This came to light in another MIDI sync / clock thread so I have opened this thread to discuss this beast of a clock instead of hijacking the other thread which was a software clock solution.
Asked in the other thread but will try again
How does instant start work with no lead in?
Is that by:
applying latency in the DAW? Ie timing information sent out to Gridlock in advance of DAW starting
Or
having some âtime compressionâ of the outgoing midi clocks for the first beat or so before everything lines up
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If one was wanting to switch things up and jam dawless I guess you could for instance have a preset using clock from a sequencer of choice and simply change the Gridlock II patch reflecting the clock and MIDI routings?
Obviously would not be rock solid like the audio in from the DAW interface but guess is possible?
Hey - Iâll try and keep an eye on this thread as best as I canâŚ
Sorry for late reply - busy of course - push ahead - no compression 
No - not that easy - its not really a DAWless jammer box - it was never designed to be - you can fudge it and use it as a tight router but that would mean bolting the inside firmware clocking / shifting / alignment engine to any old external MIDI Clock fed to its inputs. Thats like buying a Ferrari and filing it with dirty fuel and hooking up a caravan.
May as well stick to a cheap MIOxl.
Again - something people forget - itâs the most over engineered clock generator available for sure.
But its real magic is less about clocks and all about event timing - the MIDI Notes / Triggers / Gates.
Thatâs the hard part - getting the DAW to generate events tighter than any hardware sequencer you can find - vintage or current.
And thatâs why itâs not a DAWless jammer accessory really - its totally DAW centric - the DAW as the tightest clock and event sequencing system in a unified device.
Donât get me wrong - the few hundred in the wild to date are used by all sort - lots of guys with Cirklons and OXIs and Hapax and MPCs that like to shift the workflow around to get away from the screens - of course I get that - I came from a time when there were very few screens so I know the appealâŚ
These guys (and myself) still use their outboard sequencers to drive hardware and compose on them but in the end - they want these âjamsâ to end up in a commercially finished project so they run them clocked to GridLock II and just use the Spacebar as start/stop and tempo remote control - that keeps everything locked up perfectly with minimal headache and maximum funk and they can still go nuts on modular stuff or driving MIDI etc but then when it comes to it they arm a track in the DAW and record it in - its already there
I have an actual review I was sent in April that talks about this but I still donât know where to put it - most people these days donât believe reviews anyway - I know I donât
29th April 2026
A few thoughts from a new Gridlock II owner.
Given the importance of feel and timing accuracy to electronic music it is perhaps surprising that it has taken until the second quarter of the 21st Century for Gridlock ii to be released.
Itâs also true that you might not think of it as sexy. It doesnât make sounds and youâre unlikely to hear it name checked by your favourite electronic artists.
However, if you have more than one hardware unit (synth, drum machine, time based effects unit etc) in your studio then, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, you definitely need one!
You see, those of us with hardware collections have a history of shared experience. You program a sound you love on a beautiful vintage piece, a MiniMoog bass line or a sparkling arpeggio sound for Prophet 10 and you canât wait to use it in the new tune youâre working on. But, when you try to record your masterpiece into your DAW it all starts going wrong. Routing issues slow you down and, even after you have solved them, there is still that timing problem. Played on the synthâs on board sequencer it sounds wonderful. But, as soon as you add it to the rest of the track it just doesnât sit right.
You end up using a plugin. Itâs less fun, doesnât sound as good and the sound is far less original, but, it sits in the mix in a precise, predictable way and thatâs what the client wanted.
But it doesnât have to be like that. After just a few days with Gridlock in my studio I noticed something remarkable. All those sequences were actually ending up in tracks.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly Gridlock makes your set up ludicrously easy to navigate. The way the hardware is configured means that you can simply select âARP2600â or whatever your weapon of choice is from a drop down list of MIDI destinations and get straight on with making music. No wondering, no waiting, no crawling under desks with MIDI cables in your teeth, just click and go.
As soon as you do you discover delight number two - that timing!
The timing really is one of those things, once you hear it there is no going back. Everything just sounds ârightâ.
The Gridlock generates its One To Rule Them All MIDI clock itself from an audio signal generated by a Gridlock plugin that runs in your DAW. Since computer audio is essentially jitter free the resulting clock rules your hardware with an iron grip. Suddenly, not only do the sequencers and arpeggiators that came with your hardware âworkâ in a way they never have before but, suddenly their built in swing features sound great! Itâs like getting new kit that sounds as lush as your old boxes but is suddenly intensely obedient and precise.
Not only that but it works with all your gear. Gridlock can output MIDI on either 5 -PIN DiN or USB but the joy doesnât stop there. It also supports CV (in all its flavours) and even DIN Sync for that 606 you havenât used for years!
Clocks plus real-time events in all formats in one unit and it does what it says on the tin !!!
I can still use hardware event sequencing if I want but now I donât have to in order to get the feel I know is possible. I can choose.
The other day I had a MiniMoog (5 PIN MIDI), a Sub 37 (USB MIDI), an Avalon 303 clone (DIN Sync) and A Summit (being driven from Logicâs Arpeggiator) all humming along together so tightly I would not have believed it possible.
For now it is simply making me very happy indeed.
That was 100% unsolicited and to be used if I wanted as an official review - his text was shorter and sweeterâŚ
Gridlock is well on its way to transforming my workflow. Possibly more importantly it has put a huge smile on my face. Iâm already spending more time making music and less time fixing problems. But the crown jewel is that timing. Iâve had CV, 5 PIN MIDI and my DAW of choice LOCKED together in a way you may be able to measure but you can definitely feel. Being able to use the on board sequencers of all my gear has put the fun back. Itâs awesome.
As I said at the top - I get the DAWless jam appeal - I did it for a decade when every expensive computer system aside from the Atari STE / Notator combo was utter garbage.
Iâve done MIOxl / CME / ERM / ES / UM-880 / MRCC combos and tried them in a DAWless setup and as a DAW interface system - even with our Sync-Gen 3LX system as Clock Master - but they all degrade the clocks, the port skews are variable and the event jitter just makes it all mush anyway.
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Iâm curious how it compares to an snd acme 4 anybody have both? Iâve sent audio triggers from a dedicated track from ableton from my audio interface and itâs been fantastic just needs a one bar lead in which is pretty easy to incorporate with a follow action. Iâll probably get one at some point and test myself because the innerclock has more robust IO and a better more up to date plugin. I do love the hands on controls of the acme but it would be nicer to store everything for easier recall
I see the appeal (similar to USAMO), but there are 2 missing features that would prevent me from using it:
- MIDI RTP to reach racks further away
- More MIDI outputs
I was thinking I could just connect a couple of mioXL to it, but your comment suggests that this would degrade the signal and ruin the fun 
.
USAMO uses a plugin - we donât.
1: MIDI over RTP doesnât work.
2: Use 2 x GL2s
MIOxl is what it is.