Reference Guide

1162 Synchronizing your gear

SMPTE/MIDI time code synchronization

SMPTE/MIDI Time Code Sync (SMPTE/MTC) is another method of synchronization that lets

SONAR act as a master or slave to external devices. SONAR can send or receive SMPTE/MTC

messages to or from external devices that can generate or receive MTC. SONAR can send MTC on

multiple output ports simultaneously.

SMPTE/MTC is a position and timing reference that indicates the current location in the project and

how quickly the project should be playing. Time code labels the position in a project in hours,

minutes, seconds, and frames. The speed of playback is indicated by a frame rate.

Time code is recorded onto tape using a device called a time code generator. The process of

recording a time code signal onto a track is called striping. Normally, the start of a tape stripe has a

particular time, expressed in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. For example, the tape stripe

might start at 00:00:00:00, 01:00:00:00, or any other time. The material recorded on the tape usually

starts anywhere from 10 seconds to several minutes after the start of the time code. Sometimes, the

tape stripe starts at a time like 00:59:50:00, and the material starts 10 seconds later, at 01:00:00:00.

When you create a new SONAR project, by default the project is configured so that the beginning of

bar 1 is synchronized with a time code of 00:00:00:00. If the starting point of the material on your

tape or external project is not 0, you need to enter an offset to tell SONAR the time code that

corresponds to the start of the project.

To enter an offset

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Project - Clock.

2. Specify the desired offset in the SMPTE/MTC Offset field. To enter an offset of 15 seconds, type

0,0,15 and hit ENTER. The SMPTE/MTC Offset value should now be 00:00:15:00 or 15

seconds.