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How do you sync your stuff?

I have MIDI (Eventide, Critter & Guitari), CV (Moog , Koma, Goatkeeper, Snazzy FX), audio sync inputs (Goatkeeper again, Jupiter III) and plenty of pedz with inputs for external tap tempo.

I'm trying to sync as many as possible and it's turning out to be a bit of a PITA.

2 products have caught my attention but there might be more; feel free to school me on this stuff:

the Flame Clockwork


The RH-301 Rhythm Station from Koma


Evidently as the Koma is not out yet, nobody has any experience with it, but does anyone use the Clockwork?

This audio/click track input shit is the biggest headache.

For instance, the Koma seems to do a lot of things but not audio out like a click track, so I'm not sure how I'm going to have it control the tempo of the Goatkeeper...
Last night I was controlling the Goatkeeper with Korg's Synckontrol app on the Ipad and it worked really well. Now the Jupiter III can also be controlled in this fashion. How would you split the signal? ideally I'm after this kind of stuff but not MIDI:



I'm tempted to go with this, as i have not come accross aything else:



Now the tap tempo stuff... If I can identify how to get the Koma (for instance) to generate a click track, I could get the Visual Sound Time Bandit which converts a click track into a tap tempo signal and try to split the signal to go all the pedz...



Or talk about this stuff with jack from JHV3 as he's got something in the works:

http://www.jhv3.com/master-tap2/

What do you think?

good luck dude, syncing all your shit together can get complex in a hurry!

also maybe check out, oplab by teenage engineering.
http://www.teenageengineering.com/products/oplab

its got MIDI, DIN sync, CV, analogue and USB.

I owned the Clockworks a few years ago. I was using it to run my modular synth. never tried it on any tap tempo inputs. It puts out 5V gates and 0-5V for the CVs/LFOs. The gate lengths are adjustable, which probably won't help for more pedals other than moogerfoogers. I can't remember if the LFO is bipolar of if it stays positive only. It would be way overkill to sync guitar pedals and the random modes could throw your tap tempo totally off. It's made more to run ADSRs other envelope generators. I don't think they make them right now either, they are focused more on eurorack synth modules. I had build issues and went through two of them.

If an audio click is all you need to run sync, just go get the cheapest drum machine with a midi clock out you can find. Use a click track from it and you still got the midi sync for other stuff.

You might also look at the Kenton midi2cv conversion boxes. they can put out a midi clock as +5V pulses too for a lot cheaper than the clockworks.

This is my dream clock generator. Only problem is it's $1400.
http://www.s-n-d.com/acme4e_a.html

It took me a while and some thinging, but I finally have my studio setup so I can sync it all with recording a single loop on the echoplex digitalpro. several synths and HW effects, all synced. Pedals...another story, tap tap tap, or I use an envelope or LFO from my modular for anything I can have voltage control over, Moogerfoogers work great in my setup, all one of them I own.

I know there is something but I will look...

Frostwave Fat Controller would almost...

Thanks guys!

I have progressed on my quest. I have used my Roland DB90 last night and this beast of a (fugly) metronome has turned out to be pretty useful. It has a MIDI in and 2 headphone outputs. I was able to sync the clock from the Timefactor to the goatkeeper. I just need to split the signal coming out of the DB90 and I can go to the Goatkeeper, Jupiter III and Orange Cycle.

Now for the pedals equiped with tap tempo I have stumbled accross this neat little thing:


CONTROL SYNC™ is a programmable PedalBoard Classic Effect Synchronizer that connects to the CTL or Tap Input Jack of classic effects and switches in sync with the incoming MIDI Clock at one of nine (9) musical ratios.
CTL-SYNC works with numerous classic effects including the BOSS PH-3 Phase Shifter, AW-3 Dynamic Wah, and DD-7 Delay, as well as any effect that allows connection of a remote tap footswitch.

You can even store settings!

So I'm going to get this to solve the tap tempo stuff and the 4 channel headphone amp to split the audio/click track stuff and I'll report findings.

Great topic!
I'm in a bit of the same situation, wanting to do this sync type of stuff but not really knowing how to do that or what to do it with, I'm very curious about your findings! (and about anyone else's for that matter)

Moog MP251

I had that clockwork and was not happy with its MIDI Sync.

MP201 or CP251? MP201 I guess. Yes I have my eyes on this one too. Good call.

Just thought of a new pedal that may help and give you some zvex seek style sequencing, the EH 8 step. Never used one, so I don't know for sure, but it's EH, so it can't be too expensive.

You should take a look at modular systems. You don't need a big one, but there are a lot of tools in that world to help you sync lots of stuff, maybe even find some new sounds too.

Glenouille wrote:MP201 or CP251? MP201 I guess. Yes I have my eyes on this one too. Good call.

Uh, Yeah, 201. Sorry.
Works Perfect for me. 4 independent CV Outputs. Pricey but imho totally Worth it.

The downside is that only seems to work with Moog / CV though, not on regular expression input jacks.

The Clockworks is pretty rad, but yeah, as Uni said, the MIDI implementation is a little wonky. I was using one to control an Akai MPC, a Roland drum machine or two and some assorted CV stuff, and it worked great unless I stopped anything connected to the MIDI. Then I'd have to power cycle the Clockworks and restart everything.

2ndR8 wrote:Just thought of a new pedal that may help and give you some zvex seek style sequencing, the EH 8 step. Never used one, so I don't know for sure, but it's EH, so it can't be too expensive.
You should take a look at modular systems. You don't need a big one, but there are a lot of tools in that world to help you sync lots of stuff, maybe even find some new sounds too.

This one caught my attention when it was presented at Namm. The silly thing is it cannot be used as the main clock as it can only receive MIDI info and not send any. Good with CV for sure and probably a lot of fun. I might pull the trigger and get it sometime in the near future, though I have the Koma FT-201 which has a sequencer too (much more useful than the Koma Gate/Delay which I also have)

As for modular gear, I'm doing my best to resist and stick to pedals or similar devices for the time being. It's already taking shitloads of room, I need to preserve my marriage!

Thanks for confirming Uni. Tristan has a point, it's a great tool but I would still need to find a way to sync the pedz with audio input only. I have contacted Molten Voltage to ask them if they can build a MIDI to Audio box like the CTRL-Sync. Wait and see.

Thank you Kosta for your feedback too! So 3 people have used the Clockwork and feedback is not great. I guess it potentially leaves all the PedalSync good stuff, the Moog MP201 and the Koma RH-301 in the race.

I have also been looking at ways of bringing more pedz into the realm of the synchronizable stuff. I was browsing the Empress website and their phaser can be sync'ed to a MIDI clock but you have to also buy their MIDI box to make the connection (which can only work with their products...) but more interestingly, Empress say that for instance about their Tremolo:

Empress Effects wrote:Q: Is there an external tap tempo jack? Can it be modified to include one?
A: There isn't one, but you could add one. You have to replace the tap stompswitch with an isolated 1/4inch jack. The stompswitch is latching, so the signal you send the SD has to be latching as well.

That means though that if there is a tap tempo footswitch on the pedal and some room inside, there is a possibility to easily (or not) add a tap tempo input that can in turn be used with the Molten Voltage CTRL-Sync to be sync'ed with MIDI.

I have also stumbled accross the Coolpedals Tap Tempo Control. The idea is to simply replace the pot (speed, rate, time, etc.) on the pedal with a little PCB:

• compact size PCB board of 35mm × 23mm (about 1.38" × 0.91")
• three digit 7 segment LED display on one side
• resistance 100k (5k, 10k and 50k available optionally)
• resistance value can be changed in 256 steps
• flexible wire connectors to connect peripherals
• galvanically seperated MIDI input
• works from 5 to 24 VDC, protected against wrong polarity
• with external momentary UP/DOWN switches you can enter BPM values 40 to 280
• with an external TAP switch, the BPM value will be automatically recognised
• 100 Presets (P00 to P99) can be accessed manually or via MIDI program change

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE23uqtoR-8[/youtube]

There again, beyond the cool addition of a tap tempo where there was not one, it offers an opportunity to use the CTRL-Sync and synchronize it with the other pedz. Imagine this stuff on the SolidGold Electroman for instance: delay with effect loop + warp sync'ed to the rest of the board...

I also noticed the Time Traveller from Tapestry Audio, quite neat to just sync 2 to 3 pedals with tap tempo inputs to a defined BPM tempo set manually or using tap tempo. (shame about the bottom mounted jacks though )

theres a dude on ebay who makes alot of midi to *something else* little utility boxes.
http://myworld.ebay.com/touchprone/

check him out. he made me a custom jawn for my custom dubscope a couple years ago. he might be able to make u something that covers all your bases or close to it.

just a thought!

Good call! He builds a MIDI to Monotribe Sync adapter, I have contacted him to see if he can built a mini box with 1 MIDI input and 3 Audio outputs, if not I'll get the adapter and will split the signal post adapter I guess.