Steinberg Cubase 7 User Manual

651
SynchronizationTimecode (positional references)
Master and slave
Calling one device the “master” and another the “slave” can lead to a great deal of 
confusion. The timecode relationship and the machine control relationship must be 
differentiated in this regard.
In this document, the following terms are used:
- The “timecode master” is the device generating position information or timecode.
- The “timecode slave” is any device receiving the timecode and synchronizing or 
“locking” to it.
- The...

652
SynchronizationTimecode (positional references)
•30 fps non-drop SMPTE (N)
This is the frame count of NTSC broadcast video. However, the actual frame rate 
or speed of the video format runs at 29.97
 fps. This timecode clock does not run in 
realtime. It is slightly slower by 0.1
 %.
•30 fps drop-frame SMPTE (D)
The 30 fps drop-frame count is an adaptation that allows a timecode display 
running at 29.97
 fps to actually show the clock-on-the-wall-time of the timeline by 
“dropping” or skipping...

653
SynchronizationClock sources (speed references)
Clock sources (speed references)
Once the position is established, the next essential factor for synchronization is the 
playback speed. Once two devices start playing from the same position, they must run 
at exactly the same speed in order to remain in sync. Therefore, a single speed 
reference must be used and all devices in the system must follow that reference. With 
digital audio, the speed is determined by the audio clock rate. With video, the...

654
SynchronizationThe Project Synchronization Setup dialog
The dialog is organized into sections separating related groups of settings. The 
arrows shown between the various sections of the dialog indicate how settings in one 
section influence settings in another section. In the following, the available sections 
are described in detail.
The Cubase section
At the center of the Project Synchronization Setup dialog is the Cubase section. It is 
provided to help you visualize the role that Cubase takes in...

655
SynchronizationThe Project Synchronization Setup dialog
Timecode Preferences
When MIDI Timecode is selected, additional options become available in the Cubase 
section, providing several options for working with external timecode.
Lock Frames
This setting determines how many full frames of timecode it takes for Cubase to try 
and establish sync or “lock”. If you have an external tape transport with a very short 
start-up time, try lowering this number to make lock-up even faster. This option can...

656
SynchronizationThe Project Synchronization Setup dialog
MC Master Active
When this option is activated, transport commands are routed or sent to any device 
while sync is enabled. Additional routing options become available, see below. 
Deactivating this option does not affect the operation of the individual MMC Device 
panels. They can still function regardless of the machine control destination.
MMC Input and Output
The MMC Input and MMC Output settings determine which MIDI port in your system...

657
SynchronizationThe Project Synchronization Setup dialog
Machine Control Input (Cubase only)
Cubase can respond to machine control commands from external MIDI devices. 
Cubase can follow incoming transport commands (locate, play, record) and respond 
to record-enabling commands for audio tracks. This allows Cubase to easily integrate 
into larger studio systems with centralized machine control and synchronization such 
as theatrical mixing stages.
MMC Slave Active
When this option is activated,...

658
SynchronizationSynchronized operation
MIDI Clock Destinations
Some MIDI devices like drum machines can match their tempo and location to 
incoming MIDI clock. Select any MIDI ports that you wish to output MIDI clock.
MIDI Clock Follows Project Position
Activate this option to ensure that the MIDI clock device follows Cubase when looping, 
locating, or jumping while playing.
ÖSome older MIDI devices might not respond well to these positioning messages and 
could take some time synchronizing to the new...

659
SynchronizationExample scenario (Cubase only)
Example scenario (Cubase only)
To better understand how synchronization options can be utilized, an example 
scenario is provided.
Personal music studio
In a personal music studio, the user might have the need of synchronizing with an 
external recording device such as a portable hard disk recorder used for live remote 
recordings.
In this example, MIDI will be used for timecode and machine control while the audio 
clock will be handled by Lightpipe...

660
SynchronizationWorking with VST System Link
Working with VST System Link
VST System Link is a network system for digital audio that allows you to have several 
computers working together in one large system. Unlike conventional networks it does 
not require Ethernet cards, hubs, or CAT-5 cables; instead it uses the kind of digital 
audio hardware and cables you probably already possess in your studio.
VST System Link has been designed to be simple to set up and operate, yet give 
enormous flexibility...