Using the Sync tab
Setting sync preferences
Generate MIDI Timecode settings
Output device Choose a MIDI device from the drop-down list. MIDI timecode is sent to this
device. The MTC slave should also be set to this device. This device will not be
available for MIDI playback.
Frame rate Choose a frame rate from the drop-down list. This frame rate is used to generate
the MIDI timecode. The MTC slave must be set to the same frame rate.
Generate MIDI Clock settings
Output device Choose a MIDI device from the drop-down list. MIDI clock is sent to this device.
The MIDI clock slave should also be set to this device.
Trigger from MIDI Timecode settings
Input device Choose a MIDI device from the drop-down list. MIDI timecode is received from this
device. The MTC master should also be set to this device.
Frame rate Choose a frame rate from the drop-down list. This value specifies the frame rate at
which the MTC master sends timecode to ACID.
Advanced Click to open the Advanced Sync Preferences dialog.
Default All Restores all sync preferences to the default settings.
Setting advanced sync preferences
MTC Input
Free-wheel for timecode loss Select this check box if you want to continue to play if timecode is lost.
Enabling this option can compensate for infrequent losses in timecode. If you
frequently lose timecode, you should perform troubleshooting to determine the
cause of the problem.
Free-wheel slack time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time that timecode can be lost before the free-wheel playback time starts. A
longer time is more tolerant of breaks in the incoming timecode.
Free-wheel playback time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time that playback continues after the free-wheel slack time has been exceeded.
Synchronization delay time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time it takes for the software to synchronize itself to incoming timecode.
On slower computers, this time should be set to approximately two seconds. On
faster computers, it may be set lower.
Setting this value too low can sometimes result in audible pitch shifting at the
start of playback.
Offset adjust If ACID is consistently behind or ahead of your MTC generator, enter a value in the
box to adjust a synchronization offset with quarter-frame accuracy.
If the software is behind, set this value to a negative number. A setting of - 4 is a
common offset.
If the software is ahead, set this value to a positive number. A setting of +4 is a
common offset, although it is rare that the application will sync ahead.
MTC Output
Full-frame message generation Select a radio button to determine when full-frame timecode messages are sent
while Generate MIDI Timecode is active. Full-frame messages are used by some
external synchronizable audio devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually
starting synchronization. Tape-based recorders especially benefit from seeking to
full-frame messages because of the time it takes to move the transport to the
proper location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some devices, and
may actually cause unexpected behavior in other devices.
Refer to your hardware documentation to find out if your hardware supports full-
frame messages.
MIDI Clock Output
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