MTC with song position in Sonar 2.2

  • Thread starter Thread starter rcktdg
  • Start date Start date
R

rcktdg

New member
Is it possible for Sonar 2.2 to output MTC. Not just tempo but measure:beat:tick or song position. I have a Tascam DM24 with really great automation (I know, sonar can do this too) but it's not really usable with Sonar that I can tell. I can use smpte and make sonar the slave but in past experiences I had timiing problems and the chase to lock time was too long for my lack of patience.

Currently I am using a Generic Control Surface that I configured to use the transport controls on my DM24 to control sonar (FFWD still does not work, though). I and many other DM24/Sonar users would love to do what our Nuendo and DP brethren are able to do. I once heard of a MTC plugin but was unable to confirm this.

If anyone knows anything I would love some help because I have not been able to find any insight to this issue.

Perhaps this is something for Sonar 3.

Thanks, RD
 
rcktdg, in SONAR, have you tried Options --> Project --> MIDI Out tab ? :)
 
you know, i'm wondering the same damn thing!!! i have been trying to sync my nuendo workstation with sonar the whole damn day!

....it seems like Sonar will only output MIDI Sync, and NOT midi timecode. perhaps james argo confused the two. but they are different things.

i think midi timecode only transmits absolute time. so, tempos and song position will not sync... just the absolute time. however, midi sync sends song position and tempo, so this is probably what you want, not midi timecode.

at least that's how i understand it.

HOWEVER....... i can't get Sonar to correctly recieve the midi sync nuendo is sending out.................... so frustrated.
 
We are on the same page. Sonar can talk but it has no idea what it's saying and doesn't care if anyone is listening. It is frustrating.

RD
 
no, i haven't read the manual ;) .... but i read the links you posted. and i'm right. Sonar can only sync to MTC, it cannot transmit.

obviously though, i'm doing something wrong, cause i still can't get Sonar to sync up with the MIDI Sync sent by Nuendo. so, for now, i just use MTC to sync the two. it's probably the better way to do it anyway.

why sync Sonar and Nuendo? like i said, i use Sonar because of it's vastly superior composing capabilities, and i use Nuendo because of its vastly superior recording capabilities. and not only that, using MIDI from Sonar offloads some processing from Nuendo, so i can do more complicated mixes.

so, i run the digital stuff from Nuendo, and the MIDI from Sonar. think of it as multi-processing.

Nuendo by itself has ridiculously lame MIDI--it's not even worth using, except for the simplest of applications. Sonar is capable of everything, but the recording process in Nuendo is so much smoother. so anyway..... unless you got a better suggestion, this is the way i'll go for a while....

i know i can try Cubase SX, which would be a compromise of both worlds... but i don't like compromises.
 
Orpheus said:
i know i can try Cubase SX, which would be a compromise of both worlds... but i don't like compromises.
LOL! :D
But the only advantage I can see with CubaseSX is the System Link... ;)

I know that Sonar has some issues with SMPTE/MTC syncing, but for me it has never been a problem (but then again, I don't demand much in that area). For example Sonar can only send out one sync-signal.

Hopefully they'll change all this in Sonar...
 
Is there a piece of hardware that will generate MTC or sync or whatever. For some reason I am compelled to want to use midi rather than smpte. I am doing only audio recording but work with midi all day at my job and would like to think in terms of measure:beat:tic rather than hours:min:sec. This also brings another question but a new thread would be more appropriate.

If I could get sonar to respond something that was generating sync info then I could automate to my heart's desire.

Thanks RD
 
well, i'm not sure what you really need.

you see, most midi hardware will send and receive sync... usually midi sync. synths that have syncable oscillators will sync to midi sync. sequencers like cakewalk will send and receive midi sync too. so, yes, you can get Sonar to respond to sync.... both midi sync and midi timecode.

so, you don't need a dedicated master midi sync generator since almost all your equipment can do it already. and besides, you should use Sonar as your master generator. ...did i answer your question? maybe if you clarify what you need to do....

but the original question was how to get Sonar to send MTC (midi time code) which IS NOT the same as midi sync. and as far as i know, Sonar does not generate MTC, only midi sync.
I am doing only audio recording but work with midi all day at my job and would like to think in terms of measure:beat:tic rather than hours:min:sec.
...............i'm not sure what you mean here either. both MTC and midi sync are invisible to the user. it's up to Sonar to display time information. so, either way you sync, you can still tell Sonar to display time via absolute time or tempo.
 
Back
Top