C-Mexx' mission: the reason for the SDK
About the C-Console SDK
What you need: software and skills
Interface and I/O development
Support for third-party developers
(including manufacturer support)
How to receive the C-Console SDK

Resources for interface and skin designers

C-Mexx is rapidly emerging as a world leader in the design and implementation of integrated virtual control surface and dynamic automation technology. Our products continue to set new standards in design, functionality, features and reliability, and the range and quality of C-Mexx' products is constantly improving.

C-Mexx specializes in virtual surface integration...in making audio hardware work better, faster, and easier. Our goal is to create a standardized foundation for audio enthusiasts at all levels that combines the best in ease of use, enhanced control, automation and user comfort for desktop audio production, and to make this capability available for virtually every popular device in production.

C-Mexx' manpower and resources are limited. We've focused our efforts on creating a solid engine and a comfortable interface to drive it. Applying the engine and the interface to every piece of audio hardware on the planet would literally take years for a development team five times the size of our current staff.

So we're opening up C-Console to third-party development by publishing a free scripting language and SDK for C-Console which will allow virtually any programmer with moderate skills to design fully integrated custom surfaces for virtually any type of hardware which can instantly plug into C-Console's interface and which can be provided to any C-Console owner.

(The SDK is free upon registration and submission of a non-disclosure agreement with C-Mexx. All C-Console components compiled by third parties which include licenseable GUI libraries, "skins" or I/O handlers designed with a registered SDK can be freely redistributed in any form, including for-profit distribution, with no license fees.)

The true extensibility and interfacing capability built into C-Console and Visualizer products is barely hinted at in normal use of the software, and it goes far, far beyond the C-Face™ extensions menu.  Entirely new mixing surface dialogs can be fully integrated into C-Console interfaces to support new hardware, popular modifications to supported hardware, or new configurations of the currently supported hardware.

You can even design in new capabilities for hardware that C-Mexx already supports, including new control surfaces for undocumented features, little-used aspects of the hardware or other features you may feel we overlooked.

C-Console's architecture allows new controls and components to integrate seamlessly and easily with configuration data, automation and remote control capabilities. Soon that integration will include the ability to automatically convert parameter values from similar hardware types made by entirely different manufacturers. Effects and mix settings created on one device can actually be ported to other devices with similar parameters.

It should be easy to see that C-Mexx' own product line only scratches the surface of what's possible. The ever-increasing capabilities of PCs and audio/AV hardware open up whole new worlds of opportunity for improving the integration and efficiency of virtually any studio.

Software: At the present time, the C-Console SDK is designed specifically for use with Microsoft Visual C++. Ownership of a registered copy of C-Console is required for users wishing only to design their own "skins". Special dispensation may be given to students, recognized hardware manufacturers or their contractors and subcontractors.

Skills: Interface design at the level of creating "skins" for existing C-Console products and supported hardware can be done by virtually anyone with an understanding of resource management and elementary scripting abilities.  In other words, if you know how to use a resource compiler and feel competent enough to author a skin for Winamp, you can very likely create skins for C-Console with no additional study. The development of integrated control surfaces for new hardware requires additional scripting knowledge, experience with system exclusive messages, and an understanding of programmatic MIDI message flow and value translation algorithms.

Visual kicks

GUI design: The entire look and feel of C-Console is wide open to redesign, allowing anyone with a relatively recent MSVC compiler to create new "skins" for existing C-Console products or entirely new interfaces for as-yet-unsupported hardware. You can even replace the stock bitmap components in your C-Console applications with your own images to give your DAW a completely personalized appearance, or create entirely new layouts and designs for yourself and other C-Console users.

Getting under the hood: the I/O handler APIs

C-Console parameter data is defined and applied in a way that makes it very easy to translate that data to new hardware. C-Console translates parameter data to hardware values in real time (or as close as real time needs to be for audio engineering). At this time, only MIDI I/O is supported (or required) for C-Console integration

NOTE: At this time, certain aspects of C-Console's architecture are in ongoing development or undergoing improvements which could require changes to value translation tables and scripting features. Direct assistance from a C-Mexx developer will be required during this period to insure that third-party developers can derive appropriate data translation formulas, author non-conflicting values and constants, and structure an efficient I/O handler script.

Framework updates for forward compatibility

All third-party developers with extensions or "skins" in release will be entitled to C-Console framework updates to support their releases. We'll do everything we can to insure that any updates required on existing third-party products are as easy to implement as possible.

Direct assistance from C-Mexx

All developers of new hardware interfaces will be provided with direct assistance in implementing the interfaces with C-Console frameworks by a member of the C-Mexx development team. C-Mexx reserves the right to limit the extent of direct support or discontinue support to any organization or individual for any reason. (This step will usually only be taken if support demands are deemed excessive, meaning that C-Mexx feels that the developer has not demonstrated requisite programming skills to complete a specific task.)

Naturally, the opportunity to work with a C-Console programmer in the design and development of new surfaces and skins gives you an automatic "in" with C-Mexx when new positions come open within the development and design teams. We'd love to be able to hire awesome talent from a pool of third-party developers and skin designers, but we make no promises that third-party development of any kind will guarantee you a job - or even improve your chances of a job - with C-Mexx.

The inside track on sublicensing arrangements

From time to time, we may offer to license or even make outright purchase of especially well-executed designs and implementations. But once again, we ask you not to get your hopes up. You may have a killer implementation for a piece of hardware that C-Mexx isn't currently supporting, but you won't know if we're already working on our own implementation in-house.

Manufacturer support

C-Mexx is willing to extend special cooperation to developers on staff or under contract to recognized hardware manufacturers for creation of custom C-Console implementations for bundling or OEM distribution. Special manufacturers' licenses are available for providing single-purpose or limited-functionality "light" versions of C-Console for selected hardware and software products.

It's fast and easy. Drop us a line and ask for the SDK. We'll respond by sending you a non-disclosure agreement and registration form. Simply sign the NDA (be sure to have it witnessed) and registration form, and upon receipt we'll provide you with download instructions for the SDK or send it to you as an email attachment. That's all there is to it.

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