DAW Control

Related manuals

https://www.softube.com/user-manuals/console-1-mixing-system-mk-iii https://www.softube.com/user-manuals/flow-studio

Introduction

This manual explains how Softube hardware products can be used to control DAW functionality. The features work the same for all hardware products, apart from a few cases where the specific product will be mentioned.

Most DAWs support DAW Control which allows you to control track parameters in the DAW's mixer, such as DAW Volume, Pan, Solo, Mute and Send Level, if sends are available. If a track is selected in either the DAW or the hardware the track selection will be mirrored in the other at the same time.

As of now, all major DAWs support Softube's DAW Control. In Pro Tools, you can control DAW Volume and Sends from the Console 1 Fader when using a combination of DAW Control and Pro Tools HUI.

Some DAW Control features are only available when a Softube hardware aware plug-in (like Console 1 or Flow Mixing Suite) is inserted on a track. These plug-ins are referred to simply as a plug-in below.

Always use the VST3 version of the plug-in if your DAW supports VST3!

Two Types of DAW Control

There are two levels of DAW Control: DAW Control using VST3 and "Direct DAW Control". DAW Control using VST allows you to control all tracks that have an instance of the plug-in on it, while "Direct DAW Control" will give you access to all tracks, typically through direct communication with the DAW.

The functionality of Direct DAW Control can vary between different DAWs.

DAW	VST3 DAW Control	Direct DAW Control	Notes
Cubase		Yes	Console 1 Channel Mk I/II not supported
Nuendo		Yes	Console 1 Channel Mk I/II not supported
Logic Pro		Yes
Pro Tools		Scripting SDK and HUI	Volume, Pan and Sends controlled through HUI
Presonus Studio One	✔
Ableton Live	✔
Bitwig Studio		Yes
FL Studio	✔
LUNA	✔
Harrison MixBus	✔
Reaper	✔
Samplitude Pro	✔

For an up-to-date list of DAWs, please see DAW Compatibility with Console 1

Metering with DAW Control

With DAW Control, the output meters will display the levels after the DAW’s fader and pan has been applied. This level is approximated, and if you have processing between the plug-in and the DAW’s fader, the metering can be incorrect. However, in Cubase/Nuendo and Logic Pro, the output meters in the On-Screen Display are reported from the DAW and are not approximated.

If you want to see the output levels coming out of Console 1, without the DAW’s volume and pan, press the Shift button, and the output meter of the On-Screen Display will show the output levels of the Console 1 plug-in.

Disabling DAW Control

It is possible to disable DAW Control from the Settings menu, and if you disable DAW Control you can choose to keep track number, selection and color on.

Direct DAW Control for Logic Pro

Logic Pro 10.7 and higher supports DAW Control through Apple’s Control Surface support. With this you can access track volume, pan, sends, solo and mute, for both tracks containing a plug-in, as well as tracks without a plug-in.

Differences from the VST3 DAW Control (Studio One, Live, etc)

Users familiar with the DAW Control in other DAWs (using the VST3 DAW Control interface) will notice some differences.

Track Layout: The track numbering in Console 1 will always follow the order of the tracks in Logic’s mixer! Only tracks that are visible in the mixer will be accessible from the hardware

Limited Tracks: Tracks without a plug-in will also be visible and controllable from the hardware, but without the plug-ins’s audio processing.

Installation

Installing DAW Control for Logic Pro is automatic and will only be required once. In some cases, for example when the computer network settings change, you might be required to do it again.

1. Make sure the latest version of the plug-in is installed and that the “Softube On-Screen Display” application is running.
2. Start Logic
3. Logic will display a message which looks like this for Console 1: “OSC app “Console 1” on “Console 1 [computername] wants to connect to Logic Pro.”
4. If there are several computers running Softube hardware on your network, make sure that the message refers to your computer and press OK.

Advanced Installation

If there are more than one computer with Softube hardware on your network, Logic will ask if you if you want to connect to the product on every computer that has the Softube On-Screen Display application running. Do not click OK for other computers than the one your currently using! DAW Control will only work with the computer that has the hardware connected to it.

If you happened to add another computer on the network by mistake, it’s easy to fix by removing the product from Logic Pro after the initial message, go to the menu Logic Pro > Control Surfaces > Setup… For example, for Console 1, you should only see a single instance of Console 1 there.

The Control Surface configuration requires that you have enabled advanced features in Logic. Go to Logic Pro > Preferences > Advanced… and select “Enable Complete Features”.

Trouble Shooting

Turn on "Automatic Installation" in the Control Surfaces setup.

1. Go to Logic Pro → Control Surfaces → Setup ...
2. Press New, and check that Automatic Installation is checked
3. Quit Softube On-Screen Display and start it again.

Softube hardware needs access to Local Network and Accessibility

In macOS Settings, go to Privacy & Security

• Select Local Network: Make sure that "Softube On-Screen Display" is listed and allowed to use your local network.
• Select Accessibility: Make sure that "Softube On-Screen Display" is listed and allowed to use accessibility features.

Features in DAW Control for Logic Pro

Track Control

Softube hardware can only control tracks that are currently visible in Logic’s mixer.

It will show different sets of tracks depending on your current Logic mixer configuration (eg. “Single”, “Tracks” and “All” ). Furthermore, Softube hardware hides tracks that are not currently visible in Logic’s mixer, like subtracks in a closed Track Stacks.

If the track view is out of sync with Logic, you can toggle “Single”, “Tracks” and “All” in the mixer to get it to re-sync.

Limited Tracks: Track Control without a plug-in

With Logic Pro, you don’t need to have a plug-in on the track to be able to control the basic functionality (Volume, Pan, Solo/Mute, Sends). This type of track is called a “Limited Track”.

Sends On Faders

Logic Pro has the option to place the sends on the fader, which is not recommended. Instead, use the dedicated send controls on the Softube hardware.

Maximum of 200 tracks

Softube hardware can only control 200 tracks at a time in a project. It is possible to have more than 200 tracks in a project, but some functionality, such as “Favorites”, “Copy” and “Group” will only work within 200 adjacent tracks. You can switch which group of 200 tracks that are controllable from Console 1 by selecting a track in the group from the Logic Pro mixer.

Note on Solo/Mute for Console 1

If you have a project where you have used Console 1’s internal Solo, Mute or Solo Safe functionality, you will need to turn off all Solo, Mute and Solo Safe in your saved projects before using DAW Control for Logic Pro.

To turn off all internal Solo, Mute and Solo Safe:

1. Go to Settings in the On-Screen Display (Shift + Track Selector 20)
2. Click on “Turn off all internal Solo and Mute”

If more consideration is required, turn off DAW Control in Console 1, and manually turn off Solo, Mute, and Solo Safe:

1. Turn off DAW Control: Shift + Track Selector 20, DAW Feature Setting, DAW Control On/Off. A restart of the DAW and OSD is required.
2. Re-open the project and turn off all Solo, Mute that’s inside Console 1, and replace them with the DAW’s Solo and Mute.

With DAW Control for Logic Pro, the Solo and Mute buttons on Console 1 will be used to control Logic Pro’s solo and mute functionality, and it isn’t possible to toggle Console 1’s internal solo and mute functionality with DAW Control turned on.

Direct DAW Control for Cubase/Nuendo

Cubase 13.0.51 or 14.0.10 and higher, and Nuendo 13.0.51 and higher, supports DAW Control through Steinberg's MIDI Remote API. With this you can access track volume, pan, sends, solo and mute, both for tracks containing a plug-in, as well as tracks without a plug-in ("Limited tracks"). The MIDI Remote API also allows you to control VCA tracks, which wasn't available before.

If you only want to see tracks containing a plug-in, or any other subset of your tracks, mark the tracks as Favorite and click Shift + Favorite to only show those.

Installation

The installation is automatic, the required files is copied to Cubase/Nuendo on start-up, and Cubase/Nuendo will connect automatically to your units.

If you run into issues, you can disconnect/connect your Softube hardware units from your computer, and also reload the MIDI Remote scripts:

• Open Studio > MIDI Remote Manager
• Make sure at least one Softube hardware unit is listed under MIDI Controllers.
• Press the Reload button in the top right corner.

Limited Tracks: Track Control without a plug-in

With Steinberg MIDI Remote you no longer need to have a plug-in on the track to be able to control the basic functionality (Volume, Pan, Solo/Mute, Sends). This type of track is called a "Limited Track".

Direct DAW Control for Pro Tools

Using two different technologies, Pro Tools Scripting SDK and Pro Tools HUI we can now control all tracks, including those without a plug-in in Pro Tools 2024.6 and higher.

From Pro Tools Scripting SDK, we have the following features:

• Track Name
• Track Color
• Track Number
• Solo & Mute
• Track Selection

For Flow Studio, this is the available DAW Control in Pro Tools. The following sections refer to using Console 1 in Pro Tools.

From Pro Tools HUI mode, we have the following features:

• Fader volume
• Sends
• Solo & Mute

When Pro Tools HUI is used in conjunction with Pro Tools Scripting SDK and at least one instance of Console 1, HUI will be improved with full track names, track colors and track numbers.

Step 1, the "Scripting SDK" (Flow Studio and Console 1)

The "Scripting SDK", aka Pro Tools PTSCL, allows the Softube hardware to get information on all tracks, as well as controlling track selection, solo and mute. This means that you can see all tracks in your project, regardless of whether you have a plug-in or not. You can also control solo/mute properly without needing the plug-in on all tracks.

Track selection is another big benefit of Pro Tools PTSCL, the track selection is now in sync between Softube hardware and Pro Tools.

Installation: Installation is automatic, but you need to have at least one hardware aware plug-in in your project for the Scripting SDK to start. You also need to make sure that "DAW Control" is turned on in the Softube hardware product Settings. To confirm that the PTSCL is up an running (for Console 1 as reference), go to Settings > About Console 1 and scroll down until you see "Using Pro Tools PTSCL" at the bottom.

Step 2, "Pro Tools HUI" (only Console 1)

Pro Tools HUI lets the Console 1 Fader Mk III control the track volume and send levels directly from the hardware. Together with the track selection from the PTSCL, you will get a seemless experience between Console 1 Channel Mk III (that controls your EQ, compressor, etc) and Console 1 Fader Mk III that controls the track levels.

Please note that you need Console 1 Fader Mk III in "Pro Tools HUI" mode for this to work.

To setup Pro Tools HUI, please see the the Pro Tools HUI chapter.

Direct DAW Control for Bitwig Studio

Direct DAW Control is now available for Bitwig Studio 6. This means you have control of volume, pan, solo/mute, track selection, and sends without the need of using a plug-in.

Installation

• Make sure you have the latest version of Bitwig Studio 6.
• Launch Bitwig Studio and open Settings.
• Go to Controllers and click Add Controller.
• From the Hardware Vendor drop-down, select Softube, and then a suitable product (the product name listed may not match your specific product. Choosing any option here is fine, regardless of product).
• In the controller’s configuration, select the MIDI input/output ports ending with “DAW” (your device exposes two MIDI ports—always choose the ones with the “DAW” suffix), then close Settings.