CAKEWALK Cakewalk SONAR, User Manual

Page: 532 / 610

532
:
7. In the MIDI Sync Output Ports field, check off the output ports that you want to send the sync
signal out of.
8. Click OK.
From now on, the transport controls in SONAR control playback on the external MIDI devices.
Using MIDI Sync with Drum Machines
The most flexible way to use a MIDI drum machine is to record the notes it generates into SONAR, then
use that machine as a MIDI playback device. This lets you edit, cut, paste, and copy your drum parts
like any other clip. You can use MIDI Sync to record the notes from the drum machine into SONAR as
follows:
1. Use the drum machine’s pattern-composing facilities to compose your drum part.
2. Configure the drum machine to be a slave device that receives MIDI Sync messages.
3. Configure SONAR to send MIDI Stop/Start/Continue/SPP messages.
4. Record the drum part from SONAR. The drum machine starts automatically when recording
begins and stops automatically when you press Stop.
5. Switch the drum machine out of MIDI Sync mode so that it acts simply as a sound-producing
module.
Troubleshooting MIDI Sync
If you experience problems with MIDI Sync when SONAR is the master device, verify that your
external devices are configured correctly to respond to MIDI Sync. Most devices have a Clock option
that should be set to External or MIDI.
If SONAR does not respond to MIDI Sync as a slave device, verify that your external devices are
configured correctly to transmit MIDI Sync. Remember that only one external device can be used as the
master clock source.
SMPTE/MIDI Time Code Synchronization
SMPTE/MIDI Time Code Sync (SMPTE/MTC) is another method of synchronization that lets SONAR
act as a master or slave to external devices. SONAR can send or receive SMPTE/MTC messages to or
from external devices that can generate or receive MTC. SONAR can send MTC on multiple output
ports simultaneously.
SMPTE/MTC is a position and timing reference that indicates the current location in the project and
how quickly the project should be playing. Time code labels the position in a project in hours, minutes,
seconds, and frames. The speed of playback is indicated by a
frame rate .
Time code is recorded onto tape using a device called a time code generator. The process of recording a
time code signal onto a track is called
striping . Normally, the start of a tape stripe has a particular
time, expressed in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. For example, the tape stripe might start at
00:00:00:00, 01:00:00:00, or any other time. The material recorded on the tape usually starts anywhere
from 10 seconds to several minutes after the start of the time code. Sometimes, the tape stripe starts at
a time like 00:59:50:00, and the material starts 10 seconds later, at 01:00:00:00.
When you create a new SONAR project, by default the project is configured so that the beginning of bar
1 is synchronized with a time code of 00:00:00:00. If the starting point of the material on your tape or
external project is not 0, you need to enter an offset to tell SONAR the time code that corresponds to the
start of the project.