Vegas 5.0d and MOTU 828mkII SMPTE troubles.

JMacSTL wrote on 1/23/2005, 9:35 PM
Have switched from a Echo GINA / Midiman USB combo to a new MOTU 828mkII instead. Vegas 5.0d was working just fine when dealing with time code (SMPTE input to the Midiman, converted to MTC (midi time code)...has been working well, (except for doing ADR, dealing with time code during recording..but you can read all about that under a different subject by me). HEre's my question now: I cannot get Vegas to recognize incoming time code from the MOTU interface. The MOTU sees the time code, and reads it correctly via its SMPTE software mini-app, and I've selected MOTU828mkII as my Sync source in Vegas' prefs...but still, when I choose CtllF7, it doesn't see the time code. Is there a trick to convincing Vegas that there is actually time code..? DOes this have something to do with smpte vs. midi time code? I can't get any info from MOTU on whether their interface (Firewire all the way to the PC) is sending SMPTe or MIDI time code to the PC.

jmm in stlouis

jmm in stl

Windows10 with Vegas 11 Pro (most recent build). Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz 3.90 GHz, 32GB ram, separate audio and video disks. Also Vegas 17 Pro on same system. GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. Dynamic RAM preview=OFF.

Comments

pwppch wrote on 1/24/2005, 5:20 AM
>>I've selected MOTU828mkII as my Sync source in Vegas' prefs

What "presf" have you set up?

What input device - by name - are you telling Vegas to listen to MTC on?

I don't have the 828mkII available. I have looked at the specs for this, but it is not clear that it exposes a MIDI input port to the PC for MTC.

The 896HD has a similar SMPTE feature, but it does not expose a MTC/SMPTE MIDI "Input".

The only feature I see discussed in the 896HD manual and on the MOTU web site for the 828 is related to ASIO2 sample accurate sync protocol. Vegas does not support this method of sync.

Peter




JMacSTL wrote on 1/24/2005, 3:53 PM
Peter:
Thanks for your quick replies. You guys at SONY must be working lots of hours! And I appreciate it.

Some more info about my setup:
In Vegas, I can choose Options/Preferences/Audio Device. Audio Device Type: My choices are: Microsoft Sound Mapper, Direct Sound Mapper, Windows Classic Wave Drive, or MOTU Firewire Audio (No ASIO-specific option is available). If I choose either of the last two, Vegas plays fine, when not trying to chase time code.

The MIDI tab allows me to select under: "Make these devices available for MIDI input: 828mkII". I have checked that box. It is the only choice under this heading.

the SYNC tab gives me the following options under the "Trigger fro mMIDI Timecode settings:" Input device: [None] or 828mkII, which I have chosen the latter. I match the frame rate to my incoming time code (in most cases it is ND29.97).

THEN....I go to the timeline, and choose "Trigger from MIDI timecode" (or Ctrl+F7). Nothing happens. The staus is: MTC INput Waiting.......

So there is something funny with MTC and MOTU's version of time code.

MOTO has a SMPTE "consle", a mini-app that allows me to set the device's sync and time code options. I can shoose under "Clock/Address" the following: Internal/Internal or SPDIF/Internal or Word Clock In/Internal or SMPTE/SMPTE". If I choose the last one, then the MOTU SMPTE mini-app displays the proper time code which is coming in its port. I can verify this by compairing with the source tape. You'd think that since MOTU can get time code to the computer, then Vegas would see it also. (it's all coming in via the Firewire port from the MOTU box to the PC) . But Vegas still sees nothing. And to add to my frustration, when I play vegas in "non time code" mode and the MOTU software is seeing time code, then the audio has glitches (rapid, short clicks). But if I return the MOTU mini-app settings to either "INTERNAL/INTERNAL" or "Word Clock IN/Internal" then the audio plays fine.

Perhaps Vegas just cannot see the time code because it's not really MTC? Could that be it?

Thx.

Jim in St. Louis

On the MOTU 828mkII, the only way

What input device - by name - are you telling Vegas to listen to MTC on?

jmm in stl

Windows10 with Vegas 11 Pro (most recent build). Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz 3.90 GHz, 32GB ram, separate audio and video disks. Also Vegas 17 Pro on same system. GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. Dynamic RAM preview=OFF.

pwppch wrote on 1/24/2005, 5:20 PM
The 828's MIDI ports are just generic MIDI i/o ports. The 828mkII does not translate SMPTE to MTC through the 828's MIDI input port. This is why you are not seeing this. You will need to use a device like the MOTU Digital Time Piece or MIDI Time Piece to convert SMPTE to MTC that can be read by Vegas.

When you set the 828 to us the SMPTE as its clock, internally this tells the audio hardware to clock against the incomming SMPTE time vs an internal crystal or external Word Clock source.

Some notes:
"MOTU Firewire Audio" is the ASIO device driver for the MOTU Firewire hardware.

When you tell the MOTU Firewire hardware through its ASIO driver to use an alternate clock source, you are telling the hardware to use a different sample rate clock. The ASIO driver is also capable of controlling a host app sample accurately. However, Vegas does not support this currently.

Hope this helps.

Peter


JMacSTL wrote on 1/24/2005, 7:10 PM
Makes me wonder why MOTU would make a box with a SMPTE input port when they don't offer any way to get the time code into an application. I wonder if the SMPTE option only works with MOTU software.

BTW: I never thought that the midi ports on the MOTU hardware had anything to do with the time code. I know they don't. In fact, my midiman 4x4 USB midi interface with midi input worked pretty well, altho it was flakey at times. I may have to go back to that.

THanks for the help. I still don't have a good understanding of why the MOTU box DOESN"T convert the SMPTE time code into MTC time code for use in software applications......hrmph.

jmm

jmm in stl

Windows10 with Vegas 11 Pro (most recent build). Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz 3.90 GHz, 32GB ram, separate audio and video disks. Also Vegas 17 Pro on same system. GPU: NVDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER. Dynamic RAM preview=OFF.

pwppch wrote on 1/25/2005, 7:39 AM
>>Makes me wonder why MOTU would make a box with a SMPTE input port when they don't offer any way to get the time code into an application. I wonder if the SMPTE option only works with MOTU software
<<

The hardware and driver do provide a mechanism - one that is far superior to MIDI MTC. Vegas doesn't listen to the "type" of timecode being sent - which is through the ASIO drivers.

>>I still don't have a good understanding of why the MOTU box DOESN"T convert the SMPTE time code into MTC time code for use in software applications......hrmph.
<<

MTC has to be brought in through MIDI. It would have been a nice utility to permit the incomming SMPTE to be converted to MTC through a virtual MIDI port - other vendors do it this way.

Not to defend MOTU, but they do have a solution for this. The MTP or Digital Time Piece can solve this hardware issue.

Peter