Dude i appreciate the closing comments but yea you're being a bit all of that making so many assumptions about my know how and setup. I can see the problem, I'm experimenting with some alternatives. I was just curious if i could find a quick / cheap upgrade in the usb area of my system. Seeing if anyone out there in this helpful and (usually) nice community may have come across this issue before.
For the third time, sorry. This is a balance between tact and real info. I made NO assunptions - that's why I asked "are you using a DAW" more than once. I couldn't imagine that you
wouldn't be and yet what you describe is totally confusing - it just doesn't make sense.
2 - No man it's crazy.. the thing CONSTANTLY sends a flood of midi clock info.. I checked with Alesis support.. "it's a feature". there is no way to turn it off. Simply put they expected it to be used with a usb / computer setup. I have to go the MIDI route because of course an OS9 system isn't going to know how to talk to this.
This is where it doesn't make sense. There's no MIDI function for a data "flood" or simply a constant MIDI clock signal
except from a sequencer used as a master to other devices actually playing a sequence. Also, even when that is the case, there's not so much data that the system will glitch. Think about it - a sequencer that sends so much "garbage" that it creates MIDI chaos in the system would be useless.
The fact that a probably under-educated and overpaid doofus at Alesis said it's a "feature" doesn't make it true or accurate.
I have to go the MIDI route because of course an OS9 system isn't going to know how to talk to this.
This has nothing to do with OS9. That Nitro should be able to, and all you want it to is
send nothing but MIDI drum notes while tracking and
do nothing but respond to MIDI notes with drum sounds during playback over
either 5-pin OR USB MIDI - which, according to the documentation,
it will do.3 - The MPK and the DW absolutely need sync for their arpeggiators.
It sounds like (now, after learning a little more from your last post) that you're running the Nitro sequencer only to "clock" the DW-8000 arpeggiator. It that IS what you're doing, that's the core of the problem. They should be getting that sync from Performer - the arps should have
nothing to do with the drum module.
Unless you're triggering unusually long arpeggios, they shouldn't require sync - for that matter, you should be able to record the arps as MIDI data and not need to use the Arpeggiators at all to play the arps back later.
So, understand that this is not some little oddity that "everybody runs across" - it's either a fundamental error in setup, a defective module, incorrect setting(s) or similar.
*Extra notes:The 0.5-sec pulse from the DW is likely running status. That's one of the very few MIDI things that kinda fell between the cracks when everybody started making MIDI-capable hardware. Yamaha stuff is also notorious for generating it. The intention was to make the MIDI stream a little more efficient by creating a situation where the sending unit could skip some of the identifying bits but it was basically a stupid idea that went nowhere. It doesn't usually cause any problems though which is a
good thing because there's almost
never a way provided to turn it off.
Generally, if you only
need one interface, that's all you should use. Adding unecessary hardware and connections usually causes more aggravation that benefit.
Bottom Line Your considering a different drum brain is a very good idea. In a system with Performer + a central computer, if you want a drumkit (as opposed to just banging a keyboard) all you need is pads and a sound module…NO extra built-in "extra" instrument sounds, NO built-in sequencer, no "extra" built-in anything. That way, you get NO "extra" built-in
problems. You must however, make certain any "new" brain is compatible with your Nitro pads. Just because they have the same connectors (IF they do), there may be issues with sensitivity adjustments and such - usually just enough to piss you off, like when you realize no matter how hard you hit the damn pad, you can't seem to get a MIDI velocity above 100. Yamaha keyboards, especially the DX7 stuff are notorious for this - just something to remember because it's one of those mystery universe kind of things that
only happens when you have purchased something from 10 states away that you absolutely cannot return…
I highly recommend an Alesis D4 or DM5 because they're likely to like your Nitro pads just fine, they can also be had for cheap and they have a zillion really great drum sounds in them. You probably will have to chuck the multi-pad harness though no matter what you get.
BOTTOMER LINE Find out how to run the arpeggiators directly from Performer.
