It's odd that so many people are responding that they could not make sync work with Cakewalk as the master. My experience is that I have more problems when the VS880 is the master. The tech sheet from Roland (available from the Roland Users Group) gives very detailed and accurate instructions for syncing the VS880 with all of the major sequencers.
Here are the high points to using Cakewalk as the master:
1. Set the clock to"SMPTE/MTC" Can be done from the "Clock..." option on the Settings menu or by clicking the clock button on the control bar (the one just below the Step Mode Button) repeatedly until it says "MTC" (in very tiny letters)
2. Go into "MIDI Output" on the Settings Menu. Click "Transmit MMC" to place a check in that box. Set "Timecode Master's Unit ID" to "17"
3. Set "Time Format" to "30 non-drop frame". (Can be done from the "Time Format..." option on the Settings menu or by double clicking the Time format display on the control bar (its the little box on the lower left, directly below the current time display, to the left of the SMPTE current time). Either method opens the Time Format Dialogue box.
NOTE: there is a field in the Time Format Dialogue box labeled: "SMPTE/MTC Offset" It defaults to 3 seconds. At this setting, it causes measure 1, beat 1 to occur at SMPTE time 00:00:03:00. I find I get better results by setting the offset to zero, and having my sequence begin on the 2nd measure. (The 1st measure has no MIDI events other than Sysex data and controller initial values for the sound modules. This has the dual effect of giving the VS880 a full measure to time chase the PC, and lets me dump all of my sysex initial values before any note-on data goes down the MIDI pipe; less chance for MIDI event timing issues.)
1) Press SYSTEM (under EDIT CONDITION) until the display reads [SYS Sync/Tempo?]
2) Press YES/ENTER.
3) Use the TIME/VALUE dial to select Source = INT (if it is not already selected).
4) Press PARAMETER>> until [SYS Syn:Gen. =] is displayed.
5) Use the TIME/VALUE dial to select Syn:Gen.= MTC.
6) Press PARAMETER>> until [Syn:MTC Type =] is displayed. Use the TIME/VALUE dial to select 30.
7) Press SYSTEM until the display reads [SYS MIDI PRM ?]
8) Press YES/ENTER.
9) Use the TIME/VALUE dial to select Device ID = 17 (if it is not already selected).
10) Press PARAMETER>> and use the TIME/VALUE dial to select MIDI Thru Out.
11) Press PARAMETER>> and use the TIME/VALUE dial to select SysEx.RX = On.
12) Press PARAMETER>> and use the TIME/VALUE dial to select MMC = Slave.
This has worked flawlessly for me. One thing that was a little confusing: The VS880 is the slave, so Cakewalk transport controls will effect corresponding actions on the VS880. Cakewalk reacts to the VS880 Stop button (that is, when I press Stop on the VS880, Cakewalk stops, too.), but none of the other VS880 transport controls (that is, if I press the VS880's Play button, Cakewalk does NOT start playing the sequence). I was confused that the VS880's transport controls sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, until I realized it was merely an unintended benefit that the Stop button effected Cakewalk. The Master unit is the Master unit, so its transport controls are the boss.
DanTx
27 Jan 1998
1998/03