logic in slave mode

hi guys. i run a pro studio and have been using Cubase for 20 years. my question is can Logic run in slave mode to another DAW. i am new to logic. i like some of logics funky groovy stuff, instruments, pedal boards, synths etc, but i won't be running logic as my main DAW until i am 100% confident that i can do ANYTHING i can do in cubase at least as well, and as quickly in logic. i expect my own  learning curve to be at least another couple of months, ( me learning logic) but if logic can slave then i could run it in parallel, using Cubase for tracking audio, and Logic for instruments. Reason slaves to Cubase via rewire, and not sure if logic can be set up to do the same. i do have a BRC and a couple of Alesis HD24s,and the BRC generates SMPTE when running to tape, so i know thats an option, but often i just stream direct to mac and use the HD24s just for 48 in/outs.  i guess i should add that i was thinking of running both Logic and Cubase simultaneous on the one computer, so midi clock  etc wouldn't really work.    thanks for any ideas that might flow from everyone.....buddha

Hi,

 

You can slave Logic with MIDI Timecode (MTC), and that's about it. The downside of this is not being able to follow any tempo changes that may occur in your Cubase project. You'd have to add them manually in Logic.

 

As for ReWire, Logic can only serve as Master.

 

J.

i guess that means running 2 seperate computers, and running Cubase on one, and Logic on the other.

 i could generate MTC in Cubase and send to Logic in slave mode.  not really ideal but it would work. 

i will try it out.   thanks buddha

I experimented with this a lot about a year ago. Slaving 2 computers will work via MTC, but I found that at best I got about +/- 6 ms of timing error, which unfortunately was not consistent on repeated plays.

i guess that means running 2 seperate computers, and running Cubase on one, and Logic on the other.

Why not run Cubase and Logic on the same computer? You can use an IAC bus to route MTC from one app to the other.

thanks David. have people had success with this method? buddha

Sheesh. Sending MTC from LUNA via IAC Port 1.

 

LOGIC PRO X 10.4.5 is set to MTC sync (custom mode enabled in the transport bar, sync icon turns blue)

Press play in LUNA and nothing happens in Logic. I have the input busses for Logic set to IAC Port 1 as well.

 

Live 8 receives the signal and plays very well, follows LUNA's transport perfectly. (LUNA does not have rewire)

 

What else should I know to get Logic to hear the MTC?

Sheesh. Sending MTC from LUNA via IAC Port 1.

 

LOGIC PRO X 10.4.5 is set to MTC sync (custom mode enabled in the transport bar, sync icon turns blue)

Press play in LUNA and nothing happens in Logic. I have the input busses for Logic set to IAC Port 1 as well.

 

Live 8 receives the signal and plays very well, follows LUNA's transport perfectly. (LUNA does not have rewire)

 

What else should I know to get Logic to hear the MTC?

What do you mean by "input busses"?

 

Did you check that you have the same SMPTE timecode values in LUNA and Logic? I mean if LUNA is starting playback for example at 1 hour 0 mn etc.. and your Logic project is set up that way too?

There is a sync setting that determines which midi ports Logics listens to for MTC. That’s what I was referring to as input busses.

 

I did set and reset those values...but logic never responded. There isn’t any activity showing via the transport’s midi In monitor. Absolutely nothing.

There is a sync setting that determines which midi ports Logics listens to for MTC.

Where?

]Here is a screenshot of the setting. Just figured out that LUNA is sending MIDI Clock and not MTC. So, I'd have to find a third party translator or something. Thanks David.You've been a huge help for many years.

]Here is a screenshot of the setting.

I see! To clarify, those settings don't specifically tell Logic which input to listen to for MTC: the first pane on your screenshot is for MIDI destinations — not inputs — and the second is for toggling inputs on and off (nothing specific to MTC).

 

Just figured out that LUNA is sending MIDI Clock and not MTC. So, I'd have to find a third party translator or something. Thanks David.You've been a huge help for many years.

You're welcome! If you find a solution for this, please do share it here, that could help someone else in the same situation. Thanks.

I found a solution. Live 10 can simultaneously receive MIDI clock from LUNA and transmit MTC through a third party app called LIVEMTC. (https://www.showsync.com/tools#livemtc ) Using the trial version of LIVE 10 (my live 8 couldn't run the MTC Bridge plugin. The procedure worked for me as follows

 

1) Open LIVE

2) Add the MTC plugin to one of Live's channels,

3) Open the MTC app so that the app and the plugin link. The plugin will display a chain icon to signal that the link from plugin to app is established. (The app creates 2 virtual MIDI channels.)

4) Open Logic then LUNA.

5) Set LUNA's MIDI Clock output to an IAC bus and enable LIVE's SYNC midi input to that same bus

6) Click the EXT button at the top left of the session view in LIVE so that it's transport slaves to LUNA's.

7) In Logic's sync input SETTING shown above, select one of the LIVE MTC app's virtual channels. Make sure Logic's fps matches the fps in the LIVE MTC app. The fps is a user selectable preference in the MTC app. I used 30fps. Logic may or may not notice any discrepancy of fps. Logic may also ask several times which fps you want.

8) BE SURE TO SET THE TEMPOS TO THE SAME SETTING IN ALL THREE APPS OR LOGIC WILL STUTTER.

 

I was able to run all three programs with all three programs sending their audio out to my UAD Apollo for monitoring. It can take about a measure and a half ( I was running a 74bpm song ) for the sync to really lock in. So starting a couple of measures before any events is a sound practice. Finally, I routed both LIVE's and Logic's output to my UAD's virtual channels. So two channels of Logic streamed in on separate tracks and LIVE streamed in on a third track (for three separate stereo tracks of audio.)

 

One thing I really liked was being able to disengage the external sync in LIVE. Checking or unchecking the EXT will allow you to run LIVE's transport manually and check your sync to LOGIC. So I could let LUNA go idle, while working in Logic and LIVE with Logic slaved to LIVE via the LiveMTC bridge app. Same with Logic, disabling the sync mode meant I could work independently in Logic using its transport without the CPU weight of the other apps. Then when ready, enable the syncs and stream the audio. I only tested streaming audio into LUNA but it should be simple enough to stream the audio to either of the three apps from the other two. Hope this helps.

Maybe this process would work with the $99 version of LIVE. I'd love someone to test that. I'm not upgrading Live 8 to 10 for $275 just yet.

If Luna can't send MTC, why not send MTC from Logic, let that be the master, and slave Luna to it? I'm sure Luna must receive MTC at least...