Ableton Forum

I was jamming with my laptop synced to a desktop. It seemed that my clips wouldn't launch on the 1 and when I'd be 'holding the beat' we'd drift. I noticed that when we'd stop and start over again the sync in and sync out lights would be in time, but shortly they'd go out of time and drift around.

Sync out is the sync my Live is sending out (if I have 'sync out' set) is that an indication that I have sync problems?

Dunno, it was a late jam, just looking for stuff to try next time. Metronomes were in sync when we tried them, but that was only on occasion, it was a jam not a debug session.

Laptop is a dual core 2GHz, 1 Gb RAM, etc, fast enough to pull this off. It's still running the built-in DX sound card, to be updated soon.

MIDI connection is
Desktop -> USB -> MIDIMAN 8x8s -> MIDI cable-> Remote SL -> USB -> laptop.

It seems that setting a sync delay would be a constant delay (didnt' try that last night) where this seemed like a drift problem.

Thanks!

It might make sense to seperate the clock out onto another midi bus, and then use something like ipMidi to carry it, in order to reduce latency to the lowest possible level.

Are you using midi clock or midi time code? Midi time code is much more accurate.

But Live can't send MIDI time code...

Michael-SW wrote:But Live can't send MIDI time code...

yep, and i hope it gets added soon

for now there's a workaround for using timecode to sync two machines. install a loopback device, e.g. midi yoke, and midiox on one of the machines running live.
set midiox up to send out mtc on the loopback device and on the midiport to the other computer, that way midiox becomes the master and you slave both lives to that timecode. only problem in this setup is that you have to use the transport-functions of midiox.

R.A.W. wrote:

Michael-SW wrote:But Live can't send MIDI time code...

yep, and i hope it gets added soon

for now there's a workaround for using timecode to sync two machines. install a loopback device, e.g. midi yoke, and midiox on one of the machines running live.
set midiox up to send out mtc on the loopback device and on the midiport to the other computer, that way midiox becomes the master and you slave both lives to that timecode. only problem in this setup is that you have to use the transport-functions of midiox.

Very cool. I'll try this with my home setup. Thanks!

R.A.W. wrote:

Michael-SW wrote:But Live can't send MIDI time code...

yep, and i hope it gets added soon

Are you sure about that? I've got my laptop and desktop synced up, options->preferences->MIDISync shows in the 3rd window down on the desktop
In-1 USB MidiSport 8x8
Type: MIDI Timecode
Rate: SMPTE 24 FPS

Desktop is connected to a MIDISPORT 8x8s via USB
Laptop is connected to an SL25 via USB
MIDI cable between the SL and MIDISPORT.

Using that setting on both with in/out cables connected, full tracking/remote etc on both PCs set (paranoid mode) gives good tracking. I've been running ACID 8000 by fatboy on them at the same time, up and down tempo, too fast of a BPM change chokes it, but music BPM changes work.

For now, I guess that's it just need more practice doing the whole thing.

IF THIS DON'T MAKE YOUR BOOTY MOVE YOUR BOOTY MUST BE DEAD
It's so easy to get acid, you can get it anywhere...

i havn't tried in a long time, but have never been able to sync anything to ableton with out it drifting..

the workaround i found, was to set live as the midi slave, and sync the computers to somthing else (like a drum machine)

so perhaps the midi yoke method would work best for you.

DeadlyKungFu wrote:Are you sure about that?

yes because..

DeadlyKungFu wrote:In-1 USB MidiSport 8x8
Type: MIDI Timecode
Rate: SMPTE 24 FPS

that is your setting for incoming sync data. as soon as you activate sync on one of live's outs, you'll get another settings-screen with a greyed box saying "type" which is set to midi clock only (you can't change that).
but live sends "extended" clock with song position.