Tascam Dynamic Mix Automation TM-D4000 Operations Manual

							Software Overview
3.5 Menu Items
ItemMeaning
NewStarts a new mix
OpenOpens an existing
mix from disk
  
 
SaveSaves the existing
mix to file, prompt-
ing for a file name
if one has not been
already given
 
Save as...Saves the existing
mix to another file
 
ExitQuits the software
File Menu
ItemMeaning
Undo/RedoUndoes the effects
of the last timecode
pass (or redoes
them if undo has
been carried out)
Clear Initial
Status
Clears the Initial
Status, but does not
clear dynamic
events
 
Capture Initial
Status
Overwrites the cur-
rent Initial Status
with the current
console status
Clear All
Events
Clears all current
dynamic events and
Initial Status
Automation
Items...
Brings up the dialog
box where console
parameters to be
automated can be
selected
Edit Menu
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							Software Overview
ItemMeaning
ToolbarShows or hides the
toolbar
Status BarShows or hides the
standard Windows
status bar at the
bottom of the main
window
Hide Physical
Fader pos.
Shows or hides the
physical faders 
TimecodeStarts the Timecode
program and brings
up the Timecode
controls
Automation
Setup 
Brings up the Auto-
mation Setup dialog
(equivalent to the
TM-D4000s Auto-
mation Setup 
screen)
 
Aux View (1-
16)
Brings up the
appropriate Aux
View
Aux View (17-
32)
View Menu
ItemMeaning
CascadeStandard Windows
window cascade
function
TileStandard Windows
window tile
function
List of open windows inside the appli-
cation (but not including the Timecode
bar)
ItemMeaning
TM-D4000
Automation
Brings up a panel
giving the version
number of the auto-
mation software
and the ROM
installed in the
mixer
W indow Menu
About Menu
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							Software Overview
3.6 Mixer View
When the automation softwar e is launched, the Mixer View is displayed showing key
information about the automated mix including fader and knob positions, cuts,\
 EQ
status, etc.
Group
Indicators
 If the channel is part of a fader and/or cut group, the group number is \
shown here
along with the groups color (fader groups are shown in the left box, c\
ut groups
in the right
Mode Indicator This shows the mode of the channel:  Read, Write, Manual or Update.
Solo control 
and indicatorTurns red when the channel is being soloed.
EQ Control
and IndicatorTurns the equalization on and off for the channel
Cut ButtonTurns red to indicate that the channel is cut.
Panpot and
Indicator
Sets and shows the channels panpot position.  The center position (as \
shown here)
is represented by C.
FaderSets and shows the channels fader position.
Level IndicatorThe level of the logical fader in dB relative to nominal is displayed he\
re.
LabelChannel label.  Click here and type in up to four alphanumeric
characters. 
Channel
NumberThe number under the fader corresponds to the number of the TM-D4000s c\
hannel.
Stereo linked faders
are shown with a
gang bar linking the two
on-screen faders.
 
Logical
Physical
The Logical fader shows the true level of a channel at any moment.  This\
is the fader that automatically moves during playback.
The Physical fader shows the position of the hardware fader on the
TM-D4000.  The physical fader only appears when the position of the
fader on the mixer is different from the true audio level.  When the two\
are in agreement, the physical fader is concealed and the fader
is said to be nulled.
Click the gray label
just below the level
indicator to enter a
4-character name
for the channel.
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							Settings for the TM-D4000s six Aux. Sends may be viewed and
adjusted from this screen.  These on-scr een controls are available
in two dif ferent views:  Aux V iew (Ch01-16) and Aux V iew (Ch17-
32).  The Aux settings for the two ST IN inputs ar e shown in both
views.
Use the View menu to select either of these two views.  Note that
both views may be on the scr een at the same time.
Click any of the PRE/POST or ON/OFF buttons to change these
settings.
The automation mode indicators show the curr ent automation
mode of the channels.
The Aux. Send levels may be adjusted using the on-scr een controls.
Channel labels enter ed in the Mixer View are shown but may not
be edited her e.
Software Overview
3.7 EQ View
This is a view which allows you to view and adjust the EQ parameters for\
 a channel.
Right-click in the fader
area of a channel.
The wor d Equalizer will
appear in a pop-up menu.
Click on this pop-up to bring the 
window shown above to the fr ont.
The EQ button at the upper right
of the response curve can be used
to turn the EQ on or of f for the
selected channel.
Alternatively, use the pull-down
list at the top of the window to
change between channels.
The on-screen rotary controls or the small up/down arrows to the right o\
f the text boxes may be used to make
the gain, frequency and Q settings for the four EQ bands.   The graphic EQ response curve will change as the
values are changed.  The desired values could also be typed in directly .  The software will round the values
to the nearest valid value used by the  TM-D4000.  Changing the EQ settings on the mixer itself will also change\
the on-screen settings and the response curve.
NOTE:  Some of the controls may be disabled under certain conditions.  The Q setting has
no meaning when an HPF or LPF setting is selected in the Gain section of\
 bands 1 and 4.
3.8 Aux Views
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							Software Overview
3.9 Automation Modes
The four automation mode keys (WRITE, UPDATE, READ and MANUAL) on 
the TM-D4000 ar e used in conjunction with the softwar e to provide access 
to the automation modes described on the next page.
Automation modes can be selected for all  
channels by pr essing the desir ed mode key 
then pr essing ALL.  Automation modes can 
also be selected on a per channel basis by  
pr essing a mode key then pr essing ENTER to 
confir m your selection.  The indicator for the 
selected mode key will blink and individual  
channels can then be assigned to that  
mode with their SEL key.  When a mode  
indicator is blinking, another mode key can  
be selected at any time.  It is possible to  
have some channels assigned to one mode  
while other channels ar e assigned to a 
dif fer ent mode.  A single channel can only 
be assigned to one mode at a time.
In addition to selecting these modes fr om the TM-D4000, you can also 
select them fr om the main Contr ol Bar (See 3.3 Contr ol Bar) by double-
clicking the desir ed mode button to assign all the channels to that mode.  
The appr opriate indicators will light on the TM-D4000 when the mode is 
selected from the softwar e.
TM-D4000
TM-D4000
PC
PC
“Writing”
“ Reading ”
Remember that the ter ms write and read
are r elative to the mixer:  W riting transfers
mix moves from the mixer to the automation
software and r eading transfers mix moves
from the automation softwar e to the mixer.
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							Software Overview
Write Mode:
Channels in W rite mode are armed and r eady to write automation moves 
whenever time code is r eceived by the automation softwar e.  A channel 
can be punched into write mode in r eal time by pressing its SEL key (with 
the master mode in W rite), then punched out by pr essing the STOP button.  
Any time a channel is writing mix moves, switch events or POD  
adjustments it is erasing pr eviously written information during the time the 
channel is actually in write mode, the appr opriate parameters are write-
enabled and the automation softwar e is receiving time code.
Read Mode:
Channels in Read mode will play back pr eviously written mix moves. While 
in Read mode any fader moves, switch events or POD adjustments made  
will not be written by the automation softwar e, nor will they affect the 
channel audio.
When r eading mix moves and
listening at low volumes, it can be
helpful to tur n off the motorized
faders.  The mix moves will still
be r ead and displayed on the
automation softwar e screen but
the faders will not move.
Update Mode:
Update mode has thr ee functions.  1) Changing EQ, Aux or Pan settings 
for a channel while it is r eading fader automation.  2) Adding switch 
events (Cuts, EQ insertion and Aux On/Of f/Pre/Post) to alr eady existing 
switch events without r eplacing them.  3) Changing the overall level of a 
channel for the entir e mix or a portion of it without r eplacing existing mix 
moves.
Manual Mode:
Channels in Manual Mode will not r ead or write automation data.  While 
adjustments made to a channel in Manual Mode will change the setting  
for that channel, as soon as the channel is put into Read Mode any  
changes made during Manual mode will be lost as they will be overridden \
 
by the automation softwar e.
13 
						

							Building An Automated Mix
4.1 Getting Started
This section introduces important concepts and techniques r elating to 
writing and editing fader moves, cuts, and other automated mix events in\
  
r eal time (while pr ogram material is playing and time code is being 
r eceived).  Please r ead this section car efully as there are details to 
building an automated mix that, if skipped, will cause mix moves to be l\
ost  
or limit the power of dynamic mix automation.
NOTE:  W e will be dealing with two types of automation data:  1) Static 
data (settings that will not change during the length of the mix) and \
2)  
Dynamic data (settings that will be changed by the mix moves written  
into the automation softwar e during the mix).
You should become familiar with the 
Automation Items window available  
under the Edit Menu of the  
automation softwar e.  It is in this 
window that it is possible to write  
enable some parameters (like faders  
or EQ) while leaving other parameters untouched.  Think of this as ar ming 
one track of a multitrack r ecorder for an over dub while leaving others in 
playback.
1.	 Launch the automation softwar e and the Time Code 
W indow.  T urn of f time code r eception in the T ime Code 
W indow by clicking on the T .C. icon in the upper left cor ner.
2.	 Set all mixer channels to Manual Mode and set up the basic mix as 
much as possible without automation. (Basic levels, panning, EQ, ef fects, 
etc.)
3.	 Save your mix as a snapshot in the TM-D4000 as a backup.
4.	Tur n on time code r eception in the T ime Code Window and select 
W rite Mode for all channels by pr essing WRITE then ALL on the Automation 
section of the TM-D4000.  Be sur e that all parameters are write-enabled in 
the Automation Items window of the automation softwar e.
5.	Under the Edit Menu of the automation softwar e, select Clear Initial 
Status and confir m your action by clicking OK in the alert window that 
is displayed.
6.	 Also under the Edit Menu, select Captur e Initial Status and confirm 
your action by clicking OK in the alert window that is displayed.
7.	 Play the time code fr om the beginning of your r ecording 5 to 10 
seconds befor e the start of audio until the r eadout in the time code 
window tur ns black.  This sets the initial static position of all settings on the \
mixer within the automation softwar e.  Do not make any adjustments 
during this short pass.
8.	 Stop the r ecording and select manual mode for all channels.14 
						

							Building An Automated Mix
1.	Make the adjustments to the desir ed channels with those channels set 
to manual mode.  When you like the new settings, stop the r ecording, set 
the desir ed channels to write mode and select Captur e Initial Status from 
the automation softwar e Edit Menu.  (NOTE:  Only parameters that have 
been write-enabled in the Automation Items window will be saved.)
2.	 The channels with new static settings can now be r eturned to manual 
mode for the possibility of further adjustments, or they can be placed i\
nto  
r ead mode to ensur e that the new settings won ’t get accidentally 
changed.  (NOTE:  Y ou will always be able to make adjustments to a 
channel that is in manual mode, but those adjustments will not be saved \
 
until the above step is carried out.)
1.	 Put desir ed channels into write mode, make the dynamic mix moves, 
then put the newly automated channels into r ead mode to play back the 
dynamic mix automation.
2.	 If you wish to per form the moves again, the pr evious pass can be 
undone by selecting Undo fr om the Edit Menu in the automation softwar e 
befor e attempting another pass.  Any time old mix moves ar e replaced by 
new ones, those channels should be in r ead mode before making the 
new moves to ensur e starting from the same settings as befor e the old mix 
moves wer e made.  Please r efer to the following section on Real T ime Mix 
Editing.
4.2 Adjusting Static Settings
4.3 Cr eating Dynamic Mix Moves
15 
						

							Real Time Mix Editing
5.1 Manual Write
This will be the most common way to edit pr eviously written mix moves.  
This technique is similar to punching in and out of r ecord on a multi-track 
when doing an over dub.
·	 Channels will alr eady be in read mode since they 
will be r eading mix moves fr om the automation 
softwar e.
·	 Be sur e AUTO READ  is checked in the Automation 
Setup scr een of the TM-D4000.  This will automatically 
switch write-enabled channels to r ead mode when 
the r ecor ding is stopped.
1.	Write enable the channel parameters you wish to 
write in the Automation Items window of the  
softwar e.
2.	Press the WRITE key in the Automation section of 
the TM-D4000, then confir m the selection by pressing ENTER.  The Write 
indicator on the mixer should be flashing.
3.	 Play the r ecording a comfortable amount of time befor e the place 
you wish to edit mix moves.  The moving faders of the TM-D4000 will be  
following the mix moves pr eviously written.  
4.	When it is time to begin writing new mix moves, put the desir ed 
channel(s) into write mode by pr essing the channel’s SEL key.  As soon as 
the SEL key is pr essed, the channel will begin writing mix moves, erasing 
moves that wer e previously written during that section of the r ecording.
5.	When the end of the section to be edited is r eached, simply stop the 
r ecor ding to  “punch out ”.  All channels will automatically switch to r ead 
mode when the r ecording is stopped since the Auto Read function is 
selected.
6.	 Another way to punch out is to pr ess the READ key in the Automation 
section of the mixer , then press All to select r ead mode for all channels.  
This way you can continue to listen to the mix after the automation edit\
.
7.	 It is also possible to select r ead mode by pressing the READ key, then 
pr essing an individual channel ’s SEL key to switch it to r ead mode.  This 
allows some channels to be punched out while other channels continue  
writing.  As long as a master mode indicator is flashing it is possible \
to  
switch between modes in this way with a single key pr ess, then use the 
channel SEL keys to punch into write or out to r ead modes.
·	 As many channels as you need can be put into the W rite or Read 
modes in this way with mor e channels added at any time during a mix 
pass.  However , remember that this is a dynamic mix automation system 
and you have the ability to concentrate on a few channels or just one  
channel at a time, then going on to other channels.  Just like  
over dubbing.
16 
						

							Real Time Mix Editing
5.2 Auto Write
This mode automatically puts a channel into W rite Mode when a fader is 
moved.  Auto W rite mode is best used for gradual fader movements while 
Manual W rite is better suited for drastic or quick fader movements.
·	 Channels will alr eady be in read mode since they 
will be r eading mix moves fr om the automation 
softwar e.
·	 Be sur e AUTO READ  is checked in the Automation 
Setup scr een of the TM-D4000.  This will automatically 
switch write-enabled channels to r ead mode when the 
r ecor ding is stopped.
·	 Write mode does not need to be selected in the 
Automation section of the mixer .
1.	Select  AUTO WRITE  in the Fader Sense Mode section 
of the Automation Setup scr een on the TM-D4000.
2.	Play the r ecording a comfortable amount of time 
befor e the place you wish to edit mix moves.  The moving faders of the 
TM-D4000 will be following the mix moves pr eviously written.
3.	Begin slowly moving the desir ed fader(s) when you wish to edit mix 
moves.  The fader will automatically switch to write mode and begin  
writing new mix moves.
4.	 When the end of the section to be edited is r eached, simply stop the 
r ecor ding to  “punch out ”.  All channels will automatically switch to r ead 
mode when the r ecording is stopped since the Auto Read function is 
selected.
· 	 Another way to punch out is to pr ess the Read key in the Automation 
section of the mixer , then press All to select r ead mode for all channels.  
This way you can continue to listen to the mix after the automation edit\
.
· 	 It is also possible to select r ead mode by pressing the Read key and 
confir ming the selection with the Enter key, then selecting r ead mode on 
the desir ed channels by pr essing the SEL key.  This allows some channels to 
be punched out while other channels continue writing.
· 	 Since the r ead mode stays selected it is possible to punch into write 
mode on a channel by moving its fader , then punch out to read mode 
simply be pr essing the channel ’s SEL key.  This can be r epeated as many 
times as necessary on as many channels as necessary.
17