TAScam DM-24 User Guide

Digital Mixing Console

to

AUTOMATION MANUAL

Table of Contents

1 – Introduction

Using This Manual ....................................... 3

Automated Controls .................................... 4

A Note on Touch-Sensitive Faders ......................... 4

Setup ............................................................ 5

LTC ......................................................................5

MTC ......................................................................5

2 – Quick Start

Starting out with the time code ............................ 6

Access the automation screens ..............................6

Turn on the automation ......................................... 6

Make the initial settings ......................................... 7

Store the current settings .......................................7

Write some fader moves ........................................7

Write some mute moves ......................................... 7

Write some Aux send moves ..................................8

Writing POD moves ................................................. 8

Trimming existing mix moves ................................ 8

Finishing up .............................................................8

3 – Automation Overview

Modes ........................................................... 9

Auto ......................................................................9

Write ......................................................................9

Trim .................................................................... 10

Static .................................................................... 10

Safe .................................................................... 10

Off ....................................................................10

Rehearse ................................................................ 11

Displays .......................................................11

AUTO MAIN ............................................................11

AUTO FILES .............................................................14

AUTO CONFIG ........................................................15

Channel LED Indicators ..............................15

4 – Operation

Setting Up Your Mix ..................................16

Writing Mix Moves ....................................16

Revert Time ............................................................16

Write To End: .........................................................21

Writing Switch Events ...............................23

Revert Time ............................................................23

CONTROL SENSE TIME OUT & Switch Events ......23

Auto Revert Choices: .............................................24

Write To End: .........................................................26

Trimming Mix Moves .................................27

Revert Time: ...........................................................27

Auto Revert Choices: .............................................28

Trim To End ............................................................30

Initial Status ................................................32

Editing the Initial Status .......................................32

Automating Library Recall .........................34

Writing Library Recall Events Over Existing

Static Control Positions ......................................34

Combining Library Recall With Dynamic

Mix Moves ..........................................................34

Automating Groups ...................................35

Grouping Non-Automated Controls .....................35

Grouping Automated Controls .............................35

Hierarchical Groups ...............................................35

Mix File Management ................................36

The Mix Data ..........................................................36

2 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

1 – Introduction

The DM-24 is capable of writing and reading mix
moves as well as editing and refining mix moves dur­ing replay, all synchronized to time code. No external
computer is necessary, as all control of the automa­tion is made from the DM-24ís control surface.

Automated mixes are stored internally on the DM-24
and can be off-loaded via a System Exclusive
(SysEx) MIDI dump to anything capable of storing
such data, such as a MIDI sequencer or MIDI data
filer.

Here are a few reasons to use mixer automation:

• Tedious moves, (such as mutes), that occur at the
same place in the program each time can be written

Using This Manual

The following type conventions are used in this man­ual:

BOLD CAPS for physical keys on the mixerís control

surface (Automation keys are color coded purple.)

to the automation system for playback. This allows
you to focus on the creative aspect of listening and
mixing, instead of the mechanical aspect of press­ing the mute keys at the right time, every time.

• Mix moves can be refined to your satisfaction then
the automation system will read those moves back
every time in exactly the same way.

• A mix can be recalled at a later time for further
refinement.

The DM-24’s automation system was designed to be
intuitive, using the mixer’s familiar control surface
and a minimum number of keystrokes, to stay out of
the way of the creative process of mixing.

LIGHT CAPS or Light First Letter Caps for on-screen con-

trols in the display
First Letter Caps for names of operational modes and

functions

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 3

1 – Introduction

Automated Controls

The following mixer controls of the DM-24 can be
automated:

• Fader levels

•Mutes

• Panning (including surround panning)

•

EQ settings:

• Gain, Frequency, Q, EQ On/Off switching

• Individual EQ band

TYPE switching between

High/Low Pass Filter, Peaking & Shelving

• Auxiliary send levels and Pre/Post switching

• Auxiliary master send levels

• Buss master levels

•

GATE settings:

•

THRESHold

• RANGE

• HYSTeresis

•ATTACK

•HOLD

•DECAY

• COMPressor settings:

•

THRESHold

•RATIO

•ATTACK

• RELEASE

• Library recall

The following mixer controls of the DM-24 cannot
be automated:

•

DIGI-TRIM

• Individual EQ band On/Off switching

• Effect settings

• Buss assignments

• MIC TRIM

• Control Room monitor switching

• LCD navigation

• Transport control

• Fader layer switching

• Global mixer setup parameters
Moves for different mixer controls do not have to be

automated in the same pass. Just as in multi-track
recording, it is possible to concentrate on one spe­cific control at a time, building up the automated mix
over a number of passes. The DM-24’s automation
system allows this to occur by intelligently switching
automation modes transparently on a per control
basis.

This work done by the DM-24 automation system
provides a high degree of flexibility while not requir­ing constant attention from you. Of course, the
DM-24’s automatic mode switching may be over-rid­den at any time for “power user” operation.

A Note on Touch-Sensitive Faders

When using the touch-sensitivity of the faders in
automation, you should always use your fingers to
touch the faders. If you use a pencil or ruler, etc., or

The automation is synchronized to external time
code. This could be Linear Time Code (LTC or com­monly referred to as SMPTE/EBU) or MIDI Time
Code (MTC).

The event resolution for mix moves on the DM-24 is
one event per quarter time code frame. At a time
code rate of 30 frames per second, non-drop, this
equates to about 5 milliseconds per event.

even your fingernails to touch them, the fader will
not register as having been touched.

4 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Setup

1 – Introduction

There are two possible sources of time code to which
the DM-24’s automation can lock. Both are equal in
functionality and accuracy. Your choice will depend

LTC

There is an RCA jack (TIME CODE on the back of
the DM-24 which accepts Linear Time Code
(SMPTE/EBU).

Figure 1 – OPTION / SYNC/TC display showing LTC choice

on what you have available in your situation. The
choices are:

To use LTC with the automation system, go to the

SYNC/TC tab in the OPTION display, and then select TC
IN

as shown below:

MTC

This refers to MIDI Time Code being received at the
DM-24’s MIDI Input. The source of MTC could be a
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), hardware
recorder that does not support LTC, or any other
source of MTC.

Figure 2 – OPTION / SYNC/TC display showing MTC choice

To use MTC with the automation, go to the SYNC/TC
tab in the
shown below.

OPTION display then select MIDI IN MTC as

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 5

2 – Quick Start

While the DM-24 automation system is extremely
powerful, it is also very easy to use. This Quick Start
covers much of what you need to know to run the

Starting out with the time code

1 Connect a LTC or MTC (time code) source to

the Time Code or MIDI input on the rear
panel of the DM-24. Choose the appropriate

system. The rest of the manual provides details on
the concepts of the system and how to use it to its
fullest potential.

setting in the OPTION – SYNC/TC display. Be
sure your recorder is set to output the correct
type of time code.

Access the automation screens

2 Press the AUTOMATION key to access the

automation screens on the display. If you do
not see the

AUTO MAIN display, press the

Turn on the automation

3 Move the cursor to the onscreen AUTOMATION

ENGINE

button and press the ENTER key to

AUTOMATION key repeatedly until you see

AUTO MAIN.

EXT.CTRL

0

CLR

AUTOMATION

SHIFTMIDI/MC

EDIT

UNDO

ENTER

30

40

-dB

turn on the automation system:.

6 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Make the initial settings

2 – Quick Start

4 Operate your recorder and navigate the

DM-24 as you normally would during a mix.
The DM-24’s automation system stores con­trol settings as you change them.

Store the current settings

5 Store the current mix data using the AUTO

FILES

display.

Press the

FILES

Press the
Use the cursor keys, the data wheel and the

ENTER key to name your mix.

See the main manual section on libraries for
further details of naming and editing library
entries.

See “AUTO FILES” on page 14 of this man­ual for further details of this screen.

AUTOMATION key until the AUTO

screen is shown on the display.

STORE soft key (the second).

NOTE

You are not writing mix moves yet!

Press the

STORE soft key again.

Write some fader moves

6 Once you have the mix basically set up, write

some fader moves:

LAYER STATUS

CH1-16

CH17-32

MASTER

REW F FWD

STOP

REPEAT

AUTO PUNCH IN/OUT

RHSL IN/OUT

REHEARSE WRITE

ALL SAFE

PLAY

MACHINE CONTROL

ALL INPUT

AUTOMATION

EDIT

INTIAL EDIT

RECORD

AUTO MON

CLEAR

TRIM

DISCARD

REVERT

AUTO FADE

Write some mute moves

7 Now write some Mutes (also called Switch

Events):
With time code running, press the

key.
Press some

MUTE keys to change the mute

settings to on or off.

WRITE

With time code running, press the WRITE
key.

Touch a fader with your finger and move it
up or down.

Release the fader when your mix move is
complete. When you release the fader, it
automatically returns to its previous setting.

Rewind the recorder and play the section
again. The DM-24 plays back the moves you
just wrote.

You can press the

WRITE key, and touch the

faders to write new mix moves at will.

Rewind the recorder and play the sections
again. The DM-24 will play back the Switch
Events you just wrote to the
other words, the

MUTE indicators and status

MUTE keys (in

will change in sync with the incoming time
code.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 7

2 – Quick Start

Write some Aux send moves

8 Write Auxiliary Send moves using the

touch-sensitive faders:
To place the Auxiliary Sends 1 & 2 under

fader control, press

AUX 1-2 and choose Aux-

iliary Send 1 by pressing the first soft key
under the display.

With time code running, press the

WRITE

key.

Writing POD moves

9 Write a POD Control move (EQ or Aux

Send):
With time code running, press the

WRITE

key.
Select the appropriate screen on the display,

and turn the desired POD control to write
the mix move.

Trimming existing mix moves

Touch a fader and move it up or down to
write a mix move for Auxiliary Send 1 for
that channel.

Release the fader when your mix move is
complete. When you release the fader, it
automatically returns to its previous setting.

After the POD movement has stopped for
one second, the control will automatically
return to its setting before being moved.

NOTE

You may want to disable

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT

when automating POD controls. See “Auto Revert
Choices:” on page 28

AUTO REVERT

using the

AUTO MAIN

or adjust the

screen,

10 This allows you to trim an existing mix move

(that is, to adjust the overall level of the
move). For example, the move you wrote in
step #6 is good but the move itself need to be
louder.

With time code running, press the

TRIM key.

Finishing up

11 Remember to store your mix (as described in

in “AUTO FILES” on page 14 and “Mix File
Management” on page 36). Also, remember
to store any effect settings that were used in
your mix into the libraries.

At the desired time, touch the fader to be
trimmed with your finger and raise it. You
will hear the previous moves with the addi­tion of the amount of trim you’re adding.

Release the fader when you are finished trim­ming. The fader returns to reading previous,
untrimmed mix moves.

Happy mixing!

8 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Modes

3 – Automation Overview

Before going further, a brief description of automa­tion modes and functions will be helpful. More
detailed explanations of how these modes operate,

Auto

This is the default mode for all controls when the
automation system is enabled. The intelligent mode
switching that occurs is done within Auto mode.

When a control is in Auto mode and time code is
received, the control enters write ready if the
LED is lit, or trim ready if the TRIM LED is lit. The
control reads previous data, if any, until moved, then
enters the appropriate state (writing or trimming).

If neither of these two global LED indicators is lit,
the status of the control depends on whether any mix
data has been written to it. If mix data already exists,
the control enters write rehearsal when time code is
received (any movement of the control will be heard
but not written). If no mix data exists, it enters static

WRITE

Write

along with how automatic mode switching is carried
out, will be included in the Operations section of this
manual. (“Operation” on page 16).

ready (any control movement will update its Static
data).

It is possible for a single control, or group of con­trols, to drop into and out of writing or trimming in
one pass. It is further possible to switch between
Write and Trim modes on the fly; even adjusting the
Revert Time during a mix pass will be recognized by
the automation system. The only exception is Write
to End, which must be completed by stopping the
time code.

NOTE

Generally, a control that has dynamic mix moves written
is said to be in Dynamic mode. A control that has no
dynamic mix moves written is said to be in Static mode.

Think of this as “record-ready” on a multi-track
recorder. When Write is enabled, all controls that are
in Auto mode will normally read existing mix moves.

As soon as you adjust a control, while Write mode is
enabled, that control will begin writing new mix
moves, overwriting any pre-existing data.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 9

3 – Automation Overview

Tri m

During a mix there may be sections where there are
good mix moves on a control but the overall level of
that control needs to be raised or lowered while pre­serving the existing moves.

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Trim mode is used to make such relative offsets to
existing mix moves for the duration of the Trim oper­ation. The diagram below will help you to understand
this concept.

Before Trim

4 sec

4 sec

5 sec

After Trim

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

Revert

Time

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Begin Trim End Trim

Figure 3 – Illustration of Trim mode behavior.

In the example shown above, a fader is raised at the
“Begin Trim” point and released at the “End Trim”
point. The upward movement of the fader would be

Static

During the course of an automated mix some con­trols will require movement (Dynamic automation),
and some controls will stay in one place with their
settings stored in the mix file (Static automation).

Any control in Static mode will automatically update
its setting in the mix file whenever that control is
moved.

Safe

Any control in Safe mode will only read existing
static or dynamic automation. Moving a control in
Safe mode will not write any automation data nor

added to the existing data. When a Trim is per­formed, the audio passing through the control
includes the Trim move in real time.

NOTE

The control’s movement will not be recorded as
dynamic automation as long as Write mode is not
enabled

affect the audio passing through that control. It is
possible to place all mixer controls in Safe mode by
holding the

2ND F. key while pressing ALL SAFE.

Off

This mode removes a control from the automation
system completely. A control that is Off cannot
record or playback mix moves. However, moving a

10 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

control that is Off will affect the audio passing
through that control. The setting of a control that is
Off will not be stored in the mix file.

Rehearse

3 – Automation Overview

Rehearse is a special status that works with Write,
Trim and Static modes. Rehearse allows you to prac-

Displays

The three automation display screens on the DM-24
described below are used for the following purposes:

• Enabling/disabling the automation system

• Setting operational preferences

• Setting the master Auto Fade Out time

• Displaying used/available memory

• Over-riding the automation system’s automatic
mode switching

• Copy/paste of configuration between channels

• Mix file management

In all automation displays, the cursor is moved by
using the cursor keys, located to the lower right of the
display.

AUTO MAIN

tice or experiment with mix moves without recording
them.

Check boxes are enabled/disabled by moving the cur­sor to the check box then pressing the
Time values are entered by moving the cursor to the
desired box, changing the value with the
dial then pressing the
until confirmed with the

To access the automation displays, press the

AUTOMATION key. Repeatedly pressing the
AUTOMATION key toggles between the displays.

While viewing these, it is also possible to select a dif­ferent automation display by pressing the leftmost
soft key under the display, then using the leftmost
POD to select a display, and then pressing the left­most soft key again to view the selected display.

ENTER key. Time values flash

ENTER key.

ENTER key.

JOG/DATA

AUTOMATION ENGINE This on-screen button

enables/disables the DM-24’s automation system.
When enabled,

the display with the currently selected channel, in all
mixer displays.

No automation data will be recorded or played back
when the automation system is disabled.

When the DM-24 is powered on, the automation sys­tem will be disabled, even if it was enabled when
powered off.

AUTO is displayed in the upper left of

KEEP CONFIRMATION When enabled, a pop-up

box will ask for confirmation before performing a
Keep operation. A Keep operation saves a copy of the
current mix into the first memory bank, pushing

older mixes to the next highest memory bank. If all
memory banks are filled, a Keep operation will delete
the oldest mix. All mixes saved using Keep will be
numerically sequenced with highest numbers being
the latest mixes.

The default value of this check box is on (keep con­firmation is enabled).

NOTE

This is not implemented in Version 1.xx software.

AUTOMATION MODE MULTI PASS Nor-

mally, the mixer exits Write or Trim mode when it is
no longer receiving time code.

When this check box is enabled, the mixer remains in
Write or Time mode until the mode is manually dis-

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 11

3 – Automation Overview

abled. This allows you to perform mix moves at will
without having to manually enable Write or Trim on
every pass.

TRIM ALL When enabled, a Trim operation will be

applied to all mix moves from the beginning of a mix
to its end, regardless of the transport’s position
within the program. This allows you to change the
overall level of a control and maintain all mix moves
pre-existing on that control while listening to the pro­gram at any time code location.

NOTE

This is not implemented in Version 1.xx software.

AUTO REVERT When Auto Revert is enabled, a

control smoothly matches back to its previous setting
when you release it. When Auto Revert is disabled,
you must manually punch out of automation record­ing by pressing the

REVERT key, or by stopping the

incoming time code—the control will then smoothly
match back to its previous setting.

There are independent check boxes to enable Auto
Revert for Write and Trim modes.

NOTE

It is possible to enable or disable Auto Revert during a
mix pass. The new setting is applied to mix moves only.
The following describes an example:

With the

WRITE
REVERT – WRITE

These will revert automatically, but the first set will con­tinue to write until you press

WRITE

disabled, move the faders. Now enable

indicator lit, and

, and move a different set of faders.

AUTO REVERT –

REVERT

.

AUTO

REVERT TIMES To the right of the Auto Revert

check boxes are fields to enter Revert Times. The
Revert Time is the amount of time (in seconds) it
takes for a control to smoothly match back to its pre­vious setting. There are fields to set an independent
Revert Time for Write and Trim modes. These fields
can be set from 0.5 seconds to 10 seconds in 0.5 sec­ond increments.

The ∞

s setting in the Revert Time fields enables

Write/Trim To End mode, which applies a Write or
Trim operation from the point where automation
recording began, all the way to the end of the mix.

In the case of Write mode, this overwrites any exist­ing mix data from the point where automation
recording began, all the way to the end of the mix.

In the case of Trim mode, this applies the Trim oper­ation from the point automation recording began all
the way to the end of the mix.

Here are examples of instances where this would be
useful:

• There may be existing mix moves all the way
through a song which need to be louder from half­way through the song until the song’s end. Using
the ∞

s setting in the Trim Revert Time field allows

you to perform this operation without the need to
play the song all the way to the end in order to
record the new mix data.

• There may be existing mix moves all the way
through a song, however, during the mixing pro­cess it is determined that a control should remain at
one setting from a point within the song until the
song’s end. Using the ∞

Time

field allows you to perform this operation

s setting in the Write Revert

without the need to play the song all the way to the
end in order to record the new mix data.

NOTE

AUTO REVERT WRITE
Write

(or

Trim) To End

A Write/Trim To End operation must be completed by
stopping the time code. Manually disabling Write or
Trim mode while time code is running will not perform
a Write To End operation.

If the

REVERT TIME

ity) setting to a non-infinite value (that is, anything
else), and a
trols start reverting immediately.

Write

(or

TRIM

) must be enabled for

to work.

value is changed from the ∞s

(or

Trim) To End

is in progress, the con-

(infin-

CONTROL SENSE TIME OUT The DM-24’s

faders are touch-sensitive, so the automation system
knows when you have touched or released a fader,
thus punching into or out of automation record.

The POD controls, control surface keys and rotary
encoders are not touch-sensitive. These controls must
detect movement in order to begin recording mix
moves.

The

Control Sense Time Out value allows these controls

to punch out of automation record automatically after
the specified amount of time has passed without
movement of the control. This field can be set from

0.5 seconds to 10 seconds in 0.5 second increments.

NOTE

A useful trick

touch-sensitive control:
Press either the

use the
screen to select an aux send across all channels

Use the faders to write your Auxiliary Send mix moves

is to map the Auxiliary Sends to faders for

AUX 1-2, AUX 3-4

AUX LEVEL

selection tabs at the bottom of the

or

AUX 5-6

key and

12 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

3 – Automation Overview

AUTO FADE OUT TIME This field determines

the duration of a linear fade written to the Master
Fader when the

This field can be set from 0.5 seconds to 10 seconds
in 0.5 second increments.

Since this fade is written directly using the Master
Fader, it is not possible to change its time value after
an Auto Fade has been performed.

To write an Auto Fade:

1 Press the
2 Hold

point where you want the fade to begin.

AUTO FADE key is pressed.

WRITE key.

2ND F. and press AUTO FADE at the

To erase an Auto Fade it is necessary to overwrite the
duration of the fade manually or by using the Write
To End function.

NOTE

A useful trick to remember:

musically desirable. Typically in these cases you will
begin the fade at a faster rate and end the fade at a
slower rate. Use the Auto Fade function to perform this:

Press

WRITE.

Hold

2ND F

. and press

you want the fade to begin.
Continue to hold

to restart the Auto Fade Time from the fader’s current
position.

This may be repeated as often as desired to slow down
the end of an Auto Fade to a mere crawl.

2ND F

A linear fade is often not

AUTO FADE

. and press

at the point where

AUTO FADE

again

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 13

3 – Automation Overview

AUTO FILES

1 The word AUTO appears here in all mixer LCD

displays when the automation system is enabled.
The word

WRITE appears here solid when the

mixer is ready to record either Static or Dynamic
mix data. The word

WRITE flashes when the auto-

mation system is actually writing mix data on the
selected channel. This could be a Write or Trim
operation.

2 This indicates the source of the time code being

used by the mixer and the automation system.
indicates Linear Time Code and

MTC indicates

TC

MIDI Time Code.

3 Shows the currently selected mix memory bank.

The mix shown here will be the mix used for
Store, Edit and Recall operations chosen at the
bottom of the display.

4 Shows the Memo along with the size of the mix

file for the mix shown in #3 above.

5 Shows the amount of bank memory used by the

selected mix in its memory bank.

6 Shows a list of available mixes in their memory

banks.

7 Use the fourth POD control (the rightmost one)

under the display to highlight a stored mix.

8 The soft key under this display button is used to

recall the highlighted mix into the current mix
memory.

9 The soft key under this display button is used to

start the editing of the name of a stored mix.

10 The soft key under this display button is used to

store the current mix into a storage bank.

11 The soft key under this display button displays the

list of the three automation display screens. Use
the leftmost POD to highlight a display and the
leftmost soft key or the ENTER key to activate
the highlighted display.

12 Move the cursor to this LCD button to create a

new project.

NOTE

Creating a new project will erase the contents of the
current mix memory.

13 DELETE permanently erases the contents of the

highlighted mix bank.

NOTE

There is no undo for this operation.

PROTECT locks the contents of the highlighted mix

bank so it cannot be accidentally deleted.
14 Any mix memo information along with the size of

the current mix is displayed here.

15 The title of the current mix is displayed here.
See the main manual section on “Libraries” for

details of naming library entries, etc.

14 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

AUTO CONFIG

3 – Automation Overview

Figure 4 –

The grid represented in the AUTO CONFIG display is
used to manually over-ride the automation’s mode
switching. The selected channel is displayed in the
upper left of the display. If the displayed channel is
part of a group, this is indicated in the upper right of
the grid.

The changes made in this grid are applied to channel
and controls selected by the
right of the display. Use the rightmost POD to make
this selection. Note that it is not necessary to press

ENTER to confirm this setting.

When a module or control is set to any mode except

Auto using this display, that module or control

remains in that mode until it is reset back to
The settings made in this display are saved as part of

the mix data.

AUTO CONFIG

display where automatic mode switching can be over-ridden.

APPLY TO buttons at the

Auto.

MODULE When selected, the changes in this dis-

play will only be applied to the specified control on
the selected channel.

ALL MODULE When selected, the changes in this

display are applied to a single control across all chan­nels. For example, with
enabling
ers into Safe mode.

SAFE in the FADER row places all mixer fad-

ALL MODULE selected,

ALL CNTRLS When selected, the changes in this

display are applied to all controls on the selected
channel. This applies the changes to the libraries.

ALL When selected, the changes in this display are

applied to all controls on all channels.

COPY This soft key copies the configuration of the

currently-selected channel into a special clipboard
where it can then be pasted to another channel.

PASTE This soft key pastes the configuration copied

using the
channel. Note that there is no Undo for this opera­tion.

COPY soft key to the currently-selected

Channel LED Indicators

Each channel has an LED indicator immediately
above the fader. When automating a mix, these indi­cators can be used to show whether a channel is writ­ing, reading or reverting.

Use the
these indicators. The default use is as channel over­load indicators, as explained in the main manual.

OPTION display screen to set the function of

When used as automation indicators, they flash when
any control on a channel is writing or reverting. They
are lit steadily when all controls on a channel are
reading.

The global Revert LED above the
lows the behavior of the channel indicators when
they are used for automation.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 15

REVERT key fol-

4 – Operation

Operating the DM-24’s automation system is
designed to be intuitive and transparent to the mixing
process, while offering power and flexibility previ­ously unavailable on a mixing console.

Setting Up Your Mix

Action: Enable the automation system in the AUTO

MAIN

display by moving the cursor to the on-screen

AUTOMATION ENGINE button and pressing ENTER.

Result: The settings of all mixer controls are stored

into the current mix memory. Changing any settings
will automatically update those settings in the current
mix memory. This is just like mixing on an analog
console except the system now knows where every

Writing Mix Moves

Action: Press the WRITE key before or after start-

ing time code so that its indicator lights. With time
code running, perform the desired mix move.

Result: With the console in Write mode, any move-

ment of a control while time code is running is writ­ten to that control by the automation system.

In the case of the touch-sensitive faders, writing
begins when a fader is touched.

The steps below, combined with an understanding of
the information on the previous pages, will have you
automating your mixes in no time.

control is set. The automation system sees these con­trols as being in Static mode.

Action: Store the mix file in a memory bank (see

“AUTO FILES” on page 14).

Result: Until a mix is stored in a memory bank, it

only exists in the current mix memory. The current
mix memory is erased when the console is powered
off, so storing a mix in a memory bank is required for
later recall.

In the case of POD controls, writing will begin when
the control is moved.

Once dynamic mix moves have been written to a
control, the automation system automatically
changes that control from Static mode to Dynamic
mode, in order to read mix moves. Controls that have
not had mix moves written to them remain in Static
mode, even if those controls are on the same channel
as a control that has had dynamic mix data written to
it.

Revert Time

When a control stops recording mix moves, it
“reverts” to the setting that existed before recording
the mix move. The previously existing setting could
be a dynamic mix move or a static control position.
The amount of time it takes to make a smooth match
from the end of the recorded mix move to the previ­ously existing setting is called the Revert Time.

A Revert Time is applied, even when the time code is
stopped, past the point where the time code stopped,
to ensure a smooth transition between the new mix
move and the control’s previous setting.

Auto Revert Choices

With AUTO REVERT – WRITE enabled, the automation
system stops writing mix moves automatically on a
per control basis without the need to end writing
manually.

In this case, controls stop writing mix moves at dif­ferent times, depending on when they were released
(faders) or when movement ended (POD controls).

In the case of touch-sensitive faders, reverting begins
when the fader is released.

In the case of POD controls, reverting begins when
the

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT has expired without the

control being moved. The
allows the POD controls to respond as if they are
touch-sensitive (even though they are not).

When a Revert occurs, the control smoothly matches
back to its previous value, based on the set value of
the

Revert Time. The previous control value could be a

control’s Static position or a control’s Dynamic mix
moves.

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT

16 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

See the diagrams below to understand how this
works:

Existing Static Fader Position

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

4 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

4 – Operation

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Touch Fader Release Fader

Fader Movement

Figure 5 – Writing a fader move over a previous static fader position with Auto Revert enabled

Existing Static POD Position

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

1 sec

Move POD Release POD

2 sec 3 sec

POD Movement

4 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

Control

Sense

Timeout

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Figure 6 – Writing a POD move over a previous static position with Auto Revert enabled.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 17

4 – Operation

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

1 sec

1 sec

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Existing Fader Move

4 sec

5 sec

Mix Move

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Touch Fader Release Fader

Fader Movement

Figure 7 – Writing a new fader move over a previous Dynamic fader move with Auto Revert enabled

Existing POD Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

1 sec

Move POD Release POD

2 sec 3 sec

POD Movement

4 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

Control

Sense

Timeout

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Figure 8 – Writing a new POD move over a previous Dynamic POD move with Auto Revert enabled.

18 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

4 – Operation

Disabling Auto Revert allows you to manually

stop writing mix moves, either by stopping the time
code, or by pressing the
all controls that are writing mix moves will stop writ­ing simultaneously when
code stops.

REVERT key. In this case,

REVERT is pressed or time

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Existing Static Fader Position

4 sec

4 sec

5 sec

Mix Move

5 sec

When a Revert is triggered by stopping the time
code, the Revert Time is still applied to the control
beyond where time code was stopped, for a smooth
match from the end of the new mix move to the con­trol’s previous setting.

See the diagrams below to see how this works:

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Fader

Movement

Touch Fader Release Fader Press REVERT

or stop Time Code

Figure 9 – Writing a new fader move over a previous Static fader position with Auto Revert disabled

Existing Static POD Position

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Mix Move

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

POD

Movement

Move POD Release POD Press REVERT

or stop Time Code

Figure 10 – Writing a new POD move over a previous Static POD position with Auto Revert disabled

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 19

4 – Operation

Existing Mix Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Mix Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Fader

Movement

Touch Fader Release Fader Press REVERT

5 sec

6 sec

or stop Time Code

Figure 11 – Writing a new fader move over previous Dynamic fader moves with Auto Revert disabled

Revert

Time

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Existing POD Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

8 sec

Mix Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

POD

Movement

Move POD Release POD Press REVERT

or stop Time Code

Revert

Time

7 sec

8 sec

Figure 12 – Writing a new POD move over previous Dynamic POD moves with Auto Revert disabled

20 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Write To End:

4 – Operation

When the Write Revert Time is set to ∞s, you are
essentially telling the automation system to maintain
a control’s last setting from the point where the auto­mation recording ends, all the way to the end of the
program. This is called Write To End. In this case,
any mix moves existing in the time between the end
of automation recording and the end of the program
will be erased.

Existing Static Fader Position

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

4 sec

5 sec

Mix Move

5 sec

NOTE

A Write/Trim To End operation must be completed by
stopping the time code. Manually disabling Write or
Trim mode while time code is running will not perform
a Write To End operation.

AUTO REVERT must be enabled to use Write To End.

See the diagrams below to understand how this
works:

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Fader

Movement

Touch Fader Release Fader Stop Time Code

Figure 13 – Write To End over previous Static fader position

Existing Fader Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Fader

Movement

Touch Fader Release Fader Stop Time Code

Figure 14 – Write To End over previous Dynamic fader moves.

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 21

4 – Operation

Existing Static POD Position

+12

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

1 sec

1 sec

Move POD Release POD Stop Time Code

Figure 15 – Write To End over previous Static POD position

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

POD

Movement

4 sec

Mix Move

4 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Existing POD Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

POD

Movement

Move POD Release POD Stop Time Code

Figure 16 – Write To End over previous Dynamic POD moves.

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

22 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Writing Switch Events

4 – Operation

Switch Events are defined as the switching of any
“on/off” controls. Examples of such controls are

MUTE keys and the EQ ON key.

Action: Press the WRITE key before or after start-

ing time code and its indicator lights. With time code
running, press the desired key or keys to write the
switch event at the desired time code location.

Result: This works for muting, EQ On/Off, EQ

band type switching, Auxiliary send Pre/Post switch­ing and Library Recall.

Revert Time

Because switch events are not continuous data like
fader moves, there is no need to make a smooth

CONTROL SENSE TIME OUT & Switch Events

The DM-24’s faders are touch sensitive, so the auto­mation system knows when you have touched or
released a fader, thus punching into or out of automa­tion writing.

The control surface keys are not touch sensitive.
These controls write a switch event when pressed,

Switch events can be written in Write or Trim mode
with the same results.

Once a switch event has been written to a control, the
automation system automatically changes that con­trol from Static mode to Dynamic mode, in order to
read mix moves.

Controls that have not had switch events written
remain in Static mode, even if those controls are on
the same channel as a control that has had other mix
data written to it.

match to previous data. Changing the Revert Time
has no effect on writing switch events.

while Write or Trim mode is enabled. Control Sense
Time Out allows these keys to punch out of automa­tion writing automatically, after the specified amount
of time has passed without being pressed. This field
can be set from 0.5 seconds to 10 seconds in 0.5 sec­ond increments.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 23

4 – Operation

Auto Revert Choices:

With AUTO REVERT — WRITE/TRIM enabled, the auto-
mation system stops recording switch events auto­matically on a per control basis, without any need to
end writing manually. In this case, keys stop record­ing switch events at different times, depending on
when they were last pressed and depending on the
value set in

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT.

In the case of control surface keys, writing ends
when the
out a key press.

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT has expired with-

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT allows the

Existing Switch Events

+12

+12

1 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

New Switch Events

2 sec 3 sec

Switch OFF

4 sec

4 sec

control surface keys to respond as if they are
touch-sensitive, even though they are not.

Writing switch events over a Static switch position
simply adds the new switch events. When writing
new switch events over previous ones, the DM-24
automation system provides you with a high degree
of flexibility over when writing will end.

See the diagram below to understand this behavior:

Switch OFFSwitch OFF

Control

Sense

Timeout

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Switch ON

6 sec

Switch ON

Resulting Switch Events

+12

1 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

Switch OFF

Control

Sense

Timeout

7 sec

8 sec

Figure 17 – Writing new switch events over previous switch events with Auto Revert enabled.

24 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

4 – Operation

Disabling Auto Revert allows you to stop writing
switch events manually, either by stopping the time
code or by pressing the

REVERT key. In this case, all

controls that are writing will stop writing simulta-

Existing Switch Events

+12

+12

1 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

New Switch Events

2 sec 3 sec

Switch OFF

4 sec

4 sec

neously when

REVERT is pressed or when time code

stops.
See the diagram below to understand this behavior:

5 sec

6 sec

Switch ON Switch ON

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

8 sec

Switch OFFSwitch OFF

7 sec

8 sec

Press REVERT

Resulting Switch Events

+12

1 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

Switch OFF

7 sec

8 sec

Switch ON

Figure 18 – Writing new switch events over previous switch events with Auto Revert disabled.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 25

4 – Operation

Write To End:

When the Write Revert Time is set to ∞s, you are
essentially telling the automation system to maintain
that control’s last setting from the point when auto­mation recording ends, all the way to the end of the
program.

This is called Write To End. In this case, any switch
events existing in the time between the end of auto­mation recording and the end of the program will be
erased.

Existing Switch Events

+12

+12

1 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Switch OFF

4 sec

Switch OFF

New Switch Events

4 sec

NOTE

A Write/Trim To End operation must be completed by
stopping the time code. Manually disabling Write or
Trim mode while time code is running will not perform
a Write To End operation.

AUTO REVERT must be enabled to use Write To End.

See the diagram below to understand this Write to
End behavior:

5 sec

6 sec

Switch ON Switch ON

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

Switch OFF

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Resulting Switch Events

+12

1 sec

Switch ON

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

Switch OFF

4 sec

Stop Time Code

Figure 19 – Writing a new switch event with Write To End enabled.

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

8 sec

26 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Trimming Mix Moves

4 – Operation

There may be times when a control has existing mix
moves that are good, but the overall level of those
moves needs to be raised or lowered. In this case,
Trim is used to offset existing moves.

Action: Press the TRIM key before or after starting

time code and its indicator lights. With time code
running, perform the desired Trim operation.

Result: With the console in Trim mode, any move-

ment of a control while time code is running per-

Revert Time:

When a control stops trimming mix moves it
“reverts” to reading any mix data that existed before
trimming began. The previously existing data could
be a dynamic mix move or a static control position.
The amount of time it takes to move smoothly from

forms a Trim operation on that control. The audio
passing through the control reflects the previous mix
moves, combined with the offset created by the Trim
operation.

In the case of the touch-sensitive faders, trimming
begins when a fader is touched.

In the case of POD controls, trimming begins when
the control is moved.

the end of the trimmed mix move to the previously
existing data is called the Revert Time.

A Revert Time is applied, even when the time code is
stopped, past the point when the time code stops, to
ensure a smooth transition between the trimmed mix
move and the control’s previous setting.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 27

4 – Operation

Auto Revert Choices:

With AUTO REVERT — TRIM enabled, the automation
system stops trimming mix moves automatically per
control without the need to stop trimming manually.
In this case, controls stop trimming mix moves at dif­ferent times, depending on when they were released
(faders) or when movement ended (POD controls).

In the case of the touch-sensitive faders, the revert
starts when the fader is released. In the case of POD
controls, revert starts when the

TIMEOUT

has expired without movement of the con-

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

CONTROL SENSE

1 sec

1 sec

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Existing Fader Move

4 sec

4 sec

5 sec

Mix Move

5 sec

trol.

CONTROL SENSE TIMEOUT allows the POD con-

trols to respond as if they are touch-sensitive even
though they are not.

When a Revert occurs, the control smoothly matches
back to its previous data based on the amount of
Revert Time set. That previous data could be a con­trol’s Static position or a control’s Dynamic mix
moves. See the diagrams below to understand how
this works:

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

Raise Fader Release Fader

Hold Fader

Figure 20 – Trimming fader moves with Auto Revert enabledl

Existing POD Move

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Mix Move

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

1 sec

Move POD Release POD

2 sec 3 sec

POD Movement

4 sec

Figure 21 – Trimming POD moves with Auto Revert enabled.

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

Control

Sense

Timeout

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Revert

Time

28 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

4 – Operation

Disabling AUTO REVERT — TRIM allows you to manu­ally stop trimming mix moves by stopping the time
code or by pressing the

Figure 22 – Trimming fader moves with Auto Revert disabled

REVERT key. In this case, all

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

Existing Fader Move

4 sec

Mix Move

4 sec

controls that are trimming mix moves will stop trim­ming simultaneously when

REVERT is pressed or

time code stops.

Revert

Time

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

5 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

+12

+12

Fader

Movement

Touch Fader Release Fader Press REVERT

Existing POD Move

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

8 sec

Mix Move

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

Revert

Time

7 sec

8 sec

Move & Release POD Press REVERT

Figure 23 – Trimming POD moves with Auto Revert disabled.

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 29

4 – Operation

Trim To End

When the Trim Revert Time is set to ∞s, you are
essentially telling the automation system to maintain
the offset created by the trim operation from the point
where trimming ends, all the way to the end of the
program.

Existing Fader Move

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

4 sec

5 sec

Mix Move

5 sec

NOTE

A Write/Trim To End operation must be completed by
stopping the time code. Manually disabling Write or
Trim mode while time code is running will not perform
a Write To End operation.

See the diagrams below to understand how this
works:

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Raise Fader & Release Stop Time Code

Figure 24 – Trimming fader moves with Trim To End enabled.

Existing POD Move

+12

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

Move POD & Release Stop Time Code

2 sec 3 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

4 sec

Figure 25 – Trimming POD moves with Trim To End enabled.

5 sec

Mix Move

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

30 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

NOTE

A mixing trick:

Trim or Write mode).
Start the time code.
Move a control to its desired position. You will hear the

audio follow the move.

Punch into a mix (This can be done with

4 – Operation

Press the
control into automation Write at the new position.

The result will be the fastest possible move when read­ing back the mix.

WRITE

or

TRIM

key to instantly punch that

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 31

4 – Operation

Initial Status

The Initial Status of a control is its value before the
first dynamic mix move is present. Until dynamic
mix moves are written to a control, there is no differ­ence between the Initial Status of the control and its
Static position.

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

Initial Status

1 sec

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

Editing the Initial Status

Once a control is in Dynamic mode, any new mix
moves written to that control will be dynamic mix
moves. If it becomes necessary to alter a control’s
starting point (Initial Status) before the first dynamic
move written, Initial Edit is used.

1 While holding

EDIT

to enter Initial Edit mode. The automa­tion system will stop reading dynamic data
and all controls will snap to their Initial Sta­tus positions.

2ND F., press INITIAL EDIT/

When dynamic mix moves are written to a control,
that control is no longer in Static mode. It is in
Dynamic mode.

Any change to the mix data on such a control takes
into account both the Initial Status of the control and
any Dynamic data present.

5 sec

Dynamic Data

6 sec

7 sec

8 sec

2 Adjust any control to change its Initial Sta-

tus. In the case of switches, pressing a switch
while in Initial Edit mode will change its Ini­tial Status to reflect its new setting.

Hold

2ND F. and press INITIAL EDIT/

DISCARD

to return all controls to their
unedited Initial Status values while remain­ing in Initial Edit mode.

Hold

2ND F. and press INITIAL EDIT/EDIT to

exit Initial Edit, saving changes. There is no
Undo for this operation.

32 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

The diagram below illustrates the results of Initial
Status editing:

Before Initial Status Edit

+12

1 sec

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

7 sec

4 – Operation

8 sec

Initial Status

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-9

-12

Initial Status

+12

+6
+3

0

-3

-6

-12

1 sec

1 sec

Dynamic Data

After Initial Status Edit (Decrease)

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

Dynamic Data

After Initial Status Edit (Increase)

2 sec 3 sec

4 sec

5 sec

6 sec

6 sec

7 sec

7 sec

8 sec

8 sec

Initial Status

Dynamic Data

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 33

4 – Operation

Automating Library Recall

The DM-24 automation system is capable of includ­ing library recall events as part of an automated mix.
These are treated by the automation system as Switch
Events (“Writing Switch Events” on page 23).

All DM-24 libraries support automated recall:

• Snapshot

•EQ

•Comp

• Gate/Expand

•Effect 1

•Effect 2
Because there may be differences between control

settings recalled by a library and those being played
back by the automation system, below are some
important things to keep in mind in order to avoid
unexpected behavior.

The basic rule is that a mix event (library recall or
dynamic mix move) only has priority until another
mix event (library recall or dynamic mix move) is
played back.

Writing Library Recall Events Over Existing Static Control Positions

When a library recall event is written by the automa­tion system which affects controls in Static mode, the
library recall switch event becomes dynamic mix
data. However, the controls themselves remain in
Static mode with their Initial Status unaffected. In
this case, if a dynamic mix move is written after a

library recall, the control will Revert to its Initial Sta­tus, not its position after the library recall.

If a library is recalled which affects controls in Static
mode without the library recall event being written,
the controls will update their static positions as if
they had been directly adjusted.

Combining Library Recall With Dynamic Mix Moves

Dynamic mix moves are treated in a way similar to
continuous data by the DM-24 automation system.
Library recall events are instantaneous snapshots. If a
library recall occurs while the automation system is
reading dynamic mix moves, the affected controls

will snap to the positions recalled by the library then
snap to reading previous dynamic mix moves as the
time code position crosses the previous data. While
this can create some interesting effects when used
purposely, it could take you by surprise.

34 TASCAM DM-24 Automation

Automating Groups

4 – Operation

There are several considerations and possibilities
when using the DM-24 automation with grouped
controls:

• Creating a group containing controls that do not
have existing dynamic automation.

Grouping Non-Automated Controls

Create the group normally using the ST LINK/

GROUPING

within the group may then be automated.
A Group Master may be automated just like any

other control. The group slaves follow the group
master. Automation data is only written by the Group
Master. Any group slave that is removed from a

display. The group master or slaves

Grouping Automated Controls

It is possible to create a group containing controls
that have existing dynamic automation moves. In this
case, the mix moves of the group slaves are main­tained while following the overall moves of the

• Creating a group containing controls that have
existing dynamic automation.

• Automating the Group Master.

• Automating group slaves.

• Removing slaves from an automated group.

• Automation of hierarchical groups.

group no longer follows any mix moves written by
the Group Master. However, it continues to read its
own mix moves.

Any group slave may be individually automated just
like any other control. It reads its own moves, which
would be offset by the moves of the Group Master.

Group Master. Essentially, this is using the move­ments of the group master to trim the moves of the
group slaves. It should be noted that this does not
actually write Trim data to the group slaves.

Hierarchical Groups

Simply put, hierarchical groups are “groups of
groups” and can be very powerful mixing tools. Hier­archical groups have Master Groups and Slave

Groups which operate the same way as Master and
Slave controls in non-hierarchical groups.

Hierarchical groups are set up in the

LAYER

section of the ST LINK/GROUPING display.

GROUPING

TASCAM DM-24 Automation 35

4 – Operation

Mix File Management

The DM-24 automation system is capable of storing
up to eight mixes of approximately eight thousand
events per mix. Some control movements use up
more events than others. Pressing a

MUTE key uses

one event, while a complex fader movement uses
many.

Mix storage is made up of eight banks labeled 0
through 7. One bank is used for storing a mix of
approximately eight thousand events.

The Mix Data

The mix data itself contains Initial Status and
Dynamic data for all automated controls. The set­tings of non-automated controls are not stored.
(“Automated Controls” on page 4) In order to store
the settings of non-automated controls such as Effect

The Current Mix memory is capable of holding a mix
of approximately thirty-two thousand events. When
mixes exceed eight thousand events, they require
more banks for storage. For example, a twenty-seven
thousand event mix will use up four storage banks. It
is possible to store two mixes of approximately
thirty-two thousand events each in the DM-24.

parameters or the DIGI-TRIM values, those settings
must be stored in a Library. The mix data and library
data may then be archived via a MIDI SysEx dump to
a sequencer or other SysEx storage device.

DM-24

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