opcode studio 4 User Manual
PART 3: Appendices
72
Opcode Systems, Inc.
If you are syncing to tape, and your
sequencer keeps starting and stopping
erratically, you are probably losing sync.
One possibility is that your SMPTE
source is not good. This can be because
you have a bad tape or possibly a bad con-
nection from your tape machine to the
Studio 4 SMPTE IN jack. This is easy to
verify; if the Studio 4 SMPTE indicator
light does not start blinking regularly
when you try to sync, the Studio 4 is not
getting a correct signal. Check your
cables and make sure that the recorded
SMPTE level is sufficient (see Chapter 10
for a guide to SMPTE recording levels). If
the tape was recorded with too high a
SMPTE level, then it will have to be re-
striped. If SMPTE was recorded at too
low a level, you will need to boost the
signal using a preamp or mixer between
your tape deck and the Studio 4 SMPTE
IN.
sequencer keeps starting and stopping
erratically, you are probably losing sync.
One possibility is that your SMPTE
source is not good. This can be because
you have a bad tape or possibly a bad con-
nection from your tape machine to the
Studio 4 SMPTE IN jack. This is easy to
verify; if the Studio 4 SMPTE indicator
light does not start blinking regularly
when you try to sync, the Studio 4 is not
getting a correct signal. Check your
cables and make sure that the recorded
SMPTE level is sufficient (see Chapter 10
for a guide to SMPTE recording levels). If
the tape was recorded with too high a
SMPTE level, then it will have to be re-
striped. If SMPTE was recorded at too
low a level, you will need to boost the
signal using a preamp or mixer between
your tape deck and the Studio 4 SMPTE
IN.
If the Studio 4 SMPTE indicator light
blinks regularly, then a bad SMPTE
signal is not the problem. You may have
too much data going from the Studio 4
into the Mac. Some instruments output
constant active sensing or MIDI clock
messages. MIDI clock messages espe-
cially can be a problem, because they are
sent more often than active sensing. Or,
you could have a device sending MIDI
Time Code. You don't need this if you’re
trying to sync your sequencer to the
Studio 4’s MIDI Time Code. In general, if
you tell a real time application (such as a
sequencer) to play, and then send it too
much data, it will start to lose some of the
data. If it loses timecode data, it will lose
sync.
blinks regularly, then a bad SMPTE
signal is not the problem. You may have
too much data going from the Studio 4
into the Mac. Some instruments output
constant active sensing or MIDI clock
messages. MIDI clock messages espe-
cially can be a problem, because they are
sent more often than active sensing. Or,
you could have a device sending MIDI
Time Code. You don't need this if you’re
trying to sync your sequencer to the
Studio 4’s MIDI Time Code. In general, if
you tell a real time application (such as a
sequencer) to play, and then send it too
much data, it will start to lose some of the
data. If it loses timecode data, it will lose
sync.
See if any MIDI devices attached to the
Studio 4 are transmitting data to the
Studio 4 (make sure none of them are
playing). Look at the red Studio 4 MIDI In
LED’s. If any are lit or flashing, you know
those devices are constantly sending
some kind of data. You can verify if this is
the cause of sync loss by turning off or
disconnecting the MIDI In cables (from
the instrument into the Studio 4) and
seeing if the sync problem goes away. If it
does, you have a few choices:
Studio 4 are transmitting data to the
Studio 4 (make sure none of them are
playing). Look at the red Studio 4 MIDI In
LED’s. If any are lit or flashing, you know
those devices are constantly sending
some kind of data. You can verify if this is
the cause of sync loss by turning off or
disconnecting the MIDI In cables (from
the instrument into the Studio 4) and
seeing if the sync problem goes away. If it
does, you have a few choices:
•
If you can stop the device from send-
ing this data in the first place, do it.
Unfortunately, most devices will not
let you do this. Typically, the devices
that send MIDI clocks have built in
sequencers; some of them only send
MIDI clocks when their sequencer is
actually playing. Others send MIDI
clock messages when they are in
their “sequencer” mode, and active
sensing (which is far less intrusive)
when they are not. If you cannot stop
the device from sending MIDI clocks,
you can set its sequencer to the slow-
est possible tempo—this results in a
slower MIDI clock transmission rate.
You can see the tempo change on the
Studio 4’s MIDI In LED for that
device; it will blink slowly at slow tem-
pos, and very rapidly at fast tempos.
ing this data in the first place, do it.
Unfortunately, most devices will not
let you do this. Typically, the devices
that send MIDI clocks have built in
sequencers; some of them only send
MIDI clocks when their sequencer is
actually playing. Others send MIDI
clock messages when they are in
their “sequencer” mode, and active
sensing (which is far less intrusive)
when they are not. If you cannot stop
the device from sending MIDI clocks,
you can set its sequencer to the slow-
est possible tempo—this results in a
slower MIDI clock transmission rate.
You can see the tempo change on the
Studio 4’s MIDI In LED for that
device; it will blink slowly at slow tem-
pos, and very rapidly at fast tempos.
•
You can mute any unwanted data
coming into the Studio 4 using the
Routing, Channelizing and Muting
window discussed in Chapter 7.
coming into the Studio 4 using the
Routing, Channelizing and Muting
window discussed in Chapter 7.