Syncing AKAI MPC 2000 XL WITH PRO TOOLS 6.4 LE

[wyldout]

whats good people...

im new here... but im pretty familiar with PT LE 6.4

Here's my problem...

I'm trying to have my setup run so that when i press play on pro tools, the mpc starts running through midi. right now, this works...

i basically run each track in one at a time so i can mix in pro tools

my problem though...

nothing is ever 100% synced up... like one track will start a little bit earlier... or they'll start at the same... and then by the end, they have fallen off the pro tools grid... at different points

i have tried everything... i even had the mpc as the master and it was the same thing... and i've tried both mtc and mbc

is it just impossible for the tracks to be 100% in sync with each other???

do i need a more "reliable" midi system (i've heard digi's isn't the greatest)

my setup:

digi 001
pt le 6.4
akai mpc 2000xl
P4 2.4 Ghz
1 gig ram
windows xp pro

this is very frustrating... i can't think of anything else...

help please???

thanks

[Rail Jon Rogut]

I personally use S/PDIF clock from the MPC to Pro Tools, MTC from Pro Tools to the MPC.. and have the MPC chase Pro Tools via MTC. I also have a one or two bar countoff programmed before each pass with a click in the first bar of the countoff.. after transferring all tracks, they should all be close.. but I then use the count off and line them all up perfectly.

Rail

[aliengroover]

I've never had one bad instance of sync'ing my MPC. This is simply what I do:

Go under the "MIDI" menu and select "MIDI beat clock". When that dialog pops up, select "enable MIDI beat clock" and whichever output you have connected to your MPC.

Next, go into your MPC's sync options menu. Scroll to the input you have connected from PT, and set it to receive "MIDI clock".

Press start on PT, and it should follow. I never get an extra bar going or anything. Perfect sync everytime. The "digi's midi isn't the greatest" is more leaning towards the lack of extensive editing options. My primary sequencer is the MPC (though I use PT's and the Triton's), so my needs are not that "extensive". I've used MIDI clock since forever, and it always seems to work. Check those and let me know if you still can't get it going.
Peace

[Targon]

I personally use S/PDIF clock from the MPC to Pro Tools, MTC from Pro Tools to the MPC.. and have the MPC chase Pro Tools. I also have a one or two bar countoff programmed before each pass with a click in the firt bar of the countoff.. after transferring all tracks, they should all be close.. but I then use the count off and line them all up perfectly.

Rail

Don't do this!!! Let the MPC be the Master Midi Beat Clock an force PTLE to sync to the MPC's Midi Beat clock. The reason is, the MPC has ROCK tight Midi timing, PTLE's timing is sloppy.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

By having Pro Tools slave to the S/PDIF clock.. the MPC is still the clock master. I didn't say anything about having Pro Tools as a MIDI Beat Clock master.... I said use MTC as a trigger reference.

Rail

[wyldout]

i've tried all this... thing is how do you run it so PT chases the mpc through Midi Beat Clock... for some reason i can't get this to work.. it will work the other way...

thing is... i've tried all this and when you zoom in on tracks, none of them start at the same point... another thing... is if i move them so the first click track(say im running to click tracks - the exact same into two different tracks) so that it is exactly at the same point of the second click track, then the end clicks always fall off...

i just ordered the 8 out expander so ima try and link it through S/PDIF... other than that, im still lost.. thanks for your help though

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Unless you use S/PDIF the clocks will differ and they will get out of synch over time.

Rail

[wyldout]

so basically... you're sayin that S/PDIF is what the both lock together with.. and MTC is what triggers?

[Rail Jon Rogut]

For synch you need 2 components.. location and speed. If you start 2 devices playing back at the same time but they're running at different speeds.. they're not in synch. Similarly if you start one at a different time but they're running at the same speed.. they're not in synch.

MTC gives a starting location... you need to tie the speeds together.. the only way you can do that with the MPC and Pro Tools is via digital clock.. and that's S/PDIF.

Because MTC isn't a sample accurate timing system.. you will get slight variance in the start trigger time.. by using a count off click.. you can adjust the trigger for sample accuracy.

Rail

[Megalodon]

Don't know if there's much of a difference, but I use the original MPC60, slaved to Pro Tools MTC; Syncs up just fine although the MPC does take a second or two to lock up with PT and start playing. I just compenstae for this with a blank bar at the start of every MPC60 song I record into Pro Tools. I haven't tried Midi Beat Clock from PT though, simply because, when i worked in Nuendo, syncing would always screw up when using Nuendo as master midi clock. I remember hearing somewhere that its not advisable to use midi beat clock as a sync master; anyone have some insight as to why?

-DM