MIDI and the D8B

MIDI Basics

Your Digital 8•Bus works very well when incorporated in a MIDI network, utilizing a computer referenced to time code.

Be sure to connect the D8B MIDI jacks to your MIDI interface. Within your computer-based MIDI sequencer, set the MIDI channel connected to the D8B to transmit MIDI Time Code (MTC). This is necessary to run automation from a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SYNC

 

 

 

 

 

BRC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIDI

 

 

 

 

SYNC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Digital 8•Bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIDI

OUT

MIDI

IN

MIDI Interface

Modular Digital Multitrack

Modular Digital Multitrack

The Digital 8•Bus provides control over some key MIDI parameters. These parameters affect your system’s ease of use and efficiency, and should be verified:

•MMC DEVICE ID: Some 8-track digital recorders require that you define the device ID numbers used for each recorder in the MIDI Machine Controller. Typically, tracks 1–8 are device 0, tracks 9–16 are device 1, and tracks 17–24 are device 2, so these are the default settings.

•ONE BUTTON PUNCH: You can also select whether to press the PLAY and RECORD buttons to enter record mode, or just press the RECORD button (One Button Punch).

When you don’t include a computer in your setup, you need a device like the Alesis BRC to transmit MTC to the D8B for time reference when performing dynamic and snapshot automation.

Note: We recommend leaving One Button Punch off to provide an extra measure of safety in case you inadvertently press the RECORD button in the Transport Section.

•MTC OFFSET: MIDI File Offset can be used to indicate the starting time deviation of a Standard MIDI File (SMF), referenced to absolute time code.

•TEMPO MAP: If you use a sequencer in your recording process, you can create a standard MIDI file from the song(s) you’ve recorded. Copy the tempo map from the SMF to the Digital 8•Bus and “synchronize” the D8B display to the Bars:Beats:Ticks of the sequenced program. SMFs are loaded from the floppy disk drive.

D8B Manual • Chapter 4 • page 107