Sound Level Adjusting on a Mixer using Apple's Sound Up/Down Function

[Scott Nelson]

Hi All!

Background:  We have a remote control from Audio Ape that is controlling a Media Monkey.  The remote has Volume Up and Volume Down buttons, but these do the same as hitting the Volume Up and Volume Down function keys on a keyboard (i.e. 🔈+ and 🔈-.)  

The Problem:  This means that we cannot assign these buttons to control anything in QLab... 🙁

So I was wondering if there would be a way to write a script that could tell QLab (or our mixer - a Fireface UC which we can control via MIDI or OSC commands) to gradually increase or decrease the volume 5% every time the level of the Mac's system sound increases or decreases.

In other words: By pressing the button for Volume Up on our Remote it would cause the level of the Master Fader on our Mixer to gradually raise by 5%. 

Possible?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give us!!

Scott

[Gunther J. Kibelkstis]

Maybe using "Level Box Gang Master" and the "Level Box" plugin

[micpool]

I haven't used this for a show but....

https://staticz.com/soundcontrol/

Allows the standard  Mac Volume keys to control ANY connected   interface.

Probably worth download ing the 14 day trial and seeing if it works for your needs, which it looks like it might!

Let us know how you get on as this is a something other users may find useful.

Mic

[Scott Nelson]

Thank you!!!  You are awesome!!!

Do you have a tip jar somewhere??

[Scott Nelson]

So I tried the download and I was able to get the Volume+ and Volume- function keys to adjust the main output level of our Fireface UC running Totalmix, however the sound quality was absolutely horrible.  Cracking, dropouts, etc..

I've written to Staticz (appropriate name now I see...) about this and I am awaiting their response.

Cheers,

Scott

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 9:51:04 PM UTC+1 micpool wrote:

[Scott Nelson]

Well, this is embarrassing...  I was getting terrible sound quality from our Fireface UC, but not from the computer's built in speakers.  Hours later I finally checked the cables, and sure enough, a different cable solved the problem.  Go figure!  

So all cables are definitely not created equal...

What cables do you use?  Are AudioQuest or Oehlbach Cables worth the money?  I want the best so I never have this problem ever again...

Oh, and in my efforts to solve the sound issue, I discovered the solution to my original post:

Going to the 'Workspace Settings' in QLab, then the 'Audio' tab, then clicking on 'Edit Patch' for the FireFace UC's 'Audio Patch', then 'Device Routing', then 'Use levels from device' and then selecting 'Built In Output' makes it so that the Volume+ and Volume- Function Keys on my keyboard now control the Main Output Slider of the Fireface UC in TotalMix FX.  

Success!

Phew...

[micpool]

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 4:12:10 PM UTC Gunther wrote:

Maybe using "Level Box Gang Master" and the "Level Box" plugin

I don't think this would work for Scott's need to have the volume adjusted by the system volume up down keys (triggered with his Audio Ape Remote)

However, there is a way to make the volume up down keys on the keyboard control a LevelBox  plugin (or a whole load of them if link to next port is set)

The first thing you need to do is make sure that the Mac sound is set to any  device you are not using in QLab, that does allow the system volume to control it.

In my demo I am using Blackhole 2ch which is an audio routing device as the dummy sound preference output.

You then need a script cue, and 16 OSC cues

The script cue reads the system volume, sees if it has changed, and if it has fires one of the 16 OSC cues, numbered V0-V16, which set the gain of the levelBox Plug-in(s)

tell application id "com.figure53.QLab.4" to tell front workspace

set mycue to cue "VOL"

set theVolume to get output volume of (get volume settings)

set the notes of mycue to theVolume as text

repeat

set theVolume to get output volume of (get volume settings)

if theVolume is not (notes of mycue as integer) then

tell application id "com.figure53.QLab.4" to tell front workspace

set mycue to cue "VOL"

set theVolume to get output volume of (get volume settings)

set the notes of mycue to theVolume as text

repeat

set theVolume to get output volume of (get volume settings)

if theVolume is not (notes of mycue as integer) then

if theVolume is 0 then

start cue "V0"

else if theVolume < 7 then

start cue "V1"

else if theVolume < 14 then

start cue "V2"

else if theVolume < 20 then

start cue "V3"

else if theVolume < 26 then

start cue "V4"

else if theVolume < 32 then

start cue "V5"

else if theVolume < 39 then

start cue "V6"

else if theVolume < 45 then

start cue "V7"

else if theVolume < 51 then

start cue "V8"

else if theVolume < 57 then

start cue "V9"

else if theVolume < 64 then

start cue "V10"

else if theVolume < 70 then

start cue "V11"

else if theVolume < 76 then

start cue "V12"

else if theVolume < 82 then

start cue "V13"

else if theVolume < 89 then

start cue "V14"

else if theVolume < 95 then

start cue "V15"

else if theVolume is 100 then

start cue "V16"

end if

end if

delay 0.1

set the notes of mycue to theVolume as text

end repeat

end tell

end if

delay 0.1

set the notes of mycue to theVolume as text

end repeat

end tell 

You then need a way to keep this script playing regardless of anything else that is going on. (like ESC)

Because you only need this when a cue is playing the simplest thing is to Hijack the space bar, by deselecting it in settings Keymap

and then making a timeline group cue triggered with the space bar, containing start cues for the volume script and for the main cue list

Attached is a screen recording of it in action.

Mic

[Scott Nelson]

Thank you so much!!!!