By Clint
Mon Aug 27, 2007 12:38 am
Synchronising Pro Tools LE7with the MPC4000
Ok so my previous posts on this were mostly from memory so this one will describe my Pro Tools LE 7 / MPC4000 setup as it is today with a few minor corrections. Having learned a bit myself from the MPC users on this forum I can appreciate the type of explanation some people may need to really understand how to get good midi sync working.
But if you want a quick answer, trust me this isn’t it! But if you got patience, determination and just wanna get on with making beats I’ll lay it down the best I can.
My Setup
On the MPC4000 press MISC followed by F2 which should be the sync setup page. In my setup mpc is master and sends midi timecode to PT therefore all the ‘sync in’ settings are ignored, including ‘receive mmc’ which is left off. My sync settings look like this.
Sync in = mode off
Sync out = midi clock off and midi timecode on midi out a
Smpte = off
Frame rate = 30
Send mmc = on midi out a
Sync = on
I prefer to use midi timecode for syncing to PT, but all this works with midi clock too. I have OS 1.71 installed which means that the above sync settings remain stored and stay set ready to go whenever the MPC is turned on. BTW, PT also retains your sync settings with each session so it too is always ready to go when your session is opened.
I am currently using PTLE7 on a PC with a Digi 002 desktop interface. In pro tools open a session and go to setup> midi > midi studio setup. Here I have created an instrument for the mpc along with my other midi modules. From the available presets I simply used manufacturer > akai and chose the model > mpc2000. I have also selected the correct midi input and output ports used to connect the mpc to the computer via my midisport 4x4 usb interface.
(For some reason only the 2000, 3000 and 60 are the only MPC’s available as presets in PT7. Are DIGI trying to tell us 4000 & 2000xl users something…
? Anyway, which preset you choose makes no real difference)
In midi studio setup all midi send channels (PT to MPC) are inactive and shaded grey. For me there is no need for the mpc to receive midi data from PT during tracking or otherwise. All midi receive channels (MPC to PT) are left active and are shaded blue so that PT can receive the midi sync commands from the MPC which is what we want.
Back to the PT setup menu, under midi > midi beat clock. I do not have midi beat clock enabled for any of the midi devices in my setup when the MPC is master therefore none of the boxes are selected. The settings under midi > input filter are left in their default configuration which is to receive all except aftertouch.
In setup > preferences > midi all settings remain in their default configuration including the global midi playback offset which remain set to zero samples. Play midi notes when editing is active and selected as is standard pitch for midi note display. In the machine control section both available choices are inactive and left unselected.
My hardware buffer size is set to 512 samples and the DAE playback buffer is in its default condition which is level 2. In setup > session again all parameters remain in their default condition.
Clock source = internal
Timecode rate = 30
Timecode offsets MMC = 00.00.00.00
Timecode reader offset = 0 samples
TIP: Those who want to reduce latency, delays and so on should certainly look at tweaking some of the aforementioned settings to see if it improves things for their particular setup. Trial and error is the only way you’ll find the best configuration for your needs.
On the PT transport I have things set like this:
Transport = pro tools (click this button and you’ll find MMC is not selected)
Online = midi (machine is greyed out)
With my settings as described I have achieved a very good, reliable and predictable degree of sync (it’ll never be perfect so don’t expect it to be!) between my MPC4000 acting as master and PT7 which is the slave device. The transport controls on the MPC are now in charge of the PT sequencer including <step>, go to and << bar>>. However you can still use the software or Digi 002 (desktop) transport controls in the usual way if you need to. I do not use the loop function when tracking as I find it unnecessary. The MPC transport controls are more than adequate for the task. No need to complicate matters, keep things simple but effective I say.
Back on the PT setup > session page, if all is set correctly in the top right of the dialog you can see the ‘incoming time’ details in hours, minutes and seconds like this 00:00:00:00. The time shown here indicates incoming midi timecode from the MPC and should match the time indicated (not the sequencer location) in the NOW: field of the MPC4000 display.
This only happens if you are sending midi timecode from the MPC. If you are using midi clock, nothing will happen here so this is a useful way to check that PT is actually receiving midi timecode from the MPC as intended. Also if you are using a midi interface which has indicators for midi traffic as most do the channel used to send midi timecode should be permanently on or constantly flashing when the MPC sequencer is in play or record mode. This shows that the MPC is sending midi timecode correctly.
As I said earlier, all of the MPC transport controls work as expected and are followed in sync (no not N’Sync!) by the PT sequencer, except for record and overdub. Record and overdub still operate as usual for recording into the MPC sequencer; they just do nothing in PT.
Testing it out
Now how good is my sync I hear you ask? Well it does the washing up and its always there…. No seriously, very good, reliable and predictable. I ran a few tests to see exactly how the PT sequencer would behave when slaved to the MPC4000. There were some interesting results.
OK so I have midi timecode sync setup and ready to go. An empty sequence is loaded in the MPC and a new session in PT. I call this THE STEP TEST and used it to see how the sequencer of PT and the MPC interact. The MPC swing setting is set to 50% (off) for the purpose of the test, timing correct is set to 1/16 and is activated.
On both the MPC and PT I have matched the tempos and set loop to ‘off’ as if I were tracking from the MPC. On the MPC I hit ‘go to’ and ‘start’, this ensures both sequencers begin the test at bar 1 beat1.
I now use the MPC’s <step> button to advance the MPC sequencer one 1/16 step (240 ticks) at a time. Each time I do this I record the position of the PT sequencer shown in the transport display.
TIP: the resolution of the MPC sequencer is 960 parts (ticks) per quarter note (ppqn). These are the numbers shown after BAR-BEAT- XXX in the sequencer display.
MPC4000 PTLE7 OFFSET
1-1-000 1-1-000 0
1-1-240 1-1-230 -10
1-1-480 1-1-461 -19
1-1-720 1-1-691 -28
1-2-000 1-1-922 -38
1-2-240 1-2-192 -48
1-2-480 1-2-422 -58
1-2-720 1-2-710 -10
1-3-000 1-2-941 -19
I performed the same test using the <<bar>> button to advance the MPC sequencer.
MPC4000 PTLE7 OFFSET
1-1-000 1-1-000 0
2-1-000 1-4-922 -38
3-1-000 2-4-941 -19
4-1-000 3-4-902 -58
5-1-000 4-4-922 -38
The results show that there are some very minor differences between the two sequencers timing. The offset figures show that PT is always slightly behind the MPC although the nature and degree of the inaccuracies appear to follow a pattern. Take a look, in the first test we have offsets of -10, -19, -28, -48, -58 and then the cycle repeats itself. The same can be recurring pattern is seen in the results of the second test, we have timing offsets of -38, -19, -58 and then the cycle repeats. And the same offset numbers appear in both tests (19, 38, 58...) Very interesting…..
The same results were obtained using midi clock instead of midi timecode.
Using swing and/ or tempo/ time signature changes in your MPC sequences may confuse some users when trying to sync to PT or any other DAW. Just do your thing in the MPC using swing, change-ups and whatever and track the beats out before adding more midi parts in the DAW. Keep it simple remember!
That’s about it for my sync setup. Remember that having mad skills on the MPC usually isn’t enough, especially when tracking stuff out. You need to know your how to work with audio regions, events and groups in PT or your DAW of choice properly to have a good tracking session.
Tracking Test
For the TRACKING TEST I record a simple two bar 1/8 note kick drum loop using note repeat to give me 16 drum hits. Make sure loop is off on the MPC, after the two bars play the MPC sequencer is stopped
The required track/s are created in PT so we can monitor and record (track) from the MPC. In PT record enable is selected on the audio track/s and on the transport. So now when I hit play on the MPC PT will begin recording.
After the two bars of kicks I programmed have played the MPC sequencer is manually stopped. In the 'perfect' (?) scenario PT will have recorded all 16 drum hits played by the MPC, but did it?
To find out I take the PT track/s we recorded out of record enabled mode and set a playback loop in PT from bars 1-3. I zoom in on this two bar loop and set the grid to 1/8 resolution and the nudge value is set to 1/32. The kick drum track is also now muted on the MPC (if you don’t mute the track you can clearly here the timing difference, when both sequencers are playing).Now I play the beat trying to count the 16 kick drum hits but I can’t quite make it out. Nevertheless I can clearly see that some hits are missing.
What I have is the decay of the second hit (no attack) followed by 14 complete hits, the first hit at bar 1 beat 1 (unsurprisingly) was completely missed by PT.
I nudge the audio region using the keyboard - & + keys along the timeline 1/32 step at a time until all the recorded hits are where they should be (5 steps/ nudges forward). In the pocket. I can easily check this using PT’s built-in beat slicer, edit > separate region > on grid. The audio is now sliced into individual hits (regions) on the 1/8 grid that was set. The first of these new regions is the decay from my second drum hit. By selecting this first region PT can show me the start time, end time and length of it. The start time tell me what I want to know.
How long did PT take to lock to the MPC’s midi timecode and begin recording?
Well the first region now starts at 1-1-160 and ends (correctly) at 1-2-00. This gives a me a delay of 600 ticks (each 1/8 note = 480 ticks). By changing the main timeline display to Mins:Secs this delay of 600 midi ticks can be translated into real world time giving a result of 0.347 seconds which is only slightly over 1/3rd of a second (0.333). Not bad at all really.
To combat this delay it is normal practice to leave a blank bar or two at the beginning of your sequences prior to tracking so that beat 1 bar 1 is definitely recorded.
Track the beats; nudge all the regions you tracked together as a group (get the 8 outs if you possibly can. Worth their weight in gold!) in PT to allow you to use the grid features. Now move onto the next task, adding more midi tracks in PT or whatever it is. Keep it simple, get it done and move on.
Now who’s gonna email me a spliff……? damn
Ok so my previous posts on this were mostly from memory so this one will describe my Pro Tools LE 7 / MPC4000 setup as it is today with a few minor corrections. Having learned a bit myself from the MPC users on this forum I can appreciate the type of explanation some people may need to really understand how to get good midi sync working.
But if you want a quick answer, trust me this isn’t it! But if you got patience, determination and just wanna get on with making beats I’ll lay it down the best I can.
My Setup
On the MPC4000 press MISC followed by F2 which should be the sync setup page. In my setup mpc is master and sends midi timecode to PT therefore all the ‘sync in’ settings are ignored, including ‘receive mmc’ which is left off. My sync settings look like this.
Sync in = mode off
Sync out = midi clock off and midi timecode on midi out a
Smpte = off
Frame rate = 30
Send mmc = on midi out a
Sync = on
I prefer to use midi timecode for syncing to PT, but all this works with midi clock too. I have OS 1.71 installed which means that the above sync settings remain stored and stay set ready to go whenever the MPC is turned on. BTW, PT also retains your sync settings with each session so it too is always ready to go when your session is opened.
I am currently using PTLE7 on a PC with a Digi 002 desktop interface. In pro tools open a session and go to setup> midi > midi studio setup. Here I have created an instrument for the mpc along with my other midi modules. From the available presets I simply used manufacturer > akai and chose the model > mpc2000. I have also selected the correct midi input and output ports used to connect the mpc to the computer via my midisport 4x4 usb interface.
(For some reason only the 2000, 3000 and 60 are the only MPC’s available as presets in PT7. Are DIGI trying to tell us 4000 & 2000xl users something…
? Anyway, which preset you choose makes no real difference)
In midi studio setup all midi send channels (PT to MPC) are inactive and shaded grey. For me there is no need for the mpc to receive midi data from PT during tracking or otherwise. All midi receive channels (MPC to PT) are left active and are shaded blue so that PT can receive the midi sync commands from the MPC which is what we want.
Back to the PT setup menu, under midi > midi beat clock. I do not have midi beat clock enabled for any of the midi devices in my setup when the MPC is master therefore none of the boxes are selected. The settings under midi > input filter are left in their default configuration which is to receive all except aftertouch.
In setup > preferences > midi all settings remain in their default configuration including the global midi playback offset which remain set to zero samples. Play midi notes when editing is active and selected as is standard pitch for midi note display. In the machine control section both available choices are inactive and left unselected.
My hardware buffer size is set to 512 samples and the DAE playback buffer is in its default condition which is level 2. In setup > session again all parameters remain in their default condition.
Clock source = internal
Timecode rate = 30
Timecode offsets MMC = 00.00.00.00
Timecode reader offset = 0 samples
TIP: Those who want to reduce latency, delays and so on should certainly look at tweaking some of the aforementioned settings to see if it improves things for their particular setup. Trial and error is the only way you’ll find the best configuration for your needs.
On the PT transport I have things set like this:
Transport = pro tools (click this button and you’ll find MMC is not selected)
Online = midi (machine is greyed out)
With my settings as described I have achieved a very good, reliable and predictable degree of sync (it’ll never be perfect so don’t expect it to be!) between my MPC4000 acting as master and PT7 which is the slave device. The transport controls on the MPC are now in charge of the PT sequencer including <step>, go to and << bar>>. However you can still use the software or Digi 002 (desktop) transport controls in the usual way if you need to. I do not use the loop function when tracking as I find it unnecessary. The MPC transport controls are more than adequate for the task. No need to complicate matters, keep things simple but effective I say.
Back on the PT setup > session page, if all is set correctly in the top right of the dialog you can see the ‘incoming time’ details in hours, minutes and seconds like this 00:00:00:00. The time shown here indicates incoming midi timecode from the MPC and should match the time indicated (not the sequencer location) in the NOW: field of the MPC4000 display.
This only happens if you are sending midi timecode from the MPC. If you are using midi clock, nothing will happen here so this is a useful way to check that PT is actually receiving midi timecode from the MPC as intended. Also if you are using a midi interface which has indicators for midi traffic as most do the channel used to send midi timecode should be permanently on or constantly flashing when the MPC sequencer is in play or record mode. This shows that the MPC is sending midi timecode correctly.
As I said earlier, all of the MPC transport controls work as expected and are followed in sync (no not N’Sync!) by the PT sequencer, except for record and overdub. Record and overdub still operate as usual for recording into the MPC sequencer; they just do nothing in PT.
Testing it out
Now how good is my sync I hear you ask? Well it does the washing up and its always there…. No seriously, very good, reliable and predictable. I ran a few tests to see exactly how the PT sequencer would behave when slaved to the MPC4000. There were some interesting results.
OK so I have midi timecode sync setup and ready to go. An empty sequence is loaded in the MPC and a new session in PT. I call this THE STEP TEST and used it to see how the sequencer of PT and the MPC interact. The MPC swing setting is set to 50% (off) for the purpose of the test, timing correct is set to 1/16 and is activated.
On both the MPC and PT I have matched the tempos and set loop to ‘off’ as if I were tracking from the MPC. On the MPC I hit ‘go to’ and ‘start’, this ensures both sequencers begin the test at bar 1 beat1.
I now use the MPC’s <step> button to advance the MPC sequencer one 1/16 step (240 ticks) at a time. Each time I do this I record the position of the PT sequencer shown in the transport display.
TIP: the resolution of the MPC sequencer is 960 parts (ticks) per quarter note (ppqn). These are the numbers shown after BAR-BEAT- XXX in the sequencer display.
MPC4000 PTLE7 OFFSET
1-1-000 1-1-000 0
1-1-240 1-1-230 -10
1-1-480 1-1-461 -19
1-1-720 1-1-691 -28
1-2-000 1-1-922 -38
1-2-240 1-2-192 -48
1-2-480 1-2-422 -58
1-2-720 1-2-710 -10
1-3-000 1-2-941 -19
I performed the same test using the <<bar>> button to advance the MPC sequencer.
MPC4000 PTLE7 OFFSET
1-1-000 1-1-000 0
2-1-000 1-4-922 -38
3-1-000 2-4-941 -19
4-1-000 3-4-902 -58
5-1-000 4-4-922 -38
The results show that there are some very minor differences between the two sequencers timing. The offset figures show that PT is always slightly behind the MPC although the nature and degree of the inaccuracies appear to follow a pattern. Take a look, in the first test we have offsets of -10, -19, -28, -48, -58 and then the cycle repeats itself. The same can be recurring pattern is seen in the results of the second test, we have timing offsets of -38, -19, -58 and then the cycle repeats. And the same offset numbers appear in both tests (19, 38, 58...) Very interesting…..
The same results were obtained using midi clock instead of midi timecode.
Using swing and/ or tempo/ time signature changes in your MPC sequences may confuse some users when trying to sync to PT or any other DAW. Just do your thing in the MPC using swing, change-ups and whatever and track the beats out before adding more midi parts in the DAW. Keep it simple remember!
That’s about it for my sync setup. Remember that having mad skills on the MPC usually isn’t enough, especially when tracking stuff out. You need to know your how to work with audio regions, events and groups in PT or your DAW of choice properly to have a good tracking session.
Tracking Test
For the TRACKING TEST I record a simple two bar 1/8 note kick drum loop using note repeat to give me 16 drum hits. Make sure loop is off on the MPC, after the two bars play the MPC sequencer is stopped
The required track/s are created in PT so we can monitor and record (track) from the MPC. In PT record enable is selected on the audio track/s and on the transport. So now when I hit play on the MPC PT will begin recording.
After the two bars of kicks I programmed have played the MPC sequencer is manually stopped. In the 'perfect' (?) scenario PT will have recorded all 16 drum hits played by the MPC, but did it?
To find out I take the PT track/s we recorded out of record enabled mode and set a playback loop in PT from bars 1-3. I zoom in on this two bar loop and set the grid to 1/8 resolution and the nudge value is set to 1/32. The kick drum track is also now muted on the MPC (if you don’t mute the track you can clearly here the timing difference, when both sequencers are playing).Now I play the beat trying to count the 16 kick drum hits but I can’t quite make it out. Nevertheless I can clearly see that some hits are missing.
What I have is the decay of the second hit (no attack) followed by 14 complete hits, the first hit at bar 1 beat 1 (unsurprisingly) was completely missed by PT.
I nudge the audio region using the keyboard - & + keys along the timeline 1/32 step at a time until all the recorded hits are where they should be (5 steps/ nudges forward). In the pocket. I can easily check this using PT’s built-in beat slicer, edit > separate region > on grid. The audio is now sliced into individual hits (regions) on the 1/8 grid that was set. The first of these new regions is the decay from my second drum hit. By selecting this first region PT can show me the start time, end time and length of it. The start time tell me what I want to know.
How long did PT take to lock to the MPC’s midi timecode and begin recording?
Well the first region now starts at 1-1-160 and ends (correctly) at 1-2-00. This gives a me a delay of 600 ticks (each 1/8 note = 480 ticks). By changing the main timeline display to Mins:Secs this delay of 600 midi ticks can be translated into real world time giving a result of 0.347 seconds which is only slightly over 1/3rd of a second (0.333). Not bad at all really.
To combat this delay it is normal practice to leave a blank bar or two at the beginning of your sequences prior to tracking so that beat 1 bar 1 is definitely recorded.
Track the beats; nudge all the regions you tracked together as a group (get the 8 outs if you possibly can. Worth their weight in gold!) in PT to allow you to use the grid features. Now move onto the next task, adding more midi tracks in PT or whatever it is. Keep it simple, get it done and move on.
Now who’s gonna email me a spliff……? damn
Last edited by Clint on Mon Aug 27, 2007 10:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
no difference
)