Mackie Control C4 Programming Manual - C4 Commander Files

Programmer’s Guide

C4 Commander

C4 Commander Programmer's Guide

C4 Commander Files

C4 Commander deals with 2 types of files:  

Instrument Definition Files and Layouts.

Instrument Definition Files (.c4i) contain the 

parameters that allow C4 Commander to commu-

nicate with a particular MIDI hardware device.

Layout files (.c4l) allow the user to place controls 

in a specific order and to relabel control text.

The default Instrument Definition files for the 

C4 Commander were designed to provide the 

maximum amount of detail for each parameter. 

This detail may cause some instrument layouts 

to look cluttered or may cause them to be dif-

ficult to read. This can be corrected by simply 

using C4 Commander to move and rename pa-

rameters, hence creating an appropriate Layout 

file for a particular instrument. This does not 

affect the Instrument Definition file, but rather 

edits their position within the layout file. As 

such, it is possible to create several layouts for 

the same instrument, allowing maximum flex-

ibility for a given application.

Instrument Definition Files (.c4i)

There may be instances where editing the In-

struments Definition file is desirable. The main 

reason for this is to add ValueText messages to 

the definition file, which substitutes descriptive 

text in place of numerical values (e.g., Off/On 

instead of 0/1).

Another reason for editing the file is to create a 

new instrument file either for a MIDI device not 

included in the existing Instrument folder, or 

based on an existing definition. 

Many times when creating a new file for anoth-

er instrument from the same manufacturer, the 

manufacturer will use the same SYSEX (System 

Exclusive) format (what we call a “schema”) 

between multiple devices. In this case, creating 

a new instrument may be as simple as chang-

ing the Device ID and the parameter numbers 

within the Instrument Definition file. Creating 

a new Instrument Definition file from scratch, 

however, will require much more work.

Introduction

The C4 Commander User's Guide covers the 

general operation of the C4 Commander soft-

ware, while this Programmer's Guide provides 

detailed information on customizing the In-

strument Definition files. You might want to 

customize an Instrument Definition file simply 

to change how a value appears in the display 

(ValueText), or you may need to create a new 

Instrument Definition file for a MIDI device 

that is not included in the Instruments folder 

provided with the software. Be sure to check 

for Instrument Definition file updates on our 

website (in the Settings window, click the 

Instruments tab and click on the link at the bot-

tom of the window) to see if a new Instrument 

Definition file has been created for the MIDI 

device you have. 

Contents

C4 Commander Programmer's Guide --------- 

Introduction ------------------------------------------

C4 Commander Files --------------------------------

Instrument Definition Files (.c4i) ---------------- 

New Instrument File Creation ------ 3

Steps in creating a new Instrument file: ---- 3

C4 Commander XML schema  ---------------- 3

Basics --------------------------------------3

Syntax -------------------------------------3

Creating a new Instrument Definition  ---------4

Masks ------------------------------------ 4

ValueText ------------------------------- 6

Parameters -------------------------------------- 7

Layout files (.c4l) ----------------------------------10

Layout File Format ---------------------------- 11

Console File (.c4s) --------------------------------- 1