Is it possible and worth it to use SMPTE/MTC to tightly sync audio/MIDI on a DAW?

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Dolemite

Dolemite

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I just picked up a MIDI interface (Ego Sys Miditerminal 4140) that can read/write all the sync formats (SMPTE, MTC). I'm wondering if that's worth anything to me as I don't have to sync anything to ADAT or analog tape. Is there any way to use, say, one track of audio on my Midiman 2044 for sync code to get a really tight sync between audio/MIDI, and if so, is there any real benefit to doing this? If so, I might as well take advantage of it (or see for myself if there's a difference) but if its not possible or not terribly beneficial then obviously I'd like to keep the I/Os free.

LMK, I'm pretty lost on this one. :confused:

Thanks
 
I can't think of any use for a MTC/SMPTE generator unless you are trying to synch with external devices. I suppose you could do something wacky like send timecode out from one app and read it in another app with a cable looping back from synch out to synch in, but I'm sure all this would add would be overhead to the process and not improve upon anything...
 
Thanks for clearing that up!

Well, I am known for doing some pretty convoluted shit that has no real purpose except to complicate things, but I think I'll leave this one alone. ;)

I guess I had the wrong impression of what SMPTE/MTC might used for as well...somehow I thought it was a better way to get MIDI and audio to sync, but I suppose if a MIDI interface gets its clock source from the computer itself (right?) there's no real advantage to using another method to sync the two devices.

BTW, it seems that parallel and serial MIDI interfaces are actually more accurate and have less latency than their USB counterparts. Check it out, yo:

http://industryclick.com/magazinear...easeid=4750&magazinearticleid=56628&siteid=15
 
Ive only used SMPTE/MMC for syncing to 2" analog tape
but it doesnt hurt to have it..you never know what you might
do in the future..

I also have separate parallel and usb midi interfaces. I
am not experiencing the differences that the author is referring
to. He makes the usb interface sound pitiful and that simply is not
true in my case.

You really cant get any tighter sync between Midi and audio if you are recording the midi performance as it plays and the audio card is set to internal clock. To check this you record as I described above, then playback the midi and recorded audio at the same time. If it sounds precisely like the previously unrecorded midi
performance playing thru the synth then you cant be anymore in sync. You are more likely to here some phasing. You could then change the start time of the audio until the phasing goes away
and this would give an idea of the latency between the two
for future reference.
 
I can get a SMPTE card to add to my Fostex D824 HDR to do Cinamatography processing. I think it's primary purpose is for video syncing. Although my Samplitude 2496 uses SMPTE timecode also.
Chuck
 
That was its original purpose. And actually when used with a DAW
SMPTE is actually converted to MTC by the midi interface although
there are software apps that can use as is..

Cakewalk is one for sure that it has to be converted to MTC.

Cubase may generate and slave to SMPTE without the conversion.
 
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