Korg Forums

What is the best sequencer program available and better known for tightest MIDI timing integration possible?

An Akai MPC, or an Atari with Cubase, I believe.

I'm using an mpc 2500 with the Kronos, very easy workflow and setup.
It has 4 midi outs 2 Midi ins, 96ppqn resolution which is low compared to newer sequencers but it's fine for my purposes. Plus it's also fun sampling Kronos sequences into the mpc and chopping them up for a totally different feel.

I was mainly referring to "tightest timing".

Obviously, programs like Logic, Cubase, Sonar, Ableton, Reaper, etc etc tend to offer way more functionality than an MPC (though its workflow is nice enough) and higher ppqn resolutions. But those say very little about the actual timing accuracy, they just say that the software can divide a quarter note into so and so many parts. Doesn't mean it'll be precise when you're running it.

That said, I honestly think there's very little difference in midi timing between the various available software packages, nor does it seem as big an issue as it used to be way back when the MPC actually was the king of sequencing.

I've found external MIDI functionality and timing particularly in Ableton to be poor - my drum loops are often badly offset and lack of pre roll confuses some tempo-sensitive gear.
I end up recording my audio parts from drum machines etc in Cubase and then importing them to Ableton later for live use. Cubase timing has always been rock solid.

On a PC it helps to turn off networking devices, particularly wifi, as they often offload tasks to the CPU and this causes spikes in process latency.
I suspect a proper server grade network card with TCP-offload would avoid this but it is probably more practical to turn networking off of use a higher performance processor and system busses.

That's interesting. I usually have Maschine as a VSTi inside Ableton for drums (which seems quite solid) so I never realized there'd be issues like that. Have you also tried with your drum machine as master clock?

By the way, I've never noticed any spikes in latency due to background processes in Ableton. Certainly not from just leaving the wifi on, I always have wifi and bluetooth on and sometimes I'm even downloading stuff in the background. I suppose this COULD become an issue if you constantly run in the 80/90 percent CPU load, but by that point a new computer might be due anyways.
If this happens just with external gear that'd be interesting though.

Ha...good midi timing...good one.

Look, I've been using midi sequencers on Mac since OS7 and Win since 98....I've had interfaces as part of PCI cards...serial and parallel port...USB...all different makes and models.

...and it's all about what you find "acceptable". No such thing as perfect midi timing. I'm amazed at how much the crappy paradigm is being picked up now by a new generation wo doesn't get that the main use of it when I started was because we didn't have the audio tracks to record a full arrangement at home of in the little studio I worked in.

Once digital tracks for numerous enough...I now only use it for things I'm "programming" as opposed to playing, because you're fooling yourself if you think it's giving you back what you put in. The best you could ever hope for is consistent playback of whatever it gets. Latest revisions of Cubase with a MOTU interface has been as solid as most in that 25 years of sequencing.