Panasonic Mixing Automation Expansion Software Users Guide

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Chapter  4
CUSTOMVIEWS
When you launch the application, you will see on your Macintosh what is
called the Custom View screen. The Custom View is MAXs most important
viewing screen. It contains all the key information you need about the
currently selected automated mix, including fader and knob positions,
channel on/offs, time code, and more. 
The Custom View screen can display up to 96 modules. These can be fader
modules, EQ modules, etc.  This screen can accommodate any combination of
modules that you wish to view for the mix you are working on. 
The modules are arranged in 3 rows of up to 32 modules each.
The Custom View screens are important because they allow you to decide
what modules are visible at any given time, and permits you to arrange the
position of modules in any manner.
Custom View 1 shows Channels numbered 1 through 32, Aux Send 1 through
6, Aux Return 1 through 6, Bus 1 through 8, and Master LR.
When two mixers are connected, Custom View 1 shows inputs 1 through 64,
Aux Send 1 through 6, Aux Return 1 through 12, Bus 1 through 8, and Master
LR. 
						

							Some Custom Views have been purposefully left blank for you to design.
There are a total of 10 different Custom Views to work with. Look through
them by pressing the left and right arrows on the Macintosh keyboard to
quickly change to the next or previous view.
Alternately, select the Custom View screens from the Windows menu, or you
can use their Command key equivalents.
Though there are 10 different Custom View screens, there is really only one
window per mix. That window can display  any one of 10 different Custom
Views, or the Graphic View, or the Cue List.
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Custom Views 
						

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Custom View
You may open more than one mix at a time. 
Each mix has its own window. 
When more than one mix is open, only the mix in the top most window will
play back when time code is received.
When a Custom View is in the background, the faders, knobs, and time code
will not be displayed.
Many of the Custom Views are already setup, to give you a useful
representation of the various automatable parameters of your mixer. It is
advised that you familiarize yourself with the existing Custom Views, before
beginning to edit them. 
						

							EDITING THECUSTOMVIEWS
Editing the Custom Views may help make certain projects easier to work with.
You can make the view display as little or as much information as you need.
You might be working on a post production project with only four channels
of audio. You could create a Custom View with only four channels. This is
easy to look at and work with.
You could be using MAX to turn your mixer into a control surface for a hard
disk recorder. You could create a Custom View with only 8 faders for that
purpose.
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Custom Views 
						

							Before editing the Custom Views, it is recommended that you consider the
feature as an aid to simplifying the mixing process. 
This is especially true if you begin to explore the potential of the Edit Module
begin creating new modules. 
It is better to approach the design of Custom Views and Modules with the
intent of making views with less information, or rather, only information
needed for the mix. It is possible to use these editing features to add
unneeded complexity to the software’s user interface.
There are two ways to edit a Custom View.
To quickly change a Custom View, on a row by row basis, use the Edit
Custom Viewsdialogue in the Edit menu.
To change the Custom View on a module per module basis, use the Selection
Pop-up Menuaccessed by clicking on the lower right of each module.
These are described on the following pages.
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Custom View 
						

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Custom Views
ABOUT THEEDITCUSTOMVIEWSDIALOGUE
This dialogue box  allows you to name your Custom Views and arrange them
by row. 
The View menu is used to select the Custom View.
The View Name allows you to name the View. Changes made to the View
Name appear in the View Menu, in the Windows menu, and also in the title
bar of the view.
A Custom View has 3 rows of modules.
For each row of modules you may pick the starting channel number, that is,
the left most channel.
You may also select the module type for that row.
(You may later, within the Custom View itself, select the module type on a per
module basis.)
Checking “Apply to New Mixes” saves this configuration as a Preference.
Future New mixes will use the current settings in the Custom View.
If “Apply to New Mixes” is not checked, then the current settings in the
Custom View will apply to only the mix are you editing. New mixes will open
with the default original views. 
						

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Custom View
SELECTIONPOP-UPMENU
MAX allows you to redefine the arrangement and function of the modules in
the Custom View. There is a little triangle pointing down under each module.
Clicking on this triangle opens the Selection pop-up menu. 
Channel
Select Channel to change the channel of the module occupying this position.
Channel Names (entered and edited in the Names and Labels dialogue in the
Edit Menu) are displayed in the Channel Selection sub menu.
Group Master
If any channels have been turned into SoftGroup masters, they can also be
selected in this pop-up menu and placed within the Custom View.
Grand Master
Select Grand Master to make the mixer’s Stereo Grand Master appear.
Hint: 
• You can Shift-double click on a module to quickly place the Stereo
Grand Master. 
						

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Custom Views
MIDI
Audio faders can be turned into MIDI faders by selecting MIDI and a
Controller number from the sub menu.
If MIDI faders already exist, they can be selected and placed within the
Custom View.
Module
Select Module to change the module currently occupying the position in the
Custom View.
Selecting New Module opens the Edit Module dialogue, discussed in a later
chapter.
Not used makes the module go away and inserts a “blank panel” in the
Custom View.
Hint: 
• You can also make a blank module appear by single clicking to highlight the 
channel number below the module, and typing delete and then enter.
Between the two dividing lines are pre-defined modules that comprise MAX’s
“Module Library”.
Below the dividing line is a list of any modules that the user may have created
or edited.
Comment
Each channel may have a comment. Open the comment window by selecting
comment from the selection menu. The comment may be up to 255
characters long.
Solo Safe
When you Solo a channel, any number of “Solo Safe” channels will also go
into solo at the same time automatically. When the channel is un-soloed, the
Solo Safe channels will also un-solo. Channel is Solo Safed when this item is
checked.  
						

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Custom View
STANDARDFADERMODULEDESCRIPTION
SoftGroup Member Indicator
If the fader is a member of a SoftGroup, the SoftGroup master
fader number is displayed here. 
The indicator is color-coded to help you locate the SoftGroup
master.
Mode Indicator 
This shows the edit mode of the channel; 
Read, Write, Manual or Trim. 
Channel On/Off Buttons
Turns red when the channel is on.
Fader 
Represents the audio level of the channel.
If the fader is a SoftGroup master, the fader turns amber.
If the fader is turned into a MIDI controller, the fader turns blue.
Channel Labels 
You may type a short label (up to 4 letters) underneath each
fader. After clicking to select a fader label, you can tab to the
next text field without pressing the Return or Enter key.
Labels may also be edited in the Channel Names and Labels
dialogue in the Edit menu.
Selection Pop-up Menu
Clicking on the small, downward pointing triangle opens a pop
up menu. The menu allows you to select the audio channel
number, module type, display Group or MIDI faders, and more.
The Selection pop-up menu also allows you to Solo Safe
individual channels, and open a Comment text window.
Channel Numbers 
The number under the fader corresponds to the number of the
mixer’s channel.
The channel numbers may be arranged in any order. 
The channel numbers may be changed either from the Selection
menu, or by typing a new number here. 
						

							More About Faders
The basic audio fader module has certain special characteristics,
which you should become familiar with. When a long or short
throw fader is controlling audio (and not MIDI), there may be
one or two fader “knobs” shown for each channel.
Level Fader 
This shows the true audio level of a channel at any moment.
This is the fader that automatically moves during playback. 
Phantom Fader 
When time code is being received, and the mix is playing back,
the Phantom fader shows the position of the real, “hardware”
fader on the mixer. 
The Phantom appears when the position of the fader on the
mixer is different than the true audio level. When the two are in
agreement, the Phantom is concealed and the fader is said to be
“nulled”. 
When performing an Auto Punch Out, the Phantom indicates the
level of the channel on the previous pass.
Trim Reference Point 
When in Trim mode, this small yellow arrow indicates the
starting position of the hardware fader. When the Phantom
Fader is raised above this point, level is added to the original
fader moves. 
When the Phantom Fader is lowered below this point, level is
subtracted from the original fader moves. When the Phantom
Fader lines up with this point, there is no modification of the
original moves.
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Custom Views