Is there a way to use SMPTE midi timecode from octatrack to control video?

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi, I have a TV gig next week and the guy from the video needs an SMPTE audio timecode (My live gig is 2 Octatracks synced via an iConnectivity Mio4). I did this by putting the OT in studio mode and rotting the SMPTE wav file to the cue out. That’s fine, but I wonder if there is a way to send this kind of information directly thru the MIDI out of the Octatrack? in this way I don’t lose any track or output.

If anyone knows the Mio4… there is a way to send SMPTE thru its ethernet cable by converting the midi clock and transpose from the OT?

#2

The Octatrack arranger both sends and receives MIDI song pointer position.

Can’t tell more !

#3

What you’re probably referring to is what is known as MTC. As far as I know this is not supported by the OT.

I’m not sure what can be done, absent adding additional hardware to the setup.

Or if you feel like experimenting, there are some timecode over ethernet solutions that you can read up on. This isn’t something I’ve played with though.

Do you have any other drums machines that send MTC that could be chained off the OTs? My MV-8000 could be used this way, for example. I know some of the MPC family do so as well.

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#4

There are plenty of old MIDI interfaces that have MIDI clock to SMPTE (and vice versa) conversion and standalone modes. I’m pretty sure the old Midiman MidiSport 8x8s I picked up recently for next to nothing will do it in standalone mode, and I think the older MOTU Midi Express interfaces from the late 90s-mid 2000s (at least the two bigger ones) will do it, too. I’ve never actually tried it myself, though. There are also a lot of little boxes from the 80s that will convert Midi time code to SMPTE and vice versa and those are usually really cheap, like under $10, but they’re cheap because they don’t handle Midi clock (which didn’t exist yet), just MTC, so they’re useless with most modern gear that only does Midi clock, unfortunately…

Actually, I happen to have a friend’s old MOTU Micro Express half rack MIDI interface on loan right now, and I just confirmed it has SMPTE i/o, but I have no idea if it will convert between SMPTE and MIDI clock in standalone mode. If it does, they’re pretty cheap used and not too bulky (1u half rack and about 5" deep). That would be a pretty good option plus you’d get a halfway decent MIDI router/interface, too. MIDI clock out from the OT into the MOTU, SMPTE out from the MOTU to the video people and MIDI out from the MOTU to your other gear if you use any. Also it would give you the option of actually slaving the OT to video instead of vice versa, if you felt like it. Just make sure to find a manual and confirm that it will work in standalone mode before you buy one. And steer clear of the current version, AFAIK the MIDI timing is better than the old ones, but I’m pretty sure they dropped the SMPTE features. You want the old one that looks like this:

I just checked eBay and there’s one for $34 USD right now.

There was an even earlier version that predates USB and has a serial port on the back. It might work too and would probably be even cheaper but I don’t know much about that one.

Again, though, I haven’t actually used the SMPTE features on any of these so I don’t know for sure if it will convert MIDI clock to SMPTE in real time or if it has to be the master clock or what, so check the manual online to make sure it actually works if you’re thinking about going this route!

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#5

thanks! I have the Mio4 but I didn’t find anyway to convert… I have to look it more deeply, though

#6

JLCooper had a few stand alone router/patch bays that had this functionality as well. They too are pretty cheap on the 'bay.

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#7

I think JL Cooper made the ones I was looking at a while back that only did MTC not MIDI clock, but I’m not sure. I have one somewhere (it was $6 on eBay) that I got specifically to slave my OT to a portastudio without doing my homework, and found out the hard way that it predated MIDI clock. Fairly sure it was one of the last JL Cooper models but it’s at the bottom of a box in my closet.

If they made one that could handle MIDI clock as well as MTC it would be perfect for this.

OTOH I didn’t look at their MIDI routers, just their standalone timecode converters.

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#8

Good luck on finding a sensible solution. I’d be curious to see what you ultimately decided on.

Good luck with the TV appearance as well. I’d also like to hear about that. :wink:

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#9

guess what? the audio timecode that the guys wanted just didn’t work… not just with me, but with every f* video of the venue! hahah! it was in the way that we really like: raw live playing! but everything went great! and the lighting timecode worked just fine!
didn’t find the midi solution though.

here is the tv performance: https://youtu.be/xSgKBPaUUQU

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