DA7 DAW Mode

A guide to setting up and using the DA7 DAW mode to control Pro Tools, Digital Performer, and Nuendo (other HUI-compatible programs work much the same way)

By Nick Batzdorf

Starting with software version 2.01, the DA7 added a new DAW Mode that lets it control any application that supports the Mackie HUI controller. This includes such programs as Digidesign Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer (version 2.7+), Steinberg Nuendo (version 1.53+), SoundScape Digital systems (now distributed by Mackie), and Minnetonka’s MxTrax and Mx51.

DAW Mode works "out of the box" using part of the HUI protocol—no programming is necessary; all you have to do is set up the DA7 and your DAW. This document supplements the user manual’s instructions to provide some insight into setting up DAW Mode, and also into using it with Pro Tools, Digital Performer, and to a limited degree Nuendo. Setup in other HUI-compatible software is very similar.

Like the HUI, the DA7 DAW Mode controls eight channels at a time. For each channel, it provides a fader, on/off button, solo button, 10-position pan control, a "clutch" to disengage the fader motor when punching in automation, and basic transport controls. If your DAW session has more than eight tracks, you can scroll up and down channel by channel or in banks of eight.

Setting up the DA7

1. Go to Utility->User Custom, cursor down and select DAW for faders 1-8 or 9-16 (your choice, but let’s assume we’re going to use 1-8). Then cursor over to Execute and hit Enter (important—if you don’t hit Enter the setting won’t stick).

2. Go to MIDI->Setup. DAW Mode uses the DA7 MIDI port, so Remote 1 (meaning Faders 1-8) at the bottom right of the screen must be set to MIDI. For the sake of argument let’s set it to Channel 1.

Comments: The second set of faders, Remote 2, can also go out via MIDI, but set them to a different channel, say Channel 10, if you intend to use them to supplement the DAW faders (more on this later).

DAW Mode overrides the other settings in this screen that would otherwise conflict with it.

Cabling

1. Connect a MIDI cable from the DA7’s MIDI out to your MIDI interface’s MIDI in, and vice versa: your MIDI interface’s out to the DA7’s MIDI in.

Comments: If your interface has an activity light, you should see it flashing regularly about once every second when DAW Mode is active. That’s a MIDI note "ping" handshake coming from the DA7; the DAW software can use that to tell you if the DA7 has gone offline.

Later, when you’ve set up your DAW software, you’ll see that same note returning to the DA7, and the DA7’s MIDI indicator will flash at the top of the display bridge. Thankfully the DA7 doesn’t bother to annoy you with messages when the DAW has gone offline (for instance if you quit the program).

Setting up OMS and/or FreeMIDI (Macintosh)

If you don’t have it installed already, download OMS 2.3.8 from www.Opcode.com.

All HUI-compatible Mac software that isn’t a MOTU product uses OMS (Open Music System) to handle MIDI communication with the DA7 in DAW Mode. MOTU software can also use/emulate OMS, but there are advantages to using MOTU’s FreeMIDI system instead if you only use MOTU software and hardware. Both the OMS Setup and FreeMIDI Setup programs are well documented—and in fact self-explanatory—but some extra details are included below.

Setting up OMS:

1. Open the OMS Setup program. If you haven’t created a Studio Setup for your rig, select New (command/N) from the File drop-down menu. Follow the prompts as OMS finds your MIDI interface(s).

If your MIDI interface uses USB, you can uncheck Modem and Serial ports to save OMS the trouble of discovering that itself. You should see an icon representing your MIDI interface when it’s done searching.

2. Under the Studio drop-down menu select New Device (command/D). You can call this device anything you want, but let’s call it "DA7 HUI mode." You can use whatever icon you like, but there’s a black mixer in the first screenful of icons that looks about right.

3. Check the boxes for Is Controller, both Receives and Sends MIDI Time Code, and both Receives and Sends MIDI Machine Control. The HUI protocol uses just one MIDI channel (Channel 1), but if the DA7 is on its own MIDI interface port, it’s a good idea just to check Is Multitimbral and all the Receive Channels.

There are no disadvantages to doing that, and it will allow you to have the second set of eight DA7 faders send MIDI data to the computer over the same MIDI cable being used for DAW Mode (although not necessarily at the same time).

4. In the upper right corner of the Device screen is a setting for Device ID (it’s not obvious that this is a setting and not just text, but it can be changed). It doesn’t matter what ID you use, but make a mental note of it for when you set up your DAW.

5. Click OK to close the window and drag the DA7 HUI mode icon over to the MIDI interface if it didn’t connect automatically, and tell OMS which MIDI port it’s hooked up to. You can adjust the port number by click/holding the mouse and dragging up or down.

6. Before saving this as your current OMS Setup, it’s a good idea to go into Edit->OMS MIDI Setup and check Run MIDI in Background. This will allow you to operate some DAWs remotely from the DA7 even when you have another program in the foreground.

Comments: If you do the OMS "Test Studio" routine, you’ll get a notice telling you that something (the DA7 HUI Mode) appears to be sending multiple copies of the same controller. Why this happens is one of life’s great mysteries, but you can just ignore the message.

Incidentally, the MIDI note ping can be very annoying if you’re testing the rest of your MIDI studio (a druggy female voice will keep droning "MIDI received. MIDI recieved. MIDI received…" followed by the "multiple copies of same controller" message); the quickest way to disable this temporarily is to go back into the DA7 MIDI Setup screen and assign your DAW Mode faders to the To PC port.

Setting up FreeMIDI:

1. The FreeMIDI Setup program is functionally identical to OMS Setup, but adding the DA7 device is even easier: simply select Mackie and HUI from the Manufacturer and Model pop-up lists; there’s even a HUI icon. Again, you can name this device "DA7 HUI Mode" or anything you want.

2. In the File->FreeMIDI Preferences menu, you probably want to check Allow other Applications. This menu is also where you find the setting if you need to run a MOTU program under OMS (for instance if you’re using a USB MIDI interface that isn’t made by MOTU).

Pro Tools

1. Pro Tools uses OMS for all MIDI communication. Whether or not you’re using DAW Mode, you need Pro Tools to send MIDI Timecode (MTC) to the DA7 for its automation. This is done in the Session Setup window (command/2 on the 10-key pad).

2. To set up DAW Mode, go to Setups->Peripherals and click on the MIDI Controllers tab. For Type, select HUI. Clicking on the Receive From and Send To tabs will bring up all the OMS devices in your Studio Setup; simply select the "DA7 HUI Mode" device for both Receive and Send. The # Ch’s tab is fixed at eight, meaning that Pro Tools reserves MIDI channels 1-8 for the HUI (even though they’re not all used).

3. Next, click on the Synchronization tab of the Peripherals window. Check the box for Enable Control of Pro Tools via MMC (MIDI Machine Control) and enter the device ID number you assigned the DA7 DAW Mode in OMS Setup (the one you made a mental note of a few paragraphs ago).

4. Now go to the MIDI menu and select Input Devices. Click on the DA7 HUI Mode to enable it as an input device. This is an easy step to forget, but Pro Tools will filter and not respond to the DA7 DAW Mode if it’s not enabled.

Comments: If you’ve checked "Run MIDI in Background" in OMS Setup, enabling "Active in Background" under the Pro Tools Operations menu will let you operate the program from the DA7 even when you’re working in another program. Perhaps more importantly, it will stop those annoying "Pro Tools is unable to communicate with the HUI…" messages from popping up if you just click in the Finder to do some housekeeping (or otherwise leave Pro Tools for whatever reason).

You’ll see that the eight mixer channels currently selected for remote DAW Mode control are outlined in blue. Certain parameters not available in the DAW Mode’s HUI protocol implementation are also outlined in blue; you can ignore them.

Digital Performer

1. First, go to Basics->Transmit Sync and have Digital Performer send MTC to the DA7 for its automation.

2. HUI support was added to Digital Performer in version 2.7. Just go to Basics->Control Surface Setup and tell the program you have a HUI coming from the DA7 HUI Mode device you set up in FreeMIDI Setup.

If HUI doesn’t appear in the menu, that means you don’t have the HUI plug-in sitting in the same folder as Digital Performer, which is where the installer puts it.

Comments: One thing to be aware of is that if you reorder tracks in the Arrange window, you have to move the same tracks manually in the Mixer window—it’s not updated automatically. This is important, because if you’re not conscientious about this it’s easy to get very confused when the track you’re trying to automate isn’t the one that responds. (News flash: this behavior may change in version 3.1, which will let you lock channels.)

You can use the second set of DA7 faders to send MIDI to Digital Performer, for instance to control soft instruments, but you have to disable HUI control temporarily in the Control Surface Setup menu (because Digital Performer will ignore them while HUI control is active). To set this up in the DA7, simply go back to the MIDI Setup screen and direct the second set of eight faders to the MIDI port rather than the To PC port.

It’s possible to edit the messages each DA7 control sends (and even store and recall separate MIDI control configurations).

Nuendo

1. Start by going into Transport->Sync Setup to get the MMC and MTC communication working.

2. Steinberg’s Nuendo version 1.5.3 now "officially supports the HUI." Simply go to Devices->Device Setup and add a HUI.

Comments: Unfortunately, in version 1.5.3 the solo light logic gets confused very easily. But the faders work fine, and that’s the most important thing. Perhaps this will have been sorted out by the time you read this.

Operating DAW Mode at the DA7

1. Once DAW Mode is set up, pushing the MIDI/Custom fader layer button will bring up your MIDI controls and the MIDI RMT (remote) screen. The faders, On, and Solo buttons behave normally; the Flip button is the automation clutch; and the Select button chooses which channel the Pan control affects.

2. Pushing down on the top blue Dynamics/Surround R knob and turquoise EQ Q/Surround L knob scrolls up and down eight faders at a time; the knobs below these two, the lower Dynamics/Surround SR and EQ Frequency/Surround SL, scroll channel by channel.

3. Clicking on the MMC/Cursor toggle button enables the DA7 transport controls to send MIDI Machine Control, which will control the DAW’s transport. (In actual sessions, you may find it easier to use the DAW’s more sophisticated transport controls and let the DA7 follow along.)

4. Finally, you can name the first eight tracks on the MIDI RMT screen. The default name is Title, but this can be changed.

Not covered here

Since the DA7 implemented bi-directional MIDI in version 2.0 (so its motorized faders always reflect the current position of the onscreen faders), you can also program its MIDI layer to control any software—or device—that accepts MIDI. If the software or device being controlled lets you wiggle a fader and learn what MIDI message will control a given parameter, this can be easy; if not, it can be complicated, involving hex codes. These features can sometimes be used in addition to DAW Mode, as hinted in the Digital Performer section.

Nick,
very informative. Thanks. I'm currently using VST 5.1 but will upgrade to SX once the studio is finished. I'm hoping that SX will have the HUI driver like Nuendo does. Have you actually used the DA7 with Nuendo ?
Regards

THANK YOU NICK for this informative and highly useful post!!!

I wouldn't really call what I did "using it" in Nuendo, but I did set it up and try out the functions. As I said, they may fix the solo logic problems one of these days.

And you're welcome, Professor, although this is more of an Official Article than a regular post.

Nick you are the man!
all this free info......I feel guuilty.
Who do I write the check out to..lol
Thanks
best regards
Ivory

Thanks Nick.
I miss reading your editorials in Recording.
BTW...who edits the editor?
Jim K.
P.S. Yes, people really read those.


[This message has been edited by jkruta (edited 05-21-2002).]

Excellant Nick, not one spellink mistake.

Thanks Guramie.

And thanks Jim. Nobody edited me when I was the editor! It's funny, at Recording the process was simple: an article would come in from a writer, I'd edit it and pass it along to two other people to proofread. Occasionally they'd have a comment and we'd change something, but mainly it was wham bang, next issue.

At the other magazines I'm now writing for, articles get edited by several people. They treat it like brain surgery!

I know Nick has covered this somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. Inside of the software for the MTP AV there are routings for different MIDI connections. You can name them and configure them and such. Lets say I have my DA7 on MIDI port 5 In and Out and I have everything else configured per Nick's post, what are the routings in the software that are needed in this setup. I have never gotten the MTP AV to work with my DA7. I can plug in an emagic MT4 and it works instantly. The only difference I see is the routings. Does anyone use the software for routing? If so, what routings would you have pointing to and from MIDI port 5 in this configuration?

Thanks in advance

The default is for all inputs to go to the computer with no extra routing or processing. Reset the MTP AV and trash your Clockworks prefs (or start with a new setup - I forget which it is).