Song Position Pointer (SPP)

A type of MIDI message held in a MIDI sequencer or synchronizer telling a connected device how many 16th notes have elapsed since the beginning of a song. Used in conjunction with MIDI clocks, this allows operation similar to true time code (which provides location as well as speed information). Song Position Pointer is used by sequencers and synchronizers which do not support MIDI Time Code (MTC) or SMPTE time code as a means of locating to a point in a song other than the beginning or the end. For example, a sequencer synched to a tape deck can use Song Position Pointer to start at the correct bar and beat even if the deck hasn’t been rewound to the beginning of the song, or has been fast-forwarded from where it was stopped.