Tascam Digital Audio Production Environment SX-1 Reference Manual

							Part IV–Mixer Controls
 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual 81
Tr i m
During a mix there may be sections where there are 
good mix moves on a control but the overall level of 
that control needs to be raised or lowered while pre-
serving the existing moves. Trim mode is used to make such relative offsets to 
existing mix moves for the duration of the Trim oper-
ation.
Safe
Any control in Safe will only read existing static or 
dynamic automation, regardless of the Global Mode. 
Moving a control in Safe will not write any automa-tion data nor affect the audio passing through that 
control.
Off
Use this selection to turn a control’s automation 
functionality off. A control that is Off will neither 
write nor play back automation data, regardless of 
the Global Mode. However, moving a control that is 
Off will affect its audio. Similarly to the Static Con-troller State, the new, final resting position of the 
control is in the project file, separate from the con-
trol’s static position as stored in an individual mix 
file.
Global Modes
There are three different Global Modes:
Global Write
Think of this mode as “automation-record-ready”. 
When Global Write is enabled, and the transport is 
moving, all the controls that are in Auto will read 
pre-existing automation data until they are moved. As soon as you move a control, automation will 
begin writing for that control, overwriting any pre-
existing data.
Tr i m
During a mix, sometimes there are sections when a 
control’s mix moves are perfect but the overall level 
needs to be raised or lowered.To change such a section’s level without affecting its 
contours (the peaks and valleys of the automation 
data), use Global Trim Mode. The diagram below 
illustrates how Trim will affect the pre-existing auto-
mation data when the controller’s State is in Auto.
Before Trim
After Trim Revert time  
						

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82 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual
Init Edit
The Initial Status of a control is its value before the 
first dynamic mix move present. Until dynamic mix 
moves are written to a control, there is no difference 
between the Initial Status of a control and its position 
were it set to Static. When dynamic mix moves are 
written to a control, and the controller is in Auto, the controller becomes dynamic. Any change to the mix 
data on such a control takes into account both its Ini-
tial Status and any dynamic automation. The illustra-
tion below shows what Initial Status looks like with 
respect to dynamic automation data.
Once a control contains dynamic automation data, 
any new mix moves written to that control will be 
dynamic mix moves as well. If it becomes necessary 
to alter a control’s starting point (Initial Status) before the first dynamic move written, Init Edit is 
used. 
The Initial Event Ramp Time allows a smooth match 
between the new initial value, and the previous 
dynamic automation data.
8 sec+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-121 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
Initial StatusDynamic Data 
						

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 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual 83
You can adjust any control to change its Initial Status 
at any time. In the case of faders, moving the fader 
element while in Init Edit will change its Initial Sta-
tus to reflect its new setting. In the case of keys and knobs, pressing a key while in Initial Edit will 
change its Initial Status to reflect its new setting. The 
illustration below shows how an Init Edit operation 
on a controller set to Auto would look.
Rehearse Functionality
Rehearse is a special automation setting that 
allows you to practice or experiment with mix moves 
without actually writing them. It works with all the 
Global Modes.
The main advantage of the Rehearse mode is that in 
this mode, the SX-1 behaves exactly as if the control 
is being written to, but without actually writing data. For example, when rehearsing a Trim operation you 
will hear the results of the Trim and the Revert will 
occur just like a real Trim. 
Additionally, the rehearsed data will show in the 
VGA 
Automation display while being performed, and 
then disappear upon transport stop.
8 sec+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-121 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
Before Initial Status Edit
Initial StatusDynamic Data
8 sec+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-121 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
After Initial Status Edit (Increase)
Initial StatusDynamic Data
8 sec+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-121 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
-9
After Initial Status Edit (Decrease)
Initial StatusDynamic Data Initial Event Ramp Time 
						

							Part IV–Mixer Controls
84 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual
Global Controls
The Global screen houses parameters for defining 
how automation will operate in the current project.
Mix Displays
The SX-1 has the ability to save multiple discrete 
Mixes for a single project. These Mixes contain a 
large amount of data, such as which takes are loaded, 
processing parameters, routing and stereo links in addition to the actual automation data. The Mix tab in 
the 
Automation screen is where these Mixes are 
managed.
VGA Mix Tab
From the AUTOMATION screen, press the Mix tab. Here, 
you can name, save, and recall mixes.
Highlight the mix to be loaded or deleted in the 
Mix 
field, and press the 
LOAD or DELETE button as appropri-
ate. In the case of a delete operation, a confirmation 
dialog is shown.
When a mix is highlighted, it may be renamed by 
entering a new name into the 
Name field.
KEEP MIX Press this key to save your current mix. 
Pressing 
SHIFT and the TOUCH/ KEEP key does the 
same thing from the control surface.
Using 
KEEP MIX, whether from the VGA interface 
or from the control surface, will save the current mix 
(adding an incremented numerical value), allowing 
further mixing to be done while maintaining the 
option to go back to a previous version. 
						

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 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual 85
LCD MIX Screen
The MIX screen mirrors the MIX tab from the VGA 
AUTOMATION screen.From the 
MAIN DISPLAY MODES section, press 
AUTO MATI ON and then the MIX soft key to reach this 
screen.
TIP
A project’s associated mixes can also be recalled directly 
from the VGA’s Main Menu Bar just to the left of the 
time readout. 
						

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Automation Controls
Front Panel Controls
All the automation modes can be entered from the 
SX-1’s front panel as well as through associated 
LCD and VGA screens. However, the front panel 
controls give you direct and immediate access to the 
automation modes without needing to be on an auto-
mation screen.
The keys in this section access all of the mixer’s 
automation States and Modes.TOUCH/KEEP Use the TOUCH/ KEEP key to use 
the Touch function, which overwrites soft knob or 
rotary encoder data at the current setting, erasing pre-
vious moves. Since these controls are not touch-sen-
sitive, this is a useful way to erase previous mix 
moves on these controls.
The relationship between the previous mix moves 
and the moves made using the touch function is 
shown below:
8 sec
8 sec
+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-12
+12
+6
+3
0
-3
-6
-121 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
1 sec
2 sec 3 sec
4 sec5 sec
6 sec7 sec
-9
Existing Move
Mix Move
Press/Hold
TOUCH
&
Move controlNew Move Auto or Manual
Revert Control
WritingRevert
Time 
						

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 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual 87
To operate the touch function:
1Enable write mode.
2Press and hold the 
TOUCH key.
3While holding the 
TOUCH key, use the con-
trol to begin overwriting the existing previ-
ous mix moves for that control.
4Release the 
TOUCH key. The control contin-
ues to write until a new move is written or 
until 
REVERT is pressed.
If a new move is written, the revert action 
follows the settings made on the 
AUTO MAIN 
screen.
REHEARSE/ALL SAFE The REHEARSE/ ALL 
SAFE
 key enables the write automation Rehearse 
mode. 
Press 
SHIFT+REHEARSE/ ALL SAFE to prevent 
automation from being written at all. This All Safe 
mode places all controls on the mixer into Safe. The 
result is that no automation can be written and mov-
ing a control will not affect the audio going through 
that control.
WRITE/INIT EDIT Use the WRITE/ INIT EDIT key 
to enable Global Write mode. The Write mode must 
be enabled (as indicated by the 
WRITE/ INIT EDIT 
key’s associated LED) in order for touch automation 
to function. Press 
SHIFT+WRITE/ INIT EDIT to enter 
the Init Edit mode.Init Edit allows editing of any controls initial status 
as described above. Exiting Init Edit saves the edit. 
There is no Undo for this operation. The 
INIT 
DISCARD
 is used to Undo an Init Edit (see below).
TRIM/INIT DISCARD The TRIM/ INIT DISCARD 
key enables the Global Trim mode. Trim automation 
allows you to add or subtract values from your cur-
rent automation data. For example, if automation 
data already exists, entering the Trim mode and than 
pushing the fader up will add this extra value to the 
track’s already recorded automation. Pressing 
SHIFT 
+ 
TRIM/ INIT DISCARD throws out any changes 
made while Init Edit is active. This must be done 
before exiting the Init Edit status.
REVERT/AUTO FADE Press REVERT to cause 
any controls currently Writing or Trimming to exit 
Write/Trim and transition back to the setting they 
held prior to the Write or Trim operation. The 
amount of time taken for this transition is determined 
by the setting of the Write Revert Time and Trim 
Revert Time parameters.
SHIFT+REVERT/ AUTO FADE automatically fades 
the Master Fader out over a specified time (this time 
is also set from the 
Global tab). Auto Fade operations 
must be performed in either Write or Trim mode. 
Auto Fade operations may be rehearsed using the 
Rehearse mode. 
						

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88 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual
VGA Automation Screen
From the MAIN DISPLAY MODE section, press the 
AUTO MATI ON key to reach the Automation screens 
(if the 
MAIN DISPLAY is set to EXTERNAL—other-wise, use the Alt+5 combination on the PS/2 key-
board). These screens provide control of all the SX-
1’s automation parameters.
TIP
Working with data in the AUTOMATION screen is very sim-
ilar to working with audio or MIDI data in the 
TRACK 
screen. Most of the same editing and selection com-
mands and tools apply to these regions as with audio 
and MIDI data. 
						

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 TASCAM SX-1 Reference Manual 89
Automation Track Area
This area works in much the same way the Tracks 
channels work on the 
TRACK screen. Regions of auto-
mation data can be selected and edited just as they 
can in the 
MIDI Piano Roll and Audio Waveform tabs (for 
more on editing tools and commands, see“MIDI 
Editing” on page 155).
View by Channel Click on the arrow to select a 
channel to view. This allows you to view all the con-
trols for the selected mixer channel. All the automa-
tion tracks will update to show the selected channel.
View by Control Click on the arrow to select a 
control to view. This allows you to view the same 
control for several different mixer channels or effects plug-ins at the same time. All the automation tracks 
will update to show the selected control type.
Channel This field shows the name of the mixer 
channel or effect plug-in displayed in the automation 
track window. You can click on the arrow to select a 
channel to view.
Name This field shows the name of the control dis-
played in the automation track window. You can 
click on the arrow to select a control to view.
Status/Mode Click on the arrow to select the con-
trol’s automation State. The available choices are 
Auto, Static, Trim, Write, Safe, and Off.
Auto Track
This tab works in much the same way the Waveform 
tab works in the 
TRACK screen. Here you can view a 
single control’s automation data and select and edit 
that data just as if it were a MIDI controller or a 
waveform. From the 
MAIN DISPLAY MODE section, 
press 
AUTO M AT IO N, then the Auto Track tab. Also see 
Chapter 19 for tool editing.
Channel Click on the arrow to select a channel to 
view. This field shows the name of the mixer channel 
or effect plug-in displayed in the tab’s track window.
Control Click on the arrow to select a control to 
view. This field shows the name of the control dis-
played in the tab’s track window.
Edit Operations Click on the arrow to select the 
type of edit operation you want to perform on the 
selected data. As with the 
MIDI Piano Roll and the Audio 
Waveform
 tabs, the choices in the Edit Operations menu 
vary, depending on the editing tool currently 
selected: 
						

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Edit Operations (Region/Event select)
When nothing is selected 
Add Library Entry Recall  This operation brings up 
the parameters you edit in order to recall a library 
entry as an automation event. You can define:
•
Library Type: from which library (EQ or Dynamics) 
an individual preset is recalled
•
Algorithm: use this to choose an effect to recall when 
automating the library recall of an internal effects 
processor
•
Load entry: The drop-down menu allows the library 
entry to be selected
•
Transition time: The time taken for the current settings 
to “morph” into the recalled library setting
•
CANCEL: Exit without making changes
•
DONE: Confirm settings and return
Render Library Recalls This allows the parameter 
changes which will be performed when a library 
entry is recalled to be split into a series of automation 
events. This can be useful when a mix started out 
containing library recalls, that later requires dynamic 
automation.
A region is selected In addition to the Add and 
Render Library events described above, the following 
additional edit commands are available when a 
region or an event has been selected:
Move Move automation data or the region itself.•
Apply To: Use this to choose whether to move only 
the beginning of an event or region, only the end, 
or both the beginning and the end.
•
Move events: Choose to move the event or region ear-
lier or later in time.
Smooth Use this function to smooth out the move-
ments of controls and/or to create average values of 
detailed control movements. You may want to use 
this when sharp control movements are too audible.
Events selected These are available when events 
are selected:
Event Editor Edit events:
•
Start Time: Enter a new start time for the selected 
event
•
Value: Enter a new value for the selected event
•
Initial Value: Allows the initial status of an event to be 
edited offline.
NOTE
If a faders (or other continuous controllers) Initial 
Value is modified in this way, an Initial Event Ramp 
Time will not be applied. Unlike an Init Edit, controls 
that have had their Initial Value modified in this way 
can have that modification reversed by the Undo 
command.
Move Allows you to nudge, by fine or gross 
amounts, the automation data of your selected 
region.
Edit Operations (Pencil Tool)
With the pencil tool selected, it is possible to draw 
freehand control automation data.Use the Event Density parameter to determine the 
smoothness of the data that you draw in single frame 
increments from 1 through 30.
Edit Operations (Curve Tool)
Curve Type The Linear curve type is very useful for 
emulating break-point style offline volume automa-
tion, while the 
Exponential, Logarithmatic and Cosine curve 
types may be used for the production of more natu-
ral-sounding fade effects.
Curve Steepness Used in conjunction with the 
Curve Type parameter above; this parameter offers sub-
tle variations when creating an offline fade.
Curve Randomize A special effect that can be 
useful for introducing random control fluctuations 
into a track that is lacking performance dynamics, in 
a similar way to using randomized quantization in a 
MIDI performance.