AirTraffic Control User’s Guide
AirTraffic Control configured with four inputs and two outputs
AirTraffic displays a simple map of the room you are in, the space with your speakers or headphones (physical outputs). These outputs appear as L and R in the screen shot above. Each output acts like an ear: as inputs come closer, an output can hear them better. From the point of view of an output - an "ear" - its inner circle marks how close an input must be to hear it at full volume, and its outer circle marks how far until it is inaudible. You may adjust either limit by dragging its circle.
Installation
Download and unzip AirTraffic Control.
The VST plugin itself is this file:
C:\Program Files\Jeversi Software\AirTraffic Control\Bin\AirTrafficControl.dll
AirTraffic Control is a VST plugin, so you must use some kind of VST host in order to use AirTraffic Control.
What IS a VST Plug-in?
It is an audio processing component compatible with the VST standard from Steinberg. VST is the most widely used kind of audio component, and as such it is compatible with most professional audio software. Most of the programs known as DAWs (digital audio workstations) perform as VST Hosts, and can utilize many VST plugins at once. Like any VST plugin, AirTraffic Control runs inside of a host program.
You will not have a new program that you can run after installing AirTraffic Control. You will have a new plugin to select from within other audio programs.
Whatever software you use to host VST plugins, you have to tell it how to find AirTraffic Control. For example, some people collect assorted VST plugins into one folder such as C:\Program Files\VstPlugins. Then they configure each VST host to use that folder.
Wherever you put AirTrafficControl.dll, you must also put ATC.ini and SecureEngineConfig.ini.
Definitions
Avatar - Each input channel and each output channel is shown onscreen on a map. In AirTraffic Control an AVATAR is the visual appearance of an audio object. It's something you can drag around or right-click for a menu. An input avatar appears as the text of its name. An output avatar appears as its name with two concentric circles shaded to show how input volumes decrease with distance. A group avatar shows as a centroid block on the selected set's network.
Velocity - Suppose you want things moving in more than one direction at the same time. And we only have one mouse. AirTraffic Control lets you set an object in motion by shift-dragging it. Velocity toggles off automatically when an avatar reaches the edge of the current window. You can adjust the window with Pan and Zoom.
Getting Started with AirTraffic Control
You need to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or other pro audio software to "host" AirTraffic Control. See the topic above, What IS a VST Plug-in? Now we will suppose that you have a suitable "host" and know a little about using it.
Run your DAW software. You will be able to load a VST plugin somehow - it's often under "effects". You may have to specify the folder where the plugin was installed. You will see a list of plugins - they may show as DLL files - and you choose one with AirTraffic in the name.
After choosing the plugin, you will define the inputs and outputs for the AirTraffic plugin. This process depends on your VST Host software - plugins just use they channels they are given. To find how, in your host software, to configure a VST plugin's input and output channels, look in the Track where you will use AirTraffic. Look for "I/O" or "Send" or "Receive". Here's the goal from the AirTraffic point of view: you want to define a series of mono channels into AirTraffic, and another series of mono channels out. The individual mono channels may be drawn from or sent to particular subchannels of multitrack audio if desired.
For a starter setup, try this: Run a stereo source into AirTraffic as input 1 and 2, and run output 1 and 2 to your headphones. Then you can begin to experience AirTraffic Control. Grab an avatar and see/hear what happens.
If you are using Reaper, read this description of configuring it to use AirTraffic.
Using the Keyboard and Mouse Together
Some AirTraffic Control operations use the SHIFT or CTRL or ALT key with the mouse.
If you SHIFT-drag an avatar, it will start to move off in that direction.
Use CTRL-click to multi-select objects. As you do you’ll see a control block at the centroid, connected to its members.
While a group exists it can be moved or set in motion as a unit: drag or SHIFT-drag its avatar with the mouse. Using the context menu you can pause/unpause its motion by toggling Velocity, or you can mute/unmute it.
Panning and Zooming
The scroll wheel zooms the display in and out, zooming about the center of the display. There are also zoom in and out buttons on ATC's control panel.
ALT-DRAG the background to pan the display.
Objects with Velocity have it suspended at the edge of the present display. When this happens you may Zoom out to give them room, and set them going again if you like.
Mouse/Keyboard Summary
AirTraffic Control - Configuring Maximum Channels
ATC can be configured to use different maximum numbers of input and output channels.
You can configure ATC for any combination of inputs and outputs within these limits: up to 60x16 channels or 60 inputs and 16 outputs.
The configuration is controlled by these settings in ATC.ini:
[Global]
; ChannelsIn can be 2..64
ChannelsIn=6; ChannelsOut can be 2..16
ChannelsOut=2
Using Images
You may provide an image file to be displayed as the background image in the plugin. The dimensions of the image (in pixels) control the size of the plugin window.
You may provide an image file for each avatar if you like. Here is a sample portion of ATC.ini:
[Program0]
LabelImages=1
MapImage=c:\Pols\Miletus.bmp
In1=c:\Pols\McCain.png
In2=c:\Pols\Obama.png
In3=c:\Pols\Romney.png
In4=c:\Pols\RonPaul.png
In5=c:\Pols\Hillary.png
In6=c:\Pols\Huckabee.png
Out1=c:\Pols\eagle.bmp
Out2=c:\Pols\girl.bmp[Program1]
LabelImages=0
MapImage=C:\Program Files\Vstplugins\ATCMap.bmp
In1=c:\Pols\Huckabee.png
In2=c:\Pols\McCain.png
In3=c:\Pols\Obama.png
In4=c:\Pols\Romney.png
In5=c:\Pols\RonPaul.png
In6=c:\Pols\Hillary.png
Out1=c:\Pols\girl.bmp
Out2=c:\Pols\eagle.bmp
The following image types are supported:
The INI file can have a section for each program, where the first program is # 0 as shown here. You may define up to 16 programs (Program0 to Program15).