How to test Seq timing

Mo · 28 Jan 2012

In FL make a pattern with a internal drum sound on every beat. Then make a pattern with your sequencer doing a short sound also on every beat. Go to playlist and and make the two patterns play in sync together at 130 BPM in 10-20 min. non-stop. If no drift in sound, then your timing should be right.

nix · 28 Jan 2012

Yep, that's the way. If you want to be picky, record/render both sequencers over the top of each other and see if they reproduce the exact same kick at the end of the file. Another thing I have been doing is playing staccato notes of the kick at 300-400bpm. This soon shows to the ear if the timing is fluxing. Bill, I've noticed with ur previous sequencers, the timing has been a tick. This sounds fine, but as soon as you start quantising it into a set BPM, the timing gets wonky. I currently am experimenting with feeding SM a MIDI note which is turned into a tick by a MIDI splitter. This works really good. Previously to current,I have 11025 hz with a MAX/msp device. U can use this to sample a stream, so only 4 samples error. It is kinda carppy coz you need to use a virtual MIDI cable. Currently I can get around using any cables by using Sensomusic Usine. I don't send ridiculous amounts of MIDI data anymore, just one tick per sequencer iteration, Usine has a nice settable tempo MIDI clock. This means we don't touch the windows timers, meaning you can render out, and u don't get audio dropouts when redrawing graphics. U can export a VST with a SM VST inside from Usine. Good luck and all success, I love building sequencers in SM too-the logic just sits nicely with me. If you would like a poke around in my polyphonic one with 32 128 step patterns, let me know and I'll pm it you 8D.

billv · 29 Jan 2012

Thanks Mo, I tested X10 first and it was funny. It's all good for a while and then it turns into a delay unit!!!!!!. Had big hopes for the X11(the Synth in question) cause it has a different system. Spent a lot of time on syncing everything within the synth. It runs like clockwork but again, in the host , over time it's drifting out. So close!. One thing I have got right is when dragging the host tempo around, the VST stays on the money. Thanks Nix, Your right. My timing setup is based on (myco's) PPQ module. The problem is that there is a 'Tick" right at the end of the chain, converting signal to float. I think That's the weak link that's bringing me undone. I saw this the other day,got desperate, so I started to try to make a timer with no "tick". I ended up making a "Flip/Flop circuit in green using the "loop" module and that was really funny.

nix wrote: experimenting with feeding SM a MIDI note

Good luck with that. I want to stay inside SM. But yeh, a lot can be done with that midi data that's coming through.

nix wrote: If you would like a poke around in my polyphonic one

If thats the "Dream Sequencer" then no. Already got several copies. All good. If I understood code, I could get into the guts of myco's PPQ module and probably fix this whole thing it in 2 minutes. Thanks again.

nix · 29 Jan 2012

np. ur welcome. Damn, it's so hard to get this tick system working neat. Yeah, it's the latest Dream Sequence. I am going to include it in an expansion for Usine. Perhaps you could sample a stream if wish to keep within SM-stream should be pretty spot on, as per the soundcard's clock. All success!

billv · 29 Jan 2012

Here's a Timer with no "Tick" modules. Its powered by the Flip Flop circuit. I'm gonna test it out later tonight in a host. I'll try anything.

nix · 29 Jan 2012

[old link] There is a double precision counter inside this one. Should be peaches within the host. It won't run out of sync, but the problem is sampling it quickly enough. hmm I got that down to 4 samples I think. You can sample it slower if ya wanna, it'll be pretty there and abouts though. It doesn't really help with this green thing, but I think MIDI is essentially slower at around 30,000 bytes per second. I understand there are 4 bytes to each note on or off, giving around 7500 hz. Usine doesn't like messages this fast, but SM and Orion cope OK. Orion has a stellar engine, can run it freakish fast, I've tried. All success man 8D

billv · 30 Jan 2012

Yeh I've got that one. Had no luck understanding it. One of things that inspired me to look into timing and sequening was this synth (a Fl studio SM download). It's got 2 clocks running and Sounds sick. Look inside for the clock module.

billv · 30 Jan 2012

Nix, you were right all along. I took another look at Dreamtime Seq and pulled your timing system out, set it up with my Seq modules and tested it and it dosn't drift. All good so far. Will throw it into a full synth and test again soon. Wicked. Thanks mate.

billv · 30 Jan 2012

Does not drift but is out of sync at the start. Top is Kick Drum. Bottom is synth.

So then I checked Dream Sequencer and got this,

Does this mean I need to think about the "Bar Start" module?????

Note: Did I test it wrong? Both tracks recorded same time using a "Edison" on each mixer channel. Both edisons were linked to a dashboard knob for sync start. Edisons were set to record with the "on play" setting.

nix · 31 Jan 2012

Hey, Glad the timing is not drifting now 🙂 What u r seeing with the lagging note is the tick100 interval. So it is triggering the first time the green tick detects the stream note on. It is max 1/60th second late. It has been tested by oddson I think that the tick100 is closer to 60hz, than 100. All success

billv · 31 Jan 2012

How's this for a tease! Got 10.9 Update today for Fl Studio, and I found it's got a Clock module ready to go . It's rock solid. I've been trying to modify it(the fl clock module) all day but getting the same results as before. So it's a really hard decision to make now. I've been trying for a long time to get this timing thing right- and here it is suddenly staring me in the face. Really tempting.