That Syncing Feeling

Mark7

Well-known member
Okay. So I now have a Casio CTK-711ex keyboard with built in sequencer. I also have a Yamaha RX8 drum machine, a Tascam MTS-30 MIDI tape synchroniser and the good old 388. Can I...

  1. Print a time code from the RX8 to track 8 of the 388 and then
  2. Use that time code to keep a song sequenced into the CTK-711ex in time with what's already on the rest of the tape?
  3. With no other device present?

So, it would be...
Drum machine - MTS-30 - Track 8 (record).
Then...
Track 8 (playback) - MTS-30 - CTK-711ex - Stereo Buss Inputs - Main Mix.

Would that work?
 
According to the CTK-711ex manual that I saw, it doesn't recognise song position pointers or MIDI clock so your setup won't work. You'll need an external sequencer if you want to use the sounds from the Casio.
 
Oh bother :(

I guess I'll just have to keep the pads in mono until I can afford a sequencer.
 
While the Casio can't sync to tape, the drum machine will, so could you maybe record the Casio to tape and have the drum machine running in sync?
 
I was planning on having a stereo string pad without having to use up tape tracks.

The drums will be mono
 
I'm fairly sure something like an Alesis MMT8 would do it - assuming that you are still going to use the Tascam to do the FSK to MIDI conversion. While the MMT-8 has its own sync tone you have to play from the beginning of the song each time for it to work whereas the Tascam can sync from anywhere in a song.

Of course, a computer with a MIDI interface would make things much easier but I'm assuming that you want to keep the studio computer free.
 
Do you have an audio interface for your computer or just a MIDI interface? If you have an audio interface you can use Reaper to stripe SMPTE timecode onto tape and then read it back again. If you are working on more than one song it makes sense to stripe the whole tape continuously and then set different start points in the sequencer for different songs.

If you don't have an audio interface you'll have to use the MTS30 to do the synchronisation and you'll have to decide on the tempo before striping the tape.

With a separate sequencer sync'd to tape there is no need to record either the drum machine or the keyboard to tape.
 
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