U-SYNC: control DAW tempo from Nome

[Simon]

Hey guys

So the idea here is to be able to

1) sync to a DAW tightly using U-SYNC
2) but still control the DAW using the device knob (changing the tempo and potentially sending MIDI Start/Stop)

Cheers
Simon


PS: note that this topic was created in 2022 (waaay before the idea of U-SYNC was even conceived!) and was about bi-directional sync between DAW and Nome, this concept is the closest it will ever come to that so I adapter the topic to match the new concept.

[AlainTH]

You say this is an idea or you say this is working?
i am really interested by midronome just 'pick' the value of tempo send by ableton for set his frequency without having top use audio sunc or send CC on channel12.

[Simon]

Maybe this could be worked out for a few DAWs using a control interface.

See viewtopic.php?p=2349#p2349 for extra info.

Simon

[DryArmadillo]

Thanks for the prompt responses, Simon! I appreciate your active engagement in experimental ideas for the Nome, as I understand there are a lot of requests and current features in the works already.

To continue on the topic from the related thread linked -

I think using Control Surface Studio by Remotify may be the easiest way to make this a possibility based on the need. I have programmed a knob on my MidiFighter Twister that can adjust the tempo before with Control Surface Studio. But I assume that the Midronome firmware would need to be updated to allow the Midronome to send outgoing MIDI CC messages. As of now, it doesn't seem that the Midronome currently sends out MIDI CC messages. But please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Simon]

Good news: after some simple tests this is definitely possible!!
It's not as simple as it requires quite a few tweeks in U-SYNC to make it work smoothly (which implies a new U-SYNC release which is always a LOT of work), so I've decided to postpone it to FW 5.0.

Note that it requires a little bit of manual work to map the MIDI in the DAW, but I can provide guides.

Note that it will not work in all DAWs:

• Ableton, Bitwig, Logic, and FL Studio work fine.
• Pro Tools and Studio One seem a no-go
• Reaper might be possible with a lot of work (or someone who knows Reaper very well)
• Cubase I could not test it at the moment (waiting for a license from Steinberg)

Quick question: this controls the DAW's tempo, would you also want to control start/stop using the Play button? This might be a lot harder to implement.

[MPrinsen]

This would be great and will definitely make me place my Midronome in a more prominent (easier to reach) place in my setup!

[Simon]

Just FYI this will not be officially released in FW 4.0, but there is a hidden alpha version: the Nome will send a PitchBend MIDI message over USB, which you can MIDI Map to the tempo in Ableton (and a few other DAWs - it does not work in Logic).

To try it in Ableton:

• First make sure you have a session with U-SYNC running and connected
• Edit the MIDI Settings and check the "Remote" checkbox in front of "Nome II DAW Control"
• Then right click the tempo and choose "Edit MIDI Map", then click again the tempo (to select it)
• Then turn the knob on the Nome, a line will appear
• Change the Min/Max to match the Nome (30-400) and exit the MIDI mapping mode

ableton-settings.png (23.75 KiB) Viewed 359 times

Note: if you cannot find the "DAW Control" MIDI Input Port it's because your mac needs to refresh its MIDI names. To do so, unplug and then delete the device in Audio MIDI Setup.

Note that this only works when the DAW transport is not playing. When playing, only the DAW is the master.

FW 5.0 will release an official non-alpha version of the feature which will work in all DAWs supported by U-SYNC.

Simon