Tempo Sync as Slave issue

[shragge]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure this is probably an easy thing and possibly has been discussed before, but I can't find a thread on it.

We use Live on it's own computer and it is a slave to our host computer that runs digital performer 7. It chases fine, but I've noticed that in the tempo box at the top left of the window in Live that the tempo varies rather than staying on a solid synced tempo.

For example, if DP is set to 120, Live will vary from approximately 119 to 121 rather than staying at a solid 120 the entire time. We want to get it so it is locked completely rather than this variation. I imagine the variation is a preference to make it more musical, but we do not want that right now. Does anyone know where this preference is to switch it to locked tempo from the host?


Thanks so much!

[3phase]

no no..the variation is just a thing that the ableton devlopers dont think thats important to keep it tight and the urge to be rather a german middleclass thing that never trys to be the best in anything.. go with the flow..as long its not to worse than the others its allwright.. no stress.tomorow is another day..


you shouldnt slave an ableton instance via midi clock.. beside the unnecessary wobble your files will al be samplerate converted n playback and latency compensation on the plugs will be switched of.. so on te slave you should only use software instruments via midi wher you have to compneste the timings by missplacing the notes in the editor..without aid of any numerical information by try and arror.. no quantisations apllyable anymore on that...

thanks to the missing midi track delay,,

its all a very brilliant example of german engineering in the 21th century..not the type that made us famous actually...

[shragge]

Is there a way to switch this varied tempo function off?

[3phase]

If it dont crashes the program it´s a feature ( book of ableton, psalm 8.1b2 )


of cause you cant switch that off... but you can sync to a timecode vinyl now..isnt that great? first things first

[3phase]

but i tell you wahrt you can do.. to safe you asking more question..because ther is no legal way to sync 2 ableton isntances to each other ...


you need to run them unsynced..

you only sync the audio interfaces of the two computers via a wordclock or spdif connection..thos way they share the same timebase and tempo..and than you have to start by hand.. use the nudge button, that work pretty badlly aswell of cause , to adjust the timing..and let it run without stopping..thos works usually aslong you dont need to insert no tracks or similar deeper changes.. so have enough empty audio and midi tracks available in your session..


not ideal..but ths way the timing a d audio quality is perferct.. and sometines a shifted sync even givs some additional ideas..

you can use the spdif conection between the computers to send audio from one instance to the other and rerecord one computer into the other..thats also good to document a timing offset..ok..that worked better in oleder versions of live where the latency compensation wasnt so screwed.. by ow it places teh recordings somewhere and not wher they shoudl have been placed..buts not much of..just a few ms..

[shragge]

Doesn't make any sense though, all other DAWs can do this just fine, why would it not have a locked tempo feature. It takes more effort for the program to vary it's tempo rather than chase what the host is broadcasting...

[3phase]

Doesn't make any sense though, all other DAWs can do this just fine, why would it not have a locked tempo feature. It takes more effort for the program to vary it's tempo rather than chase what the host is broadcasting...

when you forget to implement a rounding on that readings it just cant get it right... the program cant do better than the developers allow it to do.
Beside ableton users dont need so much precission.. you should focus on doing music with the aid of generic magix max devices instead bothering about details nobody can hear anyway..
call it a human factor..its alive

[shragge]

For film scoring applications it is necessary at times, which is what we are using it for.

[3phase]

For film scoring applications it is necessary at times, which is what we are using it for.

you dont attend with a donkey to a horse race..

[Tone Deft]

Doesn't make any sense though, all other DAWs can do this just fine, why would it not have a locked tempo feature. It takes more effort for the program to vary it's tempo rather than chase what the host is broadcasting...

look at 3phase's back posts. the guy does nothing but post negative rants against Ableton Live. it amuses him to do this. he's not a good person to get information from, he's very biased.

I can sync mine tightly, no swing or variation. I've been doing it for years on and off, combinations of macs and PCs, various pieces of gear. I can get my stuff locked tight enough that the metronomes flange.

BUT many people post that they can't get it to sync. there are problems with it. 3phase doesn't have a clue why it's broken, it's all armchair coding by him, poor assumptions by an angry, arrogant person. see his angry, condescending hyperbole? he does that daily on this forum.


there is no button to turn off what you're seeing as a feature. under options-preferences-midi hit the little triangle next to the port where the syncing devices is listed. that will open a menu where you can try different clock types, maybe there's a setting that will work better.

other than that, there are no other settings.


maybe this would work
- forget sync. set the two computers to the same bpm.
- have the master computer send a specific note or cc# to the slave on the '1'
- on the slave have that note or cc# launch a scene, this will start Live
it's the same as syncing them by hand ("1... 2... 3... 4... GO!) but

[3phase]

Doesn't make any sense though, all other DAWs can do this just fine, why would it not have a locked tempo feature. It takes more effort for the program to vary it's tempo rather than chase what the host is broadcasting...

look at 3phase's back posts. the guy does nothing but post negative rants against Ableton Live. it amuses him to do this. he's not a good person to get information from, he's very biased.

I can sync mine tightly, no swing or variation. I've been doing it for years on and off, combinations of macs and PCs, various pieces of gear. I can get my stuff locked tight enough that the metronomes flange.

BUT many people post that they can't get it to sync. there are problems with it. 3phase doesn't have a clue why it's broken, it's all armchair coding by him, poor assumptions by an angry, arrogant person. see his angry, condescending hyperbole? he does that daily on this forum.


there is no button to turn off what you're seeing as a feature. under options-preferences-midi hit the little triangle next to the port where the syncing devices is listed. that will open a menu where you can try different clock types, maybe there's a setting that will work better.

other than that, there are no other settings.


maybe this would work
- forget sync. set the two computers to the same bpm.
- have the master computer send a specific note or cc# to the slave on the '1'
- on the slave have that note or cc# launch a scene, this will start Live
it's the same as syncing them by hand ("1... 2... 3... 4... GO!) but

toni...you dont even know what tight sync is

live starts on incoming midinotes in a very free way... you will need to nudge anyway..

and without wordclock syncing the computers there will be a drift..

beside that its the only way to sync live.. on timcode it takes the liberty to also starts pretty freely within a one frame window.. and it cant sen one anyway so you cant do that with 2 times live

[Tone Deft]

very cool point about nudge, props.

[shragge]

Cool thank you for a real response! haha I clicked on the triangle and it's set to Midi beat, which I want. and it's set to 0.00 ms. Should this be set differently?

[3phase]

Cool thank you for a real response! haha I clicked on the triangle and it's set to Midi beat, which I want. and it's set to 0.00 ms. Should this be set differently?

so my responses are not real? we will talk abut that next year.. have fun.. no more help from my side

[Tone Deft]

the time setting will definitely have to change. mine is -11ms IIRC.

to get mine setup I recorded Live's metronome into the MPC, chopped it up and set the MPC to have the same metronome sounds. then I hit sync and changed that setting until they flanged.


3phase, you'll help, you're the biggest fanboi here!