1 (edited by soundflix 2024-09-13 11:33:03)

Topic: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hi everyone!

I developed a menu bar app for macOS that displays a temporary HUD Overlay of changes in TotalMix's Control Room. Tracked controls are Main & Phones Volumes, Mutes, Dim, Talkback, Speaker B, Mono, Ext In, Mute FX and Mute-Groups.

The app is useful if you want quick visual feedback and/or keyboard access to your Control Room settings.

  • Watch your monitor level while you adjust, without having the overwhelming TotalMix Mixer window visible.
    Cool if you're using the ARC USB and want exact volume control.

  • The HUD Overlay is transparent and you can't click on it. It can time out or stay visible permanently. Opacity is adjustable. Fades when mouse hovers.

  • You can assign Keyboard shortcuts to switch or adjust any of the displayed controls.

  • You can decide if you want to see the overlay for a few seconds or permanently.

  • You can select Automatic Talkback, linked to the transport status of your DAW!

  • You can select an Automatic Mute-Group, linked to the transport status of your DAW!

The HUD Overlay looks like this:
https://i.ibb.co/sKzpJK4/Bildschirmfoto-2021-12-31-um-02-05-09.png

The app is now available on my website. There’s a 30 days trial.

The app has a minimum requirement of macOS 10.15 (Catalina)

---
Update:
Version 2.0.1 (08.09.2024) This is the first official release of ControlPilot version 2!

Many things have been fixed and improved, and there are new features, see here.

There are 2 important changes:

- The required minimum macOS version is macOS 12 (Monterey).
- TotalMix 1.96 introduced changes to OSC messaging, which means ControlPilot 1 does not run with TotalMix 1.96 and higher.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

i send you a "forum email".... b

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Thanks to the contributors so far!

I'm still searching for more feedback from people who don't use ARC or a dedicated controller, just keyboard.

Also, people who use TotalMix's Talkback feature are very welcome.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

a quick update: controlPilot now has a new Automatic Talkback feature, linked to the transport status of your DAW !

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Very interested in trying this!

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

mattrixx wrote:

Very interested in trying this!

Matt, I sent you a PM!

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Very interested in trying this too!

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

screenshot updated.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

I'm very interested to try this menu bar, can it have snapshot changes?

Juan José Salazar
Sonic Animal Music
RME Babyface, Win 10, Mac Catalina, Pro Tools, Nuendo, Ableton

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

juanjosalazar wrote:

I'm very interested to try this menu bar, can it have snapshot changes?

Hi Juan,
I am trying to have this app centered around Control Room features. Maybe that would be just too much. TM lets you assign hotkeys for snapshot, have you tried that?

11 (edited by soundflix 2022-06-14 23:09:11)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hi all!

I made a short Demo-Screencast video to show what ControlPilot does.
Here's the link :-)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

I'm working on a new feature to automate Mute Groups based on DAW Transport Status STOP / PLAY RECORD.
It would be interesting to hear different scenarios where / how this could be used.

13 (edited by soundflix 2022-06-14 23:10:51)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

I made a short screencast to demonstrate Auto-Mute and Auto-Talk.
Watch it here

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

I added a few more options to the Auto-Mute feature. You can now select any combination of transport states (Stop/Play/Record) where you want the selected Mute Group switched on.

15

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Awesome!

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Is there a release to be expected in the near future?

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
ADAT gear: Korg, Behri, Fostex, Alesis...

17 (edited by soundflix 2022-07-22 22:44:01)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

cyrano wrote:

Is there a release to be expected in the near future?

Hi Cyrano,
Beta is over and the version 1.0 release is imminent. I just didn’t make it before the summer break.
You can get the current pre-release on my website.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Thanks!

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
ADAT gear: Korg, Behri, Fostex, Alesis...

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Thanks for your work on this! I purchased a license.

I have a mechanical keyboard with a rotary encoder, which I would like to use to control the Main Volume in the TotalMix FX control room. I have configured the keyboard such that turning it to the left sends key F18 and turning it to the right sends key F19. I have then set up hotkeys in ControlPilot for Main Volume -1dB and +1dB and have assigned those to F18 and F19, respectively.

When I try to use the encoder, however, the control of the TotalMix FX Main fader gets sluggish and ceases to work if I turn the encoder too quickly.

Setting the keyboard encoder to control the built-in volume of my Mac, however, results in a very smooth operation. And I can use the encoder on my ARC USB at any speed--the faster I turn it, the faster the volume changes.

When I hold down a hot key set to main volume +1.0dB or -1.0dB, the effect is that the command repeats at a moderate speed, thereby continuously increasing or decreasing the main volume. And that also works when, instead of holding down the hot key, I simply hit the key repeatedly at a moderate speed. But as I increase the frequency with which I hit the key, eventually the hot key ceases to work. That's the same thing that happens when I use my rotary encoder knob. If I turn the encoder very slowly, it works fine, but at a normal speed, it is sending the key command too frequently for Totalmix FX to recognize it.

So I think this may indicate that ControlPilot may be having some difficulty buffering keyboard input.

Do you think a fix may be possible?

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hi Adam,
thanks for your purchase!
I see your issue. In my inital design, I noticed that TotallMix was getting unresponsive when sending OSC messages too quickly. That's why I limited the frequency of OSC messages. I will try to find a better solution and keep you updated.

Next time you have a support issue, feel free to contact me directly through the app or via email.
support@felixrost.de

21 (edited by soundflix 2022-08-27 12:13:51)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New HUD Overlay layout option compact:

https://i.ibb.co/YPPbKqb/new-compact-layout-explode-BG.png

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

That's great!!  Compact and clean!!

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New feature in 0.9.9: Volume focus - The volume display can toggle to each incoming submix volume change. User preferences to toggle only to Main / SpeakerB and a timeout value.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

soundflix wrote:

New feature in 0.9.9: Volume focus - The volume display can toggle to each incoming submix volume change. User preferences to toggle only to Main / SpeakerB and a timeout value.

This just keeps getting better and better Felix!  Great work.

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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25 (edited by soundflix 2022-09-21 14:56:41)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hi folks,
Control Pilot is out with version 1.0!
Cheers!

26 (edited by soundflix 2023-01-18 09:28:35)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New feature in 1.0.3:
As of TotalMix 1.80, SpeakerB Link is transmitted in OSC. ControlPilot can now show and toggle Link state.

27 (edited by mattrixx 2023-01-18 09:50:02)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Fantastic. That's an excellent feature for an already excellent app!!

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New Version 1.1.0

New: Support for TotalMix' CUE system (requires TotalMix 1.80b1 or higher). 2 configurable keyboard shortcuts available.
New: If the channel displayed in volume bar is MUTE, it will have a grayed-out appearance.
Changed: Channel Assignments were improved to be more flexible and reliable.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Just brilliant... It's working great with the latest Totalmix beta.

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New Version 1.1.4

- New: In HUD Setup, choose "Show Reference" to set the reference level marker's visibility.
- Changed: The reference level marker turns gray when the main level matches reference level ("calibrated").

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

nice, the app keeps getting better.

My recall settings in Total Mix are at -15dB, so it would be good if the red marker would adjust accordingly.
Can I set the reference level somewhere to something lower than 0dB?

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

hselters wrote:

Can I set the reference level somewhere to something lower than 0dB?

In ControlPilot, set up a keyboard shortcut for RECALL and use it once. The return value from TotalMix is stored for the reference marker.

33 (edited by soundflix 2023-04-10 14:37:37)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New version ControlPilot 1.2.0:

- New: Shortcuts for recall TotalMix Snapshots 1-8. Handle with care!
- New: When a Snapshot is recalled in TotalMix, the HUD displays the snapshot number.
- New: Shortcut keys of numeric keypad display in a box to be visually different from their main keyboard counterparts, e.g.  1⃣
- Changed: The HUD is also shown when Recall (reference level) shortcut is pressed repeatedly.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

New version ControlPilot 1.3.0:

- Improvements for macOS 14 / Sonoma
- New Beta option for Updater, when selected serves beta versions if newer available.

... Beta for ControlPilot starting now ;-)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

soundflix wrote:

New version ControlPilot 1.3.0:

- Improvements for macOS 14 / Sonoma
- New Beta option for Updater, when selected serves beta versions if newer available.

... Beta for ControlPilot starting now ;-)


Great stuff,
Thanks !!

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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36 (edited by soundflix 2024-02-28 21:43:25)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Breaking news for ControlPilot 2: A new layout option with a circular volume slider that fits well with a popular DAW's unused screen space!

https://i.ibb.co/rkPLG0x/Control-Pilot-2-beta3-Flat-layout.png

This is already available in ControlPilot 2 beta2 from today. If you happen to use a recent version of ControlPilot and would like to check it out, go to the "Updates" section and select "include beta versions". The newest beta will be offered to download.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

soundflix wrote:

Breaking news for ControlPilot 2: A new layout option with a circular volume slider that fits well with a popular DAW's unused screen space!

https://i.ibb.co/rkPLG0x/Control-Pilot-2-beta3-Flat-layout.png

This is already available in ControlPilot 2 beta2 from today. If you happen to use a recent version of CP and would like to check it out, go to the "Updates" section and select "include beta versions". The newest beta will be offered to download.

Thanks, this is really great!

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

This is excellent Rinus.
The program you miss when it's not running, but doesn't get in the way when it's there.  Soo good!

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

ControlPilot 2 beta 4: Volume Focus un-muted

A new addition to Volume Focus: When a channel’s mute state changes from mute to not-mute, the Overlay is triggered, showing the respective channel’s volume. This behaviour is configurable with the Volume Focus setting.

Very convenient.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

*** It looks like AVID have removed the M-Audio midi peripheral option in ProTools2024.3 ***

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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41

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

How does this relate to controlPilot?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hi Matthias,, Apologies, I should’ve elaborated. Control pilot can use (and Is the preferred method) the M-Audio HyperControl protocol, Which seems to be a lot more detailed and accurate when using control pilot for MUTE groups in Total mix when punching in and out of ProTools.
Hopefully Rinus sees this soon and can advise.

Cheers
Matt

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Hey Matrixx,

I saw this too yesterday. Apparently Avid themselves don't know what happened and opened "a case". So let's wait.

Unfortunately, M-Audio HyperControl is at the moment the only method to feed ControlPilot with transport record state, which is useful for many to automate a TM Mute group on record in/out.
I will keep track of the issue and also look for options.

Btw. matt, who is Rinus?

Cheers, Felix

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Whoops, apologies Felix, Rinus is another developer I’ve dealt with. 
Another menu bar app called Plugsearch.

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Version 2.0.1beta5 (17.03.2024)
- NEW: Added HUI MIDI protocol to receive transport state from DAW. (Pro Tools 2024.3 has dropped M-Audio protocol support for good)
- NEW: Shortcut "Flip width on selected Playback channel". TotalMix 'Width' is a property of the playback channels, not the outputs. Nevertheless, I think it's a feature that fits well into ControlPilot. Select in the Shortcut settings list which channel 'flip width' applies to.

https://i.ibb.co/R9D3gw9/Control-Pilot-Version-2-0-1beta5-UISnapshot-flat-Layout-Flip-Width.png

This is how the Flip width display looks like, here in the new Flat layout. Width will be displayed as long as it's negative.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

soundflix wrote:

Version 2.0.1beta5 (17.03.2024)
- NEW: Added HUI MIDI protocol to receive transport state from DAW. (Pro Tools 2024.3 has dropped M-Audio protocol support for good)
- NEW: Shortcut "Flip width on selected Playback channel". TotalMix 'Width' is a property of the playback channels, not the outputs. Nevertheless, I think it's a feature that fits well into ControlPilot. Select in the Shortcut settings list which channel 'flip width' applies to.

https://i.ibb.co/R9D3gw9/Control-Pilot-Version-2-0-1beta5-UISnapshot-flat-Layout-Flip-Width.png

This is how the Flip width display looks like, here in the new Flat layout. Width will be displayed as long as it's negative.


Apparently AVID didn't intend to drop the M-Audio protocol support and have mentioned that it will be re-instated in an upcoming update.

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Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
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Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

mattrixx wrote:

Apparently AVID didn't intend to drop the M-Audio protocol support and have mentioned that it will be re-instated in an upcoming update.

In the meantime, AVID have made it clear that M-Audio protocol support won't come back to Pro Tools.
With Pro Tools 2024.3 and higher, use "HUI" instead of "M-Audio" as ControlPilot's Transport Type.

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

I just distributed an update for ControlPilot which should fix a serious issue with TotalMix 1.96 beta5 and higher.
Use ControlPilot's built-in updater to get the new version 2.0.1 beta14.
(The update is backwards compatible.)

The issue is that TotalMix 1.96 beta5 introduced changements in the OSC communication. This leads to ControlPilot constantly re-showing the overlay and eventually overloading TM with messages.

49

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

Thanks for keeping track on TM FX development!

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

50 (edited by jpoulsen 2024-08-29 08:35:49)

Re: controlPilot - macOS app for ControlRoom settings & automatic Talkback

A tip for folks, I wanted to remap my "old" Mac volume buttons to have the same functions as before by using ControlPilot, but that is not apparently possible without changing them to functions keys (f10 f11 f11), I then had to hold down the "fn" button at the same time whenever I wanted to adjust volume or mute. But now I discovered Karabiner-Elements, which lets you remap any key in macOS.

https://i.postimg.cc/BbGjHDTZ/temp-Imagealo07e.avif

So now I can still have brightness and media controls combined with "fn"-funktion keys for controlling volume
https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org