DADman - Everything You Need To Know - The Manual That Never Was
Since Avid released the Pro Tools MTRX and then the MTRX Studio, many more people have had to get to grips with the DADman software in order to configure, control and operate their interface.
Need some help using the DADman software? Not sure how to set it up? It may seem strange but as far as we can tell there isn’t a generic detailed DADman manual, but the good news is that there is a lot of information and support out there. In this article, we have set about bringing as many of the DADman related resources as possible together in one place. Struggling with DADman? This is the article for you.
What Is DADman?
DADman software has been designed to configure and control one or more compatible units over Ethernet. DADman is a channel strip–oriented, software control interface working over your system’s computer network.
It shows all connected units in the Device List from left to right. Units are shown in sequence according to their unit ID number. Each unit has a coloured border surrounding the functions of the unit. The settings of each unit are stored in the unit itself.
DADman shows the current status of all settings on each connected unit. DADman lets you save Configuration files on your computer to backup and store all the unit’s settings and network configurations.
DADman can be set to automatically load the last used settings on launch. If no configuration file is loaded on launch, connections to units in the Device List must be reestablished after launch. DADman can also be automated from various external sources. For example, DADman can be connected by MIDI to Pro Tools so that MTRX units can emulate Pro Tools PRE hardware and so control the MTRX preamps from within Pro Tools as if they were Avid PRE preamps.
Control Over IP
Because DADman communicates with the connected units over your computer network, it is important to consider how the connection between the computer running the DADman software and connected units is made.
You can use your normal studio computer network, as you can with audio over IP but we recommend that you have dedicated networks for applications like Eucon, Audio Over IP and control of by DADman of connected units. How many dedicated networks you need will depend on how complex your requirements are.
For example, I have an Avid MTRX Studio and I am using Audio Over IP to route the Mac audio into my monitoring and to run DADman on the same computer. I started by using my home gigabit network with an Audio Over IP approved router, but I soon found I was having issues with audio and data dropouts between the computer and the MTRX Studio. So I split off the connection between the computer and the MTRX Studio with a separate Ethernet port (NIC) on my computer with a dedicated Ethernet cable going to my MTRX Studio.
We cover this, and more, in much more detail in our article Using Audio Over IP Or EuControl? Read This Now.
Check You Have The Latest Version Of DADman
If you are an Avid hardware user you can find links to the latest version of DADman approved for Avid hardware in your Avid Master Account or from the Avid Download Center.
If you are using DAD or NTP hardware, you can download the DAD software from the DAD Software Download section. You will need to have a DAD / Penta account to access the Download section. If you don’t have one you can set one up.
Does DADman Work On Apple Silicon Computers?
The DADman control software v 5.5.0 for macOS is compatible with the Apple Silicon M1 processor chip, running macOS Big Sur. At the time of writing it is not yet supported to run on macOS Monterey, so anyone buying an Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max powered commuter needs to be aware of this. We have seen reports that DADman 5.5.0 does work on macOS Monterey.
Alternatively, in the short term, you may need to run DADman on a separate computer running Yosemite through to Big Sur. That said, we are aware of reports from users that DADman 5.5.0 does work OK on macOS Monterey but as yet it isn’t approved.
Where Is DADman Manual?
It may seem strange that there isn’t a dedicated DADman manual, but the information is out there, rather than have a dedicated DADman manual, it's in the manual for the device you are using DADman to control, whether that be the Avid MTRX, Avid MTRX Studio, the DAD AX32, DX32, NTP Penta 720 or 721 units.
Here are links to the manuals for each of these units.
You will find all the information to install and set up DADman in the respective Installation Guides. In the Operation or User guides, you will find information on using DADman including sections, where appropriate on controlling the MTRX Preamps and setting up the SPQ card.
Tutorials
There are a wide range of tutorials; videos, articles and tips & tricks that will help you to better understand how to use the DADman software. Here are some to get you going…
DADman Overview from DAD
Digital Audio Denmark (DAD) has produced this video tutorial of the DADman software which gives an overview of the software. As this is a DAD tutorial they only cover using DADman with DAD and NTP hardware, but all the principles shown apply to the Avid hardware that also uses DADman software.
Monitor Profiles In DADman
As well as configuration files, DADman also uses monitor profiles. These are separate from the configuration files. A monitor profile is a control room or cue system using the available analog and digital I/O of a connected unit, like an Avid MTRX Studio.
A monitor profile is a control room or cue system using the available analog and digital I/O DADman compatible hardware. You can add sources, outputs, fold downs, and meters to define a monitor within DADman. A single monitor can contain multiple sources (inputs) and output sets, including stereo, surround, and expanded Atmos configurations using analog or digital I/O. You can efficiently switch between near-field stereo, 5.1 or 7.1 surround, as well as Atmos speaker configurations using a EUCON-compatible control surface (such as S1, S6, or the Avid Control app or from the front panel of your compatible hardware.
To use the monitoring and cue functionality of DADman compatible hardware, you need to create or import a Monitor Profile (.dmprof files). To get started, you can download a default stereo monitor profile configuration from your Avid Master Account if you have one. These include Stereo, 5.1, 7.1, and 7.1.2 profiles.
In this free video tutorial from Avid, Jeff Komar shows how to create a basic Monitor Profile including Source Inputs, Speaker Outputs, Fold Downs and external Meter Outputs.
How To Set Up The DAD/Avid SPQ Card Using The Free Room EQ Wizard
Ever since DAD released the SPQ card for their AX32 and then with the version for the Avid MTRX and now with the smaller version built into the MTRX Studio, users need to be able to analyse their speakers and room, and somehow transfer the results onto the SPQ card using the DADman software. In this article, How To Set Up The DAD/Avid SPQ Card Using The Free Room EQ Wizard, we show how this can be achieved using the free Room EQ Wizard software, a low-cost USB measurement mic, and most importantly, how to transfer the measurements to the SPQ card.
Setting Interface Output Levels In DADman
The purpose of this setting is to align the analog output level of the DADman controlled interface with other equipment to avoid clipping and/or noise issues. The output level controls may not appear intuitive at first. This is because the sliders are designed to configure the analog levels which correspond to 0dBFS.
Setting a high output level is not always a good idea. When users complain about distorted audio when they have a loud sound level (e.g. above -6 dBFS), it is often traced to them setting the output level to +24 dBu without realising that the input of the following equipment could clip at +18 dBu. The correct use of these sliders is to match the analog output to the inputs specs of the equipment they are feeding. The advice is to always make sure you have set the max. output level so it doesn't exceed the max input level of the following equipment.
There is also a range switch on the output levels. You can choose between two output level ranges for the line outputs (DB25 connectors) to either -66 dBu to +18 dBu or -60 dBu to +24 dBu by enabling the 6dB Gain button.
As you can see from this image I have set my first 3 monitor outputs to the appropriate output level for my PMC LB1 Bryston amps, whereas my surround speakers are fed from Samson amps and so I have adjusted those outputs to best suit them.
Blank Monitoring Page In Avid Control
If all you see in the Avid Control app is master fader but nothing else, it may be that you need to bind the DADman software to EuControl.
To do this, open the Assign tab, and while DADman is in the foreground, tick the box near the bottom of the window to assign monitoring to DADman. As well as making sure that EUCON is enabled in DADman. For example, if you set the output level in DADman to +18 dBu and apply a 0 dBFS signal from Pro Tools, you will have +18 dBu on the analog output. The setting determines the conversion factor between the digital signal, measured in dBFS, and the analog output level, measured in dBu.
Setting The Reference Level In The Monitor Profile
The output level in the DADman monitor profile can be locked to a pre-defined level by pressing the Ref button in the DADman software, or on the MOM remote control. Alternatively, if like me you have a MTRX Studio, you can configure the Ref function to one of the front panel controls. I have it set to the Rotary Encoder push button, so by pressing the monitor level it becomes calibrated This will move the output fader to 0 dB and lock it so it cannot be changed with the volume control.
This allows you to work at a pre-defined SPL level without the risk of accidentally changing the output level. But you may need to work with a number of different reference levels.
Once you have set your primary reference level with test signals and a sound pressure meter, the solution is to define multiple speaker sets. One of the features of DADman is that it is possible to define multiple speaker sets that all use the same physical outputs. For example, you could have two 5.1 speaker sets, one named “85 dB SPL” and the other “75 dB SPL”. Both of them use Dante ch. 1-6, but they have different trim settings to accommodate different SPL levels. The trim levels provide the appropriate offset from one reference level to another.
Fold Down Hacks
In the fold-down section of the monitor profile, you can set up appropriate fold-down paths, for example, 5.1 to stereo. But did you know that you can also do up matching where you can create your own custom presets to spread from, say 5.1 to some flavour of Atmos including 7.1.4, 9.1.6 and beyond. Alternatively, you can also create some custom presets that only enable certain speakers when selected.
For example, I have a fold-down preset labelled Tops Only (see above). When selected it effectively mutes everything except the four ceiling speakers. In the Monitor Profile Configuration window, go to the Fold down tab, select one of the settings you already have and right-click. You will be offered ‘Add new matrix’. Once you have selected a new matrix, select the input and output to be 7.1.4 as in this case we do not want to fold-down or up-match, we need to keep it the same.
Then use the matrix to route audio from the Lt1 input to the Lt1 output and set the signal gain to 0dB. Do the same for the other 3 ceiling channels, then rename the new ‘fold down’ matrix, something useful, in my case Top Only. Now when you go back to the fold-down options in the Groups tab, when you right-click on the fold-down option you will be offered your new ‘fold down’ option, in my case Top Only.
Headphone Follows Control Room Monitor
When I first started using my MTRX Studio, I wanted a way to have the front panel headphones follow whatever is on my speaker monitoring. When I couldn’t work out how to do it, I asked the DAD team if there was a way of doing it and there is.
The key is to make sure that in the Monitor Profile window in DADman, the monitor mode for the headphone feed is set to Master rather than Cue.
Then set the monitor mode for the speakers to Cue.
When you do this, you will be able to set the source of the headphones output, which you set to the Master Monitoring mode to the monitor feed selection, in my case CR.
There is a downside to this setup. When DADman is not running, any device DADMan would be controlling (in my case my MTRX Studio) defaults to a basic setup. Although you can still control the inputs, output and headphone levels, you don't get is any of the custom functions you might have set in the MTRX Studio tab of the DADman profile. For me, this means that because my speakers are fed via a Cue group rather than a Control Room Group, this doesn’t translate to the MTRX Studio default mode.
What I chose to do to get around this is to use a script to automatically run DADman when I start up my computer.
Delay Start To Autoboot DADman
If you just drop DADman into your Startup Items, I found that DADman would often crash. On the DUC, I found that I wasn’t alone with this problem and there were 2 suggestions, one from Avid’s Jeff Komar was to use a dedicated Delay Start app and the other was to create an AppleScript. ‘Jschmit” even posted the AppleScript that he used…
delay 5tell application "Finder"activateopen application file "DADman.app" of folder "Applications" of folder "System" of startup diskend telldelay 8tell application "System Events"set visible of process "DADman" to falseend tellYou use the Script Editor app (in the Utilities folder in Applications) and just paste the above text in there. Then export it, choosing Application as the File Format. Finally, add the resulting app to your User Login items in Mac System Prefs, ideally as the last item in the list.
Now when I boot my computer after a delay, it automatically starts DADman and then after another delay it automatically hides DADman.
Now I get the best of both worlds.
Lock Avid Control Monitoring To DADman
In EuControl, it is possible to lock various parts of your Eucon surfaces including the control app to different Eucon controllable applications. You will need to have the appropriate application in focus (on top) on your computer to enable the Avid Control app to lock them to EuControl. For example, you can lock the monitor section to DADman, and the Transport section to your DAW. In EuContro go to > Assign Tab > Lock the monitoring section (while DADman is focused), then switch over to Pro Tools and could also choose to lock the Pro Tools Transport to the Transport part of Avid Control or any Eucon enabled control surface. Once monitoring is locked it won’t matter what app is in the foreground.
Avid has made a simple video to demonstrate this feature…
One question off the back of this video from Avid was is there any way to make a bigger Talkback button in Avid Control? Avid’s Jeff Komar came back with a great suggestion…
“Use the Soft Keys page and map multiple squares (buttons) to enable Talkback.”
This way you don’t need to be as precise with your finger. Nice one Jeff.
Want To Learn More About DADman?
Pro Tools MTRX - A Comprehensive Overview
Although this video is billed as a Pro Tools MTRX overview, the reality is that once Avid Production Specialist Jeff Komar gets past outlining the hardware I/O, the rest of the video really is all about how to use DADman to configure and control your Pro Tools MTRX. Again even though this video focuses on the MTRX, all the principles apply to any compatible hardware that uses DADman software.
Avid Coffee & Consoles: Getting the Most Out of MTRX and MTRX Studio
This extended 1-hour video tutorial, again from Jeff Komar, examines the concepts of signal flow and I/O patching and monitoring with the MTRX and MTRX Studio products. Understanding and managing the PRO | MON monitoring environment in DADman, whether for stereo or Dolby Atmos workflows, is a critical part of working with the MTRX devices. Some creative and unconventional uses for Fold Downs, Talkback, and Monitor paths are also explored.
To help you jump to the topic you need help on here are links to allow you to jump straight to the chapter that you are specifically interested in…
00:00 Introduction
02:55 Device List in DADman - connected devices overview
03:35 PRO | MON and Monitor Profiles - structure of Monitors
06:00 Control Room Sources
08:15 Control Room Outputs
09:20 Control Room Fold Downs
10:06 Control Room Meters
10:30 Monitor Sources - Add Existing
10:55 Import from Profile
12:15 Signal Flow using the Con patchbay
13:30 Labeling DigiLink and MADI ports in DADman
14:20 Patching Analog I/O into Pro Tools
16:50 Monitoring and Patching Sources
18:50 Patching the Dolby Renderer to MTRX
23:30 Returning Speakers and ReRenders into Monitor Profile
25:20 Patching 5.1 and BIN ReRenders from MADI to Dante
28:55 Dante Optimization and Best Practices
30:40 Creating and assigning a 9.1.6 Custom Group format
34:55 Bass Management
38:26 Control Systems: MOM, MTRX Studio & EUCON
39:45 Unconventional Applications of Fold Down Matrix
42:30 Speaker Group Solos with Fold Matrix
45:30 Alternative Applications for the Meter Path
50:10 Setting up a Talkback Slate to Pro Tools
51:55 Sending LTC over the Dante Network
54:10 Input EQ and Delay Processing
Avid Pro Tools Tech Tips Series
Avid has put together an excellent YouTube Playlist of MTRX and MTRX Studio single issue video tutorials. Most are simple short videos with video and text overlays rather than a voiceover but don’t write them off, they contain a lot of useful information.
Control Pro Tools | MTRX Studio from a Tablet or Avid Dock
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio in Focus
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX 101 Part 1
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Dante Creative
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio Overview
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Master Meters
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Patching MTRX to the DAW
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio Preamps
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio Footswitch
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Connecting MTRX Devices
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio Cue Mixes
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Labeling Inputs & Outputs
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Clocking with MTRX Studio
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Get Up & Running with MTRX Studio
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Dolby Audio Bridge & MTRX Studio
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Slate Input
Pro Tools | MTRX — MOM Layers
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Custom Groups
Pro Tools Tech Tip — DADman Basics
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Re-Recording with Dante
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Dante Virtual Soundcard
Pro Tools Tech Tip — SRC with Dante-128
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Creating Solo Shortcuts
Pro Tools Tech Tip — Parallel Cue Outputs
Pro Tools Tech Tip — DADman Preferences
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX Studio & External Reverb
Pro Tools Tech Tip — MTRX DigiLink Expansion
First Steps With MTRX Studio
There is an excellent thread on the DUC with lots of useful tips called First Steps With MTRX Studio. Enjoy.
In Conclusion
We hope you find this article helpful. If you were hoping that having bought an Avid MTRX or MTRX Studio you would be able to easily set it all up, then like me, you may be disappointed. I started collating it because I couldn’t find a one-stop-shop on all things DADman when I was setting up my MTRX Studio.
DADman is incredibly powerful, and because of that, it isn’t really possible to have a Quick Start guide. To configure any of the devices that depend on DADman, the key is that you will first need to establish what you need it to do and then spend some time configuring it using DADman to meet your specific requirements.
I found that once I got my head into it, it became easier to get to grips with DADman and so be able to configure it to do so many clever things. Be patient and you will get there.