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Synchronisation help


groovedigger

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Hi all, newbie to the forum here.

 

I need help with synchronisation within Logic using external synths. I have an imac running logic, Moog Sub 37, Novation Peak, Korg Minilogue and NI Maschine. All I want to do is press play on Logic and all the synths to be in synch, i've been trying for weeks now and I can't seem to make it work. I can get 1 to work occasionally, i have midi notes dropping out , if i select a track in logic things will go out of synch again, it's all very frustrating as I can't seem to get on a roll. Any help on this would be super appreciated.

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Are you running Maschine standalone or as a plugin? Using it as a plugin will simplify synching.

 

How do you have the MIDI routed to the devices...all over USB or using MIDI cabling? If using MIDI cables, what is the order that the devices are connected?

 

MIDI synch has two components, the first is the clock. This runs at 24 pulses per quarter note and the external devices must be set to use external clock. The clock tracks Logic's tempo, so if the tempo changes throughout a song, the clock frequency automatically adjusts. The second is what is called Song Position Pointer (SPP). This is a MIDI message that indicates where the Logic sequencer is in the song, down to the 16th note. SPP allows fast forwarding and rewinding and the external hardware's sequencers and arpeggiators will correctly resynch to the new location...if they support SPP. Many don't and this can be a problem. Without SPP a device may be in synch to individual clocks but not to bar boundaries.

 

In addition to clocks, Logic sends transport messages: Start, Stop and Continue. Again, the hardware has to support this for everything to start and stop at the proper time.

 

Reread the MIDI documentation on each device and see what clock and transport features they support. Here's the relevant section for the Minilogue:

 

 

2-2 SYSTEM REALTIME MESSAGES

+-----------+---------------------------------------------+

| Status[H] | Description |

+-----------+---------------------------------------------+

| F8 | Timing Clock *6 |

| FA | Start *6 |

| FB | Continue *6 |

| FC | Stop *6 |

| FE | Active Sensing |

+-----------+---------------------------------------------+

 

*6 :This message is recognized when the "Clock" is set to "Auto(USB)" or "Auto(MIDI)".

 

 

Notice it does not support SPP. To keep in proper synch, Logic should always start playing back on a bar boundary.

 

As to why synch is lost when changing tracks, I have no idea. Is this while the transport is running?

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Thanks so much for the reply i really appreciate it. I'm using USB leads for all the synths. I have midi leads and a little 4x4 midi box but i didn't think i needed it as USB seems to be a newer system? I can wire up the synths with midi leads if you think that is a more solid way of synching all the gear? I'm using the maschine as a plug in within logic.

 

The Minilogue is the one that seems to work the best and stays in time within logic, also the peak is pretty solid too, the main problems are the sub37, so many sticking notes and timing issues with that synth.

 

SO when i'm playing back midi notes and i happen to select a different midi track during playback, then the track i leave (say i had the peak selected) would then go out of time.

 

Very strange, thanks again for taking the time to answer my question

 

Kind regrads

 

Rob

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So you are saying that other than the Minilogue, your hardware always goes out of synch when that hardware track is in focus and you select a new track to be in focus?

 

If you use Maschine as a plugin you should have zero issues with timing, because everything happens inside Logic.

 

On p.37 of the Moog manual is the information on clock synch settings.

 

CLOCK OPTIONS (MIDI MENU 3.4)

 

SEND CLOCK set this to OFF

 

SEND ST/STP set this to OFF

 

FOLLOW SPP set this to ON (the text says that SPP maintains synch "in theory", which I find pretty funny).

 

You should contact Moog about your synch issues, they may have some information. Make sure you have the latest firmware installed.

 

Good luck.

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For the timing to shift as track focus changes , Logic would have to somehow be changing the MIDI clock being sent out on each USB connection. That doesn't seem very likely because I don't see lots of complaints about this.

 

Arpeggiators changing tempo while running is a different issue than arpeggiators playing at the correct tempo but out of sync by a fixed amount, say an eighth or sixteenth note.

 

Most arpeggiators start running as soon as the chord is played. If the chord is not exactly on a bar boundary, then the arpggiator can be in perfect synch....the tempo is in fact locked to Logic's tempo...but not lined up with the bars of the track.

 

Some arpeggiators can be set to wait for a specified boundary (next bar, next quarter note, next 16th note, etc.) but it's not as common a feature as you might imagine. My Yamaha Motif ES and XF had the option to start the arpeggiator immediately or wait for the selected beat boundary. Anyway, that just means each piece of hardware as well as each plugin may behave differently.

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