G2X and MIDI clock

[kmmcdonald]

I am concerned about the accuracy of MIDI clock (at either the source or the destination). My setup is Sonar 7, Edirol UM880 USB MIDI interface, and a Nord Modular G2X (among other modules).

MIDI clock is sent from Sonar 7 to the G2X. MIDI clock is used by one patch in the composition and G2X performance setup to synchronize a rhythm track that is driven by local G2X sequencers. This patch is used beginning about 2 minutes into the approximate 5 minute composition, and is restarted again towards the end of the composition.

Each time I play the composition from Sonar, the patch on the G2X that used MIDI clock begins playing at a slightly different point. Therefore, I may have to play the composition several times to get a good take.

When the track starts playing at the correct time, it plays throughout the composition with the correct timing. In contrast, if it starts playing with a timing "offset," it is off consistently as the rest of the composition plays.

Any suggestions?

thanks

Keith

[mother misty]

hi threre!

just some suggestions....
- is your clock in the G2 on master?
- are your Rst inputs connected correctly?

(would be easier if we could see the patch...)

misty.

[Jason]

Yes there can be numerous issues regarding using midi clock with the G2 (and external hardware in general). This is usually dependent on which device has the most reliable clock and least amount of jitter. Anotherwords, having the computer as master can be very unreliable

Computers at this point aren't all that great at generating MIDI clock and can be glitchy, but this can also show the importance of a clean efficient computer that isn't bogged down and running lots of extra applications
(as this can help a great deal).

Regardless, using external hardware (drum machines etc) to drive the MIDI clock (computer as slave) seem to be far more solid and people report much better results. (I personally don't like to work that way. Or like to have my gear dictate how I record as there are other creative things involved here, but I digress)

But anyway, if its starting in different parts, confirm your using the reset input on the sequencer modules from the sync out of the clock gen. mod. That would actually be my first guess. Otherwise yes perhaps posting the patch may be of some use.

[kmmcdonald]

Here is now I finally got around this problem:

1) I used a Korg ER-1 as the clock master, with Sonar and the G2X as MIDI slaves. This general approach was suggested to me earlier on this thread. Thank you for the suggestion.

2) This required a new patch on the UM880 MIDI interface that merged input from Sonar and the ER-1 to the G2X. (I again appreciate Edirol's understanding of all of the ways that MIDI can be used, in contrast with architecturally hamstrung M-Audio Midisport 8x8 that the UM880 replaced a few years back. Also, the UM880 has a real line cord and not a wallwart/linelump, but this is beside the point.)

3) Within the G2X patch, the "asynchronous" G2X gate event had to be synchronized to MIDI clock by taking the input module gate output to a flop-flop module, the clock input of which was derived in the patch from MIDI clock. That way, either myself or Sonar can play the keyboard and the patch events post gate synchronizer can still be synchronous with MIDI clock.

Keith