Panasonic Mixing Automation Expansion Software Users Guide

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OVERVIEW
MAX is a sophisticated software package engineered to automate your
Panasonic DA7 Digital Mixer in conjunction with a Macintosh computer.
MAX provides time code-synchronized record and playback of all automatable
mixer features, including automated moving faders, surround panning,
channel on/offs, aux send levels, EQ, dynamics on/offs, and routing.
Even though your DA7 already has automation, using MAX gives you easier
and more precise mix editing. Mixes can be longer and can be saved to disk.
You can even connect two mixers to a single Macintosh creating a larger
digital console treated as a single, integrated automation system.
MAX features multiple user-designable “Custom Views”, a feature-packed Cue
List, and easy to use Graphic Editing.
The Custom View shows the positions of the faders, knobs, and switches. You
see and edit the mix as it happens by moving the mixer’s faders. You can edit
by punching in and out of fader moves, or modify existing fader moves
without replacing them. 
Overview 
						

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Overview
The Cue List shows each automation move as an event occurring at a specific
SMPTE time. You see and edit the mix as a sequence of events. 
Individual fader moves or whole sections of a mix can be copied, cut, pasted,
and modified. 
You can even create precision fade-outs by simply typing the start and end
times into the computer. 
						

							The Graphic Editing view displays the mix as curves on a time line. You can
see multiple channels at the same time, and easily see what moves are coming
up. You edit the mix by drawing fader curves.
What’s more, you can freely change the way you view the mix, with the
Custom View, Cue List, or Graphic window, even while the mix is playing.
And you can have multiple mixes open at the same time, allowing you to
instantly compare two different mixes. You can even freely copy from one mix
and paste into another mix!
A clear indication of channel names, edit modes, grouping, and channel
on/off status, combined with a large, easy to read time code display make
mixing fast and easy.
MAX software also adds to your mixer up to 15 groups called “SoftGroups”.
Any fader on the mixer can be turned into a SoftGroup Master, in addition to
the mixer’s groups and Stereo Master. When two mixer’s are connected,
faders on one mixer can be a group master to faders on the other mixer.
Your mixer faders become a virtual Control Surface, to control and automate
signal processors and digital audio workstations. 
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Overview 
						

							MAX provides a clear graphic display of automated Surround Panning
positions. It also allows panning of either individual channels or the grouped
multiple channels.
Mixes reside in the Macintosh’s “RAM”. You can save the mixes to a disk,
either manually or automatically using the Auto Backup feature. 
MAX allows you to quickly create different mixes, listen to them, compare
them, save them, retrieve and modify them.
MAX also allows you to customize the software to your personal style of
mixing. You can label each fader, re-arrange the order of the faders, turn
certain features on and off, etc. This customization is saved as part of a
Preference file. Multiple Preferences files are supported, so different
engineers can each have their own preferences. 
This introduction has just scratched the surface of the power of MAX. The
following list highlights many of MAX’s key features.
The DA7 Librarian Software allows you to edit and save multiple DA7 libraries
to disk. 
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Overview 
						

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FEATURES
MAX FORPANASONICDA7 KEYFEATURES
•Capture “Snapshots”in Real Time. 
•Snapshots can be Individually Named
•Auto Transition Between Snapshots
•Dynamic Memory Meters Display Available Memory
•On-Screen Display of Time code Frame Rate
•Multiple Preference Files for Each Engineer or Project Type
•Single Key Access to Frequently Used Items
•OMS Compatible
•Mixer Faders Can Become MIDI Control Surface
•Real Time MIDI Recording
•Enhanced MMC
•Large Screen Support with 1024 x 768 resolution
•Automates Auxiliary MIDI Equipment like Signal Processors
•Supports MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 
•Assignable Automated On-Screen Surround Panning
•Groups Control Surround Panning
MAX GRAPHICEDITINGFEATURES
• Freely Draw Fader Levels
• Simple Free Hand or Straight Line Editing
• Copy, Paste, Clear, Moves
• Movable Current Time Indicator
• Create/Edit Markers in the Time Line
• Fader Curves Smoothly Scroll in Real Time
• Graphic Indication of Channel On/Offs
• User can Reposition Markers and Snapshots in the Time Line
• Moved Regions Snap to Markers
Features 
						

							MAX CUELISTFEATURES
• Powerful Cue List EDL Style Editing for Precision Control 
• Cut, Copy, and Paste Mix Editing 
• Offset, Scale, Crop, and Smooth Fader Moves 
• Interpolate Moves, During Scale - Stretch Editing Operations
• Triangles Expand to reveal Microscope View of Fader Moves
• View Filter Displays Channels, Range of Time, Type of Event
• Ability to Create Events Off-Line 
• Undo and Redo on All Editing Operations
• Moving Time Line With Markers
• Revert Command
• Find Command
• Merge Mixes
• Real Time Scrolling Cue List with Time Code
• Convert Markers into Fader Moves, Channel Ons or Snapshots
• Off-Line Editing in dB or Fader Value
• Print Cue List, Markers or Track Sheet. 
• Ability to Type “Comment” Text that is Saved with the Mix
• Ability to Create Fades by Typing the Start and End Times.
DA7 LIBRARIANFEATURES
• Ability to upload the libraries stored in DA7 to Librarian software
• Editing Library names 
• Download libraries to disk or DA7
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Features  
						

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Chapter  1 
GETTINGSTARTED
COMPUTERSKILLSREQUIRED
This manual assumes that the user already possesses computer-operating
skills, particularly a familiarity with the mouse (pointing, clicking, dragging),
menus, dialogue boxes, the Desktop, the Finder, the Chooser, and other basic
Macintosh concepts. 
If you have just purchased your first Computer for the purposes of
automating your mixer, we recommend that you first read the introductory
manuals that came with your computer before starting to use the automation
system.
COMPUTERREQUIREMENTS
MAX software runs on Power Macintosh computers with a 17” minimum color
monitor. 
The minimum Macintosh configuration required to install and run MAX is a
PowerPC 7100 with at least 16 megabytes of RAM. MAX software does not run
on a Powerbook, or any 68000 series Mac.
The software was developed on System 8.1. The minimum recommended
Macintosh System version is 7.6.1 or higher.
To find out what version System you have, click on the Apple menu in the
upper left hand corner of the screen. Drag down to select “About this
Macintosh” and release. If you have an older version, contact your Apple
dealer to obtain a compatible System software version for your Macintosh. 
						

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COMPUTERSETUP
The Chooser and AppleTalk 
Your Macintosh may or may not be connected to printers via the “AppleTalk
Network.” AppleTalk must be “Active” for printing. However, turning it on
robs processing time from the computer, and may adversely affect the way
that the MAX software responds to time code. 
Therefore it is recommended that you turn AppleTalk off while mixing with
MAX. Leave it turned off until you want to print. 
To turn AppleTalk off, select the Chooser from the Apple menu. Then click on
the AppleTalk Inactive button. 
When making AppleTalk Active or Inactive, you will see a prompt reminding
you to connect or disconnect the AppleTalk network, that is, the printer
cable.
Note: Please make sure that unused serial ports are inactive by opening the
Extensions Manager in the Control Panel on your computer.
Monitor 
MAX operates only in 256 color mode, on a 17” minimum monitor with 1024
X 768 resolution. Select Control Panels from the Apple menu. 
Select Monitors (or “Monitors and Sound”), then select 256 color. 
When you launch the software, if the color mode is not set to 256, the
software will prompt you. Click OK and MAX will set the color mode to 256
automatically. 
Memory 
Typical of Macintosh applications, the more RAM that you allocate to the
application, the longer the mix you can do.
To allocate more memory to the application, from the Finder (with the
application not running), click once only to select (highlight) the MAX icon.
Select “Get Info” from the File menu, or type command I. Then increase the
Preferred size, based on how much RAM is available in your Macintosh.
Getting Started 
						

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Getting Started
SOFTWAREINSTALLATION
For installation, follow the steps shown below.  RAMSA MAX software and
DA7 Librarianare contained in the provided disk labeled “Mixing
Automation eXpansion Software. DA7 Librarian software will be discussed
later in Chapter 16.
1 Insert the MAX disk. Installer icon appears. 
Double-click on MAX icon if the Installer icon is not displayed.
An error message will appear if a wrong disk other than “MAX disk” is
inserted.
2Double–click on the Installer icon to expand MAX.
3 A start-up dialogue box will appear. Click on the Continuebutton and
follow the on-screen directions.
4A Password dialogue box will appear. 
Enter the password and click on the Continuebutton. Please find the
password indicated in an attached label on the rear cover page. The
password IS case sensitive, please type all text in capital letters. 
						

							If a wrong password is entered, a warning will appear. Clicking OK will
let you attempt to enter the password again.
5An “Extract” dialogue box will appear. 
Select the destination folder where you want to store MAX.
Click the Extractbutton to begin the software installation. 
6When the installation of MAXends, a new “Extract” dialogue box will
appear for the DA7 Librarian program.
Select the destination folder for the DA7 Librarian.
Click the Extractbutton to begin the installation of the Librarian
program.
7An ending dialogue box will appear upon successful completion of the
installation of the MAX and DA7 Librarian programs. 
Click the Quitbutton.
4
Getting Started