NIOA VS-880 TIP 340-0001:

Erratic Digital Lockup Cubase

I originally tried Cubasis with the VS880 - but it only offered Midi Clock and the VS kept going slightly (but significantly) out of bonk with the sequencer. So I thought - oh what the hell - let's get up to my eyeballs in debt and get Cubase Version 3 complete with dongle!... Now I use midi time code for synchronization... and things are very good on the syncing front.

Then a new problem came up... (shock horror) I started to edit audio files on the PC going in and out digitally via a Turtle Beach Fiji sound card...

OK - imagine the scenario - you have finished editing your audio files on the PC... and cubase is playing them back nicely in time with your midi data. So you think - right, now to copy the Cubase audio tracks to the VS in realtime.

So - you set the VS to master for MTC, put it into record and record your Cubase audio to the VS (digitally of course - using the Fiji card!) Now you can make use of all that the VS offers on mixdown and it should sync perfectly to your midi files still sitting on Cubase...

WRONG...

As soon as you disconnect the lead between the Fiji card and the "digital in" on the VS - things go horribly out of sync between the audio on the VS and your midi tracks, (bearing in mind the midi leads are connected correctly).

BUT guess what - I've discovered the solution !!!

[1] Set Cubase to sync from the Fiji sound card clock.

[2] Take a "digital out" from the Fiji card to the "digital in" on the VS.

[3] Set "System PRM" / "MasterClock" to Digital on the VS.

[4] Set the VS to be Master in the Midi Time Code synchronization

[5] Press play on the VS

And now all works absolutely spot on fine - even to the point where if you play back the original audio on Cubase at the same time as the copy you made on the VS - you don't even notice any phasing or time delay of any sort.

It is because both the PC and the VS are getting their main clock signal from the Fiji audio card... (with the digital link in place)- only one clock and one clock would find it very difficult to go out of sync with itself!

So there you go - I'm sure someone will find this useful... it sounds simple but believe me if you don't know this simple procedure - you will go mental trying to sort things out... like wot I did.

Mark Trayton

mark@trayton.demon.co.uk

1997/12


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