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DigiDesign Command 8, Manual

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Command|8 Guide

28

USB and MIDI Activity LEDs

The USB and MIDI Activity LEDs indicate USB 
and MIDI communication status. 

USB LED 

Stays lit when Command|8 is in 

Pro Tools mode. In other operating modes, the 
USB LED will flash when controls are moved 

MIDI LED 

Indicates MIDI activity at each of the 

Command|8 MIDI ports. 

Summary of Contents for Command 8

Page 1: ...Command 8 Version 8 0 ...

Page 2: ... Mbox MediaComposer MIDI I O MIX MultiShell Nitris OMF OMF Interchange PRE ProControl Pro Tools M Powered Pro Tools Pro Tools HD Pro Tools LE QuickPunch Recti Fi Reel Tape Reso Reverb One ReVibe RTAS Sibelius Smack SoundReplacer Sound Designer II Strike Structure SYNC HD SYNC I O Synchronic TL Aggro TL AutoPan TL Drum Rehab TL Everyphase TL Fauxlder TL In Tune TL MasterMeter TL Metro TL Space TL U...

Page 3: ...e with the instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or more of the follo...

Page 4: ......

Page 5: ...ommand 8 to Pro Tools and Your Computer 8 Installing Software for Command 8 9 Connecting Analog Audio for Monitoring 10 Connecting a Footswitch 12 Connecting MIDI Devices to Command 8 12 Configuring MIDI Communication with Command 8 12 Enabling Command 8 in Pro Tools 14 Communication Test 15 Troubleshooting 16 Chapter 3 Command 8 Overview 17 Command 8 Operating Modes 17 Command 8 Control Surface 1...

Page 6: ...Custom Plug In Maps 42 Automation Functions 43 Software Synths and Rewire Applications 44 Chapter 5 Using Stand Alone Mode 45 Overview of Stand Alone Mode 45 Stand Alone Mode QuickStart 45 Selecting Stand Alone Mode 46 Mapping 47 Editing MIDI Maps 48 Presets to Save and Recall Maps 51 Appendix A Utility Functions 55 Accessing Utility Mode 55 Viewing Command 8 Version Data 55 Fader Utilities 56 LED...

Page 7: ...rts providing 16 channels of MIDI input and 32 channels of MIDI output USB port for direct USB MIDI communication with Pro Tools Large bright LCD for data display 1 4 inch Punch In port for footswitch control of recording Transport controls and mode switches Windows switches for Pro Tools display Navigation and Zoom controls Tactile control of track volume pan send level send pan and record status...

Page 8: ...site www digidesign com compatibility Digidesign Registration Review the enclosed Digidesign Registration Information Card and follow the instructions on it to quickly register your purchase online Registering your purchase is the only way you can be eligible to receive complimentary techni cal support and future upgrade offers This is one of the most important steps you can take as a new user Abo...

Page 9: ... online or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at a certified Pro Tools training center Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign products download demo software or learn about our Development Partners and their plug ins applications and hardware News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo Pro Tools Accelerated Videos Watch the series of f...

Page 10: ...Command 8 Guide 4 ...

Page 11: ...than one Command 8 at a time Two or more Command 8 units cannot be enabled simulta neously in Pro Tools Command 8 must be the only MIDI control surface enabled within Pro Tools It cannot be used in combination with other MIDI control surfaces Command 8 can be used in combination with non MIDI control surfaces with some limita tions See Command 8 with Other Control Surfaces on page 7 for more infor...

Page 12: ... module or sampler into your Pro Tools system Audio Connections Analog audio from Pro Tools is sent from an audio interface such as a Pro Tools HD I O 003 Rack or Mbox 2 to the Command 8 Main Monitor inputs The Command 8 Speaker Outputs are connected to powered monitors for control room monitoring An additional stereo source is also connected to the Command 8 External Source Inputs The Control Roo...

Page 13: ...mand 8 Command 8 can be used as a remote transport control for isolation rooms drum booths and other locations or for remote control of play and record functions When used with a Digidesign Ethernet control surface D Control D Command ProControl or Control 24 Command 8 faders du plicate the left most eight faders currently banked on the larger control surface Figure 3 shows basic connections when ...

Page 14: ...ng Command 8 to Your Computer on page 9 3 Installing Software for Command 8 on page 9 4 Connecting Analog Audio for Monitoring on page 10 5 Connecting a Footswitch on page 12 op tional 6 Connecting MIDI Devices to Command 8 on page 12 7 Configuring MIDI Communication with Command 8 on page 12 8 Enabling Command 8 in Pro Tools on page 14 For complete instructions for using Command 8 in Stand Alone ...

Page 15: ...to install software see the instal lation instructions that follow for your com puter platform Windows or Mac Installing Software for Command 8 Command 8 software is included on your Pro Tools Installer disc This software is required to use Command 8 with Pro Tools Mac Software for Command 8 To install Command 8 software on Mac 1 Start up your computer logging in as Admin istrator 2 Make sure the ...

Page 16: ... 9 When prompted about driver signing click Continue 10 Follow the on screen instructions to com plete the installation 11 Restart your computer USB Ports and Command 8 Software If you move your Command 8 USB cable to a different USB port on your computer you must reinstall Command 8 software to install the driver for that USB port Firmware for Command 8 Command 8 can be updated for new features a...

Page 17: ...onitor another stereo device through Command 8 1 Connect the analog outputs of a CD DAT or other device to the Ext Source Left and Right in puts on the back panel 2 Configure the Ext Source inputs for 10 dBV or 4 dBu operation using the 10 4 switch be tween the Left and Right inputs Output Connections To connect Command 8 to your monitoring system 1 Be sure to mute turn down or power off your moni...

Page 18: ...r other MIDI device to the MIDI In 1 port of your Com mand 8 and connect the MIDI In port of your MIDI device or controller to the MIDI Out 1 port of your Command 8 2 Connect MIDI Out 2 of Command 8 to the MIDI In port of an additional MIDI device such as a sound module 3 To monitor or record the audio output of your MIDI devices within Pro Tools connect the au dio outputs of your devices to avail...

Page 19: ...he Instrument Name field type a name for the MIDI port and press Enter 4 If the MIDI Out of the device is connected to the MIDI In port of Command 8 choose C 8 MIDI In from the Input Port pop up menu 5 From the Output pop up menu choose the name of the output port C 8 MIDI Out1 or C 8 MIDI Out2 connected to the MIDI In of the device 6 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels 1 16 for the Send Channels...

Page 20: ...the MIDI In port on the PRE and the MIDI Out 1 port on Command 8 3 Configure the PRE in Audio MIDI Setup Mac or MIDI Studio Setup Windows Make sure the PRE is connected to Port 2 of the Command 8 Port 1 is reserved for Pro Tools to Command 8 communication 4 Choose Setup Peripherals and click Mic Preamps 5 Choose PRE from the Type pop up menu Peripherals MIDI Controllers page Command 8 selected MID...

Page 21: ...se Setup MIDI Input Devices 2 Select the Command 8 MIDI control surface 3 Click OK If you want to prevent Command 8 MIDI data from reaching Pro Tools you can deselect it in the MIDI Input Enable window Communication Test To test Command 8 communication with Pro Tools 1 Make sure Command 8 is enabled and recog nized by Pro Tools see Enabling Command 8 in Pro Tools on page 14 2 Open a Pro Tools sess...

Page 22: ...ist check your MIDI configuration see Configuring MIDI Communication with Command 8 on page 12 Lost Communication after Reconnecting Command 8 On Windows you must reinstall Command 8 software if you connect Command 8 to a differ ent USB port The software installation only in stalls software to the USB port to which the Command 8 is connected If you connect Com mand 8 to a different port and Pro To...

Page 23: ...ld those on a standard MIDI interface Avid Mode When connected and powered on Command 8 enters Avid mode whenever you launch a sup ported version of Avid Symphony Avid Media Composer Avid Xpress or Avid Xpress Pro Command 8 faders automatically map to the Automation Gain Tool channels 1 8 Mute switches map to Track On controls Solo maps directly to solo Automation Gain Tool Channel Select maps to ...

Page 24: ... of the main Command 8 control sections Figure 1 Command 8 control sections Fader Strips Transport Navigation and Control Room USB and MIDI Activity LEDs Console Channel Modifiers Zoom controls Meters View controls LCD Display Monitor controls controls Stand Alone switch ...

Page 25: ... of a given control pan send or insert on each channel See Console View Switches on page 22 Channel View Command 8 is in Channel View when any of the Channel View selectors EQ Dynamics In sert or Pan Send PRE is lit in the Channel View area below the LED display Channel View lets you display all plug in assign ments insert names or send assignments at the same time You can think of Channel View as...

Page 26: ...read or write mode and not Off During critical listening passes the sound of the fader motors and their automated movements may be distracting You can temporarily shut off or mute motorized fader movement using the F4 Fader Mute switch To shut off the faders on Command 8 Press F4 Fader Mute While enabled faders park and do not respond to touching or move ment Previously recorded automation contin ...

Page 27: ...tion with the LED rings showing corresponding states Channel Meter LEDs Each channel includes a five segment LED meter scaled at 0 3 6 12 and 42 dBFS Global Fader Controls The following controls affect the assignment and operation of all the faders Flip Switch The Flip switch located to the left of the Navi gation keys invokes Flip mode Flip mode trans fers control assignments from the rotary enco...

Page 28: ...ng a Channel Select switch selects the corresponding track in Pro Tools Send Sets the rotary encoders to adjust Send level The LCD shows the names of currently as signed sends across all channel strips for a given send position Sends A J in Pro Tools In this view pressing a Channel Select switch toggles the selected send on that track between pre and post fader operation Insert Sets the rotary enc...

Page 29: ...signed to the rotary encoders and dis played in the LCD Switched controls such as Master Bypass or Phase Invert functions are controlled by the Channel Select switches Dynamics Identifies channels with dynamics plug ins such as compressors or limiters as signed to them by illuminating their Channel Select switches If no dynamics plug ins are present no Channel Select switches will be lit When you ...

Page 30: ...of channel faders when a plug in has more controls than can fit on the LCD at one time you can use these switches to page through the plug in controls When a plug in has multiple pages of controls the current page out of the total number is dis played next to the plug in Name in the LCD The Plug in Page switches will flash to indicate a next or previous page Plug in Master Bypass Switch This switc...

Page 31: ... and recording mode and open the Memory Locations window Windows Show Hide Switches Plug in Opens or closes the window for the cur rently selected plug in Mix Opens brings forward or closes the Pro Tools Mix window Edit Opens brings forward or closes the Pro Tools Edit window Figure 3 Command 8 transport and navigation controls Transport controls Windows Show Hide Navigation and Zoom keys Master F...

Page 32: ...ers Utility mode This is where you set control surface and input preferences as well as run pre programmed diagnostic tests F2 MIDI Edit Lets you edit and name custom MIDI maps to use Command 8 in Stand Alone mode only See Chapter 5 Using Stand Alone Mode F3 PRE MIDI Recall Enters PRE mode and ac cesses controls that let you recall and select pre sets For PRE information see Controlling PRE on pag...

Page 33: ...headphone Level control To adjust headphone level Adjust the Headphone level control Headphone output is not affected by status of the monitor Mute switch but does follow status of the Mono switch Modifier Switches The Modifiers section is located to the left of the faders below the Console switches The Modi fier switches provide the equivalent of Windows and Mac modifier keys for Pro Tools shortc...

Page 34: ...d MIDI Activity LEDs indicate USB and MIDI communication status USB LED Stays lit when Command 8 is in Pro Tools mode In other operating modes the USB LED will flash when controls are moved MIDI LED Indicates MIDI activity at each of the Command 8 MIDI ports ...

Page 35: ...ession from the current cursor position STOP Stops playback or recording PLAY Begins playback from the current cursor position REC Record Arms Pro Tools for recording Record Playback Mode Switches Use the additional Transport switches to enable Loop Playback Loop Recording and Quick Punch modes Loop Play Toggles Loop Playback on and off Loop Rec Toggles Loop Record mode on and off QuickPunch Toggl...

Page 36: ... 2 Press the Left or Right Arrow keys in the Nav igation section to nudge one track to the left or one track to the right Displaying MIDI Controls on Instrument Tracks The Instruments View in Pro Tools contains MIDI controls that can be displayed on Com mand 8 data encoders To display MIDI controls Input Mode 1 Press the Pan switch to make sure you are in Home view 2 Hold the Command Control switc...

Page 37: ...n arrow keys on the computer keyboard These let you mark selection in and out points on the fly and to move a highlight selection range to neigh boring tracks To mark a selection by dropping In and Out points 1 Make sure the Edit cursor is in the track in which you want to select material and begin playback 2 At the desired in point press the Down Arrow key 3 At the desired out point press the Up ...

Page 38: ... di rectly supports the Digidesign PRE remote con trollable microphone preamp Basic Audio and MIDI Recording Basic audio and MIDI recording involves record enabling tracks arming the transport for record ing and recording Record Enabling Tracks To enable tracks for recording 1 Make sure the Transport is stopped 2 Press the Rec switch located immediately to the right of the channel Select switch ro...

Page 39: ... Recording on page 35 5 Press Play to begin recording When finished recording press Stop To undo a record pass Press Undo QuickPunch Recording Command 8 supports QuickPunch recording For more information on QuickPunch see the Pro Tools Reference Guide To record using QuickPunch 1 Press the QuickPunch switch above the pri mary Transport switches When enabled its LED is lit 2 Record enable tracks se...

Page 40: ...rack record buttons flash blue and red indicating they are both Track Punch enabled and record enabled To take tracks out of TrackPunch and record enable 1 Press Ctl Clutch Select Windows or a Ctl Select Mac on each track One press im mediately places the track in Record Safe mode 2 Repeat to take the track out of Record Safe and leave it not TrackPunch enabled or record en abled Use the standard ...

Page 41: ...e is en abled TrackInput Monitor Switching Pro Tools HD Systems Only To use TrackInput monitoring 1 Press Opt Alt All Mon ø Windows or Ctl Clutch Mon ø Mac The upper left of the LCD displays Select Input Monitor and the Mon ø switch flashes 2 Press the channel Select switches to toggle tracks between Input monitoring and disk mon itoring When Input is enabled the LCD above the selected track displ...

Page 42: ...n screen controls in Pro Tools 3 Press F3 PRE MIDI Recall The LCD displays PRE unit number channel number and gain value in the LCD above each audio track Be cause multiple PREs can be in use unit and channel number are indicated as follows The first two numbers per channel indicate unit and channel number Above 1 1 in dicates PRE unit 1 channel 1 1 2 indi cates unit 1 channel 2 If using two units...

Page 43: ...display sends on a single track Channel View 1 Press the Pan Send switch in the Channel View switch section 2 Press a channel Select switch 3 Do one of the following To display Sends A E press the Left Page switch or To display Sends F J press the Right Page switch The sends for the track are listed across channels 3 7 The send assignment is shown above each channel 4 Use the rotary encoders to ad...

Page 44: ...Pan Meter switch immediately to the right of the encoders toggles between left and right sig nals Both the LCD and the LEDs above the Pan Meter switch indicate whether the left or right pan position is displayed Plug ins and Inserts Command 8 lets you quickly access and adjust plug ins using the Channel View switches ro tary encoders and other controls Command 8 supports Pro Tools target windows f...

Page 45: ...corresponding switch from among the Send A E switches at the far left of the con trol surface or To view any of the Inserts F J hold Shift Add and press the corresponding switch A F B G C H D I or E J The switches flash to indicate display of Inserts F J 3 Press the channel Select switch that corre sponds to the name of the plug in you want to view Command 8 displays the first page of plug in para...

Page 46: ...2 Use the rotary encoder under each displayed parameter that maps to a variable control slid ers knobs and similar Use the appropriate channel Select switch to toggle on off switches Bypassing Plug ins Command 8 provides the following ways to by pass inserts To bypass the currently focussed insert 1 Select an insert for editing and display its con trols in the LCD 2 Press Master Bypass To bypass a...

Page 47: ...Press the EQ or Dynamics switch in the Chan nel View section Any currently banked tracks containing EQ or Dynamics plug ins are indi cated by their Select switches flashing 2 Press a flashing Select switch to open the first EQ or Dynamics plug in on that track or the most recently edited EQ or Dynamics plug in if more than one 3 To cycle through multiple EQ or Dynamics plug ins on the track hold t...

Page 48: ...ow Click the Learn button in a different plug in window Creating and Editing Plug In Maps To create a custom map of plug in parameters 1 Open the plug in whose mapping you want to customize 2 Put the plug in into Learn mode Command 8 displays a blank page of plug in controls across all channel strips ready for mapping 3 In the plug in window click the plug in pa rameter you want to map The paramet...

Page 49: ...ace page to the encoder or Select switch or in Flip mode fader where you want to remove the mapping and turn the encoder press the switch or touch the fader 5 Take the plug in out of Learn mode Automation Functions Pro Tools HD Systems Only AutoMatch Function During playback you can stop writing of auto mation on Write enabled or Latch enabled tracks and return automation to previously writ ten le...

Page 50: ...ilar can also be controlled by Command 8 letting you switch back and forth between environments while maintaining tactile control of session functions Doing so utilizes Command 8 Stand Alone mode in which faders encoders and switches can be programmed to control virtually any software or hardware device parameter that sup ports MIDI CC messages Eight user presets can be stored and recalled in onbo...

Page 51: ... compatible applica tion such as Reason or Live Because these are separate applications and not plug ins within the Pro Tools MIDI environment Stand Alone mode is required to control their faders encod ers and switches Check to see if your software applications support USB MIDI communication and the Command 8 Personality protocol or if 5 pin DIN MIDI connections are required to a compatible MIDI i...

Page 52: ... different MIDI Map preset 1 8 1 In Stand Alone mode press F3 PRE MIDI Re call The LCD shows the number and name of the current preset above channels 1 and 2 re spectively Cancel Recall and Save commands are provided in channels 6 8 similar to the fol lowing 2 Rotate the channel 1 encoder to scroll the Pre set through the eight available presets If any custom names have been saved for presets thei...

Page 53: ...olume By default page 1 uses MIDI channels 1 8 and page 2 uses MIDI channels 9 16 You can cus tomize MIDI channel assignment as needed see Programming Controls on page 49 Mapping Command 8 faders encoders and 24 of its switches can be programmed or mapped to CC values required to control other devices As many as eight presets can store unique custom MIDI maps each with two pages or banks of progra...

Page 54: ...following controls are not programmable Encoder mode selectors Display Mode Modifiers Master faders Flip Bank Nudge Arrows F1 F5 Stand Alone Control Room switches Editing MIDI Maps This section provides instructions for program ming mapping Command 8 faders encoders and switches To enter MIDI Edit mode 1 Make sure Command 8 is in Stand Alone mode 2 Press F3 PRE MIDI Recall and select a preset to e...

Page 55: ...n The F2 switch LED should stop flashing Programming Controls Programming controls involves the following basic steps Selecting focusing the control Configuring its MIDI channel CC and other parameters Naming and saving the edited preset To select a control to program 1 Select a preset and enter MIDI Edit mode see Selecting Presets on page 51 for instructions 2 Select the fader encoder or switch y...

Page 56: ...er is displayed ro tate encoder 1 to move to the next character its cursor flashes Repeat for the remaining charac ters to enter your custom name Programming Faders Each fader can be mapped to any MIDI continu ous controller Each fader defaults to a unique MIDI CC number corresponding to Volume 07 Assignment can be changed to any other CC number Start and End MIDI values as well as custom paramete...

Page 57: ...ancel the naming Saving Command 8 Presets Command 8 presets can be saved to flash mem ory to save custom mapping of programmable controls custom names and all other parame ters associated with all eight presets Command 8 presets can also be stored dumped to SysEx through USB or 5 pin DIN connections To save the current preset 1 If not already opened and displayed press F3 PRE MIDI Recall to select...

Page 58: ... DIN 5 When the desired destination is chosen press the channel 7 Select switch OK 6 When Command 8 prompts you to save the currently displayed preset to flash memory do one of the following To confirm and save press the channel 7 Select switch Okay This replaces the pre set previously stored in flash memory or To cancel without saving press the channel 6 Select switch Cancel If you OK the SysEx d...

Page 59: ... channel 2 encoder to choose a character and repeat for additional characters 7 When you have entered the desired name press the channel 7 Select switch Okay Or to cancel press channel 6 Select Cancel Naming Controller Assignments You can give each programmable control its own custom name Some people get by with the default controls and their own memory Others will appreciate the ability to give p...

Page 60: ...Command 8 Guide 54 ...

Page 61: ... choose the corresponding Utility function 3 To cancel a Utility function or test at any time press the flashing F1 Utility switch again Viewing Command 8 Version Data This Utility function lets you check the current firmware version and other statistics useful when upgrading or when contacting technical support To display Command 8 version data 1 Access Utility mode 2 Press the Channel Select swi...

Page 62: ...l ements of the Command 8 faders To test fader resolution 1 Press F1 Utility if necessary to enter Utility mode 2 Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to Fader 3 Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to FadTst Do not touch the faders 4 Press the Select switch on Channel 8 to stop the test 5 Press the F1 Utility switch to exit Utility mode Group Test Use this test to compar...

Page 63: ...Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to Exit 6 Press the F1 Utility switch to exit Utility mode LCD Display Test Use this test to assess the performance of the LCD display To test the LCD display 1 Press the F1 Utility switch to enter Utility mode 2 Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to Disp 3 Do one of the following Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to ...

Page 64: ...the Command 8 rotary encoders To test the encoders 1 Press the F1 Utility switch to enter Utility mode 2 Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to Encodr 3 Rotate any encoder to test it Encoder value is displayed in the LCD while testing 4 Press the Channel Select switch that corre sponds to Exit 5 Press the F1 Utility switch to exit Utility mode Burn In Test Use this test to activate a...

Page 65: ...ypassing plug ins 38 39 40 C CC Stand Alone mode 50 Chan Stand Alone mode 49 channel controls faders 20 Mute switch 20 Select switch 21 Solo switch 20 Channel Select switches 21 Channel View 19 switches in Stand Alone mode 48 Console View 19 D dBFS 21 E Edit switch window display 30 Ext Source 11 F F1 Utility 55 F2 MIDI Edit 49 F3 PRE MIDI Recall 36 F4 Fader Mute 20 F5 Focus 26 plug ins 38 sends 3...

Page 66: ...Stand Alone CC assign 50 Stand Alone channel assign 49 start and end assignments 50 SysEx 45 USB 12 MIDI Machine Control see MMC MIDI Studio Setup MSS Windows 12 13 Mix switch window display 30 MMC 48 50 modes Flip mode 21 Learn mode 42 operational 17 Monitor Inputs 11 monitoring Auto Input and Input Only 35 connections 10 using TrackInput 35 moving selections 31 multi mono 41 mute faders 20 sends...

Page 67: ...ility 45 entering 46 F2 MIDI Edit mode 49 F3 PRE MIDI Recall 51 navigating 46 programming and editing 48 quickstart instructions 45 Standby mode 17 Start and End MIDI 50 SysEx 45 system requirements 2 T testing faders 56 LCDs 57 LEDs 57 rotary encoders 58 switches 58 TrackInput monitoring 35 TrackPunch 34 TrackPunch mode 33 34 tracks metering 21 scrolling 30 Transport 29 and MMC 48 switches in Sta...

Page 68: ...City CA 94014 3886 USA Tel 650 731 6300 Fax 650 731 6399 TECHNICAL SUPPORT USA Tel 650 731 6100 Fax 650 731 6375 PRODUCT INFORMATION USA Tel 800 333 2137 INTERNATIONAL OFFICES Visit the Digidesign website for contact information www digidesign com ...

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