how to sync a linndrum without additional hardware
recently my friend dirk lent me his LinnDrum so i was in chance to play around with that legendary drum machine (which is quite
enjoyable…). however, since it did neither got any MiDi modifications nor a sync box, it has been somehow authistic and i wanted to integrate my other studio equipment.
without buying some synchronizer i needed some workaround and finally i found out how to sync that LinnDrum to logic (or any other sequencer) without additional hardware (except for some soundcard or sampling unit):
the LinnDrum has a 48 ppqn (pulses per quarter note) SYNC signal which is supposed to be recorded to tape machines (bobby nathan wrote an excellent article about tape sync).
well, since the SYNC signal is audible it should be possible to create that signal using regular audio hardware. obviously there is no absolute pulse wave required as you can see on the waveform screenshot, the LinnDrum is spitting out some trapeze shaped wave.
after recording a few seconds of the LinnDrum sync track i did truncate the recording down to 1 phase (fake) pulse wave and put this sample into Logic’s EXS sampler (any hardware sampler will work as well).
next thing to be done is setting up a MIDI track for your sampler containing 48 notes per quarter and loop that track. now connect your sampler’s output to LinnDrum’s SYNC IN jack (thanks to roger: it’s a standard phone jack!) and you’re done ;)
you should hook up the sampler in monophonic mode to make shure there’s only one trigger pulse coming out at the same time.
well now you should switch the LinnDrum to EXT.SYNC and push its PLAY button to bring it into some ’standby mode’. when you hit ‘play’ on your master sequencer the LinnDrum will catch the fake clock and stay in sync until you hit stop again - did you excpect you’d not even need to solder some custom cables?
there’s just one thing: the sync got no START/STOP signal. whenever you stop your master sequencer (and the sync signal gets lost) the LinnDrum will PAUSE - when you start the sequencer again the Linndrum will CONTINUE from its last position as soon as the first 48ppqn pulse wave arrives. so you always have to STOP the LinnDrum as well, hit PLAY again and start your sequencer exactly at the beginning of a new bar.
files:
- LinnDrumSync.lso logic template containing EXS samples and MIDI track
- LinnDrumSync.mid standard MIDI file containing 48ppqn track
- Sampler Instruments (folder) containing EXS program file (for use with logic)
- Samples (folder) containing pulse wave samples in 24&16 BIT (for you to feed your non-logic sampler)
» deutsch
Getting my Linndrum soon.
Bought one on E-Bay, hope your way will work!
Much cheaper and perhaps more solid timing then a midi modification…
regards,
Martijn
@ martijn: well, a real midi-mod would be more convenient, what’s freaking me out is the lack of start/stop signal…
Congratulation, i didn’t know this methode.
I have a LINNDRUM and i can’t synchro with my other work machine.
Thanks to give your help,
I will try it!
(Hu, bad english!)
awesome, very clever trick. thanks a bunch, you saved me money!
brill! i will do this with my linn hope it works with other synths too.
thanks a lot……..
I use a Oberheim DX. Would the same method work?
@ anders: if you got the sync-to-tape (which afaik was optional?) it should work like this. i think oberheims run at 96ppq so i suggest being way more accurate than me while creating the pulse wave sample ;)
Great, you got this trick working.
I’ve tried various waves/samples to trigger a Korg SQ-10 step advance with no luck, even trying sampling the working trigger from my MS-20.
I’ll follow your steps to see if I missed something.
Thank you!
mayo
i don’t know the SQ-10 but will check out the specs soon. if there’s any way to do the trick with it i’ll post.
Here is a solution to your SQ10 problem. Obviously useful for other devices too :-)
http://m.bareille.free.fr/mc628/mc628.html
actually, if you can’t build such things (I can’t) here is a much easier solution for your SQ10 problem:
http://www.doepfer.de/msy2.htm
It has a clock output jack. There are dip switches on the rear which allow you to divide the clock in ratios ranging from 1:1 to 16:1
Perfect!
certainly there’re lotsa sync boxes to buy, but this post is all about “without additional sync hardware” ;) and - yeah- the MSY2 is a fantastic clock interface…
@ mayo: i don’t find any “sync to tape” regarding the SQ10 so the trick doesn’t work, you’ll rather need some midi2clock device mentioned above :(
@ donnacha costello and ron: thank you but yeah I was hoping to send the trigger signal via audio out because I need to step advance with patterns with my sequencer, i.e. triggering 3×16ths steps, resting 5, etc. than changing pattern and have a different sequence of triggering steps, can’t do that with a midi clock divisor to trigger.
I’ll try anyway but in case this fail, too, I’ll stick to my actual setup:
drummachine sound -> MS-20 signal processor audio-to-trigger -> SQ-10 step advance
thank you again
Hi!
Thanks for the tip.
Following a similar idea, I was able to sync my DR-220e using an audio out as well : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVGfen1xtXc
Now i want to sync my Drumulator, i’ve tried a few things without success, i was wondering if you could send me an audio loop of your sync track so i could try again, first at half speed, as the Drumulator is 24ppqn, then using the sync loop to feed my Garfield FSK converter. I’m kind of out of ideas if those two don’t work so : suggestions welcome!
cheers
JB
from my little experience: when working with “clock sync” (like the sync input of your drumulator) the pulse signal must stay exactly in shape. tape-sync (like the linndrum) isn’t that particular, for it is meant to be recorded to tape machines anyways.. even modern digital recording equipment is tending to distort pulses trapezoidly.
another issue: aren’t audio signals AC while trigger signals are DC?
i never thought about this but maybe it’s suitable just adding a diode & capacitor to form a DC pulse… or utlilize a schmitt trigger…
oops - i forgot: can’t offer you any samples but the LinnDrumSync.zip from the article above, recording quality isn’t that good though..
works with the BOSS DR-220e, too ;)
LCD sound system’s new album has been made with a Korg SQ10 synced to PC via audio. - no timing problems, super tight sequencing. (See Future Music Sept ‘07)
I Managed to sync the arpegiator clock of my Juno 60 to my PC the same way (via audio and without MIDI)
I started by sampling a ‘Gate’ pulse output from a Roland string machine and then sequencing the waveform as ‘16th’s’.
I then sent this audio to the Juno and the arpegiator synced perfectly.
What i REALLY REALLY want though is a way of syncronising my TR-606 to PC audio. Audio>DIN sync!! any ideas other than the SBX 80??
I hate MIDI
@dan: since afaik sync24 is quite pitty about proper wave shapes too the only thing that comes to my mind is using some audio to trigger circuit. probably two of them to convert the sync trigger and start/stop as well [see sync specs] or something similar…
Cheers Ron,
Have read all these articles before- think i’m gonna try something with FSK tape sync to drive SYNC 24 gear. (ie sample the FSK pulse and sequence in the computer) I’m trying to avoid MIDI like the plague.
I think the Roland MC-4 will sync to a clock pulse as will the CSQ600. As to whether they spit out SYNC 24 at the same time remains to be seen. Either way, i have neither device so the experiments continue…
Obviously, i’d have to use a drum machine that syncs to FSK and then spits out SYNC 24.
I wouldn’t be sending FSK audio directly to a SYNC 24 device of course. (before anyone asks…)
allright. however i’d rather get rid of the PC at all than just MIDI if i were you :D
Hey Nice one, was just wondering what shape frequency etcetera the sync pulse needs to be for my Drumulator (24 PPQN) great idea to just sample the Sync out and then play it back!
:-)
yeah, the drumulator should work alike.
just record one bar from main out & sync out into seperate channels and examine the ’spikes’ of the sync channel in relation to the beat measure.
BTW, the idea isn’t so great since i treat my DAW/computer just as a tape machine substitute - and the sync out was meant to be recorded to the reels ;)
It works!! Super tight sync!! Genius!!! Thank you so much. I had to raise the gain on the sample a bit first though.