MIDI functions
91
—Owner’s Manual
About MTC and MIDI Clock
MTC and MIDI Clock are different types of MIDI messages used for synchronization between
MIDI devices.
MTC transmits absolute time information in units of a “frame” (1/30 of a second). If you start
a MD4S song at the “5 minutes 10 seconds” location, the MIDI sequencer will also play in syn-
chronization from the “5 minutes 10 seconds” location. Since the MIDI sequencer simply plays
according to the time data that it receives, synchronization will not be affected if the tempo of
the sequence data changes. Nearly all high-end computer-based sequencers support MTC.
MIDI Clock transmits Clock messages according to the tempo. In other words, the MIDI
sequencer will synchronize to the Tempo data (tempo map) that was created on the MD4S.
When you create a tempo map on the MD4S, the time display will indicate measures/beats/
clocks just as on a MIDI sequencer. In this case if you start the MD4S song from “measure 10,”
the MIDI sequencer will synchronize and start playing from “measure 10.” If you need to syn-
chronize the MD4S to a MIDI sequencer or MIDI rhythm machine that does not support
MTC, you should use MIDI Clock synchronization.
Synchronization using MTC
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Transmit MTC from the MIDI OUT connector of the MD4S
Make MIDI Sync settings so that the MIDI OUT connector of the MD4S will transmit MTC
messages.
1. Press the UTILITY button, rotate the DATA dial to make the display read “MIDI
Sync,” and press the ENTER button.
The display will indicate the currently selected MIDI Sync setting. If MIDI Sync is off, the dis-
play will indicate “Sync OFF.”
2. Rotate the DATA dial to make the display read “MTC MASTER.”
The MIDI indicator in the display will light to indicate “MTC SYNC MASTER.” With this setting,
MTC messages will be transmitted from the MIDI OUT connector when the MD4S is running.
3. Press the UTILITY button once again to return to normal operation.
Note: When inputting MIDI Time Code sent from the MD4S to the MIDI sequencer, it is
best to use a dedicated MTC input connector or a separate MIDI IN connector. The reason
for this is that if MIDI musical (playback) data is sent together with MTC to the same MIDI
IN connector of the sequencer, synchronization may be disrupted.
Tip: If your MIDI sequencer supports MMC (MIDI Machine Control), you can make the
MD4S receive MMC data so that the principle transport functions of the MD4S can be
controlled by the MIDI sequencer. Even in this case, the MD4S will still be the
synchronization master of the MIDI system, but you will have the convenience of being able
to control MD4S operations such as Record (including punch-in/out), Playback, and Locate
to specified measures from the MIDI sequencer. For details on setting the MD4S to receive
MMC, refer to “Controlling the MD4S by MMC” on page 98.
Note: If you are using MIDI Clock and the slave device does not support the MIDI Song
Position Pointer message, it will not be possible to synchronize from the middle of the song.
In this case, you must always start synchronizing from the beginning of the song.
