Instruction Manual

839
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
Synchronizing Your Gear
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
MIDI Machine Control (MMC) is a protocol that controls an MMC-equipped
remote device via MIDI. SONAR lets you use MMC to start and stop
playback and recording on remote MIDI devices such as tape decks, video
recorders, and even other software packages. If you have several MMC-
controllable devices in your studio, assign each a unique Unit ID so that
MMC commands can be addressed to a particular device.
MMC is very powerful when used with MIDI Time Code sync. For example,
suppose you have an MMC-equipped digital tape deck that generates time
code and want to use the tape deck as the timing master for a project. You
can set up your equipment and software so that the transport controls in
SONAR send MMC messages to the tape deck, which in turn starts and
stops playback in SONAR via SMPTE/MTC Sync. In this configuration,
SONAR’s transport buttons (Play, Record, and Stop) are simply remote
control substitutes for the buttons on your tape deck. In this type of
configuration, you must choose one MMC-controllable device as the time
code master.
When MMC is enabled, press Play to start playback on all connected MMC
devices, and press Stop to stop all connected devices. If you press Record
while playback is underway, all connected MMC devices (e.g., tape decks)
begin recording on any armed tracks. If you stop recording (without
stopping playback), SONAR instruct the tape decks to punch out. You must
arm and disarm tracks on the tape deck; you cannot do this from SONAR.
If you have established punch-in/out points using the Transport-Record
Options command, SONAR will attempt to preprogram the punch-in and
punch-out times. However, your equipment must recognize the MMC event
command for this feature to work. (Consult the owner’s manual or contact
SONAR continues playing for up
to one full second after the time
code stops
Some time code readers tolerate
dropouts of up to one second, without
affecting playback. When you stop the
tape deck, it takes a full second for the
reader to realize that this isn’t merely a
dropout and to signal the end of the
time code to SONAR. This does not
indicate any problem with time code
sync.
Problem… What to do…