C 24 tips and tricks thread

[Zep Dude]

I've been using the C24 for the last few months and despite being an analog gear junkie, this big ol' expensive mouse has become one of my favorite additions to the studio. I've been through a motor mix, Command 8, and a 20 Channel Avid Artist Series set up but none of them did the trick until the C24. The Eucon implementation in the Avid Artist series was too bugy and I found myself going to the mouse for everything other than fader rides. So the C24 is a keeper.

As I force myself to stay off the mouse/screen and on the console I find an enjoyable transformation of the mix process physically and mentally. My ears now lead the way and hands follow. It feels much more organic and natural and I'm reminded of my years in the 90's with a console. Amazing!

So a few things I've done to improve ergonomics and general discoveries:

1. At the beginning of a mix, I create "scenes" of tracks by creating Track Show/Hide groups: ALL, DRUMS, VOX, INSTRUMENTS. This way I get used to where each instrument will be. Hit DRUMS and the bass is always fader 1, kick in is fader 2, kick out is fader 3 etc. Hit VOX and lead vocal is fader 1 etc.

One thing you have to remember is if you add a track to a "scene" you have to update that marker. Select "edit marker" from the markers pulldown menu and then just hit "enter". This immediately updates that marker to your current track "scene."

2. Hit command-Memory Loc and throw the markers to the LED display below the track names. 1 button takes me around the song (this is also where I hit the Track Show/Hide groups, ALL, DRUMS, VOX etc so 1 button brings up each fader "scene")

3. Rename tracks to simple 6 letter names. It's worth the extra 5 minutes to rename everything so things like "Snare.dup.04" which reads "Sndp04" instead says "Snare" so I can quickly see coherent names in the LED display. It improves my workflow to simply see: Kick Snare HH Tom 1 Tom 2 Gtr1 Gtr2 Bass etc.

All of my aux tracks start with "<" and VCA's with "*" so I immediately recognize these in the LED display. These are all pre-named/bused in my mix template. At a glance I know *LV is my lead vocal vca and *BV controls background vox, <Horns is the horn aux, <Strng is string aux.

4. Trim mode: the automation selector on top of each channel doesn't have a trim mode, you have to hold Trim on the left hand Global Automation assign buttons while pressing the channel automation button to activate trim for any channel.

5. Fader flip mode for FX sends. Love this! especially when automating all send levels/mutes on an individual track. Wonderful for setting up vocal FX 4 sends at a time on faders (doubling, verb, delays). Also this is great for putting a room verb on 20 instruments all at once. Create a group for every track on which you want your room verb (make sure to check the option for sends to be grouped on those tracks in the Group dialog). Now select the send with the room verb and hit fader flip. Raise one fader and watch all 20 raise with it and hear that lovely room wash over your instruments. Close your eyes and set it where it sounds great.

6. Fine tuning: By holding the "command" modifier (lower left corner of C24) while turning a knob (for pan or a plugin parameter) you go into a finer resolution. Turn the knob with your right hand to get close then with your left hand press the "command" modifier button and keep turning to fine adjust.

7. Zero a fader with one touch: hold the "option" modifier and just touch a fader (don't hold it). It will zero just like when you option mouse click the virtual fader on the screen. I can't figure out how to do this with the pan though.


Please contribute your own tips and tricks.

Also, has anyone found the jog wheel useful? I can't seem to fit this into my workflow. Most of the time I wish it was a trackball!

[Emcha_audio]

Nice going there

[TAPSpace]

Nice thread! I've got one that I love:

Get it to Preview mode from the C24 by pressing CMD and OFF (under automation modes) on the left side of the C24.

[Zep Dude]

Nice one, Tapspace!

One more: if you've got a channel with lots of fast moves, for example de-essing volume automation it can be annoying to hear that fader moving rapidly all the time (plus I worry the damn thing will break eventually).

Put that track into Trim mode and it will go to 0 and stop following volume automation. Or, you can hide the track

You can, of course, defeat all faders with the by pressing "Soft Key" and "Fader off" but then, well, you've got no faders which is a large part of why you bought the C24 to begin with!

[Tom Graham]

Great thread...

If you haven't watched Richard Furch talk about how he uses C24 to mix music on our Pro Mixing Webinar series - you might like some of his tips and things he loves about C24:

http://www.avid.com/US/resources/pro-mixing-webinars

"Mix smarter and faster with C24"

Cheers,
T

[SBP]

Originally Posted by TAPSpace

Get it to Preview mode from the C24 by pressing CMD and OFF (under automation modes) on the left side of the C24.

Thanks for this tip -is there also any modifier plus console key for preview punch, capture and punch capture?

Bruno

[don4777]

How do C24 users position their Playback cursor? This would appear to be one of the most basic of all functions for a control surface. One that you use constantly throughout editing and mixing. I just received a new C24 and expected the jog wheel to be used to position the playback cursor - just like every other control surface I have ever used. Everything ranging from expensive to the cheapest consumer devices. My C24's jog wheel does not do this. I contacted Avid tech support and was told that my C24 is working as designed and to position the playback cursor I should use Scrub or Shuttle modes. Obviously these functions are not viable alternatives. How do C24 users cope with this? I suspect that this is a bug in the current firmware but if tech support doesn't recognize it as a bug there is little chance of it being fixed.

Does anyone have a "tip" for positioning the playback cursor?

Thanks!

Don

[s.d. finley]

This is a great thread and I wish I had something to add, lets keep it alive!!!

Well I have one, when I create cuemix sends for headphone monitoring I hold down the option modifier key on the C/24 and then create the hardware send to the cuemix for all tracks. Option mod key does this of course. I have my sends set to -inf by default. I then flip fader function to the knobs, hold down the option modifier key again, and while holding the option key down, I drag my finger across all faders and they all jump to 0. Flip the faders back. Sure I could set my sends preference to zero but that is no fun now is it!!

[riggi]

Here's how to show specific tracks using the C24 on the fly.

1. Show/Hide only the tracks you want to be selected by the C|24, in mix window on your computer screen.
2. Open the memory location window from the WINDOW menu
3. Create a new memory location.
4. Select NONE in Time Properties.
5. Select TRACK SHOW/HIDE in General Properties.
6. Name the new memory location with whatever tracks you show/hide in Step 1 above. ex. drums, guitar, mastering, VCA, etc

Now you are done with computer, mouse and screen.

Go to your C24

Press the MEM LOC button as you would normally do (see manual to activate this and to show the memory locations on the channel strip on the C24) Page84 of C24 manual found here

When you can finally see all your memory locations on the channel strip (you may have set up memory locations prior to getting to this point), you will find the NEW memory location that you've create in the steps above.

Press this new memory location from the channel strip and Voila! The channels will change to the tracks you've selected in the show/hide procedure of Step 1

You now have the same flexibility as the Icon, Command consoles...

Think of it as using groups! BUT you can finally add the VCA channel to this procedure where you can't in groups.

Go forth and mix!

[Blues Bird]

Hi,

Is there a quick way to change the different Solo modes (SIP, PFL,AFL) with the C 24? A shortcut maybe?

Thanks.