Allow me to tell you that is not the case
The reason why DC coupled is prefered for some applications is because you can get an actual 5V DC (or more/less) signal from it which can - without any additional electronics - be used to drive CVs or TTL like DinSync.
There’s tons of AC sync systems that will be just as reliable or tight. It really doesn’t matter.
I think it’s very important for OP to understand that no 120 BPM is ever the same. Every single music device or DAW will have a different “120 BPM”
Thats why syncronization clock exists, otherwise we’d only be doing start/stop
Erm yes, I do understand this! That’s why I’m going to some lengths to ensure my whole rig is clocked tightly.
I actually have multiple time-sync tracks for each device (one for every 10BPM as I outlined above).
So my Deluge’s 120BPM time-sync signal isn’t lined up the same as my Mac2’s 120BPM (because they respond with different latencies).
I suspected this was the case but wasn’t sure. A lot of people report using non-DC-coupled interfaces and it works fine.
hapax makes both possible
I hate to resurrect this thread, but I have also noticed audio-sync issues in my setup. In my case I’m using bitwig’s HW clock out, every so often it lags by a small amount while I’m in the middle of recording and it’s very jarring. Have had this issue with two separate songs. Haven’t figured out the exact reason yet.
Details: Macbook Pro, M4, 16 ppqn (64th notes at 50% pulsewidth from the generator). Using an output on arturia 16rig, gain cranked up pretty high on the interface or else it doesn’t trigger.
try louder sync signal. clipping is ok
In my setup my main Mac is audio-syncing several things: another Mac, a Hapax, and a Deluge.
In all honesty, I’ve not found a perfect solution to fuckery-free syncing… MIDI clock is too loose for me, audio-syncing does occasionally go out (especially because I’m not using a plugin, I simply send an audio signal from the timeline).
I decided to take control of it and be able to nudge stuff when needed. I setup a spare pair of headphones and have a click routed to each ear so I can line stuff up manually if needed.
Then created a manual tempo-nudging system as outlined here:
It allows me to nudge any device in or out of time. Works well for my purposes but might not be what you want or need.
Not sure what you’re saying here, (please, if you’re trying to say something, add some words which clarify your communciation) but I’ll try to address it as best I can:
So, after testing, I learned that the Hapax syncs very well - as long as it’s receiving an uninterrupted clock signal.
Whether you can deliver this perfect clock signal depends on your setup.
I run a huge Ableton project - over 700 tracks, very complicated setup, and furthermore, for various reasons, my audio-syncing is sent directly from an audio clip in Ableton (ie not from a dedicated plugin which might prioritize it’s signal).
Because of this (and despite my CPU usage being managed well), occasional audio dropouts mean the clock signal isn’t perfect.
This is why I implemented my tempo-nudging system. I have loopers running on two different Macs, and MIDI coming from many places.
To get this playing in time, all the time, requires manual control over the clocking. That’s why I developed the tempo-nudge.
This is no fault of the Hapax. As far as I can tell, the Hapax syncs very well.
the post i linked said the guy who had problems maintaining sync attributed it to buffer underruns. was that you?
wow 700 tracks? why so many? just curious. my computer is minimal by cutting edge standards and i have no issues syncing hapax. it works beautifully in fact.
i did have occasional sync problems until i adjusted the out level. btw ill have to try that tempo nudge technique. it sounds brilliant!
Yes, I believe buffer underruns may have been the cause, as I tested on an empty Ableton project and the Hapax kept sync perfectly for hours.
I’ve since upgraded my Macs, and it’s been better (I was pushing them quite hard).
Basically I run a pretty crazy mega-rig, 2 Macs, 7 Ipads, Hapax, hardware, a lot of controllers etc. It’s all setup to do some useful stuff whilst you’re jamming. The logic of the systems is handled by Drambo, TouchOSC, and M4L.
Here’s a little vid to have a look if you want:
One Ipad runs Drambo (this is a big project with over 4,000 modules), which interfaces all the controllers to the Macs, and handles the more advanced logic, controls the lights on the controllers etc. The other Ipads run TouchOSC to control Ableton or hardware etc.
Ha ha, cheers! Yeah necessity has led to a lot of little inventions in my rig.
what a unique setup. Looks like it’s something thats taken a lot of thought and effort over the years. Love seeing that kind of stuff
that is some epic gas bro! but respect for using software! im a fan of software myself. but holy mountain of gear batman! when i have too much gear i tend to purge to simplify. but i have no idea what youre doing with it. got any music up somewhere? its cool if not, i dont need proof. you are undoubtedly enthused!
Cheers! I’ve only been building it a little over two years, was using various combos of grooveboxes before that… never quite satisfied, so decided to build something unique!
Believe it or not, this setup has killed my gas completely. I only buy stuff now if it fits into and improves the system, there isn’t really much else I can add that would improve it. The hardware synths are fairly cheap, I guess they could be replaced with more expensive ones… but I prefer to have a synth I know really well than a more expensive one!
Yeah I understand this. One of the problems I discovered is, the more complex your setup is, the harder it is to use… you only have 2 hands, so if you want to gradually hi-pass the bass in, whilst low-passing the lead in, then that’s your hands occupied.
So I set out to build stuff that solved that, so you can set stuff going and it’ll happen in advance, so 2 hands are enough to improvise, arrange, mangle and perform a whole track.
The other thing was, there’s often (obviously) a difference in sound, quality, melodic/arrangement complexity, and polish, etc, between ITB tracks and stuff performed live on hardware. That’s the nature of hardware I guess… but I wanted to bridge that gap and have the best of both worlds.
I haven’t recorded a single thing on this particular setup - my last recordings were from being ITB, probably around 15 years old.
I do have around 9 or 10 songs almost ready to go, I’m just practicing performing them and I’ll record a video at some point. It all moves a bit slowly because of building/adding to the setup. I’m okay with that though as it’s gradually slowing down. Most of the system is built… it’s always going to evolve though!
Using it is quite simply the best thing ever 