User manual

Table Of Contents
655
Synchronization
The 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
only be set to multiples of two.
Drop Out Frames
This setting determines the amount of missed timecode frames it takes for Cubase to
stop. Using LTC recorded on an analog tape machine can result in some amount of
drop outs. Increasing this number allows Cubase to “free-wheel” over missed frames
without stopping. Lowering this number causes Cubase to stop sooner once the tape
machine has stopped.
Inhibit Restart ms
Some synchronizers still transmit MTC for a short period after an external tape
machine has been stopped. These extra frames of timecode sometimes cause
Cubase to restart suddenly. The “Inhibit Restart ms” setting allows you to control the
amount of time in milliseconds that Cubase will wait to restart (ignoring incoming
MTC) once it has stopped.
Auto-Detect Frame-Rate Changes
Cubase can notify the user when the frame rate of timecode changes at any point.
This is helpful in diagnosing problems with timecode and external devices. This
notification will interrupt playback or recording. Deactivating this option will avoid any
interruption in playback or recording.
Machine Control Output Destination
When the Sync button on the Transport panel is activated, all transport commands
(including movements of the cursor in the Project window) are translated into machine
control commands and routed according to the settings made in the “Machine
Control Output Destination” section.
!
If there is a discrepancy between the project frame rate in Cubase and incoming
timecode, Cubase might still be able to lock to the incoming timecode. If the user is
unaware of these differences, problems can arise later in postproduction.