AudioMedia - July 2008 - (Page 30)

Smart AV | Tango > plug-in parameters to the encoders, “says Narai, “But soon you’ll also be able to assign them to visual X/Y D displays so you can easily fade between various parameters – for example filter cut-off and frequency. You’ll also be able to assign these parameters to your faders – the idea is to make the Tango into a useful compositional tool.” The left hand side of the tango hosts the ‘expert panel’ controllers – and there are actually more of these on the Tango than the original Console. These deal with grouping and ‘ergonomic spreads’ i.e., fader channel assignment layouts, while the top of the screen has a ‘soft’ version of the Console’s ARC – the MonARC. “You can display up to channels in compact mode and you can just touch the channels you wish to assign to the faders in the order you want them to appear on the surface,” says Narai. Channel parameters can easily be copied and injected into a new channel with a few button Smar t Controls pushes, and a row of soft menu buttons can be assigned to display a virtual keyboard along with other functions. This, along with the dedicated mouse pad/trackball space will finally, Narai hopes, allow the user to dispense with the computer keyboard from the working space. “You can assign keyboard macros to the virtual keyboard and it should help stop things getting messy – as they can often do when you have to combine the computer keyboard with a hardware controller,” he says. ”The beauty of the expansion unit is that in addition to the extra channels, you get more of the ARC displayed at the top of the screen.” Dedicated transport controls lie above the mouse pad – but even these can be reconfigured if so desired. “We’ve set them up so you typically get a transport section above the jog wheel with your standard settings. There’s also a cursor area that can be used to zoom and move up and down lists if the DAW supports it,” says Narai. Unlike some touch-screen based controllers, the Tango has quite a few physical controls in addition to those presented onscreen. “The most efficient designs makes the best use of ‘muscle memory’,” says Narai. ”It’s good when you know exactly where to reach if you want to adjust a high-frequency control, for example. One of the problems you have when you really pare down the number of physical controls is that you end up doing a lot of mental gymnastics to perform even the most basic functions. You’ll be thinking things like; ‘I gotta press the EQ button, select the third parameter bank, and then it’ll be the fourth parameter on the left’. What we want to do is make the console take care of the gymnastics, so the user can just focus on being creative.” Smart AV also plans to release a -fader expansion unit later in the year. This can be placed to either the left or right of the main unit, and has sixteen programmable buttons in addition to the faders and the touch-screen.” The beauty of the expansion unit is that in addition to the extra channels, you get more of the ARC displayed at the top of the screen,” says Narai. Even with the expansion channels, you still have a pretty small physical footprint, so you don’t need to go reaching out to adjust anything.“ “The Tango is a compact, well specified and considered controller that should find a lot of friends in the post production and mixing world, and also as a useful addition to the composer’s armoury. ” Conclusion It seems that evolutionary processes are still going strong in Australia – in the music technology industry at least! The Tango is a compact, well specified and considered controller that should find a lot of friends in the post production and mixing world, and also as a useful addition to the composer’s armoury. The company’s focus on ergonomics and their commitment to support and upgrades will make their new baby one to watch over the coming months. Controllers like the Tango are becoming an essential tool as more and more studios move to DAW – only functionality and the easier it is to use the power of the software, the more productive the studio can be. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N £GB£3,790.00, Tango 12-Fader Extn. GB£3,290.00 A Smart AV Pty. Ltd., Unit 28, Belltower Complex, 191 Parramatta Road, Auburn NSW 2144, Sydney, Australia T +61 2 9648 6744 F +61 2 9648 6766 W www.smartav.net E talktous@smartav.net 30 AUDIO MEDIA JULY 2008 http://www.sonic-distribution.com http://www.smartav.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - July 2008

AudioMedia - July 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast What's Up UK Geofocus: France For the Record Special Report: Develop Preview SE Electronics 4400 Sennheiser MKH800 Twin Tubetech Club Final Cut: Wanted Smart AV Tango Doctor Who Made in America DSP Roundup Product Sampler: Summer Hits Edirol R44 Video Guide AMSR Fame - Le Musical Waves MaxxBCL Yamaha AD8HR Special Supplement

AudioMedia - July 2008

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