Midi SMPTE timecode sync on an audio track - Sync Midi?

[Terry Kelley]

I have a feeling this will be the blind leading the blind, but ...

Can I get CbB to sync to an audio track that has midi or SMPTE time code? I have some old audio tapes and one track is the sync track. I would like to get the midi tracks to chase the time code track. I import all tracks and then make one audio track the time base.

I've already thought of several reasons why this might not work but if CbB's time base can be controlled from that track, it might work assume it keeps the audio tracks timing separate. I looked in preferences and didn't see anything that would allow it.

"It's just so crazy it might work!"

Edited October 31, 2019 by Terry Kelley

[user 905133]

Have you tried P [Preferences] > Project > Clock [Advanced settings, not Basic]?

Edited November 1, 2019 by User 905133

[Terry Kelley]

Yes but I didn’t see anything that says to use Track 12 for midi sync (as an example.) I think it would need CbB to use two different clocks. One to run the audio and then use the sync track to run the midi.

it would allow us to copy our old tape-based audio with a sync track to CbB with the midi tracks. Right now I have just been copying the audio to wave tracks and then sliding them around. Surprisingly they stay in sync even though they are just free-wheeling.

Edited November 1, 2019 by Terry Kelley

[user 905133]

11 minutes ago, Terry Kelley said:

Yes but I didn’t see anything that says to use Track 12 for midi sync (as an example.) I think it would need CbB to use two different clocks. One to run the audio and then use the sync track to run the midi.

Good point! Based on my tests of a month or so ago, multiple timing sources is indeed an issue.  (1) I slaved Cakewalk to midi to an external midi clock source and varied the incoming midi BPM.  That worked for midi.  (2) The metronome BPM matched the transport's display (initial tempo + tempo map changes) regardless of changes to the incoming midi clock. (3) An imported audio file played at a constant rate no matter what.  (I did not test SMPTE sync.  Though I do have an old cassette deck and tapes with a sync track, I didn't try that, either.  I did not do timing/sync tests with Groove Clips.)

Re: track 12 example: All midi tracks in my tests followed the incoming midi clock.

The Cakewalk reference guide and the on-line help pages state that audio and midi may not be in sync ("Digital audio will play back, but not necessarily in sync."). I was thinking that your external sync data would be constant (as opposed to my wanting to vary the BPM from the external midi clock) and that with the right settings you might be able to get both audio and midi to track well together based on a non-varying external sync.

I think I saw some video tutorials recently that showed how to create a tempo map based on an audio track.  Maybe that might be an alternative to using the external sync track if the free-wheeling method is less than satisfactory.

I'd be very interested in hearing about your sync methods and your results.

[Terry Kelley]

Yes, the days of the Sansui 6 track! I have two I slaved together but I want to transfer to CbB.

 

Edited November 1, 2019 by Terry Kelley