Version 0.6
-
Brought back the metal theme.
-
New MIDI implimentation allows new MIDI devices to
be recognized after the program is launched.
-
MIDI Destination menu is now in the main controller
window.
-
Save and
open Peavey PC-1600(x) "All Presets" files.
-
New "Send Multiple" and "Request Multiple" windows
allow sending and receiving a range of presets with the PC-1600(x).
Send or receive all presets or just a few in 1 click!
-
Fixed a bug with OS 10.3.4 and sending presets larger
than 1024 bytes.
Verson 0.5
includes several bug fixes with the graphics that solve a lot of refresh
and other performance problems. All the special bytes are now available
in the Hex strings as well as a syntax checker. Byte format parameters
are now programmable along with negative numbers in max and min values
for fader string mode. You can now program the data wheel link as well.
Also several other additions that should now offer full compatibility
with all the features in the PC-1600x preset data.
0.5.1 fixes a
bug with the CV editor.
0.5.2 adds the
most frequently requested feature: copy funtions in the button and
fader edit windows. When you are in the edit window for the button
or fader you want to edit, just select the button or fader number you
want to copy from and click the "Copy from . . ." control.
Top
Why the PC-1600v?
Why did I do this? I'm a theatre sound designer. The Peavey
PC-1600x is my weapon of choice for controlling the sound playback of
my shows. It works great but let's face it, it's expensive. I can usually
convince the theatre to buy one but for tech rehearsals, I really need
two. One with the sound operator and one with me in the theatre for programming
and remote control. Convincing the theatre to buy two is a tough sell.
So that's problem 1: I need two, I can only afford one.
The second problem
is that it's a pain to program these things. I spend all day staring
at that two-line screen and pressing
those little editing buttons over and over. One day when programming
the PC-1600x I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be great if I could
do this on the computer and then dump it to the controller?"
Well, I found
a couple of Windows programs that allow remote editing but they're
pretty clunky and cluttered in my opinion and I use a Mac so they aren't
very useful to me. Also, neither of them offer emulation of the real
controller in a way that would be useful to me.
So I decided
to write a program myself. I think it's great. And I hope you do too!
Top
What are the
system requirements?
Well, first, you gotta have a Mac! I'm not going to write
a Windows version of this since there are already two similar (though
nowhere near as cool) programs that run on Windows.
Here's the breakdown:
Any Mac that will run OS X
Mac
OS X 10.3 - 10.5 (Not compatible with 10.6 Snow Leopard)
A
MIDI Interface with current CoreMIDI drivers
Top
Is
there a Universal Binary version?
No. The current version is a PowerPC binary. It runs fine on Intel Macs using the Roesetta emulation. If the day come when the PowerPC binary stops working I'll investigate updating but for now, I have other priorities.
Top
Is
there a demo version?
Sure! Just
download it using the link above. The demo does everything the
full version does except save presets and scenes and dump presets
and scenes to the real PC-1600x. That should give you an idea of
what it does and whether it would be useful to you.
If you want
to unlock all the features, you can buy a license for $25. Just
use the "Buy
Now" Button above. The transaction
is processed via PayPal. Then just email me
your PayPal Receipt ID number and the registration code generated
when you launch the PC-1600v. I'll e-mail you back an authorization
code that you can enter into the empty field in the registration
window. Click
the "register"button and you're all set! I'll respond
to up to 3 registration requests per Receipt ID. That should
cover you for all your machines.
Top
What
does it do?
PC-1600v
emulates all the buttons, faders, setup strings, and scenes just
like the real PC-1600x. You can edit the parameters using simple
edit windows and dump presets and scenes to the PC-1600(x) via
your MIDI interface.You can also save presets and scenes to standard
.syx files to your hard drive and open standard Peavey PC-1600(x)
preset and scenes sysex files from your hard drive.
Try it! Go
to the Peavey website
and download a preset. Select "Open to Current Preset" from
the "File"
Menu in PC-1600v and choose the .syx preset file you downloaded.
When the preset is loaded, select a midi destination from the MIDI
menu and try out the preset. If you pay the license fee, you can
then send that preset to your PC-1600(x). Or you can build your own
presets from scratch in seconds and send them too!
Top
What
does it not do?
At this point
PC-1600v does not offer remote editing of PC 1600x globals. The
global parameters have been slightly modified in each revision
of PC 1600 and the changes have not been well documented. Consequently,
it will be a pretty tough task to implement remote editing of the
Global parameters. I'm not completely abandoning the idea but until
I can turn up some more information, I have no immediate plans
of implementing a Globals editor. This should not be a problem
for most users but I'm open to suggestions if you have a real compelling
argument.
Top
How
do I send Presets to my PC-1600(x)?
First, pay
the license fee using the "buy now" button above. Then
you can unlock the dump feature.
Now, set
the global input channel on your PC-1600(x) to the same thing set
in the Global Channel in the Globals tray in PC-1600v.
Use the MIDI
Destinations menu to select the MIDI port your PC-1600(x) is connected
to.
Now click
the
"Dump" button on the virtual controller and select the appropriate
option under the "Send data to your PC 1600x" header. Click GO.
If you selected
"Send Current Preset", PC-1600v will send the current preset
to your PC-1600(x) and save it to the same location as in the virtual
controller. For example, if I've edited a preset on preset 10 on
the virtual controller, that preset will be saved to preset 10
on the PC-1600(x).
Now you can do
the "Dance of Joy" as you celebrate never having to program your MIDI
controller using that little screen again!
Top
How do I
load a default set of presets?
When PC-1600v
is launched for the first time, it creates a folder called "PC-1600v
Autoload" in your "~/Documents" folder. Put a single preset or
AllPresets file named "Autoload" in that folder and PC-1600v will
automatically open that file at program launch. Use this if you
have a set of presets that you are always using or if you have
a template that you always want to start with.
Top
How
do I get presets from my PC-1600(x)?
First, set
the ChOut on your PC 1600x to match the Global Channel in PC-1600v.
Connect the
MIDI input and output of your PC-1600(x) to your MIDI interface.
Select the MIDI destination in the MIDI menu in PC-1600v that matches
the input of your PC-1600x. Now navigate the virtual controller
to the preset number that you want to receive. Select the appropriate
option under the "Request data from your PC 1600x" header and click
GO.
Top
About Me
My name is Jason
Romney. I'm a theatre sound designer and my hobby, lately, is developing
useful software for theatre sound designers and engineers. That's not
to say they're
the only ones who will find my programs useful but understanding
my target audience may help explain why I've done it this way.
My first program
was GainSet. It's an amplifier gain setting calculator. Pretty handy
if I do say so myself. Check it out!
To see and hear
some of my other work, visit my homepage.
If you have
any questions, comments, feature requests, bug reports about pc-1600v
or
you just want to say "hi" you can e-mail
me.
Also, many
thanks go to Jon Daggett for his help testing PC-1600v and making
sure I keep the bugs out! Jon also does some interesting things
with the PC 1600x and you can visit his website www.midilite.com to
see how he uses the PC 1600x to control some very cool lighting
systems.
Top
Last Updated on
April 18, 2010