Impossible to sync Tracker+/mini to ANY gear

Tracker
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I know this topic came up many times but was almost always answered with “can’t reproduce/works for me”

I’ll try to focus on Tracker+ and Play+ here specifically to not involve other devices.

Even in this setup (just 2 Polyend devices), it’s impossible to get both to play in sync (with direct midi con, no thru or other devices involved.)

No matter if I use the Play+ as master clock or the Tracker+, they never start playing in sync. So the problem is clearly NOT just MIDI.

The MIDI clock correction does not help too because the resolution of 1/6 step per adjustment step is too low.

It sound like almost in sync somewhere between +1 and +2 on the tracker but it’s still completely unusable with drums/percussions that need a tight fit in clock.

Can this be increased, so you have more adjustment range and could fine tune per step (+12 -12/ +24 -24/ instead of +6 -6)?

This would probably solve or at least make is less noticeable and therefore usable?

It’s the same way around when using the play+ as master clock.

So this is clearly an issue with the internal midi implementation and not a ‘general’ MIDI issue.

When I replace the play + with digitrack, it’s the same, if the digitrack is set up as slave the clock received by tracker jumps wildly, sometimes 1.2 up to 1.4 clock cycles.

TBH, I’ve never seen any device with such a high MIDI jitter rate.

In this state, both Trackers are almost unusable for me and I hate the idea, I have to sell them off for half the price.

If I leave the tracker completely out of the setup and use the Play+ or Beatstep as master, it’s almost perfectly in sync with ALL other gear I have.

So the Play+ seems to have a different MIDI implementation (the is no clock correction option at all in the menu).

Summary:

Tracker+/mini MIDI sync is completely broken and unusable in this state even with just connecting 2 Polyend devices

Play+ works better but is not 100% in sync (but I can live with that)

1 Like
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Def an issue and not dismissing your frustration as I too have lost some hair trying to sort it out… but wanted to share my solution with you. Not the cheapest solution… but solves multiple challenges for me and as a bonus provides additional creative flexibility. I use a dedicated master clock… the Floatingpoint Multiclock… with individual midi outs to Tracker+, Tracker Mini, Play+ & Synth I’m able to get really solid sync across devices. Also gives me the ability to stop/start an individual device in sync without stopping the other devices… allowing me to load new projects mid set. Then the shift & shuffle knobs per output give me additional control.

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3

Same. Not denying the sync could be better on the Tracker, but over the years I’ve learned that MIDI is MIDI and a standalone dedicated clock is the answer. Me in this world not only as a Tracker enthusiast but someone who is really into synth design, even the slightest delay/jiitter can cause phasing issues, and so far the only solution I’ve found is a dedicated standalone masterclock.

4

@Dann I had quite a few devices over the years and none had such bad sync problems. This mostly involved a midi interface and a DAW connection and the problems were mostly software induced.

As this is a implementation in software only, maybe we need a lot of bug reports to finally address these issues. The ‘tight’ integration of both devices is even advertised…

And to be honest and speaking as a customer, it’s not okay to be provided with what seems just to be a beta firmware, were crucial things are not working.

But I really do want a solution and I think it would be good for all users to get such issues sorted out.

How to address this correctly, is issuing bug report after bug report the way to go?
I really don’t want a ‘can’t reproduce’ answer like others got here directly from devs.

5

I hear you sincerely. I’m with you at a certain level. There is a lot of love and passion for Polyend devices, and with passion comes emotions, and people really want the things they really want, and these needs are quite diverse from one person to another.

When it’s a feature request, or a “I can’t believe “X” product can’t do “Y”, that’s where I get that we are all different in what we see as essential. When we get more to basic functions like you are describing, I am 100% with you. I am hopeful just as you are that Polyend will address this and hear how it is something that affect many users.

It’s been 29 years that I work with MIDI and it is crazy how good/bad both hardware and software is with dealing with it. I would put the Tracker a bit worse than average, the Play a bit better than average and the Synth as excellent. I’m still amazed today at how well and prioritized MIDI and OSC was prioritized in Reaktor to an extent that there is no current DAW that exists that can give me the same MIDI priority as Reaktor standalone still does today.

There is the other very true aspect of MIDI where it is a serial protocol and we are more and more exposing the aspect of the limitations of what a serial protocol can handle and deliver.

2 Likes
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On the topic of creating numerous bug reports, I’ll be honest that you’ll just make more work for us MODs and it wouldn’t bring the visibility you would hope to achieve. I hope that doesn’t sound dismissive or not getting what you want to achieve, but it’s not going to get the results you are looking to get.

There are a couple of reoccurring topics across the product line that come up regularly on backstage, and this is probably one of the more famous annoyances. I’ve gathered these topics and will make sure they are delivered the next time I’m given the opportunity.

2 Likes
8

If anyone is interested, this is what I use as a central hub. Old and outdated, but it makes managing MIDI both easy and fun.

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@inz1
I was considering this already as an option, even though this is a very expensive solution.

Can you share some experiences with this device? I’ve watched some videos and read about it but mostly the negative adjustment option involved a communication with a DAW to send an empty first pattern to make negative adjustments work.

How does this work with DAW less setups?