Tag Archives: System Exclusive

Custom overlays for BCR

Proper overlays greatly increase usability of the device. You can visualize the controls much better as opposed to just text-labelling and thus bring you much closer to the device you are controlling with the BCR.

BCR2000_mKorg_ovly

The BCR2000 Templates document that you can find on the official downloads page contains simple overlays for control labelling. But I was looking for a way to create enhanced overlays that visualize the device being controlled rather than just labelling the controls.

Custom overlays with SkinMan

SkinMan is a freeware program for creating skins for audio plugins. I created templates for the upper and the lower sections of the BCR. SkinMan can be found here.
Download the SkinMan templates here.

The templates contain grouped elements of four basic types:

  • Background: The overall background of the overlay.
  • Cutouts: These should be left as they are, blank sections to be cut out of the printed layout. They represent the actual buttons and encoders on the device.
  • Labels: Editable primitives for the label background.
  • Label text: The text fields for each label.

To create your overlay, do the following:

  1. Download and install SkinMan
  2. Download the SkinMan Templates and open them in SkinMan.
  3. Design, hide, add or remove elements to your liking.
  4. When you´re finished, export the image via the File menu and print it out. I recommend to use good quality photo paper.
    Use DIN A4 (210 x 297 mm) as print size.

    alert Make sure to use borderless print setting, or the control cutouts will not fit!

  5. Cut out the cutouts (hence the name, right…) with a sharp cutter.
  6. For long term protection, laminate the overlay.
  7. Cut out the lamination foil again and you are done.

You may want to download one of the BCR sets below and use the contained overlay as an example.