Korg Forums

[gruuve]

Hi folks...I'm new here, and looking for a little help. Here's what I'm trying to do:

Get a Ditto X4 looper pedal to sync with an Electribe 2. (Actually, I was trying to go Electribe2 -> Alesis SR16 -> Ditto X4 looper, but I took the SR16 out of the equation to try to get the Electribe -> Ditto X4 working. What I hope to eventually accomplish is be able to use the SR16 and have the Ditto X4 sync to it, or use the Electribe 2 and have the Ditto X4 sync to it, and do so without having to switch any cables around.)

Supposedly, this is easy...but I can't seem to get it working. I know it's possible because there's a video on Youtube showing a fella using a sync'd Electribe 2 and Ditto X4. Here's what I've tried.

- 1/8" sync out on Electribe 2 into midi IN on Ditto X4: I've tried the Electribe global parameter for sync set to "Auto" and "Internal"...no dice. I had read here that some of the 1/8" to 13-pin cables were bad, so I've tried two different cables from two different sources. No dice.

- 1/8" midi out on Electribe 2 into Midi IN on Ditto X4: Same other details...no dice.


I know the midi IN on the Ditto X2 works fine...it will sync just fine to an old Alesis SR16 drum machine. By "sync just fine", I mean that if you start the SR16 (with MTC out ON, MTC in ON), a loop you record onto the Ditto X2 will stay sync'd to the SR16. (If you change the tempo on the SR16, or stop the loop, and restart it later, it doesn't sync...you have to clear the loop and re-record it...I can live with that).

Since the SR16 sends time code to the Ditto X2 just fine, I've also tried this:
- SR16 midi out into midi in on Ditto X4 looper, then Ditto X4 looper midi out into 1/8" sync in on Electribe 2 (I've tried setting the global sync parameter to use both sync in and midi in)...I've tried going into the 1/8" midi in on the Electribe 2 also. I've also tried both of the 1/8" to 13-pin cables with this setup. Still no dice.

I did also connect the midi out of the SR16 to the 1/8" midi in on the Electribe 2 IIRC...starting the SR16 would start the Electribe, but they still were not in sync time wise.

I'm at a loss...any ideas? It sure *seems like* the Electribe 2 is not sending midi time code out of the "sync out" nor the "midi out" 1/8" ports, and not receiving MTC on the "sync in" nor "midi in" 1/8" ports, even though the settings look right to me.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...any at all.

Cheers,
Dave

[gruuve]

In looking for help, I noticed there's a fairly recent software update for the Electribe (apparently, it's just called the "Electribe" now instead of "Electribe 2"). I was on 1.10 (which presumably is pretty old), so I've gone through the process of updating it to 1.19, then to the latest 2.02.

And trying again..with clock set to internal and to auto.
Electribe 1/8" sync out to Ditto X4 13-pin midi in...no dice.
Electribe 1/8" midi out to Ditto X4 13-pin midi in...no dice.

Let's see if it will accept an external sync signal:
Alesis SR16 to Ditto X4 to Electribe sync in (clock set to external sync)...nope.
Alesis SR16 to Ditto X4 to Electribe midi in (clock set to external midi)...nope.

I know the Alesis SR16 is sending MTC because the LED blinks on the Ditto X4 (and would sync if I recorded a loop).

Any suggestions here?

TIA,
Gruuve

[gruuve]

Confirming whether the midi sync signal is MTC or Midi Clock.

Alesis SR16 is midi clock.
Ditto X4 recognizes midi clock, and syncs to the SR16.

According to another forum, the Electribe sends or receives midi clock. So, they're speaking the same language. I don't see in the manual where there's any description of the difference between the sync ports and the midi ports...does anyone know any of these answers?

So...why isn't this working? I'm about ready to sell the Electribe and get something that will work. If anyone has any ideas, please post 'em.

Thanks,
Gruuve

[LM]

[gruuve]

Ah...thank you much for that reply! So, if I understood you correctly...the sync in and sync out ports on the Electribe send/receive some sort of proprietary pulses, not Midi Clock. Do the midi in and out ports on the Electribe send Midi Clock, or no? It sounds like you said "no", but I just want to confirm.

Thank you!
Gruuve

[slug]

[gruuve]

I wanted to update this post since I got this working. It actually works beautifully now.

The issue: That little 1/8" to 5-pin MIDI dongle cable. There are several on the market, but you HAVE to use the Korg one. I wish someone had told me that important piece of go/no-go information in my original post...would have saved me many hours of beating my head against the wall. Regardless, here it is now for the next person trying to do the same thing...get the Korg-specific dongle.

I have not yet tried my original intention (Electribe 2 -> Alesis SR-18 -> Ditto X4), but I suspect that will work just fine also. As long as you've got that silly little Korg-proprietary dongle cable.

Cheers,
Gruuve

[russellclarke]

Here is some information on MIDI 5 pin DIN <-> TRS wiring for different manufacturers:

https://www.midi.org/articles-old/updated-how-to-make-your-own-3-5mm-mini-stereo-trs-to-midi-5-pin-din-cables

For Korg devices:

TRS <-> 5 pin DIN
-------------------------
Tip <-> Pin 5

Ring <-> Pin 4

Sleeve <-> Pin 2

_________________
https://freesound.org/people/bangcorrupt/
http://ccmixter.org/people/bangcorrupt
https://github.com/bangcorrupt

[slug]

Thankfully the MMA have released the new official specification for 3.5mm MIDI adapters, and have come down on the side of Korg spec, so any other wiring is now officially non standard.

https://www.midi.org/articles-old/trs-specification-adopted-and-released

[Osember]