MIDI clock mayhem

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kensuguro
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Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: BPM 60 to somewhere around 150
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Post by kensuguro »

Ever had problems syncing Pulser to external devices? I've got a live coming up (like, today) and I just found out that Pulser's internal sequencers just won' syn right with my Nord Modular.
The problem is, the Modular is too quick, and Pulsar's sequencers reset one 16th note too late... Is there a way to delay MIDI signal that goes OUT of pulsar??
It just seems like using Pulsar as a LIVE device wasn't such a good idea all of a sudden... But the sound... man, pulsar's sound. IT's worth it.
subhuman
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Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2001 4:00 pm
Location: Galaxy Inside

Post by subhuman »

All my gear, including the digital mixer and keyboards, have this "midi clock wobble." MIDI was never designed to provide sample accurate clock, which is why companies like Creamware still sell their word clock add-on, etc.

However some gear "smooths" the clock out, averaging the times such that there aren't wobbles. The disadvantage of course to this approach, is that they also don't change tempos "on the next beat" as they instead try to smooth the "fluctuation" out for a few beats.

I find that I just dial in the exact tempo I want -- on my mixer/effects or hardware synths -- and record. If I have a tempo change then I'm either at the whim of MIDI's horrible timing, or I stop, change tempos and then record...

Also hubi's Loopback and MIDI Ox can cause MIDI timing issues, so check that you don't have those around.
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