What kind of cords do I need to run SMPTE?

Is it regular audio cords (TS/TRS) or do I need to buy some special ones. Let me know. Peace.

And yes, I know that SMPTE is a synchronization method and that it's not audio (cause I know someone is going to try to come on that "know more than you ish").

Peace.

You just need a mono 1/4 inch jack.
Just some tips, which you may or may not know already:
If you are laying smpte, it begins when enabled, as soon as your song mode starts, and would go on it's own audio track in a multitrack recording (ie: protools, analog reel-to-teel multitrack, 4track cassette, etc). Then, when you play the recording, the output of the the track with smpte on it can go DIRECTLY out of the playback deviceback to the MPC, or to anything else that needs to syncronize to the master recording. Obviosuly, keep in mind that this abrasive analog code will be LOUD when recorded hot, and should not come out of your main mix, only strait out of an analog jack back into the machine that is to read the code. So...smpte timecode, in it's true form actually IS audio. It's an analog audio signal, with a ton of clicks and pops for every frame of audio. So a couple things to consider-
One is, lay it as hot to the given track as you can, but don't ever peak or overload, or the code may become unreadable later. Two, try to go strait to the master recording device, rather than through a mixer first. I say this because smpte code analog frequencies are so sharp and chaotic, that they will almost always cross talk from channel to channel in hardware devices. That is, it will leak and spread like a virus to seeminly isolated channels on your board. Even on analog tape, it will leak from track to track, so be careful. Three, always give a few seconds, between 10 and 30, at the begining of a track, such as including blank bars in your song mode, to let the smpte lay for a bit. That way, when you go back to read it, the MPC or whatever machine is reading the code has some time to lock accurately before the program material starts. The dope thing about the MPC, once you have smpte capability, is it makes a nice converter. MTC is the midi version of smpte, so you could ostensibly have MTC from a modern DAW, into the MPC, then output smpte to lock an old analog tape machince transport, etc. Or vice verse...Hope this info helps...

So, let's say I'm within Logic and I want to use SMPTE to synchronize my MPC to Logic in order to record audio from the MP.

So, I have to place the SMPTE code on an audio track in Logic, which will then play and tell my MPC to play back the audio, which I then record on another track in Logic?

If that is the case, this is quite cumbersome. I always thought it was just like MTC:just create the sync, press record+play within Logic and then the audio will be recorded onto the track that I selected.


I might still give a try, just to get the experience under my belt.

Thanks for all the info. Peace.

hey trupro...i know you explained the smpte thing...but what exactley are the perks of this......please excuse my ignorance

Good info trupro! cheers!

Yeah, it is way more old school and annoying than MTC, but it can be useful. For instance, if you are having midi problems, especially in someone elses studio, you can remedy it by laying a smpte track on your first pass. Thwe thing is, you can use it just like MTC if the audio interface, clock, or midi interface you are working with has a smpte output, then you are litterally doing the same thing you do with MTC, with no need to record or 'stripe' a physical code track first. But there are also times when none of that is available. Back day, I would be without computers but had to sequence or remix a song. I'd take the recorded vocals, and mute all the music. Then, I'd do a quick mono vocal mix, output that to the left channel of a two track (cassette or CD usually) and send the output of the already layed smpte track to the right cheannel of the 2trk. I'd take that home and throw the right output cable of a cassete deck or CD into the smpte in on the MPC, and the left channel out of the deck into a mixer, and viola, a timecoded vocal comp that starts your mpc to the frame, so you can go thru and program whatever you want. Then I would take that songmode to a protools rig, load the original session or ADAT and relay the finished songmode to the smpte code. There are a bunch of scenarios just like this with many devices. The point is, you don't need anything fancy to sync the MPC to just about anything, as long as you lay that smpte on the first pass or have a smpte output device to have the MP read the master recorder. It can definately come in handy.

trupro wrote:Yeah, it is way more old school and annoying than MTC, but it can be useful. For instance, if you are having midi problems, especially in someone elses studio, you can remedy it by laying a smpte track on your first pass. Thwe thing is, you can use it just like MTC if the audio interface, clock, or midi interface you are working with has a smpte output, then you are litterally doing the same thing you do with MTC, with no need to record or 'stripe' a physical code track first. But there are also times when none of that is available. Back day, I would be without computers but had to sequence or remix a song. I'd take the recorded vocals, and mute all the music. Then, I'd do a quick mono vocal mix, output that to the left channel of a two track (cassette or CD usually) and send the output of the already layed smpte track to the right cheannel of the 2trk. I'd take that home and throw the right output cable of a cassete deck or CD into the smpte in on the MPC, and the left channel out of the deck into a mixer, and viola, a timecoded vocal comp that starts your mpc to the frame, so you can go thru and program whatever you want. Then I would take that songmode to a protools rig, load the original session or ADAT and relay the finished songmode to the smpte code. There are a bunch of scenarios just like this with many devices. The point is, you don't need anything fancy to sync the MPC to just about anything, as long as you lay that smpte on the first pass or have a smpte output device to have the MP read the master recorder. It can definately come in handy.

Okay, rather than starting a whole 'nother post, I'd like to ask you trupro:

Is it ill-advised to user MPC as an MTC master for a DAW, specifically for recording from the MPC into the DAW? I know that in most instances, folks slave the MPC to the DAW.

Let me know. Peace.

wow...smpte sounds complicated

i think ima stick wit midi....

yeah it does sound complicated......at this point it is beyond me

but it was nice of trupro to explain why you might ever want to use it ....

Okay, rather than starting a whole 'nother post, I'd like to ask you trupro:

Is it ill-advised to user MPC as an MTC master for a DAW, specifically for recording from the MPC into the DAW? I know that in most instances, folks slave the MPC to the DAW.

Let me know. Peace.[/quote]

That is correct to the extent of my knowledge. I have heard of the MPC-as- master working, but the standard with tape (becauase of smpte) was to always have the final recorder be master, because the code had been striped to that tape, and therefore had to be master. It seems reliable to this day to have the end medium as it were be the master.