bad MIDI timing with external devices

[mr_modular]

hi

I'm having a pretty bad problem with MIDI timing. I don't see lots of other posts about this, so I'm assuming it's my setup rather than inherent poor timing in Live.

I'm using a PowerBook 867 under OS 9 with an emagic mt4 MIDI interface and OMS. I use the same setup with Logic Pro and the MIDI timing with that is no problem at all.

I just did some drum loops with my Jomox AirBASE and the timing is really quite bad - for example repeated 16th or 32nd notes are very noticeably uneven.

Any ideas for stuff I could check?
Thanks -- peter

[jmousseau44]

having the same problem but I'm on a pc, winXP with a Firewire 410 interface....the timing is really off.

Jason

[mr_modular]

After posting last night, I decided to use another unlock so that I could use Live under OS X too. As I expected (hoped), the MIDI timing under OS X is absolutely rock solid; really nice. However, I make most of my music in OS 9, so I'd like to get the timing thing sorted out. At the moment it's bad enough to be completely unusable.

No ideas from other 9 users?

(Sorry, I have no ideas about XP problems - I've never used it.)

regards --

[jmousseau44]

There actually wasn't a problem, I just had the midi recording quantization set wrong....

Jason

[Pitch Black]

mr modular-

when you use the MT4 with Logic, are you using OMS or Logic's built-in MIDI drivers?

If MIDI timing is equally stable with either driver in Logic it would seem to point to a fault in LIVE. If there is a difference in timing between OMS and the built-in drivers in Logic it would suggest a problem with OMS or your system.

You could try rebuilding your OMS Setup document if this is the case. OMS can be a REAL bastard, do you have Apple Talk switched off etc?

HTH
paddy

[mr_modular]

hi Pitch Black

I'm using OMS with Logic too.
I don't have AppleTalk switched on, but I guess I could try rebuilding the OMS Setup document.

I haven't experienced too many problems with OMS in the past, from using it with Opcode Vision, Cubase (briefly) and Logic. I've only had problems with MIDI timing before when trying to sync to something else...

Better check those sync settings.
Thanks,

-- peter

[mike holiday]

yes getting loose midi in osX
im syncing out to a lexicon mpx 550 and the tempo value actuall changes up and down about 1-2 bpm, i can wacth the delay timeing change on the unit(ms) as well (yuk).
you can reduce the hardware buffer size in the live prefrences and this seems to "tighten" up the midi however once you are putting strain on the cpu the audio will get drop outs

i can't imagine what this would do to drum loops...

however the fluxuations were much worse in live 3
i havn't tried syncing 2 computers running live yet but had problems trying to do this with live 3(same thing tempo value changeing up and down)

os 10.2.8 & os 10.3.4

[hoig master tweed]

yeah i was doing some recording the other day syncing an mpc 1000 and chaining it out to a nord lead 3 and a microkorg and while i was playing eventually the timing would slip and everything would be playing out of sync.

im using OSX 10.3 and a powerbook 1.33gh & live 4

[bensuthers]

absolutely no timing issues over here. midiclock or notes.

(OSX / AMT8 --> virus kx / jp8K / tx802 / se1 / tr909)

(anyone want to buy a tr909?)

(well, no timing issues except for the input latency issue....because I'm using inputs on audio interface to mix external synths, but that's predictable, and able to be worked around)