Recording light

:rolleyes: I'll work my way through - there better be no open ends ;)

USB-Relais seems a pretty solid DIY candidate - unless you're not frightened of soldering or know at least how to type some lines of code (on this end definitively not recommended for beginners...). LED-Punchlight seems OK, but they remind me of those mood-lights - at least a touch too much for my taste... unless, of course there's the punchlight Lava-lamp - it's ready in ten plus minutes and is indicating you had a good recording session and shouldn't have been interrupted...
 
Snafu,

I spoke with Tascam and they said no one has ever asked about the GPI before, so they'd ask the question of the engineers in Japan and get back to me. I'm suspecting that there's a problem with the firmware because it works fine for everything but the transport controls. Or else, it's possible that some other configuration needs to be set a certain way. Regardless, I'd think that the engineers at Tascam should be able to tell us what to do.

So, I'll post a response here when I hear back from them.
 
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I'm using the Punchlight.com solution and Headroom's Recording Light using the GPI port simultaneously with Cubase flawlessly.
 
Thanks cmaffia, I'll check out Punchlight's solution. I have a Sandies recording light that I've had for a few years, but never put into service. It was while re-reading the manual to see what features I might not be using that I decided to make a little project out of this just for the fun of it. I'm running PT12 with the DM-4800 with HUI control -- don't know if that is why the GPI circuit isn't working with the transport controls. Those controls do work properly with PT, just not the GPI.
 
If you're looking for a DIY solution then why not just use Headroom's design which he posted earlier in the thread? It works without having to guess if it will!

Concerning your DIY attempt, did you go to the DM3200 GPI menu and assign the correct parameter for "Record"?
 
I'm a design engineer for my main gig and I design and manage the installation of monitoring and control systems. So, I'd really like to get the system operating as I designed it to interface with the mixer's GPI. If Tascam can tell me what needs to be fixed in the mixer, I'd like to go that route first. If they don't want to look into it and will give me the source code, so much the better. That would allow me to add new functions with a firmware update. If they're done with the DM-4800, I will have to consider the Punchlight or another option, and I'll also be disappointed. I think this series of mixers is so very flexible, especially the routing which I think is fantastic. We can route anything to anything else with as many splits as we want. I've completely done away with my patchbays and yet have more flexibility than I ever did in the past.

Yes, I did correctly configure the ports on the GPI tab of the Utilities menu. In fact, I tried it with Stop, Play, and even Rew and Fwd with no luck. As I previously stated, it works great when I configure it to operate from a channel mute or function to activate a port, just not the transport controls which should actually be simpler.
 
skier said:
Snafu,

I spoke with Tascam and they said no one has ever asked about the GPI before, so they'd ask the question of the engineers in Japan and get back to me. I'm suspecting that there's a problem with the firmware because it works fine for everything but the transport controls. Or else, it's possible that some other configuration needs to be set a certain way. Regardless, I'd think that the engineers at Tascam should be able to tell us what to do.

So, I'll post a response here when I hear back from them.
Click to expand...

Skier, your dedication on this subject is highly appreciated (I'm almost sure, I'm not just speaking on my behalf), so: thanks for that! I'd be very interested in the response - should this work, doors would be open to as many crazy stuff one could imagine. Punchlights would be just the bottom line. So, yes, yes, yes - as soon as lore hits your ear please share :)
 
I seriously doubt Tascam would release the DM's source code to the public as well as any related apps/tools required for recompile. To much risk on many levels. Also what makes you so sure that there's something wrong with the current firmware? No saying you're wrong, but it could be your design that's causing issues. Regardless, if you are looking for any real answers on the DM's firmware, drivers and the inner workings then you should be directing your questions to RedBus who is the forum's resident Tascam Engineer. If you emailed Tascam about this, I doubt you'll get a response on this particular subject matter.
 
Hey cmaffia,

I agree that source code release is doubtful and was just implying that I'll take any help they'll offer.

As for why I believe the problem could be firmware based, that's because the GPI port correctly puts out +5VDC as it should when I select a Function key or a channel Mute button to switch a particular port on. And that 5V signal properly activates the appropriate relay on my board. The only thing not working is to get any GPI port to go +5 when I select a transport button to activate it.

There are also other possibilities to why this is not working other than a firmware problem. For example, it could be that one or more other settings on one or more other menus need to be set in some particular way for a transport button to control a GPI port. Or, it could be that the designers presumed that when used with a remote control protocol (e.g. HUI to control PT), that a user would generally not need it to control a physical tape recorder. I tried to test that possibility by doing a factory reset and testing it again. It still didn't work, but that's not conclusive evidence that this possibility is wrong. I just can't take the time to try every possible thing that I can think of.

So, truth be told, this is a complex enough mixer that there are many permutations and that I cannot realistically test them all. That's why I contacted Tascam directly once several days had gone by and no one responded to my post. I knew this thread started over 3 years ago and presumed no one was any longer interested or nothing had come about as a solution.

As for not contacting RedBus, I'm sorry; being new to the forum, I didn't know there was a resident Tascam Engineer or who specifically to ask the question of. I haven't needed any help with the mixer since I purchased it over 4 years ago and didn't know about this forum until I searched for GPI information and stumbled across the "Recording light" post.

I didn't email Tascam, I spoke with a tech support engineer and he was going to forward the question to Japan for me.
 
Yep Redbus is the man and usually responds to the forum within a few days of his name being mentioned. He should be able to shed some light on your issues.
 
Then, I thank you both for telling me about him and for mentioning his name!
 
I'll follow this, because it's a promising and yet easy way. Before mentioned here I wasn't even aware of the GPI's. I hope there will be an adequate follow up to the DM3200/4800 - I know, I mentioned this often times, but it'll be real kinda sad if such a beauty would not be continued in any way^^ Especially since there are obviously so much more possibilities than meets the eye!
 
Hey Snafu,

I agree with you. There is a lot one could do with this if we can get it to work properly. It would have even been more valuable in the past when, due to insufficient tracks, it was often desired to use two recorders with one chasing the other. Today's track counts are so large with DAWs that this limit doesn't really exist anymore. I can record 32 tracks at once, yet I've rarely used more than 5 or 6 because my studio is mainly for my own use to build up songs as I play each instrument. For those with hybrid digital/analog studios, you could implement chase-lock just as with two analog recorders.

Another application if you do live sound is for selecting scenes to control lighting. In fact, that might already be working -- I didn't test using MTC to control a GPI port. Regardless, it is cool if we can use GPI to control anything we can think of. Of course, cmaffia is correct that there are easier ways to control a punch light than solving this problem. I guess that, from my point of view, this is a fun project and I always hate to give up when an obstacle gets thrown into my way. Before cmaffia points it out, yes! I can sometimes be a little stubborn once I decide to achieve a goal.

Skier
 
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I finally heard back from Tascam on the GPI ports. The info received from Tascam indicate that the GPI ports are triggered not from the buttons, but from the LEDs above the transport buttons. So, if we're using the HUI protocol, we need to have the mixer connected to a computer and also need to set up the Machine Control List on the mixer with a controller that is properly configured so the transport LEDs work. The response goes on to say that once the transport LEDs work properly with HUI, then the GPI ports will also work.

Unfortunately for me, it still doesn't work for in Pro Tools. Mbuz reported in an earlier post that he also couldn't get the GPI ports working with the transport buttons in Pro Tools, though he did get working properly with Cubase. This strongly implies the problem is with the HUI protocol, and Tascam told me the Mackie protocol is both newer, and works well with most DAWs. However, it doesn't work at all with Pro Tools.

I've had the transport buttons (and their associated LEDs) working with Pro Tools since I purchased the mixer over 4 years ago, so that has never been the problem with the GPI ports on my end. Perhaps I can change something on the Machine Control List to get it working, and I am going to try. However, there is a rapidly growing possibility that the several suggestions from other posters about getting the USB-driven Punchlight might be the only solution for us PT users.

I'll post the results of my testing with Machine Control List changes. After that, I'll either have it working or will pursue another solution, such as the Punchlight.
 
I threw together another option for those who would like to use a separate computer monitor for your talent. The app watches the plugins to track and display the transport status.


The small windows app can be downloaded here:

STUDIO STATUS SIGN - UPDATED V.2
Window close exits app
Includes icon
The Source Code is commented
----------------------------------
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4346738/Studio Status Sign.zip
----------------------------------


It requires the following plugin:
https://www.soundradix.com/products/muteomatic/

Place two instances of the muteomatic plugin in your DAW tracks. Set one to mute "play" and "record," the other to mute only "record". Both plugins must be open and visible. Tweak the names of the two plugins' windows in the source code and recompile if needed using AutoHotKey:

http://www.autohotkey.com

The app has to know the exact names of the muteomatic windows to monitor. You can tweak the source code and easily swap out the graphics for a others I included or ones you can create on your own.

________________________________________________________________

Other useful plugins for talent featured in the video:

Big Clock VST (for display of time and beats)
http://www.thepiz.org/plugins/?p=Big Clock

Blinker VST (visual metronome)
http://www.xoxos.net/vst/vst.html#utilities

TrackPad3 (for lyric and other text display)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4346738/TrackPAD3.zip
 
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VERY CREATIVE! It certainly exemplifies that there's more than one way to accomplish a goal.

On the one hand, it's a little cumbersome to have to include the plug-ins in every session and to require a monitor everyplace you'd normally just place an illuminated "recording" sign or even just a red light. But on the other hand, it allows full flexibility in providing any message that you could possibly want to convey and also allows one to do it graphically -- this is really cool!

I looked at the code and it's really simple to understand and easy to modify. One question: is there any significance to the blue color you hard-coded in the test and save routines?

Thanks for sharing a great idea and creative approach!
 
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Thanks for the kind remarks. Orange is actually the color it is looking for. If the ring in the Muteomatic plugin's window turns orange, Studio Status Sign knows that play/record has been started.

I posted an update above. Sorry, I originally forgot to comment the code. I've cleaned it up now and tried to include comments for all the important parts.

I will probably redo the video as well with audio if I get a chance. The only think I wish I had the time to add is the ability to resize the window and also remember it's position between runs.

Anyone want to make a plugin based on this. I guess I should contact the people that made muteomatic. They would have a huge headstart.
 
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A while back I made a VST plugin to do this, but I don't have the authority to upload it. I guess I need to actually officially release it.

If anyone wants a copy just message me with an email.
 
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