ATTENTION ADAT/PT LE USERS...

[Digi Engineering]

>>ERIC DAY... ARE... YOU... OUT... THERE?!?!?

Yes, but I have no experience syncing PTLE with an ADAT (or anything else for that matter). Perhaps Mike will come back and give you some more advice?

Eric Day
Digidesign

[thepontif]

This is what I've done...

In the MTPAV: I used the default power-up settings.

On the ADAT (XT): I left it alone too...it figured things out by itself.

In PTLE: In
Setups>Peripherals>Synchronization I told PTLE to let itself be controlled by MMC and set the device ID to 15 (arbitrary but not 0, 19, or 127). I set the receive port to MTPAV:Sync.
Setups>Peripherals>Machine Control I told it to transmit MMC on the "MTPAV:to ADAT" port and set the ID to 19. Note that it appears PTLE starts it ID#s at 0 and MOTU at 1. MOTU's 20 is PTLE's 19.
In Setup>Hardware set the Sync to Optical. If you don't you'll get bad pops and clicks. I'm assuming you're using the optical ins. Sample rate might be 48k. Look on the front of your ADAT machine at what it tells you about that.
In Windows>Show Session Setup make sure the session start is set to 00:00:00.00 to begin with. Then if you have a tune at 12min you can set the session start to 11:45 so your regions will start at the beginning of the session instead of 12min into it.
In the bottom left hand corner of the transport window there is a pull down menu. Hit it and make sure it is set to ProTools and NOT MMC.
If you set it to MMC, the PTLE transport will not control PTLE at all. It will cause the ADAT to Chase and play, but you can't record or play any local tracks. This is a convienient mode for when you're monitoring through 8 channels to hear what's on the tape and all you want to do is label tracks and get a start time for the session (if you don't know what's on the ADAT or where).
To actually use it, set the transport to ProTools and put it "Online". Do this by selecting that option from the Operations menu, or just clicking the left-most button on the transport. You may get wierd little messages like "External sync source is not valid..." but just click OK and keep going. You'll get another message right away that says "Sync source now valid".
I found that it works best to cue up the ADAT in MMC mode (transport) so there is a minimum of chasing involved after you hit play. You may have to start it a few times before it get going...you'll have to get a feel for it's quirks but it's fairly predictable once you get used to it.
I hope I've not forgotten anything. This should get you pretty far if not all the way.
Good Luck!
-MP

[Eric Heil]

Hey Mike,

Thank you so...so... much! And thank you too Eric at Digidesign! (at least I know that Digi really does watch the posts even if they can't answer all the time.)

I'll try Mike's configuration as soon as I can get my wife to not want to strangle me for being awake for almost three weeks straight! LOL

If I can get the ADAT running I can bring in my first client and finally start making some money for my investment. (All totaled about $15,000.00!) It will be a great test of 001 and PTLE because I've got 16 RAW tracks of ADAT to import, Mix and Export in Stereo Pairs back to ADAT to ship to the client!

I'm keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed!

Eric

[thepontif]

Eric,
Just so you know, if you have any more problems, just E-mail me. At this point, the details get to heavy to write down if there are problems, so I may have you call me. I'll invoice Digi for my time.
-MP

[cyberstudio]

What version of PTLE are you talking about?
ADAT sync and MIDI is the reason I can not use my PTLEv5.01 the way I want. I consider it as DEFECTIVE!
ADAT sync - just because of "wierd little messages" loop problem
MIDI - how to use loopback midi ports, when you can't switch them off as the inputs?
Where is my 5.1?
Will it make me happy?

[thepontif]

5.1 is what I've done it with. I've never tried it with 5.0.1

I just don't understand why in one evening I was able to get this working and no one else can!!!

That's not a put-down...I'm frustrated because I can't seem to think of what I'm not telling you guys that will solve the problem. I could never be a tech support guy...I'd take it too personally.

Believe me when I say, IT DOES WORK...I HAVE DONE IT...more than once.

PTLE 5.1, ADAT XT, MOTU MidiTimepiece AV

That's what I have setup in my studio as I write this...and it works with no problem...albeit a bit querky...but it works.

If I think of more, I'll let you know.

-Mike Pope

[cyberstudio]

You have "wierd little messages" and you are telling us it works fine?
Digi promissed it would be resolved in 5.1...
Where is my 5.1 update?
Why other people have advantage of using it?
What is going on?

[thepontif]

It works fine. I'm the kind of guy who, if I bought a BMW, and it had a little squeak that I didn't expect it to have, I would not take it back to the dealer. I would just say, "what a querky little squeak. I didn't expect that." Other types of people might freak out and go buy a Mustang instead. If it gets the job done, I don't mind having to click OK a couple of extra times.
I get "wierd little messages", but my system syncs up tight, so I don't care. If you're terribly bothered by occasional spurious error messages, sell your computer.
-MP

[Eric Heil]

thepontif and I have been talking back and forth for a couple of days and we have both come to the conclusion that 5.1 is the answer. I agree with Mike that going back to Digi with a NICE request for the update will get you a lot farther than cussing them out for not IMMEDIATELY sending you an update that THEY are not even required to give.

The BLAME for the sync problem is not really with Digi but really with the "quirky" and "proprietary" sync code that ADAT uses. I am a LONG TIME ADAT user and I can tell you with all confidence that it is a mirical that ADAT syncs to other ADATs let alone to the INDUSTRY STANDARD SMPTE LTC or MTC!

I have used multiple ADATs with a BRC and they still, SOMETIMES, have problems even locking to each other. I don't know why this slipped my mind when I began this thread but... IT DID.

I'm going to try another technique while I still have 5.0.1 and see if it works. My wife is going out of town for 5 days and it will just be me and 001! If it works I'll post to let all of you know.

Try:
1. SMPTE out of MTP AV to an audio in 001
2. Set PTLE clock to internal
3. Make sure that PTLE is NOT "on-line" (PTLE still sends MMC "off-line")
4. Record SMPTE on an audio track along with the 8 tracks from ADAT via light pipe
4. To sync on playback; route the SMPTE recorded in 001 to an audio out on 001 and then into SMPTE in on MTP AV
5. Set MTP AV from internal clock to LTC slave clock
6. Set PTLE to audio on durring transport shuttle (ie: you want to hear audio as you FFWD/REV.) It may help MTP AV to better shuttle with PTLE.

Anyone who is still waiting for 5.1, try this. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain. Or at least you can beging using PTLE/ADAT if it works.

Eric

[Mocha]

Guys believe the pontif when He says that it works. I personally called him and he went through the process with me on the phone and in about 3minutes I had PTLE controlling my ADAT XT. I'm using PTLE5.1 with an Audiomedia III card with a Dell Optiplex GX1/500mhz. He knows his stuff and the instructions that he gave on hte DUC are very good. It works. Now if only someone could tell me how to use a Yamaha O1V to control PTLE, I would be so happy. Any one with instructions please share. If that's possible to achive. Thanks in advanced.