Reference Guide

1082
Synchronizing your gear
Choosing clock sources: SONAR as master
You can also choose the sync mode as follows:
1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Clock.
2. Under Source, select the desired clock source.
3. Click OK.
The clock source and the type of synchronization that is used are options that are stored as part of
your project files. For example, one of your projects might be set up to use the internal clock; a
second might use the Audio clock and MIDI Sync with SONAR as the master timing source; and
another might use SMPTE/MTC Sync as the clock source.
Many technical support requests concern synchronization problems, which are among the hardest to
diagnose and duplicate over the phone. If you experience problems, before you call, perform as
much experimentation and gather as much information as possible about what does and doesn’t
work. The more prepared you are, the more we can help.
Choosing clock sources: SONAR as master
When SONAR is used alone, or with an external device that does not have its own clock or timing
signal, you use one of two clock sources: Internal or Audio.
When the clock source is set to Internal, SONAR uses the clock built into the computer or the
computer’s MIDI interface as its timing source. If your projects contain only MIDI (no audio), this is
the most efficient method of playback.
If your projects contain MIDI and audio, or only audio, you should set the clock source to Audio. This
lets the sound card clock determine the correct speed for audio playback and automatically
synchronizes MIDI playback to match the audio. For more information, see “System configuration”
on page 1105. You cannot use the tempo ratio controls when using the audio clock, because the
audio playback speed is determined by the audio clock.
When either of these clock sources is used, you can also configure SONAR to drive other MIDI
devices using MIDI Synchronization. For more information, see “MIDI synchronization” on page
1083. If you need to send MIDI Time Code (MTC), SONAR will send this data regardless of the clock
setting.
To use the Internal clock source
Do one of the following:
•Go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Clock and select Internal.
• In the Control Bar’s Sync module, click the Sync Type button and choose Internal Sync on the
pop-up menu.