MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering?

Author
bitSync
Max Output Level: -83 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 357
  • Joined: 2004/01/03 14:36:36
  • Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
  • Status: offline
2013/12/03 10:57:06 (permalink)

MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering?

Those of you who have an MCU or an MCU Pro integrated with X2/X3, besides the signal present LED on the channel strip, do you have per-track level metering on the backlit LCD display?  The MCU Pro promotional blurb on the Mackie site says "...55-character backlit LCD to display parameters like...  ...channel metering,..."  I'm wondering if this is something that's available to X2/X3 users in the Mackie Control Protocol (MCP) mode or if that's only available in the other MCU protocols - HUI and Logic Control.
 
I'm trying to sort out a d8b/D8Bridge metering issue/refinement (the d8b levels are shown hotter than the DAW levels and there's no apparent mechanism to calibrate).  Sonar (mackiecontrol.dll) is sending MCP MIDI LED channel meter level messages over the controller interface and I'm wondering if the MCU or MCU Pro takes advantage of those MCP messages and displays level metering to the user in the LCD display.  Thanks.

Win7 Pro x64 SP1 / SONAR Platinum x64 (latest) / Mackie d8b + D8Bridge x32 v1.1 = MCU DAW Controller / Frontier TranzPort DAW Controller / Studiocat 3.20 GHz Intel i7 950, 24 GB DDR3 1600 RAM, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R 2.0 Mainboard, 2TB SATA3 SSD / NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT v341.95 / RME HDSP9652 PCI (ASIO) / RME ADI-8 QS / 24 bit at 44.1 / New Belgium 1554 / My Stuff

#1

5 Replies Related Threads

    Dave Modisette
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11050
    • Joined: 2003/11/13 22:12:55
    • Location: Brandon, Florida
    • Status: offline
    Re: MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering? 2013/12/03 11:22:58 (permalink)
    I'll have to check this for you tonight but IIRC, I've seen the meters in SONAR.  That said, the implementation isn't all that useful IMHO other than to give you a basic feel for what's going on. 

    Dave Modisette ... rocks a Purrrfect Audio Studio Pro rig.

    http://www.gatortraks.com 
    My music.
    ... And of course, the Facebook page. 
    #2
    bitSync
    Max Output Level: -83 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 357
    • Joined: 2004/01/03 14:36:36
    • Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
    • Status: offline
    Re: MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering? 2013/12/03 12:04:43 (permalink)
    Thanks, Dave.  I'll look forward to your follow-up post.

    Win7 Pro x64 SP1 / SONAR Platinum x64 (latest) / Mackie d8b + D8Bridge x32 v1.1 = MCU DAW Controller / Frontier TranzPort DAW Controller / Studiocat 3.20 GHz Intel i7 950, 24 GB DDR3 1600 RAM, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R 2.0 Mainboard, 2TB SATA3 SSD / NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT v341.95 / RME HDSP9652 PCI (ASIO) / RME ADI-8 QS / 24 bit at 44.1 / New Belgium 1554 / My Stuff

    #3
    Dave Modisette
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11050
    • Joined: 2003/11/13 22:12:55
    • Location: Brandon, Florida
    • Status: offline
    Re: MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering? 2013/12/03 21:02:14 (permalink)
    Yes, SONAR displays LED representations of meters.   There only six rectangular segments but you can get an idea of what is going on.

    Dave Modisette ... rocks a Purrrfect Audio Studio Pro rig.

    http://www.gatortraks.com 
    My music.
    ... And of course, the Facebook page. 
    #4
    Dave Modisette
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11050
    • Joined: 2003/11/13 22:12:55
    • Location: Brandon, Florida
    • Status: offline
    Re: MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering? 2013/12/03 21:02:14 (permalink)
    Yes, SONAR displays LED representations of meters.   There only six rectangular segments but you can get an idea of what is going on.

    Dave Modisette ... rocks a Purrrfect Audio Studio Pro rig.

    http://www.gatortraks.com 
    My music.
    ... And of course, the Facebook page. 
    #5
    bitSync
    Max Output Level: -83 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 357
    • Joined: 2004/01/03 14:36:36
    • Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
    • Status: offline
    Re: MCU Pro and X2/X3 Users - LCD Level Metering? 2013/12/03 23:08:24 (permalink)
    Dave,
     
    Thanks loads for checking this out for me.  On the Mackie d8b the meter bridge has 24 LED segments arranged vertically, it looks just like the original HUI.  Apparently, Mackie decided to gang together pairs of LED segments so you'll never see them change by less than two at a time, so effectively it's a 12 segment LED ladder, two LEDs per segment.  It sounds like the MCU Pro divided that resolution by 2 again for effectively a 6 segment (horizontal or vertical?) level meter. 
     
    The Mackie Control Protocol (MCP) sends across a 0xD0 meter level MIDI message for each active meter on change within a range of 0x0 to 0xC, so that's zero plus 12 additional levels.  The BluAudio D8Bridge software is grabbing the inbound MCP 0xD0 MIDI messages and is translating them into native d8b serial instructions for illuminating the d8b LED meters, except that the scaling is different than what the DAW meters show; on the d8b/D8Bridge/MCP implementation the meters show a bit hotter than what the DAW shows.  There are similar metering reports for Presonus StudioOne and D8Bridge.  The D8Bridge developer was under the impression that the only thing the MCU Pro did with incoming 0xD0 level information was to light up the signal activity/present LED on the track strip, so this really helps clarify.
     
    Anyways, this info about how the MCU Pro handles the incoming 0xD0 messages will be helpful in troubleshooting this design issue and may help with a future D8Bridge calibration function to essentially divide the meter levels by some calibration divisor to get the d8b meters to match the DAW meters.
     
    Again, very grateful for your feedback.  Best regards.

    Win7 Pro x64 SP1 / SONAR Platinum x64 (latest) / Mackie d8b + D8Bridge x32 v1.1 = MCU DAW Controller / Frontier TranzPort DAW Controller / Studiocat 3.20 GHz Intel i7 950, 24 GB DDR3 1600 RAM, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R 2.0 Mainboard, 2TB SATA3 SSD / NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT v341.95 / RME HDSP9652 PCI (ASIO) / RME ADI-8 QS / 24 bit at 44.1 / New Belgium 1554 / My Stuff

    #6
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1