Octatrack Mk2 Clock Resolution?

[vasidudu]

Hi
Willing to bypass my Torso T|1 to sequence my modular.
I have a Befaco MIDI Thing which has a clock and a reset output.
If I send the clock from the OT, what will be the resolution?
I suppose I could also send a series of 16 triggers (on a MIDI track on the OT) to the MIDI Thing to simulate a clock. Advantage of that is I can swing the clock I had done that successfully in the past. For some reason though, sending a RESET signal with a single trig on the first beat did not work properly with some modules (mainly Grids which only accepts a proper RESET). Tried everything with micro-timing, trig LEN… To no avail. Though I now realise I had not tried to increase velocity. Could that be the reason?
Thanks for any help/tips on the matter.

[SKull]

I think the MIDI clock is standardized and the same on all MIDI devices.

[PeterHanes]

@vasidudu

I have a Befaco MIDI Thing which has a clock and a reset output.
If I send the clock from the OT, what will be the resolution?

As @SKull points out above and as is written in the fragment of the MIDI Thing manual that you posted, the resolution of MIDI Clock messages (from the OT or any other MIDI sequencer) is always 24 ppqn. That means six MIDI clock ticks for each step on the OT’s sequencer.

As the MIDI Thing manual shows, you can set the resolution of the MIDI Thing’s clock output to whatever value you would like.

@vasidudu

I suppose I could also send a series of 16 triggers (on a MIDI track on the OT) to the MIDI Thing to simulate a clock.

You can do that. That would mean that the MIDI Thing would output Gate signals with a resolution of 4 ppqn.

@vasidudu

sending a RESET signal with a single trig on the first beat did not work properly with some modules (mainly Grids which only accepts a proper RESET). Tried everything with micro-timing, trig LEN… To no avail. Though I now realise I had not tried to increase velocity. Could that be the reason?

You sound very confused. What are you actually trying to do?

[vasidudu]

@SKull

I think the MIDI clock is standardized and the same on all MIDI devices.

@PeterHanes

As @SKull points out above and as is written in the fragment of the MIDI Thing manual that you posted, the resolution of MIDI Clock messages (from the OT or any other MIDI sequencer) is always 24 ppqn. That means six MIDI clock ticks for each step on the OT’s sequencer.

As the MIDI Thing manual shows, you can set the resolution of the MIDI Thing’s clock output to whatever value you would like.

Thanks to @SKull and @PeterHanes for pointing this out.

@PeterHanes

You sound very confused. What are you actually trying to do?

Hahaha!!!
I am indeed.
What I tried in the past did not work for the RESET message: I was using 2 MIDI tracks in the OT for 2 purposes:

1. MIDI clock and that worked fine
2. RESET though was weird as some modules (Mimetic Digitalis from Noise Engineering and Voltage Block from Malekko) were responding to the RESET trig from the OT but others (MI Grids) did not.

I am certainly not looking at it the way I should I suppose.
If the MIDI Thing scales the 24ppqn by a factor of 6, I am getting a clock “signal” on every quarter note. How would I get a sixteenth note clock (16 ticks)?
I could indeed use a MIDI track for the clock out in the OT but if possible would like to use the MIDI Thing clock out for this purpose.
Much appreciate the help.

[PeterHanes]

@vasidudu

If the MIDI Thing scales the 24ppqn by a factor of 6, I am getting a clock “signal” on every quarter note. How would I get a sixteenth note clock (16 ticks)?

This sounds wrong. What happens when you try each of the MIDI Thing’s clock resolution settings?

[protrusion]

@vasidudu

I could indeed use a MIDI track for the clock out in the OT but if possible would like to use the MIDI Thing clock out for this purpose.

I don’t know a thing about MIDI Thing, but I do know a thing about MIDI clock. MIDI clock is in the category of “system realtime messages” in the MIDI standard, which means it’s not channelized. To send MIDI clock from OT, you turn it on in the settings of the OT. It is not related to OT MIDI tracks and you do not have to enable a MIDI track to use it.

Now, looking at the manual screenshot for the MIDI Thing, the Thing seems to use incoming MIDI notes to change its settings. That’s interesting! So, it sounds like you want to send MIDI notes to the Thing from the OT to change the Thing settings.

The ‘clock’ related setting for the Thing which mentions Elektron (notes 4 and 5, E and F?) is to handle a specific case that comes up a lot when interfacing gear with MIDI clock. Some devices send MIDI clock pulses all the time, whether they are playing or stopped. Some devices only send MIDI clock pulses while they are playing. It looks like the MIDI Thing lets you pre-configure the MIDI Thing to know which type of device you are using. So, I’d guess if you want to send MIDI Clock from the OT to the Thing (which it kind of sounds like you don’t), then you’d want to send that MIDI Note to the Thing to tell it that it’s receiving clock from an Elektron device (which sends clock even when stopped). I’m guessing you’d only have to send the note once per power-on of the Thing?

[vasidudu]

@PeterHanes

This sounds wrong.

Yep but that is exactly what it is doing.
have not yet tried other clock fractions but will do so.
Have managed so far to change the settings on that MIDI Thing to have a reset signal and it works
I am also sending clock on OT MIDI channel 1 as 16 clicks to the MIDI Thing and it also works

[vasidudu]

@protrusion

I don’t know a thing about MIDI Thing, but I do know a thing about MIDI clock. MIDI clock is in the category of “system realtime messages” in the MIDI standard, which means it’s not channelized. To send MIDI clock from OT, you turn it on in the settings of the OT. It is not related to OT MIDI tracks and you do not have to enable a MIDI track to use it.

Thanks for helping And yes you are correct.
Though I have an issue where when I send clock to the MIDI Thing from OT, I get a clock signal every quarter note.

@protrusion

Now, looking at the manual screenshot for the MIDI Thing, the Thing seems to use incoming MIDI notes to change its settings. That’s interesting! So, it sounds like you want to send MIDI notes to the Thing from the OT to change the Thing settings.

Correct. By entering MODE, I can send various notes from OT’s chromatic keyboard to change settings.

@protrusion

The ‘clock’ related setting for the Thing which mentions Elektron (notes 4 and 5, E and F?) is to handle a specific case that comes up a lot when interfacing gear with MIDI clock. Some devices send MIDI clock pulses all the time, whether they are playing or stopped. Some devices only send MIDI clock pulses while they are playing. It looks like the MIDI Thing lets you pre-configure the MIDI Thing to know which type of device you are using. So, I’d guess if you want to send MIDI Clock from the OT to the Thing (which it kind of sounds like you don’t), then you’d want to send that MIDI Note to the Thing to tell it that it’s receiving clock from an Elektron device (which sends clock even when stopped).

I have already change some settings successfully:

1. RESET message instead of ST/SP.
2. Have stopped clock settings being sent from OT to MIDI Thing as well. Pretty handy.

@protrusion

I’m guessing you’d only have to send the note once per power-on of the Thing?

You actually have to enter a LEARN mode to change these settings so you do it once and you are good to go

[vasidudu]

OK so Dario from Befaco confirmed that the max resolution from the MIDI Thing is 48ppqn, which corresponds to 8th note.
Email received:
“I think you only will be able to change to 48 ppqn, this is the maximum, therefore you obtain a maximum clock of 8th note.
Best,
Darío”