Tempo Map
There is no natural correlation between SMPTE time and tempo.
That is, the time of day has nothing to do with how fast or how slow a song should play. To
“convert” SMPTE to MIDI Clock with Song Position Pointer requires specifying a relationship
between the two. That is, at what time does the sequence begin? At what meter and tempo? At
what beat does the tempo change? All of this information must be provided by the user in
order for a SMPTE- to-MIDI Clock device to operate. A collection of tempo changes entered
into the PPS-100 is called a Tempo Map.
If, however, one is using MIDI Time Code instead of MIDI Clock, no such Tempo Map is
programmed into the PPS-100. In this case, the PPS-100 is set up to output MTC. A Tempo
Map is programmed into the sequencer itself.
Locking a MIDI Sequencer, Drum Machine, or Cue-list program to SMPTE.
The PPS-100 will synchronize MIDI devices to SMPTE in one of three different ways:
(1) MIDI Clock with Song Position Pointer: This is the most common application for the PPS-
100, since almost every MIDI sequencer and drum machine can recognize these commands.
The PPS-100, upon receipt of SMPTE, will calculate song position and tempo based on the
“tempo map” you have programmed. Then it will send out a MIDI Song Position Pointer
message, followed by MIDI Continue and Clock messages.
The PPS-100 must be at least be programmed with a “Start Cue”, which consists of a Start
Time, Meter, and Tempo. The PPS-100 can hold only one of these at a time, and must be reprogrammed
for each song.
(2) MIDI TIME CODE (MTC): This timing command is recognized by most software-based
sequencers, digital audio workstations, and hard disk recorders. This function is selected from
the Setup Menu. Upon receipt of SMPTE, the PPS-100 will directly convert the time-code
stream into the MTC format. There is nothing else that must be programmed into the PPS-100.
The Start time is entered on the sequencer. It is usually called the Offset Time (again, on the
sequencer, not on the PPS-100.)
(3) DIRECT TIME LOCK (DTL):
This can be used only with Mark of the Unicorn’s Performer™ sequencing program for the
Macintosh computer. (That program also works very well with MIDI Clock and Song Position
Pointer. You may chose not to use DTL if you are planning on simultaneously locking
Performer™ and another sequencer or drum machine.)
Determine which one of these three kinds of MIDI timing messages you want the PPS-100 to
send out while receiving SMPTE.
To select MIDI Clock with Song Position Pointer (also called MIDI Clock), MTC or DTL,
select SETUP ? from the Main Menu. (From the top of the Main Menu, press NO four times.)
Answer YES.
Then press ENTER or YES two more times to display the current SMPTE to MIDI function. If
you agree, press either YES or ENTER. If you disagree, press NO.
If M.Clock ON is displayed, and you press NO, the display becomes MTC ON. Press YES or
ENTER to enable MTC. If you press NO again, the display reads DTL ON. Press YES or
ENTER to enable DTL.
If you answer YES to M.Clock ON, the display then gives you the option of either FAST SPP
or SLOW SPP.
When the PPS-100 is set for M.Clock ON, FAST SPP, MIDI clock commands are sent out very
soon after a Song Position Pointer (SPP). Nearly all sequencers and drum machines chase and
lock almost instantaneously. However, a few machines (most notably the Korg DDD-1) have
sluggish chase times. The PPS-100 accommodates these devices with SLOW SPP. When
SLOW SPP is selected, the PPS-100 waits a few seconds after sending out the SPP to allow
time for the slaved device to chase. Then MIDI continue and clock commands are sent out as
usual.
The result is that the “slow” device will still locate and lock, but you will have to allow a little
“pre-roll” time. That is, instead of fast winding tape to the exact location that you want a
sequencer to locate, you would wind the tape to a point a few seconds before the desired
location to allow everything time to lock up.
After making your selection, press CLEAR to return to the top of the Main Menu.
IMPORTANT
Before doing any synchronizer programming, the PPS-100 must be told what SMPTE frame
rate to expect. The frame rate may be selected either manually or automatically.
• To select frame rate automatically, simply send a short sample of the code that you intend
to use into the PPS-100.
• To select frame rate manually, follow the instructions for striping tape, allowing a second of
code generation.
• If you have just completed a stripe operation, you may ignore this because you have already
selected a frame rate.
You will need to program into the PPS-100 a starting time, meter, tempo, every tempo change,
and a stop time. (Remember, you have to tell the PPS-100 exactly what you want it to do with
incoming SMPTE time code, since there is no inherent quality in SMPTE time that has any
relationship to how fast or slow a sequence should run.) If the sequence has no tempo changes,
you will need to enter at least a Start Time, Meter, and Tempo. The tempo range is from 24 to
250 B.P.M.
Here is a very simple example of how to program this into the PPS-100:
Say that you have a song recorded on a sequencer that you want to start playing when the PPS-
100 receives SMPTE time 00:05:30:00. (That is , five minutes and thirty seconds.) The tempo
of the song is 173 beats per measure, in 4/4 time.
From the Main Menu (JLCooper PPS-100), press any key to call up the SET CUE ? Menu.
Answer YES, then press NO four times until START ? is displayed. (See Menu diagram in
appendix) Answer YES.
TIME 00:00:00:00 is displayed. Use the ENTER key to move the cursor to the right.
When the cursor is under the minute digit, press “+” five times.
TIME 00:05:00:00
In a similar manner, move the cursor to the right and press “+” three times.
TIME 00:05:30:00.
If you make a mistake, remember that you can move the cursor back by pressing RUN. And
you can decrement a number by pressing “-“. Repeat pressing ENTER until the cursor is all the
way to the right, and then press one more time to go “page down”: TIME SIG 00/00. Use the
“+”, “-“, and ENTER keys as before to enter
TIME SIG 04/04. Press ENTER to go “page down” to
TEMPO 0 BPM. Use the “+”, “-“, and ENTER keys as before,entering TEMPO3 BPM. Note
that to enter the number “7”, you could press “-“ three times instead of pressing “+” seven
times. Press ENTER to go “page down” to
STOP ?
For this example we will not enter a stop time, because the sequencer will stop by itself at the
end of the song. Press CLEAR to return to the top of the main menu. (If you are interested in
trying out this example right now, be sure that you have a MIDI cable hooked up from the
MIDI OUT of the PPS-100 to the MIDI IN of your sequencer, and that the sequencer is set to
receive MIDI Clock.
