Cubase Midi Sync Rytm Problem

circuitshaker · 2014-09-25T15:44:16.000Z

Hey guys,

I’m trying to sync Rytm via midi (with cubase as master) and also running Ableton in Rewire for loops

So when i start play on cubase, everything else syncs

At the moment, Cubase triggers but everything is slightly out of time

Anyone uses cubase and rytm with midi?

Hope u can help

L4rs3rik · 2014-09-25T18:44:44.000Z

I’m on Windows using Cubase version 7.5.30.

First things first, you’re using a sound card that has ASIO drivers right? On Mac it’s something else and I have no idea what that driver is called.

Set your latecy as low as you can go when recording and for mixing you can bump it up a bit if you get problems with plugins.

Here’s my settings:

Devices (menu)
Device Setup
MIDI Port Setup
- Use System Timestamp for ‘Windows MIDI’ Inputs (Yes)
- Use System Timestamp for ‘DirectMusic’ Inputs (Yes)
Vst Audio System
- Audio Priority (Boost)
- Adjust for Record Latency (Yes)

Transport (menu)
Project Syncronization Setup
Timecode Source
- ASIO Audio Device (is the one you should use)

Ok, so next step is monitoring. If you’re doing that through Cubase you’re likely to get a delay that makes listening to what you’re recording be quite a lot out of sync. However when monitoring you’re not hearing what you are actually recording and since we selected “Adjust for Record Latency” in our settings stuff sounds worse then they are.

If you have a sound card that supports ASIO direct monitoring this is the way forward to be able to just play and hear the AR in sync with plugins and other audio in Cubase. My soundcard has a built in mixer so I’m actually never monitoring through Cubase for playback or recording, but hey that’s me.

So anyways to see how bad your sync problem is you can enable the click on the AR and the metronome in Cubase and listen to the madness. Does it sound bad? Now record the click track and then disabling the monitoring and listening back to what you recorded? Is it in the ballpark? For me it’s quite noticable delay when monitoring trough Cubase (having direct monitoring off) but when listening back and looking at what I recorded it’s much better.

On my system with my soundcard (RME Audio FirefaceUCX) I get about 64 samples (in 48000kHz) delay when sending midi (notes or midi clock) to external gear and recording it in Cubase.

That means that the audio I record from my AR is 1.3ms late. This slight delay is barely heard but I usually either use the track delay of the recorded audio to bump it back or edit the audio clip start point and use quantize to get the first beat to align with the Cubase grid.

Here’s another thread on a similar topic regarding midi jitter.

Octatrack sequencing VST - DAW not synced Octatrack

Hi everybody, I hesitated for a long time but I’m back to hardware… I made my wallet explode with A4 + AR purchases! But I still want to use some VST and don’t really want to get rid of them (U-he synths mostly), but refuse to fight with midi clock problems, and I know it’s quite always the case with DAW’s clocks. I had this idea: getting a MM or an OT and sequence the VST’s with its sequencer without syncing the DAW through Midi clock, just setting the right BPM in it in order to get,…

L4rs3rik · 2014-09-25T18:58:03.000Z

Oh and by the way, I’ve tried using both the USB midi of the Analog Rytm and the “real” midi ports on my soundcard to see if there’s any difference.

For me using the real midi input and not the USB midi stuff is slightly better. I guess that’s because RME make great hardware and their midi timing is very tight.

Midi jitter is another story and that’s something that some people have quite a lot of problem with. It’s about how the midi clock fluctuates. This can of course also be measured and analyzed. Like the famous Litmus test that Innerclock Systems have on their site.
http://www.innerclocksystems.com/New%20ICS%20Litmus.html

Short story here is that Elektron gear is very tight. Looking at the numbers is one thing but I suggest using your ears before throwing a lot of money at a problem that might not really be there. (Nothing wrong with Innerclock Systems hardware/software, I’m quite sure their stuff is great.)

If your getting a lot of midi jitter you could try to disable the clock receive in the AR and just use the transport receive instead. This way you have to manually set the tempo of the AR to match the BMP you have in Cubase and Cubase will basically just tell the AR when to start and stop.

circuitshaker · 2014-09-26T09:27:19.000Z

Hey Lars!
This is excellent! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this. Nice one
I use ASIO drivers (Prism Orpheous convertors).

I tried just using the RYTM with Ableton last night and it was cool! So obviously it’s an issue with Cubase?

I will try all ur suggestions and report back

Cheers

Huw

circuitshaker · 2014-12-24T21:42:55.000Z

Hey LArsErik

Just to say a massive thanks for your tips for getting Rytm working with Rytm!

Cubase couldnt help, but went through your points and it’s working great now!

Awesome job and thankyou!

L4rs3rik · 2014-12-25T01:21:09.000Z

You’re welcome.

ArthurGore · 2016-01-21T09:24:45.000Z

Hello guys,

I just purchased the Analog Rytm and connected it via midi in/out to Cubase 8. The problem I face is that Cubase does not trigger everything. I can record midi-notes when I push the pads and when I start cubase it starts playing the recorded midi-notes without delay and I can record an audio track, however, Cubase does not sync with the sequencer. I can´t start the sequencer by pushing play in Cubase and vice versa. Therefore it is a bit difficult to record my own drum sequences from the Rytm in Cubase as it is nearly impossible to sync it manually by pushing start on the Rytm and Cubase at the same time. I guess you know what I mean;-) The Analog Rytm is also not showing that it is getting data from an external source (I have seen this in a video on youtube).
I don´t want to use Overbridge, I would like to use it the “old-school” way with midi in/out. Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Cheers
Arthur

L4rs3rik · 2016-01-21T20:47:35.000Z

""ArthurGore"":

Hello guys,

I just purchased the Analog Rytm and connected it via midi in/out to Cubase 8. The problem I face is that Cubase does not trigger everything. I can record midi-notes when I push the pads and when I start cubase it starts playing the recorded midi-notes without delay and I can record an audio track, however, Cubase does not sync with the sequencer. I can´t start the sequencer by pushing play in Cubase and vice versa. Therefore it is a bit difficult to record my own drum sequences from the Rytm in Cubase as it is nearly impossible to sync it manually by pushing start on the Rytm and Cubase at the same time. I guess you know what I mean;-) The Analog Rytm is also not showing that it is getting data from an external source (I have seen this in a video on youtube).
I don´t want to use Overbridge, I would like to use it the “old-school” way with midi in/out. Thank you very much for your help in advance.

Cheers
Arthur

On your AR go into the sequencer config and there in the midi sync menu you enable clock receive and transport receive.
On your AR make sure you have the “input from” set to either MIDI, USB or MIDI+USB. This setting is in the midi port config.
In Cubase (if you’re using a fairly modern version) you find the settings for enabling midi clock under the Transport->Project Syncronization Setup menu. In this dialog you have a box with “Midi Clock Destination” where you can enable one or many midi outputs as targets for midi clock.

ArthurGore · 2016-01-21T21:35:39.000Z

Hi mate,

Thank you very much for your speedy response. Forgot to set the midi clock in cubase. It works perfectly now. Thank you again!

Cheers
Arthur

j0hnglist · 2016-01-22T06:17:57.000Z

glad to see so many fellow Cubase people here. But where’s our version of OB!?

jimknopf · 2018-03-05T13:55:02.269Z

Great to meet other Cubase users here, hoping they are still around.
Got my AnalogRytm MkII since two weeks now and beginning to use it for recording, despite the Overbridge desaster.

I have no problem getting synced recording as described above by Lars. But on playback the Rytm runs along with the recorded track as well, and I have not yet detected how I get something like “local off” (on synths) on the Rytm.

How do you avoid double play, with all that phasing and phase cancelling?
Yes, I could just turn down the Rytm Volume knob on replay, but is there a way how the Rytm runs while recording, but not while playing, when using Cubase transport controls?

One more question: can I choose and trigger Rytm patterns from a midi track in Cubase?
So far it looks like theRytm sends midi, but is completely “deaf” towards receiving midi from Cubase.