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  #1  
Old 07-22-2016, 05:34 AM
Anthony_Anz Anthony_Anz is offline
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Default Kyle: Power Switch Suggestions

Hey Kyle, After using the dock for 2 days now I'm realizing that the power switch is in a very tough spot. On my artist mixes the soft buttons are on top which makes turning them off and on very easy. The Dock's power switch is tucked way in the back under the iPad tray which is somewhat awkward. If this surface were to be put in say a mixing desk designed for the Artist series it would be virtually impossible to turn on and off.

I have a few suggestions for power handling in the next incarnation of the pro tools dock and possibly mixing devices.

1) Is it possible to change the switch to a soft button like the artist mixes? And then move it to the top of the surface somewhere?

2) How about this: A Eucon command that is sent to all control surfaces to power up when Pro Tools starts, kind of like wake on LAN. Conversely a Eucon command that is sent to all surfaces to power down when Pro Tools exits. the Eucon control app already knows when a user starts Pro Tools or switches to another app. I can't imagine it being that hard to send some kind of "wake up" signal to the devices. The devices would also have to be designed to accept those signals of course so maybe going fwd it could be a consideration.

just my 2 cents.

-A
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  #2  
Old 07-23-2016, 08:15 PM
Kyle Splittgerber's Avatar
Kyle Splittgerber Kyle Splittgerber is offline
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Default Re: Kyle: Power Switch Suggestions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony_Anz View Post
Hey Kyle, After using the dock for 2 days now I'm realizing that the power switch is in a very tough spot. On my artist mixes the soft buttons are on top which makes turning them off and on very easy. The Dock's power switch is tucked way in the back under the iPad tray which is somewhat awkward. If this surface were to be put in say a mixing desk designed for the Artist series it would be virtually impossible to turn on and off.

I have a few suggestions for power handling in the next incarnation of the pro tools dock and possibly mixing devices.

1) Is it possible to change the switch to a soft button like the artist mixes? And then move it to the top of the surface somewhere?

2) How about this: A Eucon command that is sent to all control surfaces to power up when Pro Tools starts, kind of like wake on LAN. Conversely a Eucon command that is sent to all surfaces to power down when Pro Tools exits. the Eucon control app already knows when a user starts Pro Tools or switches to another app. I can't imagine it being that hard to send some kind of "wake up" signal to the devices. The devices would also have to be designed to accept those signals of course so maybe going fwd it could be a consideration.

just my 2 cents.

-A
It is a little bit awkward, I agree. But, it's not a complaint I've heard too much. And, I have yet to see a desk for Dock that obstructs the power switch. Have you seen one? If it were to be obstructed, the solution is very simple: use a power strip.

Regarding #1, I highly doubt we'll make the power button ever work like Artist. In fact, it's a different electrical design so I even don't know how feasible it is.

Regarding #2, I don't understand the user problem you are trying to solve. Can you explain? Having a hardware product power up and power off based on software being launched sounds problematic and annoying, frankly.
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  #3  
Old 07-26-2016, 06:31 AM
Anthony_Anz Anthony_Anz is offline
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Default Re: Kyle: Power Switch Suggestions

Hey Kyle, the first mixing desk that comes to mind is this:
https://www.argosyconsole.com/html_i...vidartist.html

The artist devices actually sit down into the desk to make it part of the desk surface. Admittedly I do not know if the Dock would even fit in the desk to begin with. If it did adding a power strip to simply control the dock power would seems undesirable.

#1. fair enough. maybe just move the placement?

#2. It's not solving a problem, its adding a convenience? Maybe? I thought equating it to "Wake On LAN" would be a good comparison. Software triggering hardware power up is nothing new.

Just humor a fellow developer for a second...

When Pro Tools (or any other .exe that has an appset file) is launched, EuControl could send a "wake up" packet to known MAC addresses of devices that were previously registered with EuControl. This obviously implies that some enhancements would need to be made to EuControl and firmware on the devices.

- EuControl would have to remember the MAC addresses of previously connected devices

- EuControl would have to be coded to send those "wake up" packets when it detects programs with appset files

- The device firmwares would have to be updated to put the devices into sleep mode after a set time of nonuse. While in sleep mode the device is 95% powered down except for a small process that is listening for the "wake up" packet. The wake up signal, or simply pressing any button would bring it back to life)

- If that convenience is annoying to some there could be a checkbox to override that feature. Also, I use the dock with other programs. Mostly Adobe Premiere and Lightroom at the moment. When switching between those programs obviously power cycling the hardware would be annoying and would avoided with code as well.

Thanks for listening... =)
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  #4  
Old 01-10-2017, 04:10 AM
glennaudio glennaudio is offline
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Default Re: Kyle: Power Switch Suggestions

I for one agree that the power switch is very inconvenient to access. i personally had to raise my monitor height to float just above the height of where the iPad sits so the iPad is not obstructing the view of any part of my screen. This makes it difficult to access the switch by reaching over the top. Reaching around the side with my left hand is also difficult as the switch is set far back and almost out of reach...and I don't have small hands.

Kyle, your statement that "it's not a complaint you've heard too much" seems like a cheap cop out and is unnecessary, especially after already agreeing yourself that it is a bit awkward. Just because you personally have not heard complaints about it doesn't mean it's any less awkward to reach. Also the "simple" solution to add a power strip to my desk just seems silly. Why should I have to purchase another accessory and possibly create more desk clutter to power up the dock? This is clearly something the hardware designers did not consider. I think it's a fair and reasonable suggestion to move the switch in the next iteration of the product. I understand you're trying to provide a workaround and I appreciate that... but your response shows arrogance.

Edit: After further playing, I found it a little easier to reach the power switch by reaching for it with my left pinky finger instead of my index. It's still awkward to reach as I wouldn't want my wrist to hold that much of an arch for any length of time but it helps.
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Last edited by glennaudio; 01-10-2017 at 03:05 PM. Reason: Optional Solution Found
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  #5  
Old 01-11-2017, 02:42 PM
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albee1952 albee1952 is offline
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Default Re: Kyle: Power Switch Suggestions

Given the fact that the Artist units REQUIRE us to hit the power button to turn them on, I would prefer them to be on all the time and simply hit a power strip if I need to turn them off. With my entire rig on 2 switched power strips(one fed from a UPS) I don't need a power switch on every single piece of equipment(of course, YMMV)
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