new bcf2000 owner drowning in manual... help pls

PierreB wrote on 4/22/2005, 4:18 PM
Hi.

I tend to hang out more in the vegas video forum but hoping I can get some help here. I'm a home video editor, but decided there had to be something better than envelopes for mixing audio.

After due diligence here and elsewhere, bought a BCF2000 so I can mix track A with track B.

I can say I've never been so baffled by a manual as that for the B2000... their website is worse. I've got as far as updating the driver to 1.07 but now what??

If anyone could point me to a straightforward "first, turn the BCF2000 on with the power control located in the rear of the unit; then.... " I'd be eternally grateful.

Pierre

Comments

Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 8:51 AM
The best way to setup the BCF to work with Vegas is to use the Mackie Control emulation mode.
To change the operating mode for the BCF, close it first. Then while holding track's 2 mute button (the button nearest to the fader) power the unit on. If this worked you should see MC C on the LCD screen.

Now in Vegas, in options under the midi tab you'll need to select the BCF for both input and output. Once this is done go to external control & automation. In the available devides list choose Mackie Control and then Add. You will need to double click the Mackie Control entry on the list, this will open a window. In the midi input and output fields, choose the BCF once again and in device type choose Emulated Mackie Control Device.

Click OK and you should be done !
Make sure External control is activated in the options menu.

Now the Mackie Control mode works in 2 ways, you need to togge between audio and video modes depending on what you need to do.

To toggle between audio and video modes, you need to hold the shift key on the BCF, this is the button located to the lower left in the encoder group section. While holding this button, you will then press the learn button to toggle between the modes. While holding the same shift key, pressing the edit button will toggle between automation write. If you are not in automation wirte, the fader will control the fader in the track header, if you are in automation write, it will control the evenloppes. Pressing play and playing with the fader will then write an enveloppe.
Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 9:00 AM
I'd also strongly suggest getting the BCFview util from the behringer site, it's a smal util that simulates the Mackie Control LCD screen, very useful. You'll need to behringer usb driver for it to work.
PierreB wrote on 4/23/2005, 11:15 AM
Nat,

Thanks for your response... I finally got to the stage where I could get the bcf2000 to come up in MCC emulation mode (reading the manual does help).

Within Vegas (5), I can select the bcf2000 from a drop down list for midi. However, when I add the Mackie device, I notice the status message: "no midi hardware available". And when I try to configure it, the "Emulated Mackie Control Device" is there but the input drop box only gives me "none" as a choice while the output box is greyed out. Trying to scan the Emulated Device gives me the message: "Your MIDI hardware is not active".

BTW, I put it in USB1 mode (of 4 available, plus 3 standalone modes), if that's relevant. It's connected via USB (not usb2) port ...

Thanks ahead of time for any hints.

Pierre



Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 11:45 AM
Hmm
To see the BCF in the Mackie Control tab you need to have it selected in the midi tab also, is that the case ?

Also, there is a bug with Vegas 5 and the BCF, are you planning on upgrading to 6 ?

PierreB wrote on 4/23/2005, 12:18 PM
Hey Nat,

Yes, I have it selected in the MIDI tab also. Plus, I tried different modes (USB1, 2, and 3) and each of those results in different selections possible in the Midi tab.

Question: once I've set the Mackie/Cubase mode, should the LCD display continuously read "NC C" or should it be displaying the values of the controls? In my case, it's the former all the time.

Yes, I read here about the bug in 5, but had planned to live with it for a while... 6 doesn't seem to offer me all that much.

Thanks for your input.

Pierre
Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 12:28 PM
Yes, MC C will always be displayed.
PierreB wrote on 4/23/2005, 2:27 PM
Then that's not the issue... I went out and bought a midi-to-gameport connector and it made no difference either.

For some reason, vegas isn't getting any midi information from the bcf2000.

I'm stumped.

Pierre
Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 3:28 PM
I know this sounds stupid but are you sure External control is activated in the Options Menu ? And are both the input and output connected or selected ?
PierreB wrote on 4/23/2005, 4:18 PM
Hi Nat.

Yes, external control in the options is selected.

"And are both the input and output connected or selected ?"

If you mean on the "configure mackie control" screen, the answer is no: my only choice for input is "none" and the output is greyed out.

Baffling to me.

Pierre
Nat wrote on 4/23/2005, 6:14 PM
That's probably the problem, you need to set it for both input and output otherwise it won't work. In the midi tab are you able to choose the BCF as both input and output device ?
PierreB wrote on 4/23/2005, 7:03 PM
" In the midi tab are you able to choose the BCF as both input and output device ?"

Yup. I can choose the bcf2000 for both input and output on the Midi tab. But when I then navigate to the external Control tab and choose the Mackie emulation device, I can't pick input or output (input only has "none" as a drop down choice and output is greyed out).

Pierre

Edit: HOLD THE PRESSES! It seems in the MIDI dialog I had to set BOTH the BCF2000 AND the MPU-401 (the MIDI mapper?) for things to work... Once I'd done that, the status message for the Mackie Control in the External Control and Automation came alive and now reads: "Emulated MCU active: 8 controllable channels "

WOOPEE!

And thanks for your help and your patience.
jbaudrand wrote on 6/14/2005, 12:30 PM

hello PierreB ,
I'm looking for the bfc2000 are you happy with it under vegas?

french version
Je cherche une table comme la bfc2000, je voulais savoir si vous etes satisfait de cette table de mixage?
Nat wrote on 6/18/2005, 3:52 PM
It works very well for me with Vegas and at that price range you can't find anything else...