Midi Timing Delay Sync Issue: MTC Sync

[daysean]

Here is my issue. There is a noticable playback start delay on a second computer with Cubase SX3 which is the slaved/synced using MTC from the main computer which is the Master computer running protools.

Here is a little more on my setup. I have one computer with Protools LE 6.7 which is the Master computer (Music XPC C2 standard with 1 gig ram). I am using midi cables using MTC to sync with a second computer (Music XPC C1 standard with 1 gig ram) which I am running Cubase SX 3. I am using Cubase as a host application to run various VST soft synths, rewire/reason, etc...it is used for alot of the audio processing of this stuff. The midi cable goes from the digi002 to a midi patch bay and then out to the input of my RME Digiface which goes into the Cubase computer.

The computers are syncing up correctly, when I hit playback in Protools, Cubase SX will also start to play back. The problem is that it starts playback with a slight delay on the slave computer (cubase computer) (I'm not sure how to measure this delay to quantify it for you. But it is very noticable. I'm kind of new to all this...if you haven't noticed).

My question is this. From what I know regarding Midi, it is a preety slow serial protocol. It is slow to begin with. Given this, is this delay a normal occurence given what I am doing? If not, any suggestions on what might be causing this delay and how to remedy? If it is a normal event, is there a "best practice" to follow so that I can compensate for this delay in Protools or Cubase?

Thank you so much for your patience in reading this long, drawn out question.

[daysean]

No one has any clue on this????

[daysean]

Help!!!! Anyone??? Please

[daysean]

help,,,,bump

[daysean]

Please, Please, Please....anyone...someone has got to know what this is all about.

[daysean]

bump, please F@^%K&%g help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rail Jon Rogut]

In Pro Tools you have a preference for MIDI latency -- check it out under the preferences MIDI tab.

For when Pro Tools chases there's an offset option in the Session Setup Window (check if your other app has the same type of option).

I take it you've also tied their clocks together via ADAT or S/PDIF otherwise you only have trigger and not synch.

Rail

[daysean]

Protools is the master...so it is not chasing. So not sure if what your saying will help?? Please clarify. thanks.

[daysean]

Hi all,

I'm brinning this back up because as you can see no one has responded. I have been doing other things lately live so no time to fix this issue.

In the meantime I have read the manuals, read web blogs/posts, search engines, and even searched on hear for about 2 hours to not find anything really related. I know the experts on here must know somethin that will help.

Thanks,

[daysean]

Hey, thanks all for the overwhelming response....of course I'm being sarcastic. but hey, i have had only one cup of java so far so I'm still grumpy.

Anway, i did some more research on this yesterday. Now this is the funny part. I changed the time code reference in both cubase sx3 and protools le 6.9 to read in samples. Now get this....on the cubase computer the sample number always varies from the readout on the protools software. Normally around 5000 samples..sometimes a little more a little less. Now this is counterintuitive no???? you would think that if anything, if the cubase was the slave their might be some latency and the number of samples would be less and not more? At any rate, this is the essential question. Why are these two numbers different? Shouldn't they be excatly the same??? Does it really matter in the end? In other words, as long as the time is the same relative to the protools it wount be out of sync. Not sure if i said that correctly. At any rate, i'm trying to find out if this will cause any other issues that I haven't taken into consideration. I don't want to start recording songs and find out all my efforts are in waste as this sync "issue" will cause everything to be down the garbage.

Some more info... I have checked my ASIO settings on both systems and it is really low. 128 samples , 3m secs. I have check offset settings and nothing seemed to help.

Please...I know I can not possible be the only one in the world trying to sync two different computers together.

Thanks.