MIDI Sync Octatrack ==> Rytm

Elektron Gear Octatrack
#1

Hi

My setup consists of an Octatrack as master and a Rytm as slave. I want to achieve as tight a sync between the two as possible, as I use the Octatrack to sequence my Virus TI Polar.

There seems to be two ways to achieve this;

  1. setup Octatrack as master clock and Rytm to receive clock AND transport and use the sequencer on the Rytm.

  2. setup Octatrack as master clock and Rytm to receive clock ONLY and sequence the Rytm via the Octatrack’s MIDI tracks.

I suspect 2) would provide tighter sync between the Virus and Rytm but I do not understand enough about how the sync works in 1) to be sure. Would there be drift in the actual song position in 1) ?

My understanding of what is going on with 1) is that when you press Play on the Octatrack both sequencers on the Octatrack and Rytm will start simultaneously. From then on the Octatrack will send sync to ensure the BPM stays the same on both devices however I am not sure there is any mechanism on the Octatrack to send MIDI song position to the Rytm.

#2

Either of the two scenarios should provide adequate sync.

In scenario 1) you have three options for controlling the AR from the OT:
[ul]
[li]have the AR change its patterns following pattern changes on the OT (uses MIDI clock, transport, and Program Change messages)[/li]
[li]have the OT’s Arrangement and AR’s Song run in parallel (uses MIDI clock, transport, and Song Pointer Position messages)[/li]
[li]manually change the patterns or step through Arrangements/Songs on each instrument (uses MIDI clock and transport only)[/li]
[/ul]

#3

Since v1.21 on the AR and A4 I cannot get the Octatrack in sync anymore via midi, AR and A4 are in perfect sync but the octatrack is off… Does anybody have the same issue?

Guess it becomes time to invest in a multiclock… Or are there other solutions?

#4

Just realise that it might have to do with the latency of overbridge… If I’m using the machines stand alone the sync is back to normal. Still the multi clock might solve this issue because it has the individual shift feature per midi track… Or are there other creative solutions?

#5

[ul]
[li]have the OT’s Arrangement and AR’s Song run in parallel (uses MIDI clock, transport, and Song Pointer Position messages)[/li]
[/ul]
[/quote]
I have had no issues syncing my RYTM to Octatrack. I usually sync and send program changes. However, I would like to know how to set it up using Song Pointer Position messages as stated above. Also, how does this function? You said the song positions run in parallel. Does this mean if you start the song on line 3, both machines will start on line 3? Or does it go by # of pattern?
Thanks,
Prem

#6

[ul]
[li]have the OT’s Arrangement and AR’s Song run in parallel (uses MIDI clock, transport, and Song Pointer Position messages)[/li]
[/ul]
[/quote]
I have had no issues syncing my RYTM to Octatrack. I usually sync and send program changes. However, I would like to know how to set it up using Song Pointer Position messages as stated above. Also, how does this function? You said the song positions run in parallel. Does this mean if you start the song on line 3, both machines will start on line 3? Or does it go by # of pattern?
Thanks,
Prem[/quote]
Just put the OT in Arranger mode and the AR in Song mode, and make sure that the AR receives MIDI clock from the OT. The two should run in parallel.

MIDI SPP counts sequencer ticks from the start of the song so it should sync up beat by beat. I don’t have an AR, though, so I can’t physically try this myself to confirm.

Octatrack sending program changes
#7

Thanks for the reply.
I’ll check it out.
-Prem

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