sync to harddisc recorder

Any questions about the Midronome, technical or not
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Trigga
Posts: 2
Joined: 03 Mar 2022, 21:17

sync to harddisc recorder

Post by Trigga »

Hello,
I am interested in your device to do this: sync those Zoom harddisc or handheld recorders to midi or sync grooveboxes etc to them. Most of these harddisc recorderes come without midi, unfortunately. So would it be possible to send the metronome out from the recorder to the midronome and get a steady midi clock to all other instruments?

thanks!
Simon
Posts: 790
Joined: 09 Jan 2022, 22:08

Re: sync to harddisc recorder

Post by Simon »

Hi Trigga

Thank you for asking here :)

It will work if you can send a sync track from your Zoom device. Say your device has at least one physical output that you are not using, and you can somehow load a WAV file which is sent to that physical output (and nothing else is sent there), then you have a winner. Just send that audio sync track to the INPUT of the Midronome and it will sync.

I personally own a Zoom LiveTrak L-20, which I really, really LOVE - it's a mixer but amazingly versatile (actually funny enough it was a big inspiration to make the Midronome :D ). And one of the (many) things it can do is record multitrack while playing audio from an SD-card. This would work perfectly, you just load the sync track on the SD card, and send that to the Midronome. Then as soon as you press play the Midronome will sync to it.
Just FYI they also have a LiveTrak L-12 version with less channels ;)

/Simon
Trigga
Posts: 2
Joined: 03 Mar 2022, 21:17

Re: sync to harddisc recorder

Post by Trigga »

Hi Simon,
That sounds nice. But would it also work if I just send the metronome sound of a handheld recorder out? (so if I do not load a wav, but use the internal metronome bleep sound?)

And: I would want to use it for the Zoom R20 which does not have a seperate outm, but just a headphone out and a mains. is there any chance to make this work still?

Thanks in advance!
Simon
Posts: 790
Joined: 09 Jan 2022, 22:08

Re: sync to harddisc recorder

Post by Simon »

Oh interesting the Zoom R20 I did not know that one :)
Clearly inspired from their LiveTrak models actually - just with (a lot) less options.

I actually had a look at its manual, and it seems you cannot route separate tracks to outputs or headphones - otherwise you could have used one for monitoring and the other for the sync track to the Midronome.

The sync track works as 24ppq, so much more precise than a Metronome bleep for example which is 1ppq.
But sending the metronome bleep to the Midronome would work (you would want to set its input as "Drum pad" instead of "Sync", so it expects 1ppq instead of 24ppq), that would set the tempo on the device from the Metronome. In order to "sync" the device you will need to send a much louder click at the beginning of each bar (just like a "strong" drum pad hit would do).
See this video for how the Drum Pad works: https://www.facebook.com/midronome/vide ... 284531429/
Then you can imagine your bleep must "simulate" the drum pad hits basically.

Hope that makes sense! :D
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