Audio to PC MIDI Sync

mark4man

MoonMix Studios
People,

I'm still having a problem with external synchronization; & I apologize for the length of this post, but I'm armed with better input this time; & so I'm hoping to get this finally nailed down.

I need to perfectly synchronize my Fostex VF-16 with a PC based sequencer (Cakewalk Pro Audio 9), because I need to transfer audio tracks (from the Fostex) into Cakewalk; & then create MIDI drum tracks (in Cakewalk) that are synchronized with the audio.

In the past, I accomplished this with what I call a one-way transfer. My collaboration partner sequences his music (without drums) on an old Korg 01/W, which formats his storage media (3.5" floppy) to the Korg system. This means we cannot simply save his MIDI sequences to floppy, pop them into my computer; & open them in Cakewalk. Instead, we record his sequences as audio onto the Fostex VF-16; & he gives me the tempo # (bpm.) I then set-up a new Project in Cakewalk to that tempo; & I transfer 2 tracks at a time into Cakewalk using MTC [I use the Fostex as the master (transmitting MTC); & Cakewalk as the slave. I set the Sync (in Cakewalk) to MTC, the source to SMPTE/MTC; & the Offset to about 3 seconds prior to the actual ABS start time of the composition. This works really great for transferring several tracks into Cakewalk, 2 at a time; & having them all perfectly synchronized together.]

The problem with this method is that, due to the MIDI to audio to MIDI transfer, the clock on the Korg is not perfectly synchronized with the clock in Cakewalk. What happens in Cakewalk is, once I manually slide all of his synchronized tracks to a point whereby their exact start time matches the precise beginning of a measure; & then begin to build my MIDI drum track, that track eventually begins to run behind, or ahead, of the music. I then have to painstakingly readjust the tempo of the project, until the MIDI is in sync with the audio (& it's never really 100% synchronized...once I get it set as close as possible, I then have to slide the samples a bit, to match the MIDI.) THIS IS NOT GOOD. There must be an easier way; & so my question is:

Is there a way in which audio, as recorded from a clocked machine (such as the Fostex VF-16), can be perfectly synchronized with the MIDI tempo of a PC based sequencer (such as Cakewalk)?

I understand that MTC/MMC is used to synchronize the clocks of 2 sequencers together, but I don't have any way to directly link my computer with his keyboard. I also understand that by recording his MIDI tracks as audio to the Fostex, to be transferred to another sequencer, I have introduced a 3rd machine into the equation; & that I am trying to use this "middle" machine to sync a "fixed" signal (audio) to a dynamic system (MIDI.) But, If I loop the computer & the Fostex together [i.e., Fostex MIDI Out > Cakewalk MIDI In. Cakewalk MIDI Out > Fostex MIDI In (& of course: Fostex Audio Out > Cakewalk Audio In)], would having Cakewalk transmitting MMC to the Fostex as both machines are running (& as the Fostex is transmitting MTC to Cakewalk), thereby synchronize the ABS time on both machines for the track transfer?

I guess the major questions are:

1) Is there a way that the ABS tempo for an audio composition recorded on the Fostex can be synchronized to the ABS tempo of a PC based sequencer?...& if not:

2) Is there a way to set the BBM time (Bars/Beats/Measures) on the Fostex to perfectly match the actual beginning of each measure of the composition? If this were possible, wouldn't this be the best method for determining the true tempo of the composition? Thanks.

mark4man
 
Back
Top