re32 MULTITRACK REMOTE CONTROLLER Operator’s Manual WARNING To prevent fire or shock hazard, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.
Important Notice The material in this document is copyright to AKAI professional M.I. Corp., and may not be quoted or reproduced in any form without written permission from the company. LIMITED SOFTWARE WARRANTY POLICY All the software provided with, or purchased especially for, AKAI professional products has been tested for functionality. AKAI professional M.I. Corp. will make its best efforts to correct reported software defects for future releases subject to technical practicabilities.
WARNING WARNING The RE32 is designed to be used in a standard household environment. Power requirements for electrical equipment vary from area to area. Please ensure that your RE32 meets the power requirements in your area. If in doubt, consult a qualified electrician or AKAI professional dealer. 120VAC 220-230/240VAC 240VAC @ 60Hz for USA and Canada @ 50Hz for Europe @ 50Hz for Australia PROTECTING YOURSELF AND THE RE32 • Never touch the AC plug with wet hands.
WARNING THIS APPARATUS MUST BE EARTHED IMPORTANT This equipment is fitted with an approved non-rewireable UK mains plug. To change the fuse in this type of plug proceed as follows: 1) Remove the fuse cover and old fuse. 2) Fit a new fuse which should be a BS1362 5 Amp A.S.T.A or BSI approved type. 3) Refit the fuse cover.
FCC WARNING This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
WARRANTY AKAI professional M.I. Corp. warrants its products, when purchased from an authorized AKAI professional dealer, to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 12 (twelve) months from the date of purchase. Warranty service is effective and available to the original purchaser only, and only on completion and return of the AKAI professional Warranty Registration Card within 14 days of purchase.
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 FEATURES .................................................................................................................................. 1 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ................................................................................................................ 2 TERMINOLOGY ......................................................................
OUT KEY ................................................................................................................................... 61 TO SELECT A WHOLE TRACK ................................................................................................. 62 TO SELECT A TRACK FROM THE IN POINT TO THE END .................................................... 62 TO SELECT A TRACK FROM THE OUT POINT TO THE START ............................................
RESTORING A BACKUP .............................................................................................. 121 PERFORMING A RESTORE ........................................................................................ 122 RESTORING THE ENTIRE BACKUP .......................................................................... 125 NOTES ABOUT BACKUP/RESTORE .......................................................................... 126 SUGGESTIONS FOR BACKUP/RESTORE ....................................
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INTRODUCTION The staff at AKAI professional would like to thank you for buying the RE32 Multi-track Remote Controller. We are confident that the RE32 will be a sound investment, offering many years of reliable service and will be a product you can rely on in your daily work. The RE32 is designed to be used with Akai DD/DR-Series Hard Disk Recorders (such as the DR16pro, DD8, DD8plus or DD1500) allowing control of up to 128 tracks of audio.
INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS MANUAL This owner’s manual has been written to provide you with the information to get the best from the RE32. Although it hoped that the RE32 is easy enough to use without constant reference to this manual, please take the time to read it in order to understand the system fully. The manual takes you through the available functions from scratch, assuming you have just installed it and you are using it for the first time.
INTRODUCTION As with any piece of new gear, there is always a bit of new jargon to get to grips with. The RE32 is no exception! What follows, therefore, is a short list of some of the terms you will come across during the course of this manual. GRID This stands for GRaphic Interface Display and refers to the track display on the external monitor. PROJECT This contains all your recordings, edited and positioned as required and shown on the GRID.
INTRODUCTION 4 LIBRARY A library is a file created for convenient storage of groups of cues (referred to as ‘clips’). For example, a library may contain sound effects, or music cues, etc.. Although the library function is not supported on the RE32, several disk related functions can be used on disks containing library files made on another system.
INTRODUCTION MULTI-MACHINE SYSTEM The followingshows a typical multi-machine system Audio is recorded through the inputs (analogue and/or digital) directly to project tracks on each machine and displayed in the GRID as a multi-track project ready for editing etc.. For example, you may record a long vocal onto track 1, edit out all the mistakes, coughs, breath noises and other unwanted artefacts and simply save the project.
INTRODUCTION REAR PANEL In this section, we take a look at the RE32’s rear panel connections. Actual operation of the RE32 will be discussed later. DISPLAY This connects to any standard S-VGA monitor such as you would use with any PC. You will probably have bought a monitor with the system as supplied by your dealer but, if not, any reputable computer store will be able to sell you one.
INTRODUCTION RE RE MO TE Terminator ON MO TE Terminator OFF Terminator OFF Terminator ON To S-VGA monitor Terminator ON MULTITRACK REMOTE CONTROLLER LOC STO INP The external monitor is a standard S-VGA colour monitor such as you would use with any PC and any size may be used. Of course, to this basic system, you may add analogue and/or digital inputs and outputs for use with an external mixer. If you plan to do a lot of naming of recordings and files, an external PC keyboard is recommended.
INTRODUCTION SETTING MACHINE ID NUMBERS When multiple machines are connected to the RE32, each must be assigned a unique MACHINE NUMBER before the system is used for the first time. These must be assigned sequentially from 1 to the number of machines in the system and are used to allocate tracks to machines by the RE32.
INTRODUCTION POWERING UP THE RE32 SYSTEM First, turn on any disk drives that may be connected to the system. Next, turn on the individual machines (DR16pro, DD8plus etc.). The machines will ‘talk to’ their disk drives and you will see some disk activity as they do this. When this has settled down, turn on the RE32. The external monitor screen can be switched on at any time and will have no effect on the system. When you power up the RE32, the RE32 will scan the ethernet bus for connected machines.
INTRODUCTION PANEL LAYOUT The RE32 is an MTR style remote controller with many commonly used functions available on dedicated keys. If you break down the RE32’s panel into its various sections, it really is quite straightforward to understand and use. Data Entry MULTITRACK REMOTE CONTROLLER Track Select Keys Track Mode Timecode Display LOC STO INP Utilities LCD Jog Wheel Transport Keys Across the top of the panel are the track select keys.
INTRODUCTION Located directly beneath the LCD is a row of six soft keys, the function of which depends on the RE32’s current status. The JOG wheel emulates reel rocking for finding edit points. It is possible to jog all tracks simultaneously. The DATA ENTRY section includes a numeric keypad for inputting timecode and values and for selecting locator memories and edit clipboards.
INTRODUCTION VGA DISPLAY The RE32’s VGA display is designed to present all the information you will need in a simple and easy to digest manner. There are no multiple windows stacked on top of each other to confuse you, and ALL work (including recording, editing, slipping, syncing, etc..) is done here ensuring that operations are consistent throughout. 12 1 TRACK METERS At the top of the screen is a meter bridge where you may see the levels of each individual track.
INTRODUCTION 6 GRID The GRID (GRaphic Interface Display) shows the audio as waveforms and/or as blocks and you may choose whether to display waveforms or not according to your preference. Consistent colour coding is used throughout - blue for play, grey for muted, red for record, green for edit and light brown (ochre) for EDIT CUE. This allows you to see at a glance the status of the tracks even from a distance.
INTRODUCTION CUE NAME DISPLAY To the right of the track display, you may choose to see the names of the cue(s) currently being played. This is used instead of the normal convention on other hard disk recorders where the name is shown within the cue itself because with short cues, the name often gets abbreviated into something meaningless. This can also make the screen very cluttered. On the RE32, you see the entire name regardless of its length.
INTRODUCTION NAVIGATING THE RE32 Getting around the RE32 is quite straightforward. Dedicated keys for most commonly used functions reduces the need for multi-menu operation. Less day-to-day functions are kept hidden away out of harms way but are still readily accessible. The external monitor is used purely for referencing your work to see what is going on. You can think of it as an animated track sheet. In theory, the RE32 could be used without it as most work is done from the RE32’s front panel LCD.
INTRODUCTION Another example of a typical screen is this: This shows a list of parameters. To change any of them, move the cursor to the one you wish to change and use the DATA ENTRY +/- keys to select a new value. In cases where there are many options to select, the DATA +/- keys are ‘accelerators’ that speed up the longer you press them. However, it is not always necessary to use the cursor keys to move up and down parameter lists and some pages offer a more direct approach to parameter selection.
INTRODUCTION NUMERIC KEYPAD The NUMERIC KEYPAD has two main functions. It is used to store and recall up to 10 edits in what we call the EDIT CLIPBOARD (see the section on editing that describes this). It is also used for timecode and numeric entry. EDITING NUMERIC FIELDS To edit number fields, you can just type the number directly followed by ENT on the numeric keypad or the main EXECUTE key. You may also use the DATA ENTRY +/- keys to increment/ decrement through the values.
INTRODUCTION DATA ENTRY/NUDGE KEYS These two keys allow you to set data values. To set a data value, simply move the cursor to appropriate field and press the DATA ENTRY ‘+’ key to increase the value or the DATA ENTRY ‘-’ key to decrease the value. Like the CURSOR keys, these keys are ‘accelerators’ that get gradually faster the longer you keep them held down, allowing rapid changes to be made to long parameter fields.
INTRODUCTION UNDO The UNDO key offers twenty levels of undo and redo. If you make a mistake and do something you’re not happy with, press UNDO and the original data will be restored. If you then find that you preferred the mistake, press REDO (SHIFT+UNDO). You may undo/redo the last twenty things you did by repeatedly pressing UNDO or REDO (SHIFT+UNDO). This allows you to try a few edits out in succession and then, if you don’t like the results, restore the original version.
INTRODUCTION As the LCD prompts you, you must press EXECUTE to complete the naming process. If you change your mind, press EXIT at any time. Pressing EXIT will leave the naming process and revert to the original name. When using a computer keyboard, you will note that the numeric keypad functions just like the RE32’s. You will also note that you can use the keyboard’s first six function keys to duplicate the RE32’s soft keys. ESC(ape) duplicates the action of the RE32’s EXIT key.
INTRODUCTION GETTING AROUND A PROJECT There are many convenient ways to move around the GRID. TRANSPORT KEYS The most obvious way, perhaps, is to use the REWIND and FAST FORWARD keys. Pressing either or once will cause the project to rewind or fast forward at 10 x normal play speed and pressing it again will cause the project to rewind or fast forward at 100 x normal play speed. Pressing either of these keys again will revert to 10 x normal play speed.
INTRODUCTION JOG WHEEL The jog wheel allows you to ‘scrub’ audio much like reel-rocking on a conventional tape recorder. You may jog all tracks simultaneously. Normally, maximum jog speed is 1 x play speed but you may set this to be as much as 5 x maximum play speed. More conveniently, perhaps, you can set it so that normal operation gives a maximum jog speed of 1 x play speed but, when the SHIFT key is held, you can jog up to 5 x play speed.
INTRODUCTION NOTE: When jogging or spooling at anything higher than nominal play speed, because of restrictions regarding disk speed and SCSI bandwidth, the connected machines will automatically drop some tracks to allow the high speed playback. However, in most cases this is fairly transparent and should not be particularly noticeable, especially on faster drives. The RESET soft key on F5/F6 will reset the selections you make to their default value.
GETTING STARTED GETTING STARTED - BASIC CONCEPTS Audio in the GRID is known as a CUE. A cue is a block of audio from start to finish. This may be a raw recording in its entirety or may be the result of an edit. For example: CUE CUE This shows two cues. On the monitor screen, the cues’ blocks are shown as blue and the waveforms (if selected to be displayed) are shown in grey.
GETTING STARTED As a very simple example, imagine you wish chop out a cough from a vocal track on track 4. Select track 4 for editing, play (or locate or fast forward/rewind or jog) to the start of the cough, jog over it to find an exact start point (you may also refer to the waveform shown on the monitor for extra assistance) and press the IN key. Now jog to the end of the cough and press the OUT key at an appropriate point.
GETTING STARTED BASIC SYSTEM SETTINGS Before we move on to look at basic operation, it is necessary to have a look at the SETUP pages in order to set the system up as necessary. If you just want to get on with some recording, skip this section and come back to it at a later date if you wish. The SETUP pages allow you to set certain parameters that will affect either the RE32, an individual machine or the system as a whole.
GETTING STARTED NOTE 1: This page will only allow selection of sample rates that are supported on all the connected machines. NOTE 2: Recordings made at a sample rate other than the selected sample rate will play back at the wrong speed. For example, if the sample rate is set to 44.1kHz and you try to play back a recording made at 48kHz, the recording will play back slow. Therefore, please make sure that your recordings are made at the correct sampling rate.
GETTING STARTED FORMATTING DISKS The DISK pages are used for general disk management such as renaming and deleting files, formatting disks, copying disks, etc.. For the moment, we will just look at formatting a disk as this needs to be done before you can start working with the Akai system. Pressing DISK displays this screen: Assuming you have not used the system yet, no files exist on disk and so the DISK page is empty.
GETTING STARTED NOTE 1: While the Akai machines can properly format a Macintosh hard disk or MO, it does not install any type of Macintosh driver software on the disk. Therefore, disks formatted on the Akai system will require third-party mounting software in order to appear on the Macintosh desktop. COMPATIBILITY NOTE: Disks made on any version of DD8, DD1500, or DR8/DR16 can be used with current software versions.
GETTING STARTED If you press SHIFT+EXECUTE, you will receive this screen: If the disk is write protected, you will receive the prompt: After a few seconds, the prompt will disappear and you will be returned to the main FORMAT DISK page. You should eject the disk and take the write protect off. However, there may be a reason the disk is write protected so it may be wise to leave the format page and check the contents before proceeding as there may be important data on it that needs to be kept.
GETTING STARTED VGA SETUP The SETUP key’s SHIFT function is VGA which allows you to setup various options related to the external display. When you press SHIFT+SETUP, the key’s LED will flash and you will receive the following screen display: The options are split across several pages. The first page shown above offers the following: CUE INFORMATION Allows you to select: CUE NAMES This will show the names of the current and, depending on the direction of playback/jogging/etc.
GETTING STARTED Pressing the METERS key (F3/F4) will take you to the following page where you may set certain parameters relating to signal metering on the RE32’s external monitor screen: The parameters are: METER SOURCE Here you may select what will be displayed on the meters on the VGA monitor. You may select INPUT LEVELS (to view the inputs to the tracks selected for record) or TRACK LEVELS (to show the level of the tracks playback or record signals depending on the current auto-monitor status).
GETTING STARTED NOTE: When tracks are selected for edit, SHIFT+CURSOR UP/DOWN will toggle you between zooming in to the tracks selected for edit and the last selected vertical zoom level. NOW POSITION You may set the vertical NOW marker anywhere on the GRID. 50% is central, lower percentages move it further to the left, higher percentages to the right. RULER You can select whether the ruler across the top of the GRID will be static or will scroll with the project.
GETTING STARTED INFORMATION This parameter selects whether the PROJECT NAME or MACHINE name is shown in the area at the top of the machine box. ERROR MESSAGES Here you can select to display system error messages in a large pop-up window on the VGA. In multi-machine systems, as well as showing the system error message, this window will indicate the machine number on which the error occurred. In all SHOW pages, you may reset the parameters to their default settings using the DEFAULTS soft key on F5/F6.
RECORDING RECORDING In the next few sections, we will see how to record and playback material as well as mark locators and locate to specific points in a project. BASIC RECORDING Before we can do anything interesting with the RE32, we must first make a recording. Because the RE32 has many standard multi-track tape recorder (MTR) keys, recording is very simple.
RECORDING When recording, you will see this screen: As you are recording, so the RECORD TIME field ‘counts down’ as disk space is used up. In the event of a mishap, you can abort the recording by pressing SHIFT and the red REC key simultaneously. This will stop the recording process and delete it from disk, thereby saving disk space and preventing the build up of unwanted recordings.
RECORDING ADVANCED RECORDING There is no ‘advanced recording’ mode as such - this section just tells you more about the recording functions. Recording is designed to be as simple as possible and you may, if you wish, make a recording as described above. However, it is also possible to name recordings although recordings are given a default name so that you may avoid this process if you just want to get on with the job and the recording can be renamed afterwards.
RECORDING When DESTRUCTIVE recording mode is on, if you record over existing cues, the audio associated with the original cue may be erased from disk. However, you must either record over the original cue completely, or start recording from within a cue to past its end - dropping in and/or out half way through the cue will not cause the original cue’s audio to be deleted from disk.
RECORDING ** WARNING ** BECAUSE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF THIS FUNCTION, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS NOT INADVERTENTLY SELECTED WHEN RECORDING AS YOU RUN THE RISK OF LOSING VALUABLE DATA. For example, if you are used to using non-destructive recording but receive a disk where DESTRUCTIVE record mode is enabled, you may be working in your usual way, thinking that new recordings are recoverable when, in fact, they are being deleted from disk every time you record over them.
RECORDING RECORD DISKS By default, all audio will be recorded onto the same disk as the current project. In a larger system, you may have other drives to extend the recording time. However, please note that recording to an external drive could cause playback problems later on.
RECORDING RECORD TYPE The type of file that is created on the disk for each new recording may vary depending on the format of the selected record disk and the user’s choice of bit resolution. Pressing TYPE (F2) in the main record page take you to the RECORD TYPE page shown below: The options on this screen are: TRACKS This is where you select the machine for which you want to select a record file type. To avoid confusion, the machines are listed by the tracks they represent.
RECORDING BIT LENGTH This selects the audio bit length for new recordings. • 16-bit: This is the compact Disc standard. • 20-bit: This option allows 20-bit audio to be recorded, giving greater resolution and headroom. • 24-bit: This option allows 24-bit audio to be recorded, giving even greater resolution and headroom. • 20-bit (packed): This is a special option that is only available when recording AKAI format audio files.
RECORDING RECORD SETUP It is possible to select certain other options relating to recording in the RECORD SETUP page. This is accessed by pressing SETUP (F3/F4) from the main record page: The parameters are: CROSSFADE This allows a record crossfade of 0 to 80ms to be set. AUTO MONITOR Here you may select how you will monitor the input signal. The default selection is RECORD AND STOP.
RECORDING PUNCH MODE This selects how the system will respond if the record track selections are changed while the transport is in record. Available selections are : NORMAL This is the default setting. The record track selections can not be changed while the transport is in record. TRACK KEYS In this mode, the transport responds in the same manner as a conventional MTR.
RECORDING ** NOTES REGARDING TRACK MONITORING DURING RECORDING ** On analogue multi-track tape recorders, we take seamless punch-in/out for granted. However, this is much more difficult to achieve on hard disk recorders. The Akai DD/DR-Series have seamless punch-in/out and to achieve this, they play previously recorded material in the background so that, when you punch-out manually, the track is ready to play back immediately with no gap at the punch-out. I.e.
RECORDING AUTO PUNCH-IN/OUT So far, we have seen how to drop in and out of record manually. It is also possible to automate this using the AUTO-PUNCH key . The AUTO IN and OUT times are set using the IN and OUT keys. Switching AUTO-PUNCH to ON (i.e. LED lit) will activate the auto punch-in/out function. To use the AUTO function, locate to a point before the IN time, select a track (or tracks) for record and press PLAY and RECORD together.
INPUT ROUTING INPUT ROUTING - ASSIGNING INPUTS TO TRACKS Depending on the specification of the machines in the system, there may be more tracks than there are inputs so some way of assigning the inputs to tracks is needed. This is achieved from the ROUTE INPUTS page which is accessed by pressing F5/F6 (ROUTE INPUTS) on the main record page.
INPUT ROUTING INPUT ROUTING - DR16pro When a DR16pro is selected on entry to the ROUTE INPUTS pages, the following screen will be shown: This shows the default routing in a system with analogue inputs selected. If the DR16pro has an optional multi-channel digital interface installed (AES/EBU or ADAT), you can select between ANALOGUE or DIGITAL inputs 1..8 using the DATA ENTRY +/- keys when the cursor is over the INPUT TYPE field.
INPUT ROUTING INPUT ROUTING - DD8 (or DD8plus) When a DD8 (or DD8plus) is selected on entry to the ROUTE INPUTS pages, the screen will change to allow control of the input architecture on these machines: This shows the default routing in a system with analogue inputs. When the cursor is over the INPUT TYPE field, you can select between ANALOGUE or DIGITAL inputs using the DATA ENTRY +/- keys. Inputs may also be routed to tracks using the cursor up/down/left/right keys to move to a matrix point.
INPUT ROUTING INPUT ROUTING - DD1500 The selection of input routing options on the DD1500 depends very much on the options you have installed in the system. In a basic system with no ADCs connected (I.e.
INPUT ROUTING Inputs can be assigned to tracks 9..16 by pressing the SCROLL VIEW key. You will see this screen display: This shows the default assignment for a system with eight analogue inputs with each input being routed to tracks 9..16. With the cursor to the far left of the screen in the INPUTS column, you may assign inputs to tracks using the DATA ENTRY +/- keys.
INPUT ROUTING Should you wish to reset the input routing to the default setting, press the RESET key. The input selection and track routings you make can be saved as part of the system settings when you save them (see SYSTEM - SETTINGS). Of course, depending on your system, you may have more or less analogue and/or digital inputs. The procedure is exactly the same, however, regardless of system configurations.
PLAYBACK PLAYING BACK AUDIO MATERIAL There really isn’t much to say about playing audio - simply press the PLAY key!! Of course, in order to hear anything, you must select tracks for playback using the TRACK SELECT PLAY keys at the top of the RE32’s panel. When tracks are selected for play (i.e. their keys are lit), audio is shown in blue blocks on the monitor with a grey waveform.
PLAYBACK The default PLAY TO time is 1 second but you may change this by pressing SHIFT+PREROLL to go to the PREROLL SETUP page and then PLAY TIMES (F1/F2) to go to this screen: You may set the PLAY TO duration to a maximum time of 9 seconds. As this function is used almost exclusively for quick auditioning, times in excess of this are considered unnecessary. You can also set the PLAY FROM duration here as well You may reset the play durations to the default settings of 1 second by pressing RESET (F5/F6).
PLAYBACK The final three keys in the transport section are: LOCATE This is used to locate to new positions in the GRID. It is described later in the LOCATOR section. STORE LOCATE This is used to store locate times. It is described later in the LOCATOR section. INPUT MON This key causes all tracks which are armed for recording to temporarily switch to monitor their input source.
PLAYBACK GROUPING TRACKS It is also possible to group up to ten different combinations of tracks together. Actually, this is not specifically a playback feature because you may also group tracks together for record and/or edit. To store a group, assuming you have selected tracks as necessary, press the GROUP STORE key (SHIFT+GROUP). The following screen will be shown: The parameters on this screen are: MEMORY This allows you to select which GROUP memory you want to store (0..9).
AUTOLOCATOR AUTOLOCATOR However, you often need to go to very specific points in a project. To facilitate this, the RE32 has a powerful autolocator that allows you to store up to 100 numbered locate memories, 100 ‘grab’ markers as well as being able to locate to the start, the end and the IN, SYNC and OUT points. You may also locate to the next and previous cues and you may also locate directly to timecode values.
AUTOLOCATOR There are actually two ways to store locate memories. One allows you to store single memories and leave the page, the other allows you to stay in the page and store multiple locate memories without having to keep re-entering the STORE page. To store a single memory, locate to the time you want to store using LOCATE, TIME and then press STORE, type in a locate memory 0-99 from the keypad and press ENT or EXECUTE.
AUTOLOCATOR CYCLE With CYCLE switched on, the system will play repetitively between the IN/OUT points you have marked. This may also be used in combination with the PRE-ROLL key (see below) and the AUTO-PUNCH function. With PRE-ROLL switched ON, the repeat will play for a time before the IN time as set by the PREROLL. It will then play for a time after the OUT time as set by the PRE-ROLL.
AUTOLOCATOR PRE-ROLL The PRE-ROLL key allows you to set an offset to locate times. This offset is then added to all locate time points you go to. For example, with a pre-roll of 3 seconds, if you locate to 00:01:00:00.0, you will actually locate to 00:00:57:00.0. Similarly, with a 3 second pre-roll, you would locate three seconds before the IN time in the event of you pressing GOTO IN. Similarly with GOTO OUT or SYNC. Locating to a locate memory would have the same effect.
EDITING EDITING In this section we will be looking at editing on the RE32. Before looking at the edit operations in detail, we will first describe the functions of some of the keys associated with editing in general. EDIT KEY Pressing the EDIT key will display the main edit page. The IN, SYNC and OUT times are shown as is the IN/OUT length. The ‘soft’ keys F1-F6 are used to select the available edit functions which change according to the edit mode selected.
EDITING NOTE: Although the OUT time can be placed before the IN time, this is not a valid edit region. Should this happen and you try to do an edit, the LCD will display the prompt. The same message will also be displayed if you try to do an edit and an IN and OUT time are at the same time. You may also use IN, SYNC and OUT to select whole tracks for editing. TO SELECT A WHOLE TRACK - press SELECT TRK (SHIFT+SELECT Q). The track(s) selected for editing will be shown green from the first to the last cue.
EDITING This also works for stereo cues. Line the cues you are interested in on the NOW time, select both relevant tracks for EDIT and press SELECT Q. The IN and OUT will be placed at the start and end of the cues on both tracks and the SYNC marker placed at the point of selection. I.e.: IN NOW SYNC OUT PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY EDIT EDIT PLAY PLAY BLUE (PLAY) GREEN (SELECTED) EXAMPLE B - SELECTING A STEREO CUE ACROSS TWO TRACKS You may also select multiple cues in this way.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING MULTI- MACHINE EDIT Multi-machine edit mode provides a quick and convenient method for copying audio from one region to another on the same track(s). For example, it can be used to copy the chorus of a song from one position to another. The only restriction in this mode is that audio cannot be moved from one track to another. For edits that involve moving audio from one track to another, SINGLEMACHINE EDIT should be used as described in a later section.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING At the time you press COPY (F1) to select the audio region, you will also notice that the LCD changes to show the following options: The parameters on this page show: LENGTH This is the length of the audio region selected EDIT REFERENCE This selects how the audio region selected is referenced to the current NOW time.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING MULTITRACK PASTE Pressing PASTE (F1) will paste the selected region over any material at the current NOW time. You will note that any gaps in the material being pasted will be pasted over any material that exists at the paste point. For example: NOW SELECTED REGION TRACK BEFORE PASTE TRACK AFTER PASTE MULTITRACK INSERT Pressing INSERT (F2) will insert the selected region at the current NOW time and will cause any audio after the insert point to be shifted.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING MULTITRACK OVERLAY Pressing OVRLAY (F2) will paste the selected region over any existing material at the point of pasting but, if there are any gaps in the material being pasted, these are ‘transparent’ and will reveal any audio ‘underneath’.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING CUT This allows you to remove a selected region of audio copy on any combination of tracks from the GRID and close the gap(s) thus created, shifting all audio after the edit accordingly. For example: OUT IN BEFORE CUT AFTER CUT First, mark the region you want to cut using the IN and OUT keys and select the tracks containing audio you wish to remove using the EDIT TRACK SELECT keys. Cues within the marked region will be shown in green on the display to show that they are selected.
MULTI-MACHINE EDITING SPLIT EDIT As its name suggests, SPLIT allows CUES to be split in two. Each cue may then be edited separately. I.e. SPLIT BEFORE SPLIT CUE 1 AFTER SPLIT CUE 1 CUE 2 The process can be repeated almost indefinitely within one cue, splitting it up into smaller sections each time. EXECUTE is not required for SPLIT CUE.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING SINGLE MACHINE EDIT Multi-machine edit mode provides a quick and convenient method for copying audio from one region to another on the same track(s). However, it is restricted in that audio cannot be moved from one track to another. This is to prevent you trying to copy audio from a track on one machine to a track on a different machine. For edits that involve moving audio from one track to another track on the same machine, SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT can be used.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING The EDIT CLIPBOARD is a very convenient way of having edits readily available for immediate access at any time. In a way, if you consider the analogy of tape editing, the clipboard is the digital equivalent of putting certain useful edits to one side and hanging them up for use later on. CLIPBOARD 0 is the default clipboard and unless another clipboard number is specifically selected, this is the clipboard number you will copy, cut or erase to or paste or insert from.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING COPY TO CLIPBOARD This will copy the edit region within the IN/OUT marks or will copy the currently selected CUE(s) to the clipboard. Pressing COPY (F1) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT will display this screen: You can see the length of the edit region/cue(s) in the COPY LENGTH field. You cannot access this field and is shown for information purposes only. When you press COPY, the EXECUTE key’s LED will flash.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING Selecting ONLY WHOLE CUES will copy only the whole cues whose’ start and end fall within the edit region: IN OUT EDIT EDIT PLAY PLAY EDIT EDIT PLAY PLAY BLUE (PLAY) OCHRE (SELECTED) Cues whose start and end fall outside the edit region will not be copied. When ONLY WHOLE CUES is selected, the selected cues will be highlighted ochre on the external monitor. NOTE: The selection made in this field is retained when you leave the page.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING CUT TO CLIPBOARD CUT is similar to COPY except that, as well as copying the edit region/cue(s) to a clipboard, it also removes the audio from the GRID and closes the gap thus created, shifting all audio after the edit accordingly. For example: OUT IN BEFORE CUT AFTER CUT Pressing CUT (F2) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT will display this screen: The length of the edit region/cue(s) is shown in the CUT LENGTH field.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING CUT FORWARDS TO CLIPBOARD (SHIFT+CUT) Pressing SHIFT + CUT (F2) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT allows the opposite of CUT in that it removes the selected edit region or cue(s) but slips all audio before the edit in time accordingly: IN OUT BEFORE -> CUT AFTER -> CUT This type of cut may be used when you need to get rid of something but all audio after the cut point is perfectly synced. As with CUT, you may cut the edit region/cue(s) to a clipboard.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING ERASE TO CLIPBOARD ERASE is similar to CUT except that it will remove the currently selected edit region/cue(s) but will keep the gap thus created. IN OUT BEFORE ERASE IN OUT AFTER ERASE Pressing ERASE (F3) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT will give you this screen: As with the other screens we have seen so far, the length you are about to erase is shown.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING DISCARD The DISCARD function will discard material either side of the IN/OUT area but will not slip any subsequent audio. IN OUT IN OUT BEFORE DISCARD AFTER DISCARD The DISCARD function is accessed from the second group of edit functions shown when the MORE (F6) key is pressed on the main edit page. Pressing MORE (F6) followed by DISCARD (F2) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT will give you this screen: Pressing EXECUTE will complete the action.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING So far we have seen how to copy and remove audio from the GRID. Now let’s have a look at how to put material into the GRID. PASTE FROM CLIPBOARD This will paste an edit over any material at the current NOW time. You will note that any gaps in the material being pasted will be pasted over any material that exists at the paste point.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING PASTING TO OUT AND SYNC REFERENCES It is also possible to paste material in a variety of different ways. The default is to paste the IN point of the source material at the current NOW time. For example: NOW BEFORE PASTE AFTER PASTE However, you may paste in material referenced to the source material’s OUT point simply by pressing the OUT key prior to pasting. This will place the source material’s OUT point on the NOW time pasting over preceding material.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING INSERT FROM CLIPBOARD This will insert an edit at the current NOW time and will cause any audio after the insert point to be shifted. NOW BEFORE INSERT AFTER INSERT Pressing INSERT (F5) from SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT will give you this screen: The default selection is to insert material from clipboard 0 but you may, of course, insert material from any of the clipboards 1-9 by selecting the appropriate number on the numeric keypad.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING INSERTING TO OUT AND SYNC REFERENCES As with PASTE and OVERLAY, you may also insert material referenced to the source material’s OUT point by pressing INSERT, OUT, EXECUTE. The REFERENCED TO field in the LCD will show OUT and the effect would be as follows: NOW BEFORE INSERT AFTER INSERT + OUT In this example, the inserted material all audio before the NOW time would slip allowing you to back-time the insert. You may also insert referenced to the source material’s SYNC mark.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING OVERLAY FROM CLIPBOARD Overlay is similar to PASTE in that it pastes over any existing material at the point of pasting but, if there are any gaps in the material being pasted, these are ‘transparent’ and will reveal any audio ‘underneath’. For example: NOW BEFORE OVERLAY AFTER OVERLAY Compare this with PASTE where the gap in the pasted material ‘obscures’ the material beneath it.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING MOVE REGION The MOVE function allows you to move a cue or an edit region to another track. This is faster and more convenient than using ERASE to remove the cue/region from one selected track, de-selecting that track and selecting the destination track and then pasting it back in. The MOVE function is accessed from the second group of edit functions shown when the MORE (F6) key is pressed on the main SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT page.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING NUDGING IN/SYNC/OUT TIMES This allows you to use the DATA ENTRY +/- keys to slip and nudge edits or audio into position. The NUDGE function is accessed from the second group of edit functions shown when the MORE (F6) key is pressed on the main SINGLE MACHINE EDIT page. Pressing MORE (F6) followed by NUDGE (F3) will display this screen: This is a graphic representation of what is happening when you nudge.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING To select the whole track to nudge, press and hold SYNC then press IN and OUT together. This will mark the whole of the selected track and it will be highlighted green on the external monitor. You may, of course, have multiple tracks selected for editing.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING SPLIT CUE As its name suggests, SPLIT will split a cue in two. Although this can be done in other ways (NUDGE, IN->NOW, CUT, ERASE, etc.), these all involve either removing audio or moving it. SPLIT just splits the cue in two, making two cues out of one. Each cue may then be edited separately. I.e.: SPLIT BEFORE SPLIT CUE 1 AFTER SPLIT CUE 1 CUE 2 The process can be repeated almost indefinitely within one cue, splitting it up into smaller sections each time.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING Three other edit related features are available as SHIFT functions on the IN, SYNC and OUT keys. IN->NOW (SHIFT+IN) The IN key’s shift function, IN->NOW, allows you to slip audio by moving the marked edit region/ cue(s) time to the current NOW time. For example, to move a piece of audio to a new position, mark an edit region as appropriate, play, jog, locate or whatever to the point you want it and press IN->NOW.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING Of course, you may not always want to slip the IN time to the NOW position - you may wish to move an edit region’s/cue’s SYNC marker or OUT point to the NOW time. As the screen informs you, these are selected using the SYNC and OUT keys. Pressing SYNC displays this screen: The effect of this would be as follows: IN SYNC NOW IN SYNC OUT OUT The SYNC point is moved to the NOW time.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING To revert to slipping the IN time to the NOW time after selecting SYNC to NOW or OUT to NOW, press the IN key. NOTE: The IN->NOW (and SYNC and OUT->NOW) can paste over material (as in the above example of OUT->NOW). Please be careful not to accidentally lose data this way. If you make a mistake, you can use UNDO to repair it.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING EDIT PLAY KEYS The special play keys above the main transport keys are normally used when editing to check the location of edit points. Typical operation is to jog over an edit point and use PLAY TO or PLAY FROM to audition them quickly. NOW PLAY TO NOW PLAY FROM Playback response time of these keys is extremely fast allowing rapid auditioning. Once you are happy that you are at the right point, you can mark an IN, SYNC or OUT time as appropriate.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING SELECT CUE/EDIT CUE EDIT CUE allows you to edit a cue’s level and fade up and fade down parameters. Typical operation is to move the cue you are interested in onto the NOW time, select the appropriate track for editing and press the SELECT Q key. This will select that cue for editing, marking an IN at the start of it, OUT at the end of it and a SYNC mark at the current NOW time. You can then enter the EDIT CUE page to set that cue’s level and fade parameters.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING NAME This field shows the name of the currently selected cue(s). It also allows you to rename the cue(s). To do this, move the cursor to this field and enter a ten character name from a PS/2 keyboard connected to the RE32. Press RETURN to complete the name and RETURN again to rename it. If only one track is selected for edit, you will, of course, only rename that one cue.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING Pressing INFO (F1) from the EDIT CUE screen gives the following information about the selected cue(s): Pressing FADE (F5) from the EDIT CUE screen gives you this screen: START TO NOW (F3/4) executes a fade up from the beginning of the cue to the NOW time. NOW TO END (F5/6) executes a fade down to the end of the cue, starting at the NOW time. Pressing RESET (F6) from the EDIT CUE screen gives you the option of resetting the EDIT CUE parameters to zero - i.e. level to 0.
SINGLE-MACHINE EDITING USING EDIT CUE TO AFFECT MULTIPLE CUES You can also set the level and fade parameters for groups of cues by marking an IN and OUT time (or using SELECT Q). This will select all cues within the IN/OUT region thus: NOW SYNC IN OUT EDIT EDIT PLAY PLAY EDIT EDIT PLAY PLAY BLUE (PLAY) GREEN (SELECTED) Pressing EDIT Q will select only those cues whose’ start and end points fall within the edit region will be selected (highlighted ochre).
EDIT TOOLS CROSSFADE TOOLS The crossfade tools allow you to modify a cue’s start and end point to create a crossfaded overlap or to remove the gap between two cues and butt them together.
EDIT TOOLS Pressing XFADE (F1) on the CROSSFADE TOOLS page takes you to this screen: The parameters are: AMOUNT The amount by which the two cues are to overlap. METHOD The method by which the overlap is to be achieved (TRIM or SLIP) and may be selected either using the DATA ENTRY +/- keys or more directly using F1 and F2. When TRIM is selected, one or both of the cues will be extended; this assumes that the cue in question has a handle available for extension.
EDIT TOOLS Pressing BUTT (F2) on the main CROSSFADE TOOLS page gives you this screen: METHOD Selects the method by which the BUTT is to be achieved . With TRIM selected, one or both of the cues will be extended; this assumes that the cue in question has a handle available for extension. Note that the targeted cue turns yellow, while the passive cue stays green. SLIP (F2) selects SLIP as the method, which means that either the PRE or the POST cue (not BOTH) is actually moved along the timeline.
DISK MANAGEMENT DISK MANAGEMENT Now that we have some material recorded and edited, it’s time to look at the utilities provided for managing disks connected to machines in the system. All DISK functions are accessed using the DISK key. Pressing the DISK key will take you to this screen: This screen is used for loading new projects and displays a list of the projects available on the selected disk.
DISK MANAGEMENT You can also choose to save the project on a specific machine. To avoid confusion, the machines are listed by the tracks they represent. For example, machine 1 will be shown as “1-16”, machine 2 as “17-32” etc.. DISK This shows the disk ID to which the project will be saved on the selected machine. NOTE: It is not possible to save the project to another disk and the DISK field is shown for information only. The system always saves the project back to the disk it was loaded from.
DISK MANAGEMENT 100 WRITE PROTECT This parameter allows machines in the system to be write protected. When a machine is write protected, it is prevented from writing any new data to disk. This can be used to avoid accidentally destroying valuable data as when write protection is enabled, all record and editing functions are prohibited. PROJECT NAME This shows the name of the currently loaded project and is the name that will be used when saving it.
DISK MANAGEMENT SAVING A PROJECT WITH A DIFFERENT NAME To save a project with a different name simply enter a suitable ten character name from a PS/2 keyboard connected to the RE32. As you type, you will receive this screen: The PROJECT NAME field is automatically ‘opened’ for naming. The bottom line will prompt you to enter the name and complete the action by pressing EXECUTE (or RETURN on the external keyboard). If the name has a number in it (i.e.
DISK MANAGEMENT Once you have a number of projects saved, it follows that you will want to load them again! You may also want to initialise the system in order to create a new project from scratch. LOAD Pressing DISK will give you this screen: Here you can see a list of projects on the currently selected disk. As is the convention in file lists, if there are projects ‘above’ or ‘below’ the screen, an upwards and/or downwards pointing arrow will be shown ( / ).
DISK MANAGEMENT In either case, once the project has been loaded you will leave the load page. The following prompt will flash up on the screen to confirm the project is loaded: If you have been working on a project and have not saved it, if you request the system to load a project (or create a new one), you will now see the following prompt: This is telling you that pressing EXECUTE will load the new project and any changes you may have made to the existing project will be lost.
DISK MANAGEMENT CREATING A NEW PROJECT Using NEW PROJECT, it is possible to create a new, empty project. After pressing DISK to enter the LOAD PROJECT page, selecting NEW (F2) will take you to the following page: As usual, you should press the flashing EXECUTE key to continue or EXIT to cancel. An empty project will be shown on the external monitor screen into which you may now start recording. The new project will be given a name automatically. You may rename this when you come to save it.
DISK MANAGEMENT DISK UTILITIES The DISK UTILITIES pages are where you do your disk management routines such as deleting unwanted files and unused audio, renaming files, etc.. You may also format disks, copy files from one disk to another and back up disks to tape.
DISK MANAGEMENT DISK DIRECTORY The Directory page allows you to view all files on a selected disk. The default is to show Project files on the disks, but there are other files as well. After selecting a machine and disk, pressing DIR (F2) on the DISK UTILITIES page will display something like this screen: Here, you can see a list of the projects on the currently selected disk.
DISK MANAGEMENT COPYING FILES/DISKS It is possible to copy data from one disk to another. You may copy individual projects and libraries or copy the whole disk. Pressing COPY (F5) will give you this screen: The parameters are: TRACKS Here you may select the machine that is connected to the disks drive you wish to copy between. To avoid confusion, the machines are listed by the tracks they represent. For example, machine 1 will be shown as “1-16”, machine 2 as “17-32” etc..
DISK MANAGEMENT NOTE 1: When ALL PROJECTS or ALL LIBRARIES is selected in the COPY TYPE field, the FILE TYPE and FILE NAME fields are not shown: NOTE 2: You cannot copy single CLIPS. NOTE 3: It is not possible to copy from a disk to itself (i.e. from disk 0 to disk 0). You will receive the prompt: DISK CAN’T BE COPIED TO ITSELF! 108 Version 1.
DISK MANAGEMENT Pressing F5/F6 initiates the COPY process. You will receive this prompt: The selected source and the target disks are shown. The EXECUTE key’s LED will flash and you should respond accordingly, pressing EXECUTE to confirm or EXIT to cancel. During the copying process, the bottom line of the LCD will show something like this display: A highlighting display will move across the bottom of the LCD as the file is copied. The copying process is approximately 2-4 times faster than real-time (i.
DISK MANAGEMENT **IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING COPY ** The COPY process copies the project/library and all referenced audio across to the target disk. This is to prevent audio becoming detached from the project or library with which it is associated. However, the copying process only copies across the audio associated with the cues plus a 10% ‘handle’ either side of the cue.
DISK MANAGEMENT DELETE FILES In the disk DIRECTORY page, you can delete projects and/or libraries depending on the selection made in the FILE TYPE field. First select the type of file you wish to delete in the FILE TYPE field and then move the cursor to the file you wish to delete. Pressing DELETE will give you this prompt: The EXECUTE key’s LED will be flashing and you should press EXECUTE (YES) or EXIT (NO/ CANCEL) accordingly.
DISK MANAGEMENT RENAMING FILES It is also possible to rename files in the DIRECTORY page by placing the cursor over the file you wish to rename and typing a new name from a PS/2 keyboard connected to the RE32. As you start typing, you will receive this prompt: When you have finished, press RETURN (or EXECUTE on the RE32’s front panel) to complete the name and RETURN again to enter the name. Press ESC(ape) to abort the naming process on the computer keyboard (or EXIT on the RE32’s front panel).
DISK MANAGEMENT BACKING UP YOUR WORK As disks become full or projects get finished, you need some way to backup the material for safe keeping so that, if needs be, you can come back to it at a later date. You could, of course, simply copy it all off to another disk of some form but this can be an expensive way of doing it.
DISK MANAGEMENT FORMATTING A TAPE FOR BACKUP Before you can perform a backup, you must first format the tape so that the tape is set up to receive files and digital audio data. This done using the FORMAT key. To format the tape, select the appropriate SCSI ID for the tape drive in the TO SCSI TAPE field. As with disk drives, the tape drive must not share the same SCSI ID as any other SCSI device on the buss. Once selected, press the format key.
DISK MANAGEMENT The fields on the SCSI BACKUP page are: TITLE You may give the backup a title of up to ten characters. This will be stored in the SCSI tape’s directory and you will be able to use this name to selectively restore the backup in future in the event of you archiving several different backups to tape. Naming is done in the usual manner by typing on the external PC keyboard. If you do not specifically give it a name, the default name BACKUP will be used.
DISK MANAGEMENT BACKING UP SELECTED FILES Choosing SELECTED FILES in the BACKUP TYPE field will show this screen: SCSI BACKUP Tracks: 1-16 Disk:4 Title : Backup From disk : () To SCSI tape : () Backup type : SELECTED FILES RESTORE FORMAT VERIFY SELECT FILES To actually select the files, press SELECT FILES (F3/4). You will see something like this screen: You can select PROJECT or LIBRARY in the TYPE field, You may select a disk to backup in the DISK field.
DISK MANAGEMENT NOTE: This is the same as selecting the ALL PROJECTS or ALL LIBRARIES or ALL PROJS&LIBS option in the SCSI BACKUP TYPE field. However, whilst this may seem like an unnecessary duplication of a function, it might be useful if you want to backup all projects except one or two - i.e. press SHIFT and DATA + and then use DATA - to de-select those few files which you do not wish to backup.
DISK MANAGEMENT PERFORMING THE BACKUP Regardless of the backup type you have selected, to actually perform the backup, simply press the flashing EXECUTE key. You will see this screen: Here, the system is getting the tape ready for the backup. First of all, it will look at the tape’s directory to make sure that there is no backup of the same name. If a backup of the same name exists on the tape, you will receive this message: In this case, press ABORT and give the backup a new name and try again (i.e.
DISK MANAGEMENT At the end of the backup, you will see this screen: The system will rewind the tape to the start in readiness for the next backup. Exactly how long this takes depends on the amount of data on the tape. Finally, you will see this screen display: Press any key to continue. Version 1.
DISK MANAGEMENT VERIFYING A BACKUP Once you have performed a backup, you may like to verify it to check that everything has backed up correctly. This is done by pressing the VERIFY key followed by EXECUTE. You will see this screen: You should press EXECUTE to continue, EXIT to abort. As the verification takes place, you will see this screen: You may abort the process at any time by pressing the EXIT key.
DISK MANAGEMENT RESTORING A BACKUP To restore data, in the DISK UTILS page press BACKUP. You will see this screen: Select SCSI TAPE. You will see this screen: Press RESTORE (F5/6). You will see this screen: SCSI RESTORE Tracks: 1-16 Disk:4 Title : Backup From SCSI tape : () Restore type : SELECTED FILES SELECT TITLE SELECT FILES BACKUP As you can see, this is basically the reverse of the SCSI BACKUP page. The fields are: DISK Selects the disk the data will be restored to.
DISK MANAGEMENT PERFORMING A RESTORE To perform the restore, select the disk you wish to restore to. Of course, make sure the correct SCSI ID is set for the tape drive in the FROM SCSI TAPE field. You need to enter the name of the backup you wish to restore. In the simplest example, the tape you are restoring from may contain just one backup that uses the default name BACKUP. In this case, you can just press EXECUTE to start the restore.
DISK MANAGEMENT You can also select ENTIRE BACKUP as the restore type and this will restore everything in the selected backup. You may also select to restore only libraries by selecting ALL LIBRARIES. In this case, even if a backup contains projects, these will be ignored. Likewise, if you select ALL PROJECTS, only projects found will be restored and any libraries in the backup will be ignored. You may also specifically select the files you want to restore by selecting SELECTED FILES.
DISK MANAGEMENT Regardless of the type of restore you have selected2 , the process is initiated by pressing the EXECUTE key. You will see this screen display: Followed by this screen: After a short while (depending on how many cues are in the backup), you will see this screen: You will see the backup being restored onto the selected disk. The percentage figures will change as the restore progresses and highlighted bar will move across the bottom of the LCD to further indicate progress.
DISK MANAGEMENT If, when you perform the restore, a library or project on the disk you are restoring to shares the same name as one being restored, you will see this prompt: Pressing ABORT (F3) will abort the whole restore process. You will see this screen: If you press NO (F4), the restore will proceed as described on the preceding page but a new project or library will be created with a new automatically numbered name.
DISK MANAGEMENT NOTES ABOUT BACKUP/RESTORE When backing up data to disk, there are a few things you should be aware of. • When ALL PROJECTS, ALL LIBRARIES, and ALL PROJS & LIBS are selected as the BACKUP TYPE, if any projects and/or libraries use audio from other disks, this audio will also be backed up. However, when you come to restore this data, the material from the other disks will be restored to the single ‘destination’ disk selected in the TO DISK field.
DISK MANAGEMENT SUGGESTIONS FOR BACKUP/RESTORE • Try not to re-use tapes. They are relatively inexpensive to buy and potentially carry very expensive data so it is not wise to economise. • Do not use ordinary audio tapes unless you’re really stuck as tapes made specifically for backup will be more reliable. • Try to organise your backups sensibly to make restoring them easier. • In much the same as in ‘the old days’ of 1/4 inch and multi-track tapes, try to ensure that the tape box is well labelled.
DISK MANAGEMENT TAKING CARE OF YOUR TAPE DRIVE Tape drives need to be taken care of quite carefully. You should refer to your drive’s operator’s manual for more details on this but some general guidelines are: • As routine maintenance, the heads should be cleaned after every 25 hours or so of use. Basically, clean the heads regularly. • To clean the heads of your drive, only use the head cleaner recommended in your drive’s documentation.
DISK MANAGEMENT ARCHIVING DATA TO DAT Selecting AUDIO DAT in the BACKUP page takes you to this page: Here you may backup the contents of your disk to a normal DAT machine via the digital audio I/O. The parameters in the ARCHIVE page are: DISK This selects which disk you will archive. ARCHIVE TYPE Here you may select the type of item you wish to archive. The options are: SINGLE FILE This allows you to select a single file for archiving.
DISK MANAGEMENT If the selected machine is a DD1500, pressing DAT OPTIONS (F1/F2) will give this screen display: Here you may select which of the digital I/Os you will use for the archive/restore. For restoring, you may choose between DIG A or B (or if optional digital I/Os are fitted, DIG C or D) and for archiving, you may select MIX A or MIX B outputs.
DISK MANAGEMENT NOTES ABOUT ARCHIVING TO AUDIO DAT • If your disk is quite large and has a lot of material on it, then larger tapes are recommended. You will note, however, that if the tape runs out during the archive process, you will be prompted to insert another tape. It is important, therefore, to set the tape length field to match that of the actual tape you are using otherwise the archive process will go wrong.
DISK MANAGEMENT RESTORING FROM DAT Pressing RESTORE in the ARCHIVE page will show this screen display: Here you may restore the contents of a DAT back to the disk via the digital audio I/O. To connect your DAT machine, connect the digital output of the DAT machine to the digital inputs of the selected Akai DD/DR series machine (you can set which one will be used in the DAT OPTIONS page). The DISK parameter allows you to select which disk you will restore to.
DISK MANAGEMENT CLEANUP DISK CLEANUP DISK allows you to clear out redundant recordings and so save valuable disk space. Pressing CLEAN (F4) from the DISK UTILITIES page shows this screen: It is possible to have a disk full of unreferenced audio files. These are pieces of audio that have no association with any project or library. These are usually created when recording. For example, you make one recording and make a mistake. You drop in again over that, recording a new piece of audio.
DISK MANAGEMENT If the audio associated with a project on a removable disk is on another hard disk and the removable disk is not in the system when you run CLEANUP, what will happen is that the system will search through all the projects/libraries it can find on the system in order to establish what audio should be kept and what should be deleted.
DISK MANAGEMENT Pressing EXECUTE will cause this prompt to be displayed: As described above, because it is possible for projects and audio to exist on separate disks, if a project disk is missing from the system, you may cause data to be lost if a disk is missing from the system. Please see the explanation given in CLEANUP regarding this and please proceed with caution. Version 1.
DISK COMPATIBILITY DISK COMPATIBILITY MACINTOSH The Akai DD/DR-Series of machines are able to read and write certain files to Macintosh HFS format disks. When a Macintosh HFS format disk is accessed by pressing the DISK key, you will see the following screen: In the TYPE field where you can select the type of file you want to load. The current options are: OMF To load an OMF (Open Media Framework) file allowing playback of audio created with systems such as Avid AudioVision® or MediaComposer®. PT 3.
DISK COMPATIBILITY PROTOOLS IMPORT After moving the cursor to the required Session file, press the EXECUTE to import the selected file. The display will change to show the following screen and the progress bar at the bottom of the screen will indicate that the file is being imported. As part of its normal operation, Protools renders all fade files as separate audio files on disk.
DISK COMPATIBILITY CREATING PROTOOLS SESSIONS When a Macintosh format disk is connected to the selected machine, the NEW PROJECT page allows creation of a new Protools Session. This page is accessed by pressing NEW (F2) on the LOAD (MACINTOSH) page. A new field, TYPE, has been added to this page. The TYPE field is used to select the type of project that will be created. The options available will depend on the format of the selected disk.
DISK COMPATIBILITY WAVEFRAME Certain Akai DD/DR-Series machines (including the DD8plus and DD1500) are able to read project files created on Waveframe disks including those from the Timeline MMR-8. When a Waveframe format disk is selected by pressing the DISK key, you will see the following screen: The FILE TYPE field allows you to select the type of file you want to load. Normally, this should be left on PROJECT to view the available projects on the disk.
DISK COMPATIBILITY FAIRLIGHT MFX3PLUS Certain Akai DD/DR-Series machines (including the DD8plus and DD1500) are able to read files created on Fairlight MFX3plus systems. The Fairlight MFX3plus supports two types of native disk format, RBF and FLFS. Currently, the Akai system is only able to recognise RBF formatted disks. When a Fairlight RBF format disk is selected by pressing the DISK, you will see the following screen: The FILE TYPE field allows you to select the type of file you want to load.
SYSTEM SETUP In this section, we will have a look at the SETUP functions we skipped earlier. SYSTEM SETUP The SETUP pages allow you to set certain parameters that will affect either the RE32, an individual machine or the system as a whole. These include setting sample rates, timecode types and inputs, external connections, etc. Once configured, your system settings can be saved so that you may personalise your operating system.
SYSTEM SETUP SETUP - MULTI When MULTI mode is selected, pressing the SETUP key will display the following options: The MULTI SETUP pages are designed to allow easy configuration of parameters that should be set identically on each machine connected to the system. Pressing RATES (F1) will take you to the SYSTEM RATES page: This page is used to set the system’s global sample rate and frame rate. The parameters are: SAMPLE RATE This sets the system’s sample rate. You may select 32kHz, 44.056kHz, 44.
SYSTEM SETUP DISPLAY Pressing DISP (F2) on the main MULTI SETUP page will take you to the DISPLAY page: The parameters on this page are: DISPLAY STYLE This allows you to set the type of timecode you wish the RE32 to display. Normally, this is the same as the timecode type selected in the EXT. TIME SOURCE field on the SYNC page (and the RE32 will take care of this automatically) but you may choose to view another time display if you wish. The selections are: AS EXT.
SYSTEM SETUP 25fps film (+4.1%) - display 25 frames per second but with a 4.1% playback speed offset for use when working with material that has been transferred from film to video. 24fps film (-4%) - display 25 frames per second but with a 4% playback speed offset for use in European film applications when working with material that has been transferred frame-by-frame from 24fps film to 25fps video.
SYSTEM SETUP RECORD SETUP Pressing RECORD (F2) on the main MULTI SETUP page will take you to the RECORD SETUP page that we looked at earlier in the section on recording: The parameters are: CROSSFADE This allows a record crossfade of 0 to 80ms to be set. AUTO MONITOR Here you may select how you will monitor the input signal. The default selection is RECORD AND STOP.
SYSTEM SETUP As mentioned, recording is non-destructive by default but, sometimes when recording, it is possible to build up a lot of redundant audio on your disk, especially if you are dropping in and out over the same point time and time again (for example, when recording vocals). As a result, your disk can soon become full of audio you cannot access or use. The DESTRUCTIVE record mode goes some way to overcome this.
SYSTEM SETUP The destructive record mode will go some way to avoiding the build up of unnecessary audio on your disk but, given the above points, there may be times when you will need to perform a manual cleanup or minimise. ** WARNING ** BECAUSE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF THIS FUNCTION, PLEASE MAKE SURE IT IS NOT INADVERTENTLY SELECTED WHEN RECORDING AS YOU RUN THE RISK OF LOSING VALUABLE DATA.
SYSTEM SETUP NOTE: The TRACK KEYS and PRIMED punch modes are only available on 8 track machines (e.g. DD8, DD8plus). The PUNCH MODE parameter is not shown on this screen if other machines are being used in the system. Press EXIT at any time to leave this page and return to the main RECORD screen.
SYSTEM SETUP TEMPO MAPS The Akai DD/DR system allows you to create tempo maps for use when synchronising to MIDI sequencers. On the RE32, this function is accessed by pressing TEMPO (F5) on the main MULTI SETUP page. You will see this screen display: Any machine in the system can act as a master to a sequencer synced to the machine using MIDI Time Code (MTC) or MIDI clock with Song Position Pointer (SPP).
SYSTEM SETUP CREATING A MIDI TEMPO MAP To create a tempo map, use SONG 01 as the starting point. You will see that there is a tempo and t.sig (time signature) entry at the start of the song. These determine the map’s starting tempo and cannot be deleted. You may edit them, however, to something more suitable simply by moving the cursor to the VALUE field and entering the tempo and time signature as appropriate.
SYSTEM SETUP You will note that as you add steps to the tempo map, once you exceed four steps, two up and down arrows will appear to indicate that there are steps ‘above’ and ‘below’ the screen: Use the cursor UP/DOWN keys to scroll through your tempo map. DELETING TEMPO MAP STEPS If you make a mistake or wish to delete any steps in the map, move the cursor to the step you wish to erase and press F6 - DELETE.
SYSTEM SETUP MORE SETUP FUNCTIONS Back on the main MULTI MACHINE SETUP page, pressing the MORE (F6) key will take you to a second page of options: SAVE SETTINGS Pressing SAVE (F1) on the second MULTI SETUP page will take you to the SAVE SYSTEM SETTINGS page: As the screen informs you, the system will power up according to the settings you save now. If you wish, you may also reset the system settings to the default settings contained in the operating system by pressing ROM DEFAULT (F5/F6).
SYSTEM SETUP INFO Pressing INFO(F2) on the second MULTI SETUP page will take you to the following page which displays information about devices connected to the system: This page displays the Operating system version and Ethernet address of the selected machine. These parameters are for information only and cannot be changed from here. The MACHINE parameter allows information to be displayed for each device in the system. Press EXIT to return to the main SETUP page. Version 1.
SYSTEM SETUP SETUP - SINGLE MACHINE The MULTI MACHINE SETUP pages allow the system to be configured quickly and easily for many applications. However, for more complex configurations, it may be necessary to setup certain parameters on individual machine. SINGLE MACHINE SETUP allows this individual parameter settings to be accessed.
SYSTEM SETUP DIGITAL SYNC This allows you to synchronise the selected machine to a variety of video and wordclock synchronisation sources for precise system synchronisation. The options available (depending on the capabilities of the selected machine) are: INTERNAL CLOCK This selection uses the machine’s internal crystal as its sync source and so the system is ‘free running’.
SYSTEM SETUP NTSC 29.97Hz (VITC in) This option is available on the DD1500 only and synchronises the machine to an NTSC 29.97Hz house sync signal through the VITC SYNC BNC connection. This would normally be used in Japan or America when 29.97 frames per second timecode is being used. NTSC 30Hz (VITC in) This option is available on the DD1500 only and synchronises the machine to an NTSC 30Hz house sync signal through the VITC SYNC BNC connection.
SYSTEM SETUP DIGITAL OUTPUT FORMAT If the selected machine has any digital audio interface options fitted, pressing the OUTPUT FORMAT key (F1/F2) on the DIGITAL SETTINGS page will give you this screen: In this page, you may set the output format for the digital audio outputs. The INDIVIDUAL field allows you to set the format for the individual digital outputs and you may choose PROFESSIONAL or CONSUMER.
SYSTEM SETUP SYNC SETTINGS Pressing SYNC (F2) on the SINGLE MACHINE SETUP page will take you to the following page: The parameters on the page are: EXT. TIME SOURCE Here, you may choose the type of external timecode synchronisation you are using and works in conjunction with the ON-LINE key on the RE32. When the ON-LINE key is not switched on, the system is ‘free running’. With the ON-LINE key switched on, the system will not playback or record unless the timecode type selected here is received.
SYSTEM SETUP NOTE: On many synchronisers and some pieces of video equipment, what they display as 30fps drop is actually 29.97fps drop. On the Akai DD/DR machines, 30d NTSC BW is actually 30 frames per second, dropping a frame every now and then and so runs a little under 1% faster than true 29.97fps drop. You should select 29.97 drop when working with NTSC colour in America, Japan or Canada. and 30 drop when working with black and white.
SYSTEM SETUP EBU 25fps (+4%) - This special selection should be made when working with video material that has been derived from a frame-by-frame transfer from 24 fps film to 25 fps video. When material is transferred in this way, the visuals will actually run 4.1% faster when played from the video. As a result, the system needs to playback audio with the same speed offset in order to maintain sync. This selection should be used when working with material that has been transferred from film in this way.
SYSTEM SETUP TIME GENERATOR Here you may select the type of timecode the selected machine will generate. The options are: RE-GENERATE SMPTE - This option is available on the DD1500 only and will re-generate fresh, electronic SMPTE/EBU timecode at whatever rate is being received. You may find this useful for re-striping a tape where the source material has dropouts. SMPTE/EBU selection - These will generate timecode at the selected frame rate regardless of what the EXT. TIME source is.
SYSTEM SETUP RECORD SETUP Pressing RECORD (F3) on the SINGLE MACHINE SETUP page will take you to the following page: This page is very similar to the RECORD SETUP page described earlier in the section on recording and includes all the same parameters. Additionally, it provides direct access to the ROUTE INPUTS page for the selected machine. OPERATING LEVELS The DD8 includes a software controlled adjustment for the operating levels of its A/D and D/A convertors.
SYSTEM SETUP REMOTE PAGES Pressing REMOTE (F5) on the SINGLE MACHINE SETUP page will take you to the following page: This page is used to setup a variety of options relating to external control of the selected machine. The available options are shown on the soft keys and will vary depending on the interfaces fitted in the selected machine. The MACHINE parameter, as on other SETUP pages, allows you to select which machine in the system you are configuring.
SYSTEM SETUP GPIO SETUP Some machines may be fitted with an interface that offers several GPIs (General Purpose Inputs) and GPOs (General Purpose Outputs) that may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the GPIs may be used for track arming control from an external mixing console with the GPOs providing track status tallies.
SYSTEM SETUP Pressing ASSIGN (F6) will take you to the GPI assignment page. If the selected machine is a DD1500, the above parameters do not apply and pressing the GPIO key on the REMOTE page will take you directly to the GPI assignment page: NOTE: When the selected machine is a DD1500m, only 3 GPIs will be shown. This screen allows you to set parameters relating to the GPIs. The parameters are: ACTIVE You may select OFF, HIGH and LOW. When OFF, the GPI has no function.
SYSTEM SETUP GRAB OUT MARK - When a pulse is received, it will mark an OUT point. RESET BIPHASE - This will reset the biphase receiver. TOGGLE EXT.TIME - When a pulse is received, it will switch on/off the external time source. RECORD REHEARSE - This will switch on/off the record rehearsal function. PLAY TRACK - These options allow any of the playback tracks to be switched on/off by a GPI control. The first GPI command will switch the track on, the next will switch it off.
SYSTEM SETUP EXT WORDCLOCK OK - The GPO will change level while external wordclock is being successfully received. EXT TIME LOCK - The GPO will indicate when the transport is successfully locked to external timecode. REC TRACK - These options allow a tally to be sent when any of the record tracks are switched on/off. REHEARSE - These options allow a tally to be sent when rehearse mode is enabled. TRACK SLIP 1 ..8 - These options allow an appropriate tally to be generated when a track is slipped.
SYSTEM SETUP USER KEYS USER KEYS allows the function of key presses on the RE32 to be redefined. The alternate key definitions are active while the USER KEY is switched on. In multi-machine setups, USER KEYS also allows commands to be send to the currently selected machine, all connected machines or any single machine. The alternate key definitions are active while the USER KEY is switched on. Pressing SHIFT+USERKEYS now displays this screen: In the default state, no USER KEYS are defined.
SYSTEM SETUP PLAY TRACK 1 : PLAY TRACK n Switch selected playback track on/off REWIND Rewind transport FAST FORWARD Fast Forward transport STOP Stop transport PLAY Put transport into play RECORD Send record command when PLAY is also pressed PLAY REVERSE Play backwards BPH RCV RESYNC Resync biphase receiver BPH GEN RESYNC Resync biphase generator COPY EDIT Select copy edit page CUT EDIT Select cut edit page ERASE EDIT Select erase edit page.
SYSTEM SETUP RC15 CONNECTION The RC15 is a small remote which connects to the EXPANSION port on the RE32. It has 8 functions keys, 6 transport keys and a jog/shuttle wheel which can be programmed in a similar way to the USER KEYS function described previously. It may seem bizarre to offer a remote for a remote but the RC15 can be a useful addition to the RE32 in project studios where recording and track laying is a one-man operation.
SYNCHRONISATION SYNCING TO EXTERNAL TIMECODE There is nothing very special to do for this. Assuming a suitable timecode source is connected to the first machine in the system (e.g. SMPTE etc.), select the type of timecode you wish to sync to in the SYNC page using the EXT. TIME SOURCE field and switch the ON-LINE key on. With the ON-LINE key switched on, when you press PLAY on the RE32, nothing will happen until the system receives timecode from the external source.
SYNCHRONISATION SETTING TIMECODE OFFSETS Pressing OFFSETS (F5/F6) on the SYNC page will take you to the following page: Sometimes, it is necessary to set an offset between the system and an external machine. For example, your project may start at 00:00:00:00 but your timecode source start at 10:00:00:00. Using this page, you may set offsets so that the two machines play in sync without you having to extensively modify the project’s start time.
SYNCHRONISATION ADVANCED OFFSETS Sometimes, it is necessary to set an offset between the Akai system and an external tape or VTR machine. For example, your project may start at 00:00:00:00 but the visuals start at 10:00:00:00. Before we look at these functions, it must be said that some of the offset facilities provided on the RE32 are a bit specialised and apply only to certain applications. If you need these specialised functions, you will know what you want.
SYNCHRONISATION NOTE 1: You may find it useful when starting a project from scratch to always start at, say, 1 hour and use the relative time display so that the project effectively still starts at zero. In this way, if you suddenly find you need to add cues before 00:00:00:00, you can. If you use absolute and start at zero, you will first have to slip all cues in the project forward to accommodate the new cues. DISPLAY This offset is added to relative time before it is displayed.
RS422 RS422 MASTER CONTROL Any of the Akai DD/DR series machines can be used as an RS422 master using the Sony™ P2 protocol. This means that all play, jog, shuttle and locate commands are issued from the Akai machine allowing you to control a VTR equipped with RS422. Connections should be made as shown in the RS422 section of each machine’s manual. Switching on the ON-LINE key engages the RS422 function.
RS422 VTR LOCATE OFFSET Most VTRs require a certain amount of ‘run up’ time when synced to external equipment. This field sets that time. When a value is set here, locating to any position will automatically cause the system to locate to a point slightly earlier than actually specified. In the above example, if you locate to 1 minute, the Akai machine will actually locate to 55 seconds.
RS422 USING THE LAYBACK FUNCTION The RE32’s IN and OUT markers set the record in/out points for the VTR. Assuming the functions described above are set as appropriate, you must first press PREROLL4 . You then press LAYBACK and the VTR will drop in/out of record at the IN/OUT points marked. You may ‘build’ the final transfer in sections (in this way, you can obtain the optimum mix sectionby-section) and set IN/OUT points as appropriate.
RS422 RS422 MASTER CONTROL OF NON-LINEAR VIDEO RECORDERS Using the ‘RS422 only’ external timecode selection, it is possible to take full advantage of nonlinear hard disk video recorders such as the FED V-MOD 100.
SPECIFICATIONS RE32 SPECIFICATIONS Power Requirements : 120V AC 60 Hz 19 W 220 - 240V AC 50Hz Operating Temperature : 5°C ~ 40°C Operating Humidity : 30% ~ 80% (without condensation) Dimensions : 483 x 86 x 310 (330 maximum) (W x H x D, mm) EIA 7U Weight : 5.
INDEX AUTO DIGITAL SYNC 156 AUTO PUNCH-IN/OUT 46 Auto-monitor 43, 145 AUTO-PUNCH key 46 AUTOLOCATOR 57 Automated Punch In/Out 59 AUTOSAVE 99 B Backup 114 Backup Restore 121 Basic Editing Concepts 24 BASIC RECORDING 35 16-bit audio files 42 20-bit (packed) audio files 42 20-bit audio files 42 24-bit audio files 42 A ADVANCED RECORDING 37 AIFF 41 AKAI audio files 41 AKAI Project 104, 138 AKAI->FAIRLIGHT 41 AKAI->FAIRLIGHT audio files 41 AKAINET 6, 9 AKAINET Termination 6, 7, 9 AKNET ID number 163 ALL SAFE 35
INDEX INPUT MON 55 Input Routing 47 INPUT ROUTING - DR16pro 48 Insert (Multi-machine) 66 Insert (Single Machine) 80 Invalid Edit Region 61 J JOG WHEEL 11, 19, 22 JOG/SPOOL key 22 JOG/SPOOL SET 22 K KEYBOARD 6 L LABEL field 105 LAYBACK 176 LCD 10 LCD CONTRAST 144 Level (Edit Q) 92 LIBRARY 4 Load (Project) 102 Load (Settings) 152 LOCATE 55 LOCATE FUNCTION 21 M Mac Compatibility 136 Machine Box 33 Machine ID assignments 8 MAINS INPUT 6 MARK POINT 3 Meter Source 32 Meters Setup 32 MIDI Setup 167 MIDI Tempo map
INDEX SET FUNCTIONS 19 Setting Up 26 Setup (GPIO) 164 Setup (MIDI) 163 Setup (Multi Machine) 142 Setup (Record) 162 Setup (RS422) 163 Setup (Single Machine) 154 SHIFT 19 SHIFT key 10 SHIFT+JOG 22 SIGNAL GND 6 SINGLE MACHINE SETUP 154 SINGLE-MACHINE EDIT 70 SINGLE-MODE 4 SOFT KEYS 10, 18 SOLOING A TRACK 55 Sound Designer II 41 W Waveform Magnification 16 Waveframe Compatibility 139 Write Protect 100 WRITE PROTECTED Prompt 30 X XFADE key 96 Z Zoom in/out 16 S (cont) Speed page 148 Split (Multi-machine) 69
