Panasonic Mixing Automation Expansion Software Users Guide

							tTurn Receive Time Code On.
Receive Time Code is turned on and off by
clicking on the T.C. button in the Control Bar.
tEnable Fader and Channel On Overwrite.
Click on the Overwrite button to confirm
settings. 
Fader and Channel On are already automatically
pre-selected on your first pass of a new mix.
tSet Edit Mode menu to Write.
If the Edit Mode menu does not already indicate
Write, type the letter “w”.
tClear Memory.
Select Clear [Untitled-1] from the Edit menu. 
Obviously if you have just launched MAX, (or
selected New from the File menu), there is
nothing written yet and nothing to Clear. 
It is still a good practice to Clear when you start a
new mix, just in case while experimenting with
the system you have accidentally or intentionally
written some meaningless fader moves.
After selecting Clear you are ready to start a new
mix. 
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MAX Real Time Operation 
						

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MAX Real Time Operation
Clearing Memory Arms MAX to Capture One Initial “Snapshot”.
The MAX is a “dynamic” automation system, meaning that fader
movements are written only when a fader is moved, and that these
movements are recorded with respect to time code. 
MAX also automatically captures one “snapshot”. 
A snapshot is a picture stored in the automation memory. 
It contains the starting position of all the faders, and the on / off condition of
all the channels, and all other automated mixer parameters.
On the first pass of a new mix, after a Clear, MAX scans the mixer, capturing
the initial conditions into the mix memory as a snapshot. 
That way, whenever you rewind the program material and restart it from the
beginning, MAX can quickly restore the correct initial conditions before the
song begins.
You can edit this snapshot later on. The important point here is that this one
snapshot is captured automatically on the first pass. The snapshot is taken at
the moment the first fader move is made, when time code is received after
you have cleared the memory.
tPlay the Program material. 
						

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Select the Channels that you wish to write.
As stated previously, you can select channels with the mixer’s Select button.
Or, you can use the mouse to click on the Mode indicator. 
If you are writing faders, you may also use SoftTouch to automatically select
the channels.
When writing faders, multiple channels can be selected. 
You can write as many faders as you wish in a given pass, when you are
writing faders only, or faders and channel ons only.
Type Command E (Enable all) to select all faders and put them into write
mode.
This “Selects” or arms all the faders at once. 
Selecting all the faders at once is usually only done on the first few passes.
When writing channel ons, it is actually not necessary to Select a
channel.
Using the DA7s On buttons, Channel Ons can be written on any channel.
When writing any other parameters, (pan, routing, surround, dynamics,
EQ, etc.), you can select only one channel at a time.
Perform a mix.
You may write fader moves or channel on/offs in any order, and in as many
“passes” as you wish, but for sake of simplicity we suggest laying down
channel on/offs on the first pass. It is not necessary to let the whole song play
through on any pass.
Writing Channel On/Offs
Perform your channel on/offs on the mixer using the channel on/off buttons.  
						

							Stop the program material at the end of the pass. If you have more channel
on/off moves to make on other channels, rewind and restart the program
material to add more channel on/offs. 
Writing Faders 
Move the mixer’s faders. In a previous step we Selected all the faders. As long
as time code is being received and the mode indicator above each fader says
Write, fader moves are being written.
Stop the program material at any time.
Save the mix. Type Command S and give the mix a name.
Stop the program material at any time.
Save the mix. Type Command S and give the mix a name.
Rewind the program material, play it and listen.
Writing Additional Snapshots
To capture additional Snapshots in real time, Capture Snapshot (Command ,)
while time code is being received.
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Channel On/Off Button
Mode Indicator(Write) 
						

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More About Snapshots
MAX automatically takes one snapshot on the first pass after clearing memory.
The snapshot time is equal to the first time code received. The snapshot is
only taken if some new move is made. Do not write moves before the first
snapshots, since MAX will reset the mixer to the recorded snapshot settings
once it passes the start time-code location.
Writing Routing
Routing is accessed on the mixer by pressing Routing in the Configuration
section. 
(Surround panning is also accessed by pressing Routing, however, this is
covered in more details in a later section of the manual.)
First click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time
menu), and enable Routing editing by clicking on the button next to the word
Routing.
When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
routing condition will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first
pass is written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. 
Write Enable the individual channel, using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
turn on and off the desired bus, or Master LR assignments.
(If you later wish to edit routing Off Line, changes to routing will appear as
“bus assign” on and off events in the Cue List. New routings are created using
the Create Switch Events dialogue box.)
Writing Aux Sends
Aux Sends are accessed on the mixer by pressing any of the 6 Aux buttons in
the Mixing section. 
First click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time
menu), and enable Aux editing by clicking on the button next to the word
Aux.
Routing Button
Aux Button 
						

							When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
Aux send levels and pre/post selections will be automatically saved in a
“Snapshot” when the first pass is written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. Write Enable the individual channel,
using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust Send Levels and change the Pre/Post switches if desired.
(If you later wish to edit the Aux Sends Off Line, changes to the Aux Send
Levels may be made using the Create Parameter Change dialogue box.
Changes to the state of the Pre/Post switches are made using the Create
Switch Events dialogue box.)
Note:Switching AUX Send On/Offs automatically creates an event in the Cue
List, but this event will not affect the mix data.
Writing Pans
Pan control is accessed on the mixer by pressing Pan in the Configuration
section. 
Click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time menu),
and enable Pan editing by clicking on the button next to the word Pan.
When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
Pan positions will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first pass is
written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. Write Enable the individual channel,
using the mixer’s Select buttons (Enable both channels if these are engaged in
a “GANG).
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust the Pans.
(If you later wish to edit the Pans Off Line, changes to the Pans may be made
using the Create Parameter Change dialogue box.) 
Writing EQ
EQ adjust is accessed on the mixer by pressing EQ in the Configuration
section. 
Click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time menu),
and enable EQ editing by clicking on the button next to the word EQ.
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Pan Button 
						

							When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
EQ settings will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first pass is
written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. 
Write Enable the individual channel, using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust the EQ section.
(If you later wish to edit the EQ Off Line, changes to the EQ knobs (such as
frequency, gain, etc. may be made using the Create Parameter Change
dialogue box. Changes to the state of the EQ in/out switches are made using
the Create Switch Events dialogue box.)
Writing Gain and Phase
Gain is accessed on the mixer by pressing Gain in the Configuration section. 
Click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time menu),
and enable gain editing by clicking on the button next to the word Gain .
When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
gain settings will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first pass is
written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. 
Write Enable the individual channel, using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust gain and phase.
(If you later wish to edit the gain and phase, changes to the gain may be made
using the Create Parameter Change dialogue box. Changes to the state phase
switches are made using the Create Switch Events dialogue box.)
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EQ Button
Gain Button
Phase Button 
						

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Writing Delay
Delay is accessed on the mixer by pressing Delay in the Configuration section. 
Click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time menu),
and enable Delay editing by clicking on the button next to the word Delay.
When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
Delay settings will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first pass
is written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. 
Write Enable the individual channel, using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust the Delay settings.
(If you later wish to edit Delay Off Line, changes to the Delay Time may be
made using the Create Parameter Change dialogue box. Changes to the state
of the Delay on/off switches are made using the Create Switch Events dialogue
box.)
Writing Dynamics
Dynamics are accessed on the mixer by pressing Dynamics in the
Configuration section. 
Click on the Overwrite button (or select Overwrite from the Real Time menu),
and enable Dynamics editing by clicking on the button next to the word
Dynamics.
When starting a new mix (that is, the memory has been cleared), the current
Dynamics settings will be automatically saved in a “Snapshot” when the first
pass is written.
Select Write from the Edit Mode menu. Write Enable the individual channel,
using the mixer’s Select buttons.
Start the program material or other source of time code, and use the mixer to
adjust the Dynamics settings.
Delay Button
Dynamics Button 
						

							(If you later wish to edit Dynamics Off Line, changes to all of the variable
Dynamics parameters (knee, threshold, etc.) may be made using the Create
Parameter Change dialogue box. Changes to the state of the Delay on/off
switches are made using the Create Switch Events dialogue box.) 
Note:Before writing Dynamics in a mix, you need first to create Dynamics
Libraries into DA7’s memory with such parameters as threshold, etc.
Second, start a new mix as described this section.
Third, open “Create Library Events” window from Off Line menu to select a
library previously stored and to set the time that the Library Event starts.
Also you can change assignments for Start Time, Event, etc., in the “Cue List”
window if stored beforehand.
FADEREDITING
You now know how to write a first pass of fader moves and see them play
back. 
After your first pass, there are a few more things to consider in creating a
good automated mix. 
Since you will be constructing your mix in multiple passes, starting and
stopping anywhere in the song, it is important to take advantage of MAX’s
ability to allow seamless fader edits.
This section introduces important concepts relating to editing fader moves
and channel on/offs in Real Time (that is, while time code is being received.)
Notes:
• On the mixer, do not operate faders and the JogDial at the same time. 
• On the MAX window of your Macintosh, channel faders assigned in Stereo
may move inaccurately at times. Even if this occurs, the stored mix data will
be unaffected.
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The Phantom Faders
When MAX is locked to time code and automating the mixer, every fader
move that you made in Write Mode is being “played back”. 
If the “MOTORS” button is turned off, the physical faders on the mixer will
not move, but the audio levels are changing nonetheless because the faders
on the Macintosh monitor are moving. The real faders on the mixer are
simply resting in the last position that you left them at. 
As an example, while playing back an automated mix, MAX may have been
programmed to turn the audio level down on a certain channel. But the real
fader on the mixer has been left “full on” from a previous pass. 
Suppose that you were to put the channel into Write mode now, to do a re-
write of the fader move. As soon as you moved the fader on the mixer a little
bit, the gain of the channel would “jump up” to meet the fader. 
If the mixer motors are turned off (with MAX’s “Motors” button), much of the
time during mixing, the physical position of a fader will have no relationship
to the actual level of the channel, which will continually vary according to the
mix you have written. 
In addition, even if the motors are on, there are times when you can be
manually moving a fader to a position other than the actual automated audio
level.
“Phantom Faders” are provided to assist you in keeping track of the real
position of the faders on the mixer, with respect to the position of the
moving, automated fader. Phantom Faders on the computer indicate the
position of the real (hardware) faders on the mixer.