Avid Control for remote tracking

[philgrab]

Just some thoughts for the Avid crew after tracking 11 songs over the last couple of weeks using App Control at a distance of 50 feet to my desktop running Protools 20x

- The good news...it works great. My router has two choices for networks i.e. standard and 5G. I thought that my computer and the iPad Pro needed to be on the same network. This did not work however until the computer was on the 5G and the iPad was on the standard network. Just saying, a little strange. I have an iPad mini as well and same thing. Could be a router thing but I got things up and running.

- Overall the access to key features worked for viewing various features in PT but there are some large challenges to using this as a remote if your recording space is in another room.

- When recording, there is a need to undo and record a track repeatedly, the undo key is on the last page of the soft keys like 20+ pages of down arrow to access it. Not very speedy when tracking. Fortunately once you get to the Undo key, it stays visible throughout. Just a small inconvenience unless...the EuControl app crashes, then you have to re-initiate and start over. This happened several times every day of recording.

- Another issue, when you can't see the main PT desktop, are error popups. They do not popup on the Control App and you can spend a lot of time tryin to figure out why a track won't arm, or suddenly the faders work fine on the App but no other buttons are working. Some small indicator of an error popup in the Control App would be nice. After a while I figured out that any time the app is partially functioning, I needed to go into the next room to clear a ProTools popup.

- Vocal takes or any repeated need to start and stop, without some indicator of where you are in a track other than a time/measure/beat number, makes repeated takes or overlapping tracking impossible. This is my number one issue with the app. Using the Control App in the same room with line of site to your Desktop PT session, it seems is the main design of the iPad app. As a remote it could be easily adapted with a few condensed screens, maybe just one, for tracking/recording purposes. Here are some suggestions.

A one screen remote tracking tab would be great with a large transport and visualization of the track with a timeline. Maybe a simple marker to show where you are in the audio/timeline. Don't need to actually see the audio, just a representation. Just something to know where you are and where to punch in. More importantly the ability ( maybe one button) to quickly create either a new duplicate track (same i/o) or just create another playlist in the same track. Kind of a recording for dummies screen. Something that gets you tracking results without the need to see the Desktop PT session. It's pretty challenging especially with midi tracking i.e. electronic drums, to get overlapping or even new repeated section recording done unless you can see the PT session. Last, put the undo button on the same page as the transport, or better on the transport for remote tracking.

I can see where using it as a workflow controller in the setting of the main PT session view is extremely useful. As a remote it's not intuitive or user friendly for hours of tracking.

On the outside chance there is video or manual that makes recording workflow suggestions for using the app as a remote. Please let me know.

[Lynn Gräber]

Create a custom softkeys page with all the ones you need for remote tracking. Then you don't have to page. If you include OK and CANCEL, that should tell you if there is a window open. They blink when there is a dialog on screen.

[philgrab]

Thanks for that. Great suggestion.