BPM sync issue.

[DamianM]

BPM will not sync correctly with Ableton. Rev is set to Slave no s/s, Midi Clock - USB. When pressing play in Ableton the Rev will first "count up" to the appropriate bpm and continue to glitch between the set bpm and two beats faster. Any help would be much appreciated as all my compositions are done in Ableton.

Visible in this clip is the slight jump/ count up at the beginning (160-152-160) followed by a continual jump between 160 and 162

[guyaguy]

Could be worse!
https://forum.sequential.com/index.php/topic,4164.0.html

There's usually a difference between the displayed value and the actual received value, but if the actual audio is in sync it's a non-issue. Also DAWs are known for not being reliable clocks. Live won't show you the fluctuations of BPM but they are fluctuating and can let external hardware drift. For me and my music it's a non-issue, but for some people making super tight dance music it drives them crazy and some end up with external clocks.

[DamianM]

but if the actual audio is in sync it's a non-issue.

Unfortunately this does result in the synth dropping/ignoring notes. I just failed to mention that and grab a video. The unit has actually sat unused for over a year due to this issue which means I can't return it. Is there no solution out side of "deal with it"? Is my only option really to forgo the use of Ableton and purchase an external sequencer?

[guyaguy]

but if the actual audio is in sync it's a non-issue.

Unfortunately this does result in the synth dropping/ignoring notes. I just failed to mention that and grab a video. The unit has actually sat unused for over a year due to this issue which means I can't return it. Is there no solution out side of "deal with it"? Is my only option really to forgo the use of Ableton and purchase an external sequencer?

I do some sequencing from Ableton to the Rev2 and haven't had problems of dropped notes. I use a dedicated MIDI interface (MOTU Express) though. Not sure if that makes a difference but if you have one it might be worth trying. Do you have other outboard synths? Do they have dropped notes?

[DamianM]

I do some sequencing from Ableton to the Rev2 and haven't had problems of dropped notes. I use a dedicated MIDI interface (MOTU Express) though. Not sure if that makes a difference but if you have one it might be worth trying. Do you have other outboard synths? Do they have dropped notes?

 The dropped notes only seem to occur when I use the USB port on my Apogee Duet as the midi output. Upon further research it appears this is some sort of latency issue. When the rev is plugged directly into my USB hub I get some extra ground noise but the BPM is more stable and the dropped notes are no longer an issue. This budget solution should work well enough for all intents and purposes until I am able to buy myself a solid fix.

It seems my best solution is just to purchase an external clock. Kind of a dumb question but does your midi interface function as a clock as well or is it just for routing? Thanks for your help!

[guyaguy]

 The dropped notes only seem to occur when I use the USB port on my Apogee Duet as the midi output. Upon further research it appears this is some sort of latency issue. When the rev is plugged directly into my USB hub I get some extra ground noise but the BPM is more stable and the dropped notes are no longer an issue. This budget solution should work well enough for all intents and purposes until I am able to buy myself a solid fix.

It seems my best solution is just to purchase an external clock. Kind of a dumb question but does your midi interface function as a clock as well or is it just for routing? Thanks for your help!

The MOTU can provide a clock but I'm lazy and just use Ableton's. I don't have experience with the Duet as a MIDI interface but there might be some settings you can manage to prevent the drops. You might want to check Apogee forums or threads to see if other users have similar issues and solutions.

[Troy92Evans]

I have spent so much time trying to get Ableton’s arpeggiator and clocked LFO’s to stay on rhythm via daw (ableton) and I don’t think it’s possible. Switch patches at any point, off, try anywhere a few minutes into the timeline, off, change bpm in Ableton (like changing songs without stopping), off. I gave up. I use abletons arpeggiator and gave up on clock synced LFO’s. Every time somebody tells me it works for them I proceed to see either no evidence or a video of a ripping fast arpeggiator that would be impossible to identify the accuracy of.

As far as “dropped notes”, if you mean sending midi notes to the Rev 2 froM ableton, I’ve had no problems with that but can think of some ableton related reasons that could cause it. (Like is the note starting slightly before the midi track and therefor the “note on” isn't present when you launch the track).

[guyaguy]

I have spent so much time trying to get Ableton’s arpeggiator and clocked LFO’s to stay on rhythm via daw (ableton) and I don’t think it’s possible. Switch patches at any point, off, try anywhere a few minutes into the timeline, off, change bpm in Ableton (like changing songs without stopping), off. I gave up. I use abletons arpeggiator and gave up on clock synced LFO’s. Every time somebody tells me it works for them I proceed to see either no evidence or a video of a ripping fast arpeggiator that would be impossible to identify the accuracy of.

As far as “dropped notes”, if you mean sending midi notes to the Rev 2 froM ableton, I’ve had no problems with that but can think of some ableton related reasons that could cause it. (Like is the note starting slightly before the midi track and therefor the “note on” isn't present when you launch the track).

I've not had Ableton/Rev2 sync issues but maybe the issue that you have is how the Rev2 arp works--and I believe most Sequential arps. With some arps it will wait to sound the note until the next appropriate beat whereas on the Rev2 the first note plays as soon as you strike the first key. This means if you want it to lock to the 1 it's up to you to do it, whether by hand or MIDI note. It requires a bit more planning but allows for things like arpeggios on the upbeat or, since the gated sequencer works the same way, sequences that start on the "and" of a beat.

[rhullings]

I've been through this DAW (Pro Tools in my case) sync issue with Sequential support and learned that the arp and LFOs need to receive a MIDI Start message to play in sync with the DAW. In my case, Pro Tools only sends that message when playback begins at the top of the timeline. Starting playback from anywhere else results in the rev2 being out of sync, playing the right tempo but in between the beats. It sucks and have given up on syncing clock based features on the rev2 with Pro Tools. I now send it arps from other controllers that actually work. Really wish they'd fix this, someday.

Oh and also you can set the rev2's arp to sync with the beat rather than relying on the timing of your keypress. It was a feature added in an update some time ago. Don't remember if the setting is in global settings or patch settings tho. Hope this helps.

[Troy92Evans]

Yeah the midi start message being the only cue is the issue I came to as well. A few minutes away from the start mine is never on rhythm any more. Again, I’m highly skeptical that the instrument is capable of being on rhythm a few minutes down the timeline of a daw even though somebody occasionally claims it works for them. Id love to be wrong and see a video of a quarter note at like 80 bpm against a metronome/clear rhythm loop in a daw if people REALLY think this works on theirs. If you’re not using a daw and just listening to it...then yeah obviously you won’t notice it slowly drifting off rhythm.

Also I know about the additional sync updates and additions over time, I’ve had the thing since launch and the arp sync has gotten a little better, but it still doesn’t stay on rhythm. I have plenty of experience with this and other synths and this one simply doesn’t stay on rhythm.