BCF 2000 Sonar Mackie mode user guide

I've finally got round to making up a user guide for the BCF 2000 in Sonar Mackie mode.

It assumes you have already connected the BCF to your PC and have the controls working correctly. For help on these subjects, search for Blades BCF tutorial videos and also for post by Jesse G both of which are excellent sources for help with connecting and basic use.

This guide highlights and explains how to use all the various functions available for use within Sonar via the BCF in Mackie mode and will hopefully speed up your work flow or give those considering buying the BCF an idea of it's capabilities. It is really just a more detailed version of the Mackie CS help file fine tuned for the BCF. 

It does NOT contain any info about the many other non Mackie modes the BCF can be used in.

I hope some of you find it useful, click HERE to read it.

Any mistakes/suggestions/omissions/further questions post on here and if I can help I will.

Heck I have a Mackie Control and I found your User Guide for The BCF fascinating. Great job. I hope people that have that controller will DL your guide. Now how about doing one for the Mackie Control? LOL

Wow.   Thank you for that incredible document and the effort you so generously put into it to share with us.
 
It is an exceptionally well-done tutorial.
 
Thank you again FBB!
 
 

Thanks for the shout out Fast Biker Boy.
 
 
Yes, in the Dynamics Mode, you can use, If you still have Sonar 2.2XL, the "Timeworks compressor".  This Compressor was the default compressor like Sonitus is now the default compressor for Sonar.   Back then, Sonar came with it's own compressor and Equalizer.   Both were by Timeworks and both worked great with the BCF2000 and in Sonar.  The plugs were mainly DXI plugins back then, but may have been updated to VST today, I haven't checked the specs.
 
Oh, one more thing, The BCF mainly use VST plugsins inside of  Sonar.  Only a few DXI plugins will work with the BCF while using SONAR.   
 
These plugins plus many more are still located at http://www.sonictimeworks.com/products.php
 

 

 
 
PEACE

Hi all,

thanks for the compliments/info.

John..... if I had the spare cash (and space which is a bigger problem for me) I'd love a Mackie. As much as I sing the praises of a BCF it's never going to be as good as the Mackie. Mainly because of the lack of buttons and jog wheel. Yes you can do most things with the BCF but as the guide highlights it'd be easier sometimes with 3 hands. For the ££/$$ difference though it is fantastic at what it does, with the added bonus that you can use it for a thousand other uses as well out of Mackie mode. I'll do a deal with you, you donate me a Mackie - I'll write a guide..

Fog.... I never mentioned the firmware upgrade mainly because there's some great info on that and other set up issues elsewhere, namely in Blades' videos and posts from Jesse G (which is where I got the info to get connected from when I first got the BCF). It just seemed to me from posts and questions on here that much of the functionality of the BCF was buried too deep in the Mackie help file to be easily available. Mainly due to the multi use/shifting of keys on the BCF.

Jesse G........ thanks for the info on the compressors. I'll definitely be checking the link out. Also, I probably never thanked you for all the info you've posted on here regarding getting the BCF up and running in the first place. Without that I'd have never got connected in the first place. If memory serves me correctly it was one of the most frustrating connection processes I've been through and I class myself as pretty savvy on all things computers. It was well worth the effort though. Thanks again.

Everyone else..... thanks again for the kind words and encouragement. If anyone reading this is struggling a bit with the number of keypresses and finger stretches I'd encourage you to persevere. Once you get used to it it all becomes second nature and far faster to do than the time it takes me to explain it, not to mention far faster than a mouse....

Thank you for the GREAT guide!
This is awesome piece of work.

Hey FBB and everyone else....
Just found out that Behringer have released new Drivers compatable with W7 (32 & 64 bit).
Drivers

Downloaded them and they work fine, give you three BCF Midi ports now, also BCView now works again....

Will put up a new post also.

Yeah - I found and installed those new midi drivers in Windows 7 32bit a few days ago, and sure enough, the BCFView DOES work again.  I feel like I'm missing something though - and feel like this used to be here;  if I'm in track or pan mode with the knobs working as pans for all the channels, all I ever get to see in the BCFView is the Pan.  I'd really like to see volume, but I can only see that in cases where I put it in channel strip mode...

Anyway - a bit OT for the thread...

Hi all

Does BCFView work if you are running Windows 7 X64  and  Sonar 8  X64  ?

Thanks,
Tim

Blades


 the ability to make it only show the visibile tracks on screen

Hi Blades..
Could you explain what you mean in this statement ???
Are you able to get Sonar to only show the track controlled by the BCF ??>
I have been able to do this in Reaper.

    Hi Blades.. 
    Could you explain what you mean in this statement ??? 
    Are you able to get Sonar to only show the track controlled by the BCF ??>  
 
----OK THIS IS MY RESPONSE, since I can't get the quoting to work after messing it up on initial post!
 
What I mean is this:  In the Options...Controllers Surfaces, at the bottom of the window there are a few options.  I don't remember when these showed up in this dialog, but I think it was 8.x-ish.  Anyway, the option is "Control Strips Visible in:" and you can choose Track View, Console View, or All Strips.

The way it used to be is it was always in "all strips" mode.  The way I have it selected is to control tracks visible in the track view.  This way, if I use the track manager to hide a track, it disappears from the BCF control and the next tracks are bumped down to fill its place.

The cool thing for me, since I never actually hide tracks, is that it also follows open and collapsed folders.  So, if I collapse all of my folders except the one that contains my drum tracks, the BCF channel 1 immediately starts controlling the first exposed drum track in the folder and goes forward from there.  It's simpler and prettier than doing it with the WIA markers.

Does that answer the question?  Is that what you hoped it would do?

Hi FBB

Great manual,  I'm sat at work reading it during lunch time.

However,  you need a proof reader...  the very first line of the main guide contains a massive error.

Quote "We'll start with the shift keys. Button A is Shift 1 and button B is Shift 2."

Your photo has the shift buttons marked as A and C so anyone using those buttons and not reading the printed lables is onto a looser from step one.

Karyn

FastBikerBoy
 Let me know if any more slipped through the net. Ta.........

ok then,  d'you want them one at a time or all together? ;)
 
Here's three...
 
Same page, para 2...
 
Quote "By default when you first fire up Sonar buttons B, F, and M should be lit. This shows that you are
currently controlling banks of tracks (A), in “Track Mode (multi)” (F), and audio is stopped (M). Press
and hold A, this should extinguish all lights. Release and the lights will come back on. Press and hold
B and lights should again go out. So far so good. If you have lights lit with either A or B pressed, you
have another mode or function active."

In order should read B  C  C
 
 
A question,  further into the guide you mention holding D + A + (a third)  several times,  should it read A + D + (a third)
Does it matter pressing D before A to hold them?  I'd have though it would.  (Still at work so can't test this)
 
(Ssshhh,  don't tell anyone I'm forum surfing at work)
 
Karyn

EDIT: Post removed - duplicated a post somehow???

I'm just going to add any button presses I find to this thread and if anyone else discovers any please add them here, I'll update the guide as an when I get time.

Anyway here's a new one.......... M1 + Play (D + N in the guide) turns the Audio Engine on & off.

Also, as far as I can tell mapping a compressor using the method above should work with any compressor of your choice. All you need to do is know the compressors name as recognised by Sonar.