To simplify use with various daws, several lexan overlays are available; overlays are placed on the right side of the Mackie Control and give the buttons new labels relevant to the referenced daw. Of course, the Mackie Control doesn't "know" that an overlay is placed on the surface; it always behaves the same way and sends the same commands. It is up to the receiving daw to determine the meaning of each command. The lexan overlay is simply a way to tell the user how the daw will handle each button.

The plugin also allows you to select a lexan overlay to be used, and as with the physical unit, this doesn't change the way commands are sent - it only gives you, as a user, a better view over which commands the selected daw is using.

Each lexan overlay is defined in an xml file, and the plugin is prepared to handle customized layouts if the default layout doesn't work as expected.

Please note that the layout xml files bundled with the plugin are created by looking at the lexan overlays for the various daws. The layout for Cubase/Nuendo is verified against Cubase and is "fairly good," even though I expect experienced Mackie users to find areas for improvement.

The other layouts are not tested against their corresponding daw, and I expect adjustments and improvements to be required. I hope that users with other daws can verify/modify (as described below) the layout files and share improved versions for future updates.

In the installed plugin folder, the subfolder MackieLayouts contains the layout xml files for the various daws. The layout dropdown in the editor is populated with the names of the files found (with valid layout content)

Please do not edit the files in the MackieLayouts folder.

In case a bundled layout file needs improvements or if you want to add a file for another daw, please do as follows:

1. Create a folder Trevliga Spel in your Documents folder.

2. Create a folder MackieLayouts in the Trevliga Spel folder.

3. To change an existing layout, copy the file you want to improve from the plugin MackieLayouts folder to your Trevliga Spel/MackieLayouts folder. Do not rename the file.

4. To create a new layout, copy one of the files from the plugin MackieLayouts folder to your Trevliga Spel/MackieLayouts folder and rename the file to reflect the new daw.

5. Make whatever changes you want (as described below) to your Trevliga Spel/MackieLayouts folder file.

If the plugin finds a file in your personal folder with the same name as a file in the plugin folder, the file in your personal folder will be used. The fact that the file is found in the personal folder is indicated by an asterisk before the layout name in the dropdown.

Please note that the naming of the layout files is very important. Especially the fact that you should not rename a copy of a default file unless you intend to use it for some other daw. All Stream Deck buttons reference the used layout using the file name (without the path).

• Assume that you have a Stream Deck profile with all buttons referencing, e.g., the Pro Tools layout (i.e., the Pro Tools.xml file). If you want to modify the layout and create a copy in your Trevliga Spel/MackieLayouts, all buttons will automatically switch to the customized version (since the file name is the same and the plugin prioritizes custom files before the default ones).

• If you later send the improved file to be included in future releases, you can remove the custom file once it is released, and the plugin will automatically switch back to the now-released and updated layout file.

• If you rename the file after copying it, all buttons will lose the reference to the layout, and you need to re-attach them to your copy.

• When creating a new file for a new daw, file naming is also important. Please select a "good" name that can be used if the layout is included in a future release. If you do that from the beginning, all your buttons will automatically reference the correct layout once it is released.

Each layout file has the following structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<MackieLayout version="1">
  <Section Name="Daw Functions">
        <Button id="40" Name="VPot Assign: Track" Type="Toggle"></Button>
        <Button id="41" Name="VPot Assign: Send" Type="Toggle"></Button>
        .
        .
        <Button id="70" Name="Undo" Type="Push"></Button>
        <Button id="70" Name="Edit History" Type="Push" Modifier="83"></Button>
        .
        .
        <Button id="83" Name="Misc: Shift" Type="Hold"></Button>
        <Button id="90" Name="Markers &amp; Control: Solo" Type="Toggle"></Button>
        <Dial id="1" Name="Fader Banks: Bank Left/Right">
            <Button direction="ccw" id="46" ></Button>
            <Button direction="cw" id="47" ></Button>
        </Dial>
    </Section>
  <Section Name="Transport">Placeholder</Section>
  <Section Name="Time Display">Placeholder</Section>
  <Section Name="Channel Strips">Placeholder</Section>
</MackieLayout>

• The version attribute in the MackieLayout tag is not used by the plugin. If I make any changes in a file included in the plugin, I will increase this version number. If you have made a copy of such a file, you can see if the original file has been updated after a plugin update.

• The Daw Functions section contains the definitions for the daw-specific buttons on the Mackie Control.

• The <Button> tags define button functions, i.e., functions triggered by physical buttons on an actual Mackie device. These functions are available for buttons and the Press action for dials.

• The <Dial> tags define button functions that can be used by rotating a dial, functions like cursor movements and track selections. These functions are available in Rotate and Rotate while pressed actions for dials.

• The Transport, Time Display and Channel Strips sections are created in code, and the content cannot be modified in the layout file. These section lines are placeholders only, determining in what order the sections will be listed in the Section dropdown.

...on the Cubase/Nuendo lexan overlay.