Preferences - Sync Tab

Use the Preferences Sync tab to specify the options for setting up synchronization of other applications and devices with VEGAS Pro. To access this tab, choose Preferences from the Options menu and click on the Sync tab.

Sync Settings

The following settings, available on the Sync tab, are used for setting up MIDI timecode generation from the VEGAS Pro timeline.

Item	Description
Generate MIDI Timecode settings	These settings are for setting up MIDI timecode generation from the VEGAS Pro timeline.
Output device	This option specifies the MIDI device to which the MIDI timecode will be sent. The MTC slave should also be set to this device.
Frame rate	This option specifies the frame rate for generating MIDI timecode. The MTC slave must be set to the same frame rate.
Generate MIDI Clock settings	These settings are for setting up MIDI clock generation from the VEGAS Pro timeline.
Output device	This option specifies the MIDI device to which the MIDI clock will be sent. The MIDI clock slave should also be set to this device.
Trigger from MIDI Timecode settings	These settings are for setting up MIDI timecode triggering from another application or external device.
Input device	This option specifies the MIDI device from which the MIDI timecode will be received. The MTC master should also be set to this device.
Frame rate	This option specifies the frame rate at which the MTC master will send timecode to VEGAS Pro.
Advanced	Clicking on this button opens the Advanced Sync properties dialog for the selected MIDI settings.
Default All	Click on the Default All button to restore all Sync preferences to the default settings.

MIDI Timecode Input - Advanced Settings

The MIDI Timecode Input dialog appears when you have clicked on the Advanced button on the Sync tab of the Preferences dialog. This dialog contains advanced options for MIDI timecode input. It is only displayed if a device is selected for MTC input on the previous dialog.

Item	Description
Free-wheel for time code loss	When this option is selected, playback will continue for a specified period of time without chasing if timecode is lost for some reason. Enabling this option can compensate for infrequent losses in timecode. If losses in timecode are frequent, troubleshooting should be done to find the cause of the problem.
Free-wheel slack time	Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the edit box to specify the amount of time that timecode can be lost before the Free-wheel playback time starts. A longer time is more tolerant of breaks in the incoming timecode.
Free-wheel playback time	Specifies the amount of time that playback will continue after the Free-wheel slack time has been exceeded.
Synchronization delay time	Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the edit box to specify the amount of time it takes for to synchronize itself to incoming timecode. On slower computers, this time should be set to approximately two seconds. On faster computers, it may be set lower. NOTE Setting this value too low can sometimes result in audible pitch shifting at the start of playback.
Offset adjust	If synchronization is consistently behind or ahead of your MTC generator, enter a value in the box to adjust a synchronization offset with quarter-frame accuracy. If synchronization is behind, set this value to a negative number. A setting of - 4 usually does the trick. If synchronization is ahead, set this value to a positive number. A setting of +4 usually does the trick, though it is rare that VEGAS Pro will sync ahead.

MIDI Timecode Output - Advanced Settings

This tab contains advanced options for MTC (MIDI timecode) input. It is only displayed if a device is selected for MTC input on the Sync tab of the main Preferences dialog.

Item	Description
Full-frame message generation	This option specifies when to send full-frame timecode messages while Generate MIDI Timecode is enabled. Full-frame messages are used by some external synchronizable audio devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually starting synchronization. Tape-based recorders especially benefit from seeking to full-frame messages because of the time it takes to move the transport to the proper location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some devices and may actually cause unexpected behavior in other devices. Check your hardware documentation to find out if they support full-frame messages.

Item

Description

Full-frame message generation

This option specifies when to send full-frame timecode messages while Generate MIDI Timecode is enabled. Full-frame messages are used by some external synchronizable audio devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually starting synchronization. Tape-based recorders especially benefit from seeking to full-frame messages because of the time it takes to move the transport to the proper location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some devices and may actually cause unexpected behavior in other devices.

Check your hardware documentation to find out if they support full-frame messages.

MIDI Clock Output - Advanced Settings

The MIDI Clock Output dialog appears when you have clicked on the Advanced button on the Sync tab of the Preferences dialog. This dialog contains advanced options for MIDI Clock output. It is only displayed if a device is selected for MIDI Clock output on the previous dialog.

Item	Description
Send Start instead of Continue when beginning playback	Select this checkbox if you want to send a Start command rather than a Continue command when Generate MIDI Clock is enabled. When the checkbox is cleared, a Continue command is sent, as this type of command allows the chasing device to start from a specific time. However, some older sequencers that support MIDI clock chase do not support the Continue command and must start playback from the beginning every time.
Song Position Pointer generation	This option specifies when to send Song Position Pointer messages while Generate MIDI Clock is enabled. Song Position Pointer messages are used by MIDI applications and devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually starting synchronization.

Item

Description

Send Start instead of Continue when beginning playback

Select this checkbox if you want to send a Start command rather than a Continue command when Generate MIDI Clock is enabled.

When the checkbox is cleared, a Continue command is sent, as this type of command allows the chasing device to start from a specific time. However, some older sequencers that support MIDI clock chase do not support the Continue command and must start playback from the beginning every time.

Song Position Pointer generation

This option specifies when to send Song Position Pointer messages while Generate MIDI Clock is enabled. Song Position Pointer messages are used by MIDI applications and devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually starting synchronization.