straight out of the overbridge plugin track (no audio recording), have you tried to listen to a RYTM click track (no-attack-very-short-decay sound) with ableton live’s metronome?
how does it behave? should try first with a blank session (just the OB plugin).
[EDIT] : check the sync by ear i meant
Does Overbridge work with Ableton Link? Seems like that is a rock solid sync tool that Ableton built, just not sure how widely adopted it has become in the last year.
My set-up is similar to what you are considering. It’s taken me a while to settle on the optimal routing situation but I feel like it’s pretty dialed-in at this point. I’ve got an OT, Push 2, and a few other pieces of hardware with their own sequencers working together tightly. So - Push 2 is the “master controller” so to speak. Live is the master clock. I tried using Live as a slave, but was never satisfied. There’s a little jitter (USB midi), but since the overall sync is tight, I live with it. If I added an external sync device I think it would be perfect.
For midi, Live clocks the OT, and the OT is set to receive AND send clock. The OT clock then goes back to the midi router (iConnectMidi4+), and clocks the other devices. In Live, the offset amount in the midi/sync preferences is set to a negative value that gets the OT and Live audio tightly in sync. The audio from the devices clocked by the OT are also synced with Live, since they are driven by the offset clock from the OT. The iConnectMidi4+ is flexible so I route note data in such a way that any instrument can send notes to any other. So Push 2 can send to the OT or any other HW instrument, OT can send to Live or any HW instrument, and Live can send and receive from anything as well. Individual midi tracks in Live are dedicated to a single HW instrument, and each of these has a unique negative Track Delay value entered, to get notes sent from Live to record correctly into that specific instrument’s sequencer.
There is no HW mixer involved, everything is monitored through Live. I have HW going into the OT and the OT into my audio interface, but routing stuff directly into the interface works too. Audio in Live that I want to record to the OT gets bussed to a dedicated “audio to OT” track that also has a negative Track Delay entered, which allows for the OT to record perfect loops. When I want to record the OT, I use cue outputs, in regular mode with “cue mutes track”, so I can record individual tracks to Live while still hearing everything else from the OT.
This all works really well, now that I’ve ditched use of the External Instrument device in Live. That method was working fine until I added an iPad to the equation, and adjusting timing on one device started to affect all the others. Still haven figured that one out.
BTW: Use Delay Compensation and Reduced Latency when Monitoring are both ON in Live.
Hello. AFAIK live doesn’t automatically compensate the midi clock, as it would normally do with automation or audio.
Meaning the midi clock offsets that you set in the preferencies are session dependent.
Load 5 audio compressors in your session and you are out of sync.
Thanks for all the advice and tips peeps. Lots to try out. For now as I don’t have cash for sync boxes or stuff like that I’ve opted for a kind of hybrid.
I have the elktrons hooked up as they were. OT master with keys and rytm on the midi thru (also tempest too now). That way I can still play with them as one live entity with the modular. I hooked up the nord to my interface via midi. The plan is to switch between this hardwired set up and using overbridge with the rytm and keys when I want them synced with the computer. It should give me the best of both worlds this way. Eventually, I’d like a proper midi interface and some kind of sync system/solution but for now this hybrid should do the job I think.
This is true. 
I guess I’ve never fully registered that important fact. So - Philippe-2000, how can the problem be solved? (Besides never using plug-ins that have latency) 
Nedavine - Nice rig BTW. You will never run out of incredible sounds.
Also for syncing elektron devices. i use the erm for 2 ots and a rytm and it makes it supertight with ableton master. supernice machine…
If you’ll sync HW via overbridge, you must put all through overbridge devices, due to large plugin delay. For example, if you sync OT to RYTM using overbrige, and connect OT directly to soundcard, OT will be out of sync
To use HW with ableton :
Cheap option : define a FIXED ableton session for all your gigging. Fx and so long. You determine and fix the clock offsets.
Else you have to resync each time you introduce a component with look ahead (compressor ect…)
Alternate : you have an overbridge device. You can pass the clock gemerated by overbridge “thru” it’s device. No latency compensation though.
Better but expensive option.
buy a sync box like erm multiclock!
Hello everyone, i have 2 Sync options Overbridge (as everyone) and SYNC GEN (but i sold it to get or ERM Multiclock or ACME4 i don’t know which one i will pick for now)
I have a iConnectAudio4+ (i set very low buffer with it, the one i’m not be able to set with Pro Soundcard like MOTU, RME, UAD… don’t ask why i don’t know probably the fact it’s only 4in 4outs)
I have set Overbridge SYNC on both Analog Rytm and Analog Four. But then, i had plug a physical midi sync chain with normal midi cable from Analog RYTM to every modules i have to SYNC.
Also the Octatrack is configured as STUDIO Mode and i can use 4 Mono OUTS so if i want to record Octatrack separately i only have 2 take to make and if it’s Stereo i only have 4 takes to make because of the split signals i made with the use of Master OUTS and CUE OUTS.
Of course it’s not as TIGHT as it was with SYNC GEN, but it’s really usable. I can also working in Loop for hours and build things without too much pain. Sometimes i restart things and it’s ok.
But yes SYNC Solution is really the best because you can really offsetting all devices to get appropriate SYNC based on how the audio is recorded and analyse it to offset then. That’s what i really like about the SYNCGEN. Now i would like to change because i want a SYNC solution who are really standalone and do not require a plugin to generate the pulse. Paying so much bucks in Hardware require to me to live with it for years without asking upgrade or something if it’s works it’s works but i do not want to rely on software if it’s the case. That’s why i choose to have 2 SYNC options. So if OB is not there or ready, i can work
Also i like all the creative stuff you can do with multiple clock system, midi shuffle, stop-restart on the fly etc…
To me it’s a piece of gear (expensive psychologically) but it’s worth the price and you know it when you have it. But when you don’t have one you will say to the other hey man are you crazy midi sync with a computer work nice but it’s don’t. I like also to not be STUCK when i’m choosing a different scenario configuration a per track basis. Because i’m free to get it working rather to think oh shit i must to spend again in that things 
Hi Philippe, Yes, I went back and tried this again, just to be sure. I think it does sound better when it’s all stripped down to one track and the OB plugin, but when I start to add other tracks, gear, plugins, etc. it gets a bit whacky again. For me, I’m probably looking at diving in and getting a sync solution sometime in the next year.
Yeah. This used to drive me nuts. I had a setup that was all direct monitored through my RME ucx. Add overbridge and the plugin delay with audio via USB was something like 40-50ms out of time with anything else monitored. Makes sense but was definitely a pain.
OT syncs perfectly for me when sync to Live 9 via A4 running OB. If you want to get rid of OT because you are worried about potential sync issues, try that first. I have Live being the master and A4 slave and OT getting clock from A4.
I use Push 1 mainly for scale function as well but there are other options if that’s all you are planning to use Push (1 or 2) for. Lauchpro pad now has scale function and it works both with a computer and standalone. Novation Circuit is another option.
I couldn’t stand the sync issues any longer, and don’t like to work in a “fixed session” way, so I finally gave in and ended up buying an E-RM Multiclock. Super-nice machine. All of my sync issues are gone, it’s such a relief. Push, OT, DAW, external hardware, everything is tight and on time, all the time. 
Highly recommended.
so 5 months later…is everything still syncing? I’m considering one for the primary purpose of getting Ableton (x64 PC), A4 and the OT to sync so that way the OT can be my master controller while getting the benefit of VST audio effects.
Yes! Still syncing great with the E-RM solution. Actually, I’ve noticed that the weakest sync link in my rig is actually overbridge. It has some jitter that makes my AR sync a little less than perfect, bit its not bad. I’ve eliminated that by driving the AR from the multiclock only, taking all sync control away from overbridge. One other observation (that’s taken me years to notice) is that when the Octatrack is sending a ton of midi, ex. 3-4 tracks with arps on, that notes start to get sent with some latency. Not bad, but enough to be noticeable. I need to check and see if others have experienced this as well…
Hey just wanted to jump on this thread as I’m having some annoying audio sync issues with Digitakt into Ableton via OB and 3 other pieces of external hardware into Ableton via a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6.
It used to work like a dream! DT is clocking all of my hardware and all of the audio across OB and from the external hardware was tracking into Ableton with no noticeable synching issues. But then out of nowhere, OB and the audio from my interface are noticeably out.
I think the problem is the audio interface as this audio is lagging behind the Digitakt audio by about 20ms.
I’m have monitoring set to on for the hardware as I’m adding FX via sends in Ableton. I know this adds latency but this didn’t seem to be an issue before but now it is.
Has anyone else experienced this? No lag and then suddenly noticeable lag? Is it something I’ve done? Is it just a case of adding a track delay to the right channels and then saving this into a default template?
Thanks in advance
Freddie
