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netnoggin · 07-08-2009, 03:57 AM

Robg, I bought the console on ebay a couple of years back. Let's say for the sake of argument I didn't receive any documentation. I wouldn't know about the EULA, so how could I be bound by it? That's just an academic question, of course. I did receive said docs, and the truth is there is no way I could begin to complete this task without actually installing Pro Tools to enable analysis of the communication protocols. I don't remember it, but I probably clicked on "I agree" somewhere in that installation process. It is an otherwise interesting question though. If I buy a piece of electronics from a garage sale, I don't know that a company could stop me from analyzing it and disseminating my findings, having agreed to nothing with that company.

dub3000, interesting perspective - thanks for the info. Now that you mention it, I do remember reading about the 2-group method used by Compaq back then. And I agree about the encryption issue. Lucky for me I have no intention of dissecting their file format, and the communication between the Control 24 and the PC/application is definitely not encrypted.

On that subject, I have done many captures to understand the protocol. I have been fairly methodical about it to isolate activities, with good results. My initial captures went like this (each one is a separate capture file:

Capture 1. Open the program, do nothing else.
Capture 2. Open new project, do nothing else (this is true each time).
3. Create 1 new track.
4. Press mute button.
5. Press solo button.
(repeat previous for all buttons on that track)
6. Move fader, wait, return to original position.
7. Repeat captures 3-6 with a second track added.
8. Partially repeat for 24 tracks, just for grins.
9. Insert signal generator on a track to create meter movement
10. Cycle transport buttons.

And so on. While I won't go into the details of the findings at this point, I will say the captures clearly indicate the events. These events are repeatable, and are structured in a discernable way (i.e., command code, control ID/address, control state/on/off/position, display text, and so on). There are some parts that are still a mystery to me, but I haven't really spent much time on it yet either.

So it's an interesting exercise at this point. And I plan to continue looking at it, to satisfy my own curiousity if nothing else. :-)

07-08-2009, 03:57 AM	#6
netnoggin Human being with feelings Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 49	Robg, I bought the console on ebay a couple of years back. Let's say for the sake of argument I didn't receive any documentation. I wouldn't know about the EULA, so how could I be bound by it? That's just an academic question, of course. I did receive said docs, and the truth is there is no way I could begin to complete this task without actually installing Pro Tools to enable analysis of the communication protocols. I don't remember it, but I probably clicked on "I agree" somewhere in that installation process. It is an otherwise interesting question though. If I buy a piece of electronics from a garage sale, I don't know that a company could stop me from analyzing it and disseminating my findings, having agreed to nothing with that company. dub3000, interesting perspective - thanks for the info. Now that you mention it, I do remember reading about the 2-group method used by Compaq back then. And I agree about the encryption issue. Lucky for me I have no intention of dissecting their file format, and the communication between the Control 24 and the PC/application is definitely not encrypted. On that subject, I have done many captures to understand the protocol. I have been fairly methodical about it to isolate activities, with good results. My initial captures went like this (each one is a separate capture file: Capture 1. Open the program, do nothing else. Capture 2. Open new project, do nothing else (this is true each time). 3. Create 1 new track. 4. Press mute button. 5. Press solo button. (repeat previous for all buttons on that track) 6. Move fader, wait, return to original position. 7. Repeat captures 3-6 with a second track added. 8. Partially repeat for 24 tracks, just for grins. 9. Insert signal generator on a track to create meter movement 10. Cycle transport buttons. And so on. While I won't go into the details of the findings at this point, I will say the captures clearly indicate the events. These events are repeatable, and are structured in a discernable way (i.e., command code, control ID/address, control state/on/off/position, display text, and so on). There are some parts that are still a mystery to me, but I haven't really spent much time on it yet either. So it's an interesting exercise at this point. And I plan to continue looking at it, to satisfy my own curiousity if nothing else. :-)