WAV Synchronisation... help!

C

Cazzbar

Throbbing Member
I've been working with MIDI for a while now and I feel quite at home with it (I've just been running an external tone generator from my PC) but now I wish to join the rest of you and create a CD.

The next stage (I think) is to turn all my MIDI tracks into WAV files, mix them and finally produce a single WAV I can burn to a CD (right?). I was going to create my WAV files track by track by feeding the output of my external tone generator to my PC soundcard, but this concerns me.

Will all my WAV files be synchronised??? (that is, will all the beats in all the WAV files occur at the right time?)

If I have 10 long WAV files say, all created at different times, using the same sequencing software, running at the same tempo, will all my WAV's be synchronised??

I personally cannot see how this can be guaranteed.

If anyone can understand what I'm talking about, could you please give me some advice, thanks.

Cazz.
 
Worst case, you can drag all your wavs into place and line them up in your multi track editor (by the way, which one are you using?). It's a little time consumming but can be done.
 
I have Cubasis VST and n-track. Could you explain more how the WAVs can be synchronised? Is it purely a manual exercise by looking at graphical representations of the WAVs or can some software auto-sync the files?

You say this is worse case, what other methods can be used? Is there a better way to create the WAVs in the first place?

Thanks.
 
OK, I have a Yamaha MU80 tone generator (capable of playing 32 channels at a time, with left and right audio out) linked to my PC using a bi-directional serial cable. Also I have a Soundblaster Live soundcard (soon to be upgraded to a Aardvark Direct Pro when Mr Postman arrives).

I average about 10 midi tracks per song. I know using VST I can make my tone generator play all these tracks at the same time and record the output as a single wav, but wouldn't it be better if I could produce a separate wav for each track? Thus be able to mix these wav files how I choose?

So to achieve this, I assumed I would play midi track1 into my TG and record the output as wav1, then play midi track2 into my TG and record the output as wav2 etc... etc...

But I'm concerned creating separate wavs like this (I haven't yet done it) you can't guarantee the wavs to be synchronised.

Thanks for the continued advice.

Cazz.
 
...you've hit my point c7sus, if, as you say, I just track one left and right channel at a time, then each time I will end up with a new wav file, right? And after 10 tracks, I will end up with 10 wav files.

So, the 64 million dollar question is: "Will those 10 wav files be synchronised when played together?"

As I see it, for those 10 wav files to be *exactly* synchronised, beat for beat when played back together, my PC would of needed to send midi information to my tone generator at exactly the same constant rate for each midi track.

This may only be a theoretical problem.

thanks for staying with me on this one.
 
When sending all the tracks to my TG in one go, everything is in sync. I would expect this as any slight change in PC speed would effect ALL the tracks equally (I could record this output in one go as a single wav file, but mixing wouldn't be too much fun!)

I was concerned with recording individual tracks separately (a bit like recording a whole drum track on one cassette, then recording a whole bass track on another cassette. When playing back both cassettes, I wouldn't expect the music to be exactly in sync.)

I maybe worrying about nothing as no-one else has commented on what I'm saying (but I hope you see what I'm trying to say!)

Cheers.
 
I don't do midi. but i have an idea. (this could be wrong, but) after you rip the first two midi files into wave files, play them back, and try to sync the other midi tracks to them. ie. can you not sync the midi tracks to play back in sync with the audio tracks? if so, you should have no problems...
 
I don't know Cu-Base to well, but isn't there a feature that is called quantize that help to sync midi tracks???
I'm not sure how usefull that will be with audio, but U never know =)

Sabith
 
also in cubase under Tools>system there is a MIDI to audio delay. Change the number until the audio and MIDI will sync together.

let us know what you are able to figure out Cazzbar...

-jhe
 
Thanks for this James.

I have Cubasis and in the documentation I've found this:

"
If you experience audio dropouts, crackles or “untight” playback, there are some audio settings you can adjust:

Adjust the MIDI to Audio Time Offset in the Audio System Setup dialog.
This is useful if there is a fixed time offset between the MIDI and audio play-back.
"

I will look into this more tomorrow and report back as it's currently 2am here (another bad day in work looms....!)

Cheers.
 
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