Problems synching sp404 to a tr505 via midi

[luigi]

HI guys
I'm new here, just found out about this message board and I'm absolutely loving it.

A terrible problem is affecting me, please help me

Well, I'm trying to synch my sp404 to my new bought Roland Tr-505.

It generally does work fine. My problem is with patterns.

Don't know you, but sometimes I record pattern importing precise audio segments from my laptop.

Let's say I got a drum part which is at 120bpm, 4/4, 4 bars long.

If I I want to make a pattern of it I just need to quantize to the largest scale as possible (1/4 maybe?) and set the 120bpm and 4 bars measure and I press the pad once, and the pattern is done.

it's all been very smooth so far, and the result was quick and easy.

The problem now, is that when I synch the two machines, (sp404 and tr505) for some strange reason, when I play THOSE patterns they keep going out of synch, as they had different bpms. BUT when I play patterns built on the sp404 using single drum samples it does work fine, and they synch well.

What could it be? Did it ever happen to you?

Thank you very much for your help.

Luigi

[wax inspektor]

that shouldn't happen.. my sp keeps in sync no matter where it's slaved too...
are you sure that you're already midi-syncing? pressing both patterns at the same time is no midi-syncing...if you press 'bpm' on the sp... does it say MiD or shoes it up the recent bpm?

if midi is not 'activated' check the midi channel of both devices and make sure that the tr is sending midi clock... never used one, i guess the problem is over there... if it sends out start/stop signals then use them, that's when the sp get's the info for the tempo..

[luigi]

thanks for your answer inspector.

yeah, if I press bpm it does say midi. They're both on the same channel, and they both start at the same time with the same midi clock.

The very strange thing is this fact that only these patters that I prepared on the laptop, perfectly trimmed, and imported in the sp through flash card cause problems.

The pattern recorder using random samples get in synch.

And even stranger is the fact that those "pre-pepared" patterns usually work great if the sp is on his own without any other devices.

do you do the same thing and it does work to you?

[luigi]

I mean both machines start together and they seem fine, but after a few bars it feels like the sp pattern starts slowing down... and they get the synch again the the pattern starts goes back the to the top.

it almost looks like streching a bit...

could it be in the way I record patterns? but why it doens't happen with the sp on his own??

[wax inspektor]

with imported patterns you mean audio-material bounced to a loop i guess and that is already the answer.. the syncing is fine; but your loop (pattern as you say) isn't 100% perfect...

an easy solution would be to chop the loop into several pieces and place them in the sequencer...

*edit
the fact, that it doesn't happen on in the sp with out being synced makes me believe that the bpm-calculation on the tr isn't perfect. try using your computer as midi master clock to the tr + sp.

[luigi]

that is what I thought initially.

I thought that midi clock of Tr505 could be not 100% precise, I tried to synch in with a different sequencer and still, same problem.

The loops are perfect, cause they're trimmed on the laptop.
When I import them on the sp, they sound great. To place them in a pattern I just need to set the right quantize and the right length, and they squeeze in the patterns perfectly.
When I play the pattern I just need to set the right bpm from the audio loops itself, and they are fine.

When I chop the loops and I place them in the sequencer I don't have this problem, the synch is fine. But unfortunately not all the loops can be chopped...

To be honest it almost feels like the cpu slowing down playing long segments of audio when in synch with a different machine, which is quite weird anyway.

Or that when in synch with a different machine it doesn't recognize the quantize of when I place these audio loops in the patterns... but I don't think it is, because they sound fine at the start... they just go slightly out of synch after a few bars, and they go back in synch the pattern starts again.

[wax inspektor]

good description... changed direction:
so if you only use one loop the sync is stable, right?
..but with multiple loops, let's say 6 stereoloops, the hardware(404) is running slower and the sequencer might screw a few hits, while being syned externally?
THEN I would say switch over to a faster cf/sd-card!

are you using the og or the sx? which card you got?

[luigi]

good point actually.

I'm using the original 404, not the sx. And my flash card is Sandisk.

But unfortunately it does this indifferently with one or with 6 loops playing.
They start together, and after a few bars you hear the sp404 slowing down, and getting the time back when the loops starts again.

But only when synched in midi with a different machine, not when the sp404 is on its own.

Do you still think it can be the flash card? this thing is killing me, I based the whole live set on synching this two machines...

Thank you for your patience!

[wax inspektor]

no problem... midi can be heaven or hell!

u could try using the internal banks (for loops and pattern-data) instead of the card, just to check out if the internal memory is more stable than your card...
might be another hint?!

[luigi]

I'll try that too!

I'll let you know!

[plutoro]

SO did you try if it the problem of the card? COMPARING TO THE INTERNAL SOUNDS?

PLEASE LET US KNOW.

THANKS!

[soundsdefygravity]

New SP-Fourm user. First time caller.

I happened upon this thread tonight when researching a problem I'm having with my SP-404sx recently. The above thread sounds very similar to what I am dealing with.

I am trying to sequence the SP-404sx with Maschine, and I find that when I run a loop that triggers a few sounds from the SP, I get this very herky-jerky rhythm that is not quantized or as tight as it should be. I have tried multiple MIDI interfaces and configurations (including a completely different computer) and I keep getting the same problem, even when I am only triggering one high hat sample.

Anyone happen to have any advice on what might be happening? Is it possible that the patterns I have stored are conflicting with the maschine messages? (even if I hit cancel and turn off the patterns, it's still this weird janky rhythm).

The above issue sounds very similar to mine. Anyone heard anything more on this topic?

Thanks!

- M