HOW TO copy/paste properties on a matrix control panel
Dan Lynch
Posts: 472
Update July 3, 2007
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Some non-standard behaviors were noted for the matrix mixer control panels, so a bit of explanation was added to the bottom of this tutorial. It should also be noted that I no longer consider this method to be the best way to solve the problem. At the time this was originally posted, it was the only way. Today, it would be a lot easier to just make a macro with the customizations in it. I'll leave this tutorial up because it does provide some insight into how the matrix mixers work. ~Dan~
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HowTo: Someone contacted me wanting to know if there were a trick to making copy/paste properties work correctly on a matrix control panel. Specifically, he had 10 different matrices each with 48 inputs. They were all the same 48 inputs, and he really didn't want to type those 48 names each 10 times. If you try to use the copy/paste properties function on the processing object, it doesn't work. If you're really watching closely, you might notice that the matrix control panels are one big control surface rather than individual controls, but if you try to use copy/paste properties on the control panel, it also doesn't work.
The missing concept in this problem is that when you change the names on a matrix control panel, you're not just changing some properties. You're actually customizing the control. Think of it as being the same as changing which bitmap is used for a fader. (It's a little bit confusing because you're using the properties panel to make these changes, but it does make sense when considered in the larger context of controls.)
After customizing a control in London Architect, if you want to be able to customize another control in exactly the same way, you can add the customized version to the GALLERY and then drag it onto additional controls.
So, how does this work?
Step 1) Make all of your customizations. In this example, I've created custom input/output names as well as changing the size of the name fields.
Step 2) Size the control panel and add it to the gallery. When you create the gallery object, the size of the window will determine the size of the default background on the object. You can always resize it later, but it's much simpler to just start with the smallest background possible. After the window is sized, just click on the Gallery menu and select Add and then Selected Objects.
Step 2.5) You'll need to give the custom object a name.
Step 3) The custom object is now in the Gallery and may be used to customize any matrix mixer control panel. Just drag the custom object from the Gallery on to a matrix mixer control panel and all of the customizations will be applied.
Details
This method will NOT work to customize:
1) A default control panel.
2) A custom control panel created with the \"Convert Default to Custom\" command.
You have to copy the matrix mixer controls to a custom control panel using the copy/paste commands
Also, the gallery will always show your customized control as being 8x4. The customizations are still there, they gallery just won't display them.
Dan
***********************************
Some non-standard behaviors were noted for the matrix mixer control panels, so a bit of explanation was added to the bottom of this tutorial. It should also be noted that I no longer consider this method to be the best way to solve the problem. At the time this was originally posted, it was the only way. Today, it would be a lot easier to just make a macro with the customizations in it. I'll leave this tutorial up because it does provide some insight into how the matrix mixers work. ~Dan~
***********************************
HowTo: Someone contacted me wanting to know if there were a trick to making copy/paste properties work correctly on a matrix control panel. Specifically, he had 10 different matrices each with 48 inputs. They were all the same 48 inputs, and he really didn't want to type those 48 names each 10 times. If you try to use the copy/paste properties function on the processing object, it doesn't work. If you're really watching closely, you might notice that the matrix control panels are one big control surface rather than individual controls, but if you try to use copy/paste properties on the control panel, it also doesn't work.
The missing concept in this problem is that when you change the names on a matrix control panel, you're not just changing some properties. You're actually customizing the control. Think of it as being the same as changing which bitmap is used for a fader. (It's a little bit confusing because you're using the properties panel to make these changes, but it does make sense when considered in the larger context of controls.)
After customizing a control in London Architect, if you want to be able to customize another control in exactly the same way, you can add the customized version to the GALLERY and then drag it onto additional controls.
So, how does this work?
Step 1) Make all of your customizations. In this example, I've created custom input/output names as well as changing the size of the name fields.
Step 2) Size the control panel and add it to the gallery. When you create the gallery object, the size of the window will determine the size of the default background on the object. You can always resize it later, but it's much simpler to just start with the smallest background possible. After the window is sized, just click on the Gallery menu and select Add and then Selected Objects.
Step 2.5) You'll need to give the custom object a name.
Step 3) The custom object is now in the Gallery and may be used to customize any matrix mixer control panel. Just drag the custom object from the Gallery on to a matrix mixer control panel and all of the customizations will be applied.
Details
This method will NOT work to customize:
1) A default control panel.
2) A custom control panel created with the \"Convert Default to Custom\" command.
You have to copy the matrix mixer controls to a custom control panel using the copy/paste commands
Also, the gallery will always show your customized control as being 8x4. The customizations are still there, they gallery just won't display them.
Dan
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Is there a way to copy parts of different matrix controls to one control pages?
Thanks
Carl Sagen
Dan