Reference Guide

1156 Synchronizing your gear
Synchronization overview
• Incoming timecode. Shows the current time of incoming time code when synchronizing to an
external device.
• Sync type. Select the sync type; right-click to show synchronization settings. The following sync
types are supported:
• Internal Sync. Timing is determined by the clock on the computer motherboard.
• MIDI Sync. Timing is determined by the clock on an external MIDI device.
• SMPTE/MTC Sync. Timing is determined by a time code signal (in SMPTE or some other
format) recorded on some external medium or generated and sent by SONAR.
• Audio Sync. Timing is determined by the clock on the computer’s audio interface.
• Transmit MIDI Sync . Transmit MIDI Sync to external MIDI devices, such as drum
machines, stand-alone MIDI hardware sequencers, and sequencers built into MIDI keyboards
(only available when using the Internal or Audio clock). SONAR sends messages to all other
devices to start and stop playback and to keep all the devices in sync. SONAR can send MIDI
Sync on multiple MIDI output ports. For details, see “MIDI synchronization” on page 1158.
• Transmit MTC Sync . Transmit MIDI Time Code (MTC) to external devices that can receive
MTC. SMPTE/MTC is a position and timing reference that indicates the current location in the
project and how quickly the project should be playing. SMPTE/MTC time code labels the position
in a project in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. The speed of playback is indicated by a
frame rate. SONAR can send MTC on multiple output ports simultaneously. For details, see
“SMPTE/MIDI time code synchronization” on page 1162.
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.