Reference Guide

1157
Choosing clock sources: SONAR as master
Synchronizing your gear
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 1182.
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
1158. 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.
Figure 341. The Sync module.
A. SMPTE/MTC format B. Incoming timecode C. Sync type
To use the Audio clock source
Do one of the following:
•Go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Clock and select Audio.
• In the Control Bar’s Sync module, click the Sync Type button and choose Audio Sync on the
pop-up menu.