X2 X2 manual Mute Automation, Overview

Mute Automation

CHAPTER 5:

MUTE AUTOMATION

Overview

Because muting channels can be as much a part of the creative aspect of music as composing the song itself, the X2 comes with a built-in sequencer that lets you automate this task. The Mute Automation section of the Master Module lets you record the muting and unmuting of any Channel, Monitor, Group, Aux Send or Return. When automating, each time a MUTE button is pressed it is recorded as an event that occurred at a particular time reference. The built-in sequencer then plays back these events at the exact same moments they were recorded. You can keep adding mute events as you please; and you can edit your sequence using built-in editing tools.

The sequencer can synchronize to any of three sources: ADAT timecode (coming from an ADAT Multitrack Tape Recorder), MIDI Clock or MIDI Time Code (coming from a MIDI sequencer, synchronizer or some other source). Each event is time- stamped in reference to the synchronization source. Once you choose a synchronization source, the ONLINE button tells the X2’s sequencer to lock to the incoming sync source. Once locked, the UPDATE button engages the recording of mute events. When you’re not recording mute events, turn off the UPDATE button to disengage recording; the sequencer will continue to play the events that were recorded as long as the ONLINE button is on and the X2 is receiving a time reference.

After recording the mute events for a particular Channel, Monitor, Group, Aux Send or Return, you can copy all of its events for a particular song to any other Channel, Monitor, Group, Aux Send or Returns. This can be helpful when you move an input to another location.

There are 100 songs in the Mute Automation’s memory. Each song shares a total memory of about 10,000 events, which is dynamically allocated. This means you could use a single song to record up to about 10,000 mute events, or you could use 100 songs, with 100 events recorded in each, or any combination in between. At any time you can request a reading of how much memory is available. Songs can be copied to other songs, making it easy to create different versions of the same recording , each using the same basic mute information of the original take.

Each of the 100 songs has four Mute Groups. A Mute Group is sort of like a macro key on a computer. It mutes and unmutes multiple Channels, Monitors, Groups, Aux sends and Returns with the press of a single button. This provides an easy way of recalling their mute status at a later time. If the sequencer is online, you can record multiple mute events by using the Mute groups. The OVERLAY button lets you recall more than one Mute Group at a time, allowing them to “overlap” one another.

You can also use an outboard MIDI sequencer to record mute events from the X2

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