Connecting Machines - DigiDesign MachineControl Manual

Serial Deck Control Mode
Serial Deck Control mode supports bi-direc-
tional communication between Pro Tools and a
compatible external machine. With this feature
you can:
• Synchronize to serial time code
• Arm tracks on the machine remotely
• Control a transport from Pro Tools
• Configure machine settings and options.
Pro Tools|HD Systems
With Pro Tools|HD systems, you can use a Serial
to 9-pin connection or a 9-pin to 9-pin connec-
tion for Serial Deck Control mode.
CPU to Deck Connection This type of connec-
tion yields the best performance, especially with
linear decks. Use the included Serial Deck Con-
trol cable for this type of connection.
SYNC Peripheral to Deck Connection This type of
connection is suitable for non-linear decks. If
you are using a SYNC peripheral, as many as two
machines can be connected to the two 9-pin
Out ports on the SYNC peripheral. You can con-
trol one machine at a time, and switch between
them from within Pro Tools. These ports sup-
port all MachineControl modes except Remote
9-Pin Deck Emulation mode. For Remote Deck
Emulation mode on Mac systems, a Keyspan
USA28x USB serial adapter is required.
Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
Mode
This mode enables a form of deck emulation in
Pro Tools. When the Remote 9-Pin Deck Emula-
tion Mode cable is used on a supported system,
Pro Tools can respond to record-arming, trans-
port, and other standard 9-pin commands from
an external machine.
6 MachineControl Guide
While in Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation mode,
Pro Tools always generates time code, and can
be either the time code master or a slave device.
On Windows systems, Remote 9-pin Deck Emu-
lation mode uses an RS-232 to RS-422 cable and
a Turnaround adapter connected to an available
serial or COM port on the computer.
On Mac systems, use the Remote 9-Pin Emula-
tion Mode cable. This mode requires a Keyspan
USA28x serial adapter connected to a computer
USB port, and a properly wired configuration.
See Chapter 6, "Remote 9-Pin Deck Emulation
Mode (Configuration and Operation)" for
details.

Connecting Machines

This section describes how to connect machines
for Serial Control Mode or Remote 9-Pin Deck
Emulation Mode.
Connecting Machines for
Serial Control Mode
For Best Serial Deck Control
For best serial deck control, connect your deck
as follows:
To connect a deck to a Windows computer:
Connect the computer's COM port to the ma-
chine, using the provided 9-pin RS-322 to RS-
422 cable.