JLCooper Electronics MCS 3000 User manual

JL Cooper MCS- Panner
The JL Cooper MCS 3000 MIDI Panner
provides a joystick for surround panning,
along with other output and panner
controls.
Requirements
•Pro Tools / HD –series or MIX-
series systems.
•The MCS – Panner Controller
Personality File, must be
installed in the Controllers folder
within your DAE folder.
(Available from Digi Site).
•MIDI Ports. The MCS-Panner
requires MIDI In and Out
connections from your MIDI
Interface in order to
communicate with Pro Tools.
Make sure your MIDI Interface
has a pair of IN and Out ports
available for the MCS –Panner.
Connect the MCS-Panner
according to the installation
instructions provided with it.
Pro Tools can only support a single
joystick panner at a time; you cannot
attach more then one MCS-Panner, or
combine the MCS- Panner with any
other supported joystick control surface.
Consequently, the MCS-Panner will be
automatically disabled when an
EditPack is present as a control surface
in Pro Tools. You will not be able to
enable a MCS-Panner or any other non-
Digidesign panning control surfaces in
the MIDI Controllers window while an
EditPack is enabled as an Ethernet
control surface.
Installation and Configuration
The following are basic instructions for
configuring and connecting the MCS-
Panner. Refer to the MCS-Panner
manual for additional instructions and
information.
Dip Switches
On the rear of the MCS-Panner are four
dipswitches that must be set. These dip
switches define the particular MIDI
messages which are sent from the unit
and expected by the Pro Tools
personality.
DIP Switch Settings on the MCS-Panner
Switches
Position
DIP Switches 1 & 2
OFF
DIP Switches 3 & 4
ON

To Install the JL Cooper MCS-
Panner:
1 Connect the serial-to–MIDI cable
provided by JL Cooper to the MIDI
Interface.
•Connect the serial end to the
serial port on the back of the
MCS-Panner.
•Connect the double-ended MIDI
cable to the appropriate In and
Out ports on your MIDI
Interface.
2 Make sure the MCS-Panner File is
installed in the Controllers folder within
your DAE Folder (System Folder >
DAE Folder > Controllers). If it is not,
download from link.
Configuring OMS and Pro Tools for
the MCS Panner
See the configuration instructions in
Chapter 1 for complete instructions on
configuring OMS and Pro Tools for the
MCS-Panner.
MCS-Panner
The JL Cooper MCS-Panner provides
nine switches, five rotary controls, and a
joystick (with top mounted trigger).
Controls and Functions
The following tables list the function of
each control on the MCS-Panner.
MCS-Panner Switch Functions
Switches
Pro Tools Function
Select
Shift
S1
Move Selection Left
S2
Option, used for track
and panner window
navigation shortcuts
S3
Step Up through Main,
Sends and Inserts on
Selected track
S4
Step Down through
Inserts, Sends and
Main on Selected track

MCS-Panner Switch Functions
Switches
Pro Tools Function
S5
Move Selection Right
S6
Right Pan (LED lit
when on Right Pan)
S7
Page 1, Page 2 (LED
lit for Page 2). Selects
the operating mode for
the MCS Panner multi-
function rotary knobs.
S8
Mute (LED lit when
muted).
Rotary Controls
MCS-Panner Rotary Knob Functions
Knobs
E1
F POS / F DIV
Controls Front
Position
(L<C>R) in
mode page 1, or
Front
Divergence in
mode page 2
E2
LFE / Center %
(Percentage)
Controls LFE
(Low Frequency
Effects) in page
1, or Center
Percentage in
page 2
E3
F/R / F/R DIV
Controls Front to
Rear Position
(F/R) in page 1,
or Front to Rear
Divergence in
page 2
E4
R POS / R DIV
Controls Rear
Position (L/R) in
page 1, or Rear
Divergence in
page 2
E5
VOL
Controls Panner
Volume
Joystick
The Joystick on the MCS-Panner is non-
motorized, non-touch sensitive. There is
no visual feedback for positional
movement when the panner is not
engaged. The button on the top provides
takeover.
Using the MCS-Panner
This section explains how to navigate
(select tracks and panners) and pan using
the MCS Panner.
Selecting Tracks and Panners
To Select the previous or next track:
•Press S1 (previous) or S5 (next). The
currently selected track’s Track Name is
outlined in red, in the Mix and Edit
windows.
To select a track’s main, send or insert
panners:
•Press S3 and S4 switches to scroll
through the track’s currently available
Main or Send panners. The currently
selected Output or Send will be outlined
in blue as you cycle through the
available choices on that track.
If more than one control surface is
focused on an output or send, its outline
will be highlighted in white.
Selection and Navigation Shortcuts
To go to the first or last track in a session:
•Press Option+S1 to go to the first track.
•Press Option+S5 to go to the last track.
To go directly to the selected track’s main
output:
•Press Option+S3.

To go directly to the selected track’s Send 5:
•Press Option+S4.
Stereo Tracks and Panners
When panning stereo tracks, left and
right sides can be planned independently
(or unlinked).
To unlink stereo panners:
•Press Control while editing a parameter
using the MCS-Panner.
Panning with the Joystick
The MCS-Panner features a joystick for
360°surround panning. There is a
trigger button at the top of the joystick.
Once the desired Panner or Output
window is selected, panning can be input
using the joystick (explained below) or
the rotary knobs (explained in “Panning
with the Rotary Knobs” on page 88).
To pan with the joystick:
1. Select the track you want to pan (see
“Selecting Tracks and Panners” on page
87).
2. Press the Takeover button at the top of
the joystick and begin panning.
Constraining Joystick Panning
Joystick panning can be constrained (or
guided) to straight-line trajectories.
Though the joystick will not constrain its
movement, being non-motorized, the
resulting panning moves will be
constrained to the initial pan movement
and direction.
To constrain panning to initial direction:
•Press the Select switch (or the Shift
key) + pan using the joystick.
To constrain joystick panning to vertical
(front/rear):
•Enable 3-Knob mode in the current
Panner window (click its icon). When
3-Knob mode is engaged, horizontal
(left and right) movements are ignored.
Front/rear position along the current 3-
Knob trajectory follows the joystick
front/rear position.
See “Panning with the Rotary Knobs”
on page 88.
Joystick Position and Takeover
The Takeover button engages
absolute position when pressed.
Therefore it is possible to have
jumps in position when takeovers are
done.
To minimize this, try to have the
joystick as near as possible to the
pan cursor’s position, then trigger
takeover. For example, place the
joystick at the 12:00 position when
automating pan moves starting from
the default, 12:00 position of a
track’s pan cursor. Some offline
automation smoothing may need to
be done to eliminate undesirable
snaps in position.
For details on Pro Tools automation,
and surround panning, consult the Pro
Tools Reference Guide.
Panning with the Rotary Knobs
The MCS-Panner rotary knobs
provide direct control of Front, Rear,
and Front/Rear Divergence, Center
percentage, LFE level and channel
Volume.
The MCS-Panner follows Pro Tools
panning mode selection (3-Knob or
standard).

Page 1 and Page 2 Modes
The rotary knobs on the MCS-Panner are multi-
function controls that can be used for knob-based
panning, or for divergence and parameter
editing. Page 1 and 2 are selected with the S7
switch, as explained in the following
instructions.
Fine-Adjust Mode
The MCS-Panner supports fine-adjust mode for
all rotary controls, using the standard Pro Tools
command.
To pan in fine-adjust mode:
•Command-rotate any knob.
To pan using the knobs:
1. Select the track and output you want to
pan (see “Selecting Tracks and
Panners” on page 87).
2. Make sure that the MCS-Panner is in
Page 1 mode (the S7 “Page switch”
LED is lit in Page 2 mode, off in Page
1).
3. Adjust the Front, Rear, or Front/Rear
Position knobs as appropriate.
3-Knob Panning Controls
Pan Parameter
Rotary Knob
Front Position
Use E1
Rear Position
Use E2
Front/Rear Position
Use E3
Adjusting Other Parameters
The MCS-Panner rotary knobs can
adjust channel volume, LFE
contribution, Divergence parameters,
and Center Percentage.
Channel Volume
To adjust channel volume:
•Use E5 (in either Page 1 or Page 2
mode)’
LFE
To adjust the LFE slider:
•Use E2 (make sure the MCS-Panner is
in Page 1 mode).
Adjusting Divergence and Center
Percentage
The MCS-Panner can adjust a panner’s
divergence and center parameters.
To adjust divergence:
1. Press S7 to put the MCS-Panner in Page
2 mode (the S7 LED is lit to indicate
Page 2).
2. Adjust the Front, Rear, or Front/Rear
Divergence knobs as appropriate.
Divergence Controls
Parameter
Rotary Knob
Front Divergence
Use E1
Rear Divergence
Use E4
Front/Rear Divergence
Use E3
To adjust Center Percentage:
1. Press S7 until the MCS-Panner is in
Page 2 mode (the S7 LED will be lit).
2. Rotate E2 as desired.

Using Multiple Control Surfaces
Multiple control surfaces, and their
current track or control focus, are
indicated in Pro Tools using color
outlines of the track or controls
associated with each device.
Track selection (focus) of the MCS-
Panner is indicated with a red outline of
the Track Name.
Output and Send selection (focus) is
indicated with a blue outline around the
output or send display in the Mix and
Edit windows.
When more than one control surfaces is
focused on the same Output or Send, its
display will be outlined in white.

MCS-Panner Information
JL Cooper’s MCS-Panner features a high quality joystick mechanism, with
function switches and LEDs. It is used 2 ways:
1. As a self-contained stand alone controller or
2. Connected to a JL Cooper MCS-3000 Series Controller (3800, 3400,
or 3000)
1.
To operate the MCS-Panner as a self-contained controller, you will also
need the optional MCS-PAN-MIDIKIT. The MCS-PAN-MIDIKIT consists
of a special cable to provide MIDI IN an OUT, a power supply, and
operation notes relating to specific digital mixers. Refer to the MCS-Panner
Operation Notes included with the MCS-PAN-MIDIKIT for the proper DIP
switch settings.
2.
You may physically join the MCS-Panner to another MCS-3000 series
controller using the optional MCS-Joiner.
To connect the MCS-Panner to another JL Cooper MCS-3000 Series
Controller, use the modular cable included with the MCS-Panner. Be sure to
make all connections with the power off.
No external Power supply is required when connecting the MCS-Panner
to a MCS-3000 Series Controller. The MCS-Panner obtains its power from
the MCS-3000 Series Controller and data to and from the MCS-Panner is
passed through the MCS-3000 Series Controller.
On the rear of the MCS-Panner is a four position DIP switch which selects
the Panner’s device ID number. The switch should be set when power is
disconnected from the Panner. Notice that the switches are numbered so that
the ON position is toward the bottom of the Panner.
To connect a single panner to another MCS-3000 series Controller, all
four switches should be OFF (UP).