Hi there.
Here’s what I’m trying to achieve:
Two DTs, connected to a DJ mixer, and the ability to load a track on one while the other is playing and mix it in, beat-matched and in sync, just like you’re mixing techno/house records or CDs. Naturally, though, I’d like the advantages that MIDI sync gives you over those things too. Therein lies the problem…
I’m also running a synced Korg Monologue, using it’s internal sequencer, but we’ll get to that later.
I’m using a Beatstep Pro as the master clock, into a Kenton MIDI Thru box, which obviously has the two DTs connected.
So, in a typical scenario, like you’d expect, I load a program into each one to start, hit play on the BSP and off they go. I can fade the right hand DT in and it’s fine. The problems come when loading a new track into the left hand DT - how to mix it back in, in sync? Once you stop a slaved sequencer, it won’t re-sync until you restart the master (in this case the BSP).
I tried the obvious ‘manual’ solution - just hit play on the left hand DT in time. The trouble with that is that because it’s slaved to the BSP, the tempo nudging is disabled. You can only get it in sync if you hit play perfectly in time, which is not ideal at all. I want it like a record, where you can tweak the pitch once you’ve hit start and got it where you want.
Of course, when you turn ‘receive clock’ off on the DTs, you get the tempo nudging back, but then they obviously don’t receive sync from the BSP any more, making it redundant.
I could, of course, go completely ‘manual’ and have the two DTs completely un-synced and just mix them in like I’m using decks. No BSP. It does work and there’s actually a certain appeal to it, but here’s the issue with that - how do I sync my other stuff, like the Korg Monologue, which don’t have fine pitch controls or tempo nudging and also don’t start quite as instantly when you hit play, making it tough to get in time. I could use the DTs to send it notes, but I really like using the little internal sequencer on the ML and syncing it.
I’d be really interested to hear from anyone who is trying to do the same thing as me and has achieved a good solution or has any cool ideas. I really can’t think of any at the minute!
Thanks.