sync out port

eastsideeddie · Post by **eastsideeddie** » Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:40 pm

After much searching of the forum I was not able to find that this question was ever posted before.

What does that sync out port on my Volca Beats send? A 5v pulse? I have it plugged into the Ext Clk In port on a Roland JU-06a synth module and logic says that the Beats should be playing the sequence in the JU-06a synth.

They sync up fine over MIDI, but the issue there is that to use MIDI I have to run the JU-06a and that controls the Beats, and I want to do it the other way around.

Sweetwater swore up and down that the sync out port would play the Ext Clk In port on the Roland. I know I can use it over MIDI but the nerd in me is now curious as to why something isn't working that logic says should work.

Does anybody else have these same pieces of hardware and have you gotten it to sync via that 5v clock pulse rather than MIDI?

Also, should the 1/8" cable be mono or stereo?

Thanks.

LM · Post by LM » Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:40 pm

It's a 5v pulse at every two steps (2-step, default) or one pulse for every step (1-step), depending on how Global #8 is set (with updated firmware). Sync polarity (rise/fall) can also be set for Sync Out and Sync In via Global #3 and #4, respectively (default is rise).

eastsideeddie · Post by **eastsideeddie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 12:36 am

LM wrote:It's a 5v pulse at every two steps (2-step, default) or one pulse for every step (1-step), depending on how Global #8 is set (with updated firmware). Sync polarity (rise/fall) can also be set for Sync Out and Sync In via Global #3 and #4, respectively (default is rise).

So it sounds to me like this box simply will not control my Roland JU-06a Boutique synth.

Allow me to publicly thank Sweetwater's sales people who swore it would for telling me that lie just to make a sale.

I really need to dive into this (awful) placemat/manual they supply. My 70 year old eyes trying to read that thing....

LM · Post by LM » Sat Jan 23, 2021 1:03 am

According to the JU-06a's manual, the external clock is used to advance the sequencer steps and that's exactly what the Volca Beats actually outputs when set to one step per pulse, so in theory that should work just fine.

eastsideeddie · Post by **eastsideeddie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:26 am

LM wrote:According to the JU-06a's manual, the external clock is used to advance the sequencer steps and that's exactly what the Volca Beats actually outputs when set to one step per pulse, so in theory that should work just fine.

Appreciate all this info. I wish this manual was more "manual like". If I zoom in Adobe far enough to read it with my old eyes I keep winding up on the other language pages overlapping each other.

I have to find and figure out how to install a firmware update. The manual only shows global parameters 1 thru 8. I got this thing less than a week ago so I also have to fine out where I read what firmware I have now.

But this is all part of what's called the learning process so it'll be okay.

eastsideeddie · Post by **eastsideeddie** » Sat Jan 23, 2021 3:19 am

LM wrote: (with updated firmware)

Just downloaded what I need and checked my unit, and it is at 1.02, so I will get this update done Saturday and see what I have.

You da man!!

eastsideeddie · Post by **eastsideeddie** » Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:07 am

LM wrote:It's a 5v pulse at every two steps (2-step, default) or one pulse for every step (1-step), depending on how Global #8 is set (with updated firmware). Sync polarity (rise/fall) can also be set for Sync Out and Sync In via Global #3 and #4, respectively (default is rise).

Still doesn't work, but to be honest I don't know what any of what this post means. Every step. every 2 steps... Don't I want to send a "click" on every beat? That sounds like every step.

I am at a level where I need someone with way more experience with this product to say "To make that sync out port send the timing pulse out to your Roland you need change this to this value and that to that value. I mean, polarity? Rise/fall? Can't it be set to always send sync and when I don't want to use it I won't plug the cable in? I spent 2.5 hours on that today, 45 minutes of it to get the firmware flash (which for SOME reason they choose to do with an audible update rather than data) and then playing with those parameters. All I accomplished was to at some point make it stop responding to MIDI in until I reset whichever parameter did that.