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Recording delayed in Synfire with a instrument drone in Cubase

Posted

When i record with the keyboard in Synfire the symbol positions are delayed..the timing is not ok

When i record the same track in Cubase with the keyboard then timing is ok

The intented use is recording with Synfire..what is going wrong here ?


Tue, 2016-10-25 - 10:22 Permalink

I switched to a 16 midi channel drone in Cubase for the timing problems with the other setup with every instrument track connected to a drone.

A drone is now connected to a 16 channel rack in Synfire..timing problem seems to be solved, but it is one bar later recorded the notes in Synfire

   

Wed, 2016-10-26 - 13:50 Permalink

It seems that a 16 midi channel drone in Cubase has with this setup..no possibility to group channels in Cubase ..end story

Wed, 2016-10-26 - 14:18 Permalink

I try also to make more then one cubase dronetemplate, but Synfire opens a Synfire port connected to a already existing Cubase drone projectfile
I do have now different racks from different Cubase projectfile in one rack setup.

The timing for Synfire and Cubase drones  for recording..what is max drones? ..i did make 100 drones in Cubase and 20 drones connected to instruments in Cubase tracks, but recording a piano track in Synfire gives perhaps a half bar delay ..besides the it start one bar later with recording

  
  

Thu, 2016-10-27 - 14:28 Permalink

i did a setup with one drone and one instrument track in Cubase and there is  still a delay in recording in Synfire ( half measure)

There is no delay with recording in Cubase itself

It makes that the drones are useless in Cubase.. how to solve this i don't know
Then using without drones ..directly Synfire, but there is memory limit for samples and there is no groupchannel in the mixer , no folders to organize sounds

 

Thu, 2016-10-27 - 19:38 Permalink

can you not just configure synfire to use the midi input device/port directly? Output from synfire can be through drones in cubase to generate the sound.

That's sort of how i have ableton/synfire configured and it works ok.

Other things you can check are the midi play through in synfire. also the settings in the synfire preferences about where to get timing from (sorry can't remember the exact setting name but it might be use midi drones for input?).

Once you have something that works. grab a virtual can of epoxy resin and squirt it all over your cubase and synfire preferences so you can never change them again. Unless Cognitone or Cubase introduce a bug you shouldnt need to make changes that wreak your setup, just add additional drones/instruments as required. Once it is working don't change sync sources, midi timing setups, etc again. That way you dont have any more pain unless you get a new computer.

Thu, 2016-10-27 - 20:41 Permalink

Thanks Blacksun

can you not just configure synfire to use the midi input device/port directly? Output from synfire can be through drones in cubase to generate the sound.

That's sort of how i have ableton/synfire configured and it works ok.

Other things you can check are the midi play through in synfire. also the settings in the synfire preferences about where to get timing from (sorry can't remember the exact setting name but it might be use midi drones for input?).

Two thickboxes must be choosen on the rack with the connected drone : i tried that ones too, but not good timing.. perhaps both at the same time

The setup for drones in Cubase is not that hard to setup it is only the midi input in Synfire what spoils everything
Yeah it should be nice to keep the settings...by using a working template and use this further

 

Sat, 2016-10-29 - 12:20 Permalink

Not sure I explained what I meant. I don't use drones for input, I use the midi device, ie either the usb device for the virus keyboard midi data, or the usb midi device on the soundcard, for input into synfire. These have to be excluded in ableton, so ableton doesnt try use them too. I also use a virtual midi cable (device) to route the ableton push out of a midi chanel on live into synfire, again as just a midi device in synfire (the push has to feed live it doesnt work without it, which is why this device goes into live, out and into synfire).

You set the midi input in the devices section in synfire, it should show you all the midi devices synfire can find, just tick the ones you want to use for input. Which ever instrument/track you select in synfire will then recieve the notes you play on the midi keyboard, and sound through whatever device you have set up for that instrument. Just remember to take that device out of Cubase so it can't try using it too.

Sat, 2016-10-29 - 15:37 Permalink

So Ableton acts as a midi soundmodule then..and no drones involved?
I could try this setup too for Cubase..because the drone setup seems to be not workable.

 

 

Sat, 2016-10-29 - 23:09 Permalink

Midi keyboard -> midi interface -> midi device driver -> synfire -> drone (in ableton) -> sound

I use drones in ableton to host the vst/au devices which are driven from synfire. I just dont use them for input into synfire. For that synfire just uses the midi device directly. 

Sun, 2016-10-30 - 11:43 Permalink

Yeah, i do have the same order :

Midi keyboard -> midi interface -> midi device driver -> synfire -> drone (in ableton) -> sound

Its only that in Cubase i can choose for a track instrument track or a rack instrument and can assign a drone for both setups.

I can use for every rack in Synfire a drone for a instrument track in Cubase that is my setup, but even with one rack and drone there is a delay in recording in Synfire as it seems now ( there is no midi input in Cubase for the keyboard its off ..i will take a closer look at this )

Using rack instruments combined with drones makes that there is no groupchannel routing in the Cubase mixer ( i don't see it yet )
With a groupchannel i can assign a group of the same sounds in the instrument tracks to one audio output in the mixer and the groupchannel is working with instruments tracks.

So iam forced to use instrument tracks..
No improvement yet..see pic.. i try another keyboardcontroller and if this is not working then i don't know anymore, how to get the right recording timing for a instrument drone in Cubase.

Sun, 2016-10-30 - 16:55 Permalink

At the moment Windows 10 is getting slow when Synfire opens a Vst .. i don't know if it is this windows 10 64 professional crap is responsible
Its all out of control by me.
Probably the best is to have a dedicated music computer.. i must assemble one

Sun, 2016-10-30 - 15:04 Permalink

what happens if you try it without cubase? just the midi keyboard, synfire and a gm/global device?

Wed, 2016-11-02 - 09:34 Permalink

Ok, i can record normal with the right timing for the 64 bit engine if i use a Vst in Synfire.
Surprisingly it works now correct the recording timing for the drone

I use 64 bit audioengine  with a multiclient driver: probably therefore i got a warning message: All instruments of an arrangement should be hosted on the same audio engine or DAW...etc

There is no 32 bit audio engine involved, but because the midi input needs the audio engine in Synfire and Cubase has also its audio engine...let me look i ican bypass the audioengine in Synfire for the midi input ?=> i do need the audio engine

(https://www.autotonic.net/blogs/news/midi-setup-mac)  ..my setup is easier..haha

 

 

Fri, 2016-11-04 - 15:00 Permalink

I use 64 bit and you need a multiclient asio driver for drones setup in Windows

  • one for keyboardinput Synfire ( needs audio engine )
  • one for DAW

If someone use a mac computer its easier

Sun, 2016-11-27 - 18:54 Permalink

 

Midi keyboard -> midi interface -> midi device driver -> synfire -> drone (in ableton) -> sound

I use drones in ableton to host the vst/au devices which are driven from synfire. I just dont use them for input into synfire. For that synfire just uses the midi device directly.

If i could bypass the synfire engine for midi input of the keyboard
Hmm ...

 

Sun, 2016-11-27 - 19:04 Permalink

check out page 124 of the manual. In the Synfire midi inputs page, it lists all the midi devices synfire can see and you can choose which ones to enable for input. Also on the same screen are check boxes for Midi through, compensate for latency during recording and use audio engine for midi input. Not sure what you have these set to, but you should be able to bypass the synfire audio engine for midi input and also compensate for midi latency.

If you are taking your midi into synfire from cubase rather than directly as I suggested above, I'd also check your rewire/sync settings between synfire and cubase.

Sun, 2016-11-27 - 23:00 Permalink

Thanks!
Informative the manual .. if i can remember right i tried to bypas the audioengine, but recording seems to be not possible with Jack audio 64 bit (multiclient audio server)
A seperate USB interface for the keyboard ..to use still the audio engine for midi input ? 
I just record the midi keyboard with bypass the audio engine and it looks ok, but better is with the audio engine  

Still troublesome to test it out again if the midi keyboard input is working without the audio engine..i do have a existing cubase template with drones and connecting a synfire rack with the a target Cubase rack is some work.