An inSync reader inquires:
I’d like to run the ADATS from their front panel or LRC and use the MTP/AV as a stand alone MIDI patch bay, but when the MTP/AV is on it won’t let the ADAT controls work. How can I get the MTP/AV to “let go” of the ADATS?
For the answer we went to our resident guru, Max Gutnik.
Unfortunately, you can’t. This is simply a limitation of the ADAT sync standard. Regardless of whether the Sync Master is an MTP/AV or an Alesis BRC, once an ADAT is a sync slave to another device, front panel control of the slave is lost.
Editor’s note: In fairness this is true of many recorders when they are a sync slave. We don’t want to sound like we’re picking on ADAT’s here. The ADAT just lacks the ability to switch in and out of that mode without a power cycle.