Panasonic Mixing Automation Expansion Software Users Guide

							Never 
Click here to never have the software automatically apply the Trim to the end
of the mix.
In other words, say you have a vocal track. You want it louder, but for just a
short section. You put MAX into Trim mode. You select the fader with the SEL
Buttons. You start the program material, then nudge the fader up a little.
Then you stop the program material.
Because you clicked “Never”, the software makes the vocal track jump back
down to its original level for the rest of the song.
Ask First 
Click here to have the software always ask you if you want to apply the Trim
to the end of the mix.
In other words, say you some number of vocal tracks and instrumental tracks.
You want the vocal tracks louder, but for just a short section. You want the
instruments louder for the whole song.
You put the mixer into Trim mode. You select the fader on the vocal track
with the SEL Buttons. You start the program material, then nudge the fader
up a little. Then you stop the program material.
You do another pass, again with the mixer into Trim mode. You select the
fader with the SEL Buttons. You start the program material, then nudge the
fader up a little. Then you stop the program material.
Because you clicked “Ask First”, each time you stop the program material, the
software gave you the option (by means of a dialogue) whether or not you
wanted the Trim applied all the way to the end of the mix.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							TIMECODE
Frame Rate
If you intend to do Off Line editing prior to running time code, select the
desired frame rate of the time code first. 
Normally, the system will automatically detect the frame rate and set itself
accordingly. But if you do Off Line editing first, before running time code,
manually setting the frame rate here in the Preferences dialogue will assure
that no events occur at invalid frame numbers.
Chose either:
24 for film. 
25 for European video. 
30 df will work with both 30 df and 29.97 df for U.S. video. 
30 will work for both 30 and 29.97 for general audio use without video.
Flywheelallows the automated mix to continue to run for a very brief period,
even after time code is no longer received.
This allows, for example, the mix to continue to play when the time code is
intermittent. The amount of flywheel is entered in frames, either 8, 16, or 32
frames. This corresponds approximately to 1/4, 1/2, and 1 second. 
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MAX Preferences 
						

							FADERS
SoftTouch Time Out 
The SoftTouch feature is turned on or off from the Real Time menu, or by
clicking the TOUCH button in the Control Bar.
When the feature is turned on, a fader will go immediately into Write or Trim
when you move it, so you don’t have to press any SEL Buttons. 
This Preference item sets how long it takes after you stop moving the fader for
the fader to automatically return to Read mode. You may enter 1 through 31
seconds in whole second intervals.
Transitions Between Snapshots
A Snapshot is an automation event representing the state of all the mixer’s
automatable parameters.
It is possible to create a “dissolve” between two snapshots.
This is done in the Cue List, by selecting two Snapshots. Then, in the Off Line
menu, select Transition Between Snapshots.
A new event will be created in the Cue List, which will consist of the dynamic
moves required to perform a smooth transition over time of all continuous
parameters (such as level changes.)
Switched parameters such as Channel On/Offs will switch at the time of the
second Snapshot.
This Preference item allows you to set the default Transition Time for
Transition Events that are created in the Cue List.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							Fader Interval and Directionality 
These items do not affect the way a mix sounds. 
They only affect the way the mix looks in the Cue List, by providing a logical
and easier to read view of the mix. 
Fader Interval and Directionality allow you to display more events, (allowing
more precision in editing) or fewer events (allowing an easier to read Cue
List.) 
Directionality (Check on or off)
When checked, moving a fader up and down is displayed as two events in the
Cue List. When not checked, moving a fader up and down is displayed as one
event in the Cue List.
Fader Interval (a time, in terms of frames)
When you move a fader, pause, and then continue to move the same fader,
this can be displayed as one or two events in the Cue List. 
The Fader Interval is the amount of “pause” time that determines whether the
fader move is displayed as one or two events in the Cue List. 
The Fader Interval is a time, entered in terms of frames. The default setting is
60 frames, that is 2 seconds at 30 frames per second.
That means that if you write a fader move, and then pause, and then wait
more then 2 seconds, you get two separate events indicated in the Cue List.
Selecting a smaller number results in a longer Cue List. Selecting a larger
number results in fader moves being grouped together and a shorter Cue List.
Group Members Move with Master
When checked, moving a SoftGroup master or the stereo grand master will
cause all the members of the group to also move.
Edit Fader Positions in dB
When checked, fader positions are expressed and edited in the Cue List using
dB values. When unchecked, fader positions are expressed and edited in their
decimal data values, typically ranging from 0 to 255.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							REALTIME
Always Take Snapshot on 1st Pass
Check to turn on. When checked, a snapshot is automatically inserted into the
mix on the first pass after clearing memory, regardless of whether or not
anything else is written. 
Normally, this feature is turned off. The snapshot is not kept unless an actual
move is written, such as a fader move or channel on event. That way, if you
simply start and stop the time code, without writing a fader, knob, or switch,
the mix is still “clear” with nothing having been written.
The possible advantage to turning on “Always Take Snapshot on 1st Pass” is
that it makes it possible to do a pass which just writes a single snapshot. You
set up your initial mix, clear memory, and start the program material, and the
snapshot is written.
Snapback
Check to turn on. Snapback automatically inserts a fader move or a channel
on/off at the end of every pass. 
These extra snapshots in the mix assure that any real time edits made toward
the beginning of a mix will not have an impact on the rest of the mix. The
levels will always “snapback” after the after the edit.
Turning snapback on, however, results in multiple fader moves or channel
on/offs in the mix, which may make Cue List editing more complicated.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							BACKUP
This is a very brief description of Auto Backup, please refer to the chapter
about Auto Backup for more information.
Auto Backup is the MAX feature that automatically saves the mix to disk. At
the end of each pass, if new moves have been made, the mix is saved with a
number appended to it.
Auto Backup may be turned on or off either in the Preferences dialogue or
with the BACKUP button in the Control Bar.
Select Unlimited Backups and every pass will be saved as a separate mix file,
limited only by the space available on the hard disk.
Select Keep last [#] passes, and type in a number from 1 to 99. MAX will keep
that number passes. When the selected number is exceeded, MAX will begin
to delete older versions of the mix.
Show [#] most recent mixes in Recent Mixes menu
The Recent Mixes sub menu is located in the File menu.
The names of recently saved mixes are displayed here.
Select a recent mix to open it.
This Preference item selects how many recent mixes are displayed in the
Recent Mixes menu.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							188
MAX Preferences
PORTSETUP
Select the Automation Port, that is, the Port connected to the mixer. By
default the Modem port is selected. Chose the Printer Port only if the Modem
Port is not available, since the Modem Port will tend to be more reliable for a
single mixer.
If two mixers are connected, then both ports will be used. 
The lower numbered channels correspond to the mixer connected to the
modem port.
MIDI
Check to use MIDI. If only one mixer is connected, MIDI uses the port not
being used by the mixer.
Click OMS MIDI Setup to open OMS if OMS is installed.
OMS device names will automatically be imported and displayed in the Device
menu. (If OMS is not present, the menu will say by default “MIDI Device.”)
Check Echo MIDI to: MIDI Device if you want incoming MIDI data to be
“echoed”, that is, re-transmitted, back out of the MIDI output.
Sync Source
Select the mixers time code reader. If two mixers are connected, time code is
read by the mixer connected to the Printer port.
Alternately, if OMS is installed, you can select MIDI Time Code as a Sync
Source. 
						

							MACHINECONTROL
Pre Roll is a time in seconds that is automatically subtracted from locate
commands sent from MAX.
It is usually a non-critical amount of time intended to allow multiple
synchronized machines to chase and lock.
For example, suppose you use the Locate pop up menu, and Click Locate in
the control bar, to make the program source (tape recorder) start at a
particular verse of a song. If you have several digital multitracks, it will take a
certain amount of time before all machines become synchronized and begin
to play back music that you can listen to and mix. By the time that all the
machines are synchronized, you may be well past the part of the music you
wanted to listen to.
If the time it takes for them to synchronize is, say 5, seconds, then enter 5
seconds as your Pre Roll time.
The next time that you issue a locate to a particular verse, the locate time sent
will be 5 seconds before the verse begins. Then, by the time the verse begins,
all the machines will be synchronized and you can begin mixing.
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MAX Preferences 
						

							Machine and ID
Machine names and MMC ID numbers are automatically imported from OMS.
Number of Tracks
Enter the number of tracks for each MMC machine.
Time Code Master
Check if the selected Machine is the Time Code Master.
Do not check if the selected Machine is a slave to another machine,
synchronizer, or sync card.
Offset
Allows entering an MMC Offset for each machine, other than the time code
master.**
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MAX Preferences 
						

							191
Chapter 15
MAX SOFTWAREMENUS
APPLEMENU
Contains the “About M.A.X.” box. 
Displays version of MAX Software.
Shows total memory available for
mixes. Shows memory allocated
and consumed for each opened
mix, and Undo and Clipboard
buffers.
FILEMENU
New 
Opens New, Untitled mix. MAX permits you to have
multiple mixes opened at the same time. The one that’s
checked in the Windows menu is the one that plays back.
This allows you to quickly compare mixes and make cut /
copy / paste / edits from one mix to another. New mixes are
numbered “Untitled-1”, “Untitled-2”, etc., until you save and
name them.
Open 
Opens previously saved mix.
Recent Mixes
Sub menu displays and opens recently saved mixes. 
The number of recent mixes displayed may be set in the Preferences dialogue
box.
To change the number of recent mixes that appear in the Recent Mixes menu,
select Preferences from the Edit menu. Then select Backup. Then tab and type
the number of recent mixes.