Customize the Environment

You can customize the appearance of the Environment by creating more onscreen space, displaying objects graphically or as a list, hiding or coloring cables, or using a mini Environment window that floats on top of other windows.

Hide or show the inspector

  • Choose View > Hide/Show Inspector (or press I).

This command hides the inspector—the Layer pop-up menu and Object inspector—making more room for the Environment’s workspace.

View objects graphically or as a list

  • Choose View > By Text from the Environment menu bar.

This command switches the view between the graphical display of objects and a list. Cables are not shown in the list display.

Hide or show cables

  • Choose View > Cables from the Environment menu bar.

    In addition to hiding or showing cables between objects, this view also hides or shows the positioning bar (used for moving and resizing) to the right of some object types.

Tip: You can prevent the accidental alteration of the position, size, and cable connections of all objects by choosing View > Protect Cabling/Positions.

If the cabling and object positions are protected, and the cables are hidden, the background color changes. This usually looks better for virtual mixing desks and fader setups.

View colored cables

  • Choose View > Colored Cables from the Environment menu bar.

Cable colors are derived from the color of the source object—the object that the cable runs from, into another object.

Assign a color to the selected object

  • Choose View > Show Colors from the main window’s menu bar (or press Option-C), then click a color in the Color palette.

View a frameless Environment window

There may be times when you want to have access to particular Environment objects while working in the main window—buttons that are used to control a tape machine, for example. Instead of opening an Environment window each time, you can create a mini window that floats on top of other windows.

  1. Do one of the following:

    • Choose Options > Layer > Create Layer.

    • Choose Create Layer from the Layer pop-up menu.

  2. Create the objects, cable them if necessary, then adjust their parameters as needed.

  3. Reposition the objects, then resize the Environment window so that it’s just large enough to accommodate the objects.

  4. Choose View > Frameless Floating Window from the Environment menu bar.

    A mini Environment window is created, which floats above other windows.

    Figure. Showing a frameless floating Environment window.
  5. Position the window, then press Shift-L to lock it as a screenset.

  6. Choose this screenset to access the tape controls whenever you need them.