Hello!
I have been using this mic preamp/converter for a year now and I couldn't be happier.
I bought it as a real bargain on ebay and it works perfectly.
I have a question:

where is it possible to find its remote control software?
it would be very handy for navigating through presets, ehm remotely.
I searched the net but I couldn't find it, and Apogee say they neither have it nor support it anymore.

Is anyone using it?

Thank you!

Hey man,

I've been half heartedly thinking through a work around. Have you got the serial break out cable with the MIDI i/o?

I wanted to test sending the appropriate MIDI CC value down into my trak2 to see what would happen.. but havn't got round to remaking my breakout cable yet...

The MIDI CC values are in the manual.. and from what I gather the remote software is just piggy backing on the OS9 version of Core Midi, so hopefully connecting the trak2 up in Core Midi and then sending CC messages to it should work...

I actually have the machine itself, without any breakout cable. But if the scheme is in the manual, then it would be quite hassle free to make a new one out of it.
By the way, do you have a copy of the software?

Yeah I think we're in the same situation, I did try knocking a break out cable up out of an old VGA cable, but VGA doesn't have some of the needed pins connected so it didn't work..

I don't have the software no, but the software was just an interface on top of OMS I believe. The guys who designed OMS were hired by Apple to implement it in OSX which became Core MIDI..

I think with a breakout cable and setting up the Trak2 as a midi device in Core MIDI it should be possible to control the Trak2 remotely through the CC messages.

I do have a .txt file from Apogee which has the protocols for the SYSEX data which made up the remote control software which if you knew more about MIDI programing then me then I guess the remote program could be rewritten or something...

I remember screenshots of a dedicated software in the Trak2 manual.
My guess is that actually there is a program. And I agree, this program is written to work over opcode oms code.
Now the question is: is there anypne out there who owns this program?

hi

i need to do a breakout cable to a trak2.
anyone have the schematic of it ?

do you manage to remote the trak2 ?
thanks in advance
jonas

Here you go:

Not got it working yet though, best of luck.

Right so I've made a quick MIDI breakout cable and got remote CC messages to control my Trak2.

One slight snag so far; from what I understand the way the gain stage works, you have the input going to relay switched resistor path, which then goes to a 90dB gain stage amp, then there is a digital attenuator which does up to 90dB of reduction. The upshot of this is that the CC message for the gain controls the stepped resistor network as well as the digital attenuator, it means you have 127 steps controlling 180dB of gain. Which isn't very good, cos really its 90dB of useful gain and 90dB of pad.

A very helpful Lexxx wrote a quick interface in maxmsp, I'm just tweaking it so that it only controls the positive gain, but I'll put it up on the max sharing page in a bit.

that's great!

Just incase anyone else wants it, here is a link to the finished version of the apogee control (http://bit.ly/f9miXd), to run it you need to download max 5.1 Runtime, (http://www.cycling74.com/download/Max5Runtime_42462.dmg) which is the free version of maxmsp that just allows you to run max patches etc. but not edit them.

To get everything to work, setup the Trak2 in the Audio Midi Setup as you would a midi keyboard, and then load up the apogee control and select the trak2 in the drop down menu, and you are good to go. also if you do want to control it from tools then you can do it from a midi channel, with the appropriate CC messages from the manual.

It should also work on PC, though I don't know the equivalent set up for Core Midi or whatever.

Cheers
Dougal

This is awesome! Thank you much.



Charlie

Hi, Dougal I would suppose you still have that trak 2 control software lying around? I tried the link and apparently mobile me no longer exist.


Thanks!

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of the trak2 software?

Bump?

Bump

I'm interested in the software too -- or at least the Max MSP template. I just need to know which midi CC values ranges correspond to which ranges within the Trak2 so I can program a template (probably for the BCR200) -- especially for the positive effective gain range to 90dB:

I've got this so far from the manual:
Controller #7 = Gain
Controller #110 = Pad
Controller #111 = GainRideCtrl
Controller #112 = HP Filter
Controller #113 = Phantom power
Controller #114 = Phase Invert
Controller #115 = Soft Mute

Midi Channels 1 through 8 are a direct mapping of Outputs 1-8 of the DAC.

Bump

Hello, can you send me the software? I cant use the analog out to speackers... can you help me on that?

thanks

I allways used the 888 analog out (i used the apogee clock of coarse) but now i dont want to use 888 any more and i cant have any xlr out working...

I recently had to take my apogee trak 2 in for a service and realized how annoying it was to have to go into another room to change the gain. So I spoke to a friend and sent him the midi implementation guide from the manual.

He whipped up a max for live plugin and told me it was okay to share

Here is the caveat. It has never been tested. Not even once.
My unit is off being fixed and he doesn't own one (hence, the latch-able functions like phantom power and phase are on knobs because we don't know which values actually make them switch.

Anyone keen to try it is welcome to have a go. You'll need ableton. Just drop it on a midi track, set the ins and outs and see what happens?


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1itl...ew?usp=sharing

I, too, would like to make a midi breakout cable for my newly acquired trak2. I have no idea what the original break out cable looked like.

I took a look at the schematic above.

If I understand it correctly I need a

HD15 male connector and three midi connectors.

Do I understand this correctly?

HD15 Pin 1 > Midi in pin 4
HD15 Pin 2 > Midi in pin 5

HD15 Pin 4 > Midi thru pin 5
HD15 Pin 5 > Midi thru pin 4
HD15 Pin 6 > Midi thru pin 2

HD15 Pin 8> Midi out pin 4
HD15 Pin 9> Midi out pin 2
HD15 Pin 10> Midi out pin 5

HD15 Pin 13> Serial pin 5
HD15 Pin14> Serial pin 3
HD15 Pin 15> Serial pin 2


Is this pinout correct?

I don't know what those round loops are in the middle.
What about the other midi pins not connected?
Grounds?
What is the serial connector? Is that even needed?

Hello Albini

I also have a Trak2
I think the serial connector is needed for the firmware upgrade

Let me know if you succeed with the cable?

Yvon

Today, I fired up my Trak2 and it’s a bit wonky, but it still works.
Maybe I want to try to update the software and that’s why I came back to this thread and it’s great to see people are still using the Trak2! ?

I’ve got a breakout cable laying around, if someone wants to purchase it…. PM

Hi

Ive got a trak 2 and when I turn it on it seems to stall on booting up- if I leave it for a few minutes and power off/on it seems to work normally. Has anyone else experienced this?

I imagine theres little chance of updating the os of getting the remote software to work at this point.

cheers

Phil