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Table of Contents |
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1.7. Who organizes the patch cables for the analog synths in Room 22? |
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1.8. Should I eat a mayonaise sandwich and drink corn syrup while at a workstation? |
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3.3. Can I assign more than one output for a Pro Tools track? |
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5.1. Why does Final Cut Pro say it can't find the digitizer when it starts up? |
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6.4. How do the MIDI to CV converters on the Serge synth work? |
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1.1. How much disk space can I use? Each workstation has one 100 GB partition for undergraduates and another for graduate students. Every student should use no more than 6 GB on whatever disk their directory is located. One exception to this rule is the external FireWire disk in Room 33, "Tycho's Vision," which is intended to be used only for video projects. (It isn't fast enough to support high track counts in Pro Tools or Nuendo.) The same quota of 6 GB applies to the Studio Transfer shared directory on the HUSEAC Server. NEVER use Studio Transfer as a working volume—it is only for making transfers. |
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1.2. How should I archive my work? The best way to back up your work in progress is to use a portable FireWire hard drive. Each workstation has a FireWire hub on the back of the left monitor, except Room 33, which has a hub sitting on the desk near the MiniDV deck. Optical media is also useful for archiving projects. Each workstation has an optical media burner sitting on the desktop, except Room 22, in which the built-in drive is accessible. Use CD-R (~700 MB) or DVD-R (4.7 GB) disc. Don't use -RW discs for archival purposes! They typically have a short shelf life. |
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Read the manual. Every bit of software has electronic and/or hard copy documentation in each and every room. Manuals are also available on the HUSEAC website. |
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1.4. When is the Studio Manager available? The Studio Manager's schedule is fairly consistent but occasionally highly variable due to the nature of the job. A current calendar is maintained on the Studio Sign-Out Calendar and short notice updates will typically be posted to the HUSEAC discussion list. |
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1.5. How do I reach the Studio Manager? Contact information is available on the HUSEAC website. Look in the Studio Vitals section. |
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1.6. Why is the Studio a mess? First, the Studio Manager is not your nanny. Second, we get no custodial services. The custodians don't clean the Studio rooms because we work around the clock and (usually) don't want to be disturbed. The Studio Manager will attempt to keep things clean but, by all means, feel free to take out the trash, water the plants, et cetera. |
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1.7. Who organizes the patch cables for the analog synths in Room 22? You do. |
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1.8. Should I eat a mayonaise sandwich and drink corn syrup while at a workstation? EATING IN THE STUDIO IS FORBIDDEN! OPEN BEVERAGES ARE FORBIDDEN! If the beverage is in a bottle with a screw-on top, and the top is screwed on, that's okay. Coffee cups with travel lids are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. Definitely don't place beverages of any kind on the workstation table. Also, if you've just eaten something greasy (yum) do everyone a favor and wash your hands before returning to work. |
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1.9. At what speed should I burn an audio CD? If the CD is just for quickly listening to a mix in different environments, the burn rate could as high as recommended for the particular media on hand. But, if the CD is a master, being sent to a duplication plant, et cetera, burn it at no more than 2X. Use 1X if you can stand it. At lower burn speeds the pits and grooves made by the laser are carved more accurately. |
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1.10. What are all these mailing lists? The HUSEAC mailing lists are described on the HUSEAC website. |
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2.1. What happens if the equipment is dropped/lost/stolen? The person who signs out the equipment is responsible for the care and return of the equipment in good working order. If you give equipment that you've signed out to someone else in the class it is still the original borrower of record who is responsible! Some of this stuff is expensive! You break it, you buy it. |
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2.2. For how long may equipment be borrowed? There are no hard and fast rules for this. Loan durations are typically shorter when classes are in session than during the summer. In general, equipment loans will be made on a per project basis. Signing something out just because you might use it may affect other students ability to get work done. We try accommodate everyone, including the production of concerts in Paine Hall. Not returning equipment on time will affect your ability to sign out equipment in the future at the sole discretion of the Studio Manager. Most Harvard facilities charge late fees for equipment not returned on time. Please don't make us resort to this practice. |
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2.3. When can I sign out and/or return equipment? During posted Studio Manager office hours or by special arrangement. |
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2.4. Do I need to already know how to use the equipment? Generally, yes. You may learn how to use the equipment in class, section or during the sign-out process. The Studio Manager may not loan you certain equipment if you can't demonstrate some level of competence in using it. |
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2.5. What kind of equipment is available? No definitive list is currently available. Sorry. Yell at the Studio Manager. |
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3.1. How do I transfer to and from the DAT deck? The DAT deck is connected to the Digidesign (Pro Tools) interface with AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital audio cables. Check the Studio Reference documents in whichever Room you are in to determine the wiring specific to each workstation. Open the I/O Settings (Pro Tools), the Record Settings (Peak) or the DSP Status (MaxMSP) and select AES/EBU as the source for whatever inputs you desire. Then, make sure that the clock on sync input is also set to the source. Don't forget to set the clock or sync back to internal when finished recording and before playback. |
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3.2. How do I transfer to and from the MiniDisc deck? The MiniDisc deck (only in Room 22) is connected to the Digidesign (Pro Tools) interface with S/PDIF digital audio cables. Open the I/O Settings (Pro Tools), the Record Settings (Peak) or the DSP Status (MaxMSP) and select S/PDIF as the source for whatever inputs you desire. Then, make sure that the clock on sync input is also set to the source. Don't forget to set the clock or sync back to internal when finished recording and before playback. |
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3.3. Can I assign more than one output for a Pro Tools track? Yes, Pro Tools allows you to send audio out through two paths simultaneously. Hold down the Command key while selecting the output for a track and select the second output. A plus sign (+) will appear on the output button signifying that multiple outputs have been selected. The output selected first is the one that will be displayed next to the plus sign. This allows one to monitor a quad or surround session while transferring it to ADAT. |
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4.1. What's up with 1L-2R-3C-4LFE-5Ls-6Rs? HUSEAC conforms to the SMPTE/ITU standard for surround sound channel assignment. |
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4.2. How do I make an audio DVD? This topic can become very complicated very quickly. In a nutshell, use the application DVD Studio Pro. The tutorial is very good and will get you up and running in short order. Currently, we support PCM and Dolby AC-3 encoding. |
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4.3. What kind of recordable DVD discs do I need? DVD-R or DVD-RW. |
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5.1. Why does Final Cut Pro say it can't find the digitizer when it starts up? DV video compression (digitizing) takes place in hardware--the hardware in the MiniDV deck. Power on the deck before starting Final Cut Pro. Or, if you see the dialog saying that the digitizer cannot be found, power on the deck then click on "Search Again." |
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5.2. Why can't I see my video on the TV monitor? Make sure that the MiniDV deck is powered on. Make sure that the TV monitor is powered on and the correct input is selected (input 1 or A). Pull down the View menu in Final Cut Pro and make sure that External Video is set to Show All Frames. |
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5.3. What is the audio format of DV? The DV format supports either two tracks at 48 kHz and 16 bits or four tracks at 48 kHz and 12 bits. For our purposes, the latter is fairly useless. |
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This topic can become very complicated very quickly. In a nutshell, use the application DVD Studio Pro. The tutorial is very good and will get you up and running in short order. |
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5.5. What kind of disk does the DVD burner take? DVD-R (or DVD-RW). Do not use DVD+R disks. |
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6.1. How do I address a specific device in my Max patch? There are a number of ways to do this but the simplest is to address a device using its Max "port" name. On each MIDI device there is a small piece of white tape in a prominent place with a single Roman letter on it. This is the port name. So, to get MIDI into a patch one might use a 'notein' object with a single letter as an argument: 'notein a.' An output, for example, might be: 'midiout c.' |
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6.2. How can I figure out the MIDI offset numbers in Max? Pull down the File menu and select MIDI Setup... The offset numbers are listed to the right of the "port" names. Please do NOT change these settings or click on the Default Setup button. |
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6.3. Is there a way to be sure that MIDI signals are actually coming out of the keyboard (or any controller)? The keyboards do sometimes get locked up... Press any of the 'ivories' and look at the front of the MIDI interface. Its a single-space, silver box in the studio rack labeled MIDI I/O. If there are little lights flickering in concert with your key presses then the keyboard is working and your problem is elsewhere. If no lights flicker on the interface, cycle the power on the keyboard and try again. You may have to go through several iterations of power cycling. |
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6.4. How do the MIDI to CV converters on the Serge synth work? Very well, thank you. Take a look at the example patch on the virtual desktop of the Mac. Be SURE the range is limited as described to constrain the output voltage between 0-5 volts. Then, go nuts. Imagine feedback loops in your MaxMSP patches whereby the sound from the Serge is fed into the patch and converted to MIDI which controls the Serge, sending sound back into the patch... |
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