From inSync reader Ross M. comes the question: “I run a BRC, three ADAT-XT’s and Digital Timepiece for sync in various directions. I can’t seem to get my system to drive my Roland XP-80 keyboard sequencer. I’m sure I have the in/outs hooked the right way (9 pins + midi). The sequencer is set to slave. Could you please suggest the proper hook-up line for me?”
When one begins to put many different types of equipment together in situations like this he is sort of building a whole new “machine” that may never have been built before anywhere. It can be pretty difficult to track down problems in these systems unless you have a real thorough understanding of all of the devices involved. This pretty much eliminates getting tech support from the manufacturer because they generally only know about their own equipment. This is exactly why consultants in the major music markets make lots of money solving these kinds of problems. It is also a major distinction between the service that Sweetwater offers versus most other places. We solve the systems we sell.
In Ross’ case we put our tech support genius Bruce Hendrix on the case and he quickly deduced that Ross was probably sending MTC (see WFTD archive MIDI Time Code) from either the BRC or DTP to the XP-80. Like most hardware based sequencers the XP-80 does not sync to MTC. MIDI beat clock (see WFTD archive “MIDI clock“) is required. Once Ross sent the XP-80 MIDI beat clock from the BRC the system worked perfectly.