Cubase Elements 12 on Windows 10 PC. Using Korg Modwave & Yamaha MODX synths, arpeggiated tracks are running behind the clock. Cubase Sync Setup is Internal Sync with Destination MIDI Clock ticked for both synths. The screenshot shows the audio (using patches with zero attack times) not lining up to the beat and audibly out.
Any suggestions, please?
Cut and shift them into place? Syncing external hardware with MIDI is never sample accurate.
This is far less accurate than to a sample or two as the screenshot shows - it is clearly audible to about a demisemiquaver or more. MIDI clock events are sent at a rate of 24 pulses per quarter note and this is much more inaccurate. If this were standard accuracy, it would make playing live to a computer track rather tricky.
And what’s your hardware buffer? Does it make a difference if you make it longer or shorter? So from 64 to 512, or back?
That makes a very small difference. I have now realised that this problem occurs only when I use the Steinberg UR22II audio interface to record the output of my synths; monitoring them through my small audio mixer from the computer’s USB ports via the UR22 shows no lag at all. My Yamaha MODX has USB audio outputs so I can accurately record its arpeggiator; my Korg Modwave does not, so its arpeggiator will, it seems, always lag when I record it. This is a nuisance.
Possible workaround: my little mixer (a Behringer) has a USB audio interface built in that I have not used - the manual tells me little. Would it be possible to use that to record my Modwave’s arpeggiator audio? Can you advise me on how to set Cubase to do that?
I ran several test on MIDI clock accuracy in Cubase with external devices - and I have basically given up on using MIDI clock. There seem to be several facotrs that have an influence. Is it Cubase, is it Windows, is it your MIDI interface, or your audio interface?
In Cubase 14 Steinberg changed something with MIDI clock so now I have even more different results from my tests. Microsoft will, who knows when, release an update to their MIDI system for Windows 10 and 11. Maybe that will make clocking tighter.
I’ve now learned how to use the simple USB audio interface in my little Behringer mixer and the lag is inaudible. It’s a bit of a faff having to keep changing between the mixer and the Steinberg UR22 interface in Cubase but it works.
