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Control everything with the Euphonix MC! Seriously... access applications from multiple Macs and PCs, do some edits in Final Cut Pro, check your email on your business PC... whatever! The MC is the controller that talks to everything!
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Everything you need for interfacing with your workstation.
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How's it work? Ethernet out from the MC goes to a switcher, which then connects to any computer in your system, Mac or PC.
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Okay... these are some sexy buttons. Each SmartSwitch is a little LCD screen that displays custom information for each application you bring up. Is that cool or what?
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Audio facilities that require more faders and individual channel strip controls can make the MC the center section of a full System 5-MC console. Oooh.
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The MC's on-board 1024x768 touch screen, with tools for track selection & management, LCD SmartSwitch setup, surface setup and layouts, file management, monitoring setup and more.
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To properly understand how the Euphonix MC Media Application Controller might be the greatest thing since sliced bread, the first thing you need to know is why the bread needs to be sliced. Er... let's take a step back and start again.
Getting Busy
Now then. In today's production environment, you have access to a lot of capabilities, via the availability of high-powered computers and sophisticated software. Now, for awhile there, things were pretty managable. You probably had one computer, a Mac or a PC, running your DAW software and plug-ins. Perhaps you were lucky enough to have a computer whose sole purpose was to run that audio system. After awhile, maybe you added a dedicated controller... a dedicated hardware device specifically designed to interact with a range of software.
But the demands in a production room have changed over the course of time. Maybe you want to get into sound for picture, or multimedia, or video editing. Maybe you want to keep individual processor-intensive application running on dedicated computers. Hey, maybe you just want to connect to the Internet, create disc art, or run your accounting software without compromising the performance of your audio PC.
But running from computer to computer (and adapting to different interface environments) can be frustrating and time consuming. So, now all you need is an control device that offers all the tools you'd want for these various tasks, as well as the compatibility to work with any piece of software on any platform. And that is exactly what you get with Euphonix' new MC Media Applcation Controller.
Mac and PC, Any Application
First, you need to understand that the Euphonix MC literally works with any application, on Mac or PC. It also connects to multiple computers, allowing you to instantly switch between computers and applications without missing a beat.
So, let's say you're running Logic Pro 7 on a Mac, GigaStudio on a Windows machine, and have a Pro Tools rig on a separate box. Not only can you flip back and forth working on each system without losing focus on one set of controls, but the controls themselves re-configure when you switch to the active application!
How does it do it? Pretty simply, actually. A driver gets installed on the host computer, which is connected to the MC via Ethernet. Some software (like Nuendo and Pyramix) supports control of the MC through Euphonix' own EuCon high speed protocol, while others (Pro Tools, Logic, etc.) work with HUI & Mackie Control. Other tools (like the keyboard, trackball, and programmable buttons) will function with any application as you'd normally work with those devices.
Button, Button, Who's Got The Button
The MC can be a little intimidating when you first sit down behind its 747 cockpit-like control set. But the list of control tools is really pretty easy to understand:
• Dual trackballs (which can be switched for mouse operation), each with a control ring. One Trackball can also be converted into a Jog-Shuttle wheel.
• Standard full-sized QWERT keyboard with numeric keypad (which can be changed for a user preferable keyboard)
• 56 programmable SmartSwitches each with an integral LCD display to show their function
• 9 Soft Knobs for processor and plug-in control
• 4 faders (optionally dual joystick panners)
• 6 Strip Control buttons associated with the faders
• 4 buttons for selecting multiple workstations
• High-res touchscreen for setup and control
• Surround monitoring including monitor matrix, speaker controls, solo and talkback mic
You also get extensive connectivity including a footswitch jack, headphone thru jack, touchscreen VGA output, standard keyboard and mouse ports, a USB port, a serial port and, of course, Ethernet.
Build Your Studio Around It
Euphonix, as you probably know, is the renowned console manufacturer with years of pioneering experience in control surface design. In creating the MC, Euphonix had a goal to "help free up the creative mind and speed up the operation and workflow of any project." If your creative environment is centered in the music world, you can expand your MC's standalone capabilities to be a full System 5-MC audio mixing console, which includes eight (or more) System 5 channel strips and an MC in a center section for workstation control, monitoring and channel setup and assign.
GC Pro: Your Euphonix MC HQ!
GC Pro's Account Managers have all the detailed information you'd want on a studio tool as powerful as the Euphonix MC. They can walk you through its features, or even set up a demo upon request. Contact one today!
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