Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools S6 - 1.4 User Guide

Pro Tools | S6 Guide

Software Version 1.4

Legal Notices

© 2014 Avid Technology, Inc., ("Avid"), all rights reserved. This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Avid.
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Portions of this software are copyright 2009 The FreeType Project (www.freetype.org). All rights reserved.

This product may include software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)

This product may be protected by one or more U.S. and non-U.S. patents. Details are available at www.avid.com/patents.

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

Guide Part Number 9329-65534-00 REV A 02/15

Contents

Part I Introduction

Chapter 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Requirements and Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Activation and Registration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

About This Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Part II Getting Started

Chapter 2. Introduction to the Touchscreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 3. First Time Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connecting S6 to a Network. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Starting Up and Shutting Down the System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Setting up S6 for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 4. Master Module Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Home Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Tracks Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Monitoring Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Settings Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Soft Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 5. Soft Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Soft Keys Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Creating Soft Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Special Soft Key Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Recall Workstations from Soft Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

S6 Guide iii

Part III Using S6

Chapter 6. Common S6 Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Nudging and Banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Selecting Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Attentioning Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Assigning Track Input and Output. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Record Enabling Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Using the Transport and Jog/Shuttle Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Pro Tools Commands Using the Track Color / Modifier Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Working with VCAs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Editing from the Surface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 7. Plug-ins and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Chapter 8. Layouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Layouts Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Part IV S6 Modules

Chapter 9. S6 Master Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Master Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Automation Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Chapter 10. S6 Channel Modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Fader Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Process Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Knob Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Display Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Part V Appendix

Appendix A. GPIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Appendix B. EQ and DYN Parameters in Expand Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Contents iv

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction

Pro Tools® | S6 is a professional, modular, ergonomically designed control surface for Pro Tools® | Software and

™

EUCON

-compatible digital audio workstations (DAWs). S6 uses the EUCON Ethernet protocol to provide fast, reliable data
transmission, and control multiple audio applications at once. S6 is flexible and scalable. Modules can be arranged in many differ­ent combinations, and additional modules can be added later to address workflow changes and/or increase the number of strips.

S6 is tightly integrated with all EUCON-compatible DAWs, providing access to many key commands, menu items, and controls
from the S6 control surface. The Master Module and Automation Module each have two Soft Keys sections that offer single-switch
access to automation, editing, session management, and other commands.

S6 provides substantial visual feedback to let you quickly identify tracks and their functions. Each strip inherits its color from the
audio application (if assigned), and module controls light in different colors for each function. The Display Module can display
high-resolution, multichannel colored meters, waveforms, and functions.

S6 offers six types of modules:

Master Module

This is the central hub for S6 operations. It uses a touchscreen and other controls to let you select, mute, solo, enable
record and input, and edit track functions. The Master Module displays the Home, Tracks, Monitoring, and Settings Screens. All
S6 configurations must have one Master Module.

Automation Module

Fader Module

Process Module

Knob Module

Display Module

This module includes Transport Controls, Jog/Shuttle Wheel, Attention Track Fader, and other controls.

Each of its eight strips has a motorized fader, meter, navigation and automation switches, Attention key, and display.

Each of its eight strips has one knob section with multiple function switches.

Each of its eight strips has four knob sections.

each of its eight strips can display metering, waveforms, and functions.

System Configurations

S6 offers two tiers of systems scaled for different installation sizes and requirements:

S6 M10

supports up to two connected workstations, and does not support Display Modules.

S6 M40

ports up to eight connected workstations, and supports Display Modules.

Built around the M10 Master Module, it is suitable for smaller configurations, accommodates 8 to 24 fader strips per frame,

Built around the M40 Master Module, it is suitable for larger configurations, more powerful than the S6 M10 system, sup-

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

For the S6 system in Figure 2, “16” refers to the number of fader strips in the system, and “5” refers to the number of knobs per
fader strip.

Figure 1 shows two arrangements for an S6 M10 8-5 configuration: One Fader Module (8 strips), one Process Module (1 knob per
strip), and one Knob Module (4 knobs per strip), for a total 5 knobs per strip.

Figure 1. Two 8-strip S6 M10 arrangements

Figure 2 show three arrangements for an S6 M10 16-5 configuration: Two Fader Modules (16 strips), two Process Modules (1 knob
per strip), and two Knob Modules (4 knobs per strip), for a total 5 knobs per strip.

Figure 2. Three 16-strip S6 M10 arrangements with Master Modules to the left, in the center, and to the right of the Channel Modules

Figure 3 shows one arrangement for an S6 M40 32-9-D configuration: Four Fader Modules (32 strips), four Process Modules (1 knob
per strip), eight Knob Modules (8 knobs per strip), and four Display Modules (D), for a total 9 knobs per strip.

Figure 3. 32-strip S6 M40 arrangement with Display Modules

Options

A number of options are available including Fill Panels, Producers Desk, Keyboard Tray, Script Tray, SpeakerDecks, and VESA
Monitor Mount.

Chapter 1: Introduction 2

System Requirements and Compatibility

S6 Software version 1.4 requires Pro Tools 11.2.2 or later., and is also compatible with other EUCON™-aware applications. Some
features require Pro Tools 11.3.1 or later, as noted in this guide.

For a list of supported applications, system requirements, and other compatibility information, visit:

http://www.avid.com/US/products/Avid-S6/tech-specs

Activation and Registration

As soon as you have assembled your S6 system and confirmed a successful hardware installation, activate your S6 system software
on-line. Use the alphanumeric code on the included S6 System Software Activation Card to activate and download all S6 system
software and documentation.

Be sure to Activate your purchase using the Activation card included with the Master Module so you can receive software updates
directly in your Avid account. Check your Avid account for system software updates, Workstation software, and monitor control
software (XMON EUCON software, and Studio Monitor Pro).

Registering

By registering, you become eligible to receive the following:

• Technical support information

• Software update and upgrade notices

• Hardware warranty information

About This Guide

This guide provides a basic overview of S6 features and functionality.For complete instructions on connecting and configuring
your system, see the S6 Installation Guide.

Conventions Used in This Guide

All of our guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:

:

Convention Action

File > Save Choose Save from the File menu

Control+N Hold down the Control key and press the N key

Control-click Hold down the Control key and click the mouse button

Right-click Click with the right mouse button

The names of Commands, Options, and Settings that appear on-screen are in a different font.

The names of

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your system.

Important Notices include information that could affect your data or the performance of your system.

physical controls on the surface are shown in bold.

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in this guide and other Avid guides.

Chapter 1: Introduction 3

Resources

The Avid website (www.avid.com) is your best online source for information to help you get the most out of your S6
system. The following are just a few of the services and features available.

Account Activation and Product Registration

Activate your product to access downloads in your Avid account (or quickly create an account if you don’t have one). Register your
purchase online, download software, updates, documentation, and other resources.

https://www.avid.com/US/account/orientation

Support and Downloads

Contact Avid Customer Success (technical support); download software updates and the latest online manuals; browse the Com­patibility documents for system requirements; search the online Knowledge Base or join the worldwide Avid user community on
the User Conference.

https://www.avid.com/US/Support/index.html

Training and Education

Study on your own using courses available online or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at an Avid-certified training
center.

Check out the series of Get Started Fast with S6, available from the main S6 product page:

http://www.avid.com/US/products/avid-S6

Products and Developers

Learn about Avid products; download demo software or learn about our Development Partners and their plug-ins, applications, and
hardware.

https://www.avid.com/US/Products/index.html

News and Events

Get the latest news from Avid or sign up for an S6 demo.

Chapter 1: Introduction 4

Part II: Getting Started

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Touchscreen

Each S6 system must include a Master Module which, along with the Automation Module, forms the master section of the console.
The Master Module provides knobs, switches, and a touchscreen that let you quickly and intuitively do the following:

• Configure and manage your system

• Navigate through your session’s tracks

• Perform many recording, monitoring, routing, and mixing tasks

This chapter explains the gestures interpreted by the touchscreen.

Tap and Release

Tap the screen briefly and release without moving to select an object, activate its primary function, or toggle a parameter value be­tween its two states. This is equivalent to a single mouse click.

Touch, Hold, and Drag

Touch an object, hold briefly, then drag it to another location.

Touch, hold, and drag an object to a new location

Swipe

Touch and drag quickly left/right/up/down to do the following:

• Scroll the current page

• Move between different Settings pages

• Scroll between parameters in the Function Editor

• Scroll in the Track Matrix, Track Scroller, Meter Scroller, and Function Scroller

Swiping to scroll between pages

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Touchscreen 6

Stop Scrolling

Tap the touchscreen once and release to stop scrolling.

Touching to stop scrolling

Touch and Hold, then Touch

Touch and hold an object, then touch others to add to a selection.

This makes it easy to select, record enable, mute, and solo multiple tracks in the Track Matrix View, even when
lected in

Track Selector Options (see “Track Selector Options” on page 39).

Intercancel is se-

Two-Finger Stretch

Touch the screen with two fingers, then move them farther apart. This expands a collapsed Inserts function in the Function Scroller
(if it had two or more plug-ins).

Two-finger pinch and stretch

Two-Finger Pinch

Touch the screen with two fingers, then move them closer together. This collapses expanded plug-in inserts into the Inserts function
in the Function Scroller (if it had two or more plug-ins).

Double Tap

To enter a name for an on-screen item (such as a Layout or a Soft Key), double tap quickly in the Name field.

Chapter 2: Introduction to the Touchscreen 7

Chapter 3: First Time Setup

Connecting S6 to a Network

S6 modules communicate with digital audio workstations over an IP Ethernet network. All S6 modules and one or more worksta­tions must connect to the supplied Ethernet switch.

Each S6 module and workstation requires a valid and unique IP address in the same range. This IP address can be created from either
of the following:

• DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server in the Master Module

• External, third-party DHCP device, such as a standalone router or corporate network remote server

A Windows workstation name with any of the following characters will not be able to connect to S6: / \ [ ] " : ; |< > + = ,? * _
See http://support.microsoft.com/kb/228275 for more information.

Recommended Setup

Since S6 requires substantial bandwidth, and the network timing between modules is critical, we recommend installing S6 and your
workstation(s) on an isolated network/subnet using the Master Module’s internal DHCP server.

To connect S6 with your workstation(s) using the Master Module’s internal DHCP server:

1 Connect the Master Module from Ethernet port 2 on its back panel to the supplied Ethernet switch.
2 Connect all other S6 modules and workstations to the same Ethernet switch. Do not connect any other equipment to this network.

3 Set your workstation network adapters to: Obtain IP addresses automatically by DHCP (default).

If you must connect your workstation to a Wide Area Network (WAN) to access the Internet or a corporate network, we recom­mend using a workstation with two Ethernet ports.

To connect your workstation to a WAN:

1 Connect one port to the WAN.

2 Connect the other port to the S6 Ethernet switch.

3 On the workstation that will connect to this S6 system, do one of the following:

• Mac: Click the WSControl icon in the Mac menu bar at the top-right of the screen.

– or –

• Windows: Right-click the WSControl icon in the system tray at the bottom-right of the screen.

WSControl icon in Windows system tray

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 8

4 Select Network Setup.

Setting the Desk ID in the Avid S6 WSControl Network Setup dialog

5 If your workstation has multiple networks attached, make sure the Network Interface selected is the one connected to your S6.

6 If you selected a new Network Interface, click Apply and Relaunch (Mac) or Apply and Restart (Windows) to reboot the work-

station and restart WSControl.

See “Configuring Multiple S6 Systems on One Network” on page 15 to learn how to set the Desk ID for S6 and your workstations.

The Master Module internal DHCP Server uses the following default settings:

IP Address

Master Module 192.168.2.1

Host(s) 192.168.2.2 to 192.168.2.253

Default Gateway 192.168.2.254

DNS Gateway 192.168.2.254

Advanced Setup

To use a custom setup, you must have networking experience that may require accessing a WAN using a router, or installing the
entire S6 network as part of a corporate network infrastructure.

If you will use a third-party DHCP device, Avid recommends these routers from Cisco:

• Linksys E3200

• Linksys EA6500

Other routers have not reliably met the timing requirements of the S6 modules.

To connect S6 to a DHCP router or server:

1 Connect the Master Module from Ethernet port 1 on its back panel to the supplied S6 network switch.

2 Connect all other S6 modules to the same switch.

3 Connect the S6 network switch to a LAN port on the third-party DHCP router.

4 Connect your workstation(s) to either the S6 network switch or the LAN ports on the router.

If your workstation has multiple networks attached, make sure the

Network Interface selected is the one connected to your S6.

See “Configuring Multiple S6 Systems on One Network” on page 15 to learn how to set the Desk ID for S6 and your workstations.

To connect S6 to a corporate network, consult your IT department for guidance.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 9

Starting Up and Shutting Down the System

Starting Up the System for the First Time

To start up the system for the first time:

1 Make sure you have connected the S6 Power Strip to a UPS, power conditioner, or other switchable power source.

2 Turn on power to S6 from the power device.

3 When the system is fully started, if the touchscreen displays an End User License Agreement and the following message, you

must install updated software before you can continue:

Welcome to Avid S6
Before continuing, please choose Shut Down and then follow the instructions on the Registration and Activation cards included

in the front of the S6 Installation Guide to register and activate your purchase on-line so that you can download and install im­portant software updates.

4 Shutdown/logout and check your Avid account for the most recent update.

5 Follow the installation directions that accompany the update.

6 Proceed to “Setting up S6 for the First Time” on page 11.

Shutting Down

Never power down the system while the Master Module is running. Always shut down the Master Module first.

To shut down the Master Module only:

 Navigate the touchscreen to the Settings > About page and touch Shut Down.

To power off the entire system:

1 Shut down the Master Module.

Always shut down the Master Module before powering down the system!

2 Turn off power at the source device supplying power to the S6 Power Strip (UPS, power conditioner or other).

LED Indication of Module Power and Connection Status on System Startup

On each modules, a switch LED indicates power and connection status while the Master Module starts up.

Power and Connection Status LEDs

Module Switch LED

Fader Modules Track Color, strip 1

Process Modules Back switch, strip 1

Knob Module Back switch, strip 1

Automation Module Track Color switch (Attention fader)

Master Module Back switch (lower left)

• When lit purple during system start up, the module is ready to use. This will only be the case after you have configured the surface
as described in “Setting up S6 for the First Time” on page 11.

• If lit yellow/orange, the module is powered but not claimed in the current Surface Configuration.

• Once the Master Module completes its startup, LEDs for all claimed modules clear. On unclaimed modules, the LED lights in
addition to the standard LED indicators for an unclaimed module. (

Use this status indication to determine whether a module belongs to a system or needs to be unclaimed before it can be attached to
another system.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 10

Setting up S6 for the First Time

You must first assemble and connect your S6 system according to the procedures in the S6 Installation Guide. You must also install
important S6 System Software before configuring the surface. See “Starting Up the System for the First Time” on page 10.

This section shows you how to do the following:

• Configure your S6 surface modules

• Connect S6 to your workstation(s)

• Enable EUCON connectivity in your audio application

Configuring the S6 Surface

After installing, rearranging, or removing modules you must configure your surface using the Master Module Settings > Surface
page.

To configure your S6 surface:

1 Access the Settings pages by doing either of the following:

• Press the

Settings switch on the Master Module.

Tracks Type Flip

L Spill R Spill

Mixer Close

Sel

In

Config

Clear

Clip

Clear
Solo

EndHome

Display 1

Display 2

Settings

Shift

Settings switch on the Master Module

• From the Home screen, touch

Settings at the lower-right of the Home screen to display the Settings screen.

You can also press the Master Module Main Menu switch below Settings.

SwapHome

Tracks Monitoring Settings

Layout

Mode

All

WS

Home switch on the Master Module

Mon B

Coms

Talk

Mon

Insert

Alt 1

Spkrs

Alt 2

Spkrs

Main
Spkrs

Setup

Setup

Setup

Dim Cut

Mon A

2 Touch Surface along the top of the Settings screen to open the Surface page.

Top of Settings screen

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 11

3 Touch Config at the bottom-left of the Surface screen.

Config, Next, Undo, Cancel, and Done appear at the bottom of the touchscreen during this process. The instructions refer to touch­ing these controls but you can also press their Master Module Main Menu switches below them.

ConfigSwapHome

Config

Layout

WS

Mode

App Type Flip

All

Mon A

Mon B

Main Menu switches

4 Select your Frame Depth. Select 4 if your frame uses Frame Chassis Small (supports one Knob Module per chassis) and 5 if

Frame Chassis Large (supports two Knob Modules per chassis).

Setting Frame Size in the Settings > Surface page

Helpful instructions appear in the Info area at the bottom of the screen.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 12

5 Select your Frame Width.

Select the number of chassis assembled to form the system Frame.

6 Touch Next at the bottom-left to continue to the Modules page.

Modules

7 Drag the module stacks to the frame diagram until it matches your physical arrangement of modules. All allowable module com-

binations are displayed.

• To replace an existing module, drag a new module stack into that slot.

• To remove a module from your frame, drag the empty stack into that slot.

Surface modules in frame

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 13

8 Touch Next to continue.

All controls on the surface illuminate. If the controls do not light, check your connections made during installation.

9 To confirm that the module flashing in the Surface page is connected and correctly positioned, touch or press any physical control

on that module.

Its lights turn off, and the next module flashes. If a module’s lights do not turn off, check your assignments in the

Settings > Surface

page. Touch Undo if you touch the wrong module.

10 When all modules are confirmed, touch Next.

Figure 4 shows all modules confirmed except the Knob Modules on the far right, which are light gray.

Figure 4. Confirming modules

11 If you do not have Display Modules to assign, touch Done to accept the new arrangement and complete the process.

12 Drag each numbered Display Module icon to the frame diagram so it matches the number shown on the physical Display Module.

Figure 5. Assigning Display Modules

13 When you are done, touch Next.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 14

14 Touch Done to accept the new arrangement and complete the process.

Figure 6. Finished Surface Arrangement

Configuring Multiple S6 Systems on One Network

Multiple S6 systems can operate on one network, but each S6 system and the workstation that controls it must be able to identify each
other. The

Desk ID Surface option lets you assign a unique number for this S6 surface. You then assign that same number to the work-

station that will control this S6.

If your installation has just one S6 system on a network, leave the

To set a unique Desk ID for this S6:

1 Touch the Local Options icon at the bottom-right of the Surface page. The Surface options open; Desk ID is the only entry.

Local Options

2 Drag the slider to set the desired number, which displays to the right of it.

Desk ID set to its default value of 1.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 15

The message outlined in yellow in Figure 7 informs you that the Master Module must restart to enact this change. Touching Can-

avoids restarting and leaves Desk ID with its previous setting.

cel

When the Master Module reboots, the previous arrangement is cleared and you must create a new one.

Figure 7. Desk ID Surface parameter

3 On the workstation that will connect to this S6 system, do one of the following:

• Mac: Click the WSControl icon in the Mac menu bar at the top-right of the screen.

– or –

• Windows: Right-click the WSControl icon in the system tray at the bottom-right of the screen.

WSControl icon in Windows system tray

4 Select Network Setup.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 16

5 In the Avid S6 WSControl Network Setup dialog, set the Desk ID to the same number as in step 1.

Setting the Desk ID in the Avid S6 WSControl Network Setup dialog

6 If your workstation has multiple networks attached, make sure the Network Interface selected is the one connected to your S6.

7 If you only changed the Desk ID, click Apply to restart WSControl.

8 If you changed the Network Interface, click Apply and Relaunch (Mac) or Apply and Restart (Windows) to reboot the worksta-

tion and restart WSControl.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 17

Connecting S6 to Workstations

In order to control an audio application with S6, you must first install Mac or Windows S6 Workstation software on the desired
computer. Then you connect that workstation to S6 using the

Multiple workstations can be connected to S6 at once, but only one is attentioned at a time. The attentioned workstation has exclu­sive access to the S6 surface. A workstation can be selected but not attentioned so you can derive information about the worksta­tion, its applications, and EUCON version. Custom names can be assigned to connected workstations.

EUCON™ software installs into a default directory for all EUCON devices (such as System 5, S3 and S6) allowing co-install of
all software for these devices. You do not need to uninstall and re-install when switching between EUCON control surfaces.

To connect a workstation to S6:

1 Press Home on the Master Module.

2 Touch Settings at the lower right of the Home screen, or press its corresponding Main Menu switch.

3 To open the Workstations page, do one of the following:

• Touch

Workstations at the top of the Settings screen.

– or –

• Press the

WS switch on the Master Module (top-left Navigation Switch).

Layout

Mode

All

WS

Tracks Type Flip

Settings > Workstations page.

L Spill R Spill

Clear

Clip

WS switch

The Workstations screen appears, with the Network column on the left and the Connected column on the right.

Figure 8. Top of Settings > Workstations page

4 Drag a workstation from the Network list over to a slot in the Connected list.

• The workstation name appears in the

Connected slot, flashes as it connects, and then appears solid when it connects.

• The focused application (top-most application on that workstation) is listed on the lower right.

• If a previous workstation was connected to that slot, it is disconnected.

• The workstation is selected and attentioned, which is indicated by an orange (upper half) and blue (lower half) rectangular outline.

• In Figure 9, the workstation in the

Connected list is selected and attentioned, and Pro Tools is the focused application.

Figure 9. Connected workstation

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 18

To connect multiple workstations at the same time:

 Drag additional workstations from the Network list to the Connected list.

To change the attentioned workstation:

 Touch a workstation in the Connected list without a blue outline.

In Figure 10, GW-TEST1-HP is attentioned (blue outline).

To select a workstation to display its information at the bottom of the page:

 Touch its entry in the Network list.

In Figure 10, GWMAC-2-Mac-Pro is selected (orange outline).

To enter a custom name for a workstation:

 Double-tap the blank area at the top of the Connected box for that workstation, then enter a name using the on-screen keyboard.

21

22

3

Figure 10. Attentioned (1) and selected (2) workstations with Info area (3)

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 19

Workstation Status

Connected

Offline

Unreachable

A connected workstation is indicated by a gray rectangle (see Figure 11).

A connected workstation can become offline if WSControl was shut down properly on that workstation (see Figure 12).

A connected workstation can become unreachable if the workstation or WSControl crashed, or the workstation’s

Ethernet cable was disconnected (see Figure 13).

Network Connection Interrupt

Figure 11. Workstation connected

Figure 12. Workstation offline

A connection to a workstation is experiencing an interrupt.

Figure 13. Workstation unreachable

Figure 14. Workstation network connection interrupted

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 20

Progress Indicators for Session Load and Workstation Connect

Progress indicators appear on the touchscreen when loading sessions and connecting to workstations.

The Workstation page also provides status graphs to monitor system activity.

System Status Graphs

The Settings > Workstations page provides a Graphs button, which lets you see status and information for CPU, Memory, and Net­work activity. Network errors are also logged. Whenever the system detects a network interrupt, the status graphs are outlined in
orange.

To see Status graphs for Workstations:

1 Navigate to Settings > Workstations.

2 Tap Graphs (or press its Soft Key).

3 Tap to select a different Workstation (if available) to see graphs for that workstation.

Figure 15. Workstations > Graphs display

4 To exit, tap Info or navigate to any other page.

Enabling EUCON Connectivity

You must enable EUCON connectivity in your audio application to work with S6. The following instructions show how to enable
EUCON in Pro Tools.

To enable EUCON connectivity in Pro Tools:

1 Make sure you have connected S6 to your Pro Tools computer via Ethernet as explained in “Connecting S6 to a Network” on

page 8.

2 Launch Pro Tools.

3 Choose Setup > Peripherals, and click the Ethernet Controllers page.

4 Select Enable EUCON.

Pro Tools Setup > Peripherals > Ethernet Controllers

5 Click OK. After a quick scan, S6 is ready to use with Pro Tools. You do not need to configure any other Ethernet Controllers set-

tings.

6 Connect the workstation running Pro Tools to S6. If you did not yet connect it, see “Connecting S6 to Workstations” on page 18.

7 Open a Pro Tools session if one is not already open.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 21

8 Click in any Pro Tools window to bring it into focus.

9 Verify that the Mix window displays a blue border around each Pro Tools track name.

10 Verify that the S6 displays track names and other relevant session data.

Chapter 3: First Time Setup 22

Chapter 4: Master Module Screens

This chapter explains the four Master Module screens:.

Home Screen

Lets you select and edit the Attention Track functions. Includes the Track and Meter Scrollers.

Parts of the Home screen may appear blank without an Attention Track assigned.

Tracks Screen

Lets you quickly select tracks, attention a track to the Home screen, and enable track record, input, mute, and solo

functions. Displays categorized and color-coded tracks in the Track Matrix (if supported by the audio application).

Monitoring Screen

Settings Screens

erences. The

Lets you assign monitor controls.

Let you set up the control surface, manage workstations, create and edit Soft Keys, and set S6 operational Pref-

About page displays software version information and lets you Logout and Shutdown.

Figure 16. The four Master Module Screens: Home, Tracks, Monitoring, and Settings

To display other Screens from the Home screen:

 Touch Tracks, Monitoring, or Settings or press their corresponding Main Menu switches.

To display the Home screen from any other screen:

 Press Home (5 on left of Figure 17) on the Master Module.

Chapter 4: Master Module Screens 23

Home Screen

The Home screen provides the following:

Meter Scroller

Track Scroller

Displays track metering and other information, assists track navigation, and can attention tracks.

Displays status indicators for each track, assists track navigation, and can select and attention tracks.

Attention Track Editor

Sel

In

Sel

In

3

Central area for selecting and editing the Attention Track functions.

1

Sel

In

2

Sel

In

Sel

In

Sel

In

WS

Figure 17. Home screen

1 -

Meter Scroller

2 -

Attention Track Editor

3 -

Attention Track Knobs

4 -

Track Scroller

5 -

Home Switch

6 -

Back Switch

Sel

In

Sel

In

4

ConfigSwapHome

5

Layout

All

Mode

6

Mon A

Chapter 4: Master Module Screens 24

Attentioning a Track

One track at a time can be attentioned to the:

• Attention Track Editor in the Home screen on the Master Module.

– and –

• Attention Track Fader on the Automation Module.

To attention a track from the Home screen:

 Tap a track in the Track Scroller.

– or –

 Tap a track in the Meter Scroller (see “Home Screen Options” on page 34 to set this preference).

To attention a track from the Fader Module:

 Press the Attention key on the desired track’s Fader Module strip.

Solo

M

Mute

F

12

6

0

5

10

Attention key on a Fader Module strip

See “Attentioning Tracks” on page 67 for additional ways to attention tracks.

Chapter 4: Master Module Screens 25