Drum machine with only MIDI in

[MorryC]

I plan on getting Battery when there is a version that works with OS X, but until then I'm using a Zoom MRT-3, a cheap little machine but it has some great sounds. Up until now I've been just using it to put drums in as an audio track, but the problem is, the drum machine's tempos don't always match Pro Tools tempos...i.e. the drum machine's 120 bpm is sometimes a few milliseconds off from the same tempo in Pro tools. So cutting and pasting using the grid becomes difficult. So I'm thinking of getting a MIDI cable.

The other thing is that this drum machine has a MIDI in, but no MIDI out, so still can't create MIDI drum tracks, but I was thinking I could hook a MIDI cable out from my Digi 001 and connect it into the MIDI IN on the drum machine, then run it as an audio signal back into Pro Tools. So still not a MIDI track, but at least the tempo would be controlled by Pro Tools, and therefore should match up better. At least that's my theory. Can anyone more experienced in such things tell me if this can be done? I'd like to know if it will work before I invest in the MIDI cable.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

best,
MC
Pro Tools 6.0.1
001
OS X.2.6
G4 dual 1 Ghz
768 MB memory

[Eddie K. wannabe]

1) you can get a midi from RadioShack for like 2bucks. So don't worry about that.
2) You're fine you've got the right idea. Use MTC to sync your drum machine. In fact you could sequence your drum parts in PT's and control your drum machine externally.
3)You just need to make sure your OMS is configured properly, set to send MTC if your on OS9 and your drum machine is set to recieve MTC. Hope that helps

[MorryC]

Thanks for the help...tried it today and it was a bust. But there's always tomorrow...

[accession]

Hi MC,

Continuing on from Eddie's great advice, you'll need to set your drum machine to 'sync' or 'slave' to an external MIDI clock (ie. Pro Tools). Without this setting, it ain't gonna work.

Then try running Pro Tools with 'Beat Clock' enabled (in the MIDI menu).

Phil

[jpoprock]

i do this now w/ my SR-16. And basically, I select Midi Beat Clock in the midi file menu, then I go down to my transport, and unselect that composer guy (I think, I'm going my memory), then type the tempo of the song in that little white box. Then when I arm PT to record, my drum machine is now ready to be controlled by PT. So when I hit the space bar, PT starts recording and the drum machine starts playing in the same instance. Now your drum tracks are in perfect sync w/ your session.

But I lucked into this set up without any real understanding of midi! I'm not sure I selected something in my DM to do this or what. It just works.

Jason