Issue: MIDI’d Hardware synths often stop when Cubase reaches the back end of a loop
For example: say I have a four-bar bridge in Cubase. And say I have a 16-step sequence on a Prophet 6, which is clock-sync’d via usb. (The sequence is just on the synth, not written in via the piano roll.) Next, I’d like to refine my synth’s sound while the bridge cycles. So I command-P around the 4 bars of bridge, select loop, and hit spacebar.
All begins well… the Prophet obeys and is chugging along in sync UNTIL we hit the back end of the 4 bars. At that point, Cubase loops, and the Prophet stops. Why is this? It happens to a bunch of my hardware synths in Cubase.
Essentially, all I’m asking Cubase to do is to continually send CLOCK. It shouldn’t make a difference to the synths whether the timeline is scrolling endlessly to the right (which works fine), or simply looping on the grid… the hardware synths should just keep chugging along in time.
But alas, upon hitting the back end of the loop, Cubase seems to send a stop message of some sort. It’s not that things lose clock… they stop.
Yes, I could of course write the notes into the piano roll, but that’s just not always the most expedient or musical route. I’m fairly sure Ableton doesn’t suffer from this issue. I suspect I’ve got something checked somewhere that should be checked more like nowhere. 
Any thoughts? THANKS!!
HERE ARE MY SYNC SETTINGS:
- external sync not selected,
- Timecode Source: MIDI Timecode
- MIDI Timecode Settings: Not Connected
- Timecode Source Prefs:
Lockframes 6
Drop out frames: 10
Inhibit Restart ms: 500
- Auto-detect Frame Rate changes: Not selected
DESTINATION PAGE: All boxes are checked on this page (and all my synths / drum machines are also selected)
MACHINE CONTROL PAGE: MMC Slave Active: checked
INPUT SETTINGS…
MIDI INPUT: Not connected
MINI OUTPUT: Not connected
OUTPUT SETTINGS…
MMC MASTER OUTPUT ACTIVE: checked
MIDI INPUT: not connected
MIDI OUTPUT: not connected
MMC Device ID: all
Number of Audio Tracks: 4
I just replied to you on reddit.
I cannot reproduce this issue. Therefore please provide more details:
Cubase level and version number,
PC or Mac,
screenshot of the Sync Destination dialog.
First of all: deactivate anything that has to do with MIDI Machine Control (MMC) unless you use Cubase with a tape machine or old fashioned hard disc recording systems from the 80/90s.
I am using a 2019 iMac Retina. Cubase 12.0.4. Deselected all the MMC stuff – thanks! Alas, didn’t solve the problem yet.
If you don’t have any devices that need MTC I would also disable that. Arps on synths usually only deal with MIDI Clock. So uncheck all ports for MIDI Timecode.
Personally I have “Send MIDI Clock in Stop Mode” unchecked. But in your case I would try to uncheck the first option “MIDI Clock Follows Project Position”.
Maybe we have some Mac user with an hardware synth that has an arp built in. Would be nice if they could run a test.
Could you also check in Preferences → MIDI → Reset On Stop?
I don’t think it has an influence but better to find out. Mine is unchecked.
