Syncing two electribe2's (?)

hugekickdrums101 · Post by **hugekickdrums101** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:25 pm

Seems that life has been kind to me lately and it shows because I now have two of the same electribe2's. Was wondering if any of you gentleman knew of a crafty and minimal way to sync the two while in the studio or on the go. Right now I've got both on my desk and in ableton which works decent but they're not really 'synced'. I'm basically using one for drums and the other for lines and pads.

Thank you in advance !

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:31 pm

just use midi out to midi in of the other (or use the sync jacks). if you use midi remember to set the global midi channel.

lowpressure · Post by **lowpressure** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:27 am

roblabs wrote:just use midi out to midi in of the other (or use the sync jacks). if you use midi remember to set the global midi channel.

What are your thoughts on using the Sync In/Out jacks vs MIDI to sync two Electribes together? Also, is it possible to have two tribes acting as both masters and slaves when using the Auto setting from the CLOCK MODE menu? Basically, would connecting the Ins and Outs together allow for tempo changes to be applied on either Electribe while subsequently keeping the other in sync? My second Electribe should hopefully arrive before the new year and I'm trying to decide if I should run out and buy some 1/8" TRS cables or just use a MIDI cable that I already have.

Thank you for your help!

Re-Member · Post by **Re-Member** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:52 am

roblabs wrote:just use midi out to midi in of the other (or use the sync jacks). if you use midi remember to set the global midi channel.

If you hook them up this way, you also have to make sure to set the "MIDI SEND FILTER" to "Short + Program" on the master Electribe (the unit you have sending MIDI OUT to the other). This is listed in the downloadable Parameter Guide. If this isn't set, the master Electribe will end up sending notes, parameter and program change data to the other, causing a bunch of errors. This setting will make it so the second Electribe only receives clock data, plus you can still sequence other gear from the second unit if desired.

As for using Sync In/Out vs. MIDI....
The advantage of using MIDI is that the master unit will trigger a "start message" each time you press play on the sequencer, so if both machines have patterns which are set to 4 bars, they will both be synced exactly on the same exact step. The disadvantage is that the moment you press "stop" on the master unit, both will end up stopping.

The Sync Out jack is a constant signal, so you actually have a little more flexibility starting and stopping either machine at any given moment. The second unit will always be locked on the same beat as the master, but if your timing isn't great, you could miss a step causing the beginning and end for both machine's patterns to not be aligned properly.

Now, about having two tribes acting as both masters and slaves when using the Auto setting from the CLOCK MODE.... I'm not sure about this, haha! I think it would cause some kind of MIDI or Sync loop error. I don't have two to test it. I seem to remember trying it on my Volcas before using Sync and it just caused both to freeze.

roblabs · Post by **roblabs** » Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:53 am

good point about the midi filter, I forgot about that.

lowpressure · Post by **lowpressure** » Wed Dec 31, 2014 6:44 am

Thank you for the info Re-Member. I wasn't aware of the ability to start/stop each machine independently by using Sync rather than MIDI so I think I'll go that route.

soniclunchbox · Post by **soniclunchbox** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 12:37 pm

Hello...I am looking at getting a second Electribe Sampler as well...I have one and love it....Think I would like to have a second identical unit for mixing back and forth on....

Can you sync two Electribes to Ableton via the USB as slaves and have them stay in sync?...Or do the two devices need to be synced with midi directly via midi/sync cables to stay playing together properly?...I know I had to get a sync generator to keep my midi drum machines locked together, but is that the case still if using midi over usb?.

Just curios as I am looking to replace some other midi drum machines with a second Electribe Sampler and hoping to not have to use as much hardware to sync the two identical units together...right now I use a Sync Gen Pro2 and a MOtU Midi Express to keep some drum machines in sync with Ableton....

I'd like to simplify things....Can I bypass all the sync/midi hardware just by going across the USB hub to two Electribe Samplers?...Just wondering if the USB-midi connection is good for keeping more then one unit in sync?...

Interested in any advice....Am happy to continue using my SyncGen and midi interface if that is still the best solution, but if its possible to go with just USB to sync/connect the two units with Ableton that would sure be simpler...

Thanks in advance for any help...