Fairlight Prodigy User manual

Edit User Manual
Software Version 15.6
Part Number: DPR1100-B
Document Number: 171
Copyright © August 2000
Ref: Prodigy Rev Manual 15 6

Important Notice
The material in this document is copyright to Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd, and may
not be quoted or reproduced in any form without written permission from the
company.
LIMITEDWARRANTYPOLICY
All the software and hardware provided with, or purchased especially for,
Fairlight products has been tested for functionality. Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd will
make its best efforts to correct reported defects for future releases subject to
technical practicabilities. Fairlight ESP will also replace any defective media on
which software has been delivered provided that the item to be replaced is
returned to the dealer who supported the product within 90 days of purchase.
Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd makes no warranty or representation either expressed or
implied with respect to the system's performance or fitness for a particular
purpose.
In no event will Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd be liable for direct or indirect damages
arising from any defect in the product or its documentation. Further, Fairlight
ESP Pty Ltd will not accept any liability for any programs, sounds, audio
recording or sequences stored in or used with Fairlight products, including the
cost of recovery of such data.
The warranties, remedies and disclaimers above are exclusive and take prec-
edence over all others, oral or written, express or implied, to the extent permit-
ted by law in the geographical area of the product's use. No employee of
Fairlight ESP, agent, distributor or employee of an agent or distributor is
authorised to offer any variation from this policy.
Copyright 2000:
Fairlight ESP Pty Ltd,
Unit B, 1 Skyline Place,
French's Forest, NSW 2086,
AUSTRALIA.
Telephone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Text and Graphics: Andrew Bell
Updated by Owen Walker

Contents
1. Getting Started .......................................... 7
2. The Prodigy Editor .................................... 8
Console ..................................................... 9
3. How the Disk Recorder Works ................ 10
4. Prodigy Editing Screens ....................... 11
5. Prodigy Recording .................................. 12
and Editing Screen ................................. 13
6. The Device ............................................... 14
and File Pages ........................................ 15
8. Starting a Project .................................... 16
Folder view ................................................. 16
Navigation .................................................. 16
From and To Keys ....................................... 16
File view ...................................................... 16
The Project Menu ....................................... 18
Project Menu 2nd Level ............................. 18
Project Menu 3rd Level ..............................20
Password Protection .................................. 20
Multi-User File Access ................................ 22
The Clip .................................................... 22
Time Code Reference ................................ 22
Overlapping Clips ....................................... 22
The Track .................................................. 22
The Current Track ....................................... 22
9. Recording ................................................ 26
The Arm Menu .......................................... 26
The Arm Submenu .....................................26
The Input Submenu .................................. 28
Metering Input Levels ................................. 28
Entering Record ........................................ 28
Using the Prodigy Editor Record Button .... 28
Timecode Track? ........................................ 28
Playback ..................................................... 28
Punch-in Punch-out .................................. 30
Automatic Drop-in ....................................... 30
The Digi Menu........................................... 30
House Submenu ........................................ 30
Output Submenu ........................................ 30
Naming ..................................................... 32
Use of Ranges ............................................ 32
Keyboard Use ............................................. 32
Automatic Naming ...................................... 32
10. Solo, Mute, Disable and Safe .................. 33
Disabling Tracks ......................................... 33
Track Safe ................................................... 33
11. Editing ..................................................... 36
The Clip .................................................... 36
Master Recording Number ......................... 36
Head ........................................................... 36
Tail .............................................................. 36
Sync Point ................................................... 36
Timecode Reference .................................. 36
Fade ............................................................ 36
Editing Stereo Clips .................................. 37
Stereo Swap ............................................... 37
Level ........................................................... 38
EQ ............................................................... 38
Name .......................................................... 38
Project Layer .............................................. 38
Summary of Editing Commands ............... 38
Selecting Clips for Editing ......................... 38
12. Timecode Ranges .................................. 39
Setting up a Range ..................................... 39
Simple Method ........................................... 39
Using Range Menus .................................. 39
Range Persistence ..................................... 40
Optional Ranges ........................................ 40
Automatic and Manual Ranges .................. 40
13. The Edit Menu (Cut & Paste) .................. 40
Selecting Audio .......................................... 40
Cutting or Copying to the Clipboard .......... 40
Selecting Destination Tracks ...................... 40
Other Paste Commands ............................. 40
Pasting From the Clipboard ........................ 40
The Edit Menu .......................................... 40
The Cut Submenu ...................................... 40
The Copy Submenu ................................... 42
Edit Commands with a Range ................... 42
The Cut Submenu ...................................... 42
The Copy Submenu ................................... 45
The Fill Command ...................................... 45
14. The Grab Menu........................................ 46
Slip Submenu ........................................... 46
Slip Clip vs Cut & Paste .............................. 46
Trim Submenu ........................................... 47
Visible Sync Points .....................................47
Super Trim ................................................... 47
Restore Trimmed Audio .............................. 48
SLIP / TRIM Toggle ..................................... 48
Grab Menu Illustrated................................ 49
15. The Nudge Menu ..................................... 51
Range ......................................................... 51
16. Block Editing........................................... 53
The Dubber SubMenu ................................ 53
The Dubber Menu Illustrated ..................... 54
Original Track Layout .................................. 54
Erase .......................................................... 54
Move ........................................................... 54
Copy ........................................................... 54
The Razor SubMenu ................................. 55
The Razor Submenu Illustrated ................. 56
Original Track Layout .................................. 56
Splice .......................................................... 56
Duplicate .................................................... 56
Delete ......................................................... 56
17. The Track Menu ....................................... 57
Original Track Layout .................................. 58
Swap ........................................................... 58
Copy ........................................................... 58
Numbers ..................................................... 58
Shadow ....................................................... 58
The Track Menu Illustrated ........................ 58
18. Fades ....................................................... 59
The Fade Menu ........................................... 59
Fades With a Range .................................. 60
More About Fades ..................................... 61
Crossfades and Channels .........................61
Fade Defaults .............................................. 61
19. The Level Menu ....................................... 62
Range ......................................................... 62

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Track Selection ........................................... 62
Mode Selection ........................................... 62
Blue Split .................................................... 63
20. The Gate Menu ........................................ 64
Gating During Recording ........................... 64
Gating After Recording ............................... 64
Gate Menu Illlustrated ............................... 65
21. Equalisation ............................................ 66
The EQ Menu ........................................... 66
Making Parameter Selections .................... 66
Parameter Display ...................................... 66
EQ In/Out .................................................... 66
Changing EQ Settings ................................ 66
Notes: .......................................................... 67
Copying EQ Settings .................................. 67
22. Time Compression and Expansion ....... 68
The Wave Menu ........................................ 68
The Stretch Submenu ............................... 68
Stretching into a Range .............................. 69
Algorithms ................................................... 69
The Pitch Submenu .................................. 70
Using the Pitch Submenu with a Range .... 70
The Varispeed Menu .................................. 71
Varispeed with Time Measurement ...... 71
Using a Range ...................................... 72
Varispeed with Pitch Measurement ...... 73
Using a Range ...................................... 73
23. TheTakes Menu ...................................... 74
Notes on Layering of Clips ......................... 74
24. The Import Menu ..................................... 75
More About Importing ................................. 76
Building a Sound Library ............................ 77
25. AudioBase ............................................... 81
AudioBase Glossary ................................. 81
Field Summary ......................................... 81
User Fields ................................................. 82
The AudioBase Screen ............................ 82
The AudioBase Form .................................. 82
The Record List .......................................... 82
The AudioBase Menu................................ 83
More About Paste ....................................... 83
More About Audition ................................... 83
The Search Submenu ............................... 84
The Search Options Submenu ................... 84
How to Search for Clip Records ................. 85
Entering Data into Fields ............................ 85
Cycling through Values ......................... 85
Capturing Current Values ..................... 85
Using Wildcards in Searches ..................... 85
Use of Operators ........................................ 86
Searching the Current Project .................... 86
The Edit Submenu .................................... 87
Entering Data Into Fields ............................ 87
Writing into Multiple Records ..................... 87
Scrolling While Editing ............................... 87
The File Submenu ..................................... 88
Republishing a Project ............................... 88
Publishing with a Text File ......................... 89
The Text File Format ................................... 89
How AudioBase Recognises Text .............. 89
The File ................................................. 89
Clips ...................................................... 89
Commands Using Text Files ....................... 90
Publish a Text File ................................. 90
Export .................................................... 90
Import .................................................... 90
Strategies for Using Text Files .................... 90
Example 1 ............................................. 90
Example 2 ............................................. 91
Editing the Form ....................................... 91
Guide to AudioBase 2 ............................... 92
Found X of Y ............................................... 92
Alphabetic Sort ........................................... 92
No Export .................................................... 92
The Line Field ............................................. 92
26. Undoing Edits ......................................... 95
Undo Togggling .......................................... 95
The Undo Menu ........................................ 95
27. Managing Disk Space ............................. 96
Throwing Out Rubbish ............................... 96
Range ......................................................... 96
The Space Menu....................................... 96
28. Recovering Lost Clips ............................ 98
The W Display ............................................ 98
The Recover Waveform Command ............ 98
The Waveform Show Command ................ 98
29. Bulk File Handling - the Backup Menu .. 99
Marking Attached Files .............................101
Backup Progress Display ......................... 102
Backup Verification ................................... 102
More About File Management .................. 104
Warning on Overwrite .........................104
The Backup Display .................................104
30. The Export Menu ....................................105
Rules for writing to CD .............................106
31. The Print Menu.......................................107
Setting Printer Characteristics .................108
Printer Compression: ..........................108
Printer Head Density: ..........................108
Pixel Density (X-Axis): ........................ 108
Pixel Density (Y-Axis): ......................... 108
Clip Attraction in Frames: ....................108
Timecode Format: ...............................108
Printer Characteristics .............................109
Pin Connections .... Switch Settings (interface
cards) ............................................. 109
32. Machine Control .....................................111
Synchronisation - Quick Guide .................112
33. The MFX Menu .......................................113
34. Synchronisation - Detailed Explanation 114
How the Prodigy Editor Synchronises .....114
Digital Synchronisation Conflicts ............. 114
Pull-up and Pull-down ..............................114
Control of Sony Machines ........................ 115
Conflict of Sync .........................................115
Compatibility with MFX2 and MFX3 ......... 115
35. The M1 and M2 Setup Menus ................116
LTC Master ...............................................116
Entering Timecode Values ........................117
The Numeric Register ..............................117
Time ..........................................................117
Copy, Add or Subtract Master Time .......... 117
Copy Last Value ........................................117
Entering a Value ....................................... 117
Trimming Numbers ...................................117
Displaying Subframes ..............................117
36. The Offset Menu .....................................118
37. The Generator Setup Menu....................119
38. The Preroll Menu ...................................120

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39. Transport Commands ............................121
Basic Controls .......................................... 121
Special Play Commands ..........................121
Special Record Commands ..................... 121
Jump Keys ................................................ 121
Jog and Shuttle ......................................... 121
Special Transport Menus ..........................122
The Play Menu .........................................122
The Record Menu ..................................... 122
40. The Jogger Wheel .................................. 123
Jog ............................................................ 123
Shuttle .......................................................123
Audio Freeze Frame (Loop Jogging) ........ 123
The Jog Menu ........................................... 123
The Jump Keys ........................................ 124
Modified Jump Commands ................. 124
Selecting Names.................................124
41. The GOTO Command .............................125
Locating by Name ....................................125
Special Feature ........................................ 125
42. Marks ...................................................... 126
43. Looping ..................................................127
In and Out Points ......................................127
44. Automatic Dialog Replacement (ADR) .. 130
Modes .......................................................130
In and Out Points ......................................130
The ADR Menu ......................................... 130
The ADR Menu - second level ................. 131
The Old AutoRecord Menu .......................131
45. The GPI Menu ........................................132
GPI “Type” ................................................. 132
Choosing a GPI ........................................ 132
The GPI Menu ........................................... 132
Electrical Properties ................................. 132
46. Macros ....................................................134
Recording and Naming Macros ............... 134
47. Disk Information ....................................136
Operations in the Space Menu .................137
48. Preparing Drives for Disk Recording .... 138
Formatting Optical Disks ..........................138
Backup Verify ............................................ 138
Making a System Disk .............................. 138
49. Configuration Files ................................140
Before Changing a Configuration File ..... 140
Editing a Configuration File ...................... 140
Saving Changes to a File ......................... 140
The MDR Configuration File ..................... 140
The Sony_ID file ......................................141
The Sync Configuration File .....................142
50. The System Page ...................................143
Print Options ............................................. 144
File Display Sorting .................................. 144
Library File List Filter ................................144
Waveform List Filter .................................. 144
Meter Settings ........................................... 144
Crossfade from Zero ................................. 144
Fade Def on Butted Clips ..........................144
Prodigy Patching Options ......................... 144
Auto-Update DL File ................................. 144
Wave Menu Audio Format ........................ 144
Automatic Extension ................................. 144
Multi File Recording ................................. 144
Index ................................................................145

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User Manual Page 7
1. Getting Started
1. Connect a stereo audio source to analogue inputs 1 and 2. They are at the rear of the Prodigy Engine. Make
sure the output from tracks 1 and 2 is not fed back to these inputs via your console.
2. Power up the Prodigy Editor. It will always boot up with the “Project Menu” active. The light under the Proj
key on your MFX console will confirm this.
3. Along the bottom of the LCD display there is a row of words (the Project Menu), and below these, Soft Keys
that do what the words suggest. Press the {new} Soft Key to create a new Project for recording.
4. Name your project by typing “My First” on the keyboard and pressing the <Enter> key. You have now created
a new project called 'My First' and you are ready to record.
5. Press the <ARM> key to the left of the LCD display. The Soft key choices change to those of the Arm Menu.
We will use this to set up a stereo analogue recording on track 1.
6. Press the first Soft Key labelled ARM / INPUT. This changes the Soft key choices to a second level of the Arm
Menu which is used to patch inputs to recording tracks. Press Track Key 1 and then the {patch} Soft Key. This
will allow us to patch audio inputs to Track 1. Press Track Keys 1 and 2 at the same time to patch inputs 1 and
2 to Track 1.
7. Press the {Type} Soft Key and use the + and - keys, located above the Numeric Keypad, to change the choices
until you see Analog +4 in the LCD display. Press the <ENTER> key to lock in your choice.
8. Press the ARM / INPUT Soft Key again to return to the first level of the Arm Menu, and press Track Key 1 to
arm that track (make it ready to record).
9. The video screen now displays input meters at the top, with track 1 shown armed. Play some of your source
material into the Prodigy Editor. If necessary go back to the Input submenu and change the input type to
Analog -10, or adjust the gain using the {gain} Soft Key.
10. Cue the source material and begin recording by pressing <Play> and <Record> together.
11. You can now see the audio clip and its waveform as it is recorded to the left of the cursor on the MFX video
display.
12. Press <STOP> and use the <left Jump> key to locate to the beginning of the clip. Press <PLAY> and listen to a
bit of what you recorded.
13. Disarm track 1 by pressing its track key, and now arm track 3. Go back to the Input submenu, and this time
patch only the right side of your stereo input to track 3, by pressing patch and then Track key number 1.
Record for some distance along track 3. At the same time as making a mono recording on track 3, you hear
what was recorded on track 1, coming out of outputs 1 and 2.
14. Stop and disarm track 3 (by pressing its track key). Now select the Edit Menu by pressing the <Edit> key. Press
the <Jump> key that points in the direction of the beginning of your clip on track 3. You will be located to the
start of the clip (press a second time if necessary).
15. Now ensure that the little black triangle that chooses between CUT and COPY on the LCD is on CUT (it
always is when you first enter this menu). Press the {clip} Soft Key. You have just cut the clip, and it is on a
clipboard ready to paste anywhere you like. Select track 1 and <Jump> to the start of the clip there. Now select
track 4 and press the <Enter> key. You have pasted your clip in at a new position and on a different track.

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2. The Prodigy Editor
TrackKeys
These 24 keys represent audio tracks
during editing. Some editing menus
allow selection of multiple tracks,
while some allow only a single track.
Details can be found in the Edit
Mode Summary on the inside back
cover.
To select a range of Track Keys, hold
down one key and double click on
another - this will select the range
between them. Similarly, double
clicking on a single key selects it
exclusively.
EditingModeKeys
Each Editing Mode key displays a set of choices on the LCD
screen to the right, relating to disk editing activities.To access a
Mode written in Blue, hold down the Blue key while pressing the
Mode key.
To leave a Mode, simply select another.
Clear Key
Enters zeroes in the Numeric
Key Pad, or in any selected
parameter in a Soft Menu.
When used with the Blue Key,
toggles subframes off and on
in the Numeric Register and all
other LCD timecode displays.
NumericKeypad
Types numbers into the Numeric Regis-
ter, the Zoom range, or any selected
parameter on a Soft Menu.
When used with the Blue Key, selects
track displays as follows:
1T 1 track display <Blue-7>
2T 2 track display <Blue-8>
4T 4 track display <Blue-4>
8T 8 track display <Blue-5>
12T 12 track display <Blue-1>
16T 16 track display <Blue-2>
24T 24 track display <Blue-0>
+ and - Keys
Used to increment and decre-
ment the Numeric Register,
the Zoom range, or any se-
lected parameter in a Soft
Menu.
AlphanumericKeyboard
Used to name disk recorder items
(clips, tracks, projects).
Also used to type commands in the
OS9 operating system (not described
in this manual).
<RETURN> key is also used to clear
error messages from the status line on
the video screen (second from top).
<ctrl> and <q> together are used to
stop operations in progress (where
this is possible), such as backup, EDL
Conform etc.
MacroKeys
When the Edit Macro key is lit, these play back
user-definable keystroke sequences that have
been recorded in the Edit Macro Menu.
There are an extra 15 macros accessed by
holding down the <Shift> key, and another 15
with the <Ctrl> key. These are named <SM1>
to <SM15> and <CM1> to <CM15>.
MacroMasterKey
Turns Macro keys (M1 to M15)
ON.
With Blue key pressed, enters
Edit Macro, a mode for record-
ing and naming Macros.
Shift Key
Holding down this key causes upper
case characters to be typed. Double
pressing the key turns on CAPS
LOCK, and repeating this action turns
it off.
KeyboardMaps
This keyboard has an alternative key mapping
which looks more like the old MFX console. To
download it, type:
mfxload /dd/usr/mfx/mfk2.raw<RETURN>

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User Manual Page 9
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ump
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ump
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MFX
GPI
ADR
Preroll
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Edit
Loop
Edit
Mark
Setup
M2
Disk
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M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15
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12T 16T
24T
Prev Next Any Any One And Or NotOne / None
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TM
Console
Solo and Mute Keys
Hold down key to dis-
play soloed or muted
tracks on the Track
Keys, then press them
to change selection.
DisableKey
Used to disable tracks from
playback. Differs from mut-
ing in that disabled tracks
cannot be immediately
switched on, because they
are not being loaded from
disk, and changing the selec-
tion of disabled tracks will
cause buffers to be reloaded.
AudioBaseKeys
When the AudioBase pro-
gram is running, these keys
are used for special func-
tions such as setting Search
Criteria. When the Macro
Master key is lit, however,
they behave like normal
Macro keys.
MasterTime
Shows the timecode position of
the current master machine.
NumericRegister
Used for timecode entry
and arithmetic.
SoftMenusandKeys
Each disk or transport
mode has a menu of choices
which are activated by the
“Soft Key” directly below.
TransportControls
Apart from the usual controls, there
is a Jog / Shuttle key for location
and audio scrubbing, and the Play
Menu key, which gives you a
choice of special play commands.
Record is entered by pressing Play
and Record together.
Holding down the Record key
shows a menu of special record
commands.
Holding down the Jog key shows
a menu of setup parameters for
jogging.
DiskButton
Takes disk recorder on and
off line. While offline, it
will not respond to trans-
port commands.
M1Button
Takes first external machine
(usually a video deck) on
and off line. Press with the
Blue key to set this ma-
chine’s parameters.
M2Button
Takes second machine on
and off line. Press with
the Blue key to set this
machine’s parameters.
JumpKeys
Move the transport to next or
previous Points (clip starts and
ends), timecode Marks, or by
specified intervals.
GenButton
Enable and disables the
timecode generator. Press
with the Blue key to set
generator’s parameters.
Undo Key
Reverses the most recent edit
(change in position, length
or track of a clip or clips)
Pressing again toggles the
edit done or undone. Hold
down for multiple UNDO.
From and To Keys
Used to create ranges for edit
operations, and start/ end times
for Looping, Auto Recording
etc. Single press and release means
From or To Here. Hold key down
for LCD soft menu items to ap-
pear, (press Enter to confirm
choice)
Zoom Key
Used to change the time scale
across the video screen. Hold
Zoom key down and turn Jogger
Wheel, press + or - or type a
number from 1 (8 hours across
the screen) to 17 (6 frames across)
JoggerWheel
Used for Zooming, changing parameter val-
ues in Soft Menus, transport Jog and Shuttle
and increasing or decreasing the Numeric
Register timecode. Priority of the thing to be
affected is in the order just stated.
BlueKey
Hold down
while striking
other keys if
item printed in
Blue is re-
quired.
EnterKey
Used to terminate com-
mand sequences or
confirm destructive ac-
tions.

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Page 10 User Manual
Project 1 Project 1
Project 1 Project 2
Project 2
Unused Disk Space
12
34
12
34
3. How the Disk Recorder Works
When we record in Prodigy, the audio is turned into digital data and stored on hard disk, together with the other
recordings we have made. It also appears as a clip on the screen, which is a “reference”to the “Master Recording”
we just made
Immediately after our fourth
recording, we can see the Master
Recording on the hard disk, and
its referencing clip on the track
where we went into record. The
clip references the Master Record-
ing by “pointing”at the audio to
be played (in this case the whole
Master Recording)
When we edit the audio, we do it
by changing which part of the
Master Recording we are pointing
at. We call these pointers the Head
and Tail of the clip
Here we have split the original clip
so that the first part is on a differ-
ent track. In fact we now have two
clips which point at different parts
of the Master Recording. On the
first one we have also removed
part of the Tail, which has moved
the Tail pointer to an earlier part of
the audio.
The Head and Tail pointers can be
moved by editing at any time,
allowing us to cut pieces off the
clip, or replace parts that were
previously removed.
A clip can be thought of as an
instruction to the computer to play
a certain Master Recording at a
particular time, within the given
pointers.
Project 1 Project 1
Project 1 Project 2
Project 2
Unused Disk Space
12
34
12
34

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User Manual Page 11
. Prodigy Editing Screens
There are 10 user screens in the Prodigy Editor software. Some take up the top section of the screen and others the
lower part. There are always one upper and one lower display on the screen.
Displays are automatically changed in response to recording, editing and transport control commands, but they can
also be placed on the screen by command. A description of each display follows:
Display Name Upper/Lower Key sequence Automatic Display
Arm Upper <Blue>A Arm Menu
The display shows the amount of recording time left in the currently-used disk drive, the length of the
currently recording clip, and the input/output meters.
Patch Lower <Blue>P Input SubMenu
Shows the inputs that are patched to each track, plus the type of input selected.
Track Lower <Blue>T Whenever a
project is open
Shows clips on the tracks with waveforms that scroll when the transport is moved. The number of tracks
shown on the screen can be changed by holding down the Blue key and pressing the number keys in the
Numeric Display. These are marked to show the numbers of tracks that will be shown.
Takes Upper <Blue>K Takes Menu
Shows clip information including mono/stereo, audio level, duration, source file (if borrowed) and layer
number. Where several clips are stacked on top of each other, it is possible to see the top four layers. By
going to the Takes Menu you can scroll down to lower layers and lift any clip to the top layer.
File Lower <Blue>F Project open and
extend, Backup,
Import open
Displays a list of files on the current storage device, and information about that device.
Device Upper <Blue>D Same as file
Displays a box for each storage device on line (and configured in the mdr_devices file). A “fuel guage”
shows the available storage on the device in blue, the size of an open file in yellow and the amount of
freespace in an open file in green.
Marks Upper <Blue>M GoTo mark and
Edit Marks
This display shows a list of marks in numerical order with their names. Three columns are shown, with the
active column in the centre showing timecode positions of the marks. When the transport is being moved
the marks display scrolls to highlight the latest mark passed by the transport.
Waveform Upper <Blue>W
The waveform display shows a list of all the unreferenced Master Recordings in the project. This can be
scrolled up and down using the arrow keys on the alphanumeric keyboard or Jog Wheel. It is used for
recovering clips that have been accidentally erased. (See Recovering Lost Clips)
AudioBase Upper and Lower AudioBase
Shows a list of the clip records found by an AudioBase search, plus an upper window with more information
about one of the clips.
System Lower <Blue>S
This is used to change system setup parameters including print characteristics, backup device options,
crossfade characteristics and meter scaling. These functions are described in other sections of this manual.
Do not change parameters on this page unless you know what you are doing.

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5. Prodigy Recording
The Disk Recorder Page is Prodigy’s display medium. It consists of a number of different sub-pages which are
automatically changed to suit functions being performed. You can also force the display of a screen that you want
SelectedTrack
The track(s) selected for editing (by lighting their
Track Keys on the MFX Console) are shown with
their numbers and track “bed”in a light colour.
SelectedClip
The selected clips are shown in red. If
you are working in a Menu with an
editing range, the parts of the clips
inside the range (on selected tracks)
are shown in the same red colour. In
all cases, red indicates that the clip(s)
will be affected by the next edit com-
mand.
UnselectedTrack
Tracks that are not selected for editing
are shown in dark colours. Their Track
Keys are not lit up.
Audio Waveform
Displays a graphic of audio amplitude ver-
sus timecode. The data for this graphic is
generated as the audio is loaded from disk,
just prior to being played. As soon as you
locate the transport to a new place the audio
for that timecode location is loaded, and the
waveforms quickly appear.
Fade
These lines indicate a fade. If the
fade occurs where clips are over-
lapping, then a crossfade between
the two clips results.
DiskLight
The Fairlight logo flashes red when a
disk is writing, and blue when it is
reading. A green colour appears for a
network transaction.
RangeSize
In modes that use timecode ranges to
indicate the active editing area, this
field shows the size of the current
range (in timecode units). The pic-
tured mode, Grab, does not use a
range.
TimeLine
These four “lanes”are timing graduations
in hours, minutes, seconds and frames.
They expand and contract with changing
Zoom scales. The finer graduations are not
shown unless the Zoom scale gives at least
one pixel for each unit of time in that lane.
Cursor
Also known as the Play Head or Now Line.
Indicates the current timecode position of the
disk project. Audio clips play as they pass this
line.
In edit modes without ranges, the clips selected
for editing are always the one(s) touching the
cursor.
Pressing BLUE-ZOOM and turning the jog wheel
causes the play head to be repositioned within the
main display, from extreme left to extreme right.

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User Manual Page 13
and Editing Screen
by pressing the Blue Key with certain keys on the Numeric Keypad. Several of the screens are shown or described
in the next five pages.
The Disk Recorder display page is always shown when the system is turned on.
Takes Screen
Shows information about the clips (pieces of audio)
on the currently selected track. You also see layers
of clips that are “underneath”and cannot be heard.
This screen is automatically displayed whenever
you enter an editing Menu. You can also force its
display by typing <Blue>k.
4T Screen
Shows four tracks. You can select
this screen by typing <Blue - 4>. The
features of this screen are identical to
those of the 24, 16, 12, 8, 2 and 1-
track displays. They are selected by
typing <Blue-0>, <Blue-2>, <Blue-
1>, <Blue-5>, <Blue-8> and <Blue-
7> respectively.
UnselectedClip
Clips must be touching the cursor in
order to be selected (unless a range is
used by the editing mode). In either
case, unselected clips are shown in
blue, and are not affected by editing
commands.
ClipNames
Each clip is named as it is recorded,
and can be renamed in the Name
Menu. These names scroll as the clip
moves across the screen.
TrackNames
Each track can be named in the Name Menu.
These names are fixed in position on the screen.
CurrentTime
This field shows the timecode po-
sition of the current disk project.
Zoomrange
Shows the Zoom number, from 1 to 16,
of the horizontal scale. Higher numbers
indicate finer display (less time on
screen).

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6. The Device
ExplanationofTerms
Each storage device has a number from 1 to
6 (plus a backup device which may be
number 7)
You can name each device when initialising
it if you wish (see Preparing Disk Drives for
Work).
Manufacturer of disk drive
Total size in Megabytes (each megabyte is ap-
proximately 10 seconds of mono audio at 44.1
kHz).
Unused disk space in Megabytes
Unused disk space in minutes and sec-
onds of mono audio at 44.1 kHz
4 Gbyte hard drive
by Seagate, SCSI
address 0
Name of the current
open project, if any
(see Starting a Project)
The timecode frame
rate for the project
(see MFX Menu)
Name of domain, or working group of
systems.
Name of network node, which may be an
Fairlight system, a server, or another compu
ter.
Unit, or hard disk disk drive, attached to system.
Projects are named on the Project Menu or
renamed on the Name Menu. The .MT at
the end of the name indicates a “multitrack”
file or project. Other file types you may
see are .MK files (macro files) .omf files
(OMF export files) WAVE files and more.
Folder or directory on a disk drive.
Number of
items in current
directory view.
SCSI ID and
Logical Unit
Number of
current disk.

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User Manual Page 15
and File Pages
The Device Page
This page shows information about the stor-
age devices attached to the currently selected
node (machine). The page is automatically
displayed whenever you open or close a
project, or begin a file copy or backup proce-
dure. You can also force its display at any time
by typing <Blue>D.
The File Page
This page is split into sections showing the
network structure in which machines are placed,
and information about one of the storage de-
vices, including the files it contains. One file
is highlighted, making it ready for opening,
copying, or whatever function you have in
mind. You may scroll the highlighted bar up
and down the screen, choosing a file to be acted
on by the next command.
This display is shown whenever you are open-
ing a file, deleting etc. You can force its display
at any time by typing <Blue>F.
Sample rate of audio
in current project (see
Arm Menu)
Shows the last date
on which the file
was altered.
Shows the sam-
pling rate of the
audio in the file.
Size of files (given in hours,
minutes and seconds for
MFX's Project files - those
with suffix .MT)
Complete loca-
tion or "path list"
of currently se-
lected file.
Indicates if
the disk is
removable
(e.g. Mag-
neto-Opti-
cal drive)
Indicates if
the device is
write pro-
tected.
Indicates the device disk
file system. This could be
RBF (the OS-9 file sys-
tem), FLFS or MDR-DOS
(proprietary Fairlight file
systems) or NTFS (Win-
dows NT file system, only
on servers or other PCs)

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NOTES

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User Manual Page 17
7. Starting a Project
A piece of work on the Disk Recorder is called a Project. When you wish to begin recording a Project must be open.
By pressing the Project key you can see the directory of files in the system, and access file management functions.
The Directory
The Directory is arranged in a hierarchy as follows:
Domain - a network group, consisting of servers and clients.
Node - a machine on the network, which could be a server or a client.
Unit - a SCSI storage device (hard disk, magneto-optical platter or tape drive).
Folder - a directory on a disk. Folders may be nested to many levels inside each other.
File - a Project file or other useful file in the system.
Domain
Node
Unit
Folder
File
Folder view
On the left side of the screen, the hierarchy of items, other than Files,
is shown in a descending indented structure. From an operational
point of view, Domain, Nodes, Units and Folders are seen in the same
way, except that only Folders can be created, deleted and renamed.
Henceforth the term Folders will be used to indicate any of these
levels in the hierarchy. A Folder containing other Folders is shown
with a + sign.
From and To Keys
Move focus between Folder
View and File View
File view
On the right side of the screen, one level
in the hierarchy is shown in a vertical
list. This level may contain Folders and
Files, which are contained in one
highlighted Folder on the left side of
the screen.
Folder can be
expanded
(press ENTER)
Navigation
At any time while browsing the Directory, there is a current navigation point where a file or folder is highlighted. This
point may be in the Folder view or the File view.
To cross from the File side to the Folder side and vice versa, press the From and To keys.
To move the navigation point up or down the screen, use the + and - keys, or the Jogger Wheel.
To open a Folder and reveal the other Folders and Files inside it, press <Blue +> or Jump Right.
To retract all Files and sub-Folders under a Folder, press <Blue -> or Jump Left.
To select the next/previous Node on the network, press <ctrl +> / <ctrl ->
To select the next/previous Unit on any node, press <shift +> / <shift ->
To open a File, press the Enter key. This can only be done in the File view.

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Digi
Arm
Wave
Edit
Takes
Nudge
Track
Block
Name
Grab
B/Up
Fade
Space
Level
Import
Proj
Disab
Mute
Subv
Solo
Press this key to access
other functions. See next
page
new refresh delete next
The first step in any project. You will be prompted for
a name before you can continue, so type one of up to
15 characters. The current device number is displayed
in the upper LCD, and you can change it using the
Numeric Keypad if you wish to start your new project
on a different device. Press ENTER to create the new
project. If there is a project open when you press this
key, it will be closed before the new one is opened.
Note: names should contain only the following char-
acters:
A - Z, a - z, 0 -9, _ (underscore)
Although the Prodigy Editor will allow entry of
some other characters, you are advised NOT to use
them, as they may cause problems in exchange with
other computer systems.
Press this Soft Key to de-
lete a File or Folder. You
will be prompted for con-
firmation, and in the case
of a Folder, you will be
prompted again if the
Folder contains Files.
Notes:
1. The operation of keys in this interface is very similar to that of Windows 95.
2. There is no way to open a File other than by pressing the Enter key.
3. Locked files have an L indication. This usually means that another user has the file open.
4. Any navigation moves done with the plus and minus keys e.g. <ctrl +>, can also be done with the Jogger
Wheel. For example, holding down the Blue key and turning the Jogger Wheel anticlockwise will open the entire
directory "tree" for the network.
The Project Menu
All file operations other than opening are done by moving the navigation point to a Folder or File and then press-
ing a Soft Key in this menu. When there is no file open, the menu looks like this:
Move the cursor to a
directory or disk drive
and press this Soft Key
to update the contents
of the directory. This
may take some time,
depending on how
large the device or di-
rectory is.

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User Manual Page 19
Digi
Arm
Wave
Edit
Takes
Nudge
Track
Block
Name
Grab
B/Up
Fade
Space
Level
Import
Proj
Disab
Mute
Subv
Solo
new
folder copy move rename next
Creates a new Folder underneath the
currently selected one (i.e. the one where
the Navigation Point is). You must sup-
ply a name for the new Folder, then press
Enter.
Initiates the copy sequence. First you must select
the destination directory for the copy by browsing
and pressing the Okay Soft Key. (If required you
may create a New Folder by pressing this Soft Key,
typing a name and pressing Enter. Then open it by
browsing and press Okay to make it the destination
Folder.) Now you must supply a name for the copy
by editing the one in the upper LCD. Press ENTER
to start the copy. Note that if the machine you are
copying from or to is in Play at the time, the copy
will be held off until the machine stops, and will be
held off again each time the machine goes into Play.
The Move sequence is
exactly the same as the
Copy sequence, ex-
cept that the original
file is removed. If the
destination Folder is
on the same storage
device as the File, the
Move command takes
only a few seconds, re-
gardless of File size.
Allows any File or Folder to
be renamed. Edit the cur-
rent name in the upper LCD
and press Enter. Domains,
Nodes and Units cannot be
renamed here. The currently
open Project can only be
renamed in the Name Menu.
Pressthiskeytoaccessother
functions. See next page
Project Menu 2nd Level
To return to the first level of the Project Menu,
press the Project button again.
File Cookies
Each Prodigy Editor Project file contains a cookie, or secret number, which is placed in the file when created. This
cookie is used to identify files and reopen them, even after they have been renamed or moved to another location.
All copy, move, backup and restore operations preserve the cookie in the destination, and that creates the risk that
there will be two files in the system with the same cookie. If that happens, the system cannot distinguish between
them, and may open or attach the wrong one.
If you are planning to copy a file as a template, or in order to make some radical changes, it is best to extend the file
rather than copy it, because then the file will have a unique cookie. If you need to have all the original media
inside the file, use the Keep Borrowed command on the Space menu, with full handles (see Space Menu). This takes
the same amount of time as copying the file.

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Digi
Arm
Wave
Edit
Takes
Nudge
Track
Block
Name
Grab
B/Up
Fade
Space
Level
Import
Proj
Disab
Mute
Subv
Solo
Project Menu 3rd Level
password next
Press this Soft Key to set or change the
password of the currently open file. A dialog
appears, requesting a password to be entered,
then asking for confirmation. After this the
cursor moves to a panel allowing the public
access of the file to be set. See below for
details on public access. To remove an exist-
ing password, enter a blank box in the pass-
word dialog box.
Press to access the first level
of the Menu.
Password Protection
Any Prodigy Editor project may have a password which restricts access to the material. When there is no password,
one can be applied by anyone who opens the file. There are three levels of access available to a file with a pass-
word, one of which must be chosen when the password is created. These are:
Public - any user can open the file and change any part of it. A password is not requested upon
opening the file.
Play Only - any user can open the file and play the audio, but cannot change anything. A password
is requested when first opening the file, and if none is supplied, read-only permission is
granted. Extending the file will then create a new unpassworded file extension, which
can be edited as required without changing the original file. If the correct password is
supplied when opening the file, then full write, delete, rename and move permission is
granted.
Private - no user can open the file at all, without supplying the correct password.
Notes:
1. Even a file which has Public Write access cannot be deleted, renamed, or moved. Any attempt to perform
these operations will result in the system requesting a password.
2. Once you have opened a file using its password, all other projects with the same password will be opened
without the machine requesting you to supply the password again. This may apply to several passwords that
have been used in a single session on the machine, and the only way to make the machine "forget" these
passwords is to restart it.