MMGT as MIDI clock master / Strymon BigSky

T

tired_engineer

Well-Known Member
Right now, I'm sending tap tempo to a Timeline, Timefactor, M5 and G-Major 2 via CC messages programmed into the tap tempo button. I also have a BigSky in the rig and don't send tap to it for obvious reasons. Tap input to the BigSky sets reverb predelay time which I don't need/want.

I'd like to just use the MMGT as the MIDI clock master to simplify things and also to get my devices better synced since they all respond slightly differently to tap input so they always have slightly different tempo values. I'm also wanting to start sending MIDI messages from my DAW via the MMGT including tempo. In this last case, of course, I'd set the MMGT to midi clock slave but the same problem with the BigSky will exist.

The problem is this; when the MMGT is the master midi clock, the BigSky takes that and borks the predelay for my reverbs. Because it's a MIDI clock signal, turning CC response off in the BigSky and/or turning all the CC sends to the BigSky off in the MMGT has no impact on this behaviour. As soon as I tap a tempo in, my predelay setting is changed.

There is nothing I can find in the Strymon to turn off response to MIDI clock input. I've sent the question off to them as well but am curious if anyone here has already faced this problem.

Thanks.
 
Hmm I use a big sky with my GT as well. Never even thought about clock to the big sky for obvious reasons. Not sure why the pre delay would change when receiving clock. I am only using Big Sky in one preset so far, so have not noticed yet. I will look into it when I get a chance.
 
The word from Strymon is there is currently no way to disable clock sync in the BigSky right now. Perhaps it'll be added to a firmware update at some point.

So, unless you use some sort of external filtering to strip clock off the MIDI signal to the BigSky, it can't be done.

So, perhaps a feature request for the MMGT; ability to enable/disable MIDI clock to individual devices.
 
Unfortunately, MIDI clock is global - it's not specific to any one channel. We can only send to all devices or none. An Event Processor by MIDI solutions would strip out the clock, but I'd be concerned with it introducing delay. Adding a clock disable switch in the pedal itself is really the correct way to solve this.
 
Thanks Ron. Hopefully they will implement it. The Eventide stuff has it.

I'll investigate the event processor in the meantime.
 
tired_engineer said:
The word from Strymon is there is currently no way to disable clock sync in the BigSky right now. Perhaps it'll be added to a firmware update at some point.

So, unless you use some sort of external filtering to strip clock off the MIDI signal to the BigSky, it can't be done.

So, perhaps a feature request for the MMGT; ability to enable/disable MIDI clock to individual devices.
Click to expand...

My big sky seems to be doing the same. I lowere predelay to zero, and all works as I want it. Then if I change presets and come back, the pre delay is there again.

This seems like a bug. Why would predelay be tied to clock? Tied to tap I get but clock?
 
tired_engineer said:
Right now, I'm sending tap tempo to a Timeline, Timefactor, M5 and G-Major 2 via CC messages programmed into the tap tempo button. I also have a BigSky in the rig and don't send tap to it for obvious reasons. Tap input to the BigSky sets reverb predelay time which I don't need/want.

I'd like to just use the MMGT as the MIDI clock master to simplify things and also to get my devices better synced since they all respond slightly differently to tap input so they always have slightly different tempo values. I'm also wanting to start sending MIDI messages from my DAW via the MMGT including tempo. In this last case, of course, I'd set the MMGT to midi clock slave but the same problem with the BigSky will exist.

The problem is this; when the MMGT is the master midi clock, the BigSky takes that and borks the predelay for my reverbs. Because it's a MIDI clock signal, turning CC response off in the BigSky and/or turning all the CC sends to the BigSky off in the MMGT has no impact on this behaviour. As soon as I tap a tempo in, my predelay setting is changed.

There is nothing I can find in the Strymon to turn off response to MIDI clock input. I've sent the question off to them as well but am curious if anyone here has already faced this problem.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you noticed the BPM display on GT being off? I am currently using as slave from NI maschine. Set maschine to say 80bpm and the GT says maybe 84 or 85. The devices downstream from the GT seem to report the BPM as set on Maschine. Axe Fx will be 80 bpm and POD say 79.98 or so.

Not a biggy as all appears to be working just the BPM displayed is not accurate.
 
Are you using firmware 2.2 on the GT? I made some fixes to the MIDI clock code that should help.
 
While reading the details for the Disaster Area SMARTCLock, I thought of this thread upon reading the following:

"The Multi-Jack may be used as a MIDI Clock Filter – set the JACK configuration to nCLK and it passes through all MIDI information except for MIDI Clock. This configuration prevents the clock from changing the pre-delay on the Strymon BigSky."

So, OP, if you still have an issue, I'd check the SMARTClock out.

http://www.disasterareaamps.com/shop/smartclock
 
This may be obvious, however in case...MIDI Solutions sells Midi filters. You can probably program one of these to ignore CC tempo changes and put it in front of the big sky. This way you can still send other commands.
 
Strymon has announced new FW for some of their pedals including the Big Sky. One added feature is to ignore incoming midi clock. That should help.
 
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