The following points are essential to operate the StudioSystem. Please take a moment to read at least this page. Once you become more familiar with the StudioSystem, refer back to specific help pages. You can also order a bound hardcopy from rootsolutions. Please visit www.rootsolutions.de for more details.
1. The StudioSystem consists of a number of modules (files) that hold a specific type of information (archive, invoicing, etc.). The smaller main menu (which holds no user data) is
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When you first open the StudioSystem, several modules contain records with sample data for this tutorial. You may wish to save these records until you have taken the tutorial tour and feel comfortable using the StudioSystem. In this tour, you will create a few records in several modules to see how they interact with one another. Click print page in the command bar above to follow along. The whole tour should take no more than 10 minutes.
For the purpose of this tour, we will assume th
at you have just received a call from John Doe of Vivid Films. He wants you to create a film score. You have already opened the main menu.
John Doe is a new client. Click contacts. The contacts module opens. To create printed forms in any module, you must fill in your name and address. In the command bar, click preferences. Enter at least your name and home (and/or work) addresses. You must also enter the country where you live and the country code. If you reside in the United St
your 'home screen'. It lets you access all modules.
2. Most modules have a preferences screen. Setting preferences correctly will save you about 90% time and 100% headaches. To set them, click preferences in the command bars at the top of most windows.
3. The name of the screen you are currently viewing is shown in the top left corner. Click it for context-sensitive help.
4. All colored buttons are clickable. For the logic behind the coloring, read main menu: graphics or visit the
graphics screen via the preferences of the main menu (briefly: green, yellow: navigation - red: action - blue: help).
5. Purple fields can not be edited. They display calculated or related information.
The StudioSystem ships with some demo records. These are useful to play around with and to get a feeling for how to navigate around the modules. Because most modules prohibit the deletion of the last record, keep them around until you have entered some of your own records.
It is highl
~y recommended that you take the 10 minute tutorial tour which takes you through the basics. To do so, click tutorial in the related topics list above, then click print page. This will make following the tour much easier.
Please also check the ReadMe which contains late breaking information about changes from previous releases and other information not contained in this manual.
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quickstart
About the StudioSystem
The StudioSystem helps you minimize the time spent on management and administration chores. It is designed around a simple point-and-click interface and allows central access to all data related to your music production, including project logging, archiving, label printing, invoicing, contacts, etc. Your data resides in a set of files, called modules, such as inventory, track sheet, etc., which are accessed from the main menu. Ample navigation options and shortcuts
are provided.
Getting help
The top left corner of all windows shows the name of the screen you are currently viewing. Clicking it opens the online help module to the corresponding chapter. The online help supports user annotations. Simply click the annotations button and enter your annotations. The help text uses the following conventions: underlined text refers to another help chapter, bold print describes a button you can click, italic text specifies an option, such as a preference
ates, the code is 1. For more on country codes, please see contacts: forms. Click done. Now we are ready to enter John's address. Click new in the command bar. A new, blank record form appears. The insertion point is in the field labeled 'first name'. Tab through the fields and enter the following information in the respective fields: name: John Doe; country: USA; country code: 1; company: Vivid Films; work address: 200 Welden St. San Francisco, CA 94632, fax# (415) 111-2222. Click
the grouping tab. Tick the box 'client'. Click done in the command bar.
In the main menu, click projects. The projects module opens. In the command bar, click new project. A dialog box appears. The project is a standard business project, so click 'standard'. Another dialog appears. We will base the payment for this score on a flat rate, so click 'flat'. The project's details screen appears. The insertion point is in the project name field. Enter the project
s title as 'Tutorial
Film Project'. Press [Tab] or click in the client field. A popup list appears. Note that John Doe is part of the list. This is because you have ticked the client box in the contacts module. Select his name and press enter. Enter the flat rate as 5000 (the amount you and John have agreed on) in the 'total payment' field. Today's date appears in the top row of the first column and the associated session timer is recording, which is indicated by its red color. In the session details
column, enter any session information, such as 'record and mix score'. Do not enter any other data at this point.
Next, we will assume you have finished and mixed the score. We will now create an archive entry. Click the small archive button in the 'related information' area and OK the dialog box. The archive module's main info screen appears with a new record. Note that several fields have been copied from the projects module, including the title, client, and date. Click the select
ions tab. In the ID field of the first row, enter 1. Press [Tab] and enter 'Opening theme'. Press [Tab] and enter the duration as 500 (5 minutes). In the next row, enter '2', 'Incidental music', and a duration of 300. For the last cue, enter '3', 'Closing theme' and a duration of 830. Click the main info tab. Note that the duration field contains the total duration of all three cues.
Now it
s time to send John a copy of the music on tape. Click the selections tab and then print se
lections. The label print module appears. 'tutorial film project' appears in the title field and the cues you have entered are listed, along with the durations. The insertion point is in the '
info' field. Select 'Edit...' from the bottom of the menu and change the row that says '
1999, <your name>' to the current year and your name. Click OK and then select this item from the list. Next, press [Tab] again or click in the field labeled 'label' (do not click the red label button rig
ht now. A popup menu appears. Select 'client copy' from the menu. Next, click the red date button below. In the dialog box that appears, click Today. For media type, select 'cassette c-60' (we are sending John a cassette copy). In the command bar, click print form. You are taken to the print form template for cassette copies. If you want, you can now print the label, otherwise click done in the mini command bar.
Let's suppose John has received your tape by now and he is happy with
the results. You can now write an invoice. In the main menu, click projects to open the project log again. Click the time log field. This causes the session timer to stop (the recording indicator turns gray) and the time you have taken since you created the project to be written into the time log field. This lets you quickly check long you have taken and how much you have made per hour. In the 'related information' area, click invoice and OK the dialog box. The invoicing module appears.
The project title, client, and invoice date fields are already filled out. In addition, an invoice number is generated and some default text is shown (you can edit this and define your own later in the invoicing: preferences screen). Replace the selected text that says 'Chargeable item' with 'Production of score for tutorial film project'. Now that we have entered all necessary data, click preview... in the command bar. In the dialogs that appear, specify your return address and John's wor
k address. If you have a full page monitor, you can now see how the invoice will look in print (or as much as will fit on your screen). Return to the details screen by clicking Continue on the left status bar and then click print... to print the invoice. Even though you may not want to print a bogus invoice, it is recommended that you do, because only if you actually complete printing, related information is updated. When printing, the status field in the details screen changes from 'temp
orary' to 'billed', and the status in the project module changes to 'completed'. To refer back to the project, click project next to the project title.
To conclude the tutorial, we will now assume that John has paid the invoice. In the invoicing details screen, click paid. If you haven't printed the invoice before, you will now receive an alert message. Otherwise, a dialog box pops up that asks if you want to mark this record as paid. Go ahead and mark the record as 'paid'.
Now it's time
you explore on your own. Check out some of the options we have skipped over, such as the preferences settings. A good place to start learning is by reading this help file. To delete the tutorial records, click delete in the command bar of the projects module. You will be prompted to delete related records (except contacts).
Hint: be sure to look at the preferences screen in each module. Setting preferences correctly will help you speed up your work in no time.
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The StudioSystem offers two modes of project logging: standard and extended. Which mode to use depends on how you run your studio(s). The mode is set in the main menu: preferences and defines the default format for new projects. A mode can be converted into any other mode later. The extended mode requires a 'pro' license of the StudioSystem.
In standard (default) mode, you can log session details, including the date, the work done, and the session duration. Records in related modules can
be created with a click of the mouse. This mode is recommended if the following applies to you:
- you are running a home studio or a studio where both business and/or personal projects are created.
- you are usually working alone or with tech personnel only.
- you can freely set the price you charge (flat or hourly fees).
The extended mode requires a setup of all products and services you offer beforehand, which are stored in the supplies module. In addition to the info available in the
setting. You can view related help topics by clicking them in the scrolling 'related topics' list.
General concepts
Modules have similar layout features. On top of the screen you see a command bar. Command bars have different colors in most modules (e.g. blue in the help file) and contain standard buttons for creating new records, printing, etc. In addition, buttons are color coded. Modules are accessed in one of two ways:
1. buttons labeled with a module name, such as those of the
main menu, open the respective module. Some modules have shortcut buttons to other modules in the command bar. Clicking them takes you directly to the corresponding module without the detour via the main menu; however, only a few modules are accessible this way. If you would like to open another module, click done. This takes you back to the main menu, from where you can select any module.
2. in most modules, you also find small module navigation buttons which are labeled with a field
name and take you to a related record of the target module. For example, clicking client in the projects module opens the contacts module to the client record.
You perform most data entry in the various details screens. Fields that cannot be edited are displayed in purple. The details screen in most modules includes a status/navigation strip at the bottom of the screen. It displays the total number of records in the module, the number of records currently browsed, and the number of t
he record you are currently viewing. Navigation buttons include << (go to first record), < (go to previous record), # (go to any record by number), 1 (show only this one record and omit all others), x (omit the current record from the set), > (go to next record), and >> (go to last record).
Even though the modules have internal links, you can use them independently. For example, you may not need a track sheet or invoice for every project, or you may want to create archive entries for pr
ojects you have completed before you had the StudioSystem.
Some modules may display messages when they are opened or closed. Because messages are not necessarily generated by the currently visible module, they are prefaced by the name of the module, surrounded by two bullets, e.g.: '
archive
update archive date before closing?'
To close the StudioSystem, click done or press command-1 (Mac) or Ctrl-1 (Windows) in any module to bring up the main menu, then click quit. This procedure eHJnsures that all modules are properly closed and do not reopen one another.
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You may include personal notes for each help topic by clicking the annotations tab. A red dot appears on the button if you have entered annotations for the current help topic. You can also move to your annotations by clicking the dot in the help topics overview.
Printed forms you create with the StudioSystem use Helvetica and Times fonts. If you do not have these fonts installed, they will be substituted. This may create spacing problems and it is recommended that you install them. YB
ou can change the font on printed forms, however, you will not be able to set a new default font. To change the font/size/style in a field, control-click the field. You may also apply the change to selected text.
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The overview windows in the various modules of the StudioSystem behave much the same; therefore, they have been grouped together in this chapter.
The main body of the window displays all currently browsed records, one record per row. Because space is limited, rows only include the most significant data. To the far left of each record is a disclosure triangle button. Click it (or the main title of the record, if it is not colored) to navigate to the main details screen. To the far righ
t of each row is an omit button, marked x. Click it to omit the record from the display. This will not delete it from the database. Some overviews have a delete icon (red circle with slash) which lets you permanently delete an item. Most overviews also display certain fields in color. You can perform a specific action by clicking these fields - green fields perform quick grouping on the clicked search criterion, red fields perform a specific action which varies from module to module,
standard mode, you can define individual session charges, such as studio time, musicians, blank media, etc. Invoices are automatically created from the session charges upon project completion. This mode is recommended if the following applies to you:
- you are strictly running a business facility (rent studio time or work for clients).
- you want to print daily session reports for clients or accounting that can be summed into a single invoice upon project completion.
- you have fixed pri
ces for the products and services you offer.
You can mix and match logging modes. The StudioSystem keeps track of which project was logged in which mode. If necessary, you can also convert logging modes for existing projects (unless you have created an invoice already).
The preferences screen you see in the projects module are determined by the project logging preference specified in the main menu (there are two sets of preference screens and only one can be active at a time).
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The find screens in the various modules behave much the same, therefore they have been grouped together in this chapter.
Whenever you click a find... button, you are taken to a special find screen. In the find screen, you can enter simple or complex search criteria. Click or tab into the various fields and type in the information you are looking for. Often, the fields will display a popup list of all data entered into the respective fields.
If you want to enter more than one request,
click new request. Use clear request to clear the most recent request or clear all to start over. You can enter as many find requests as you like. Use the omit button to find records with criteria except the ones you enter. When you are finished, click show/cancel or press return or enter (the button becomes 'show' when you have entered any search criteria, and 'cancel' when you have entered nothing). Records that match your criteria will be sorted and displayed in the overview window
yellow fields move to related information. Blue fields have two functions: they perform quick grouping on the clicked search criterion or, when shift-clicked, move to related information.
Navigating to the overview sorts records in a default order. Each column has a title above the top record. Most of them are displayed on a button. Click it to sort the records based on that column. Click again to sort in reverse order. The sort status is displayed by an icon.
The command bar lets y
ou choose typical sets of records, access the find screen, and close (actually: hide) the module. In addition, there may be buttons that are specific to each module which should be self-explanatory (see below for special functions). The footer shows summary information, like number of records being browsed and other useful information specific to the module.
Features unique to individual overview windows:
invoicing: clicking period... gives you different results depending on the option
s you have set in the preferences screen. For more information, please see invoicing: preferences. You can click the 'paid date' field to mark a record as paid. This is identical to clicking paid in the details screen.
to do: you can quickly find groups of items directly by clicking one of the group buttons in the command bar. The item column has an '-', 'w', 'm', or 'y' appended, depending on whether the item
s renewal status is set to 'none', 'weekly', 'monthly', or 'yearly', respecF
tively. The chain column has an '-', 'm', or 'i' appended, depending on whether the item
s chain status is set to 'none', 'master', or 'intermediate', respectively.
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Maintaining a sizable composition catalog and media library can be a tedious task. The archive module helps you organize your archive and quickly create labels for various media boxes using a link to the label print module. See archive: creating labels for more information. The archive can hold more data than you might care to enter, so decide which fields are important to you and ignore the rest. Note that many fields can be filled out with default values you define in the archive: pre
ferences. Archive records can be created independently by clicking new in the command bar. In most cases, however, you will probably want to link records to projects. To do so, click archive in the associated project. Common fields, such as project name and client, are automatically filled out and you can always refer back to the project log by clicking project or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows).
The archive module links to a number of sub-modules. This is done completely trans
of the current module. If no matching records are found, an alert will be displayed and you are given the option to try again or cancel. If the number of matching records is exactly one, you will be taken directly to the main info screen of the record instead of the overview. The status panel in the command bar displays the number of requests you have entered and other information.
Special functions: in addition to typing directly into the fields, you can click on a special function b
utton above the fields to enter one of the following special find requests (you can also type these symbols directly into a field):
s assume you were looking for all invoices that were paid during the current year. In the invoicing module, click find..., click in the paid date field, click the > button and type 1/1 (if you don't type the year, the current year is assumed). Press show/can
cel. Matching records will be listed in the overview window.
Here is a more complex example: let's assume you are working regularly for a publisher and are looking for a song from your catalog to pitch to an artist. You want to list all songs that are unpublished and have not been sent to the publisher before. In the archive module, click find.... enter 'pop music' in the category field (or whatever label you are using) and 'unpublished' into the publisher field. Click new request. A
new, blank form appears. Select the publisher's name from the client popup field, then click omit and show/cancel. All matching records will be listed in the overview window.
Please note that some modules, such as 'to do', do not have find screen. Others, like 'archive', have more than one, because of the large number of fields that can be searched. You can freely switch back and forth between find screens while entering find requests.
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If a find request returns an error, check your syntax. It is likely that your request includes one or more reserved characters:
< less than
> greater than
= equal to
! duplicates
... range
// today
s date
* any character
literal text
? invalid date or time
* any character
@ one character
Because these characters have special meaning to the find function, you will get unexpected results when entering them as literal text in find requests. For example, if you were to look for a song c
alled 'Yo man!', entering this exact string would return an error, because the '!' means 'search for a duplicate entry of the same title'. Instead, you would enter only 'Yo man'. Of course, you can always use these special characters to further modify your find requests.
As of version 3.2, some main text fields in StudioSystem modules are checked for potential naming problems; however, if you have imported records with names that include special characters, you may still run into proble
C1ms. You may wish to rename the affected records.
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operation
when opening archive: lets you specify what happens when you open the archive module. Initially, this is set to 'go to overview'.
update archive date: lets you specify how you want to update the archive module. If you select 'ask first', you are asked when closing the archive module. Selecting 'always' updates the date before each print run and when the module is closed. It may be useful to not always update the archive, for example, when you are only browsing records. Sele
cting 'on new/delete only' updates the archive date only when you add or delete records. The date is shown on printouts and in the overview.
import selections format: the archive module allows you to import selections directly on the selections screen. If you are using a hard-disk editor, such as digidesign's Masterlist CD
, you can import their text output for quickly creating a label. Export from Masterlist's main or PQ editor window with the tab separated (default) option. Support fo
parently and you do not really need to worry about them; however, you can take advantage of additional printing or finding/grouping features when explicitly opening them. To do so, open the modules from within the archive. For example, in the 'selections' screen, you can click selections in the command bar to open the selections module. The same applies to the 'credits' and 'performances' screen. Because these modules behave substantially like the archive module itself, they do not hav
e individual help topics. Instead, clicking the screen name opens the archive: details help topic (the one you're reading right now).
main info
Give each entry a unique project name, or create entries from the projects module. You can specify an archive catalog number and storage location for both master and backup. update enters the project's start and completion dates from the related project log, if any. You can also manually type in another date. Enter the work's duration and any
comments below. Several shortcuts are provided: click project, client, or print single to move directly to the related project log, client record, or single print label, if any.
Category lets you group records by kind (pop, film, etc.). Select from the popup menu, or define your own categories by choosing 'Edit...' at the bottom of the list. Choose a performance type (live, studio, or both).
The group assigns give you flexible options to assign a work to one or more groups. For exam
ple, if a song is part of an album, then the album title could be the 'main' group. 'aux 1' and 'aux 2' might include groups such as 'best of year', or 'client demo'. Click main, aux 1, or aux 2 to assign this group to all records in the current set. 'Web status' lets you group records into those that are for internal use and those that are for web publishing. When you export records, you can specify the file format that best suits your target application. Use a text option for loadin
g records into your HTML editor, or save your records directly as a HTML table. Exporting is done in the overview. In addition, there is a temp (temporary) group. If you have used the find screen to find a specific group of records, enter a name for the group and click temp group. Records will remain part of the group until you either click temp group or one of the other group buttons again, which assigns the record to another group, or click the x (omit) button in the overview or grou
ping screen, which will remove the record from the temporary group. Temporary groups are particularly useful in combination with the label print module. Click print temp group to create a label for all records assigned to the current temp group.
selections
You can associate any number of selections with a record. Typical uses for selections include film music (which usually consists of a number of cues), or classical compositions (which often have several movements).
For each selectio
n, you can enter an ID number, the selection title, its duration and comments. The total duration is displayed on the main screen, overriding any entry you may have made. You can quickly change ID numbers by entering the number of the first ID in the red field above the ID column and clicking ID. This is useful, for example, if you have sequentially numbered selections starting from 1, but wish to create a CD label where the tracks start at some other number.
Click the disclosure triangl
e to display individual selections in a bigger screen, if you wish to enter detailed comments.
Click print selections to create a label for all selections under the heading of the main title.
Click import... to import selections from another source. Currently supported formats include digidesign's Masterlist
CD (both the main and PQ editor windows), and comma separated text. A free application which converts the output of the SADiE harddisk recorder to comma separated text, courtesy of
Robert Bleeker, is available from the rootsolutions website. Any other comma separated file can also be used. Put each record on one line, and specify ID, selection title, and duration. If you do not wish to store your items in the archive, these options are also available directly in the label print module.
business
The client, as entered on the main info screen, is displayed for reference. The other and end user fields let you enter more details about the client. For example, your cli
ent may be some production company, but the end user could be a TV station. Other could contain the name of another contact person. Lastly, you can enter publishing, record label, and licensing info. The contact fields display a popup list of all contacts, but you can also enter any other name. If you pick from the list, the company, if any, will be displayed. You can also enter the various catalog numbers which these companies use to track your music. Click any contact button to ope
n the contacts module to the related record.
credits
On this screen, you can enter credits for all people who were involved in the project, including producers, composers, musicians, etc. You can 'double-tab' into the names and credits fields as follows: The first tab displays a popup list of names you have defined as 'personnel' in the grouping screen of the contacts module. The second tab lists all contacts defined as 'musician'. In the next field, the tabs display a list of producti
on functions and instruments, respectively. These credits can be freely defined by selecting 'Edit...' from the bottom of the list. Shift-clicking a name opens the contacts module to the related record.
technical
Use this screen to enter technical information about the project. All fields may be filled out automatically with default values defined in the preferences screen. There is also an expanding space for comments. The studio field displays a popup list of all studios defined in
the studios module. Click studio to define your studios. However, you can also enter any other studio.
performances
If you have live performances of your works, you can enter performance dates, concert titles/occasions, and locations. Once you have entered at least one of these items, you can click the disclosure triangle to move to the performance record, where more detail can be displayed. In the performance file, you can also enter any admission charges, additional comments/key wo
rds, and print your records in a variety of formats. Printing preferences can be set in the preferences screen of the performances file. By default, the printing preferences are set to 'ask first' which let you specify one of the other options at printing time. To become familiar with these options, click preview in the performances overview and notice how the grouping options work. When grouped by date, for example, this lets you recall a set list from a previous concert.
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The performance details can be used to recall setlists from previous concerts. Click the disclosure triangle on any record in the performances screen to move to the performances file. Next, click the green 'date' field to group all pieces that were performed on the same date. Presumably, clicking the 'concert' field will give you the same result, but if the concert was part of a series with the same title, then the date is more accurate. Preview or print the list grouped by date.
Here is a sample of what a text file might look like for importing selections with the import... button on the selections screen, using the 'comma separated' option:
1,First movement,0:05:23
2,Second movement,0:03:12
3,Applause,0:00:18
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Once you have entered some data in the archive module, you will probably want to create some media labels. One of the best features of the archive module is the link to the label print module. Labels are stored in, and printed from, the label print module, but they can be automatically created from the archive module.
There are three options for creating archive labels: single, group, and selections.
single: from the main archive screen, click print single to create a label for the curr
ent record. This is a shortcut which, in effect, creates a group label containing only a single record. If the record was part of another temp group, it will be removed from that temp group. If there are selections associated with the record, a selections label is automatically created.
group: from the grouping screen, or directly from the overview, you can create a label for any set of records. This is most useful, if , for example, you have used the find screen to find all records of a
r the SADiE recorder is available using Robert Bleeker's PQ-Extractor application available for free from the rootsolutions website. In this case, select the 'comma separated' option.
when printing records: select 'print records only' to maximize paper space or 'use letter form' to print records on letter headed paper. Selecting 'ask first' lets you pick between the above options before printing. This preference also applies to the selections, performances, and credits modules.
default
Whatever you enter into the fields on this screen will be copied to all new records, significantly speeding up data entry. As in the credit details screen, you can 'double-tab' into the name and credit fields, alternately listing personnel/function and musicians/instrument pairs. The name fields display a popup menu of names you have defined as 'personnel' or 'musician' in the grouping screen of the contacts module. The credit fields can be freely assigned or edited. For publisher, lab
el, and licensing contact, all records from the contacts module are displayed. For the technical fields (studio, master deck, etc.) enter your usual recording gear. You can also specify a default location for master and backup media. Category displays an editable popup list. Choosing categories is helpful in grouping records as your database grows in size. When you edit the list, be sure not to delete an item which is already assigned to a record. The performance type field lets you sF
elect from studio only, live only, or both. Web status can be assigned to 'internal' or 'publish' for all new records as well. For more info, please see the grouping section of archive: details.
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The last modification date shown in the overview is likely to be more useful or accurate than the date shown in the Finder/Windows OS.
Here's why: Filemaker Pro always updates the date of a file when closing. If you look at the modification date in the Finder/Windows OS with the 'Get Info' or 'Properties' command, you see the date when the file was last closed, rather than truly modified. If, for example, you opened the archive module only to look up a duration or print a label, you hav
Bgen't really made any changes, but the file info (incorrectly) shows that the archive has been modified.
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The effects section of the audio tools module helps you with the setup of certain effects processors. Most functions immediately display a result when you have entered a value. However, some fields are shown in pink to alert you that after entering values you must press a button before you can see the result.
delay
Your basic digital delay calculator. Press [Tab] or click in the bpm field and enter the tempo of your sequence. Commonly used results appear in bold type. You may wish to try
those first, but check out some of the other values, too.
reverb
This screen lets you calculate the apparent room size from the supplied predelay setting or vice versa. Even though this figure does not give any indication about the nature of the room, it will tell you the distance from the first reflecting surface. This can help you construct rooms of realistic (or fantastic) sizes. To calculate the predelay from a room size in feet instead of meters, enter the number of feet into the pin
certain period, for a certain client, etc. In the grouping screen, click temp group, or, in the overview, shift-click on any record in the group column.
selections: from the selections screen, you click print selections to create a label for all selections at the same time. Selections can also be imported from another source, such as an output file of a harddisk editor. For more info, see archive: general.
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archive: preferences
LIf, for some reason, you do not want the print title to be the same as the project title, enter the desired print title into the 'temp group' field and click print temp group.
To print a label for items which are not in the archive or sound lib modules, simply open the label print module and click new to create a 'generic' label.
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archive: creating labels
The sequencing section of the audio tools module gives you a set of calculators that are commonly needed during music production. Most functions immediately display a result when you have entered a value. However, some fields are shown in pink to alert you that after entering values you must press a button before you can see the result.
loop tools
A set of calculator tools when dealing with mismatched tempi. Results are displayed in cents (there are 100 cents to a semitone). Both time
dilation and detune options are addressed. To fit 'loop tempo to song tempo' using detuning instead of time dilation, you may wish to convert cents to coarse and fine tune increments, where each coarse tune increment is a semitone and the fine tune increment depends on your particular instrument. This is usually a +/- scale, where the maximum and minimum settings are exactly halfway to the next semitone. If your sampler has fine tune increments of +/- 50, enter 50 in the pink midi scal
k box and click size/ft. This converts the size to meters and displays the result.
dynamics
This screen lets you study the behavior of compressors and expanders by looking at instantaneous levels. Of course, these levels are not really derived from any actual audio; instead, you enter the values. You can enter values either directly or by clicking the +/- buttons. The top module represents a compressor, the bottom module an expander. The resulting levels from editing input value, thre
shold, and ratio can be viewed in the displays and numeric readouts. The display follows the standard convention of displaying the gain reduction of compressors as a bar graph meter 'right-to-left' and the gain reduction of expanders 'left-to-right'. By clicking link, you can simulate the behavior of a combined unit where the expander follows the compressor: it matches the input level of the expander to the output level of the compressor. When auto-link is enabled, the link status is al
ways maintained. The pink field color alerts you that it only works if you adjust the parameters using the +/- buttons. Directly entering values into the fields still requires clicking link. To get a feel for how the 'controls' interact, view the sample settings by clicking sample, heavy limit, and noise gate. Click bypass to reset the controls. Note: to give you more real-life results, theoretical results max out at a noise floor of -96 dB. Ratios must be in a range of 1:1 to 50:1 aF2nd input levels must be between -60 dB and +6 dB.
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The utilities section of the audio tools module serves as a handy reference during music production.
patch change
This screen provides you with a handy conversion function for some patch numbering conventions in MIDI instruments. MIDI internally always uses patch numbers 0-127. However, some synths label them differently. A couple of the most common alternatives include one-based numbering and octal numbering. One-based numbering adds 1 to every patch change, resulting in a range 1-12
8. While this is straightforward, it can cause headaches when converting between one-based and octal numbering. In octal numbering there are no 0's and 9's. This system is typically found in older synths, e.g. from Roland. The first patch (MIDI 0) is called 11 and it continues to 88 (MIDI 63). In case the synth can accommodate 128 patches, there are banks, such as A11...A88 and B11...B88. Octal conversions are displayed in the lower bank with a bracketed 'A' (there may or may not be
e field. The result fields display dashes when midi scale has not been clicked. Another useful application, particularly when loading samples from read-only media, such as CD ROM, is using pitchbending to adjust the tempo. In this case, you would enter the value required to bend the pitch by half of a semitone into the pink midi scale field. Pitch bending has a range of +/- 8192. If this range bends the pitch by a whole step (the default for most sound modules), a half step would be 4
096. Therefore, you would enter 2048 into the midi scale field (halfway to the next semitone).
time dilation
Here, you can calculate the time dilation factor, if you have detuned pitched material (such as a guitar or vocal phrase) and you need to adjust it to the original tempo (for loop based time dilation calculations, click the 'loop tools' tab). Time dilation is calculated from the number of cents. There are 100 cents to a semitone. If you don
t know the number of cents, you can a
lso enter the detune figures as coarse/fine tune increments for your sampler, and click midi scale. For example, if you have detuned a phrase by a semitone up (coarse = 1) and adjusted the fine tuning to -23 on a scale of +/- 50, you will get a result of 77 cents.
quantization
sequencer tick from sample event position: a calculator to extract groove quantization grids from actual audio samples. You need to specify the ticks per quarter note resolution of your sequencer (usually some fac
tor of 240). See your sequencer documentation if you are unsure about its resolution. In the graphic editing screen of your sampler, note the exact position of the event you would like to extract (zoom in as necessary), as well as the total sample length.
note length from tempo change: this calculator may come in handy if you have a sample (or midi note containing tempo information) and you need to change the tempo without modifying any audio. For example, you may have a continuous film
score track which does not contain tempo changes. If the track is set to 120 bpm, and you place a 4-bar loop at 92 bpm, then the length will not be 4 bars in MIDI time, making it difficult to copy the loop so that its edges make a perfect loop. Simply enter the length of the loop in ticks (at its original tempo), the ticks per quarter (your sequencer's quarter note resolution), and the original and desired tempi. The new length is displayed. Optional: if the original sound has an even numH{ber of quarters, you can calculate the length in ticks, if you supply the number of quarters and click number of quarters.
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The bookings module stores booking information for any number of studios. Each record holds info about one booking per room per day.
details
To enter a new booking, click new. Enter relevant information (studio, date, time in/out, etc.). If you frequently define the same time blocks (such as 9:00 to 5:00 pm), define the default times in the preferences screen. Click date to automatically enter the current date.
The project field is optional - you may want to enter the client
s name i
nstead of a project title. Whatever you enter, will be shown in the planner. If you leave the field blank, a default placeholder is used instead. You can use this feature to block time for unconfirmed bookings. Click project to quickly update the text in the project field to all records in the found set. This is useful if the status of an unconfirmed booking changes to confirmed. Check the overview first to make sure you are only updating relevant records.
If you have entered a book
a bank number involved). Higher numbered patches are prefaced with a 'B'. To convert, simply enter the source patch number and select a format. Both other formats are automatically displayed. The bank number (A or B) only affect an octal number entry.
tap tempo
For your convenience, a tap tempo function has been included. Please note that because of FileMaker's internal timing resolution (1 second) the accuracy is limited. To get useful results and to minimize rounding errors, tap seve
ral bars before a readout and repeat your tap once or twice. If you get a different reading, try to get a reading that matches a previous try. To use tap tempo, click start. A dialog box pops up. When you click 'tap', it becomes your first tap, so use the enter key rather than the mouse. Then, tap the 0-key (zero) on your keyboard in the desired tempo and finish off with <enter> (not return!). The field where you typed will be cleared and the calculated result displayed in bpm.
The glossary contains brief explanations of terms that you may encounter when dealing with studio equipment. Simply choose a term from the popup menu. To the right is a scrolling list of cross-referenced entries, if any. Simply click on another term to look up its definition.
ranges
If you are using MIDI instruments to create orchestral scores, you can use this screen as a quick reference for actual instrument ranges. If the score stays 'MIDI', you only need to look at the 'range'
field. If you intend to replace a MIDI part with an acoustic instrument later on, check the best range, transposition, and comments fields for additional information. The transposition shows the written interval, e.g. 'up 2 (Bb)' means that the part sounds two semitones lower than written. Pitches in the range fields are 'sounding' notes, in the comments field they are 'written' notes (transposed).
circle of fifths
Look here if you want to explore the infamous circle of fifths. Selec
t a key from the popup menu, and you can instantly see its key signature, its harmonically related key, and its position along the circle of fifths. You can also click a key along the circle to see it's key signature, or add sharps or flats by clicking the add sharp/5th up and add flat/5th down buttons, respectively.
The patch convert section converts an entered note (where middle C is C4) into both frequency and MIDI note number. This can be useful for things like generating test t
ones from your synth at a certain frequency or estimating economical sampling rates, if your sampler has less than enough memory. Frequencies are rounded to one digit after the decimal point.
The sample size calculation field lets you quickly calculate the size (in Kbytes or Mbytes) of a digital audio sample, based on its duration, bit resolution, sample rate, and number of channels.
Click the speaker icon to play an A-440 tuning reference pitch. The tone plays for some seven seconds a
nd stops by itself. To make the tone longer, enter a repeat number into the number field before clicking the speaker. If you can't hear the tone, check that your computer's speaker is turned up and that QuickTime is installed.
The time calculator is very handy when adding up things like song durations. To speed up data entry, you can enter the durations without any delimiters. For example, entering 12 means 0:12; 123 means 1:23, etc. Subtracting times is currently not possible. The rangeJ
must be between 0 and 23:59:59. You can use the keyboard shortcuts Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows) to quickly clear the entry field and enter another time.
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The budget module lets you create printed or online budget calculations. You can use it to estimate costs for yourself or to print or fax a hardcopy to send to a client. In order to create a budget record, you must first define any chargeable items in the supplies module. Please see supplies: details for more information.
main info
In the top section, enter the project title and the client. The client field displays a popup list of all contacts you have defined as clients in the group
ing screen of the contacts module. If you plan to print the form, you must specify the client, otherwise you may leave the field blank. Click client to open the contacts module to the client record. Click fax# to copy the client's fax number to the clipboard for pasting it into your fax program's number field. Enter any comments or key words about the project and modify the default text to be printed on the printed report, if necessary. If you know the available budget, it in the 'ava
ing and you want to reserve the same time slot for several days in a row, enter the finish date and click booking extends until. Click the 7 days, 30 days, or custom shortcut buttons if appropriate. The specified number of days will be reserved and you are taken to the planner to confirm this action. Tick the 'exclude weekends' box to skip Saturdays and Sundays.
preferences
default block character: select your preferred default block character or define your own. This character or phra
se is used in place of a project title when no project has been specified. The character must be ASCII text, i.e. you can't use a bullet or other nonstandard character, or error messages will result.
default block: the times you define here are automatically entered in new records.
In the command bar, you can click studios... to bring up the list of defined studios.
Note: the bookings module does not perform any error checking. For example, there is nothing that prevents you from reser
ving the same studio at the same time for several projects. Before you enter a new booking, be sure to view the planner to see if the desired time slot is available.
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To quickly set a booking lasting several days (or weeks) from unconfirmed to confirmed, you could do the following: when a client calls to reserve time, enter the booking without a project title. This will display the default placeholder which you may want to set to 'unconfirmed' or 'on hold'. When the booking is confirmed, go to the overview and click the green project field in any row. Assuming that this is the only unconfirmed booking, all days are grouped. Now, go to the details s
creen and enter a project title or the clients name in the project field, then click project. When you go back to the overview (or the planner), you will see that the booking status has been updated for all days.
If you tend to have several unconfirmed bookings in line, it is a good idea to give them a temporary title. This will make it easier to group bookings in the overview. Otherwise, you can always use the find screen.
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pro feature
operation
when opening budget: specifies what happens when you open the budget module from the main menu. Initially, this is set to 'go to overview'.
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms and phrases in another language.
dflt text/top, dflt text/bottom: you may enter up to two phrases to be included in printed forms above and below the actual list of items, res
pectively. Be sure your text is not too long, so that it will not be cut off on the printed copy.
form footer: whatever you type into this space will appear as entered on all printed forms. In many countries it is customary to include your accounting information to which bank and account clients should be paying. You can also enter your company's motto, website, etc., or leave the field blank. Because the supplies module will automatically enter a '*' in printed forms next to any it
ilable' field. Based on this figure and the total incurred costs, you can quickly check the remaining budget in the 'remaining' field.
Click project to navigate directly to, or create a related project record. You can also press Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows). What happens when you create a new project depends on whether the project logging preferences in the main menu are set to 'standard' or 'extended':
If set to 'standard': in addition to the normal defaults, newly created project
s have the following fields preset: mode: standard, billing option: flat, project title/client: as specified in budget.
If set to 'extended': only the project title and client fields are copied from the budget record.
The 'form' section displays the default text (as specified in the budget: preferences. If necessary, modify the default text. Click default to reset the default text.
charges
The main area of this screen holds the chargeable items. Please see supplies: details for more
information on how to define chargeable items. To enter an item, click in the popup menu of the first row, select an item from the list, and enter the quantity. A new row appears automatically, letting you enter the next item, and so on. To delete an item from the list, click the delete icon to the right of the item. You may enter up to twelve items in any order (items will be sorted automatically when you create a form). The item number on the left is only needed internally, it will F
not show up on printed forms.
From either screen, you can click preview or print to preview or print the form. It is a good idea to always click preview before printing to make sure everything looks as expected.
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The calendar module lets you jot down appointments using weekly or daily layouts and also track booking information for any number of studios/suites.
Weekly layout:
Each day of the week can hold one individual appointment per hour. You can enter more into one field, but you will not be able to see them unless you click the field again to expand it (or look at the daily layout).
Directly above the fields, the weekdays and dates are displayed. The current date is displayed in red. Click on
the date to bring up the daily layout for that date. A red bullet in the field means that there are also bookings on that date. Above the weekdays is a mini-navigation panel that shows the number of the currently displayed week and prev and next buttons that let you scroll back and forth among the weeks. If you scroll to the oldest defined week, you will not be able to go back any further. If you scroll to the newest defined week, you are given the option of extending the calendar by one
em for which a discount price is used, you may wish to make a note to that effect in the print footer (this is the default setting).
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The calendar module, in combination with the bookings and planner modules, supports booking information for any number of studios (more than two rooms require a pro license). Several shortcuts for entering booking info are provided, and individual weekly timetables can quickly be viewed and printed for each studio.
To use the booking options, you must first define your studios by name (or accept the default values). To define your studios, click studios... in the calendar or bookings pr
eferences. More info on the studios mini module can be found in studios: details.
You can block time in either the calendar or the bookings module. Each method has its advantages. This topic describes booking using the calendar, but make sure you also read bookings: details and preferences. To block time, navigate to the daily layout of the desired date (as you would for appointments). The right section of the screen displays the booking data for the displayed date. You can convenie
week or one month at a time. Lastly, the month belonging to the currently displayed week is shown both to the left and right of the mini-navigation panel (they will be identical unless the month changes during the week). curr.week returns you to the current week. The command bar has shortcuts to move directly to the contacts, to do, bookings, and planner modules.
Daily layout:
The daily layout holds both a larger view of your appointments and studio booking information. For more informati
on about the bookings options, please see calendar: bookings.
If you enter detailed appointments, you may wish to use the daily layout (on the weekly layout, however, you will only be able to see a small portion of your entry unless you click on it to expand the field). The mini navigation panel works similar to the one in the weekly layout: you can return to the current date, display the weekly view, or extend the calendar, should you move all the way to the last defined date.
From eith
er layout it is possible to print your appointments in a wallet-sized calendar layout by clicking print in the command bar. Three weeks of appointments fit on a single page. You can choose to print calendar leaves for three (1 page) or six weeks (2 pages), starting from the current week. The printed layout also includes a space for additional comments. If you enter detailed comments on screen, you will probably not get useful results printing the calendar, because the printed layout is sma
=ll. You can maximize space by making short entries and avoiding returns (line breaks) for best printed results.
The overview window displays several weeks at a time (as defined in the preferences). Any days with appointments appear in black, otherwise they are dimmed. In addition, the current date is marked in red.
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when opening calendar: initially, this is set to 'go to current week', but you can also open the module to the overview, current date, or planner.
overview shows current plus: click the popup menu to select the number of weeks (or all) that will be displayed in the overview, starting from the current week. The previous week is always included in the overview. Because calculating the overview requires a fair amount of computing power, select the smallest practical number to imp
rove screen redrawing speed, especially on slower computers. You can also choose between show more info and draw faster. The latter only displays the week number and date of each monday, along with navigation options to appointments and bookings, while the former adds individual weekdays showing appointments and the current date by color to the above. In addition, any bookings are shown in color on the bookings navigation button.
advance calendar by: you don't need to perform any specia
ntly edit the data here and insert a new booking. To do so, click the small new... button above the bookings list. A new booking appears with default values which are set in the bookings preferences. Optionally, you may enter a project or client name. If you do not specify a project, a default block character will be entered, such as 'on hold'. That
s all, if you only need to reserve time for a single day. Click the disclosure triangle to navigate to the bookings module and view the
booking in detail. This also lets you extend the new booking for several days or weeks. For more information, please see bookings: details and preferences.
To print or view a weekly timetable, click the planner button in the command bar. The planner is covered in planner: overview.
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The contacts module is your name and address database. Useful grouping features make finding the right contacts easy from related modules. You can also print a number of different forms directly from contacts.
address
Enter contact information (home and/or work address). At least one address must be filled out to create forms in other modules (e.g. invoicing). You can specify a default address for each contact. The default address will be used in forms you create in other modules, for
example invoices. If no default address is specified, you will be asked which address you want to use when previewing or printing. All contacts require the entry of a country and country code. For more details on country codes, please see contacts: address formats. If you have imported records that do not have a country code, such as from a different application, you can update all codes at the same time by clicking code. Before you do, use the overview to group records by country. Cli
l action to have an up-to-date calendar. The calendar checks if the most recent week in the calendar module is current. If it isn't, the calendar expands by the selected number of months. When you increased the range, the preferences will take effect the next time you open the calendar. Reducing the range will not delete any records; but it will take longer until the next update is due. Should you wish to create records further into the future than can be selected, you can expand the
calendar by one week or month at a time, by clicking the next button in the weekly or daily layouts while viewing the last defined week.
delete records older than: in order to keep the calendar module to a reasonable size, records which are older than the selected number of months are automatically deleted. If you wish to keep records of studio activity which extend beyond the available range, please use the projects module instead. Note: when you decrease this range, the preferences wi
ll take effect the next time you open the calendar.
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets or enter terms and phrases in another language. These terms will be used during printing only.
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The layout of the elements that make up a postal address, for example on an envelope, differs from country to country. The StudioSystem deals with this by attaching a country code to each record in the contacts module, as well as your own address to determine the correct placement. In order to use any printed forms that include addresses, records (and your return address) must have their country and country code fields filled out. For most users, the majority of entries in the contacts
module will be addresses from the same country. Therefore, you may wish to double check the default country and country code in the contacts: preferences screen.
Currently, supported formats include those that match the preset languages. Other formats may be supported in future versions of the StudioSystem. If your country is not in the supported list, there is a good chance that one of the existing formats will match, or at least come close to, one of the presets. Otherwise, please s
ck form to create a variety of forms (letterheads, envelopes, labels, etc.). See contacts: forms for more information. Click the phone buttons to dial the numbers. To use the dial function, select Preferences (in the Edit menu, not the contacts preferences), choose modem, and set output to 'speaker'. Then, simply hold your handset close to the computer's speaker to dial (you must have a touch-tone phone line). Click message to create a message for emailing, faxing, or printing. Click
email to write an email message to the recipient. See contacts: preferences for details on the email protocol format. Click web to connect to the specified website. On a Macintosh, you must have Internet Config 1.1 or later installed. On Windows, you must have the URL.DLL application extension installed.
grouping
in related modules, this contact will show as: grouping contacts here is important - check any number of options and a contact will appear in popup menus of other modules; for
example, tick the 'client' box to be able to write an invoice to this contact. Personnel includes such functions as composer, producer, or engineer. You can view a project history by client or a credit history by personnel/musician by clicking the respective disclosure triangles.
instruments/specialties: select instruments from the popup menu or enter other categories. Say your contacts file included a couple of dozen guitar players scattered among hundreds of contacts - click find...
, enter 'guitar' in the 'instruments/specialties' field, and all your guitar players are listed in the overview.
notify of address change, include in travel list, and birthday reminder: these are useful checkable items provided for your convenience. Say you move and would like to inform your clients and other people. Go to the find screen, click 'notify of address change' and you instantly get a list of all applicable contacts. If you also enter personal contacts into the contacts modu
le, automatic birthday reminders can be enabled in the contacts: preferences screen. Clicking travel list in the command bar will display all checked records in a printable overview. Print this form and put it into your daily or travel planner to have a hardcopy of applicable contacts handy.
birthday: lets you enter a person's birthday. For more information, please see contacts: birthdays.
user categories: three user categories are provided that you can use as needed. For example, yo
u may wish to group contacts into different mailing lists, personal vs. business contacts, etc. If you need more than the provided grouping options, use the comments field for additional categories/keywords. Clicking temp group copies the contents of the field to all records in the found set. Use this function to temporarily assign a number of records to a group. Whenever you click an omit button, the record will be removed from the temp group.
extras
Lastly, you can enter accounting
info, comments/key words, and a picture for your contacts. Note: it is not possible to paste an image directly into this field. Instead, click import to import an image. It is *highly* recommended to store all image files in the folder 'images' in the same directory as the StudioSystem and import them by storing a reference to the file only. Importing the image itself will significantly increase the file size of the contacts module and slow down its operation. On slower machines, it J
is best to not import images. To import an image by storing a reference only, tick the 'store only a reference to the file' box at the bottom of the import dialog box. Once imported, you can click the image itself to copy it to the clipboard.
Fill in your name and up to two addresses. This info is needed for all forms, such as letterheads, in contacts and other modules. You must also include your country and country code, otherwise you will not be able to use any printed forms. Please see contacts: address formats for details. Your email address and website, if any, can be included in your home and/or work return addresses by checking the applicable option(s).
operation
when opening contacts: initially, this is set
to 'go to overview'. Select 'enter find mode' when you often use the module to look up phone numbers and the like. This is equivalent to clicking find.... Lastly, you can enable automatic birthday reminders with a selectable buffer time (1-30 days). For more information, please see contacts: birthdays.
parcel label: select Avery 5163 (letter size) or Herma 4363 (A4 letter). When you print a label, contacts expects one of these standard forms for proper address placement. Please rem
end e-mail to the support address detailing the format. More formats are likely to be included in a future update if you participate.
When the StudioSystem is opened for the first time after initialization, you are asked to set the language. Depending on the country you select, the default country and code are set at the same time. When you globally change the language setup from the main menu: preferences, the default country and code are also updated. Setting language preferences in
any other module except the main menu does not affect this setting.
When printing a form, contacts compares your country (not the code) to the country of the currently active record. If it finds them to be the same, it will print a domestic envelope or label. If they are different, it will print an international label by automatically adding the country to both addresses.
The following list details the supported country codes and their associated format:
country code 1 (layouts confo
rming to the standard used, for example, in the United States and Canada):
Street address
City, State Zip code
country code 2 (layouts conforming to the standard used, for example, in Germany and France):
Street address
Zip code City
Even though the order of street and building number is reversed in Germany vs. France, the format works in both cases, because both items are entered into a single field.
country code 3 (layouts conforming to the standard used, for example, in Ita
Street address
Zip code City (bigger City)
Use the state field for the bigger city with brackets where required, otherwise, leave the field blank.
country code 4 (layouts conforming to the standard used, for example, in the United Kingdom):
Street address
City, County, Zip code
To ensure that all information fits on the forms, the City, County (if any), and postal code are printed on a single line, separated by commas.
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The contacts module offers a flexible way of dealing with forms, including letters/faxes, envelopes, postcards, parcel labels, artist invoices and contracts. Most forms have a mini command bar with basic functions for navigating and printing/previewing.
When you are viewing the form to be printed, some elements on the page may appear in irregular or otherwise incorrect spacing. Don
t be concerned about this - the gaps will be closed when printing is actually performed. To see how the f
orm will actually look in print, you can click preview in the mini command bar. Both previewing and printing will present the page setup dialog for your currently chosen printer. Page setup is required, so that you can specify the correct paper size (letter size, A4, envelope, etc.).
form: to print forms, each contact (and your return address) must have the country and country code fields filled out. For more information, please see contacts: address formats. Clicking form in the cont
ember that manufacturers advise against feeding the same label sheet repeatedly through printers, especially laser printers. If you do not have one of the above mentioned forms, you can also print on standard letter or A4 letter size paper and cut the label out manually.
return address: the address you select here will be used on all stationary items (letterheads, envelopes, etc.). Choose 'work' or 'home' to always enter the specified address. 'printed' lets you use preprinted stationa
ry; i.e. the space where the address is normally printed is left blank. 'ask first' (the default) displays a dialog box before printing, letting you choose between the above options.
printed stationary: select 'normal' to use standard preprinted stationary. Print a test sheet to see if there is enough room for your letterhead. If you find that part of the information prints on top of your letterhead, select 'big letterhead' to leave additional space at the top of the page. Selecting 'env
window line' will put up another dialog box when printing full page forms that allows you to print a small return address line which will show in the window of an envelope (lower left corner).
email protocol: select 'standard', if you have either Claris Emailer, Qualcomm Eudora Light, or Eudora Pro installed on a Macintosh. If you are on Windows, you need a [Mail] section in the Win.ini file and Microsoft Exchange or another MAPI compliant email application installed and configured. Sele
ct 'mailto' to use another email program which understands the mailto protocol, such as Microsoft Outlook Express. On a Macintosh, you need to have the helper application defined in the Internet Config preferences. On a Windows PC, the preference is stored in URL.DLL and automatically tracked.
default country/code: all new records are automatically assigned the default country/code. Be sure to select the proper default values. Please see contacts: address formats for more information on
country codes.
scanned data
signature a, signature b, company logo: these fields are provided for your scanned signatures and company logo. Be sure to crop the scans tightly. Ideally, your signatures should not be larger than 4.5 x 0.75 inches (11.5 x 2 cm) and the company logo not larger than 3 x 0.75 inches (8 x 1.8 cm). If they are larger, they will be proportionally scaled. Because of the small field size, scans may appear scaled on the preferences screen, but will show in full s
ize (up to the size mentioned) in most printed forms. Note that both signatures must be provided, if you use only one, simply paste it into both fields. The company logo will be shown in reduced size on forms you create with the label print module.
language
Click set language to select preset terms in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms in another language.
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If you also use the contacts module for your personal contacts, you may wish to use the automatic birthday reminder function. Enter the person's birth date in the grouping screen. If you don't know the year, you need to make one up. Entering a person's birthday is independent from enabling the birthday reminder. You can quickly check all records that have birthdays entered by clicking the birthdays button in the command bar of the grouping screen. This takes you to a screen similar to
the overview. Records are sorted in the order in which birthdays happen during the calendar year. If you have entered the correct year of birth, you can also see which birthday comes up for a person during the current year (this number advances at the beginning of a new year, rather than after a birthday). In addition, you can quickly dial the person's main home phone number by clicking it and enable or disable birthday reminders for individual records.
To enable automatic birthday re
acts: details screen creates the form type specified by the two popup menus. The first popup selects the address (home or work), the second popup menu selects the form type. Once you click form, your return address will be entered (as specified in the preferences). If you are currently browsing more than a single record, contacts will alert you and give you the option of proceeding with just the current record or creating a mailing list consisting of all currently browsed records. Next
, contacts compares your country to the country of the destination address and, if they are different, adds the country. Note: if you create a mailing list and there are both domestic and international recipients in the list, contacts adds the country only to international addresses. However, your return address format depends on the current record when you clicked form. Therefore, you may wish to separate mailing lists into domestic and international runs. If you select 'parcel label'
, you must also specify which label you want to print on the selected template.
message: clicking either message button is a shortcut for selecting an address and the message option as described above. If you have pasted your scanned signatures into the preferences screen, specify the signature to be used. Choose 'none' to sign the letter by hand. If there is currently more than a single record in the browsed set of records, you are given the option of copying the letter text in the c
urrent record to all records (a regular mailing list) or leaving the letters 'as is'. On the form, choose a salutation from the popup menu (preset salutations are defined in the language screen of the main menu: preferences). Enter any name into the name field or click select name to cycle the options first name, last name, and none (single record) or literal (mailing list). If you are preparing a mailing list, the selected salutation and name option will be copied to all records. You
may wish to use the mini navigation buttons to make sure you are not printing records with the wrong salutation (e.g. Dear Mr. for a female recipient) and update individual records accordingly. Click copy fax# to quickly copy the fax number to the clipboard for pasting it into your fax software's fax number field (this can be used for individual records only, not for mailing lists). You can also send the letter as an email by clicking email in the mini command bar. Note that this only wor
ks, if your email preferences are set to standard (i.e. not mailto) and it currently only works for a single letter (no mailing list). In addition, the salutation and letter close fields are ignored, i.e. all printable text must be present in the main text field (there is only one text field in an email message).
parcel label: contacts supports Avery 5193 (letter size used in North America) and Herma 4363 (A4 letter used in Europe) label stickers. If there is a single contact in the curr
ent found set, you can select any one sticker before printing. If there are more, contacts expects a fresh sheet and will start printing from the top.
personnel invoice: lets you create an invoice with your address as the billing address. Since the bookkeeping is the responsibility of the other party, no records of these invoices are kept (they will be overwritten with the next personnel invoice). The form is provided merely as a convenience. The footer includes the accounting info fr
om the extras screen, if any.
artist contract: lets you create a standard artist/producer type contract. No sample contract text is provided. You must define a sample contract in the space provided. As with the personnel invoice form, the data in the contract is defined globally. Contracts on your hard disk without signatures are rather useless, so the only record to be kept will be any printed and signed copy.
In addition, there is a printable overview for all records in the current
found set. This form can be accessed either by clicking travel list in the extras screen (which will automatically find all appropriate records), or print... in the overview (which lets you print any set of records). Records are printed in a small format, showing the personal address and main phone number in the first row, followed by the work address and main phone number in the second row.
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Contacts allows you to import addresses created with other database applications in a number of formats. The supported formats include FileMaker Pro, tab-separated text, comma-separated text, SYLK, DIF, WKS, BASIC, Merge, DataAccessManager, ClarisWorks, and DBF.
If the format you are importing from is not directly supported, you can probably export in one of these formats from the source application. However, the real challenge of this procedure will not be matching formats, but making
sure that the field contents will be mapped properly. This can be a tricky task, but it will be worthwhile if you already have a sizable collection of address records. For successful matching, it is imperative that you know the field names that contacts uses. Appendix A lists all relevant field names. If there are extra fields in your source file for which there is no corresponding field in contacts, avoid attempting to import this field. Conversely, you may need to update individual
minders, you must tick the 'check birthdays' option in the contacts: preferences screen and select a number of 'buffer days' (the number of days you will be alerted before the birthday). This number must be between 1 and 30. To make sure you do not miss any reminders, you can turn on automatic opening of the contacts module in the main menu: preferences. Note: if the contacts module is opened by another operation, such as moving to a related contact record from another module, looking u
p birthdays is suspended. It will be performed later when you navigate directly to the module via the main menu.
Note: although it should not present a problem in normal use, you should be aware that reminders for persons who were born in a leap year will be triggered even if their birthday was yesterday, unless the current year is also a leap year. Also note that birthday reminders are only calculated when the contacts file is opened (they are not checked when the current date changes
while the file is open).
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The cue sheet module lets you quickly create cue sheets for Film/TV applications. Cue sheets can be shared with other users using CueImport, a supporting software available for free from rootsolutions. Cue sheets can be created independently by clicking new in the command bar. In most cases, however, you will probably want to link cue sheets to projects. To do so, click cue sheet from the associated project. Common fields, such as the project name, are automatically filled out and you ca
n always refer back to the project by clicking project or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows).
The details screen of the cue sheet module offers several views, letting you choose between maximum detail (displaying one cue at a time), maximum number of cues (showing little detail, but good for working with a finished cue list), or an intermediate view (best for building a cue list when the first cue has already been created). In addition, the maximum zoom level displays a tiny window
fields after importing (in particular, the options set in the grouping screen).
For the least painful import, it is recommended that you have the source file in a merge format. The merge format separates field values with a comma, and records with a return. The trick is that the first record, instead of being a real record, lists the field names. This saves you from individually matching field names field names in the import dialog. If your other application cannot export to the merge
format, see the 'tips' section of the online help file for how to create one from a tab-delimited file (which virtually all programs support). Once you have created the output file, you need to manually insert the first line, listing the field names. The 'tips' section already contains this line which you can paste at the beginning of your output file. If your old database does not use all these fields, simply skip them, but make sure you also delete the corresponding labels in the fir
st line that defines the merge fields. Important: make absolutely sure that the order of fields in which you export is the same as the order of field labels you describe in the first line, otherwise your data will be garbled.
Once you have created the output file, you're almost there. Follow these steps:
go to the contacts: overview screen and click import.
in the dialog, select the 'merge' input format from the popup menu and click open.
you will see two columns - the left side
shows the first of your source records, the right shows the field definitions in the contacts module. Select
matching names
from the popup menu. Matching field names will be paired.
click import. Another dialog box appears. Make absolutely sure that the option 'perform auto enter options...' is checked.
click OK. Your records will be imported and displayed in the overview.
You will be automatically taken to the details screen of the first imported record and asked if what you s
Gdee is correct. Click OK to finish importing or Cancel to delete the imported records and try again.
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appendix a
The following line can be pasted at the beginning of a comma-separated output file to create a 'Merge' formatted input file for importing records into the contacts module. Note that the line does not contain any return characters - it just doesn't fit all on a single line.
If your database application does not create a 'Merge' formatted output file, you can create one from a tab-delimited file (which virtually all database programs support).
output your records in the source application as tab-delimited text file and make a backup copy.
open the copy in a any word processor.
select the entire document and change all tab characters to a comma.
don't be concerned if in some places you see several commas in a row wi
th no text in between - this simply means that there were several (invisible) tabs in a row, because some fields did not have data entered.
copy and insert the line shown above as the first line.
if you do not have data for all the fields mentioned, delete those from the line, along with its preceeding comma.
follow the instructions given for 'merge'-formatted output files.
If you prefer to import directly from a tab-delimited file, perform the following steps:
go to the contacts:
overview screen and click import.
in the dialog, select the input format (or leave the popup menu set at 'all available') and click open.
you will see two columns - the left side shows the first of your source records, the right shows the field definitions in the contacts module. You must now drag the field definitions so that they line up with the data on the right and make sure that between these fields you can see an arrow (if there isn't one, click on the dash to turn it into an
5arrow). This shows that, for example, the name 'Peter' will be imported into the field called 'first name'.
click import. Another dialog box appears. Make absolutely sure that the option 'Perform auto enter options...' is checked.
click ok. Your records will be imported and displayed in the overview.
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when opening cue sheet: lets you specify what happens when the cue sheet module is first opened. Initially, this is set to 'go to overview', but you may also view the last episode.
to do grouping shows: by default, when you click to do in one of the details screen, all cues of the current episode that are not marked 'done' will be displayed. When episode/assigned is selected, the find function is also sensitive to the name in the 'assigned' field. This is useful if you work as a team o
n a long cue list.
overview defaults to: if set to 'current set', the overview behaves just like the overview in other StudioSystem modules, displaying the current found set. 'current episode' always calls up all cues from the current episode, including any previously omitted cues. 'bird's eye' displays only one cue per episode, giving you a 'bird's eye' overview of all cue sheets.
when printing records: select 'print records only' to maximize paper space or 'use letter form' to print
with only the most important information. This view is intended to let you see the window in the background while you work with a sequencer or other music application in the foreground. Keeping this view active lets you quickly tick off completed cues and view only the remaining ones. Click the zoom in/zoom out (magnifying glass) buttons to switch between the data entry views. You can shift-click them to quickly move to the maximum and minimum zoom levels. The first cue is always enter
ed in the 'maximum detail' view. For additional cues, click add cue. This copies the series, episode, cue# (next in sequence), and assigned fields from the previous cue.
For each cue, you enter the series (optional), the episode (TV episode or film title), cue# (sequentially assigned cue number), scene (for example, 'car approaching'), description (any comments/key words about the cue), assigned (who will be working on the cue), time in/out points, cue type (score or source), and source
info where required. To facilitate data entry of in/out times, you only need to enter the numbers, not colons. The fields are smart to extract the time from the entered numbers. For example, if you enter 123, the time will be shown as 0:01:23. You can enter times up to 235959 (23:59:59), i.e. any valid SMPTE address. Frames are currently not supported. The cue duration is displayed both numerically and graphically (for more info on the graph, please see cue sheet: preferences.
- ass
igned: if you work as a team, the name of who the cue is assigned to. Clicking in the field produces a list of all names you have defined as production personnel in the grouping screen of the contacts module. If you work alone, leave this field blank.
- source info: if you are using copyrighted source material, enter necessary info into the respective fields. Any info in the title, artist, or composer fields marks the cue as 'source'. Source music can later be compiled into a separate l
ist for registration purposes. Source cue info is only available in the maximum details screen.
Click episode to display all cues for the episode. Click project to display related project/session information, if any.
Click assigned to show cues assigned to the entered name. Click contacts to open the contacts module to the related contact.
Click to do to display all cues for the current episode that have not been marked as 'done', or all or cues for a particular person which are not
marked 'done', depending on the preferences setting.
Click print... to print a list of all cues in the current set in a space-saving layout, if you prefer to work with a printed sheet. Printed records must be from the same episode. The printed copy includes the episode title, cue number, in/out times, assigned, 'done' status, and as much as will fit from the scene and description fields.
export... lets you dump the current episode to a new file, for distribution to members in your prod
uction team, who do not have a copy of the StudioSystem. Using CueImport, they can import cue sheets with a single mouse click. For more information on CueImport, please visit the rootsolutions website.
If other members of your team also have a copy of the StudioSystem, clicking import also imports cues created with the export routine described above. The import button is available in the overview screen.
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It is not possible to rename an episode/series directly. You can only do this by using the rename function in the related project (if any).
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pro feature
The inventory module is ideally an image of your studio(s). Track your equipment's serial numbers, suppliers, value, wiring details, etc. and print simple forms for buying or selling used equipment.
main info
In the main info screen, you fill out the basics: make, model, a brief description, serial number, category, studio, status (active, sold, etc.), the initial status (new or used), supplier, purchase and sold dates, and comments. The studio popup menu brings up a list of all defined
studios. Click studio to define your setup. Clicking the supplier field displays a popup menu of your suppliers (you define suppliers in the grouping screen of the contacts module). web status lets you group your records into those that are for internal use only and those that are for web publishing. You can quickly copy the web status for a group of records by clicking web status. Use the find screen to find all desired records and click web status while browsing any record. When y
records on letter headed paper. Selecting 'ask first' lets you pick between the above options before printing.
source 'other' label: if you need to supply another data type for registering source cues, you can specify the type in this field. Whatever you enter here will show as a field label in the details screen and the source cue sheet printout.
graph clip dur.: to make durations easier to see in medium and minimum views, the duration is displayed as a bar graph, consisting of bullet
). The longer the cue is, the more bullets will be displayed. Since the number of bullets maxes out at twenty, you need to enter the amount of time to which the graph will be scaled. If the field shows 0:02:00 (the default), any cue with a duration of 2 minutes or greater will trigger the clip indicator (a red bullet) in the graphic display. For a useful display, pick a time that is a above the average duration for the cues you are working on.
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operation
when opening inventory: initially, this is set to 'go to overview'. Select 'go to last record' to return to the last record automatically. Select 'check for problems' to immediately display any items for which a problem report has been filled out.
update inventory date: the date of last modification appears on printouts and in the overview. If you select 'on new/delete only', you can freely make other changes, like adding scanned images, edit wiring and history information, e
tc. without affecting the date. If you select 'always', the current date will be written to the update field when you print or close the inventory module. Selecting 'ask first' will present a dialog box when the inventory module is closed.
when printing records: select 'print records only' to maximize paper space or 'use letter form' to print records on letter headed paper. Selecting 'ask first' lets you pick between the above options before printing. You can also specify a basic repor
ou export records, you can specify the file format that best suits your target application. Use a text option for loading the records into your HTML editor or save your records directly as a HTML table. Exporting is done in the overview. Of course, you may export any set of records, the web status is merely provided for your convenience, should you wish to publish your inventory on the world wide web. If you wish, you can also import a picture of the item by clicking import. It is *hi
ghly* recommended to store all image files in the folder 'images' in the same directory as the StudioSystem and import them by storing a reference to the file only. To do so, tick the 'store only a reference to the file' box at the bottom of the import dialog box. Importing the image itself will significantly increase the file size of the inventory module and slow down its operation. Click zoom to view the picture in more detail. In the zoom screen, you can also specify where the pictu
re came from. Clicking the image itself copies it to the clipboard for exporting to another application.
finance
Enter the amount you paid into the purchase price field. If the amount is a total (net + tax) and you can deduct sales tax from equipment purchases, click purchase price. This will calculate the net price from the total based on the sales tax. To prevent accidental repeated calculation, this function is locked if the field already shows the net amount. If you can't reclaim
sales tax, simply enter the amount you paid (do not click purchase price). You can also enter the 'list price' for an item. Say you got a great deal on a piece of equipment, you can still enter its true value (e.g. for insurance claims, estimates for selling equipment, etc.). The two remaining fields in the row show you how much you saved, both in amount and percent. Below, you can enter the period over which the item is written off. Based on the number of years you enter, you can qu
ickly check the book value and the remaining depreciation life. If you sell anything, you may wish to enter the date of sale and the sale price. There is another field for currency preceding the amount field, because you may not be selling in the same currency as you were buying. For your convenience, summaries for the currently browsed set are displayed.
wiring
This screen can come in handy when you plan to wire or rewire your studio. Enter the type and number of jacks the device has
, along with the number of plugs you need to wire (sometimes not all plugs are necessary). Say you are planning to wire an effects rack. You could use the find... function to find all 'active' effect units. By looking at the wiring screen of any record, you will see instantly how many plugs are required. In addition, you can specify the power usage for each piece of gear. This is useful as a safety precaution - if you have a lot of equipment, you can estimate the power load to determi
ne if you need to have an electrician look at your circuit breakers or building wiring. The AC/Volts field may be useful if you have purchased equipment in different countries (e.g. both Europe and North America). You can check for needed transformer size or number of power plug adapters.
history
Use these fields to document any changes to your equipment like repairs, maintenance, upgrades, etc. If you fill in any costs in the right column, the total incurred costs are calculated (on t
op of the net value) and displayed at the bottom. Use the disclosure triangle to view the history in detail. You can also specify a number of printing options as specified in the history preferences.
problems
If an inventory item has a problem, you can describe the condition on this screen for tech personnel. If the item has a problem report, an alert sign appears on the file folder tab. To check for any problem reports, click problems in the overview window.
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The inventory module provides two simple forms for buying or selling used equipment. Clicking the forms button in one of the details screens displays a dialog box that lets you choose between the buy and sell forms.
Both forms behave very similar. The default button lets you reenter the default text you have defined in the preferences screen.
In addition to the texts, the forms display a number of standard terms (such as Sales Contract, Buyer, Seller, etc.), which can be defined in the
inventory: preferences screen. This allows international users to customize the forms for any language.
Click preview or print to preview or print the form; in either case, a check for missing information is performed before proceeding.
Click done to return to the main info screen.
t (one record per line, including the make/model, serial number, and net price, or a more detailed report, which adds the description, purchase date, and status to the above. You can also specify 'ask first' (the default) to pick between these option before printing.
default web status: web status can be assigned to 'internal' or 'publish' for all new records. For more info, please see inventory: details.
default location: the location entered into this field will be copied to all new
records. If all your new purchases are typically in the same studio/location, you can leave this field blank. Clicking the field produces a popup boxes of studios you have defined. (studios are defined in main menu: preferences).
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms and phrases in another language.
used buy top/bottom: these fields contain sample phrases you
ecan use when you buy or sell used equipment. Once you navigate to the
buy used
form, these phrases will be copied. See inventory: forms for more information. Keep default text concise. You will not be able to print text longer than about 2 lines (per field).
used sell top/bottom: these fields work analogous to the 'buy used' fields described above.
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The last modification date shown in the overview is likely to be more useful or accurate than the date shown in the Finder/Windows OS.
s why: Filemaker Pro always updates the date of a file when closing. If you look at the modification date in the Finder/Windows OS with the 'Get Info' or 'Properties' command, you always see the date the file was last closed, rather than truly modified. If, for example, you opened the inventory module only to look up a serial number, you haven't reaBally made any changes, but the file info (incorrectly) shows that the inventory has been modified.
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The invoicing module lets you create invoices and simple estimates/bids. Upon opening, the module checks if any invoices have become overdue, and alerts you if necessary. Invoices can be created independently by clicking new in the command bar. In most cases, however, you will probably want to link invoices to projects. To do so, click invoice from the associated project. Common fields, such as project name and client, are automatically filled out and you can always refer back to the pro
operation
when opening invoicing: initially, this is set to 'go to overview'. If you use the invoicing module regularly, you may wish to set this option to 'show unpaid bills'. If there are no outstanding payments, a dialog box will let you know. No matter which option you choose, you will always be notified if any invoices are overdue.
invoices become overdue after: enter a number of days between 21 and 60. If an invoice is older than the specified number of days, its status automati
cally changes from
billed
overdue
income becomes taxable on: choose 'paid date' or 'invoice date', depending on how taxes are handled in your country. What you select here also affects what you see in the overview when you click show period, where either all invoiced or all paid records are displayed for the specified period (this works together with the 'tax period' preferences, explained below).
tax period: select month, quarter, or year. Your selection will depend on how oft
ject by clicking project or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows).
1) Independent invoices: If you want to create an invoice for which no project log exists, click new in the command bar. This also gives you the option of creating a simple bid which can be turned into an invoice later. Click in the project field and enter an optional title. Press [Tab] or click in the client field to select a client from the popup list (clients are defined in the grouping screen of the contacts modul
e). Click fax# to copy the client's fax number to the clipboard for pasting it into your fax program's number field. The text fields below display default text defined in the invoicing: preferences screen. If necessary, modify the default text. There is also an expanding space for comments (these will not be printed).
The status changes automatically. Initially, it is 'temporary'. When you have printed an estimate, invoice, or overdue notice, the status changes to 'estimate', 'billed
', or 'od notified', respectively. When an invoice becomes overdue, the status changes to 'overdue'. Click status to mark the record as paid or write-off (written off invoices no longer appear as unpaid in the overview). You can have an automatic invoice number generated or manually type in an invoice number (for details on automatic invoice number generation, please see invoicing: preferences). Click estimate, invoice, or overdue, to recall text for the different forms before previewin
g or printing. The currently selected form type appears in red. The date fields display when the various forms have been created. Click paid or status when an invoice has been paid. The current date is entered into the paid date field. Proceed as described below under 2) for standard projects.
2) Invoices for projects which have been logged in standard mode:
if applicable, fill out the tax rate. If you have specified a rate in the main menu: preferences, it is entered automaticall
y. In the charges section at the bottom, enter the chargeable line items.
3) Invoices for projects which have been logged in extended mode:
No further editing is necessary (or possible) on this screen. All items consist of the associated session charges and are billed accordingly.
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Before you print, the first part of your text is checked for the place holder 'xxx' (without the quotes).
For example, your default invoice text might be 'For production of xxx, please pay as follows:' As long as the place holder is still there, you will be alerted and printing is canceled. You can simply double click the place holder and replace it with valid information. This lets you quickly add custom text in the middle of standard default text without risking to forget about the pB
lace holder.
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The label print module lets you print labels for several standard media boxes for your archive and clients. Currently supported label types include CD, CD mini, DAT, MiniDisc, Jaz and Zip cartridges, compact cassette (box and tape), TT patchbay, and generic.
general
There are four ways to create a label:
1) Click new in the command bar to create a 'generic' label. This method is straight forward, but quite slow, since you need to type everything in by hand.
2) Import selections into a
'generic' record. This method is perfect for printing a label for selections from a supported hard-disk editing system.
3) To create a label for records in the archive module, collect your data there, using the find screen and/or grouping functions, and then create a label by clicking the appropriate buttons. All records appear in the label print module, ready to print. Labels can be created for individual records, selections associated with a record, or any group of records.
4) To creat
en you are required to do taxes, based on the country you live in, the amount of business you do, or other factors. This option affects which records are displayed when you click show period in the overview, which will show all records for the specified period (this works together with the 'income becomes taxable on' preference, explained above).
auto invoice#: if this option is turned on (the default), an invoice number is generated for every new record. The format depends on the selec
ted tax period; more generally speaking, it is yy-period-##. Let's say you are writing your first invoice of the year on July 15, 1999. The automatic invoice number will be:
99-01 (yearly tax period), or
99-3-01 (quarterly tax period), or
99-7-01 (monthly tax period).
Turn this option off to use a different invoice number format; however, you must specify a number and it must be unique.
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu
. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms and phrases in another language.
form footer: whatever you type into this space will appear as entered on all printed forms. In some countries, it is customary to include your accounting information to which bank and account clients should be paying. You can also enter your company's motto, web site, etc., or leave the field blank.
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When you create a new label or go to a previously created label, you are taken to one of several details screens, depending on the type of record (see below). Once you are finished entering data, click print form in the command bar. At this point, a basic error check is performed. If the check was successful (or you decide to print anyway), you are taken to the print form of the selected media type. Please see label print: forms for more information on the various label templates. The
following paragraphs discuss the differences between the types of records:
Generic: in generic mode, you manually enter ID numbers, titles, and durations. While this mode is straight forward, it is the slowest, because you need to enter all information by hand (read on for info on quickly importing data). Use this mode to compile a list of items which are not in the archive or sound library modules. Note that some media types require a 'generic' record, such as double sided cassette o
e a label for records in the sound library module, collect your data there, using the find screen and/or grouping functions, and then create a label by clicking the appropriate buttons. All records appear in the label print module, ready to print.
Once you have gathered the data, you can print several media type labels by simply selecting a different media type from the popup menu and print again. For example, you may have entered all data to be printed on your CD-R master. To create a D
label for a DAT backup and a client cassette dub with the same material, simply change the media type and print again. For more information on creating labels for archive records, please refer to archive: creating labels.
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operation
when opening label print: select what happens when you first open the label print module. The default is 'go to overview' which always displays all records.
cassette stickers: the label print module supports two different standard cassette sticker label templates. Select Avery 5198 or A4 letter, depending on the template you are using. When you print stickers, label print expects one of these standard forms for proper field placement. Please remember that manufacturers advis
e against feeding the same label sheet repeatedly through printers, especially laser printers.
import selections format: you can import selections directly into a 'generic' record. If you are using a hard-disk editor, such as digidesign's Masterlist CD
, you can import their text output for quickly creating a label. Export from Masterlist's main or PQ editor window with the tab separated (default) or comma separated option. Support for the SADiE recorder is available using Robert Bleeker
r patchbay labels. All other print forms only use the data you specify for 'Side A'. ID numbers are automatically entered for 'Side A', so you can directly type the remaining info. Click import... to import selections from another source. Currently supported formats include digidesign's Masterlist
CD (both the main and PQ editor windows), and comma separated text. A free application which converts the output of the SADiE harddisk recorder to comma separated text is also available, court
esy of Robert Bleeker, from the rootsolutions website. Any other comma separated file can also be used. Put each record on one line, and specify ID, selection title, and duration. For a more permanent storage of your items in the archive, these options are also available in the archive: selections screen.
Selections: in selections mode, you can quickly import all selections from an archive entry with one mouse click into a print list. The archive title automatically becomes the print tit
Group: in group mode, you can quickly import all selections that have the same 'tmp group' title in the archive module. This is useful to print a label from an arbitrary set of archive records. Use the finding and sorting functions in the archive to prepare your data. See archive: general for more on tmp groups.
Soundlib: soundlib behaves similar to 'selections' records, but links to the sound lib module. This lets you quickly create a label for a sound effects library, for example.
See sound lib: details for more on how to use this feature.
In addition to specifying id numbers, titles, and durations, there are a few other fields to fill out before printing:
print title: this could be an album title, something like 'demo reel', or anything else that uniquely identifies the label you are about to print. If you are printing records from the archive or sound library modules, the print title is automatically entered.
label (optional): click in the field to enter a pr
edefined text, define your own defaults, or directly enter any other short text. If you are printing from a 'selections' archive entry, you can quickly copy the archive# as specified in the archive module. Click label and select 'master' or 'backup' to copy the respective number, or 'none' to clear the field.
info (optional): select an entry from the popup list or enter any other information in this field. For any info you are likely to use more often, such as '
<your name>', edit tH
he list.
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Once you have complied your list of selections, select a media type from the popup menu and click print form. All printing is expected to happen on standard letter size or A4 letter paper. The only exception to this are the cassette sticker templates (see below). Cut markers are printed along with the data to help you with cutting out the label. Using a ruler and utility knife, you should get excellent results right away.
Labels are printed with an 'open end', so you can print as many
tracks per label as will fit on the page. Simply fold the label at the markers to fit it inside the media box. Generic labels are treated like cassette labels, except that different error checking is performed (see below). Because the cassette label has the same width as a VHS tape, you should be able to accommodate many other media types with this format. Use it for multitrack tapes, removable mass storage media, video tapes, etc.
Computer media and patchbay labels may only be printe
's PQ-Extractor application, available for free from the rootsolutions website. In this case, select the 'comma separated' option.
delete orphaned labels: when you have created labels from the archive for individual records or temp groups, it is possible that you can't move to the related archive records any longer. This happens, for example, if an archive record has been reassigned to another temp group. In this case, you may wish to delete the 'orphaned' label. By selecting 'immediatel
y', label print immediately deletes the record when it detects that the relationship is no longer valid. Because this can be a confusing action, the default is 'ask first'. You can also delete all orphaned labels at once by clicking clean up in the label print overview.
stock tracking
The amount of blank media (CD, DAT, MiniDisc, and Cassette) in stock can be tracked by the label print module. Stock tracking works on the assumption that with each label you print, you are using up one of
your media types.
after printing, update stock: select always to update your stock info transparently. Select never to turn off the stock tracking functions. ask first lets you choose after each print run. This is useful for avoiding incorrect stock information if, say, you need to reprint a label, because it had wrong information on it or the printer jammed.
To use stock tracking, you:
initially fill out the stock fields to reflect your actual stock. Remember to update this figF
ure when you buy new stock.
define the low warning level. If the amount of stock drops to or below the warning level, you will be alerted after a print run. A setting of zero turns off the tracking function for the associated media type.
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The lyrics module provides a handy way to store and print your lyrics, both for archiving and session work. Lyric sheets can be created independently by clicking new in the command bar. In most cases, however, you will probably want to link lyrics to projects. To do so, click lyrics from the associated project. Common fields, such as project name and client, are automatically filled out and you can always refer back to the project by clicking project or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Win
dows).
Use the details screen to enter basic information. If you have defined default writers and lyricists in lyrics: preferences, they are automatically entered for every new record. Otherwise, click in the name fields to display a scrolling list of production personnel (this group is defined in the grouping screen of the contacts module). The date of entry and last modification is displayed for your reference. To see more of the lyric than can be displayed in the details screen, click
d from a generic record. No error checking is performed. ID's and durations are not included in these printing templates. Patchbay label layout is for 1U rack space tiny telephone (bantam) patchbays with 48 points per row. One record prints one half of a patchbay, where the data for 'Side A' and Side 'B' are for the upper and lower rows, respectively. In other words, one patchbay requires printing two records.
The cassette sticker templates expect either an Avery 5198 or A4 letter size '1
2 up' sticker label sheet for laser or ink jet printers (as set in the preferences). Using plain paper or dot matrix feed paper will not give you useful results. Clicking stickers in the mini command bar (only available in the cassette forms) takes you to a special navigation screen where you can select any or all 12 stickers. To print 12 stickers, click all, but do not select 12 copies in the print dialog box (each page already holds twelve copies). Note: if your screen appears blank,
it is because the information to be printed is closer to the bottom of the page and therefore is hidden from view, unless you have a full page monitor. This does not affect printing.
If you exceed any of the following specs, you will be alerted before printing:
CD: 80 minutes program time, 23 tracks.
CD mini: 21 minutes program time, 12 tracks.
DAT/cassette: program time determined by the media type, 49 tracks.
MiniDisc: 14 minutes program time, 17 tracks.
Jaz: 17 selections (numbered).
Zip: 15 selections (numbered).
TT patchbay: 24 items.
Generic: 10 hours program time, 49 tracks.
If errors are reported, you are given the option of canceling or printing anyway. If you proceed, the offending selections may be missing on your printout.
Note: the double sided cassette template only checks the durations for Side A and assumes a C-90.
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Tips for patchbay labels:
- name your records something like PB 1L, PB 1R, PB 2L, etc. This lets you easily identify the correct label in the overview, should you wish to make changes to your setup.
- With the limited space available, you should not attempt to print more than 3-4 characters per patch point. If you need two lines per label, you can enter them with a return. You won
t see both lines in the details screen, but you can see them on the print form. For example, a patch point cB
ould look like this:
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The main menu is your 'home' screen. It is smaller than the screens of the other modules, so that you can keep the window open and still see your desktop on a 15" monitor when you work with other applications at the same time.
From the main menu, you navigate to any module by clicking the respective navigation button. The main menu is also displayed whenever you click a yellow done button, or press Cmd-1 (Macintosh) or Ctrl-1 (Windows) in any of the other modules. You can click the sma
ll 'collapse' icon (upward pointing triangle) to have a reduced floating palette of the main menu. You trade available screen space against access to features. In collapsed view, click the small 'expand' icon (downward pointing triangle) to return to the standard view.
quickstart brings up the quickstart help page for new users.
shrink closes all modules, including any user files, except the main menu. This may be useful if you have a lot of modules plus other FileMaker files open and
zoom/print, where a full page is displayed.
Tip: If you have entered a lyric before you created a project, you can link a project after the fact by clicking lyrics in the project details screen and choosing the link option.
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The main menu preferences are used for system wide settings. Remember that most modules also have their own preferences screens. Be sure to set preferences in all modules you are using.
Click studios... to define your studios. For more on studios, please see studios: details.
Click import to import records from a previous version of the StudioSystem. For detailed instructions, please see main menu: import.
Click start netwk or stop netwk to start or stop network activity, respectively
(the button changes its label depending on the network status). Network operation requires that 1) you are connected to a network, e.g. TCP/IP or AppleTalk, 2) you are running the StudioSystem from a FileMaker Pro application (rather than the runtime application), 3) you have multi-user licenses for both the StudioSystem and FileMaker Pro (or the FileMaker Server application).
Click expert... to enable all warning messages that have been turned off in the various modules by clicking exp
are low on memory, or to avoid too many 'This file was not closed properly' messages after a system crash. You can also press Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows) whenever the main menu window is in front. Shrinking turns off network access, if any.
The register button lets you register /upgrade and personalize your copy of the StudioSystem.
Click preferences to set various user preferences. For more information, please see main menu: preferences.
notepad brings up the notepad. The note
@pad is available from any module. For more information, please see notepad: details.
Instead of a done button like the other modules, the main menu has a quit button. Always close the StudioSystem from the main menu, because it ensures that all modules are closed and updated properly and will not reopen one another.
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Collapsing the main menu appears to allow for quicker navigation among the modules. However, when you open modules from the floating palette without clicking done in open modules, a sizable number of windows can be open in no time. If you also require user files, you can have a couple of dozen files open quickly and it's easy to lose track of what's where, not to mention the fact that you will constantly be dragging windows around to see more information than can be displayed at one time
. At this point it may be good to remember that clicking Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows) performs a shrink command in either collapsed or expanded view, as long as the main menu is the active window.
You may consider using 'relative' navigation instead (set in the main menu: preferences). Collapsing may be useful if you typically only work with a few modules or if you want to drag and drop text between different modules.
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introduction
main menu: about
Use this screen to set systemwide preferences for buttons and zoom level.
zoom level: if you use high-resolution monitors, you can automatically increase the screen display in all modules by selecting larger. Preview and print screens always display at 'normal' size.
show progress: normally, this parameter is 'on'. This lets you check how many steps are left in lengthy operations, such as importing of records or starting up the network.
when color depth does not match: the StudioSyste
m distinguishes between 1-bit color (black and white), 8-bit color (256), and 16-bit color (thousands) or more. When the StudioSystem is opened, it checks the current color depth of your monitor. If it does not match the current button setup and set defaults is selected, it resets the buttons to their default settings. Select do nothing when you prefer the 8-bit or b/w buttons on a system with higher color depth. Trying to display 16-bit graphics on a monitor set to 8-bit graphics will
operation
startup options
set network to: you can choose to always start the StudioSystem in single user mode or as a host on the network. Single user (the default) opens much faster. Network operation requires that 1) you are connected to a network, e.g. TCP/IP or AppleTalk, 2) you are running the StudioSystem from a FileMaker Pro application (rather than the supplied runtime application), 3) you have multi-user licenses for both the StudioSystem and FileMaker Pro (or the FileMake
r Server application). You can also start and stop network operation during your session by clicking start netwk or stop netwk in the command bar, respectively (the button changes its label depending on the network status). Important: Never run multiple copies of the StudioSystem on a network. Not only does this defeat the purpose of network operation, but corrupted data may result.
auto-open: lets you automatically open the selected module along with the main menu. You can also choose t
o just open the main menu by selecting none (the default).
project logging: for more information, please see project logging.
navigation: Selecting absolute (the default) hides the current module when you open another module and brings up the main menu whenever you click a yellow done button. Selecting relative stacks windows when you navigate to related information or open another module; i.e. each time you click done, you step through the modules in reverse order in which you opened th
em. You can always display the main menu directly by shift-clicking done. Note that opening some modules never hides the current module (for example, the help file or the notepad).
auto-shrink: enabling this will, in effect, click shrink every time you return to the main menu. Because it significantly slows down operation speed, it is recommended that you leave this option turned off. It may be useful when memory is tight, or when your system crashes frequently. This can protect your dat
a from becoming corrupt. Auto-shrink does not work when navigation is set to relative, because the main menu does not become active when you click done in another module. You can then force shrink by shift-clicking done.
reminders: you can have the StudioSystem remind you to back up your data on a monthly or weekly basis. Even though the default is none, it is probably a good idea to turn this option on. Store a complete backup on another medium, such as a removable hard disk. In additi
on, you can also choose to display a custom message on startup and/or quit.
language
The StudioSystem uses printed forms in English by default. You can update all printable forms and terms/phrases by selecting a language from the popup menu and pressing quick setup. If you do not see your language in the popup menu, don
t worry. Forms support any language. The only difference is that you will have to provide the sample text yourself (in the various preferences screens of applicable mo
dules and the main menu). Language items that appear in several modules, such as the currency or tax rate, are filled out centrally from the main menu. Click phrases to define frequently used salutations and letter closes. The following modules update when you globally set the language: main menu, budget, calendar, contacts, inventory, invoicing, projects, supplies.
graphics, password, user files
For more information about these preferences, please see the main menu: graphics, main menJ1u: password, and main menu: user files chapters.
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The StudioSystem lets you set a private password. Access to certain modules, screens, and functions is denied or limited when user password protection is active. This is shown by a lock icon on the affected buttons. You can select standard or complete protection from the popup menu. In standard mode, the user password denies access to modules that deal with financial information (e.g. invoicing), limits access to modules that partly deal with financial information (e.g. session log), an
d prohibits deletion of records (certain modules excepted) and selected other functions. In complete mode, the StudioSystem cannot be used at all without the password. When a password has been set, the StudioSystem opens to a login screen. You only need to enter the password once per session. Protection is enforced again when you close and reopen the StudioSystem. Please note that protection may be compromised when the StudioSystem is run on a network. If you have sensitive data, you ma
result in poor overall appearance. Note that if the system color depth is lower than required, the buttons always revert to their defaults on startup to improve screen display.
click button setup to pick one of three button styles. In 16-bit color or higher, you get fancy 3D buttons. In 8-bit color, you get decent 3D buttons, that look best if your monitor cannot display more than 256 colors. Lastly, if you must run the StudioSystem on a black and white monitor, use the B/W setting. T
lhis will display the buttons with a standard fill pattern. You may also wish to try this setting on slower machines and/or networks to squeeze that last bit of speed out of your setup. Usually, you can leave the buttons set at either 8-bit or 16-bit. You can also click the sample buttons themselves to learn more about the logic behind the button color coding.
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If you are a FileMaker veteran, chances are you would like to integrate some of your own files into the StudioSystem. This is where the user files come in. The StudioSystem allows you to integrate up to four of your own FileMaker files. User files require FileMaker Pro, i.e. if you are running the StudioSystem as a standalone application, this will not work.
For example, let's say you have created a file called 'software' that tracks the software on your computer. To integrate this in
to the StudioSystem, perform the following steps:
1. move your file(s) into the StudioSystem folder.
2. rename them 'user 1' ... 'user 4' (without the quotes).
3. in the user files preferences of the main menu, enter the names that you would like to refer to (e.g. 'software'). Do not make the names longer than the space allows, otherwise they will not be properly displayed in the main menu.
s it! in the main menu, you will see the names that you have entered, mapped to the user fi
y wish to leave the StudioSystem set to single user in the preferences.
To set a password:
1. in main menu preferences, click the password tab, then click the password field and type your password over the bullets. If you change your mind and you do not want to set or change the password, click done in the command bar. Note: the password is shown while you define it, but not later when it's being asked by the StudioSystem.
2. click lock (the small button with the closed lock symbol).
in the dialog box, select immediate protection or protection when the StudioSystem is next opened. Your password is now active.
To remove a password:
1. click preferences in the main menu.
2. move to the password screen and click unlock (the small button with the open lock symbol).
3. confirm the dialog box, or click 'cancel' to leave your password as set.
Important! make sure you remember your password! If you forget it, you will not be able to access protected data again!! A forgot
ten password may be recovered using the following procedure:
- Quit the StudioSystem and make a copy of the main menu.
- Compress the file using Stuffit (Mac) or WinZip (Windows) and send it to technical support.
After your owner status is verified, the user password will be removed and the password will be sent to you via e-mail. This is a chargeable service provided for your convenience. For more information, send e-mail to technical support.
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You can enter the user password to unlock the StudioSystem even during a session by shift-clicking preferences in the main menu. You are taken to the login screen. Enter your password to return to the main menu.
Conversely, you can also enforce password protection during a session:
- click preferences in the main menu.
- move to the password screen.
- click lock (the closed lock symbol).
Please remember that, while the password disallows deleting individual records in most modules, no B
password can protect your data against accidental or deliberate deletion of individual files (or the entire StudioSystem) from your harddisk. Be sure to make regular backups. You can enable automatic backup reminders in the main menu:preferences.
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pro feature
The messages module acts as an electronic message board for everyone who uses the studio(s). It has a no-frills design with very few options, so that it can act as an immediate replacement for handwritten notes. In the main menu, you can set a preference to always open the messages module first. This is the recommended setting if you are using the messages module.
The module always opens to the overview, so that you can quickly check if there are messages waiting. Click the disclosure
triangle to read the message. If there are a lot of messages, click your name in the first column to quickly group all messages for you.
To leave a message:
Click new in the command bar. A popup menu of all production personnel contacts appears in the 'message from' list. You define this group in the grouping screen of the contacts module. Select your name from the list. The insertion point moves to the 'message to' field. The same popup menu appears. Select the name of the recipi
les. Click the navigation buttons to open the respective files. If nothing happens or you receive an error message when trying to open a user file, check that:
- all files are in the StudioSystem folder.
- their names are 'user 1' ... 'user 4' exactly (without the quotes) .
show user files in main menu: if you are integrating user files, turn this option on so that your files are shown in the main menu. To minimize screen clutter, this option is 'off' by default.
hide main menu when
opening user files: by default, the main menu screen remains visible when a user file is opened. This makes sure that you can see the main menu again when you close your own files. Checking this option is only recommended if you create a script in your files to reopen the main menu (this makes your files behave more like StudioSystem modules). To do so, create a script in each file called 'done', which contains the following instructions:
Toggle Window [Hide]
Open [main menu]
Drag it
to the top and the Cmd-1 shortcut will also apply to your files. You can even set a preference to call that script automatically when you close the file. See your FileMaker Pro documentation for more details.
Things to be aware of:
- closing the StudioSystem, clicking 'shrink', or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows) also closes any user files.
- if you are using the collapsed main menu view, the 'hide main menu' preference will be unchecked.
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If you do not want to rename or move your files, you can do the following: create an alias (Mac) or shortcut (Windows) of the file(s), rename them as explained, and move those to the StudioSystem folder instead.
Need more than 4 user files? Create yourself a file with buttons for each file you would like to open (not unlike the main menu itself). The file itself contains no records, only scripts with 'Open File' instructions as described. Assign this file as a user file and it can be
opened directly from the main menu.
In the operation preferences screen you can select 'user 1' as the default module that will be opened when the main menu is opened, making your 'user 1' file the perfect choice for any database you want to open first thing in the morning.
If you have the Filemaker Pro developer edition, you can even add user files to the standalone application by setting the binding key of your user files to 'SSxxRT', where xx is the version number. For example, Studi
C0oSystem version 4.0 uses the binding key SS40RT.
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The notepad module provides a handy way to keep notes during your sessions or other studio work. Very few options are given, so that you don't need to fuss much to use the notepad.
details
Opening the notepad does not hide the current window, so you can keep the notepad open until you click done in the notepad command bar. For this reason, the notepad details window has been reduced in size.
To create a new note, click new in the command bar. The insertion point moves to the caption f
ield. The caption is optional, but useful in the overview once many notes start piling up. Press [Tab] and enter your note text in the comments field. You can also define a contact in the 'note by' field. If you are the only one who uses the StudioSystem, leave this field blank. Otherwise you can select your name from the popup menu (the popup list shows all contacts that have been defined as production personnel in the grouping screen of the contacts module). Click note by to quickl
ent. Press [Tab] or click in the message field and type your message.
To delete a message:
If the message does not need to be answered, click delete...
To reply to a message:
If you need to reply to a message, click reply. A new message is created. The sender/recipient fields are already filled out, so you only need to type in the new message. If you want to include the original message, click quote/reply instead. Avoid editing the special characters which are automatically appended.
These are used to put quoted messages in the right order.
The main work and home phone number of the sender are displayed for your convenience and can be clicked to dial directly. You can also click mesg from to open the contacts module to the related record. To use dialing, select 'modem' from the preferences (FileMaker preferences in the menu bar), and set the output option to 'speaker'. Then, simply hold your handset close to the computer's speaker when dialing.
preferences
when d
eleting messages: if you have deleted a message, you can either check the overview for remaining messages or exit directly to the main menu. By default, this option is set to check remaining messages.
confirm delete: select 'yes' (the default) or 'no', depending on whether you want to see an 'are you sure' -type alert when deleting a message.
when replying/quoting: by default, this is set to 'delete original message'. However, you can also choose to keep the original message around for
< a while.
auto delete messages: for even less mouse-clicking, you can choose to automatically delete messages older than the specified number of days. The number of days must be between 3 and 365, inclusively. By default, this option is set to 'never'.
Click defaults in the command bar to reset all preferences.
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pro feature
The planner holds no data. It is used as a convenient way to display and print studio booking information, one week at a time, for each studio in your facility. Booking data is entered in the calendar and bookings modules.
To use the planner, you must have already defined your studios and entered some booking information. For more information, please see the bookings: details and preferences and studios chapters. In the planner, simply select the studio from the popup menu in the top l
eft corner, and the desired date from the popup menu in the Monday field (the list shows all Mondays which are currently defined in the calendar. For information on how set the calendar range, please refer to calendar: preferences. In addition to selecting the date from the popup menu, some shortcuts are also provided. Click the <- and -> buttons to move to the previous and next week, respectively, or click the 0 button to move directly to the current week. Once you have selected the s
y show all notes created by the same person in the overview.
For your convenience, the creation and last modification dates are displayed. You can use the modification date as a sorting criterion in the overview.
preferences
overview sorting defaults to: let you specify a default sort order. Whenever you move to the overview, this sort order will be used first. By default, the sort order is 'item sort'. If you can
t recall the item name, try 'date sort'.
confirm delete: lets you disD<able the 'Are you sure' - type messages when deleting notes.
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Note: be sure you have read project logging before reading this topic.
Click new project in the command bar to start a new project. If you have previously created a record for this project in the budget module, it is best to create a new record from there. This maintains a link between the modules and overrides any offending preferences with the following defaults: mode: standard; billing option: flat. Other information, such as title and client, are also copied. If no budget record e
xists, you are asked to specify the logging mode (standard or personal) and the billing option (flat or hourly). Next, you must give the project a unique title. Press [Tab] or click inside the client field to select a client from the popup list. Clients are defined in the grouping screen of the contacts module. Click client to display the client record in the contacts module (shift-click to jump to the client's project history). If the logging mode is 'standard', fill out the pay tota
tudio and date, the grid fills with matching information. Click print... to print a hardcopy for the studio wall(s). The footer displays the room name and the date of the printout, so you can see how current the information is.
From the planner, you can navigate directly to the calendar and bookings modules, or return to the main menu as usual by clicking done.
Things to be aware of:
The planner does not update dynamically when you edit a booking in the bookings module and return. To
update the display in the planner, you must reselect the studio name or date to reflect any changes you have made.
If you wish to print the planner, be sure to set your printer to landscape mode, because the layout prints sideways.
The planner's date range matches that of the calendar. When you open the calendar, the date range is automatically extended if necessary, as defined in the calendar: preferences. For this reason, you can only access the planner via the calendar.
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when opening projects: initially, this is set to 'go to overview'. If you usually work on one project at a time, you may want to select 'show last project'. If you have many projects already in the file, try 'show current projects' which automatically omits all others from display.
auto-log session time: by default, each session's timer automatically starts when you create a new session. If you don't want to use the timer for some reason, you can turn this functions off by sel
ecting 'never' or decide each time by selecting 'ask first'.
set standard projects to completed when: the status of 'standard' projects can be changed when requested, but will also be changed to 'completed' automatically by the invoicing module. By selecting one of the two other options you can specify when this happens. Once the status has been changed to 'completed', the project no longer shows up when you display current projects in the overview.
set personal projects to completed w
l or pay/hour field, depending on whether the project's billing is based on a flat or hourly rate. The other field will be calculated based on the project's duration. You can quickly navigate to any current project by clicking hop to next to the project title. Select the desired project from the list and click ok. If the list is empty, there are no current projects. If you have renamed the project in this or other modules, you can quickly synchronize all project names by clicking sync
in the command bar. This is especially handy if you have started a project under a working title.
In the main part of the window, you log the project's progress, including session dates, session details, and session time. Click add session to enter the current date into the next available row. Optionally, use the details space for diary-type information, like 'voice overdubs'. If you use the session timer, the session time is automatically logged; otherwise, enter the time manually in
the format hh:mm. The timer is explained in more detail in the session timer chapter.
logging information: mode displays the current project logging mode. Click mode to convert the logging mode between business, personal, and extended. The start date is automatically entered, but may be changed manually. The update field receives its value from the most recent session. The project's duration is displayed both in hours (time log) and number of days (spread).
project information: clic
k status to manually change the project status (this is done automatically by default). Rate displays the current billing option. Click rate to convert the billing option between flat and hourly. Say you normally charge by the hour, but the project turns out to take longer than anticipated. You may agree to charge a flat rate instead. Click notes to enter any comments about the project. Tip: this is a great field to paste a client's email into.
related information: click the navigat
ion buttons to move to related records. If there are no related records, clicking the button gives you the option of creating a record in the selected module (except budget, based on the assumption that a budget would be calculated before you start working on the project). Click the navigation buttons to move to related records. If there are no related records, clicking the button gives you the option of creating a record in the selected module (except budget, based on the assumption thHIat a budget would be calculated before you start working on the project).
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CYou can shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the current project. Let's say you have received an updated cue sheet. If, for some reason, you do not want to delete the original cue sheet, shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the original cue sheet, then click again to import the new cue sheet.
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Note: be sure you have read project logging before reading this topic.
project info
Click new project in the command bar to start a new project. If you have previously created a record for this project in the budget module, it is best to create a new record from there. This maintains a link between the modules and copies common information, such as title and client. If no budget record exists, you must give the project a unique title. Press [Tab] or click inside the client field to se
lect a client from the popup list. Clients are defined in the grouping screen of the contacts module. Click client to display the client record in the contacts module (shift-click to jump to the client's project history). You can quickly navigate to any current project by clicking hop to next to the project title. Select the desired project from the list and click ok. If the list is empty, there are no current projects. If you have renamed the project in this or other modules, you can
hen: the status of 'personal' projects can be changed when requested, but can also be set to 'completed' automatically by the archiving module by selecting 'when project is archived'. Once the status has been changed to 'completed', the project no longer shows up you display current projects in the overview.
defaults
logging mode: by default, this is set to 'ask first'. If all your projects are of a similar nature, choose the appropriate option. Note that only projects of type 'standar
d' are available for invoicing. The logging mode may be converted anytime in the projects: details screen.
billing option: by default, this is set to 'ask first'. If you always charge a flat fee or by the hour, choose the appropriate option. If you specify 'hourly', you must also specify the default hourly rate (the rate may be edited for individual projects). The billing option may be converted anytime in the projects: details screen.
when opening projects: initially, this is set to 'go to overview'. Try
prompt for new session
to save time when opening the module not more than once per day.
set project status to completed when: normally, the status is changed under program control and you don't need to worry about setting it. If you do want to change it manually, set this option to 'requested'.
in printed forms, individual line items: normally, this is set to 'show net only', but you can have each line i
tem display its tax amount by selecting 'show tax also'.
auto-log session time: by default, each session's timer automatically starts when you create a new session. If you don't want to use the timer for some reason, you can turn this functions off by selecting 'never' or decide each time by selecting 'ask first'.
overview defaults to: by default, this option is set to 'current found set' and will display the overview as in all other modules. You can also choose to display 'current proj
quickly synchronize all project names by clicking sync in the command bar. This is especially handy if you have started a project under a working title.
Click client or in-house to enter default text defined in the projects: preferences. This lets you print a customized hardcopy both for your client and your own use. You can also specify a preference to always enter one of these text types. Note that printing always includes a project summary. To print reports for individual session
s, you must print from the session's details screen (see below). Lastly, there is a global project comments/key words field, which can also be searched in the find screen.
logging information: mode displays the current project logging mode. Click mode to convert the logging mode between extended, standard, or personal. The start date is automatically entered, but may be changed manually. The update field receives its value from the most recent session. The project's duration is displa
yed both in hours (time log) and number of days (spread).
project information: click status to manually change the project status (this is done automatically by default). Click notes to enter any comments about the project. Tip: this is a great field to paste a client's email into.
related information: click the navigation buttons to move to related records. If there are no related records, clicking the button gives you the option of creating a record in the selected module (except bu
dget, based on the assumption that a budget would be calculated before you start working on the project). You can shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the current project. Let's say you have received an updated cue sheet. If, for some reason, you do not want to delete the original cue sheet, shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the original cue sheet, then click again to import the new cue sheet.
session log
Click the session log tab to display an overview of
all sessions that are part of the project. You must use this screen to create additional sessions. In the command bar, click add session. A new records is created in the sessions module. Each line item displays the date, time in/out/log (if you've used the session timer), as well as the total charges per session. Charges are hidden if a user password is in effect. For reference, the time log and charges totals are displayed below. Click the disclosure triangle to open the sessions H
module to the related session. Shortcut: to move to the session log screen, click the disclosure triangle; to move to the session's charges screen, click elsewhere in the line.
projects: details (extended)F
project report: preferences
CYou can shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the current project. Let's say you have received an updated cue sheet. If, for some reason, you do not want to delete the original cue sheet, shift-click cue sheet to sever the relationship to the original cue sheet, then click again to import the new cue sheet.
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Note: be sure you have read project logging before reading this topic.
session info
The session info screen is organized similar to the project info screen. The project title and client are shown for reference. To return to the 'parent' project report, click project next to the project title. You can also display the client's contact information by clicking client. You can print forms for each individual session, both with client and in-house default text (defined in the projects: pre
ferences). Click client or in-house to enter the respective default text. Although not shown, this also affects the print footer, as specified in the preferences. If necessary, modify the text before printing. Click view report or print report to preview or print the report form. There is also an expanding space for comments/key words, which is searchable in the find screen.
The session timer logs each session by default. You can pause and resume timers during a session by clicking
ects' whenever you click overview.
navigation to details defaults to: select your preferred details view to reduce mouse clicking.
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms and phrases in another language. The language terms include global terms as well as default text printed on reports for clients or in-house use. Click the appropriate file folder tab to bring u
p the default text screens. You can modify the letter text for each project or session.
print footer: whatever you type into this space will appear as entered on all printed forms. In many countries it is customary to include your accounting information to which bank and account clients should be paying. You can also enter your company's motto, web site, etc., or leave the field blank. By default, the footer displays '* Quantity discount'. This is useful, because printed forms auto
matically add a '*' to items whenever discount pricing (as defined in the supplies module) is used. There are independent print footers for client and in-house reports. The print footer text applies globally.
include print time: if checked, the current time at the time of printing will be appended to the form footer. This option is also available independently for client and in-house reports.
navigation to details defaults to: select your preferred view to reduce mouse clicking.
charges screen format: select 'normal (faster)' to get an immediate listing of all items in the supplies file. However, these items are not in any particular order other than the sequentially assigned id number. Use this option, if you are running on a slower computer or if you do not have a lot of items in the supplies file. When you select the 'filtered (neater)' option, you first define one of B
the main charges groups. Clicking on the ID field then updates the field before listing only the relevant choices. Use this option if you have a faster computer or many items in the supplies file.
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its controls. For more info on the timer, please see session timer.
logging information: if you use the timer, all fields are filled out automatically. It is possible to edit these fields manually, but it is much simpler to let the StudioSystem handle the chore of filling them out.
related information: as in the projects module, you can also move directly to related information, by clicking the navigation buttons. The invoicing and budget navigation buttons are only available in the p
rojects module.
charges
Note: the charges screen is not accessible when a user password is in effect. The main area of this screen holds the chargeable items for the session. Please see supplies: details for more information on how to define chargeable items. There are actually two different charges screens, selectable via a preference:
When you have set the normal/faster format option:
Click in the 'id' field to bring up a scrolling list of all items defined in the supplies module.
The list displays instantly, but may be excessively long, depending on the number of items in the supplies module.
When you have set the filtered/neater format option:
Click the popup menu in the 'category' row to select a category, then click in the 'id' column to bring up a scrolling list of items from the supplies module for that category only. There is a slight delay with the second popup as it is being filtered with the proper items.
Next, enter the quantity. A new row appears
@automatically, letting you enter the next item, and so on. To delete an item from the list, click the delete icon to the right of the item. The ID number on the left is only needed internally, it will not show up on printed forms. Once you have entered all items, click view report or print report in the command bar.
The projects and sessions modules include a handy session timer. You can accidentally close the StudioSystem or quit FileMaker Pro, even suffer a system crash on your computer - the timer will not be affected. It is also midnight safe. There is one timer per session, i.e. multiple timers can run independently for several projects. You can start and stop timers as many times as you like during a session, but if you cross the midnight line, only stopping is possible. To log additional time
, you must create an additional session with the current date. Depending on whether you are using the 'standard' or 'extended' project logging mode, the timer appears differently:
Standard mode: for space reasons, only a play button appears for each session. Click the play button to start or pause the timer. When the timer is logging, it's record button turns red. When you pause the timer, the session's time field is updated. To check the lap time without stopping the timer, shift-click
the time field. If you click on the time field to manually enter a session time, the timer automatically stops.
Extended mode: a timer appears on each session's details screen. Press the play and stop buttons to start/pause the timer. Press R to reset the timer to zero. The display shows the elapsed time. Notice that the time does not increment like on a stop watch. To check the current lap time, you can update the display by clicking on the time field; however, the time will be log
ged accurately even if the display is not updated. For convenience, the lap time is always updated when you navigate to any screen that displays the timer. Stopping the timer copies the elapsed time (ideally the session time) into the time log field.
When you quit the StudioSystem, you will be reminded if any timers are still running. At that point, you can stop them or leave them running. Likewise, if you left any timers running, upon opening the projects module you are reminded of aE
The sound lib module helps you manage your growing sample and sound library. Entries can be grouped into useful categories, while size calculations instantly show you if a certain set of sounds fits on a desired medium, such as a CD-R, for backup purposes.
In the details screens, you enter data about any one sound, e.g. a drumloop, a multisample of a piano, or a sound effect. Performing data entry for anything but the most basic library can be a tedious task and the sound lib module pro
bably gives you more detail than you require; therefore, it may be wise to first think about the types of data you are interested in. Pick the most relevant fields and ignore the others. Also, be sure to set preferences to automate data entry for certain fields. For most users, the main info and grouping subscreens should be all that is needed. The command bar has a duplicate button which can further speed up data entry. Clicking duplicate copies all fields from the currently displaye
d record to a new record except for the following fields: name, comments, bpm, key, size (sec), and multisample details.
main info
Enter at least the sound name and category. 'source' can be useful if you want to distinguish between sounds you created yourself and sounds that you have acquired elsewhere. 'library title' lets you specify the title of the original source, such as the title of the sampling CD. Click library title to quickly create a media label for all records that use the
same library title (this creates a related record in the label print module). 'date in', at your option, lets you enter the date when the item was put into the database, or the date the sample was recorded. Lastly, you can fill out catalog and id numbers, status, and location for both the original and a backup copy. Click id# to specify automatic id entry. This is a shortcut for the same parameter found in the preferences screen. See sound lib: preferences for more information. Ticki
ng the favorite box is a great way to list your top picks from a group of similar sounds at the top in the overview. There is also an expanding space for comments.
grouping
If you are building a sizable library, you will want to use the grouping features. The category and favorite fields are displayed again for your convenience. Grouping features include: articulation, style, bpm (tempo), key (or tonality), and two sets of keywords that you define. Click clear to quickly clear all ter
ms in the keywords 1 and keywords 2 fields.
technical
This screen will probably be most useful it you create samples yourself. You can make notes about the recording equipment and the sample format, including number of channels, sample rate, sample size (bits), and size in seconds. Note: because the maximum resolution of FileMaker's time field format is 1 second, 'the size (sec)' field is not actually a time field, because rounding to the nearest second would be too coarse. Instead, yo
u enter the number of seconds. For example, if your sample is one and a half seconds long, enter 1.5. As another example, a 2 minute long atmospheric loop would be entered as 120 (instead of 0:02:00). The resulting size in bytes takes into account the other fields and displays a rounded result in the 'size (bytes)' field, either in kilobytes (k) or megabytes (m), depending on the size. A summary of the total size of the current set of records is displayed in the overview window. This
info is useful to check if the current set of records will fit on a CD ROM, for example. As an alternative, if you do not know the duration, but the actual size in bytes, you can enter this into the 'size (sec)' field and press size (sec). This assumes an entry in bytes and converts it into time. After the conversion you can see the size both in seconds and bytes. Be sure to enter in bytes (not Kbytes or Mbytes).
If the record is a multisample, tick the box or click details... and ent
Mer info about the individual samples. You don't need to fill out all the columns (name, pitch, and size), but if you, any sample size you entered on the technical screen will be cleared and replaced with the sum of the individual samples. The individual 'size(sec)' fields use the same format as explained above for single samples.
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when opening sound lib: by default, this option is set to 'go to overview'. Once data entry is complete, you may wish to set this to 'enter find mode' which will open the module to the find screen, ready for you to look up the records you want.
when duplicating records: when you are entering a list of records from the same source (such as a sampling CD), it is best to click duplicate instead of new to speed up data entry. This preference lets you specify what happens to the ID
numbers. 'increment id numbers' is good for sources that sequentially assign numbers (typically sound FX and other sample CDs). 'copy id numbers' is quicker when you enter several samples that are grouped into the same ID, such as various drum hits or multisamples. 'no id numbers' (the default) leaves the fields blank. For your convenience, this preference can also be set in the details screen. Note that the increment option only yields useful results when you enter strictly numbers
(no text).
when printing records: records can be printed with your letterhead or on standard paper. Select 'ask first' to pick between the above options before printing. In either case records can be grouped 'as shown' (i.e. not grouped, but as shown in the overview), grouped alphabetically by category, or grouped alphabetically by library title (while still putting favorites at the top). Select 'ask first' (the default) to pick between the above options before printing.
defaults
R data you enter into these fields will be copied into all new records which helps to speed up data entry. When you initially enter your library, you may want to go back frequently to this screen to minimize corrections when entering new records. Tick the 'favorite' box, if you mostly archive your best sounds with the sound lib module.
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The studios module contains nothing more than the names of the various studios, rooms, suites, etc. in your facility. Defining studios is only necessary if you want to use the bookings and planner modules to reserve studio time or to select studios in the archive and inventory modules.
Typically, you will only need to open the module once and never bother with it again, unless you add another room to your setup. Because of this, there is no navigation button for it on the main menu. In
stead, you bring up the module from the main menu, calendar, or bookings preferences, or by clicking studio next to the archive or inventory popups.
Edit the default names and/or click add studio to define all your studios. Do not use names longer than the space provided, otherwise they will not fit on the printing templates. Optionally, you may wish to enter some comments about the rooms. That's all - the rooms will now appear in the popup lists of the calendar, bookings, archive, and
Y inventory modules. Click done when you have entered all room names.
You can define an unlimited number of studios with a 'multi-user' license. The 'standard' and 'pro' single user licenses are restricted to two rooms.
Note: studio names must not be longer than one word. If you have a studio called 'the silent room', name it 'SilentRoom'.
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The supplies module holds items that are charged to your clients, like studio time, musicians, blank tape, etc. If your project logging preference in the main menu is set to 'standard', you only need to configure the supplies module if you want to use the budget module. If it is set to 'pro', the supplies module is also accessed by the project report, session report, and invoicing modules. Some sample records (blank media, etc.) are provided that you may wish to modify to suit your need
main info
To create a new item, click new in the command bar. Enter at least the item name (e.g. DAT tape, keyboards, daily charge, etc.) as you want them to appear on printed forms, the item type, and the price you are charging for it. Optionally, you may wish to fill out one of the contact fields (studio, personnel, musician, supplier). Click the field to bring up a scrolling lists of records you have defined as suppliers, personnel, and musicians, respectively, in the grouping sc
reen of the contacts module. Click studio, personnel, musician, or supplier to open the contacts module to the related record. Even though these fields are optional, they can be printed when the corresponding preferences are checked in the preferences screen. See supplies: preferences for more information. The date when the item was put into the database is automatically entered. This date is not used anywhere, but it can be helpful to sort by date when you are looking for a specific
item whose name you can't remember. There is also an 'active' checkbox. All items that are marked 'active' will show in popup menus of related modules. This helps to keep scrolling lists to a manageable size by only listing current items. Whenever an item becomes outdated, deselect this checkbox. This is preferable to deleting the item for two reasons: 1) deleting will make it impossible to recall a budget, session report, or invoicing form that references the item; 2) deleting items
can cause problems with importing records into future versions of the StudioSystem. The 'price list' checkbox is an optional field that lets you include all marked records in the printed price list. Click price list in the overview to print the price list.
On the right hand, enter the price of the item. You can optionally fill out the actual cost of the item which will display the resulting markup, both in amount and percentage. The tax rate is defined globally in the language screen
of the main menu: preferences. If you check the 'taxable' checkbox, tax will be added automatically wherever this item is used.
For each item, you can specify two levels of discount pricing, based on volume. Enter the quantity that triggers the first discount into the 'volume 2' field and reduced price in the
price 2
field. If there is another level of discount, proceed similarly with the 'volume 3' and 'price 3' fields. When you use this item in a form and it exceeds the discount
volume, the alternate price will automatically be used. If no discount pricing applies to the item, simply leave the fields blank. Please note that all printed forms will display a star '*' next to items for which discount pricing is in effect. The StudioSystem comes preset to show quantity discount in the print footers of all forms. If you do not use discount pricing, you may wish to clear or change the print footers (in the applicable preferences).
Lastly, there is an expanding spac
e for comments or key words about the item.
stock tracking
For supplies, such as blank media, you may wish to define the number of items you have in stock. As you enter charges in the session report, you can see the number of items available. The number of items you enter is automatically subtracted from the list, alerting you if stock drops. When you buy new stock, enter the amount of items in the 'new purchase' field and click new purchase to update your current stock. The history s
ection lets you check how many items you have sold to which client and when. This section is also useful for items which are not stock-tracked, like musicians.
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when opening supplies: check your preferred option. Initially, this is set to 'go to overview'.
new records have: when you charge tax on your goods and services, this lets you check the 'taxable' box automatically for every new record entered.
on printed forms, show names of: this option is best explained by example. All records in the supplies module are grouped into studio, personnel, musician, supplies, and misc. costs. Let
s say, you are passing the charge for Kate Herma
n (your saxophone player) on to your client. When the 'musicians' check box is unchecked, the printed form will simply display 'saxophone'. If the box is checked, printed forms will display 'saxophone (Kate Herman)'. Be sure to display the appropriate studio, person, or supplier in the details screen, otherwise your printout will display 'saxophone ()'. Likewise, this option is also available for the other categories (except for 'misc.').
Initially, the options are set to display the
names of production personnel and musicians. If both the item name and the name of the person or studio is long, be sure to do a preview before printing to make sure that all text will be printed.
language
Click set language to select preset terms and phrases in the language shown in the popup menu. You can modify the presets to suit your needs or enter terms and phrases in another language.
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The to do module serves as an automatic reminder for pending tasks. It can automatically open when the StudioSystem is opened (by setting a preference in the main menu), and supports chainable and renewable items.
A record consists of at least two fields:
1. an item (or project) name, such as 'send demo to client'.
2. a deadline date. This date is used to remind you and to list items in order.
In addition, several other fields are filled out automatically:
date entered: this lets you
check when the item was put into the database.
status: this displays either current, on hold, or completed. Initially, when you define an item, its status is set to current. Click status to put an item on hold. This removes it from the overview until you click status again to reactivate the item. By default, completed items are deleted immediately once you click finished, but you may set a preference to keep completed items around for a specified period.
priority: you can assign an i
tem one of three priorities (high, med, or low). Initially, the priority is set to whatever you have defined as default priority in the to do: preferences screen.
overdue: this field is normally blank, but will display 'overdue' in red, when the item becomes overdue. Overdue items are also clearly marked in the overview. At this point, you can: 1. complete the item and click finished! 2. edit the deadline date to something more realistic, or 3. request an extension by clicking extensi
on (a shortcut for editing the date. How much of an extension is given, can be defined in the to do: preferences). If the item is part of a chain, all chained items will be moved proportionally.
renewal: for all new items, this field displays 'none'. You can make an item recurrent by selecting weekly, monthly, or yearly from the popup menu. Notice that recurrent items never become overdue - when the deadline has passed, the item is automatically renewed. If this happens, you are noti
fied upon opening the module. Priorities of recurrent items are automatically updated when their deadlines change, based on the delay times set in the to do: preferences.
chain: an item may be part of a chain. Chained items are useful for project planning. The chain status of an item is either none (the default), master, or intermediate. Click chain to display all items belonging to the chain.
The options fields:
master item: if the item is an intermediate item of a chain, the corres
ponding master item is displayed in this field.
contact: click inside the contact field to select from a scrolling list of all names in the contacts module or type a name. Click contact to open the contacts module to the related contact.
comments: an expanding space for comments about the item.
How to use the chain function: let's assume, you have an item called 'send demo to client'. Before you can do this, you may have to first complete two intermediate items, labeled 'find singer f
or overdubs' and 'repair console'. You put these items in the proper order by assigning deadline dates to them. To assign a master item (in this case 'send demo to client'), you navigate to any intermediate items in turn, and then click inside the master field. After confirming the dialog box, you choose 'send demo to client' from the scrolling list (be sure not to select intermediate items) and press enter. You are taken to the master item. Note that the chain field displays 'master'
. When you now click the chain button, all items belonging to the chain will be displayed.
If you click finished for an item which is part of a chain, one of several things happens.
- the item is one of several intermediate items: it will be removed like a non-chained item, leaving the rest of the chain untouched.
- the item is the last intermediate item: it will be removed and the chain status of the associated master item will change from 'master' to 'none', since it is no longer a m
aster.
- the item is a master and there are still intermediate items in the chain: in this case, the master and all intermediate items will be removed at the same time. Putting a chained item on hold, reactivating it, or requesting an extension also affects the entire chain.
to do: detailsF
to do: preferencesW
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overview shows: initially, this is set to all pending items. If you keep many entries, you may want to set this to high priority items to reduce the number of displayed records.
auto delete items: initially, this is set to when finished. With this setting, an item is permanently deleted from the database as soon as you click finished in the details screen. If you would like to keep a record for past items for some reason, choose older than (days) and specify the number of da
ys (1-365 from the deadline date). Notice that it is not possible to store items any longer than a year. This keeps the database to a reasonable size.
confirm delete: whenever you mark an item as completed, it will be deleted either immediately or after the time specified in the auto delete items option above. Since there is no way to recover a deleted item, you are initially reminded using an 'Are you sure' type dialog box. As you become familiar with the to do module, you may wish to
turn off this reminder.
bump item priority: if you have created items with a low or medium priority, chances are that they will become high priority items sooner or later as the deadline approaches. Here, you can define when to automatically assign the next higher priority, based on the number of days the deadline is away from the current date, or to leave the priority as set originally. When the priority of an item changes, you are notified upon opening the to do module.
defaults
ority: enter one of three default priorities. You can always change the priority of an item in the details screen.
auto enter finish dates: all items must have a deadline specified. By default, a bogus deadline 7 days from the current date is entered. You can specify any number of days between 1 and 365 or set the field to 0, which requires you to enter a date. Of course, you can always edit the date in the details screen.
small/big extension: when you click the extension button in t
he details screen, you are given the option of requesting a small or a big extension. How big exactly these extensions are, is specified in these fields in number of days (1 to 365). This is really just a cute shortcut for editing the deadline date, but it can be useful for changing the date for an item which is part of a chain. In this case, all items belonging to the chain are moved by the same amount.
to do: preferencesF
to do: detailsW
to do: detailsY!to do: details
to do: preferences
The track sheet module lets you maintain and print track sheets for multitrack projects. Outboard recall sheets, locator sheets, multitrack labels forms, and console scribble strips are also provided. Track sheets can be created independently by clicking new in the command bar. In most cases, however, you will probably want to link track sheets to projects. To do so, click track sheet from the associated project. Common fields, such as project name and client, are automatically filled out
and you can always refer back to the project by clicking project or pressing Cmd-2 (Mac) or Ctrl-2 (Windows).
In the details screen you enter general information. If you have specified default values in the track sheet: preferences, you won't need more than a few seconds to specify all general information for your track sheet. If you have filled out the client, producer, engineer, and assistant engineer fields, you can open the contacts module to the related record by clicking the resp
ective field label. Once you have filled out the fields, click the desired form type.
Clicking track sheet takes you to the form specified in the '# of tracks' field. The radio buttons in the track sheet form are functional - if you click either master or backup, both the archive# and track start time will be filled in with the info you provided in the details screen (space permitting). Conveniently, this lets you print both master and backup tracks sheets by clicking one button.
k outboard to call up an outboard recall sheet. You can enter effect setups for up to 8 sends and 8 busses, plus comments. The rows are labeled with default terms, like aux 1, aux 2 etc. You can change these globally to customize the sheet. Clicking inside the effect unit fields brings up a scrolling list of all current effect devices from the inventory module. This depends on setting the category in the inventory module to 'effect unit' and the status to 'active'; in other words, if
you have edited the lists to another language or used other terms, this will not work. Select an effect unit from the list or enter another unit. The other fields also have several preset terms that you may wish to customize. Of course, you can also enter any other information into these fields.
Click locators to define up to 30 locator points. Enter locator names in the first column and the absolute time (which should be displayed on your multitrack machine) in the next column. Mak
e sure you specify the master track start time on the main details screen. If you change this later, the first locator point will be overwritten with the current track start. The relative time from the beginning of the track will be displayed in the 'rel. time' column. Relative time is always based on the master tape (not the backup tape).
Click scribble to print scribble strips for your console. As with the track sheet forms, the number of strips is also dependent on the number of tr
acks specified in the details screen. The project name is included, so you can easier sort out printed scribble strips for several projects. Even though the spacing is fit to Allen&Heath consoles, it should work for most consoles. Some masking or Scotch tape will help to keep the scribble strips in place if your console does not have indents for this purpose.
Click reel label to print a plain paper label to stick on your multitrack box. All information from the details screen is includ
ed, and there is also space for additional comments.
Please note:
You must select from either 8, 16, 24, or 32 tracks. If you are using more tracks, simply create an extra track sheet and append something like '-2' to the project name.
track sheet: details and formsF
track sheet: preferences
You may wish to print blank forms and scribble on them while recording, or enter track information into the form on the screen. Later, you can print completed forms for inclusion into the multitrack box. V
W/track sheet: preferences
overviews
find screensYNtrack sheet: preferences
overviews
find screens
track sheet: details and forms
operation
when opening track sheet: initially, this is set to 'go to overview'. Try 'go to last record' if you prefer to maintain your track sheets online.
when creating new records: initially, this is set to 'always create new'. If you recycle multitrack tapes or erase projects from your hard drive, you may not want to keep older track sheets around any longer. Selecting 'always recycle current' or clicking 'recycle' with this option set to 'ask first' will clear any information in th
e current track sheet and replace it with default data. This helps to keep the track sheet module to a reasonable size and free from outdated data.
defaults
Clicking in the producer, engineer, and assistant engineer fields produces a popup menu of production personnel (this group is defined in the grouping screen of the contacts module). Select from the list, enter any other names, or leave the fields blank as needed.
record system: click in this field and select one of the predefined
pchoices or enter your usual recording system.
#of tracks: you must select from either 8, 16, 24, or 32 tracks. If you are using more tracks, simply print extra track sheets.
The remaining default values present popup lists with typical data which should accommodate most users. You can also edit these lists by choosing 'Edit...' from the bottom of the popup menu.
track sheet: preferencesF
track sheet: details and formsW
track sheet: details and formsY7track sheet: details and forms
track sheet: preferences
This table lists the field names used by contacts, followed by the field contents: Use this information when importing or exporting records.
field name field contents
first name first name
last name last name
country country of residence
address hm street address (home address)
state hm state (home address)
city hm city (home address)
zip code hm postal code (home address)
phone hm main phone number (home address)
phone hm alt second phone number (home address)
fax hm fax number (home a
ddress)
company name of the company at work address
address wk street address (work address)
state wk state (work address)
city wk city (work address)
zip code wk postal code (work address)
phone wk main phone number (work address)
phone wk alt second phone number (work address)
fax wk fax number (work address)
email email address
website www.address
other comm any other communication number (pager, scall, etc.)
banking_institution the name of the bank
banking_account# account number
bankiC0ng_transit# transit or branch number of the bank
appendix a - contacts fieldsF
contacts: importW
contacts: importY-contacts: import
appendix a - contacts fields
Click export... to prepare your copy for upgrade into a future version, or import... to import your records froma previous version or backup. Be warned that importing is a somewhat tedious procedure, requiring repetitive action and a great deal of concentration on your part. This is not something you should attempt at 2 in the morning! Important: before you import, you must open the old version and click export.... Next, close the old version and open the new version. Click import...
On the next screen, you are asked to supply the version number of your old StudioSystem (source files). Make sure you know the version number. By default, this shows the number of the previous public release. For each module, you are given the option of importing or skipping. If you do not use all StudioSystem modules, this lets you speed up the import procedure. As each import dialog box appears, be sure to select 'view by matching names'. Ignore any other options and OK this and th
e next dialog box, otherwise unexpected errors may occur. Keep your old version around for some time, in case some errors happened during importing which you didn't notice right away. If you are receiving error messages, missing records, etc., please verify that you have taken all steps discussed in this paragraph and try again. If you still have problems, contact technical support.
main menu: importF
40W'main menu: about
main menu: preferencesY9main menu: about
main menu: preferences
main menu: import
operation
when opening lyrics: select 'go to last record', when you typically work on one lyric at a time, or 'go to overview' to quickly pick a record.
credits show as: When you select 'Music:/Lyrics:', credits for will be listed separately, regardless of whether they are by the same person or not. This is the best setting if words and music are done by different persons. 'Words and music:' is the best setting, if the same person normally does both or the credits are shared. 'auto' will
automatically pick one of the above choices, depending on whether the same name is given for words and music or not. Lastly, you can select 'custom' to enter any other phrase, such as a phrase in another language. Enter the alternate phrase in the space below.
when printing lyrics: you can directly print your lyrics on letterhead paper for faxing/mailing, or print the lyrics only to maximize paper space. In addition, you can use BIG letters for vocalists in a recording situation. Selectin
g 'ask first' (the default) lets you pick between the above options before printing.
defaults
default writer/default lyricist: you may specify up to two default writers and lyricists which will automatically be copied into any new records.
print footer: select 'printed' or 'last modified' to automatically add the respective date to the footer of printouts. Select 'none' to turn off the footer while preserving the other options. Select 'custom' to print a custom phrase (defined in the texD
t box, such as 'Another great song by [your name]'). You can also choose to add the print date and/or time to the above options. A footer preview is displayed below for your convenience (based on the last viewed record).
lyrics: preferencesF
general: overview windowsW&overviews
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lyrics: detailsY:overviews
find screens
lyrics: details
lyrics: preferences
userB poweruser
Helvetica
Geneva
Monaco
Avant Garde
Times
Verdana
----- help topics -----
quickstart
introduction
general: project logging
find screens
overviews
audio tools/fx
audio tools/seq
audio tools/util
archive: details
archive:prefs
bookings
budget:details
budget:prefs
calendar:appointments
calendar:prefs
calendar:bookings
planner:overview
contacts:details
contacts:prefs
contacts:forms
contacts:birthdays
contacts:address formats
contacts:import
appendix a
cue sheet:details
cue sheet:prefs
invoicing:details
invoicing:prefs
inventory:details
inventory:preferences
inventory:forms
label print:details
label print:prefs
label print:forms
lyrics: details
lyrics: prefs
main menu: about
main menu prefs
main menu import
main menu graphics
main menu:user passwd
main menu: user files
messages
notepad
projects:details (std)
projects:prefs (std)
projects:details (pro)
projects:prefs (pro)
sessions: details
sessions: prefs
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soundlib:details
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studios
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"invoicing: preferences"
invoicing: preferences
invoicing:details
"invoicing: details"
invoicing: details
contacts:prefs
"contacts: preferences"
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"projects: details (standard)"
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contacts: forms
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contacts: details
archive: details
"archive: details"
archive: details
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"archive: preferences"
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quickstart
"quickstart"
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inventory: details
inventory:preferences
"inventory: preferences"
inventory: preferences
"contacts: birthdays"
contacts: birthdays
tracksheet: details
"track sheet: details and forms"
track sheet: details and forms
tracksheet: prefs
"track sheet: preferences"
track sheet: preferences
inventory:forms
"inventory: forms"
inventory: forms
label print:forms
"label print: forms"
label print: forms
label print:details
"label print: details"
label print: details
main menu: about
"main menu: about"
main menu: about
audio tools/fx
calendar:prefs
"calendar: preferences"
calendar: preferences
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calendar: appointments
to do: prefs
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to do: preferences
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"to do: details"
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----- help topics -----
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calendar: bookings
label print:prefs
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audio tools: effects
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"main menu: graphics"
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audio tools/seq
"audio tools: sequencing"
audio tools: sequencing
"label print: preferences"
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"audio tools: utilities"
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introduction
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Tutorial9c
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g9g9g9g9kZg9g9g9kZg9For an introduction to the StudioSystem, take the tutorial tour.
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Tutorial9c
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g9g9g9g9kZg9g9g9kZg9Chapters marked as 'pro feature' describe features which may require a 'pro' license of the StudioSystem. More information on licensing can be found in the ReadMe.
(.txt)