[Fix 11.4.0] Network Device and control send cue issue

[d_korman]

Re: SCS 11.4.0 RC1 (Release Candidate 1) Available

OK, I'm trying to set up control send device for my X32. I can find nowhere to set up the X32 information - the only options I get for control send or cue control device types are midi and rs232, there is no "network out" or "http request" that are shown in the docs and no mention telnet or UDP or any way to set up the address of the X32. None of the "Physical devices on this computer" fields have anything in them.

[Mike Daniell]

Commands are sent to the X32 via a UDP interface. UDP and Telnet interfaces require an SCS Professional Plus or higher license, which is why you cannot see them with an SCS Professional license. The same applies to HTTP Request, although I note that this was not included in the 'Feature Comparison' section of the help, so I'll fix that.

[d_korman]

Thanks Mike, I mist have missed that in the excitement of seeing X32 support in SCS!!

[Mike Daniell]

I realise there are a lot more X32 OSC commands that could be included in SCS, but I hope what I have provided so far is useful. If there are any other commands you consider essential or particularly useful then let me know. I am planning to add timed channel fades.

[d_korman]

One of the weaknesses of the X32 Scene/Cue/Snippet systems is, as you are aware, the lack of timed fades.

It would be really great if SCS could read the scenes and snippets (and even cues) from the X32 and create SCS cues from that, to which we could then add the fade times. It would be even better if we could then move some of the fader moves to sub cues to that we can have different in and out fade times for different channels (hey, a guy can dream, can't he )

[d_korman]

OK, after upgrading to P+, I am still having problems.

If I create a Network Out device and select Behringer X32 as the device type, initially I get no options to enter the IP address etc. If an add ANOTHER network out device then the options pop up to enter the IP address, but whichever IP address I enter, I get the error message pop-up "Server name or IP address must be entered", even though I have entered a valid address. If I then try "Retry activating devices" it seems to then accept the IP address but deletes the port number - and I then can't reliably enter the port number. If you keep trying back and between option a few times it seems to accept it eventually but I can't find an repeatable sequence of actions that makes this happen.

Edit.. I then closed the editor and when I opened it again I got the error message "port no. must be entered" and the editor did not open. I tried again and this time the editor opened. The port number is displayed in the "mapping to physical devices" pane but is blank in the "network out settings" pane and I cannot enter a port number.




If I set the device type to "other OSC device" then I can enter IP address and port OK.

[d_korman]

Hmm, after the above, I seem to have some communications with the X32, as if I add a control send cue to it, I can see all the snippets listed in the drop down. However, If I create the cue to run the snippet, when I run it, I get an error message "Network message NOT SENT. No network connection open. Failed to send #1"

Every time I open the editor, I get the "port number must be entered" message even though the port number is displayed in the physical device pane as 10.0.1.200:10023 - however the "active" box is not checked.

next... I closed down SCS without saving the changes and tried again. I still had to start to click on the second network device line before the details panel was displayed for the first, but this time it seemed to accept the IP address and showed the correct port number and the physical device pane had the correct info and the "active" box was ticked. However, when I tested a cue to run a snippet, I got the same error message as in the first paragraph above.

I can't find a sequence of actions that will get this all working - what am I missing?

I should add - X32 Edit works perfectly on the same machine.

[Mike Daniell]

Currently investigating these issues, Dave.

[d_korman]

Something interesting just occures - I'd saved the changes that were giving the error mesage last noght, and I've just opened SCS up this morrning and run the cue to send a snippet and it's working!!

This seems repeatable:

If I close the current cue file, open a new one and create a new control send device for the X32, I can't get the IP address etc set correctly. If I save this cue file and re-start SCS I can then correctly configure the X32 as a remote device, but running a control send cue results in the error message in the previous posts. If I save the cue file and restart SCS, the control send cues now work.

[d_korman]

OK, with RC3 the behaviour has changed. I can set up the control send device fine, even when the X32 is not connected (it's at the theatre for the week). However, if I then try to create a control send cue and then change my mind, I cannot delete that partial cue as the gui insists that the control send message must be selected. So I selelect "go snippet". Of course, with the X32 not connected, SCS cannot get the snippet list from the X32 and the gui seems to be in a deadly embrace - can't delete the cue, cant change message type etc. Strange things happen if you try to type in a snippet name - e.g. it appears in multiple fields at the same time. Can't delete the cue, can close the editor, can't save cue file - the only way out is to close SCS from the main window, and not saving the changes at that point.

[Mike Daniell]

OK, with RC3 the behaviour has changed. I can set up the control send device fine, even when the X32 is not connected (it's at the theatre for the week). However, if I then try to create a control send cue and then change my mind, I cannot delete that partial cue as the gui insists that the control send message must be selected. So I selelect "go snippet". Of course, with the X32 not connected, SCS cannot get the snippet list from the X32 and the gui seems to be in a deadly embrace - can't delete the cue, cant change message type etc. Strange things happen if you try to type in a snippet name - e.g. it appears in multiple fields at the same time. Can't delete the cue, can close the editor, can't save cue file - the only way out is to close SCS from the main window, and not saving the changes at that point.

Should be fixed in RC4, which I've just uploaded.

[d_korman]

That's better in that the deadly embrace has gone. I can type in a snippet/cue/scene name and the cue is created. However, I keep getting the "SCS failed to connect to Behringer X32 etc" and the option to "retry" or "continue without device connected". Once I have selected the latter, I would expect SCS tgo realise it was "offline" to the mixer and not try to connect until I tell it otherwise.

Also I cannot delete a cue using ether "delete" from the right-click menu, or the delete key. Only "cut" works.

Could you implement a placeholder feature for scene/cue/snippet name as you have for the file name in an audio file cue?

[Mike Daniell]

I keep getting the "SCS failed to connect to Behringer X32 etc" and the option to "retry" or "continue without device connected". Once I have selected the latter, I would expect SCS tgo realise it was "offline" to the mixer and not try to connect until I tell it otherwise.

I'll fix that. However, SCS should only bring up the message on starting SCS or when you make a change to the Devices under Production Properties and click Apply Device Changes or Retry Activating Devices. SCS then tries or retries the connection. I can certainly skip the "failed to connect" message if it has already been displayed during that session, but the retry itself will still occur. This retry sends a "/info" message to the X32 and waits up to 2 seconds for a response, so there could still be that 2-second delay whenever the retry is attempted. Were you getting the "failed to connect" message at times other than start-up or when using Apply Device Changes or Retry Activating Devices?

Also I cannot delete a cue using ether "delete" from the right-click menu, or the delete key. Only "cut" works.

I'll investigate that next week.

Could you implement a placeholder feature for scene/cue/snippet name as you have for the file name in an audio file cue?

Good idea. I presume this is for when the X32 is connected and the scene/cue/snippet drop-down lists are populated. If the X32 is not connected then you could just enter something like x as the scene/cue/snippet name, or any other character you prefer.

[d_korman]

Actually, the "failed to connect" message only pops up twice - once when I configure the control send device, and a second time when I create the first cue, so no big deal. It also occurs when I open an existing cue file without the X32 connected - but that's only to be expected.

[d_korman]

X32 is back from the theatre now. All seems to work OK. Yes, the placeholder would be for when the X32 is connected as then it does not allow you to type in the cue/scene/snippet name.

Great work Mike, thanks. Looking forward to timed fades and perhaps being able to build the moves from scenes or snippets stored on the X32 .