Synchronizing tape and computer

[Me-Uzik]

Hi,
I'm sorry if this question has already been answered before...

I would like to know, is there any software capable of synchronizing an analog tape with a computer?

The tape would be playing along with a wav file synced together.

Of course the sync signal coming from the software would be recorded on one of the tape's tracks first, and then played back in one of the soundcard's input to sync both together.

Thanks,

Me-Uzik

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by Me-Uzik

Hi,
I'm sorry if this question has already been answered before...

I would like to know, is there any software capable of synchronizing an analog tape with a computer?

The tape would be playing along with a wav file synced together.
Thanks,
Me-Uzik

There's two ways of doing that, easy and hard (or impossible if your deck isn't suitable).
The easy way is to have the tape deck as the master, and the computer as the slave. Sonar will accept a MIDI-borne sync signal and do its best to match the wave data against the tape. To make the magic happen, you need an external sync box. I use the Philip Rees TS-1, which I think is still being made. Tape to MIDI sync boxes are easy to find on ebay.

To slave the deck to the computer, it gets a lot harder. You have to have a deck capable of accepting incoming sync signals (the Fostex R8 and Tascam TSR-8 can do this). Then you must also procure a sync unit by the manufacturer of the deck, the MTC-1 for Fostex, or various Tascam boxes (MMC100, MMC1000, ES50). Then you get the software to act as master. I have the equipment to do this, but I haven't yet tried it since the easy way (tape as master) is better for what I'm doing.

*EDIT* in both cases, you record a sync tone (usually on the last track) generated by the sync box in record mode. Then you switch the box into replay mode, and it will generate a MIDI clock to drive the sequencer/audio software.

[Me-Uzik]

Thanks.

It would be great if there was a software doing exactly what the sync box is doing to replace it, after all it's probably a signal that a software could reproduce I would think...

Thanks again,

Me-Uzik

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by Me-Uzik

Thanks.

It would be great if there was a software doing exactly what the sync box is doing to replace it, after all it's probably a signal that a software could reproduce I would think...

Thanks again,

Me-Uzik

Oh, I'm sure you could, but as far as I'm aware, no-one has. After all, it would cost you an input of the sound card, and you would need to do it in absolute realtime. Any latency at all would break the feedback loop needed to correct velocity errors from the transport. Better to just get a box and do the whole thing in hardware.