Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM
Subject: "MIDI Sync For Dummies"
From: mbedtom@...
Date: 2002-07-24
This is probably a RYFM (read your flamin' manual) question, but I'll ask if there are any pointers someone could share... How does one synchronize tracks that are recorded at different times? That is, MIDI track #1 is sent player-piano style to the MOTM. The audio produced is recorded onto computer hard disk. Now, MIDI track #2 is sent player-piano style to the MOTM. The audio produced is recorded onto computer hard disk in a different file from track #1. (Will mix 'em down later.) If the composition is long, the sync will be horrible. What is the "right way" to fix this? What if the "recorder" computer is a different computer than the "Sonar" (MIDI player-piano) host? CPU clocks are way different!
Assume the following:
8 MIDI tracks exist under the auspices of Cakewalk "Sonar" on a Wintel computer
MIDI-CV (for MOTM) interfaced to computer via MOTU "midi express"
MOTM system only large enough to realize one quality MIDI track at a time
Hard disk "recorder" is another, separate Wintel machine
Without some sort of "master clock", the tracks will invariably get out of sync with each other. The longer the piece, the worse the sync-loss will be. Am not certain if I have the correct hardware to eliminate this problem. All product manuals yak on and on about sync, but no single manual accounts for the pieces of equipment I have and how they should be tied together to minimize minor timekeeping differences. Is there a "standard" by which this is done? The MIDI standard has been around for a long time. There MUST be some "Musical Instrument Synchronization Interface" standard, isn't there?
I am completely ignorant on the subject of syncing so if someone knows of a suitable primer, I'd be overjoyed to read it.
Many thanks in advance.
Cheers!
Tom Farrand (in blissful ignorance)