TIMING PROBLEMS WITH MPC AND PT

[benhallen]

I have a problem when I lock my MPC 2000 with PT. It doesn't matter which one is the slave and which is the master, nor does it matter whether it's via SMPTE or MTC.
Here's the problem: any drum sound that goes from the MPC into PT is about 10 millseconds before the beat, according to the PT tempo grid. This happens even if the sound is not swung at all. Any suggestions? Please note that I'm using SPDIF to transfer the sounds. Thanks in advance.

Ben Allen

[DigiTechSupt]

-Instead of MTC or SMPTE, create a tempo map in Pro Tools and transmit MIDI Beat Clock to the MPC.

Brent

[Mt.Everest]

Brent,
doesnt that make PTools midi clock the one controlling the MPC? If so, thats not good cuz the Midi timing in PT just isnt good.. When I track a click generated from PT as audio in Protools, then replay that audio against the same click generated from PT, it is very inconsistent.. Flamming then locked then flamming....
I think people like to have the MPC running off its own clock cuz it just feels better than PT...
Any comments?

[DigiTechSupt]

-Yes, slaving the MPC to MIDI Beat Clock will in fact rely on the internal clock of Pro Tools (or whatever clock your primary interface is slaving to).

-I duplicated your test, (track a click generated from PT as audio in Protools, then replay that audio against the same click generated from PT) and did not witness any discrepancies between the two.

-I was triggering a Roland SC88 connected to a MOTU MIDI Express XT (Serial) from a Beige G3/300. My master clock was the USD (set to Internal/VSO).

Brent

[This message has been edited by DigiTechSupt (edited February 01, 2001).]

[jarvisnyc]

Originally posted by Mt.Everest:
Brent,
doesnt that make PTools midi clock the one controlling the MPC? If so, thats not good cuz the Midi timing in PT just isnt good.. When I track a click generated from PT as audio in Protools, then replay that audio against the same click generated from PT, it is very inconsistent.. Flamming then locked then flamming....
I think people like to have the MPC running off its own clock cuz it just feels better than PT...
Any comments?

[Mt.Everest]

I tried the test again and I didnt seem to have the same problem...

What I think was happening the first time i tried to track the click was, I had other midi devices triggering a few other tracks (drum beat, synth line, etc). I tried it that way and what happens is that for each time multiple instruments were playing at any given beat, that would throw off the click, being that a few things were being triggered at once. I guess that can be attributed to midi spec in general... When it has to deal with many things on any given downbeat, the timing will be slurred slightly. Those were the spots that the click was flamming against the audio click...
When I tracked the click alone it was okay.

I also tried another test. Recording the exact same midi music on PT and on the MPC. NO swing, quantizing the same way, etc...Maybe im biased but I swear that the MPC feels totally different... Has anyone else tried this and agree/disagree?