Following the release of Pro Tools 2020.11, today Avid has released Eucon 2020.11, the latest version of their Eucon software which brings a desktop version of the Avid Control tablet and smartphone app. The headline feature of the new desktop Avid Control app is up to 32 channels of metering for the S3 control surface. In this article, we outline all the new features and bug fixes introduced in Eucon 2020.11 for the Avid S1, Avid S3, S4 and S6 control surfaces.

Avid Control Desktop - (Requires S1 or an S3)

With the release of EuControl 2020.11, the Avid Control Desktop app is now available for macOS and Windows computers. The Avid Control Desktop app cannot be used standalone, without a supported hardware control surface, it needs a system with a hardware controller like an S1 or S3.

With a hardware control surface, it can show meters for its associated S1 (like a linked Avid Control app for iOS and Android, and can also be used for Meters display with an Avid S3 and can display meter strips for up to 32 tracks and can be stretched over multiple monitors.

Avid Control Desktop can be installed on your primary EuControl computer (ie the one that has the DAW, like Pro Tools that you are wanting to control) or on a separate, computer on the same network.

Here is an example arrangement of Avid Control Desktop positioned below Pro Tools.

Avid Control Desktop System Requirements And Compatibility

Avid Control Desktop can be used with other Avid media controllers according to the following guidelines:

• One or more S1s, or one S3, must already be present in the My Surfaces list. Unlike Avid Control for iOS and Android, Avid Control Desktop cannot be used standalone (without a supported hardware control surface).

• When two or more S1s are connected you can combine one or more tablets running Avid Control app for iOS/Android with one instance of Avid Control Desktop. As long as there is one S1 that is not linked to a tablet for Meters mode, one instance of Avid Control Desktop can be added to provide Meters mode for the unlinked S1.

• With S3 you can add one instance of Avid Control Desktop to provide Meters view for S3 tracks. You can also add one Master or Hybrid tablet in addition to the one instance of Avid Control Desktop.

• Note that only one instance of Avid Control Desktop can be used at any time.

Avid Control Desktop Settings

Avid Control Desktop provides several local settings to optimise its display.

• Brightness - Lets you control the brightness of just the Avid Control Desktop view. Adjust the slider as desired; full left is the least bright setting, and full right is the most bright.

• Track Colour - Lets you show (On) or suppress (Off) track colours.

• Show Universe View - Lets you show (On) or hide (Off) the Universe view in Avid Control Desktop.

• Hide Title Bar - Lets you hide (Off) or show (On) the Title bar. Note that even when the Title bar is hidden you can still move the Avid Control Desktop window. Click near the top of the window (just below where the cursor automatically changes to the Resize cursor), so that your cursor turns into the “move” icon, then drag the window as desired).

• Always on Top - Enable this setting to make sure Avid Control Desktop is always the top-most (visible) application.

• Meter Height - This setting lets you choose the track display format for Avid Control Desktop. Adjust the slider as desired; full left for shortest meters but with maximum track data (including graphs and other data), full right for largest meters and minimum track data, or anywhere in between.
  

Folder Spill

EuCon 2020.11 brings Folder Spill to Avid’s EuCon enabled control surfaces. You can now open and close Pro Tools Folder Tracks from a Dock, S1, S3, or Artist surface, just as you could before using the Avid Control app or from within Pro Tools itself. Avid has called this capability Folder Spill because of its similarities to VCA Spill, including support for Single-Master and Multi-Master Modes, and the ability to quickly recall and spill the most recently spilled Folder Track.

To Spill A Folder Track:

1. Bank a Folder Track to the surface.

2. Double-press the fader strip Sel switch for that Folder Track. Folder Track members “spill” across the faders.

The parent Folder Track is assigned to the Dock fader (if present) by default. You can change this so the parent Folder Track appears on the S1, or on S3, by configuring the VCA/Folder Spill Settings for Single-Master Mode in EuControl Settings > Preferences. When using two or more S1s, or an S3, you can also configure Multi-Master Mode to further optimise spill.

EQ and DYN Cycling - (S1, S3, Control App, Artist Mix, and Artist Control)

With EuControl 2020.11, you can now use the EQ or Dyn switch on S1, S3, Artist Mix, or Artist Control, or the EQ or Dynamics functions in the Control app to cycle to the next EQ or Dynamics plug-in (if any) on that track. To cycle:

1. Configure the desired starting insert slot for EQ/Dyn cycling (see Specifying the Slot for EQ/Dyn Cycling).

2. Do the following:

   • From S1, S3, Artist Mix, or Artist Control press EQ or Dyn on a track with multiple EQ or Dynamics plug-ins.

   • From the Control app, tap the EQ or Dynamics function tile in Channel view. The plug-in inserted in the designated starting insert slot is displayed.

3. To cycle to other EQ or Dyn plug-ins, press EQ or Dyn again. (On S3, use the EQ or Dyn encoder in the lower row of encoders. In the Control app, use the EQ or Dynamics function tiles.)

If you change the Pro Tools Preference settings for EQ/Dyn cycling while a session is open you must close and re-open the session.

Bank by Whole Surface

The Bank by Whole Surface setting in the General tab of EuControl Settings lets you bank multiple S1s and linked Artist Mix/Control units by the total number of faders in the configuration (not including the Dock fader, if present).

For example, with two S1s and tracks 1–16 on the faders:

• If Bank by Whole Surface is enabled, pressing Bank > brings tracks 17–32 to the faders. If using three S1s, Bank > banks in units of 24, and in units of 32 if using four S1s.

• If Bank by Whole Surface is not enabled (it’s default setting), pressing Bank > banks in units of 8. If using two S1s and tracks 1–16 are currently on the faders, pressing Bank > brings tracks 9–24 to the faders. Other configurations bank as follows when Bank by Whole Surface is not enabled:

  • S1s and Artist Mix units (when set to bank independently/unlinked) bank in units of 8.

  • Artist Control, when set to bank independently, banks in units of 4.

  • S3 banks in units of 16.

  • Linked Artist Mix/Artist Control bank in units of 8.

Auto-Bank to Selected Tracks (Control App follows DAW)

You can now link Control app track display to DAW track selection by enabling the Auto-Bank to Selected Tracks setting. When enabled, selecting a track in Pro Tools banks the Control app to that track. Note that if the selected track is already visible on the Control app no scrolling will occur.

To configure Auto Bank to Selected Tracks:

1. In the Master or Hybrid Control app, tap the Gear icon.

2. In the General settings, configure Auto Bank to Selected Tracks as desired.

Note that this setting only affects Master or Hybrid Control apps, not Avid Desktop Control.

Recall Banked Position with Layout

By default, Layouts store the banking position of auto-assigned strips at the time the Layout is stored. When the Layout is recalled, auto-assigned strips bank to their stored position. You can change this behaviour using the Recall Banked Position with Layout setting in the Layouts tab of EuControl Settings.

New View Banking Mode Preference for Avid Control App

You can configure the Control app views for global (linked) or independent (unlinked) banking, to optimise banking on Master or Hybrid tablets. This setting affects banking across Mixer, Tracks, Channel, and Meters view (Meters view only on Master tablets).

To configure Banking in Views mode:

1. Tap the Gear icon.

2. Tap to display the General settings.

3. Configure the Views Bank Independently setting as desired:

Independently (On) - Each view maintains its own bank position. For example, banking in Tracks view does not affect banking in Mixer view.

Globally (Off) - Banking is linked in all views. For example, banking Mixer view to show track 9 also banks Tracks view to track 9.

Rename Tracks from Avid Control

You can rename tracks from the Control app. To do this from the Avid Control app:

1. Double-tap a Track name in any view to display the on-screen keyboard.

2. Enter a name.

Up to 32 Folddowns in Avid Control Monitoring

The Monitoring tab in the Avid Control app now provides up to 32 Folddowns.

Optional Avid Control Notification of Workstation Dialog On-Screen

Avid Control can now display a notification whenever Pro Tools has a dialog on-screen that requires your attention. The notification also lets you select OK or Cancel directly from the tablet. This notification is off by default, but you can enable it in the General Settings of the Control app. Tap the gear icon, navigate to the General settings, then locate the Show modal Dialog setting and configure it as desired.

Dock Primary Soft Keys and Eye Mode on the Dock

Eye mode on the Dock opens the Soft Keys tab in EuControl Settings. Beginning in EuControl 2020.11, Eye mode also supports the 16 primary Soft Keys below the tablet. Enabling Eye mode opens the Soft Keys tab to the current page of the primary Soft Keys.

Installer for EUCON Workstation Renamed External Workstation

With EuControl 2020.11, the previously available EUCON Workstation option has been renamed External Workstation to more clearly describe its function.

Import and Export Soft Key Appsets

In previous versions of EuControl, the Soft Key Editor in EuControl Settings provided Load and Save As commands. These have been renamed Import and Export to more clearly describe their functions.

Import and Export Layouts (Titles)

The Layouts tab of EuControl Settings provides Export and Import commands to export and import Layouts to and from disk. Use these features to load Layouts for specific sessions, to transfer Layouts to other EuControl systems, and for archiving.

What’s Fixed in EuControl 2020.11 for Avid S1, S3, Dock, Control app, and Artist Series Control Surfaces

Avid Control

• In Channel View, tapping IN to bypass a plug-in could bypass all plug-ins on a newly attentioned track instead of bypassing only the currently focused plug-in

• After moving surfaces in the My Surfaces list of EuControl Settings, it was possible for Layouts to be missing

• Focusing away and then back to Pro Tools while the Layouts Recall window was displayed could leave Tracks view dimmed

• It was possible for Layouts to be offset after assigning from the Control app

• It was possible for EuControl to incorrectly display “Avid Control Unit Limit Exceeded” after adding a Control app tablet as an S1 Meters tablet

• In Channel View, it was possible for knobs to incorrectly light purple when in Inserts mode

• In Channel View, double-tapping a Send Pan knob (to reset to default) could unintentionally switch the function to Pan

• In Channel View, it was possible for the function graph to fail to update after adding an EQ or Dynamics insert

Avid Dock

• It was possible for both <Bank and Bank> switch LEDs to be lit after opening a session that had closed Folder tracks

• It was possible for the Bank switch LEDs to fail to correctly indicate banking position (GWSW-14016)

Avid S1

• When a VCA was spilled on a system with multiple S1 units, the LED for the spilled VCA could flash

• It was possible to be unable to spill a VCA on a system that had only a single S1

All Surfaces and Artist Series

• While using Config mode to assign a Send it was possible for the last selected output name to be displayed instead of categories such as output and bus

• It was possible for VCA Spill to revert back to the originally banked track while Select by Touch was enabled

EuControl Software

• Devices could remain in the All Surfaces list after being powered off, or minimized

• It was possible for a workstation to not appear in the All list after being attached

• Text for the Footswitch section in Preferences tab was not consistent between macOS and Windows

EUCON Development Partner Applications

• In some applications (such as Logic Pro and Cubase) version numbering could prevent Appsets from saving and loading correctly

• Digital Performer: It was possible for tracks to appear in incorrect order on Avid Control in Master mode

• Logic Pro: It was possible for the Avid Control app Channel view to become stuck at top-level Functions after inserting plug-ins