Word Clock Synced Hosts on different computers?

[lalo]

Hi guys!
..well i've decided to resume my beloved logic audio platinum 5.5 on my older computer...i like it's midi editing to much...so my newest cpu is running nuendo 2 with a rme hdsp multiface...can i hope in a good sync
(sample precision) between the 2 computers via wordclock?
i'm after buyin' an rme hds9632 with the wordclock add-on...but i've seen a cheeper option...the m-audio delta 1010LT....some suggestion?
thanx
lalo

[lalo]

Some suggestions?...bump
lalo

[DuX]

You can never be sure when it comes to syncing... from my experience. However, you might get lucky . It all depends on way too many factors, man. Cheers.

[animix]

Hi guys!
..well i've decided to resume my beloved logic audio platinum 5.5 on my older computer...i like it's midi editing to much...so my newest cpu is running nuendo 2 with a rme hdsp multiface...can i hope in a good sync
(sample precision) between the 2 computers via wordclock?
i'm after buyin' an rme hds9632 with the wordclock add-on...but i've seen a cheeper option...the m-audio delta 1010LT....some suggestion?
thanx
lalo

I am syncing 6 different devices on three different computers from a Lucid GenX6 word clock generator. One of these is an RME HDSP 9652. This eliminates clocking errors when signals are streamed from one system into and/or through another (like a digital processor on one machine being used as an insert or across the aux bus of an audio program running on another machine, or like streaming audio samples in real time from a standalone VSTi or Gigastudio and recording them into another computer. Without an external word clock, you may get pops and clicks (clocking errors)

If you are referring to locking audio programs to each other and running them simultaneously in a master/slave relationship so that the timeline of the slaves will follow the timeline of the master, ADAT sync is going to be sample accurate...........smpte sync will probably be less expensive and accurate enough while getting midi sync to work in this scenario may take some doing and by the time you're done, you will probably wish you'd just used ADAT or smpte.

Regards,

[DevonB]

If you got word clock, go work clock. Try who's the master both ways too. I'm on lowly ADAT sync between 3 machines, and get a pop/click about 1-3 times per 'bootup', meaning, I'll hear one near the beginning of my session one time, and might here 1-2 more during the time the thing is up, usually within the first hour. After that, no problems whatsoever. Out of the 5 digital devices I have, one made the superior master clock. The other way, after about 2 hours, the clocks would start to drift, and I'd get to being like listening to a popcorn popper, until I shut everything down, and waited a few hours.

Devon

[lalo]

If you are referring to locking audio programs to each other and running them simultaneously in a master/slave relationship so that the timeline of the slaves will follow the timeline of the master, ADAT sync is going to be sample accurate...........smpte sync will probably be less expensive and accurate enough while getting midi sync to work in this scenario may take some doing and by the time you're done, you will probably wish you'd just used ADAT or smpte.

Regards,

Thanks....so you mean ADAT sync is sample accurate and WordClock not?...so i'd buy a second rme and connect them via the adat connectors and then i do a master/slave thing?
i'm not goin' feeding audio between the 2 machines..only i need the 2 puter goin' together....so have i to follow the adat way?

thanx
lalo

[animix]

If you are referring to locking audio programs to each other and running them simultaneously in a master/slave relationship so that the timeline of the slaves will follow the timeline of the master, ADAT sync is going to be sample accurate...........smpte sync will probably be less expensive and accurate enough while getting midi sync to work in this scenario may take some doing and by the time you're done, you will probably wish you'd just used ADAT or smpte.

Regards,

Thanks....so you mean ADAT sync is sample accurate and WordClock not?...so i'd buy a second rme and connect them via the adat connectors and then i do a master/slave thing?
i'm not goin' feeding audio between the 2 machines..only i need the 2 puter goin' together....so have i to follow the adat way?

thanx
lalo

I know it's sort of confusing. They are both sample accurate if all devices are set to the same sample rate. Since you want two computers to run as master/slave with the slave following the timeline of the master so that both computers are *running together* and playing back audio and/or midi at the same time you will need to have interfaces on both machines that can *talk* to each other.

In my situation, I have an ADAT module in my PARIS DAW that constantly outputs an ADAT timecode signal into the ADAT input of an RME HDSP 9652 which is running Cubase SX 2.02. I have the RME control panel set to receive ADAT sync and Cubase SX is set to slave to ADAT sync. When I hit the *play* button on the transport of my Paris system and the time line begins to move, the Cubase system on the other computer *slaves* to it and follows it like a puppy dog. The signal from tracks playing back in Cubase SX are routed via lightpipe into PARIS for mixing/summing there so basically I'm mixing simultaneously on two different DAWs.

My situation also requires me to have an external word clock module because there are digital processors running as standalone units in a third computer and also a POD PRO that need to receive word clock at a matching sample rate because they do not have ADAT sync capabbilities and even if they did, the RME 9652 is not capable of regenerating ADAT time code as it does not have an ADAT output.

Using a smpte interface (or stripe) on the master computer sending a smpte signal to a smpte interface on a slave computer with the slaved system set to sync to smpte will likely be the least expensive/most bullteproof system to set up unless you want to get into more $$$ to get all the hardware necessary to use ADAT sync.

Since I don't use smpte to do this, I'm a bit behind the times (last time I did this was with a pair of Opcode Studio 64 XTC's on two different computers-six years ago before Gibson screwed the company) but I have heard of people being successful with the Midex midi/smpte interfaces operating this way.

Regards,

[lalo]

unless you want to get into more $$$ to get all the hardware necessary to use ADAT sync.

Thanx animix
...maybe only i need to buy an rme for my second computer..i have an rme on the first one with adat in/out..so i gonna spend around 500euro or so to have the interface
am i right?
lalo

[animix]

unless you want to get into more $$$ to get all the hardware necessary to use ADAT sync.

Thanx animix
...maybe only i need to buy an rme for my second computer..i have an rme on the first one with adat in/out..so i gonna spend around 500euro or so to have the interface
am i right?
lalo

Yes, but be aware that just hooking a lightpipe (optical) cable between the two cards will not synchronize the machines to run as master/slave.

Your existing RME card must have the 9 pin ADAT timecode output and must actually *generate* an ADAT timecode signal rather than just *regenerate* an ADAT timecode signal which is coming from another source like an ADAT machine.

You will need to verify this with RME. I am fairly new to the RME hardware since I just got my HDSP 9652 two weeks ago (I was previously using a Frontier Design Dakota/Montana combo)and since I only use my RME card in *slave* mode with a serial cable sending ADAT timecode form an interface that is *generating* ADAT timecode *to* the HDSP 9652, I don't know anything about the ADAT timecode generation abilities of the RME hardware.

If your existing RME card can *generate* ADAT timecode, then you will only need to buy the other RME card or another card (like a Friontier Design Dakota) with a 9 pin ADAT sync input that will accept a M/M serial cable to receive the timecode from the master ADAT timecode generator (hopefully this will be your existing RME interface).

As far as the slave interface is concerned, I really like my HDSP 9652 BTW and would highly recommend one of these.............though you will need a breakout box if you need A/D and D/A conversion capabilities to/from the HDSP 9652.

Very best of luck with this,

[DevonB]

unless you want to get into more $$$ to get all the hardware necessary to use ADAT sync.

Thanx animix
...maybe only i need to buy an rme for my second computer..i have an rme on the first one with adat in/out..so i gonna spend around 500euro or so to have the interface
am i right?
lalo

Yes, but be aware that just hooking a lightpipe (optical) cable between the two cards will not synchronize the machines to run as master/slave.

Your existing RME card must have the 9 pin ADAT timecode output and must actually *generate* an ADAT timecode signal rather than just *regenerate* an ADAT timecode signal which is coming from another source like an ADAT machine.

Uh, what? That's optical sync, and you do NOT need ADAT 9 pin to sync ADAT lightpipe. You have a Dakota/Montana bundle like myself, it was under Dig A/Dig D and SPDIF sync option to do that. Yes, syncing to lightpipe only isn't the best choice, as Wordclock IS the best of the bunch, but it works, and I've been doing it that way for years.

Devon

[animix]

unless you want to get into more $$$ to get all the hardware necessary to use ADAT sync.

Thanx animix
...maybe only i need to buy an rme for my second computer..i have an rme on the first one with adat in/out..so i gonna spend around 500euro or so to have the interface
am i right?
lalo

Yes, but be aware that just hooking a lightpipe (optical) cable between the two cards will not synchronize the machines to run as master/slave.

Your existing RME card must have the 9 pin ADAT timecode output and must actually *generate* an ADAT timecode signal rather than just *regenerate* an ADAT timecode signal which is coming from another source like an ADAT machine.

Uh, what? That's optical sync, and you do NOT need ADAT 9 pin to sync ADAT lightpipe. You have a Dakota/Montana bundle like myself, it was under Dig A/Dig D and SPDIF sync option to do that. Yes, syncing to lightpipe only isn't the best choice, as Wordclock IS the best of the bunch, but it works, and I've been doing it that way for years.

Devon

Maybe there is a misunderstanding because I didn't explain myself clearly. I realize that this is optical sync and that word clock is a superior way to sync two or more devices to the same clock source. My point is that optical sync or word clock sync will not, in itself, establish a master slave relationship between two computers if you want the timeline of one device to follow the timeline of another device, in real time, simultaneously outputting a signal from both devices simultaneously along the same timeline. To my knowledge, this can only be done using midi time code, smpte time code or ADAT time code.

Regards,

[DevonB]

Maybe there is a misunderstanding because I didn't explain myself clearly. I realize that this is optical sync and that word clock is a superior way to sync two or more devices to the same clock source. My point is that optical sync or word clock sync will not, in itself, establish a master slave relationship between two computers if you want the timeline of one device to follow the timeline of another device, in real time, simultaneously outputting a signal from both devices simultaneously along the same timeline. To my knowledge, this can only be done using midi time code, smpte time code or ADAT time code.

Regards,

Yes, sounds like a misunderstanding. I use MIDI to trigger my Giga machine to play along with my Main DAW, and that works fine. Certainly got to differeniate between sync digital sources and syncing timelines.

What I'm saying with what he's trying to do, what he's got is probably exactly what he needs. He could also go cheaper as well if he wants.

Devon

[animix]

Maybe there is a misunderstanding because I didn't explain myself clearly. I realize that this is optical sync and that word clock is a superior way to sync two or more devices to the same clock source. My point is that optical sync or word clock sync will not, in itself, establish a master slave relationship between two computers if you want the timeline of one device to follow the timeline of another device, in real time, simultaneously outputting a signal from both devices simultaneously along the same timeline. To my knowledge, this can only be done using midi time code, smpte time code or ADAT time code.

Regards,

Yes, sounds like a misunderstanding. I use MIDI to trigger my Giga machine to play along with my Main DAW, and that works fine. Certainly got to differeniate between sync digital sources and syncing timelines.

What I'm saying with what he's trying to do, what he's got is probably exactly what he needs. He could also go cheaper as well if he wants.

Devon

You're probabably right. It's been a long time since I used midi timecode to lock up timelines between two machines. I always had better luck using smpte and when I eventually came to use ADAT timecode, it worked best for me. I'm sure that the newer programs and midi hardware are much improved over what I was trying to use years ago. I especially remember that my DAW of choice, Paris, was a nightmare to sync using MTC either as master or slave, and since I am still using it, that experience has surely colored my opinions on this issue.

Best regards,

[DevonB]

Well, ADAT 9 pin does do sample lock as well as timecode. It's not necessary to do sample lock if you only have optical ADAT connectors, that's all, but we both already know that.

I'm still wondering if he plans on trying to sync Logic to Nuendo though? Not sure if it's possible? Anyone tried it before?

Maybe we should ask what EXACTLY he's trying to accomplish though. So easy to get wrapped up in the silly details...

Devon

[animix]

Well, ADAT 9 pin does do sample lock as well as timecode. It's not necessary to do sample lock if you only have optical ADAT connectors, that's all, but we both already know that.

I'm still wondering if he plans on trying to sync Logic to Nuendo though? Not sure if it's possible? Anyone tried it before?

Maybe we should ask what EXACTLY he's trying to accomplish though. So easy to get wrapped up in the silly details...

Devon

Well there certainly would be a lot of redundancy. I would imagine that it's possible though with the right hardware...............and yes, simple is good. Gadgets are great when they disappear into the fabric of the studio and work seamlessly, but if they are always requiring tweaking, it can take you right out of creative mode and into ____________(insert your own applicable version of hell here)

OT: Just out of curiosity, speaking of workaround avoidance, have you, by chance, ever used this controller?

http://messe.harmony-central.com/Musikm ... ro-88.html

Hammer action (translate semi weighted perhaps)keys and no onboard synth engine, but that's not it's purpose. It's got a midi out to a sound module if desired, but it's primarily made to integrate via USB 2.0 with VSTi's/softynths. This looks like one of those seamless gadgets that might enhance workflow. I've heard that it has templates for mapping many softsynths. I'm going to have one delivered this week and give it a test drive.

Maybe this thread should now be redirected to another forum, but I was just curious......