How do you get Logic to sync to an external MIDI clock?

Logic does a fine job of receiving MIDI note and controller information from my hardware devices, but I've never been able to get it to sync to an external clock. I'm running Logig Pro X now, and I had the same problem with Logic Pro 8.

 

The problem is, when I start the external devices, Logic just sits there as though it never received a start signal. When I change the BPMs on the external devices, the tempo on Logic stays the same. It seems to not be receiving any midi time data at all, only note and controller changes.

 

I have no idea why these photos are humongous; they are just images from my phone. I don't know how to make them smaller. Also, they posted in the opposite order I uploaded them, but that doesn't make much difference. Technology hates me right now.

 

I've checked and unchecked every combination of boxes I can think of in the settings menus to no avail.

I'm not sure if my M-Audio ProFire 610 audio interface might be the culprit. Setting "standalone mode" to external - s/pdif, and "hosted mode" sync source to "internal" seems to be the only combination that transmits midi data and makes sound.

More check boxes that don't seem to have any effect on the problem one way or the other. Maybe if I knew what any of this actually meant, I could get the right combination.

One of the suggestions in the Logic "Help" menu for external synchronization is to create an instrument track, option click on the track icon, and select "MTC" from the "Other" menu. But there is no MTC icon in the Other menu! Surely they are toying with me at this point.

As of (I believe) Logic 8, they removed the ability to sync to MIDI Clock. So while Logic can send clock, it cannot receive it.

 

Your only choice for external sync is MTC.

So what is the difference between MTC and an external MIDI clock? Can I convert external MIDI clock into MTC somehow?

Your photos are so big because you used a high (8 megapixel) resolution. You can edit size in the Preview app:

 

 

try to keep the width under 800 pixels, that should be fine.

 

...but it is much better to leave the iPhone out of it altogether and make the screenshots on your Mac itself.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5775

 

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click this link to your signature and add your system information:

• Logic version and sub-version (e.g. Logic 10.0.3)

• OS X version and sub-version (e.g. OS 10.8.4)

• Computer (e.g. MacBook, Mac Pro, iMac)

• Processor (e.g. 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

• Memory (e.g. 2GB)

• Audio interface manufacturer and model (e.g. Presonus AudioBox USB)

 

(most of that information can be found by choosing Logic Pro X > About Logic Pro X, and  > About This Mac)

 

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About sync: MTC has a finer resolution, so it is more accurate than MIDI clock. MTC is independent of MIDI tempo, MIDI clock is a function of the set BPM. For more info: Google... and the manual:

 

http://help.apple.com/logicpro/mac/10/#lgcp7c04a41a

http://help.apple.com/logicpro/mac/10/#lgcpfffd9371

 

There are boxes (like the JL Cooper PPS 100) that can convert MIDI clock to MTC, but are you sure that your external hardware (which? should be in your signature...) can't send MTC?

I'm not sure that my external hardware can't send MTC, although I am pretty sure most of my gear was produced before MTC was a thing. Some of my external hardware includes an Ensoniq ESQ1 synthesizer, a Yamaha RX7 drum machine, an Alesis HR16 drum machine, a Korg Electribe, and a Roland MC500 sequencer. I am trying to put all my old sequences on my DAW now, which has prompted me to post this question.

 

The Electribe sequences in particular would benefit from slaving Logic, because there are lots of tempo changes. But even when using Logic as master, I am having a lot of problems getting it all synced up. It's weird that all the money and technology that goes into a laptop computer and top of the line Digital Audio Workstation can't handle this simple problem, and all my clunky gear from the 1980's and 90's syncs up with each other perfectly fine. Are there any DAWs that are more user friendly for syncing up with external gear? I'm starting to think Logic just isn't made for that at all. Is that why all the music on the radio is so digital sounding? Vintage, analog gear is simply not compatible with modern studio recording software?

Unfortunately, MTC cannot be converted to MIDI clock. MTC doesn't contain any tempo information. Rather, it transmits location information, just like time code, so tempo can't be interpreted from it. Depending on the rate of the time code you select, MTC is spit out at a constant speed, if you will, regardless of the tempo of the project.

 

The only thing you can do is slave your gear from Logic's MIDI clock output, but you can't do it the other way around.

 

Also, while I"m not really familiar with the PPS100, I don't imagine that it would output a steady (reliable) stream of timecode based on MIDI clock messages. This is because the resolution of MIDI clock is only 24 ppqn -- which is insanely low res. It's equivalent to 24 messages every second at 60 BPM. And because MIDI clock is usually very jittery, interpreting it into a higher res message like MTC is probably a dodgy enterprise at best.

How about this: If I download the most recent version of Logic that allowed Logic to slave to MIDI clock (Logic 7?), would I be able to record my audio and midi files, and then open them up on Logic X? Would the tempo information remain in tact? If so, does anyone know the exact version of Logic which was the last to have this feature, and where one can go to download it? (Is it still in the Apple App Store?)

I like you -- you don't take "no" for an answer... like me!

 

Logic 7.2.3 was the last version of Logic that had MIDI Clock sync, AND, would run on both Intel-based Mac (MacPro) and PPC (Power PC) chips. Previous versions of Logic (7.1 and earlier) were not coded for Intel chips, hence it would only run on PPC-based computers.

 

Logic 7 was never sold by the Apple Store because this was waaaaaaaaay before the days when Apple was using it as a software sales medium.

 

Even if you were to record audio using MIDI Clock as a sync source, there is SO much jitter in MIDI clock that it's far from ideal for recording audio against. A half-assed analogy: a drummer with perfect rhythm is trying to keep time against a conductor who's just come back from a 3-martini lunch.