EuCon - High-Speed Ethernet Control Protocol

EuCon is an innovative high-speed Ethernet protocol developed by Euphonix to allow a hardware control surface to directly communicate with a software application.

 

 

The Euphonix MC Pro and System 5-MC controllers use EuCon to communicate with DAWs and video editing applications. The Euphonix System 5 range of digital audio mixing systems, communicate with DAWs via the EuCon Hybrid PC option.

EuCon passes control surface commands, such as knob and fader moves, over Ethernet to any workstation on the network that has a EuCon Client Application installed, and receives back control status, multi-format metering, and EQ and pan curves. EuCon can support deep integration with multiple workstations and any application that accepts EuCon, HUI or Mackie control.

EuCon is also used to transport the MC Pro's keyboard and trackball (or mouse) commands over Ethernet as part of its control stream. These keyboard and trackball commands are broken out by the EuCon Client Application in the workstation and sent directly to the operating system. This allows the MC Pro to be connected via Ethernet without having to have serial or USB mouse & keyboard cables.

No other control system or console comes close to the power and total integration of Euphonix control surfaces with EuCon.

EuCon Aware Software Applications

EuCon aware DAW applications, such as Logic Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Final Cut Pro, Digital Performer, Nuendo,and Pyramix, that directly support the EuCon protocol, have an extremely high level of integration, with high-resolution, high-speed connectivity to almost all the DAWs functions, including multi-channel metering and EQ and pan curves. Control is fast and highly responsive. In addition to fader, pan, aux sends, metering and routing, EuCon allows access to the track's plug-ins from the 8 knobs on the System 5 channels strips as well as the MC Pro's 8 knobs.

Nuendo & Pyramix EuCon Connectivity

The diagram below shows Nuendo connectivity. The Nuendo EuCon adaptor, which can be purchased from Euphonix, allows EuCon commands to pass directly into the Nuendo application for full control integration. Pyramix requires the Oasis Key, which can be purchased from Merging, that passes EuCon commands directly to Pyramix for full control integration.

 

Logic Pro EuCon Connectivity

From version 7.2.1 Logic Pro has built-in EuCon support to allow EuCon commands to directly connect to the application for full control integration.

 

Digital Audio Denmark's AX24 Converter System

The AX24 is a high quality converter and mic preamp system that can be controlled via the DADman software application. The PC version of DADman includes EuCon connectivity allowing full integration of the AX24 with Euphonix control surfaces via EuCon.

Other Software Applications

Pro Tools integrates with EuCon, as does any application that supports HUI or Mackie Control, including fader, joystick, and plug-in control as well as metering.

Applications that do not support HUI or Mackie Control, such as iTunes, can still be controlled via EuCon as the MC Pro's LCD SmartSwitches can be used to send out keystroke commands. In these cases the EuCon Client application splits off keyboard and mouse commands from the EuCon data stream sending them straight to the workstation's operating system. HUI or Mackie control commands are stripped from the EuCon data stream and sent directly into the application via a virtual MIDI port. Sending data via EuCon over Ethernet is much faster and at a higher resolution than sending HUI or Mackie Control commands over MIDI.

What sets the EuCon protocol apart from other control systems is its use of high-speed Ethernet to communicate with the DAWs and its ability to also support HUI and Mackie Control protocols. This simple fact reduces parameter change delays and increases resolution.

Multiple Workstations, Multiple Applications Simultaneously

EuCon allows the MC Pro and System 5-MC controllers to switch between multiple workstations on the network at the touch of a button. Provided a workstation has the EuCon Client application installed, it will be 'seen' by the MC Pro and System 5-MC for control. System 5 console systems connect to multiple workstations via the EuCon Hybrid Option PC allowing tracks from multiple workstations to be brought onto the surface next to each other in any order and saved as 'Layouts' for easy recall of track layouts.

A unique feature of the MC Pro is its ability to recognize the application in focus and switch its control surface to match that application. EuCon facilitates this process. It is even possible to have one application in focus controlled from the MC Pro while certain controls, such as transport controls, are controlling another application in the background.

EuCon Protocol Technical Details

At the 121st 2006 AES Convention in San Francisco Euphonix submitted a convention paper entitled 'EuCon: An Object-Oriented Protocol for Connecting Control Surfaces to Software Applications'. This document gives a more in depth technical description of how EuCon works.
[download 500kb pdf]