Tascam Digital Mixing Console DM-24 Owners Manual

							11 – Machine Control/Location—Selecting devices for control
 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual 81
When an entry in the Machine Control List is high-
lighted (that is, the cursor is on the left of the screen), the dial is used to scroll through the list, including 
those items which may not be visible on the screen.
Deleting devices from the list
If a device is added in error to the Machine Control 
List (or is no longer required), highlight the device, move the cursor to the on-screen DELETE button, and 
press 
ENTER. The last item in the list will be deleted.
This process can be repeated to clear the list.
Auto-detection of devices
In addition to the manual addition of controlled 
devices, there are two auto-detect buttons. One is 
used is used for detecting all devices attached to the 
DM-24 (
LIST AUTO DETECT) and the other is used for 
transport mapping (see “Machine Control mapping 
memories” on page 82 below). 
Move the cursor to the on-screen 
LIST AUTO DETECT 
button and press 
ENTER to scan the control ports and 
report on the detected devices, adding the controllers 
to the Machine Control list (see “Machine Control 
mapping memories” on page 82.
NOTE
Because not every device that may be controlled by the 
DM-24 is capable of reporting its presence accurately, 
some devices will not appear on the list, and must be 
added to the list manually. 
When attempting to identify a MIDI device, the DM-
24 first sends out an MMC Read Signature com-
mand. It adds a generic “closed loop” device for 
every device ID that responds to this command. 
It also sends out a MIDI Device Inquiry Message. If 
a remote device replies to this message, and an 
appropriate controller is available, this controller 
replaces the generic MMC closed-loop controller.
After power has been applied, it may take between 
one and two minutes for the remote devices to be rec-
ognized. Even if they have been added to the memo-
rized Machine Control list previously, it may not be 
possible to control them immediately the system is 
powered up.
Selecting the control type for the devices
The Machine Control list is composed of a number of 
columns. These are explained below:
STATE An icon shows the state of the controlled 
device. A one-way arrow represents an open-loop 
device (that is, commands are sent from the DM-24 
to the device, but no information is transmitted back 
from the device to the DM-24 along the same chan-
nel—information is transmitted from the other device 
through a different channel, such as timecode or 
MIDI). 
A double-ended arrow represents a closed loop, 
where information flows both ways between the 
remote device and the DM-24 along the same 
channel.
A cross indicates that the device is not being con-
trolled by the DM-24.
Tw o  d a s h e s  (
--) show that the type of control is not 
relevant here (for instance, the internal MIDI time-
code generator).
DEVICE The name of the name of the device being 
controlled, together with its control type. These list 
items cannot be changed or edited.
ID In the case of DTRS units, it refers to the unit ID, 
and cannot be edited. In the case of MMC units, it 
refers to the MMC ID (2 hexadecimal digits) of the 
unit. This list item cannot be changed or edited. Use 
the 
JOG dial to change the value and confirm with 
ENTER.
CHASE This applies to DTRS units, and allows the 
CHASE mode of the selected unit to be turned on or 
off. Any unit which can have its chase mode con-
trolled by the DM-24 has this item represented by a 
square box. Units whose CHASE mode cannot be 
remotely controlled have this item represented by 
two dashes (
--). Use the cursor keys to navigate to the 
list item, and the 
ENTER key to toggle between on (a 
check mark is shown in the box) and off (the box is 
empty). 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—Selecting devices for control
82 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual
TRA  This two parameter allows the transport con-
trols of the DM-24 to control the transport of the 
selected device (
TRA).
Only one device at a time can be selected for trans-
port control, as shown by the circled 
© symbol. If a 
device has been selected for transport control, and it 
is required to control another device, the first device 
selected for external control must be de-selected 
from transport control before the “new” device is 
selected for this purpose.
If the device is not active when an attempt is made to 
assign the transport control here, a popup message 
appears and the assignment is not made.
One feature which is not visible from the transport 
controls is an “eject” function. DTRS units, as well 
as most VTRs, can have their media ejected by press-
ing and holding the 
STOP transport key, and pressing 
the 
CLEAR key of the auto-punch section (not the 
number keypad 
CLR key).
Some machines may unthread the tape if the 
STOP 
key is pressed while the transport is stopped.
NOTE
The exact way in which the transport controls work 
with the external device depends on the capabilities of 
the device. For instance, the notion of “record” is not 
very meaningful when applied to the internal timecode 
generator.If you require further information on the control fea-
tures of a specific device that are not detailed here, 
please contact your TASCAM dealer, who should be able 
to supply you with further information.
REC This allows the selection of the REC keys on 
the DM-24 which arm the tracks on the remote exter-
nal device.
Use the dial to choose between 
1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32 
(8 tracks), 
1-16, 17-32 (16 tracks), 1-24 and 9-32 (24 
tracks).
Use the 
ENTER key to confirm the choice.
An appropriate pop-up error message is displayed if 
an attempt is made to assign two overlapping groups 
of 
REC controllers. Use the ENTER key to accept the 
new assignment, or the cursor keys to dismiss this 
message and return to the previous assignment.
NOTE
When the MASTER indicator is lit (the master layer is 
selected), the module 
REC keys have no effect.
The ALL SAFE key above the STEREO fader can be 
used to turn off the track arming for all tracks for all 
assigned 
REC keys. While ALL SAFE is active, the 
REC
 keys are disabled, until ALL SAFE is turned off 
again. The recording status that was active before the 
ALL SAFE was turned on is restored when ALL 
SAFE 
is turned off again.
Machine Control mapping memories
So that commonly-used machine control settings can 
be stored and recalled easily, the DM-24 provides 10 
memories of machine control mappings (numbered 
from 0 through 9).
Each of these may contain a device which may be 
controlled by the transport control facilities of the 
DM-24.
Each of these memories includes: the 
CHASE setting, 
the 
SCR setting and the TRA setting.
An an example of the practical use of this, take the 
example of three DTRS units connected to a VTR, 
chasing to timecode supplied by the VTR. Usually, 
the transport keys will control the VTR, and the 
REC 
keys will control the three DTRS units. The DTRS 
units will be locked and chasing the VTR. Some-
times, though, it will be necessary to control the 
DTRS units directly (through the first DTRS). 
Recording functions are still assigned to the DTRS 
units.The mappings are automatically assigned when the 
TRA AUTO DETECT button is “pressed” after the units 
have been added to the list.
A pop-up window appears asking if the autodetect 
process should take place (as it will delete all previ-
ous mappings).
Press 
ENTER to continue with the autodetection, or 
any of the cursor keys to cancel the process.
When the scan is complete, a pop-up screen appears, 
showing the detected devices and their assignments 
to the control maps. 
Any selected devices that may be controlled are 
detected and a new map is created for each such 
device. 
A message is shown if there are more devices con-
nected than can be added to the list (that is, more than 
10).
If there are IDs associated with the devices, these are 
also shown. 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—General parameters
 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual 83
To use a machine control mapping
Of course, at least one machine control mapping 
must exist before this operation can be carried out.
1Press and hold down the 
SHIFT key and the 
numeric 
CLR key.
2Press the numeric key corresponding to the 
map you want to use (
0 through 9).The DM-24’s transport control keys will now control 
the device selected in that map and the other mapping 
features will also be enabled.
The 
MAP field at the lower part of the screen shows 
the currently-loaded map.
Viewing the transport mappings
To view the transport mappings (that is, the list of the 
devices that will be controlled in each mapping):
1Press and hold down the 
SHIFT key and the 
numeric 
CLR key.
2Press the 
EDIT key.A pop-up list appears on the screen. The 
device controlled in each map, together with 
its ID, is shown.
3Press the 
ENTER key to continue operations.
Editing a mapping
When a mapping has been made, parameters other 
than the transport control may be edited (for instance, 
the use of the 
REC keys).
To make these changes a permanent part of the cur-
rently-loaded map:1Move the cursor to the number by the 
MAP 
field. 
2Use the dial to select the mapping memory 
into which the current mapping will be 
stored. Press 
ENTER.
3Press 
ENTER (the on-screen STORE button).
General parameters
When the SHIFT indicator is lit, press the MIDI/MC 
key. Use the first soft key to bring up this screen:This allows the setting of such items as MIDI chan-
nels, the flow of MIDI data (including MIDI time-
code) through the system, and various machine 
control parameters.
Program Change channels
In order to allow independent remote changing of the 
mixer snapshots and the two internal effector settings 
using MIDI Program Change commands, these three 
libraries can be assigned to respond to Program 
Change commands received on different channels.Move the cursor to the MIDI Ch box by either 
SNAPSHOT, EFECT 1 or EFFECT 2 at the top left of the 
screen, use the dial to select the MIDI channel (from 
1 through 16), and press 
ENTER. 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—General parameters
84 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual
Each of these libraries must use a separate MIDI 
channel. A popup message is displayed if an attempt is made to assign the same MIDI channel to more 
than one library.
Program Change values
This setting allows a given Program Change number 
to be associated with a particular library entry. This 
means that there does not have to be an exact match 
between, say, a particular synthesizer patch number 
and number of the effect setting that you always use 
with that patch.
These settings are made at the bottom left of the 
screen. The three libraries mentioned above (snap-
shot and the two internal effects libraries) may have 
these settings made. The method is identical for each 
library.1Move the cursor to the library table to be 
edited (
MIXER for snapshots, EFF1 for effector 
1, and 
EFF2 for effector 2).
2Press 
ENTER.
3Use POD 3 to select the MIDI Program 
change number.
4Use POD 4 to select the library entry to be 
associated with the program change.
Continue this process until the library Program 
Change table is set up as you want.
General MIDI parameters
The following parameters may be set (consult a gen-
eral reference work on MIDI if you are unsure of the 
operation of some of these MIDI functions):
MIDI OUT Active Sensing This turns the 
Active Sensing output from the DM-24 on and off.
OUTPUT MTC when slaved This controls 
whether the DM-24 will output MTC as an echo of the input timecode when it is acting as a timecode 
slave.
RESET (ffh) This controls the action to be taken 
when a MIDI Reset message is received. The DM-24 
can be either set to ignore all Reset requests, or when 
a Reset is received, to pop up a panel on the display 
informing the user asking if the Reset request is to be 
honored or ignored.
MIDI filtering
The following types of MIDI messages can be set to 
be accepted or ignored by the DM-24 on input and/or 
output: Control Change messages, Program Change 
messages, System Exclusive (
SysEx) messages, MTC 
(
MIDI Time Code) and MIDI Machine Control (MMC) 
messages.
When a checkbox is checked, that particular MIDI 
message is accepted if the checkbox is in the 
IN col-umn, and will be transmitted by the DM-24 if the 
checkbox is in the 
OUT column.
The 
PASS and CUT boxes are not selectable. There are 
there to remind you that a checked box means that 
the MIDI message is passed, and an unchecked box 
means that it is filtered (cut).
Serial output
The DM-24 can be set to output its own timecode 
from the 
MIDI OUT port (MTC OUT).Alternatively, it can output incoming timecode as 
MIDI timecode from the MIDI THRU and the RS-422 
serial port (
RS-422).
Edit Frames
When this is set on, location memories, etc. are 
edited to frame accuracy. When it is set to off, loca-
tion settings are made to second accuracy. 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—Location memories
 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual 85
Play Mode
This function determines the way in which the PLAY 
key works in conjunction with the location facilities. 
There are three settings:, 
Auto, Deferred and Immediate.
AUTO The PLAY indicator flashes as the unit is 
locating to a location point. When the location point 
is reached, playback starts automatically. However, if 
the 
PLAY key is pressed before the location point is 
reached, the unit stops locating and starts playing.
DEFERRED The unit stops after location is com-
pleted. However, if the 
PLAY key is pressed while the unit is locating, the 
PLAY indicator flashes, and play-
back starts when the location point is reached.
NOTE
Because an open MMC connection cannot determine 
when the locate point has been reached, deferred play 
is not possible for a machine controlled in this way.
IMMEDIATE The unit stops after location is com-
pleted. If the 
PLAY key is pressed while the unit is 
locating, the machine goes straight into play mode, 
without locating.
Cueing Mode
“Cueing mode” here means that if the controlled 
device is in play mode, and either of the fast transport 
keys (forward or rewind) is pressed, the fast transport 
mode is not latched and the unit is in cue mode (that 
is, when the fast transport key is released, the unit 
goes back into play mode). To latch the unit in the 
fast transport mode, press the 
STOP key before enter-
ing fast transport mode.A VTR controlled over the RS-422 connection which 
is put into fast wind with the cueing mode set on fast 
winds with the picture visible.
If cueing mode is not selected, when a fast transport 
key is pressed, irrespective of the current transport 
mode, the unit enters the fast transport mode, even 
when the fast transport key is released.
Locate Preroll
Move the cursor to the numeric field, which shows 
the pre-roll time when a location point is reached 
(displayed in minutes and seconds). For example, if 
this field shows 
0:10, if a location operation is carried 
out to a location memory of 00:20:32, the actual 
point located to is 00:20:22.
Note that this is used only in the case of Direct loca-
tion (“Location to a location memory” on page 86), 
and not in the case of manual location operations 
(“Manual location” on page 87), which locates to the value entered, irrespective of the pre-roll time set 
here.
Use the dial to set the pre-roll value and confirm the 
setting of this value with the ENTER key.
NOTE
A DA-98 DTRS unit controlled by the DM-24 always 
locates to a point about seven seconds before the loca-
tion point as entered on the DM-24, irrespective of the 
setting made here.
Location memories
The DM-24 allows the storage and recall of up to ten 
location memories, allowing easy location of the 
controlled devices to predetermined cue points.
Selecting the location point display
As explained in “LOCATE DISPLAY MODE” on 
page 20, the 
LOCATE DISPLAY MODE setting in the 
OPTION SETUP screen is used to determine whether 
the LED time counter shows the location memories 
as they are entered, edited and recalled, or whether 
they are shown as “popup” panels on the LCD dis-
play screen.When this section mentions “the display” showing 
location memory values, this refers to the display that 
has been selected in this option.
NOTE
Depending on the settings for frame display (“Edit 
Frames” on page 84), the frames value may or may not  
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—Location memories
86 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual
be shown on the display when location memories are 
being edited, etc.
Storing a location memory “on the fly”
This procedure allows you to set a location memory, 
regardless of whether timecode is currently being 
received or not. If timecode is not currently being 
received, the value of the location memory is the last 
received value as shown on the time counter on the 
display.
The value on the time counter, regardless of source, 
is stored as the location memory. This may be time-
code, MTC or an ABS time from a DTRS unit. How-
ever, only a controller which is specifically for DTRS 
use can locate a DTRS unit correctly, if there is an 
offset or other difference between timecode and the ABS time. If an ABS time is captured, other control-
lers will assume that this was a timecode value, and 
will locate the unit to this timecode position.
1Press the 
MEMO key. The indicator starts to 
flash.
2Press any of the numeric keys, corresponding 
to the ten location memories available.
3The 
MEMO indicator stops flashing and the 
currently-displayed timecode value is stored 
in the location memory corresponding to the 
numeric key which was pressed.
Manually entering and editing a location memory
This procedure can be used for editing existing loca-
tion memories or for adding new ones.
1Press the 
EDIT key. The indicator starts to 
flash.
2Press one of the number keys to select the 
location memory which will store the value. 
The 
EDIT indicator lights steadily.
3Enter the timecode value using the numeric 
keypad. The display shows the value, “filling 
up” from the right digit towards the left.
Or, if the 
EDIT key is pressed again after the 
location memory number has been pressed, 
the indicator starts to flash again, allowing 
the checking and editing of another location 
memory.4Press the 
ENTER key when the timecode 
value for the location memory has been 
entered.
5Press 
EDIT again once to edit another loca-
tion memory, or press 
EDIT twice to exit the 
location memory editing mode.
If the 
CLR key is pressed before the ENTER 
key, a location memory entry which has been 
made in error is cleared. Pressing 
ENTER 
stores the cleared memory.
NOTE
All blank location memories are assumed to be time-
code memories. Editing one, and attempting to locate 
using ABS with a DTRS controller will almost certainly 
result in an unwanted result. It is suggested that an ABS 
time is captured first and then edited.
It is possible to switch between the capture, edit and 
location procedures at any time.
Location to a location memory
When the location memories have been entered, they 
are recalled in the following way:
1Press the 
DIRECT key. The indicator lights.
2Press any one of the numeric keys, corre-
sponding to the ten location memories.
3The controlled device locates to the memory 
stored in the location memory.What happens next depends on the 
PLAY 
MODE
 setting (see “Play Mode” on page 85).
NOTE
If a pre-roll time has been set (“Locate Preroll” on 
page 85), the controlled device will locate to the loca-
tion memory point, minus the value set as the preroll 
time. 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—External control
 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual 87
Viewing a list of location memories
To view a popup list of all the location memories 
which have been stored:
1Press the 
SHIFT key so that the indicator is 
lit.2Press the 
EDIT key (now the LIST key as 
shown by the shifted legend).
The location memory source (timecode or 
MTC, or ABS) is shown, along with the value 
of each location memory.
Manual location
It is also possible to enter a location point manually, 
(from a cue list, for instance) and locate straight to it.
1Press the 
MANUAL key so that the indicator 
lights.
2Use the number keys to enter a number in 
hh:mm:ss (and optionally frames) format.
3When the 
ENTER key is pressed, the con-
trolled device starts to locate to the location 
point just entered.This location point can be stored by pressing the 
MEMO key so that the indicator flashes, followed by 
pressing the 
MANUAL key again.
To locate to this point again after storing the location 
point, press the 
MANUAL key, followed by the 
ENTER key.
Note that the pre-roll time (“Locate Preroll” on 
page 85) does not apply here.
Repeat play
Location memories 8 and 9 (accessed with the 8 and 
9 keys) are used as the start and end points of a repeat 
loop that can be played by pressing the 
REPEAT key 
in the transport control section.If point 8 follows point 9, or if the distance between 
the two points is very short, the behavior of the repeat 
playback depends on the device being controlled.
Auto punch operations
For DTRS units, the three AUTO PUNCH keys: 
RHSL, IN/OUT and CLEAR are used in the same way 
as the corresponding keys on the DTRS unit.
Consult the documentation for the DTRS unit for 
details of how to perform punch operations.When punch operations are taking place, the punch-
in and punch-out points may be viewed and edited in 
location memories 
4 and 5 respectively. When the 
CLEAR key is pressed to finish punch operations, the 
original location memories (if any) are restored.
ALL INPUT and AUTO MON
The ALL INPUT and AUTO  MO N keys send the 
appropriate commands to all devices in the list that 
have the 
REC function enabled. When the function is 
active, the key’s indicator lights.
If the controller does not support the function, the 
indicator does not light.
If a number of controllers have had the 
REC function 
selected, some of which do accept this command, and some which do not, the indicator will not light in 
the majority of cases.
DTRS devices can accept this command, as can 
MMC devices. Some devices controlled using the P2 
protocol can accept these commands, but some can-
not, depending on the manufacturer’s implementa-
tion of the protocol.
External control
These following notes apply to the external control 
screens, etc. for some of the specific devices that may 
be controlled by the DM-24.The list of devices which are assigned to the DM-24 
for control is set up in the following way: 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—DTRS devices
88 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual
Press the EXT CTRL key (SHIFT indicator should not 
be lit) to bring up the main external control screen:
Initially, the list will be blank, but devices can be 
added as described here.
Note that this list is unconnected with the lists of 
machine and transport control devices described ear-
lier in this section and refers to specific control capa-
bilities of these devices, rather generic controls.
Move the cursor to the right column of the screen, 
and use the dial to scroll through the list of supported 
devices. When the desired device is highlighted, 
press the on-screen 

						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—DTRS devices
 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual 89
be carried out easily from the DM-24. Consult the 
documentation of your DTRS unit for full details of 
how these operations affect the unit.
It is essential the unit connected directly using the 
DTRS REMOTE CONTROL connection from the 
DM-24 has an ID of 1 (0 in the case of DA-88s). It is 
suggested that the other units in the chain are num-
bered in order following this (but this is not essen-
tial). Remember that all chains of DTRS units should 
be terminated.If the DTRS units are to be word clock slaves of the 
DM-24, the dedicated word clock input of the DTRS 
unit connected directly to the DM-24 should be con-
nected to the word clock sync output of the DM-24, 
and the clock source set to WORD. Subsequent units 
in the chain will receive their word clock information 
directly through the REMOTE connections, and do 
not require dedicated word clock connections.
Some specific information concerning the individual 
models in the range is provided here.
DA-98HR
This screen (accessed using soft keys 3 and 4) allows 
the remote control of the following parameters.
NOTE
When the DA-98HR is set to any sampling frequency 
other than the eight base-frequency track setting 
(including dual-frequency or quad-frequency recording 
modes), the number of tracks shown on screen whose 
parameters are shown will differ from those shown 
here. In addition, some features are only available in 
the eight track mode. Consult your DA-98HR documen-
tation for full details of some of these features.
DIGITAL INPUT Use this to change between the 
TDIF and AES/EBU inputs.
INPUT PATCH The input patchbay can be viewed 
and set using this screen. Navigate around the matrix 
using the cursor keys.
OUTPUT PATCH View and set the output patch-
bay using this part of the screen.
INPUT MONITOR The individual track monitor-
ing can be set and viewed with this part of the screen. 
TRACK DELAY Can be set individually, or 
together. Move the cursor to the appropriate row and 
use the appropriate PODs to set the individual track 
or POD 3 to set all values together, and confirm with 
the on-screen 
SET button.
Change between samples and milliseconds as the 
unit of measurement, using POD 4.
TIME MODE Select between ABS and TC timing 
reference.
TC REC Arm and unarm the timecode track using 
this on-screen button.
TC Generator Start and stop the DA-98HR gener-
ator, as well as setting the start time. Individual 
hours, minutes, seconds and frames are set by navi-
gating to the appropriate field. 
Machine Offset Set this value here. Individual 
hours, minutes, seconds and frames are set by navi-
gating to the appropriate field.
PUNCH IN/OUT Set the preroll and postroll val-
ues.
DITHER  Set the dither type to off, rectangular or 
triangular.
VARI SPEED Can be set on or off, and the value 
changed to ±6.0% relative to the nominal pitch.
CLOCK Choose between the different available 
clock sources for the DA-98HR: 
INT (internal), 
VIDEO, SLOT, WORD and the AES/EBU inputs. If the 
AES/EBU inputs are selected, the pair to be used as 
the clock source can then be chosen. 
						

							11 – Machine Control/Location—DTRS devices
90 TASCAM DM-24 Reference Manual
DTRS mixer
In addition to the screen just described, there is an 
on-screen output mixer which controls the internal 
mixer of up to two DTRS units.
This is selected as a separate item in the list of 
devices to be controlled by the DM-24 (
DA-98HR 
Mix
). If this item is not added to the list of controlla-
ble devices, it will not be possible to make these 
mixer settings described here, even if the appropriate DTRS units have been added to the list of controlla-
ble devices.
See the DTRS documentation for full details of how 
the mixdown mode functions with each model.
If more than one DTRS unit has been displayed in 
this way, the screen is split into two, with two “top 
rows”, etc.
The 
INPUT SELECT section at the top of each half-
screen allows the assignment of sources to channels. 
Use the cursor keys, dial, and 
ENTER key to change 
these assignments. For DA-78HR units, these can be 
selected as Track (
T), Digital (A) or Analog (A) and 
for DA-98HR units, they can be Track (
T), Digital (D) 
or Slot (
S).
The on-screen 
MIX DOWN button controls the mix-
down mode of the DTRS unit.
In the first row of each half-screen, POD 1 allows the 
setting of a master PAN value, with a 
SET button to 
confirm the setting for a scope set by POD 2 (
ALL, 
ODD, EVEN, 1-8 and 9-16).
Also in the first row, POD 3 is used to control the 
overall output master level for the first eight channels 
(the first unit), and POD 4 does the same for the sec-
ond eight channels (the second unit).
The PODs in the remaining rows of the half-screen 
are used to control the pan positions of the outputs. 
The master layer faders and 
MUTE keys are used to 
control the DTRS mixer when this screen is active 
(modules 1 through 8 control the first unit, and 9 
through 16 control the second unit). While this is 
screen active, and the master layer is selected, the 
MASTER indicator flashes, as do the MUTE keys of 
the modules.