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session management
Session Management
Session Management is at the heart of the OXF-R3, encompassing
machine control, project management, house keeping and automation
functions. Session Management is controlled from the central screen,
soft keys and associated keyboards. The data is stored on the host
computer’s internal hard disk drive and backups are stored to the ISO
standard, 540 MByte removable MO disk.
The OXF-R3 system uses a powerful database to manage project data
and housekeeping functions. Project data is stored in a hierarchical
file structure of Projects/Artists, Titles, Mixes and Cues. Session
details and text-based notes can be saved for each Project, Title, Mix
and Snapshot. Housekeeping functions include user lists, studio
snapshots and password security for client project data.
The system can use either Time Code or MIDI tempo maps as the
timing reference. Cue lists can be created for each title, with either
time stamps or ‘Beats and Bars’ displayed. MIDI tempo maps can be
created by loading MIDI.ARR files via the host computer’s floppy
drive, a tap tempo function or programmed directly from the Session
Management keyboard.
Machine Control
The OXF-R3 provides multi-machine synchronisation, and offsets for
the master and slave machines can be set using the Remotes GUI of
the Session Manager screen. The Command keyboard provides a fast
method for controlling regularly used transport functions, for example
Locate Title, Cycle Cue 2 to Cue 4, etc.
Session Management command keyboard
Automation
As would be expected from a console of such power and flexibility,
the OXF-R3 gives the user the power to automate all useful controls
dynamically at any time during the session. Using the familiar
Absolute and Trim modes, each control can be dropped into
Automation Write mode. The Absolute mode allows new dynamic data
to be written, while the Trim mode allows previously recorded
movements to be modified. The operator can also select various Drop
In and Drop Out modes, including Touch Write, Global In/Out, Butt,
Ramp, Auto Take, To Front and To End modes. To display automation
modes, every rotary control and fader has two LED indicators, red for
Absolute and green for Trim.
Each new Mix Pass is recorded into RAM (Random Access Memory),
enabling multiple Undo’s and Redo’s of all the Passes back to the last
saved Mix. The data in RAM can be saved at any time to the host
computer’s hard disk drive, either as a new Mix or as an update over
an existing Mix. Each Mix includes a complete console snapshot of
current control settings as well as all dynamic control movements.
Session Management Mix & Cues GUIs,
showing alternative timing references (Time Code and MIDI)
