NewTek TriCaster Advanced Edition Automation and Integration Guide - Manual (Page 28)

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4. Hold down the MACRO button (on the control surface) and press the button you want to assign the
macro to.
That’s it –close the Macro Configuration panel, and test the result.
Hint: When you press the MACRO button, all buttons that currently have assignments light up. This makes it
easy to see which buttons are available for your use.
5.1.3 MIDI CONTROLLERS
The MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) protocol and devices and systems supporting it offers
another very useful (and often very affordable) macro trigger option. MIDI devices are often used in the
audio and events industries, but can be found in other realms as well. Literally thousands of devices and
systems of this sort are available.
The Macro Configuration panel system can ‘listen’ for button presses from most MIDI devices, just as it
recognizes input from the keyboard or native control surface.
Note: Many MIDI devices provide ‘plug-and-play’ convenience. Some, though, require non-standard device
drivers. Generally, adding device drivers to NewTek products is discouraged, since these may not have been
prepared with the rigorous demands of live production in mind.
If you install a driver and encounter unintended consequences, you can resolve the problem by restoring to
factory defaults and, if necessary, updating to the current software version appropriate for your Newtek system.
Too, a wide variety of MIDI software and extensions are available for various platforms, including mobile
devices such as tablets and smart phones. These can be used to create unique custom TriCaster control
alternatives. See the control surface documentation and addenda for your live production system for more
on this topic.
5.1.4 GPI CONTROLLERS
GPI, or General Purpose Interface, is a long-serving analog control signal system based on simple contact
closure. GPI inputs and outputs are very common on professional production equipment. The macro
system in NewTek live production devices can take advantage of intermediary devices, such as the eBOX™
network/GPI hardware interface from JLCooper Electronics, to support both GPI signal input and output.
C
ONFIGURATION
For an external GPI device to communicate with a NewTek live production system, it must be manually
defined by text entries in the file named gpi_setup.xml. This file can be located in the directory shown
below as appropriate for your platform:
 C:\TriCaster\Configuration\
 C:\3Play\Configuration\