

OUT

Owner's Manual

MIC/LINE 4 CARD

Page 10

3. LINE CARD

The Line card has two female DB25 connectors. One provides eight balanced line-level inputs, and the other provides eight balanced line-level outputs. They use the TASCAM standard pinout for analog signal connections (the same standard used on the analog cards for the Mackie D8B and Hard Disk Recorder). If you are connecting these to another device using the same DB25 standard, you can use

Digital X Bus

a DB25-to-DB25 audio cable. Otherwise, you will need to use DB25 cables that breakout to XLR, 1/4" TRS, or TT connectors.

Refer to Appendix B for a wiring diagram of these connectors.

The Line card also has the –10 dBv/+4 dBu jumpers (described for the Mic/Line 4 card) that can be left in place (for +4 dBu operation) or removed (for –10 dBv operation).

Note:

The Mic/Line 4 card, Mic/Line 8 card, and Line card all support analog-to-digital conversion at sampling rates up to 192 kHz and word lengths of either 16 or 24 bits.

At 44.1/48 kHz sample rates, each optical TOSLINK connector provides either eight inputs or eight outputs of digital audio. At 88.2/96 kHz sample rates, the S/MUX protocol is used to provide four channels of I/O on the “A” connectors, and four channels of I/O on the “B” connectors. At 176.4/192 kHz sample rates, the S/MUX II protocol is used to provide two channels of I/O on the “A” connectors and two channels of I/O on the “B” connectors, for a total of four inputs and outputs.

Note: The TDIF connector does not operate above 96 kHz.

5. AES/EBU CARD

The AES/EBU card has one DB25 connector, providing eight channels of digital I/O in the AES/EBU format.

The original AES/EBU speciﬁ cation (IEC958 Type 1) provides for carrying two channels of digital audio at resolutions up to 24-bit at 48 kHz. When higher sampling rates became possible, two methods were developed to transmit digital audio at the higher sample rates — double-fast and double-wide.

4. DIGITAL CARD

This card provides up to eight channels of digital audio in two formats; TDIF-1 on a DB25 connector and ADAT optical on four TOSLINK connectors.

The input type is selected in software (either TDIF or ADAT). However, just because we can, we made both sets of outputs alsways active for you to use. This makes the Digital card a great format converter between TDIF-1 and ADAT optical digital devices.

SYNC C • SLOTSD • SLOT B • SLOTS A • SLOTS

FIRE CARDDIGITAL CARD

WORD

CLOCK

SMPTE

SYNC CARD

OUT

MIX OUT CARD

AES/EBU

OUT

SPEAKERS

PHONES

MIX OUT

SPDIF

TDIF

I/O

OUT

OPTICAL

IN A

IN B

OUT A

OUT B

The double-fast method (also called single-wire) clocks the digital I/O port at twice the speed to get twice the information through, providing support for resolutions up to 24-bit at 96 kHz.

The double-wide method (also called dual-wire) transmits one channel of digital audio instead of two channels through a single digital I/O port, again providing support for resolutions up to 24-bit at 96 kHz.

The AES/EBU card currently uses the double-fast method, so eight channels of digital I/O are supported up to 192 kHz.

AES CARD

I/O

LINE CARD

OUT

LINE CARD

OUT

MIC/LINE 8 CARD

OUT

MIC/LINE 4 CARD

X.200

Page 11

At sampling rates up to 48 kHz, two channels of digital audio are transmitted on a single wire (one 3-pin XLR) at normal speed as speciﬁ ed by the AES/EBU standard.

At sampling rates of 88.2/96 kHz, two channels of digital audio are transmitted on a single wire (one 3-pin XLR) at twice the normal speed (2x).

At sampling rates of 176.4/192 kHz, two channels of digital audio are transmitted on a single wire (one 3-pin XLR) at four times the normal speed (4x).

Note: Check the owner’s manual for the device you are connecting to the AES/EBU card, to ﬁ nd out if it supports the double-fast (or single-wire) method.

The AES/EBU card is wired the same way as the Yamaha standard pinout for transmitting AES/EBU over a 25-pin cable. Be very careful about specifying these cables at a retailer or a cable manufacturer, as there are several varieties of 25-pin “D-Sub” cables and we want to be sure you get the correct ones! Make sure to specify, “25-pin, D-Sub AES/EBU digital cable wired in the Yamaha standard.”

6. FIREWIRE CARD

The FireWire card uses the IEEE-1394 protocol for connecting digital devices, and is compatible with standard Mac and PC FireWire connections. It currently provides 24 inputs and 24 outputs of digital audio at 48 kHz, and 8 inputs and 8 outputs at 96 kHz (with room for expansion as driver technology improves).

return, you can assign them to feed channels, buses, the control room, or whatever you like.

S/PDIF IN and OUT

These are RCA-type connectors that send and receive standard S/PDIF two-channel digital signals. The S/PDIF OUT follows whatever is selected for the AES/EBU OUT in the Mix Out Card setup window.

Touch the S/PDIF Input box in the Mix Out Card setup window to use the S/PDIF IN instead of the AES/EBU IN.

The default input numbers for the S/PDIF inputs are 67 and 68 in any of the Input Source Assignment drop-down boxes. As with the AES/EBU inputs, you can route the S/PDIF inputs to feed channels, buses, the control room, or whatever you like.

SPEAKERS A and B

These are two sets of stereo monitoring outputs using 1/4" TRS jacks. They produce a line-level analog signal that you can connect to the inputs of the ampliﬁ er powering your control room monitors (or the inputs to your active studio monitors).

The NEAR button in the CONTROL ROOM section on the front of the console corresponds to the “SPEAKER A” outputs, and the MAIN button corresponds to the “SPEAKER B” outputs.

The Control Room source is selected in the CONTROL ROOM section of the console (press the SETUP button in the CONTROL ROOM section for more setup options).

Owner's Manual

It will appear as available patch points to any audio software application that supports one of the following formats:

• ASIO 2.0 (Windows XP/2000)

• WDM (Windows XP)

• Core Audio (Mac OS X)

7. MIX OUT Card

This provides several outputs (with the addition of an AES/EBU and S/PDIF input), typically used for control room monitoring, headphones, and main outputs.

AES/EBU IN and OUT

These are XLR connectors that send and receive standard AES/EBU two-channel digital signals. The source for the AES/EBU OUT is selected in the Mix Out Card setup window (Window > I/O Conﬁ gura- tion > Touch the Mix Out Card).

The default input numbers for the AES/EBU inputs are 65 and 66 in any of the Input Source Assignment drop-down boxes. Even though the stereo AES/EBU input is intended for a digital two track

The Control Room Left and Right outputs are assigned to the SPEAKER A and B outputs by default. However, the source for the SPEAKER A and B outputs can be reassigned in the I/O Conﬁ guration window (Windows > I/O Conﬁ guration > Touch or Select the Mix Out Card).

PHONES 1 and 2

These are stereo 1/4" TRS jacks that provide a stereo output for headphones, or for connecting to a headphone distribution box. These are assigned to the Phones 1 and Phones 2 outputs by default, but can be reassigned to virtually any input or output source.

The Phones 1 and 2 sources are selected in the PHONES 1 or PHONES 2 section on the console (press the SETUP button in the PHONES section for more setup options).

MIX OUT

These are balanced 1/4" TRS jacks that provide a line-level analog signal. These are assigned to the left and right mix outputs by default, but can be reassigned to virtually any input or output source. Con-

Owner's Manual

Page 12

nect these outputs to the inputs of a 2-track recorder for mixdown, or to the inputs of a power ampliﬁ er to drive a pair of speakers for the studio or whatever.

Note: Remember that the level for the Main L/R Mix Out is always controlled by the Master Fader on the console. The Control Room volume knob does not affect this level.

Digital X Bus

8. SYNC CARD

The Sync card provides word clock synchronization in and out of the console on a pair of BNC connectors, and SMPTE time code (also called Longitudinal Time Code or LTC) in and out on a pair of 1/4" jacks.

The word clock input is the only means to slave the Digital X Bus sampling clock to an external clock reference device, such as a “house sync” box or a clock distribution system. The Digital X Bus can lock to a word clock source running between

44.1 kHz to 192 kHz. The word clock input provides a 75 ohm termination, which prevents the clock signal from feeding back to the source and causing synchronization problems.

If you are slaving the Digital X Bus off an external word clock source, we do not recommend using the word clock output of the console to distribute that same clock signal to another digital device. There will be a certain amount of propogation delay from the input to the output, and this may cause a synchronization problem between your Digital X Bus and other equipment. If you are using multiple digital devices in your studio, we recommend using a word clock distribution device that can send a word clock signal equally and evenly to all slave devices.

A note about clocking and sync:

The ADAT, AES/EBU, and SPDIF digital audio speciﬁ cations include the presence of a “clock refer- ence signal” through the same physical connection as the audio signals. This means that you can use the Digital X Bus as a master clock source, and lock several different digital devices to the digital audio outputs of the console. You need to refer to the external digital devices’ product documentation and/or manual(s) to learn how to lock external devices off the ADAT, SPDIF, or AES/EBU outputs of the Digital X Bus.

Remember that the Digital X Bus cannot slave to any external source unless it is locked via the word clock connection.

The SMPTE input can receive an LTC signal from 24 through 30fps (frames per second) and includes support for “pull up” and “pull down” drop & nondrop frames rates.

When using the Digital X Bus with a SMPTE input, we recommend locking the word clock of the Digital X Bus to the same source that is generating the SMPTE output. This will ensure that the console does not “drift” from your video or other playback source.

The SMPTE output simply mirrors the SMPTE input. Without a SMPTE input present, the SMPTE output will not be active. Even though the Clock Settings window has an “Internal” setting for the time code source selection, the Digital X Bus does not actually generate MTC or SMPTE signals at the corresponding outputs.

Time code is also provided through MIDI time code (MTC). SMPTE time code is more commonly used in motion picture and broadcast applications.

X.200

SYNC C • SLOTSD • SLOT B • SLOTS A • SLOTS

WORD CLOCK

SMPTE

SYNC CARD

OUT

MIX OUT CARD

AES/EBU

OUT

SPEAKERS

PHONES

MIX OUT

SPDIF

TDIF

I/O

OUT

OPTICAL

IN A

IN B

OUT A

OUT B

FIRE CARDDIGITAL CARD

AES CARD

I/O

LINE CARD

OUT

LINE CARD

OUT

MIC/LINE 8 CARD

OUT

MIC/LINE 4 CARD

Page 13

V 9

p 6

V 4.5

p 5

1100

W M

Other Connections

In addition to the cards in the card slots, there are

more connections to be made on the rear panel.

9. FOOT SWITCH 1 and 2

These two 1/4" TS jacks are provided for footswitch control of various functions. These functions are assignable in the Windows > Setup window, and include Talkback, Play/Stop, Next Marker, Previous Marker, New Marker, and enabling/disabling the Fader Swap function.

10. SERIAL 9 PIN

This DB9 connector is an RS-422 port that supports the Sony® 9-Pin device protocol. It is con- ﬁ gured to operate as a controller, so it should be connected to a device (DEV) that is conﬁ gured to be controlled by a controller (CONT). This is used primarily to transmit tape transport commands from the Digital X Bus to a Sony 9-Pin compatible recorder.

11. MIDI IN and OUT

These standard MIDI connectors (female 5-pin DIN) can be used to send or receive MIDI Time Code (MTC) and MIDI Machine Control (MMC) when connecting to equipment with transport controls and a position display.

The MIDI connectors can also be used to control your DAW application when the MIDI fader bank is selected (up to eight channels).

You can turn MTC on and off in the Sync Card setup window (Windows > I/O Conﬁ guration and touch the Sync card) by clicking the Generate MTC box. You can select MTC as the timecode source in the same setup window by clicking the TimeCode Source dropdown box and selecting MIDI (MTC).

If you need additional MIDI ports, you can attach a third party USB MIDI interface to one of the USB ports on the rear of the console, load the third party drivers into the console, and use those ports for whatever MIDI transmissions you want to use. Please see “Connecting and Controlling a Digital Audio Workstation” for complete details on supported USB MIDI Interfaces and how to conﬁ gure them.

12. ETHERNET

This is a standard RJ45 telco connector. At the time of this printing, the Ethernet connector is disabled. We reserve its use for future applications or feature enhancements to the Digital X Bus.

13. USB

The two USB ports on the Digital X Bus can be used to connect a USB equipped mouse, keyboard, or USB memory stick (USB ﬂ ash memory). See “More Con- nections” just ahead to see how to connect more USB devices, and a PS/2-style keyboard and mouse with a 6-pin miniDIN connector.

14. IEC Power Receptacle

There are two power receptacles on the Digital X Bus, one to provide power to the Digital X Bus and the other to connect to another device and provide power to it. These are standard 3-prong IEC power connectors. Connect the detachable linecord (included with your X.200) to the male power receptacle, and plug the other end of the linecord into an AC outlet with the correct voltage for your particular Digital X Bus.

To connect another device to the female IEC power receptacle, you need a power cord with a male IEC power connector on one end, and a female IEC power connector on the other end. These can be purchased at most electronic supply stores.

Owner's Manual

The Digital X Bus has many different MIDI functions — MMC, MTC, a MIDI Map, and the MIDI Control Surface. It is up to you to route the MIDI functions of the console to/from the physical MIDI port using the MIDI Patch Bay in the Setup window (Windows > Setup > MIDI).

USB ETHERNET SERIAL 9-PIN

MIDI

MIDI OUT

FOOT SWITCH

1 2

115V 9

amp 6

0Hz

230V 4.5

amp 5

0Hz

W M

1100

Owner's Manual

Page 14

15. Power Switch

V 9

p 6

V 4.5

p 5

1100

W M

This one is self-explanatory. When the POWER switch is turned ON, power is supplied to the Digital X Bus and it boots up. When turning off the Digital X Bus, you should select SHUTDOWN from the File menu. At the end of the shutdown procedure, the Digital X Bus lets you know when it is okay to turn off the power switch.

Before turning on your Digital X Bus, please read

Digital X Bus

the “Power-up Procedure” section on page 55 of this manual for complete step-by-step instructions.

115V 9

amp 6

0Hz

amp 5

1100

W M

0Hz

230V 4.5

More Connections

16. Mouse

This 6-pin miniDIN connector is used to connect a

PS/2 style mouse.

17. Keyboard

This 6-pin miniDIN connector is used to connect a

PS/2 style keyboard.

18. USB

These are four additional USB ports for connecting more USB devices to the Digital X Bus. If you are connecting a USB CD-ROM drive or a USB MIDI interface, use one of these ports rather than the USB ports on the rear panel (13).

19. Video Card

The video card has two connectors, one for each touchscreen. The upper connector is a VGA-type and connects to the left touchscreen, while the lower connector is a DVI-type and connects to the right touchscreen. You can use two video splitters to connect two external displays, if desired.

Note: The ﬁ rst production run of X.200s requires that the external monitors be rotated 180º because the video signal is upside down. While testing the touchscreen displays, we determined that the clarity was better at the required viewing angle if the touchscreen displays were mounted upside down. If you are using external ﬂ at-panel LCD or plasma displays, this is not a problem. However, conventional CRT-type displays generally will not work in this application.

There are even more connections available behind the removable panel on the back of the Digital X Bus. Use a small-headed Phillips screwdriver to remove the ten screws securing the panel to the chassis to access these additional connections, which we call the Motherboard Access Area.

MOUSE

KEYBOARD

X.200

Also note that the “touch” function does not work with an external display. This feature is built into the actual touchscreen displays on the Digital X Bus.

VGA

DVI

USB PORTS

Page 15

Console Surface Controls

Owner's Manual

Channel Strip

The touchscreens are actually an extension of the channel strips, so we'll begin by describing the channel strip controls on the touchscreens.

20. Meters

The meters indicate the signal strength at a point in the signal path determined by the meters option setting (Options > Meters).

Touching the meter section toggles the display between a lower-resolution display of all the meters (Channels 1-72 + Aux 1-12 + Bus 1-8 + L/R mix), and a higher-resolution display of the meters for the selected fader bank.

Tip: An easy way to change fader banks is to toggle to all-meter display, then touch the section in the meter display corresponding to the fader bank you want to switch to.

21. Assign

This section of the channel strip indicates the buses to which the channel is assigned, as well as the input source for the channel, the direct output assignment, and the pre- and post-insert assignments.

Touch the assign section of the channel strip to open the ASSIGNS window. See "The Screens, The Windows Menu, Assigns" for more info.

22. Auxes

The Auxes section indicates the Aux Send level for Auxes 1-12 and the Aux Pan for Aux 9/10 (Cue

1) and Aux 11/12 (Cue 2).

Touch the Auxes section of the channel strip to open the AUXES window. See "The Screens, The Windows Menu, Auxes" for more info.

23. Dynamics

The analog-style VU meter indicates whether the channel's compressor or gate are turned on (the meter lights up when the gate or compressor are turned on). When one of the dynamics processors are on, the meter indicates the input signal strength to the processors.

Touch the VU meter to open the DYNAMICS window. See "The Screens, The Windows Menu, Dynamics" for more info.

24. Equalizer

The small EQ window indicates whether the channel's equalizer is turned on (the EQ window lights up when the EQ is turned on). It also indicates the EQ setting for the channel in a graphic display (amplitude vs. frequency).

Touch the EQ window to open the large EQUALIZER window. See "The Screens, The Windows Menu, Equalizer" for more info.

25. Surround

The small surround window indicates the surround panning for the channel, Left/Right and Front/Back. In stereo mode, it simply indicates the left/right panning of the channel. In surround mode, it indicates the surround pan position.

Touch the surround window to open the large SURROUND window. See "The Screens, The Windows Menu, Surround" for more info.

26. V-Pots

Just below the touchscreens are a row of rotary controls called V-Pots, which is short for virtual potentiometer. These correspond to the rotary control that appears at the bottom of the touchscreens.

Unlike an analog console where a rotary pot can control only one function, a digital console allows you to assign a V-Pot to many different functions.

Using the buttons to the right of the touchscreens, you can assign the V-Pots to control the following functions:

PAN L/R (Left/Right) PAN F/B (Front/Back, for surround sound) AUX 1-8 Send AUX 9/10 and 11/12 Send AUX 9/10 and 11/12 PAN Digital TRIM LEVEL TO TAPE

Owner's Manual

Page 16

When one of the above buttons is selected (lit), all 24 V-Pots control that function for each of the 24 channels in the selected bank.

In addition, windows that contain adjustable parameters, like the Dynamics and EQ windows, have their controls situated above the channel V-Pots, which temporarily become controls for the parameters in the window, overriding the V-Pot Assign selection. As soon as the window is closed, V-Pot control returns to

Digital X Bus

whatever is selected in the V-Pot Assign section.

27. SELECT

• Selects a channel for editing.

• Double-pressing the SELECT button opens the

Dynamics and EQ windows for that channel.

• Pressing and holding the SELECT button opens

the Channel Settings window (Channel > Channel Settings) for that channel.

• Pressing and holding two SELECT buttons at

the same time opens the LINK SETUP window for linking two channels.

28. ASSIGN

• The function of the ASSIGN button is deter-

mined by what is selected in the ASSIGN BUTTON SETUP area.

ASSIGN BUTTON

SETUP

REC

L - R

READ

WRITE

unassign channels from the L-R mix, and have an overall view of the assigned to the L-R mix for the selected bank.

• When READ is selected, the ASSIGN buttons

determine which channels playback automation. If a channel has automation data associated with it and it is not Read-enabled, automation data will be ignored for that channel.

• When WRITE is selected, the ASSIGN buttons

determine which channels can be written to automation. A channel must be Write-enabled (and the BYPASS button turned off in the AUTOMATION MODES section) in order to write automation data for that channel.

X.200

• When REC is selected, the ASSIGN buttons arm channels for recording via MMC (MIDI Machine Control). The ASSIGN button blinks to indicate REC READY status. When RECORD is activated in the Transport section, the ASSIGN button lights steadily to indicate the channel is recording.

• When L-R is selected, the ASSIGN buttons indicate the channels that are assigned to the L-R mix bus. This lets you quickly assign and

29. SOLO

• Pressing SOLO lets you hear only the soloed channel in the Control Room output (or the Left and Right Mix if Mixdown solo is enabled).

SELECT

• Select the solo mode in the SOLO section: PFL, AFL, and

ASSIGN

Mixdown (see the SOLO section description for more information on solo modes).

• The CLEAR button in the SOLO section blinks whenever any

SOLO

MUTE

channel is soloed. Press the CLEAR button to turn off all SOLO buttons.

• Soloing multiple channels is accomplished by holding the SHIFT key (on the console or

keyboard) while pressing the SOLO buttons on all desired channels. Also, selected Solo Latch in Windows > Setup >

Mix Options allows you select multiple solos.

• Solo Isolate mode is accomplished by holding down the ALT key (on the console or keyboard) while pressing a channel’s SOLO button. A solo isolated channel is always active on the solo

bus and therefore will not mute when other channels are soloed. The SOLO button blinks to indicate Solo Isolate mode.

Note: The CLEAR button does not turn off Solo Isolated channels. You must hold down the ALT key while pressing the SOLO button to turn off a Solo Isolated channel.

30. MUTE

• Mutes the signal after the channel fader.

• Mute is prior to the L-R bus and Bus 1-8.

• Does not affect the Channel Out (Direct Out) or

pre-fader Aux send. It does affect the post-fader Aux send.

31. Channel Fader

• Controls the signal level from the channel to the bus or buses it is assigned to (typically the L-R bus and the Bus 1-8 output).

• It does not affect the signal going to the Direct Out (Channel Out) or the pre-fader Aux send.

Page 17

Control Room Section

Owner's Manual

Phones Section

The Control Room section is where you deﬁ ne the source for monitoring in your control room. Typically, you would use the Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 outputs on the Mix Card for control room monitoring, giving you the choice of near-ﬁ eld and far-ﬁ eld monitoring through the two stereo line-level speaker outputs. This is conﬁ gured in the I/O Conﬁ gura- tion window (Windows > I/O Conﬁ guration).

Press the SETUP button [32] in the Control Room section to open the Control Room Setup window.

• Select the output destination for the surround

sound stems. When you are mixing in surround sound, you assign the eight bus outputs to the I/O cards in this window.

• Select the input source for control room moni-

toring. There are four buttons labeled 1, 2, Surround, and L-R. These correspond to the buttons on the console labeled 1, 2, SUR, and LR [33]. The Custom Input Assigns 1 and 2 dropdown boxes are used to select virtually any input source for the left and right control room outputs. Select Surround to have your surround sound stems pass through the Control Room section. This allows you to have individual gain controls for each stem (at the bottom of the Control Room Setup window, using the console V-Pots), and activate the surround calibration, which sends pink noise to each surround output to verify that each speaker is set to the same relative volume.

CONTROL ROOM

1 2

• Select Near (Speaker 1) or Main (Speaker 2) control room outputs [34/35].

SUR

L - R

• Adjust the listening level of the Near or Main outputs with

MONO

the knob [36] in the Control Room sec-

NEAR MAIN

tion on the console, or the Near/Main control in the Control Room Setup window. The DIM button [37] allows you to temporarily duck the control room output by a preset amount,

DIM SETUP

which you can set in the Control Room Setup window with a range of off (–∞) to 0 dB.

The Phones section [38] allows you to select the

input source for the headphone outputs (Phones 1 and

2). Typically, you would select the C/R (Control Room) button for the headphone source, but you can have two custom sources conﬁ gured in the Phones Setup window. Press the SETUP button in the Phones 1 or Phones 2 section to open the Phones Setup window.

• Click Copy Mix To Cue 1 or 2 to copy all the channel fader settings to Cue Mix 1 (Aux 9-10) or Cue Mix 2 (Aux 11-12). This is a quick way to copy the Master L-R mix, including effects, to the phones output.

• Click the Input Assign drop-down boxes to select two custom input sources for each headphone output.

•

Adjust the headphone listening level with the knobs [39] in the Phones 1 and Phones 2 sections.

Talkback Section

The Talkback section allows you to communicate from the console to someone listening over the headphones. Press the SETUP button [40] in the Talkback section to open the TALKBACK SETUP window.

•

Select the source for the talkback function by clicking the Source drop-down box. This can be either the built-in talkback mic in the Talkback section, or a microphone connected to an input card.

PHONES 2PHONES 1

1 2

SETUP C/R

TALK SETUP

Owner's Manual

1 2

SETUP C/R

SOLOTALK BACK

AFL

PFL CLEAR

MIX

DOWN

Page 18

• Click Talk to Phones 1 to send the talkback sig-

MACROS

SHIFT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

nal to the Phones 1 output, and Talk to Phones to send the talkback signal to the Phones 2 output.

• Adjust the talkback signal level with the Level slider in the Talkback Setup window.

• Press the TALK button [41] in Talkback section to activate the Talkback function and send

Digital X Bus

the talkback signal to the selected headphone outputs.

Solo Section

• The CLEAR button [45] blinks whenever a channel is soloed. Press the CLEAR button to clear all soloed channels. This is particularly useful when working with solos across multiple fader banks.

• Adjust the solo signal level with the knob [46] in the Solo section.

Macros

The row of buttons just above the Transport section is called Macros [47]. It consists of eight buttons labeled 1-8 and a SHIFT button.

The Solo Section lets you select the solo mode,

clear all soloed channels, and adjust the solo level.

• Press MIXDOWN [42] to activate mixdown soloing. This interrupts the L-R mix output with the signal from the soloed channels.

• Use this mode whenever you want the soloed channels to be the complete mix—a rhythm section is a good example of this.

• Mixdown solo is post-DSP and post-fader.

• Press AFL [43] to monitor the post-fader signal

in the Control Room output. This is a stereo bus (post-pan) so soloed channels are heard in their correct pan position.

• Press PFL [44] to monitor the pre-fader signal in the Control Room output. This is pre-pan as well, so the fader and Pan controls have no effect in PFL solo.

Note: If the channel fader is set low (less than unity gain), soloing the channel in PFL mode could result in a startling increase in volume. Be forewarned!

• The Macros buttons provide instant access to

16 frequently used windows or functions

(Buttons 1-8 and SHIFT+ Buttons1-8).

• Deﬁ ne the window or function executed by each button in the Macros Setup window (Windows > Setup > Macros).

Transport Section

This section provides control for external recorder transports, time display, snapshots, locates, and loops.

48. Number buttons 0-9

• Used to numerically enter Snapshot, Locate,

and Loop points.

• When numeric buttons are used to enter data,

you must press ENTER to complete the action.

49. ENTER button

SOLOTALK BACK

AFL

PFL CLEAR

TALK SETUP

X.200

MIX

DOWN

• Initiates numeric changes that have been typed

into the Recall Snapshot or Recall Locate windows.

50. EDIT START

• Press this button to move the timeline cursor in

the Mix Editor and the position display to the Edit In point.

51. END

• Press this button to move the timeline cursor in

the Mix Editor and the position display to the Edit Out point.

Page 19

The Edit In and Edit Out points are used to copy, cut, and paste sections of automation data in the Mix Editor.

• Move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the point where you want to stop looping. Press STORE [55] and then STOP [53].

Owner's Manual

To set the Edit In and Edit Out points:

• Move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the point where you want to start editing. Press STORE and then EDIT START.

• Move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the point where you want to stop editing. Press STORE and then END.

• You can also click and drag the Edit In and Edit Out markers in the time bar in the Mix Editor screen, or click and drag across the screen to deﬁ ne the start and stop points for an edit.

52. LOOP START

• Press this button to move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor and the position display to the Loop In point.

53. STOP

• Press this button to move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor and the position display to the Loop Out point.

54. ON

• Press this button to start loop playback from the points deﬁ ned by the Loop In and Loop Out points in the Mix Editor.

To set the Loop Start and Stop points:

• Move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the point where you want to start looping. Press STORE [55] and then LOOP START [52].

• You can also click and drag the Loop In and Loop Out markers in the time bar in the Mix Editor screen.

56. SNAPSHOT

• To recall a snapshot, press SNAPSHOT, then enter a snapshot number using the number buttons, then press ENTER [49].

• To store a snapshot, with SNAPSHOT lit press STORE [55], then enter the snapshot number you want to use to store the console settings, then press ENTER [49].

You can also open the Snapshot window (Win-

• dows > Snapshots) to store and recall snapshots.

57. LOCATE

• To recall a locate point (moves the timeline cursor to the locate point in the Mix Editor), press LOCATE, then enter the locate number using the number buttons, then press ENTER [49].

• To store a locate point, move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the position you want to put the locate point. With LOCATE lit, press STORE [55], then enter the locate number you want to use to mark the position, then press ENTER [49].

• To reset a locate point to a new location, move the timeline cursor in the Mix Editor to the new location. With LOCATE lit, press SET [58].

• You can also recall and store locate points in the Locator window (Windows > Locator).

EDIT

START

END

SNAP SHOT

LOCATE

REWIND FAST FWD PLAYSTOP RECORD

7 8 9

4 5 6

1 2

STORE SET ENTER

LOOP

START

STOP

SCRUB

Owner's Manual

Page 20

58. SET

• To move the timeline cursor to a new position in the Mix Editor, with LOCATE [57] lit, press SET, then enter the time you want to move the cursor to using the number buttons, then press ENTER [49].

Transport Controls

These buttons control external devices that

Digital X Bus

respond to MIDI Machine Control (MMC). MMC is transmitted from the MIDI OUT port on the rear panel of the Digital X Bus to MMC-compatible devices.

Transport controls can be programmed to export speciﬁ c MIDI messages other than standard MMC protocol. See MIDI Mapping for more details.

Note: MMC is not bidirectional. The Digital X Bus sends out MMC commands to your tape recorder(s), but if you arm tracks or operate transport controls from the tape recorders, the activity is not transmitted back to the Digital X Bus via MMC. You can, however, press Play on your recorder and, as soon as time code is received, the Digital X Bus reverts to PLAY mode.

61. STOP

• Stops external machines and the time code display at the current position.

62. PLAY

• Engages external machine and time code display to play at normal speed from the current location.

63. RECORD

• Engages Master record function on external machines.

• Must be pressed with PLAY to engage record mode unless One Button Record is active. One Button Record allows punching into record mode without hitting PLAY (see Windows > Setup > Mix Options).

64. SCRUB

• Engages the jog wheel to advance external machines forward or backward with single-frame accuracy when using MMC.

59. REWIND

• Engages external machine and the time code display to fast rewind.

60. FAST FWD

• Engages external machine and the time code display to fast forward.

EDIT

START

END

SNAP SHOT

LOCATE

7 8 9

4 5 6

1 2

STORE SET ENTER

LOOP

START

STOP

REWIND FAST FWD PLAYSTOP RECORD

SCRUB

X.200

Page 21

The Screens

Owner's Manual

The touchscreens provide an elegant user interface for accessing and controlling the signals as they are routed through the Digital X Bus.

Overview

Before getting into the details of all the menu items and windows that are accessible on-screen, it’s worthwhile to mention at this point that a number of shortcuts are built into the touchscreen interface to quickly get to where you want to be.

Meters and Switching Banks

Touching the meters at the top of the screen toggles between a view of just the meters for the selected bank, or a total view of all 92 meters. The bank view provides a magniﬁ ed view with clipping indicators, while the total view allows you to see what is happening with all the channels, all at once.

Accessing Windows

In addition, speciﬁ c windows pertaining to a chan- nel can be opened by simply touching that area in the channel strip.

Note: Touching an area on the touchscreen sometimes results in a different action than clicking the same area with the mouse.

For example:

• Touch the bus assign area just below the me-

ters on a channel strip to open the ASSIGNS window, which is also accessible by selecting Windows > Assigns.

Click in the bus assign area to turn the individ-

ual bus assignments on and off, and to change input, insert, and direct output assignments.

• Touch the auxes section just below the channel

number to open the AUXES window.

Click in the auxes section to adjust the indi-

vidual aux send levels (and cue panning).

Touching the meter for a speciﬁ c channel or group of channels while in the total view causes the Digital X Bus to switch to the bank in which the channel or channels belong, while switching the meter view to the view for that bank. This allows you to quickly switch from one bank to another from the touchscreen.

• Touch the VU meter to open the Dynamics window.

• Touch the EQ graphic display to open the Equalizer window.

Click the EQ graphic display to turn the EQ on

and off.

• Touch the Panning graphic display to open the Surround window.

Click in the Panning graphic display to adjust

the surround position.

Owner's Manual

Page 22

Channel Layout Reconﬁ guration

The File Menu

The channel number provides access to a hidden menu that allows you to move channel strips around and to lock a channel strip so it is visible no matter what fader bank you have selected.

• Right-click on the channel number to open the

channel assignment menu (or Alt+Touch the

Digital X Bus

number).

• Select “Lock Channel” to lock the

channel in place so it is visible with any fader bank selected. Select “Lock Channel” again to unlock it. (Alternatively, hold down the ALT button or ALT key and press a channel SELECT button to lock and unlock a channel.)

• Select “Reset All” to change all

the channel strips back to their original conﬁ guration (numerically sequential).

• Select “Reset Bank” to change all the chan-

nel strips in the currently selected fader bank back to their original conﬁ guration (numerically sequential).

• Use the Channels, Masters, Groups, and MIDI

submenus to reassign the channel strip position to a different channel.

Contains:

New Session (Ctrl+N) Open Session (Ctrl+O) Save Session (Ctrl+S) Save Session As… (Ctrl+Shift+S) Import D8B Session Save As Template… Open File Manager Launch Executable (.EXE) Install Packages… Shutdown (Ctrl+Q)

New Session (Ctrl+N)

• Press Ctrl+N on the keyboard, or touch File and

then New Session.

• This opens a window that asks if you want to

save changes to the current project ﬁ rst. Select

“Yes,” “No,” or “Cancel.”

• The Select Template window opens, which al-

lows you select a pre-saved template for your new project. Select a template if you wish and touch “OK,” or touch “Empty” to open the default new project template.

• Select “Master Fader” to assign the Master Fader to the channel strip position.

Fader Swap

The Fader Swap button (located next to the time code display in the upper-right corner of the touchscreen) causes the faders to take on the function of the V-Pots, allowing more precise control over a V-Pot setting. If it is a level function, fader-down is minimum and fader-up is maximum. If it is a pan function, the fader is centered when the pan is centered.

For example, a good use of the Fader Swap function is when you are doing a frequency sweep in the EQ. Using a channel fader to control this parameter gives you more physical space and throw with which to make your setting that much more accurate.

D D D D D D D D D D D

This chapter provides a quick (well, maybe not so quick, but certainly helpful) rundown of all the menus and screens accessible from the menu bar at the top of the touchscreen.

Open Session (Ctrl+O)

• Press Ctrl+O on the keyboard, or touch File and then Open Session.

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• Use this to open a pre-existing session ﬁ le.

• As soon as the session is opened, the faders

and all other parameters move to their proper settings for the current time code location.

Save Session (Ctrl+S)

• Press Ctrl+S on the keyboard, or touch File and then Save Session.

• Save the current session to its assigned location on the hard drive.

• You can turn on the Digital X Bus Smart Save feature (Windows > Setup), which automatically saves your session every XX minutes. If you have Smart Save turned off, be sure to save your session often to protect yourself from lost work—stuff happens.

Save Session As… (Ctrl+Shift+S)

• Press Ctrl+Shift+S on the keyboard, or touch File and then Save Session As…

• Opens the Save Session As window. Enter a new name for the session using the keyboard, or touch the Name box to open the on-screen keyboard.

Import D8B Session

Owner's Manual

• For Digital 8•Bus users, converts a D8B session ﬁ le to a Digital X Bus session.

Note: This feature imports channel fader, mute, and pan settings for channels 1-72, and the aux send levels/pans for auxes 1-12, along with the master aux sends ands buses 1-8 levels. Channel EQ, compressor, and gate settings are also imported into the Digital X Bus session, but because the algorithms for the EQ and dynamics sections are different in the Digital X Bus, the sound will be somewhat different on the Digital X Bus than it was on the D8B.

• Touch Save to save the session to the default session folder, or you can navigate to another folder at the top of the Save Session As window.

• An extremely useful feature for saving variations of a session.

• Lets the current session be saved under a new name, leaving the original ﬁ le untouched from that point on.

• Good for backing up session data under a new ﬁ le name, or to an external USB Flash drive.

Save As Template…

All new sessions are based on a template. A template is stored separately from sessions, but can be updated at any point with the current static mix levels, setup parameters, and channel settings of any given mix. Simply select Save As Template under the File menu.

• Allows you create a new template. For example,

the default template sets all the faders down, so you can create a new template where the faders are all set to unity.

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Open File Manager

Digital X Bus

Install Packages…

• Gives you direct access to ﬁ le management features such as copying or moving ﬁ les and folders, deleting ﬁ les, and creating new folders.

• Rename ﬁ les.

• Allows you to copy and move ﬁ les from the

internal drive to an external drive for backup.

Note: The destination drive or folder must be opened and displaying its contents for proper placement to occur. You can't drag and drop ﬁ les in the File Manager window. You must use the Move and Copy arrows.

Launch Executable (.EXE)

• Opens the Package Installer window.

• Scans any attached USB peripheral for a Mackie-packaged installation ﬁ le.

• Reports the status of all installers detected.

• Used for all Mackie-approved plug-in and soft-

ware installations.

Shutdown (Ctrl+Q)

• Press Ctrl+Q on the keyboard, or touch File and then Shutdown.

The Digital X Bus asks you if you want to save

• the current session before shutting down. Select “Yes” to save the session, “No” to continue shutting down without saving the session, or “Cancel” to continue working in the current session.

• Opens the Launch Installer window, which allows you to browse to an executable ﬁ le (.exe), a link to an executable (.lnk), or installer ﬁ le on the hard drive.

•

Used to install 3rd-party plug-ins, run third party authorizer applications, or MIDI interface drivers.

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• In the Shutdown window, select “Shutdown” to close the Digital X Bus software, “Restart” to reboot the operating system, or “Cancel” to continue working in the current session.

• After shutting down, you will notice the mixer will turn off and the screens will shut off. Once that has happened, you need to turn off the power switch on the Digital X Bus. You must turn the switch to the off position before you can turn it back on to restart the console.

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The Edit Menu

Contains:

Undo (Ctrl+Z) Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z) Cut (Ctrl+X) Copy (Ctrl+C) Copy Filtered… (Ctrl+Shift+C) Paste (Ctrl+V) Modify Levels… Insert Global Time… Delete Global Time… Clear Automation History List (Ctrl+H) Clear History Copy Mix To Bus

Undo (Ctrl+Z)

• Reverses an action. If you’ve made a bad

automation pass, cut something you didn’t re- ally want to cut, pasted somewhere you didn’t want to paste, etc., simply select Undo (or type Ctrl+Z on the keyboard) and the Digital X Bus reverts to its previous state.

• Selecting Undo multiple times steps back

through the history list (list of actions taken), all the way back to the top level (starting point), if necessary. Open the History List (Ctrl+H) to check it out.

Redo (Ctrl+Shift+Z)

• Reverses an Undo. If you’ve undone an action,

or set of actions, you might determine that your original guess was best, and want to return to actions you removed.

• Redo is a multilevel command, like Undo, so

multiple redo commands retrace your steps through any undone actions in reverse order.

Cut (Ctrl+X)

• Copies all the selected channel’s parameter data

to the clipboard and sets the channel’s param- eters to their default settings.

• The data on the clipboard can be pasted to

another channel.

Copy Filtered… (Ctrl+Shift+C)

Owner's Manual

• Opens the COPY FILTERED window. This allows you to select the individual channel parameter data to copy to the clipboard.

These parameters include: Fader Dynamics Mute Buses Pan Phase Auxes Surround EQs Assigns

• The selected channels parameter settings are

not changed.

• The data on the clipboard can be pasted to an-

other channel. Only the selected parameters are pasted into the new channel. The unselected parameters are left intact.

• You can use the Undo command (Ctrl+Z) to

undo a Copy Filtered command.

Paste (Ctrl+V)

• Replaces the parameters in a selected channel

with the data in the clipboard.

• The data on the clipboard remains intact, so it

can be pasted to multiple channels.

• You can use the Undo command (Ctrl+Z) to

undo a Copy command.

Modify Levels…

• Opens the MODIFY LEVELS window. Use this

control to modify individual parameters for the selected channel(s).

• You can use the Undo command (Ctrl+Z) to undo a Cut command.

Copy (Ctrl+C)

• Copies all the selected channel’s parameter data to the clipboard and leaves all the selected channel’s parameters intact.

• The data on the clipboard can be pasted to another channel.

• You can use the Undo command (Ctrl+Z) to undo a Copy command.

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• Choose the type of parameter from the top pulldown box.

Digital X Bus

• Selecting Insert Global Time in the Edit menu opens a window with settings for the insert start point and length of time inserted.

Delete Global Time…

• With the Mix Editor open, this feature globally deletes a region of data change at the selected start point (on all channels for all data).

• Choose the action from Set, Trim, Min, and Max.

Set moves the selected parameter setting to the

speciﬁ ed value for all selected channels.

Trim adds or subtracts the speciﬁ ed value from the selected parameter for all selected channels.

Min limits the minimum value for the selected

parameter, and applies it to all selected channels.

Max limits the maximum value for the selected

parameter, and applies it to all selected channels.

• Selecting Delete Global Time in the Edit menu opens a window with settings for the deletion start point and length of time deleted.

Clear Automation

• Removes all automation data globally for the selected channels and the selected categories.

• The Mix Editor window must be closed to use the Clear Automation command.

• This action can be undone as long as it remains in the History List.

• Plug-in automation is cleared by removing the plug-in from the Effects Rack (Ctrl+8).

History List (Ctrl+H)

• The History List window lists actions taken in the Mix Editor. In addition, Automation Passes, Clear Automation, Delete Global Time, Insert Global Time, Delete Events, and Modify Levels commands are logged as single list items. Each of these actions is available for Undo, as long as they remain on the History List.

Insert Global Time…

• With the Mix Editor open, this feature globally inserts a region of no data change at the selected start point (on all channels for all data).

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• Using this list, it is possible to regress to any point in the mix. If at some point things went in the wrong direction, it is easy to go back to where the mix was on the right track.

• Highlight any item in the list to deactivate all forthcoming listed actions. When the mix is played, no actions listed below the selected event will occur.

• If an event is selected in the list and then a change is made in the Mix Editor, all events following the selection will be replaced by the new event.

• Use the Undo command from the Edit menu (Ctrl+Z) to regress through the History List steps one at a time.

• Use the Clear History command from the Edit menu to remove all events from the History List. This action cannot be undone.

Clear History

• Removes all items from the History window.

• This action cannot be undone.

Owner's Manual

The Channel Menu

The Channel menu contains:

Channel Settings (Ctrl+B) Channel Presets Setup Groups (Ctrl+G) Un-Group Link Channels… (Ctrl+L) UnLink Channels (Ctrl+U) Faders to Unity (Ctrl+]) Faders to Off (Ctrl+[) Adjust Channel Delay… Reset Channel Delay… Reset Selected Channels Select Fader Bank (Alt+A) Select All Faders (Alt+Shift+A)

Channel Settings (Ctrl+B)

Copy Mix To Bus

• Copies the current L/R mix to a pair of buses.

• Selections include Bus 1 and 2, Bus 3 and 4,

Bus 5 and 6, or Bus 7 and 8.

• Check “Unassign from LR Mix” to remove the selected channels from the L/R Mix and copy to the selected bus pair.

• Allows for quick and easy setting of global channel parameters.

• Change the channel name.

• Easily set groups.

• Solo isolate channels.

• Quickly set channel links.

Channel Presets

• Allows you to save and open preset channel parameter settings.

• Click New to create a new channel preset. Enter the new name using the keyboard or on-screen keyboard.

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• Click Save to update the channel preset with the current selected channel’s settings. All the channel parameters (EQ, Dynamics, and DSP Insert patch points) are saved as well.

• Highlight the desired preset and click Load to copy the preset settings to the selected channel.

• Click the Preview box to observe the channel preset settings on the selected channel before

Digital X Bus

clicking Load.

• Click Change Folder to organize channels into logical groups: band name, instrument type, singers, drums, guitars, etc.

Setup Groups (Ctrl+G)

• Provides a convenient way to group faders for control by a group master fader in the GROUPS fader bank.

Simply select the group to which you want to as-

• sign channels, and then select those channels on the console.

• This does not override any previous group settings outside the selected channels; however, a channel can only be assigned to one group. The most current group selection does override a previous channel group assignment.

• This feature provides a way to add faders to an already existing group.

Un-Group

• Provides an easy way to remove channels from a previously established group.

Select some or all of the grouped channels to re-

• move the selected channel(s) from group status.

Link Channels… (Ctrl+L)

• Channel linking allow you to control a pair of channels at the same time. All channel parameters can be linked, or just selected parameters. For instance, in many cases only the faders need to be linked; all other parameters should remain independent for the individual track.

• Any channel can be linked to any other channel.

• Linking allows a stereo channel to be input on

two channels and controlled as a pair of consecutive faders.

To link a pair of channels, select the left channel

• of an adjacent pair and choose Link Channels… from the Channel menu, or press Ctrl+L on the keyboard. The Link Setup window appears.

• To link a pair of non-adjacent channels, select the ﬁ rst channel, then SHIFT+SELECT the second one, then select Link Channels from the Channel menu.

• Select the parameters that you want linked between the channels. All checked parameters are adjusted together for both linked channels.

• Select how you want the channels linked. In this case, we are linking channel 1 and 2.

Check “Preserve Ch. 1’s values” to copy channel

1’s parameters over to channel 2.

Check “Preserve Ch. 2’s values” to copy channel

2’s parameters over to channel 1.

• Click the Link button to link the channels you have selected, or click Cancel to cancel the linking process.

• To link a pair of channels from the control surface, press and hold the SELECT buttons of the two adjacent channels you wish to link. This opens the Link Setup window.

• Select Pan Inverse to have the pans linked inversely. This means that rotating the pan control on one channel causes the pan control on the linked channel to rotate in the opposite direction.

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UnLink Channels (Ctrl+U)

• Removes a link between channels.

• Select a linked channel and then select Unlink

Channels in the Channels menu.

Faders to Unity (Ctrl+])

• Sets the selected channel faders to unity.

Affects faders only (including Master L/R faders).

• Does not affect any other channel parameters.

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Faders to Off (Ctrl+[)

• Sets the selected channel faders to off.

Affects faders only (including Master L/R faders).

• Does not affect any other channel parameters.

Adjust Channel Delay…

• This features provides a means to shift channels in time, relative to each other.

• Select the channels that will remain at the original position; all unselected channels will be offset by the selected number of samples (±255).

• Use to compensate for phase and timing discrepancies in a synchronization scenario or any multitrack playback/record device setup.

• For example, if you place a plug-in with 100 samples of delay on a channel, the audio will be behind the rest of the channels by that amount. To compensate, you would select the channel, choose “Adjust Channel Delay” and enter a value of 100.

• The Channel Delay control appears in the Assign window for the selected channel.

Select Fader Bank (Alt+A)

Owner's Manual

• Selects all 24 channels in the currently selected fader bank for clipboard, automation, and other operations pertaining to multiple channel modiﬁ cations.

Select All Faders (Alt+Shift+A)

• Selects all 118 channels in ﬁ ve fader banks (not counting MIDI) for clipboard, automation, and other operations pertaining to multiple channel modiﬁ cations.

The Options Menu

The Options menu contains:

Solo Latch Automation Transport Meters DAW Emulation Mode Faders To Tape Route to Bank Bank to Outputs

Solo Latch

• When Solo Latch is selected (a checkmark ap-

pears next to Solo Latch in the Options menu), you can solo more than one channel at a time.

• When Solo Latch is off, only one channel may

be soloed at a time.

• You can manually solo more than one channel

when Solo Latch is off by pressing the Shift key while soloing multiple channels.

Reset Channel Delay…

• This resets the delay to 0 ms on the selected channels.

• To reset all channels, Select All Faders (Alt+Shift+A), then select Reset Channel Delay.

Reset Selected Channels

• Resets the selected channels to their default settings (L/R assign, Level to Tape and Digital Trim to 0 dB, EQ on and ﬂ at, Auxes off, Pan centered, Fader off, Gate and Compressor off and at default settings).

Automation Submenu

Bypass

• Selecting this option mirrors the BYPASS button on the console.

• When Bypass is selected, automation data is neither recorded nor played back.

• When Bypass is not selected, all write-selected parameter adjustments are written into automation data and referenced to time code.

Trim

• Selecting Trim mirrors the TRIM button on the console.

• Sets all faders to unity position (when “Trim From Unity” is selected in the Windows < Automation window) and assigns all parameter controls (except mutes) to globally add or subtract from existing settings and recorded moves.

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• This is perfect for raising or lowering a complete set of automation moves. For example, if the vocal track is perfectly crafted and structured, yet the entire track needs to come up a couple of dB in the mix, fear not. Select Trim, start time code, enter WRITE mode and, with one move, increase the vocal track fader 2 dB throughout the duration of the pass.

Latch

Digital X Bus

• This determines the action of overwriting automation data during a pass.

Write Flyback

• This determines what happens to the parameter levels upon punch-out of automation record.

• When Write Flyback is selected (a checkmark appears next to Write Flyback in the Automation submenu), each parameter recorded into automation returns to its previously adjusted status at the end of a record pass. A track that was off for an entire arrangement snaps back to off, after the level is increased, when punched out of write-record.

• When Latch is selected (a checkmark appears next to Latch in the Automation submenu), automation data for the selected parameter begins to be overwritten as soon as the parameter’s control is adjusted and continues to be overwritten throughout a pass, even if the parameter’s control ceases to change.

• When Latch is off, automation data for the selected parameter begins to be overwritten as soon as the parameter’s control is adjusted, but as soon as the parameter’s control stops chang- ing, the subsequent automation data is left intact.

Faders

• This readies the automation computer to record all fader movements for any write-enabled channel.

Mutes

• This readies the automation computer to record all mute activity for any write-enabled channel.

Pans

• This readies the automation computer to record all pan movements for any write-enabled channel.

• All surround pans are recorded as well as L/R positioning. However, surround output, depth of center, and LFE Level are not written with this selection (use Other/All to write automation for these parameters).

Other

• When Write Flyback is off, parameter adjustments in automation remain at their last user-adjusted setting, even after the end of the automation pass.

Transport Submenu

Use Pre-Roll

• Sets the playback cursor a speciﬁ ed amount ahead of the locate point.

• The amount of Pre-roll is set in the Windows > Setup > Mix Options window.

• Pre-roll is used to provide a set time period for all synchronized device transports to lock together.

• Ideally, Pre-roll is equal to the sync-lock time for the recording system’s transports so that synchronized playback is a reality by the time the devices roll past the locate position.

• Pre-roll is also useful when you are punching in a solo or voice overdub and want to give the talen some extra lead-in time to prepare recording their part(s).

Record Safe

• When Record Safe is selected, the channel RECORD buttons will not engage. However, automation data can still be written.

One Button Record

• When this option selected, record mode is activated by pressing the RECORD button in the control surface’s transport section.

• Sets the automation computer to record all parameter changes for the write-enabled channels, other than the individually selectable Faders, Mutes, and Pans.

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• When One Button Record is not selected, the PLAY button must be held down while pressing the RECORD button to engage record mode.

• To punch out of record mode, simply press PLAY, STOP, REWIND, or FAST FWD.

• One Button Record only affects the punch-in procedure. The punch-out procedure is the same regardless of the status of One Button Record (hit any other transport button to punch out).

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AutoPlay

• When AutoPlay is selected, playback starts automatically when you jump to a locate point.

• This is handy when you are jumping from one locate point to another, listening for something in particular.

Dynamics Submenu

Owner's Manual

These three options allow you to change what is being displayed in the VU meter in the dynamics section of the channel strip. These options have no effect on the meter bridge at the top of the screen.

Meters Submenu

Show All Meters

• Select this option to display all 94 meters (including the L/R mix).

• Touch the meter bridge in the display to toggle between showing the 24 meters in the currently selected bank and all meters.

Input

• The meters display the signal at the input, prior to any controls on the Digital X Bus.

Pre-Fader

• The meters display the signal just prior to the fader, post- Digital Trim, EQ, Compressor, Gate, and pre-fader insert.

Post-Fader

• The meters display the signal just after the fader.

VU Meters Submenu

• When VU Meters is selected, the meter bridge in the display changes to an analog VU-style meter.

• When VU Meters is off, the meter bridge changes to a vertical bar display.

Meter Reference Point

The next three options allow you to adjust resolution of the meter display. The higher the resolution, the more detail you can see in the signal as it approaches 0 dBFS.

• Displays the signal level at the input to the compressor.

Reduction

• Displays the amount of gain reduction being applied to the signal by the compressor. With no compression, the meter indicates fully right. As gain reduction is applied to the signal, the meter moves to the left to indicate the amount of gain reduction in real time.

Out

• Displays the signal level at the output of the compressor, after compression and makeup gain has been applied.

Peak Hold

• When Peak Hold is selected, a thin bar appears in the meter bridge display to indicate the level of recent transient peaks in the signal. The Peak Hold bar has a slower decay rate than the normal response of the signal meter.

• Peak Hold does not affect the meters when in VU mode.

Clear Overloads

• If the metered signal reaches 0 dBFS, the clip indicator at the top of the meter bridge blinks to indicate that digital clipping has occurred.

• The clip indicator continues to blink until you manually clear it, either by selecting Clear Overloads in the Options < Meters Submenu, or selecting Clear Overloads in the Windows < Setup < Mix Options window.

–∞ to 0 dB

• The meters display the entire signal range from no signal to 0 dBFS.

–24 dB to 0 dB

• The meters display the signal from –24 dBFS to 0 dBFS.

–12 dB to 0 dB

• The meters display the signal from –12 dBFS to 0 dBFS.

DAW Emulation Mode Submenu

Use the DAW Emulation Mode submenu to select a third-party DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software for controlling with the MIDI bank of the Digital X Bus. Since the Digital X Bus has 24 faders, when using the Mackie Control emulation mode, it works like a Mackie Control Universal with two eight-channel expanders.

One of the following DAW software applications can be selected in the DAW Emulation Mode dropdown box in the MIDI bank (see next page):

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Generic Mackie Control Emagic Logic Audio DigiDesign Pro Tools HUI MOTU Digital Performer Steinberg Nuendo Steinberg Cubase SX/SL Cakewalk SONAR Adobe Audition/Cool Edit Pro RML Labs SAWStudio Sony Vegas

Digital X Bus

Magix Samplitude/Sequoia Soundscape

Faders To Tape

• When Faders To Tape is selected, the Level To

Tape V-Pot (Direct Out Level in the Assign window) from the selected channel’s output follows the channel’s fader position.

• For example, if channel 12 is assigned to direct

out “AN Out 12,” adjusting channel 12’s fader directly affects the Level To Tape.

Route to Bank Submenu

This provides a shortcut to route 24 consecutive inputs to a selected bank.

Inputs 1-24

The Windows Menu

The Windows menu contains:

About Hot Keys Close All Windows Setup (Ctrl+1) Automation Snapshots (Ctrl+2) Locator (Ctrl+3) Equalizer (Ctrl+4) Dynamics (Ctrl+5) Surround (Ctrl+6) Auxes Assigns Mix Editor (Ctrl+7) Effects Rack (Ctrl+8) MIDI Map (Ctrl+9) DAW Bank I/O Conﬁ guration (Ctrl+0) Tools Submenu

About

• This window displays the OS version, copyright

information, and acknowledgements.

• Routes and assigns the hardware inputs 1-24 (Cards 1-3) to the currently selected bank.

Inputs 25-48

• Routes and assigns the hardware inputs 25-48 (Cards 4-6) to the currently selected bank.

Inputs 49-68

• Routes and assigns the hardware inputs 49-68 (Cards 7-9) to the currently selected bank.

Bank to Outputs Submenu

This provides a shortcut to route the 24 outputs

from the selected bank to 24 consecutive outputs.

Outputs 1-24

• Routes and assigns the outputs for the currently selected bank to hardware outputs 1-24 (Cards 1-3).

Outputs 25-48

• Routes and assigns the outputs for the currently selected bank to hardware outputs 25-48 (Cards 4-6).

Hot Keys

• Displays a list of hot keys, or keyboard shortcuts. The more of these key commands you learn, the faster and more efﬁ cient you will be at recording. Some adjustments are necessary on the control surface or with the mouse or touchscreen, but many settings and windows can be changed or opened very quickly from the keyboard. Once you begin to incorporate these into your routine you’ll quickly realize the power and creative freedom they offer.

Outputs 49-72

• Routes and assigns the outputs for the currently selected bank to hardware outputs 49-72 (Cards 7-9).

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Close All Windows

• This does just what it says, it closes all open windows in the display.

to recalibrate the touchscreens from time to time, especially if it seems that the touchscreen isn’t responding as quickly as it should.

• Language selection is a drop-down box used to select your preferred language. English is the default setting.

• Smart Save is a function that automatically saves your sessions every ﬁ ve minutes. Check the “Create New Files” box to save the session as a new session without overwriting the previously saved version. Check “Load Last Session at Power-up” to automatically open the last ses- sion you were working on when you boot up the Digital X Bus, rather than the default Startup session.

Macros

Owner's Manual

Setup (Ctrl+1)

The Setup window has four sub-windows: General, Macros, Mix Options, and MIDI, all selectable with the buttons at the top of the Setup window.

General

The General Setup window provides access to the following functions:

Date and Time allows you to set the date and

•

time for the Digital X Bus. This is important to keep your ﬁ les in the correct chronological order.

The Macros window allows you to assign virtually any function to the Macro buttons in the Screen Sets section located above the Transport section on the control surface. This gives you quick and easy access to windows and frequently repeated actions.

Mix Options

Surround Mode

• Touch Calibration initiates a routine to calibrate the touchscreens by having you touch a dot in the corners of both touchscreens. You may need

• This pull-down list provides access to the various surround sound modes available on the Digital X Bus.

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• All standard surround sound modes are selectable, including Stereo (no surround), Quad, LCRS, 5.1, 7.1 (SDDS), and 7.1 (TP).

Mixing Options

Song Offset

• Sets the consistent time difference between the record device time code and the Digital X Bus reference time code.

Several of the Mixing Options are also available under the Options menu.

One Button Record

Digital X Bus

• When this option is

selected, record mode is activated by pressing the RECORD button in the control surface’s transport section.

• When One Button Record is not selected, the

PLAY button must be held down while pressing the RECORD button to engage record mode.

• To punch out of record mode, simply press

PLAY, STOP, REWIND, or FAST FWD.

• One Button Record only affects the punch-in

procedure. The punch-out procedure is the same regardless of the status of One Button Record (hit any other transport button to punch out, usually STOP).

Solo Latch

• When Solo Latch is selected, you can solo more

than one channel at a time.

• When Solo Latch is off, only one channel may

be soloed at a time.

• You can manually solo more than one channel

when Solo Latch is off by pressing the Shift key while soloing multiple channels.

• Generally used to “zero reference” a song’s

starting point in BBT. It’s easier to jump to measure 1 than 2:01:23 (usually).

• Offset can be as little as one frame or as much as 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds, and 29 frames.

Pre-Roll

• Sets the time difference between a Locate point and the actual start point.

• Since many record devices require a few seconds to synchronize, the Pre-Roll time allows a brief time period in advance of the locate point to ensure transport sync and accuracy.

Meters

These meter options are also available under the

Options > Meters submenu.

The Meters drop-down box allows you to select the point in the signal ﬂ ow where the meters are indicating.

Input

• The meters display the signal at the input, prior

to any controls on the Digital X Bus.

Pre-Fader

Record Safe

• When Record Safe is selected, the channel RECORD buttons will not engage. However, automation data can still be written.

Use Pre-Roll

• Sets the playback cursor a speciﬁ ed amount ahead of the locate point.

• The amount of Pre-roll is set in the Windows > Setup > Mix Options window.

Pre-roll is used to provide a set time period for all

• synchronized device transports to lock together.

• Ideally, Pre-roll is equal to the sync-lock time for the recording system’s transports so that synchronized playback is a reality by the time the devices roll past the locate position.

X.200

• The meters display the signal just prior to the fader, post- Digital Trim, EQ, Compressor, Gate, and pre-fader insert.

Post-Fader

The meters display the signal just after the fader.

•

Clear Overloads

• If the metered signal reaches 0 dBFS, the clip indicator at the top of the meter bridge blinks to indicate that digital clipping has occurred.

• The clip indicator continues to blink until you manually clear it, either by selecting Clear Overloads in the Options > Meters Submenu, or selecting Clear Overloads in the Windows > Setup > Mix Options window.

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Show All Meters

Active Tempo

Owner's Manual

• Select this option to display all 94 meters (including the L/R mix).

• Touch the meter bridge in the display to toggle between showing the 24 meters in the currently selected bank and all meters.

Peak Hold

• Peak Hold does not affect the meters when in VU mode.

Footswitches

These drop-down boxes allow you to select the function assigned to each of the two footswitch jacks available on the rear panel. The functions available include:

• Talkback

• Play/Stop

• Next Marker

• Previous Marker

• New Marker

• Fader Swap

MIDI

• Displays the actual tempo currently in use.

MIDI Device ID’s

• Sets the Device ID reference for connected record devices such as the HDR24/96, ADATs, DA Series, or other multitrack recorders.

A unique ID is required for using MMC (MIDI

• Machine Control) with multiple recording devices.

The following boxes select the MIDI port(s) used to send and receive MTC, MMC, and MIDI commands between the Digital X Bus and external multitrack recorders and DAW applications. The MIDI port(s) must be connected to the Digital X Bus in order to be detected and appear in the lists. MPU-401 is the builtin MIDI IN and OUT connectors on the rear panel.

MTC In Port

• Selects the MIDI interface used to receive MIDI

Time Code in the Digital X Bus.

MMC Out Port

• Selects the MIDI interface used to transmit

MIDI Machine Control from the Digital X Bus.

MIDI Map In

• Selects the MIDI interface used to receive MIDI

commands as deﬁ ned in the MIDI Map.

MIDI Map Out

MIDI File Tempo Map

• Import a MIDI Tempo Map from a standard MIDI ﬁ le to synchronize the Digital X Bus Bars/ Beats/Ticks display with your MIDI sequencer MTC reference.

Default Tempo

• Sets the MIDI tempo reference for position alignments during an automation pass or locator activities.

• Selects the MIDI interface used to send MIDI commands as deﬁ ned in the MIDI Map.

DAW Main In

• Selects the MIDI interface used to receive MIDI commands for the ﬁ rst eight channels when the MIDI fader bank is selected

DAW Main Out

• Selects the MIDI interface used to send MIDI commands for the ﬁ rst eight channels when the MIDI fader bank is selected.

DAW Ext 1 In

• Selects the MIDI interface used to receive MIDI commands for the second eight channels (9-16) when the MIDI fader bank is selected

DAW Ext 1 Out

• Selects the MIDI interface used to send MIDI commands for the second eight channels (9-16) when the MIDI fader bank is selected.

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DAW Ext 2 In

Trim From Unity

• Selects the MIDI interface used to receive MIDI commands for the last eight channels (17-24) when the MIDI fader bank is selected

DAW Ext 2 Out

• Selects the MIDI interface used to send MIDI commands for the last eight channels (17-24)

Digital X Bus

when the MIDI fader bank is selected.

Automation

The Automation window provides access to some of the functions available under the Options < Automation submenu and the control surface, as well as some additional functions.

• When this is checked, selecting Trim or Touch mode causes the faders to jump to unity position.

• When Trim From Unity is not checked, the faders remain at their current positions. Moving the fader up or down adds or subtracts the difference from the automation data recorded for that channel.

Faders

• This readies the automation computer to record all fader movements for any write-enabled channel.

Pans

•

This readies the automation system to record all pan movements for any write-enabled channel.

Mutes

Bypass

• When Bypass is selected, automation data is neither recorded nor played back.

• When Bypass is not selected, all write-selected parameter adjustments are written into automation data and referenced to time code.

Trim

• Selecting Trim mirrors the TRIM button on the console.

• Sets all faders to unity position (when “Trim From Unity” is selected) and assigns all param- eter controls (except mutes) to globally add or subtract from existing settings and recorded moves.

• This readies the automation computer to record all mute activity for any write-enabled channel.

Other

• Selecting Other mirrors the ALL button on the console.

• Sets the automation computer to record all parameter changes for the write-enabled channels, other than the individually selectable Faders, Mutes, and Pans.

Filter

• Opens the Automation Filter window. This allows you to select individual parameters for automation from a list of available parameters other than Faders, Mutes, and Pans.

• Parameters include Auxes, EQs, Dynamics, Buses, Phase, and Misc (everything else).

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Latch

• This determines the action of overwriting automation data during a pass.

• When Latch is selected, automation data for the selected parameter begins to be overwritten as soon as the parameter’s control is adjusted and continues to be overwritten throughout a pass, even if the parameter’s control ceases to change.

Touch Timeout

• When Latch is off, the Touch Timeout control determines the amount of time between when the control stops moving and when automation stops writing data for that parameter.

• The range for Touch Timeout is 0 ms to 5000 ms (5 sec).

Write Flyback

• This determines what happens to the parameter levels upon punch-out of automation record.

• When Write Flyback is selected, each parameter recorded into automation returns to its previously adjusted status at the end of a record pass. A track that was off for an entire arrangement snaps back to off, after the level is increased, when punched out of write-record.

• When Write Flyback is off, parameter adjustments in automation remain at their last user-adjusted setting, even after the end of the automation pass.

Return Time

• When Write Flyback is selected, the Return Time control determines the amount of time between when the control stops moving and when automation stops writing data for that parameter.

• The range for Return Time is 0 ms to 5000 ms (5 sec).

Snapshots (Ctrl+2)

A snapshot is just what its name implies. It is a snapshot of all the settings on the console that is stored in memory for later recall.

New

• To create a new snapshot, click the New button.

• Each new snapshot is automatically given a

number and the name “Snapshot.”

• To change its name, double-click on “Snapshot,”

then type the new name. Press ENTER on the keyboard to complete the naming procedure. Or touch the name “Snapshot” to highlight it, then

touch it again to open the on-screen keyboard. Type the new name, then touch ENTER on the keyboard.

• Double-click in the Description column of the snapshot to enter a text description.

Edit

• Select a snapshot, then touch the Edit button to open the Snapshot Filter window.

• The Snapshot Filter window allows you to ﬁ lter out certain parameters so they do not get overwritten when the selected snapshot is recalled.

You can also exclude certain channels from being

• overwritten when the selected snapshot is recalled.

Delete

• Select a snapshot, then touch the Delete button to remove it from the snapshot list.

• If the snapshot is locked, it cannot be deleted.

• This cannot be undone. Once you delete a snap-

shot, it is gone forever.

Recall

Owner's Manual

Select a snapshot, then touch the Recall button to

• overwrite all the parameters (or selected parameters from the Snapshot Filter window) on the Digital X Bus with those stored with the snapshot.

• You can also double-click (or double-touch) on the snapshot number to recall it.

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Store

Numeric Transport Position Indicator

To update and overwrite an existing snapshot,

• select the snapshot, then touch the Store button to overwrite the snapshots with the new settings.

• The drop-down menu list duplicates the New, Recall, Store, Edit, and Delete buttons in the

Digital X Bus

Snapshot window.

• In addition, it allows you to Lock and Unlock a snapshot. When a snapshot is locked, as indicated by the closed lock icon in the snapshot list, it cannot be deleted or overwritten.

• The Renumber option renumbers the snapshot list in consecutive ascending numerical order.

• This window display time code in either SMPTE or BBT (Bars/Beats/Ticks), depending on what is selected in the Mix Editor drop-down menu.

• This mirrors the time code readout in the upper right corner of the touchscreen.

Ways to Enter Locator SMPTE Position:

• Double-click in the desired ﬁ eld (Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Frames) and click and hold in the upper half of the ﬁ eld to scroll the number up, or click and hold in the lower half of the

ﬁ eld to scroll the number down.

• Double-click in the desired ﬁ eld and enter the

number from the keyboard. Press Enter to complete. Or touch the desired ﬁ eld to open the numeric keypad on-screen, enter the number, and touch Enter to complete.

• Press the SET button (in the Transport Section on the control surface) then enter a locate time using the numeric keypad on the control surface. Press ENTER to complete.

New

Locator (Ctrl+3)

The Locator window contains transport controls,

and allows you to create new locate points.

Transport Controls

• The transport controls operate any connected record or playback devices using MIDI Machine Control (MMC) via the MIDI port.

• These controls mirror the transport controls on the control surface and include Return to Zero (not on the control surface), Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop, Play, and Record.

• Click this button to create a new locate point.

• The new locate point is created at the current

time code position.

• Each new locate point is automatically given a number and the name “Locate.”

Delete

• Select a locate point, then touch the Delete button to remove it from the locate list.

• This cannot be undone.

Rename

• To rename a locate point, select it and then touch Rename. This highlights the name (Description) of the locate point. Type the new name from the keyboard, then press Enter (on the keyboard) to complete the naming procedure.

• Another method is to touch the name “Locate” to highlight it, then touch it again to open the on-screen keyboard. Type the new name, then touch ENTER on the keyboard.

Renumber

• Touch the Renumber button to renumber the locate points in consecutive ascending numerical order.

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Store

MORPH

Owner's Manual

• To reassign an existing locate point, select the locate point, then touch the Store button to reassign the locate point to the current time code position.

Locate To

• To move to a locate point, select the locate point and touch Locate To.

• You can also double-click on the locate point number to move the timeline cursor to the locate point position.

Equalizer (Ctrl+4)

This opens the Equalizer window for the selected

channel.

ON Button

• This is an On/Off button, located at the top of the Equalizer window. It works as an EQ bypass switch, so you can easily make an A/B comparison of the sound with and without EQ.

Memory A/B

• Each memory stores the most recent EQ settings made for the selected channel.

• Click either of these buttons to instantly recall the stored settings.

• Ideal for making quick A/B comparisons between EQ settings.

Click the MORPH button to smoothly fade

• from one memory setting to the other (Memory A and B).

• The amount of time it takes for this transition is set in the time window next to the MORPH button.

• Morph time can be set as low as 0.1 second or as high as 30 seconds.

• Click the MENU button to Cut, Copy, and Paste the EQ settings to and from the clipboard.

• Select Reset to return all the EQ controls to their default settings.

• Select EQ Presets to open the EQ Presets window. Here you can save or load preset EQ settings from the presets directory.

Each band of the 4-band EQ has:

• An On/Off button for the individual band.

• EQ Type Select: Click on the EQ type pop-up

box to select from Low Shelf, High Shelf, Peaking, Low Pass, and High Pass.

• Gain, Freq, and Q controls. These are adjusted using the V-Pots just below the controls onscreen. Note that when High Pass or Low Pass are selected, the Gain control has no effect.

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Dynamics (Ctrl+5)

This opens the Dynamics window for the selected channel, which contains controls for the Compressor and Gate.

ON Button

• The compressor and gate each have an On/Off

button, located at the top of their respective dis-

Digital X Bus

plays. It works as a bypass switch, so you can easily make an A/B comparison of the sound with and without compressor and gate.

Memory A/B

• Each memory stores the most recent settings

made for the selected channel.

• Click either of these buttons to instantly recall

the stored settings.

• Ideal for making quick A/B comparisons be-

tween settings.

• Click the MENU button to Cut, Copy, and Paste

the compressor and gate settings to and from the clipboard.

• Select Reset to return all the compressor or

gate controls to their default settings.

• Select Comp Presets or Gate Presets to open

the Presets window. Here you can save or load preset compressor or gate settings from the presets directory.

Compressor

A compressor is used to reduce or limit transient peaks in a signal. As the input level to the compressor increases, the output level increases linearly until the threshold point is reached. After that point, the output level no longer increases linearly. Instead, it increases at a reduced rate determined by the ratio setting.

The compressor is represented graphically by a diagonal line across an X-Y coordinate display. The horizontal axis represents the input signal level to the compressor, and the vertical axis represents the output signal level from the compressor. When the compressor is not acting upon the signal (below the threshold), the input equals the output and the line moves diagonally across the display. When the compressor begins acting on the signal, the output no longer follows the input signal, but is reduced by an amount determined by the Ratio control. The greater the ratio setting, the less the output level changes as a function of the input level.

There are ﬁ ve controls for the compressor along the bottom edge of the window. These are controlled by the V-Pots located just below them.

Threshold

•

Determines the level at which the compressor begins to act on the incoming signal. It is calibrated in decibels, ranging from off (–∞) to 0 dB.

Attack

• Determines how fast the compressor reacts

once the threshold has been exceeded. It is calibrated in milliseconds, ranging from 1 ms to 100 ms (1/10 second).

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Release

• Determines how fast the compressor turns off once the signal falls below the threshold. It is calibrated in milliseconds, ranging from 10 ms to 1000 ms (1 second).

Ratio

• Determines the change in output level as a function of the change in input level, once the threshold has been exceeded. The Ratio control ranges from 1.00:1 to 20.00:1. Thus, if the ratio is 10:1, an increase in input level of 10 dB (assuming the input is above the threshold level) results in a 1 dB increase in output level.

• When set to 20:1, the compressor acts as a peak limiter. After the initial attack time, the output changes very little once the input crosses the threshold.

Output

• Determines the amount of makeup gain applied after the compressor. Use this control to compensate for the loss of gain caused by the action of the compressor. It is calibrated in decibels, ranging from unity (0.00 dB) to +20.00 dB.

Soft

• This button turn on the compressor soft knee function. The knee of the compressor describes the point on the input-output graph where the threshold begins to reduce the output.

• A hard-knee compressor means that, up until the moment the input signal crosses the threshold, no compression occurs. Once the threshold is crossed, the full ratio of gain reduction is applied to the input signal (assuming the attack time has passed).

• With the soft knee engaged, the gain reduction begins to occur before the input signal reaches the threshold. The amount of reduction gradually increases until the full ratio setting is reached slightly after the threshold is crossed. This can be seen as a curve around the knee point on the compressor graphic display.

Meters

There are three vertical bars to indicate metering for the compressor. One indicates the input signal level entering the compressor (IN), one indicates the output signal level leaving the compressor (OUT), and one indicates the amount of gain reduction being applied to the signal (R). The gain reduction meter indicates from the top to the bottom, starting at 0 dB (no gain reduction), and moving down as the compression increases.

Owner's Manual

Note that the meters indicate compressor function only, and do not indicate the closing or opening of the gate.

Gate

A gate is used to duck or mute a channel when the signal level drops below a certain point. This can reduce the overall noise level in your mix by muting unused or noisy channels.

The gate is represented graphically by a diagonal line across an X-Y coordinate display. The horizontal axis represents the input signal level to the gate, and the vertical axis represents the output signal level from the gate. When the input signal level is below the threshold setting for the gate, there is no output and the red indicating LED in the gate window lights. When the input signal level is above the threshold, the signal passes through the gate unaffected.

There are ﬁ ve controls for the gate along the bot- tom edge of the window. These are controlled by the V-Pots located just below them.

Note: When we say the gate opens, it means the gate is not acting on the signal and the signal is allowed to pass. When the gate closes, the gate acts on the signal by attenuating it.

Threshold

• Determines the level at which the gate acts on

the incoming signal. It is calibrated in decibels, ranging from off (–∞) to 0 dB.

Attack

• Determines how fast the gate opens once the

threshold has been exceeded. It is calibrated in milliseconds, ranging from 0.1 ms to 100 ms.

Hold

• This determines how long the gate remains

open after the input signal has fallen below, and remains below, the threshold before closing. It is calibrated in milliseconds, ranging from 20 ms to 1000 ms (1 second).

Release

• Determines how fast the gate closes after the

hold time has expired, once the signal falls below the threshold. It is calibrated in milliseconds, ranging from 10 ms to 1000 ms (1 second).

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Range

• Determines the amount of gain reduction applied to the signal once the signal level drops below the threshold. It is calibrated in percent, ranging from 0% (no attenuation) to 100% (full attenuation).

Key (Trigger) Input

• Uses the signal from another source to trigger

Digital X Bus

the dynamics for a channel.

• Click the drop-down box to select the key input source.

• Touch the EQ window below the drop-down box to turn on the key input EQ (the background of the EQ graph lights).

• The key input EQ ﬁ lters the key input signal prior to triggering the gate. It is a peaking ﬁ lter, and allows you to tighten the trigger signal to a narrow band of frequencies.

• There are two controls for the key input EQ, Frequency and Q. Use the V-Pots below the graphic representation of the knobs to adjust the controls.

Surround (Ctrl+6)

The SURROUND window offers precise control over image positioning in any mixing panorama along with individual subwoofer level and depth of center control.

Surround position control is available from the control surface by using the individual channel PAN L/R and PAN F/B V-Pot controls.

Global Surround Mode

• Click the drop-down box to select the surround

mode. The choices are Stereo (default), Quad, LCRS, 5.1, 7.1 (SDDS), and 7.1 (TP).

• Changing the surround mode changes the posi-

tion of the speaker icons in the surround panner display.

• The surround outputs are automatically as-

signed to the Bus 1-8 outputs. Click the buttons in the Surround Bus Assigns section to assign the surround signals from the selected channel to the bus outputs (duplicates the bus assignments in the Assign window).

Surround Panner

• Simply click and drag the ball in the surround

panner display to move the source location of the signal within the surround panorama. The top of the display represents the front speakers, and the bottom of the display represents the rear speakers and the subwoofer.

• The subwoofer is not affected by pan. Its signal

is tapped prior to the surround panning.

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LFE (Low-Frequency Effects)

• The LFE feature makes it possible to handle all your bass management functions right from the channel panning, rather than purchasing an external surround bass management box.

• Click the LFE Cutoff ON button to turn on the LFE channel (subwoofer). When the button is off, there is no output to the subwoofer channel (Bus 4) and all the low-frequency information is routed to the main surround speakers.

• When the LFE Cutoff button is ON (lit), the lowfrequencies are routed to the subwoofer output. Rotate the LFE Cutoff knob to select the cutoff, or crossover, frequency for the subwoofer output. It ranges from 20 Hz to 8 kHz.

• Rotate the LFE Level knob to adjust the subwoofer level. It ranges from 0 dB (unity gain) to off (–∞).

Center %

Auxes

The AUXES window allows you to see all the Aux

sends settings for the selected channel.

• You can also open the AUXES window by clicking the Aux sends section on a channel strip.

•

Click the ON button to turn individual Aux sends on and off without changing the gain settings.

• Click the PRE buttons to change the Aux sends from post-fader to pre-fader.

Owner's Manual

• This controls the amount of center channel signal going to the center channel output.

• At 0%, all the center channel signal is routed to the center channel output (Bus 3).

• At 50%, the center channel signal is evenly distributed among the L, C, and R outputs.

• At 100%, the center channel signal is routed to the Left and Right outputs (phantom center channel).

Memory A/B

• Each memory stores the most recent settings made for the selected channel.

• Click either of these buttons to instantly recall the stored settings.

• Ideal for making quick A/B comparisons between settings.

• Click the MENU button to Cut, Copy, and Paste the surround settings to and from the clipboard.

• Select Reset to return all surround controls to their default settings.

MORPH

• Click the MORPH button to smoothly fade from one memory setting to the other (Memory A and B).

• The amount of time it takes for this transition is set in the time window next to the MORPH button.

• Morph time can be set as low as 0.1 second or as high as 30 seconds.

• Click the MONO/STEREO buttons to toggle between mono and stereo pairs.

• Click the MENU button to Cut, Copy, and Paste the Aux send settings to and from the clipboard.

Assigns

The ASSIGNS window is perhaps the most powerful feature of the Digital X Bus, for it is here that you select the input source, multiple insert points, and outputs for a channel. You will come to appreciate the power and ﬂ exibility of the signal routing capability of the Digital X Bus.

• You can also open the ASSIGNS window by

touching the assign section on a channel strip.

Input Src

Click the Input Src (Source) drop-down box to

•

select the signal source that is routed to the input of the selected channel strip. Typically, you would choose an input from one of the I/O cards that you have installed. However, you can select from a number of other sources including another channel, an aux send, one of the eight buses, the talkback mic, or one of three built-in oscillators (oscillator setup is in the Audio Toolbox under Windows > Tools).

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Digital X Bus

Floating Insert Send

• Click the Floating Insert Send drop-down box to select where to send the channel’s ﬂ oating insert send. You can use any I/O card’s output. Typically, you would use this to send the signal to an external processor, and return the signal to the channel using the Floating Insert Return.

Phase Reverse

• Click the Phase Reverse button to invert the polarity of the signal by 180º.

Digital Trim

• The Digital Trim allows you to adjust the input level just after the A/D converter and before the channel DSP.

• Provides a method to trim the input signal when using Digital I/O cards.

Delay

Floating Insert Return

• Click the Floating Insert Return drop-down box to select where to return the ﬂ oating insert signal. You can use any I/O card’s input.

• Adds delay to the selected channel. Ranges from 0 ms to 500 ms. This can be manually adjusted with the V-Pot, or automatically adjusted when using the “Adjust Channel Delay” feature (Channel > Adjust Channel Delay).

Bus Assigns

• Click the Bus Assigns buttons to assign the output of the channel strip to Bus 1-8 and the L-R bus.

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Pre Insert

• The Pre Insert point is located just before the channel DSP section.

Owner's Manual

Note: One or more plug-ins must be installed in the Effects Rack (Ctrl+8) before a Post Insert can be selected or None will appear in the drop-down box.

• Used to insert a plug-in effect into the channel, pre-DSP.

• Click the Pre Insert drop-down box to select a plug-in from the available effects in the Effects Rack.

Note: One or more plug-ins must be installed in the Effects Rack (Ctrl+8) before a Pre Insert can be selected or None will appear in the drop-down box.

• If it’s a stereo effect, a channel can be assigned to the left or right input of the effect.

• The corresponding output of the effect is returned to the channel’s Post Insert point.

Direct Output

• The Direct Output is located after the channel DSP and just before the fader, mute, and pan controls.

• Click the Direct Output drop-down box to assign the selected channel’s Direct Output to the output of any I/O card.

• If it’s a stereo effect, a channel can be assigned to the left or right input of the effect.

• The corresponding output of the effect is returned to the channel’s Pre Insert point.

Post Insert

• The Post Insert point is located just after the channel DSP section.

• Used to insert a plug-in effect into the channel, post-DSP.

• Click the Post Insert drop-down box to select a plug-in from the available effects in the Effects Rack.

Direct Out Level

• The Direct Output Level control corresponds to the LEVEL TO TAPE V-Pot control on the console surface (T-OUT). It ranges from off (–∞) to +10 dB.

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Mix Editor (Ctrl+7)

Digital X Bus

The MIX EDITOR window contains a graphic representation of automation data. Though automation data is primarily entered through the control surface knobs, buttons, and faders, it can also be altered graphically in the Mix Editor. Precise level and timing information is easily entered and adjusted here. The window supports various selectable views from 1 to 30 channels, or parameters, of data on the Y axis and any length of time region on the X axis (up to 24 hours). A vertical scroll bar allows for paging or incremental viewing of the channels or parameters, and the horizontal scroll bar allows for paging or scrolling time chunks, according to the current time resolution. Click and drag the edge of the scroll bar to increase and decrease the resolution in the horizontal or vertical direction (duplicates the function of the left/right and up/down arrows in the upper left corner).

The Mix Editor can view a single channel with all of its parameters or, by selecting the channel in the Show drop-down box, or you can view multiple channels of one parameter type by selecting All Channels and the parameter type in the second Show drop-down box.

Automation Event curves are displayed as dots (actually, small squares) that represent nodes, and lines that represent value ramping. The nodes represent editable points that are either created during the automation process in real time, or by the Pencil tool in the Mix Editor.

On/Off or radio button-type parameters (e.g., Mutes, EQ On/OFF, or Bus Assign) that aren’t of a ramping type are displayed as stepped values.

Event markers appear in the Mix Editor’s time bar, and can be dragged forward or backward.

Automation tracks may be cut, copied, and pasted in typical graphic editor fashion, using click and drag highlighting with mouse cursor and the I-Beam tool (highlighter). Single segment copy and multiple pasting may be performed easily with repeatable segments for a “groove” repetition approach. An entire time region across all parameters or channels (according to the current view) may be selected by clicking and dragging across a region with either a single channel or All Channels selected. Highlighted regions may be “nudged” up, down, left, or right for trim or offset needs, using the four nudge arrows.

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• Click the MENU button to Cut, Copy, and Paste the selected region to and from the clipboard.

• Play From Selection starts playback of automa-

tion from the time entered in the Start Time window at the top of the Mix Editor. The start time is the beginning of a selected region, or the time at which the playback cursor is located.

Show

Owner's Manual

• The Tool submenu allows you to select one of the editing tools (I-Beam, Pencil, Eraser, or Magnify). These tools can also be selected by clicking their icons in the bottom left corner of the Mix Editor.

• The Time Format submenu allows to choose either SMPTE or BBT formats for the time format displayed in the time bar and the time code readout in the upper right corner of the right touchscreen.

• The Nudge submenu allows you to nudge a selected node or nodes up, down, left, or right. The nudge values are selected in the NUDGE window (click the Nudge icon with the four arrows at the bottom of the Mix Editor).

• The Scrolling submenu allows you to choose how the timeline cursor behaves while time code is rolling.

With Auto-Scroll selected, the timeline cursor

scrolls until it reaches the center of the screen, and then the screen scrolls past the timeline cursor while it remains centered.

With Page-Flip selected, the timeline cursor

scrolls to the right side of the screen and then jumps back to the left side while the screen ﬂ ips to the next page.

When None is selected, the screen does not fol-

low the timeline cursor.

When Follow Selected Channel is checked,

when a single channel is selected in the View box, the channel displayed in the Mix Editor follows the channel selected with the SELECT button.

• These drop-down boxes allow you to select individual channels to display in the Mix Editor, or individual parameters across all channels.

• Click the Empty box to clear the Mix Editor from displaying any automation data.

Start Time/End Time

• These boxes display the start time and end time of a selected region for editing.

• When a region is selected, markers appear in the time bar named Edit In and Edit Out at the start time and end time.

Cursor/Value

• The Cursor box displays the time position of the mouse cursor as it moves around the Mix Editor screen.

• The Value box displays the corresponding value of the cursor’s position. Useful for editing auto- mation data.

Zoom Arrows

• The four arrow at the top of the channel/ parameter list expand and contract the time axis (left and right arrows) and change the displayed number of automation tracks or parameters (up and down arrows) when clicked.

Edit Tools

Click on the edit tool icons at the bottom of the

Mix Editor screen to select them.

I-Beam Tool (Highlighter)

• Use this tool to select data by time and channel.

• Click and drag across a the horizontal axis to highlight a speciﬁ c time region.

• Click another track name (left column) to move

the current highlighted region (time segment) to the selected track.

• Click and drag across the top timeline bar to select a region across all tracks.

• Select Insert Time to insert a region of no data change at the start point of a selected region. The amount of time inserted is equal to the time of the selected region.

• Select Delete Time to delete a selected region of data.

Note: You can select multiple adjacent channels or parameters by pressing the Shift key on the keyboard (or on the console) while clicking on track names.

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You can select multiple non-contiguous channels or parameters by pressing the Ctrl key on the keyboard (or on the console) while clicking on track names.

Pencil Tool (Hand Tool)

• Use this tool to enter new data nodes and to

alter existing ones.

• The Pencil tool can create and move new or cur-

Digital X Bus

rent automation nodes while time code is being received (on the ﬂ y editing—before or to the left of the current time) or while time code isn’t being received (at any point on the timeline).

Eraser Tool

• Use this tool to remove automation data. Click

on a node to remove it.

Magnify Tool

• Use this tool to select speciﬁ c data lengths and

to expand the data time to ﬁ ll the screen.

• Click and drag with the Magnify tool to zoom

into a speciﬁ c area.

• Hold the Ctrl key while in magnify mode to

zoom out.

Auto Scroll

Nudge Arrows

• Click the Nudge Arrows button to open the NUDGE window.

• You can move, or nudge, a selected region by an amount indicated in the NUDGE window.

• You can select the nudge time (horizontal axis) for nudging a selected region left and right by entering a value in the box between the Left and Right buttons. Click the box to open the numeric entry window.

• You can select the nudge amount (vertical axis) for nudging a selected region up and down by entering a value in the box between the Up and Down buttons. Click the + and – buttons to change the nudge amount, or click the box to open the numeric entry window. You can enter a value from 1 to 100.

Delete, Cut, Copy, Paste Buttons

• These buttons perform the same editing functions that appear in the Mix Editor menu.

• The editing function are applied to a selected region, highlighted between the Edit In and Edit Out markers.

• The right pointing arrow button next to the Magnify tool toggles Auto Scroll on and off.

• You can toggle Auto Scroll while time code is running.

X.200

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Effects Rack (Ctrl+8)

The EFFECTS RACK window is where you select the plug-ins you want to use in your session. The Digital X Bus comes with a variety of plug-ins, ready to use. In addition, you can install any VST plug-in, a ﬁ rst for any digital mixing console in this class.

You can select multiple plug-ins to use as internal effects processors for inserting into a channel’s pre or post insert point, or to drive with an Aux send (and return via an unused channel).

Delete Plugin

• Click this drop-down box to select a plug-in to remove from the Effects Rack.

• Deleting a plug-in from the Effects Rack automatically removes it from its input source and output destination.

Running

• Indicates that the system is operating smoothly with no overloading to the processor.

Usage

• This indicator shows how much of the available processing power is being used by the plug-ins loaded into the Effects Rack. The more effects you load into the Effects Rack, the higher the usage indicator will go.

MIDI Map (Ctrl+9)

Owner's Manual

New Plugin

• Click this drop-down box to select a plug-in to add to the Effects Rack.

• Each plug-in has a drop-down box to select an input source. If it’s a stereo effect, it has sepa- rate input source selection boxes for the left and right inputs.

• Each plug-in has an ON button, Memory A and B, and a Menu drop-down for cut, copy, paste, and saving and loading presets.

• Click the right-pointing arrow in the upper left corner of the plug-in to open the controls for the particular effect. Some plug-ins have a GUI button to open a separate window with a customized user-interface.

• The controls for the selected plug-in also appear at the bottom of the EFFECTS RACK window so you can use the corresponding V-Pots to adjust the parameters.

• You can select a particular plug-in more than once. For example, if you want to have a reverb effect on channel 1 and channel 2, select the Reverb plug-in twice in the New Plugin dropdown box. They will appear as Reverb 1 and Reverb 2.

The MIDI Map window offers setup options for bidirectional MIDI control of practically the entire console’s parameter set. The MIDI Map provides complete parameter access to almost all channel functions, master fader, channel strip, and Aux master controls, and all plug-in parameters. In addition, the Master section and Transport controls are assignable to MIDI messages.

MIDI continuous controller, polyphonic aftertouch, and note on messages are assigned to the various parameters via the MIDI Map, in a linear approach of one controller type per parameter. Any variable controller may be a continuous control message or a poly aftertouch message, and any switch message (on/off assignment switches) can be assigned to a note on (or note off as note on of velocity 0) message.

Messaging may be bidirectional. This means you can control the console from a sequencer or control a sequencer from the console. Note that MIDI program changes may also be used to trigger Digital X Bus snapshots. Snapshot program change messages may occur simultaneously with MIDI Map control messaging.

Owner's Manual

Mackie DXB200 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual