From 48e58fd85cca98e4832f2d173da58e0e09d10b83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Paul Davis Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2016 21:34:16 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] start to flesh out the SSL Nucleus documentation --- .../02_ssl-nucleus.html | 161 +++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 158 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/_manual/22_using-control-surfaces/02_devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/02_ssl-nucleus.html b/_manual/22_using-control-surfaces/02_devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/02_ssl-nucleus.html index f547684d..82f929ba 100644 --- a/_manual/22_using-control-surfaces/02_devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/02_ssl-nucleus.html +++ b/_manual/22_using-control-surfaces/02_devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol/02_ssl-nucleus.html @@ -1,8 +1,163 @@ --- layout: default title: SSL Nucleus ---- +--- + +

+ The Nucleus, from Solid State Logic, is a 16 fader Mackie Control + device that includes many buttons, separate meters, two LCD displays + and other features. The device is not cheap (around US$5000 at the + time of writing), and has some design features + (or lack thereof) which some Ardour developers find + questionable. Nevertheless, it is a very flexible device, and makes + a nice 16 fader surface without the need to somehow attach an + extender to your main surface. +

+ +

Pre-configuring the Nucleus

+ +

+ Your Nucleus comes complete with a number of "profiles" for a few + well-known DAWs. At the time of writing it does not include one for + Ardour (or related products such as Harrison Mixbus). This is + unfortunate because although Ardour could easily be used with any of + the existing profiles, one thing they all have in common is a + remarkably large of buttons not assigned to Mackie Control + functions. This means that using one of them will "waste" the + buttons, a resource that the Nucleus is not particularly rich in + (compared with some other Mackie Control devices). +

-Mmmmmh. - + +

Connecting the Nucleus

+ +

+ Unlike most Mackie Control devices, the Nucleus uses an ethernet + connection to send and receive the MIDI messages that make up the + Mackie Control protocol. Specifically, it uses a technology called + "ipMIDI" which essentially "broadcasts" MIDI messages on a local + area network, so that any connected devices (computers, control + surfaces, tablets etc.) can participate. +

+

+ All other DAWs so far that support the Nucleus have chosen to do so + by using a 3rd party MIDI driver called "ipMIDI", which creates a + number of "virtual" MIDI ports on your computer. You, the user, + tells the DAW which ports to connect to, and ipMIDI takes care of + the rest. +

+

+ Ardour has builtin ipMIDI support, with no need of any 3rd party + packages, and no need to identify the "ports" to connect to in order + to communicate with the Nucleus. This makes setting it up a bit + easier than most other systems. +

+

+ Unless ... you already installed the ipMIDI driver in order to use + some other DAW with your Nucleus. If ipMIDI is configured to create + any "ports", it is not possible for Ardour's own ipMIDI support to + function. We decided to offer both methods of communicating with + your Nucleus. If you regularly use other DAWs, and appreciate having + ipMIDI permanently set up to communication with the Nucleus - that's + OK, you can tell Ardour to use the ipMIDI driver you already + have. But if you're not using other DAWs with the Nucleus (and thus + have not installed the ipMIDI driver), then you can ignore the + ipMIDI driver entirely, and let Ardour connect directly with no + configuration. +

+ +

Connecting via Ardour's own ipMIDI support

+ +

+ This is usable only on computers with no 3rd party ipMIDI + driver software installed and configured. If you have the OS X or + Windows ipMIDI driver from nerds.de, it MUST be + configured to offer ZERO ports before using this + method. +

+ +

+ Open Preferences > Control Surfaces. Ensure that the + Mackie protocol is enabled, then double-click on it to open the + Mackie Control setup dialog. +

+

+ Ensure that the device selected is "SSL Nucleus". The dialog should + show a single numerical selector control below it, defining the + ipMIDI port number to use (it should almost always be left at the + default value of 21928). +

+

+ Communication is automatically established with the Nucleus and you + need do nothing more. +

+

+ If this does not work, then make sure your network cables are + properly connected, and that you are not running + other ipMIDI software on the computer. +

+ +

Nucleus Design Discussion

+ +

+ You might be reading this part of the manual seeking some guidance + on whether the Nucleus would make a suitable control surface for + your workflows. We don't want to try to answer that question + definitively, since the real answer depends on the very specific + details of your workflow and situation, but we would like to point + out a number of design features of the Nucleus that might change + your opinion. +

+ +

Cons

+
+
No Master Faster
+
+
No dedicated rec-enable buttons
+
You have to press the "Rec" button and convert the per-strip + "Select" buttons into rec-enables
+
No dedicated automation buttons
+
You have to press the "Auto" button and convert the first 4 + vpots into 4 automation-related buttons, losing your current view + of the session.
+
No buttons with Mackie-defined "Marker" functionality
+
Mackie's design intentions for the interoperation of the + Marker, rewind and ffwd buttons requires profile editing in order + to function properly. +
+
No "Dyn" button
+
This is hard to assign in an edited profile. To be fair, other + Mackie Control devices also lack this button. +
+
+ +

Pros

+
+
Single cable connectivity
+
No need for multiple MIDI cables to get 16 faders
+
Broadcast connectivity
+
Connecting to multiple computers does not require recabling
+
15 faders from a single box
+
No need to figure out how to keep extenders together
+
Meters separated from displays
+
Contrast with the Mackie Control Universal Pro, where meters + interfere with the display +
+
DAW profiles
+
Easy to flip profiles for use by different DAWs.
+
+ + +

Ambiguous

+
+
Ability to make buttons generate USB keyboard events
+
The extent to which this is useful reflects the target DAWs + inability to manage all of its functionality via Mackie Control +
+
Sophisticated "profile" editing
+
It is nice to be able to reassign the functionality of most + buttons, but this is only necessary because of the relatively few + global buttons on the surface. +
+