The TASCAM Mixer Companion (or “TMCompanion”) is software for Microsoft Windows XP or Apple Computer’s Mac OS X, allowing the following operations to be carried out on the TASCAM DM-4800 and DM3200 digital mixing consoles (referred to in this manual as “TASCAM DM”) from the host computer, using a
USB connection for 2-way operation:
• Management of projects, allowing storage and
archival of projects on the host computer, and restoration to the TASCAM DM.
• On-screen metering for channels, busses, aux
sends, and the main stereo buss.
• Firmware updates to the TASCAM DM are carried
out through TMCompanion.
Installation (Windows)
A computer capable of running Windows XP, with at
least one USB port, is required to run the program.
It is strongly recommended that Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is installed prior to installing
TMCompanion (this provides better and more stable
MIDI drivers than earlier versions). This Service
Pack (English version) is provided on the TMCompanion CD-ROM.
When the CD-ROM is inserted, the autoplay process
opens a window providing the option to install
TMCompanion or SP2, read the release notes, install
Adobe Acrobat Reader or visit the TASCAM Web
site to look for updates and further release notes, etc.
• A timecode display and on-screen transport controls mirroring those of the TASCAM DM can be
used.
• A screen shot of the TASCAM DM can be downloaded and stored as a PNG (Portable Network
Graphics) file on the host computer.
Next>
•Press
to move to the next screen, which
sets out the licensing terms and conditions.
Read these, select
I Agree
, and press
Next>
.
•Choose the folder in which the program will
reside. The default folder
C:\Program Files\TASCAM
is one in which other TASCAM applications
(e.g. GigaStudio) reside, so it is a good idea to
leave the default settings here.
NOTE
If SP2 is to be installed, this should be done before
TMCompanion is installed.
•When installing TMCompanion, a confirma-
tion panel appears, followed by a standard
Windows installation program:
Figure 1: Installation start screen
Figure 2: Destination folder selection
•After a few more confirmation screens, the
program will then install.
•Following the installation, there will be a new
TASCAM
group in the
Start
menu, with the
TASCAM Mixer Companion as a sub-item in
it.
Other items (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader) can then be
installed as required.
TASCAM DM TMCompanion software guide 3
1 – Introduction and installation : Installation (Mac OS X)
Repairing and uninstalling TMCompanion
To uninstall the software, run the
from the CD-ROM:
Figure 3: Uninstalling the software
SETUP.EXE
program
Alternatively, the
item can be used to remove the TMCompanion software in the usual way:
Control Panel
’s
Add/Remove Programs
Note that this option also allows reinstallation of
Repair
damaged components (
).
Installation (Mac OS X)
A computer running OS X 10.3 or above is required.
•Insert the CD-ROM into the drive. A CD icon
labeled “DM Series” appears. Open this disc.
•Double-click the installer package to launch
the standard OS X Installer program.
Uninstalling TMCompanion
Simply drag the
(or press
Command-Delete
TMCompanion
).
application to the Trash
Copyright, etc.
Windows and Windows XP are trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation.
Figure 4: Using the Control Panel to remove the
TMCompanion software
•When the installation is complete, you will see
a program called
folder.
•If you download the Installer from the
TASCAM Web site, it will be in the form of a
disk image (.dmg) file, which should be
attached and used in the usual way.
Macintosh, Mac OS, and Mac OS X are trademarks
of Apple Computer.
TMCompanion
in the
Applications
4 TASCAM DM TMCompanion software guide
2 – Using TMCompanion
Make sure the TASCAM DM is connected to the
computer and turned on. Double-click the application
to start it.
If you launch TMCompanion with a TASCAM DM
is not connected, you can run the program in offline
mode, but it will not enable you to do very much.
Backup and restore
The different functions of the software are accessed
through the main window, which appears when the
software is launched.
The application will also automatically quit, displaying a warning message panel if the connection to the
TASCAM DM is broken while the software is running.
Projects stored on the computer are named as
xxxxx.tpi
(TASCAM Project Image).
This main window can be shown by using the
Main Window
->
menu item.
Window
To back up a file to the host computer
Use the methods described above to select the destination folder.
Select a project on the TASCAM DM (left view) and
drag it into the right view. Confirmation can be
switched on and off through the application preferences (see below).
Figure 5: TMCompanion Main screen
The left view lists the projects stored in the CF card
of the TASCAM DM (the currently active project has
a red icon).
The right view is a file browser for the host computer. Use the
Browse
button to select a working
folder (the arrow buttons work like Web browser buttons to go backwards and forwards through the navigation history).
Selected folders can be stored as favorites by using
the
Add Current Folder
accessed by clicking the
The
Remove All Favorites
option from the pull-down menu
Browse
button.
option clears the list of favor-
ite folders.
Alternatively, double-click the file, or use the
Backup
button.
If the current project is selected, the last version of
this project stored on the CF card will be copied to
the computer.
Multiple files can be selected and moved between the
TASCAM DM and the host computer.
To restore a file from the host computer
Use the right view to navigate to the folder on the
host computer containing the project.
Select a
right column.
Either drag and drop the file into the left column
(TASCAM DM), or double-click it, or use the
button to move the file.
Multiple files can be selected and moved between the
TASCAM DM and the host computer.
Note that you can rename a project on the host computer, and this name will be used when you restore
the project to the TASCAM DM.
.tpi
project file from the list of files in the
Restore
TASCAM DM TMCompanion software guide 5
2 – Using TMCompanion : Timecode/Transport window
Timecode/Transport window
Use the
Window
->
Timecode/Transport
menu item to
bring up the transport window.
NOTE
To use the timecode display, you must use the preferences to set the MIDI port used by the MTC (see “MIDI
Time Code” on page 8).
This window has two appearances; a fixed size and a
resizeable appearance. Change between them by
clicking in the timecode area.
Click on the on-screen transport buttons, which work
in the same way as the physical transport keys on the
TASCAM DM. Note the “return to start” button
which has no physical counterpart.
As timecode is received through the appropriate
MIDI port, the display updates.
Figure 6: Fixed size (top) and resizeable (bottom)
transport window
Meter bridge
This allows all channels, all busses and all aux sends,
along with the stereo buss, to be metered.
Select
Meter Bridge
Figure 7: Meter Bridge window
Note that this window comes in three “fold-out” sections, accessed by the triangular controls on the left
from the
Windows
menu.
of the window. Figure 7, Meter Bridge window
shows all sections displayed.
The top control section of the window allows the
meter settings to be made: the type can be either
Regular
(peak) or
response). Sliders allow the
Hold Time
to be set and a check box provides
peak hold time. The
Average
Clear Peaks
(more similar to VU meter
Meter Decay Rate
and
Infinite
Peak
button resets pesak
hold displays.
The pickoff points for the meters can then be set. For
channels 1 through 48 (DM-4800) or 1 through 32
(DM-3200), the choices are:
Pre Insert
and
Post Fader
. Consult the block diagram in
Input, Pre Gate, Post Gate
,
the Owner’s Manual if you are unsure of where these
belong.
For channels 49 through 64 (DM-4800) or 33
through 49 (DM-3200), thse choices are restricted to
Input
or
Post Fader
For the busses (and aux sends) the choices are:
Comp
(compressor),
.
Pre Fader
and
Post Fader
Pre
.
6 TASCAM DM TMCompanion software guide
Firmware update
2 – Using TMCompanion : Firmware update
From time to time, TASCAM will make updates
available from the Web site or through your
TASCAM distributor. To install these updates, use
the
Firmware Update
dows
menu) in the TMCompanion software:
Press the on-screen
window (accessed from the
Figure 8: Firmware update
Open
button to open a file
Win-
browser, where you can select the firmware update
(these always have a
.tfi
extension).
The version of the mixer firmware and the version of
the new firmware are shown in the
Status
fields, respectively.
Mixer Status
and
File
More information, including whether the file actually
performs a recommended upgrade or not, is available
by using the
More Info
foldout (not shown in Figure 8,
Firmware update).
To update the TASCAM DM Press the on-
screen Update button. An on-screen status bar displays the progress of the operation, and the screen of
the TASCAM DM shows the update progress. The
process takes under five minutes, including the
reboot of the TASCAM DM unit.
NOTE
The TASCAM DM should not be turned off during the
update process or subsequent reboot, although it has a
“safety-net” built in which allows the unit to be started
without a full operating system.
Use the
updating the unit.
Close
button to close the window without
Screen shot
The screen shot option allows you to capture the current mixer screen as a PNG file to a directory of your
choosing.
When the option is selected, a standard browser
panel appears, allowing you to select the directory
and name the resulting file.
As the screen data is uploaded to the host computer, a
progress bar appears on screen.
TASCAM DM TMCompanion software guide 7
3 – Preferences
The Preferences panel allows the setting of various
parameters:
Figure 9: Preferences screen
MIDI Time Code
Firstly, MIDI Time Code can be accepted for use
with the Transport Window, and the default for this
over the USB connection is Port 3 (see the MIDI sec-
Window settings
The last window size and position can be remembered, using
Save Window Size and Position
.
Confirmations
By default, the TMCompanion software asks for confirmation before transferring project data between
the host computer and the TASCAM DM (during
transfer a progress bar appears). Turn this confirma-
Settings
The mixer’s internal clock and calendar may be set
from the host computer’s internal clock using the
Mixer Clock
button.
Set
tion of the Owner’s Manual for details of the virtual
ports used by the TASCAM DM).
Enable
Display splash image
MTC In
and select the MIDI port.
allows you to choose whether a
“splash screen” announces the launching of the
TMCompanion application or not.
tion off with the
Skip Confirmation for Backup and Restore
option.
You can also turn off the notice confirming quitting
the application with the
No Confirmation on Quit
option.
TEAC CORPORATION
Phone: +81-422-52-5082www.tascam.com
3-7-3, Nakacho, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-8550, Japan
TEAC AMERICA, INC.
Phone: +1-323-726-0303www.tascam.com
7733 Telegraph Road, Montebello, California 90640
Printed in China
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