User manual APOGEE SESSION TOOLS

[. . . ] THE STUDIO MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTION by Bob Clearmountain and Ryan Freeland FOR MACINTOSH & WINDOWS COMPUTERS STAND-ALONE AND IPX/SPX OR TCP/IP NETWORK OPERATION SessionTools SOLUTION THE STUDIO MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE by Bob Clearmountain and Ryan Freeland APOGEE SESSIONTOOLS is a complete networkable, cross-platform database management system, specifically designed to aid in commercial recording studio management ­ from individual project facilities to extensive multi-room recording complexes. Designed for use in his own studio by award-winning mixer/producer Bob Clearmountain and his assistant Ryan Freeland, SessionTools consists of a Client Database, a Project Database, daily Session Work Orders, an automatically generated Invoice, a Tape Library Log, a Media Labeling System for all common media, Track Sheets for common studio formats, and a set of stunning templates for many popular pieces of outboard gear, used for noting and recalling settings. Besides calculating session hours with five different possible rate categories plus overtime, SessionTools keeps track of billable supplies, equipment rentals and shipping costs, plus the Invoice includes a list of titles worked on during each session. Taxes are calculated according to local tax regulations defined by the user. [. . . ] If you use one tape per song when you mix, you may want to put the song's title here. When you get to the Project field, (by clicking on it or using the TAB button) you'll see a pop-up list of all the projects in the Project File. Either scroll down and click on the one you want, or press the DELETE button (to get rid of the list) and type in the project name. If the spelling matches a project entered in the Project File, pressing Tab (or pressing the Enter key on a Mac, the number pad Enter key on a PC) copies in all the pertinent header information that had been entered in the Project File. Studio File Numbers The green field on each label contains the date, the reel number (Master 1, Ref 3, etc. ), and the studio file number. File numbers can be entered manually, or automatically by clicking on the yellow "File#" button. Doing so increments the File number generator that exists in the Tape Log, then enters the number in the J-card File number field. In the "x2" layouts, the file number generator increments twice, and the corresponding two numbers are entered into each J-Card sequentially. If you manually enter in a duplicate file number, SessionTools will alert you of the repetition, but will allow you to leave it if you choose. The file number is the 29 SessionTools Manual match field for the Tape Log, so it is important to enter the Label information first, with a unique file number so the Tape Log can find the Label information. Project Reel Numbers The reel numbers keep track of tapes (or disks) within a given Project. They are optional, but may help the Producer, Engineer or Assistant keep track of things. There are seven categories: Multitrack, Master Mix, Safety Mix, Reference Copy, Sequenced Master, Hi-Res Master and Hi-Res Safety. The Reel Numbers are stored and generated in the "Reel #s" layout in the related record in the Project File, where they can be reset to "0" or manually updated, if need be. (See "Project File: Reel Number Generators") Pressing the green M # button increments the Master Reel Number and enters "Master X" into the Reel # field. Likewise with the S # ("Safety x"), Ref # ("Ref x"), Seq # ("Seq x"), and the Multi # ("Multi x") buttons. In the case of the "x2" layouts, the Master #/Safety # button enters "Master X" in the left J-Card and Safety X" in the right J-Card. (The same goes for the purple HR # button. ) The Ref # and Seq # buttons enter "Ref x" and Ref x(+1)" or "Seq x" and "Seq x(+1)". You can manually enter file & reel numbers, but good luck keeping track of them!We think you'll find the automatic method much easier, once you get used to it. The MIX field in yellow by the titles should be used to identify one version of a song or mix from another. A good technique is to use the identifier number the mix computer uses (if applicable) so you'll know which mix to recall later. So a recalled fifteenth computer mix that's printed to tape and edited could be noted 15RE in the mix field. There's nothing worse than a client that wants to recall a particular mix and you don't know which of the fiftyseven versions they liked. [. . . ] Install the new SessionTools from the CD-ROM, following the installation instructions in this manual. Using the old version of SessionTools, get into each of the files and select "Find All" from the "Select" menu. If you're not already there, click the "CLIENT" navigation button to get to the Client File layout. From the FILE menu, select "Import/Export", then "Export Records". [. . . ]