X-Git-Url: http://shamusworld.gotdns.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?a=blobdiff_plain;f=_manual%2F22_using-control-surfaces%2F02_devices-using-mackielogic-control-protocol%2F02_ssl-nucleus.html;h=07b6e77c7af4622a3c69b51a94712a8e6b1897d5;hb=b13d205f4c801eec06dd5715935104a2e4904ee7;hp=fe0e24fe188edb410f3b0d7db02268cdc9565c46;hpb=2e69627228cec4df5e20a5d1ebf719d5923aa49f;p=ardour-manual-diverged 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 fe0e24f..07b6e77 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 +1,220 @@ --- 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. +
+ ++ 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). +
+
+ We have prepared a profile in which as many buttons as possible send
+ Mackie Control messages, which makes the device maximally useful
+ with Ardour (and Mixbus). You can
+ download profile and
+ load it to your Nucleus using the Edit Profiles
button
+ in SSL's Nucleus Remote application. Be sure to select it for the
+ active DAW layer in order to make Ardour work as well as possible.
+
+ 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. +
+ ++ 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. +
+ ++ This is usable only on computers with 3rd party ipMIDI + driver software installed and configured for (at least) 2 ports. +
+ +
+ 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 (via platform MIDI)". The dialog should + show four combo/dropdown selectors, labelled (respectively): +
+Main Surface receives via
Main Surface sends via
1st extender receives via
1st extender sends via
+ You should choose "ipMIDI port 1", "ipMIDI port 1", "ipMIDI port 2" + and "ipMIDI port 2" for each of the 4 combo/dropdown selectors. +
++ Communication should be automatically established with the Nucleus. +
++ If this does not work, then make sure your network cables are + properly connected, and that you are running the approprate ipMIDI + driver and have configured it for 2 (or more) ports. +
+ ++ 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. +
+ +