MMC from Octopus to DAW

OS_CE Forums Nemo User exchange MMC from Octopus to DAW

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  • #970
    Kent Iverson
    Participant

    Hello all,

    I’m trying to find out if the Octopus can output simple "Play" & "Stop" commands via its transport. This would be to start and stop a DAW.

    Thanks.

    #2379
    Adam
    Participant

    It does. I’ve had Max chasing it.

    #2380
    Kent Iverson
    Participant

    Thanks for that. I’m having no luck in getting ProTools to respond. I’ll try some of my other DAWs and then continue tunneling through ProTools’ manual.

    #2381
    Adam
    Participant

    Obvious question: you have the Octopus set to transmit? (The 200 button is lit orange in GRID view.)

    #2383
    john Kimble
    Participant

    I think you are referring to MIDI clock and MIDI start, which is transmitted…

    But MMC (Play) is *not* transmitted, neither is MIDI time code.

    Most DAWs don’t sync to MIDI clock nowadays, only MIDI time code, which is usually generated by a hardware audio recorder, not hardware sequencers. MIDI clock is tempo based, but MMC is absolute time.

    I don’t think it would be difficult to add MIDI Time Code generation and MMC to the Octopus, but you would always need to start the DAW from the beginning of the song since the Octopus wouldn’t know what time code to calculate in the middle of a track.

    cheers
    ripe

    #2384
    Kent Iverson
    Participant

    Thanks guys; especially ‘Ripe’ for the mention that MMC Play and Stop are not transmitted.

    I had typed up a rather lengthy post in this thread & it isn’t here this morning. Damn…

    I think that proper MMC commands should be added to the Octopus since it is designed to be the command center of a compositional studio. If it could simply issue MMC Play & Stop when desired, it would be great. I’ve no problem with it slaving to Beat Clock, but it would be nice if it could issue the commands to get the whole show rolling (or stopping).

    #2386
    Adam
    Participant

    It does send MIDI start, stop and continue messages as defined by MIDI Clock. Ripe was making the distinction between MIDI Clock and MMC, which I should have done but it slipped my notice.

    #2387
    Kent Iverson
    Participant

    O.K. guys; which is it? 2 conflicting answers here & my DAWs don’t respond to the Octopus’s Play button.

    #2390
    Adam
    Participant

    Our answers agree. There’s different methods of MIDI timing: MIDI Clock and MIDI Time Code, and MMC (MIDI Machine Control) is a different beast entirely.

    MIDI Clock is a low resolution (relative to the internal timing of any DAW), tempo-based message. It also includes start (from the beginning), stop, and continue (from where stopped) messages, as well as a certain number of pings every quarternote (24, I think) that other MIDI-clock friendly programs can count and follow. This is what I’ve had Max chasing.

    MIDI Time Code gives an absolute timing reference (i.e. saying we’re thirty seconds into the song instead of MIDI Clock that just follows ticks). It’s more sophisticated, but the Octopus can’t generate (or follow) it.

    The Octopus does not generate any MMC messages.

    I had translated your post (MMC from Octopus) to mean, "Can you get a DAW to follow the Octopus?" Yes, you can. I don’t have a copy of ProTools, but I have had Max following the Octopus. It works. But Ripe pointed out that you didn’t ask "Can you have the Octopus generate start, stop and continue messages?" (which it can – in MIDI clock), but rather, "Does it generate MIDI Machine Control messges?" (which it does not). So he was right, I overlooked that.

    Further, Ripe is pointing out that MIDI Clock is not all that precise. He’s right. I had slight irregularities between Max and the Octopus. He’s saying if you’re using a serious rig like ProTools, you probably want MIDI Time Code, which not many hardware sequencers generate.

    #2391
    Kent Iverson
    Participant

    Thanks for the clarification as it was getting confusing. I do appreciate it. My question concerned only MMC; nothing else though.

    More info:

    I’ve tried to get MMC to work with 2 DAWs and 2 different MIDI interfaces. Neither interface shows an LED blinking as to indicate a message being sent when Play or Stop are pushed. Both DAWs can act as Masters and the Octo will Slave to them via Beat Clock without issues in either configuration.

    I’ve got MIDI I/O Port 2 going to a DACs MIDI Patchbay and then to my gear. MIDI I/O Port 1 goes to the DAW only.

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