Clock & Sync

Tempo sync, clock generation, and MIDI timing.

MIDI Clock

MIDI Clock is a timing signal that synchronizes tempo across devices:

• Sequencers
• Drum machines
• Arpeggiators
• Effects (delays, LFOs)

Neurode MIDI can generate, receive, and route MIDI clock.

Clock Generator

Generate MIDI clock at a specific tempo:

1. Settings → Clock
2. Enable Clock Generator
3. Set tempo (e.g., 120 BPM)
4. Create routes from "Internal Clock" source

All destinations on clock routes receive:

• Clock ticks (24 per quarter note)
• Start/Stop messages
• Continue messages

Use Cases

• Master clock for external gear
• Sync hardware sequencers
• Drive tempo-aware plugins

Clock Follower

Follow external clock source:

1. Settings → Clock
2. Select Clock Source (e.g., your DAW or drum machine)
3. Neurode detects tempo automatically

Benefits:

• Sync to external master
• Tempo-aware transforms use detected tempo
• Clock Analyser shows sync status

Clock Routing

Route clock between devices:

• Input: Device sending clock → Neurode
• Output: Neurode → Devices receiving clock
• Filter: Pass only clock messages (filter out notes/CC)

Example: DAW sends clock → Neurode routes to 3 hardware synths → All play in sync.

Clock Analyser

Tools → Clock Analyser shows:

• Detected tempo (BPM)
• Clock source
• Jitter/stability
• Timing accuracy

Use this to debug sync issues.

Tempo-Aware Transforms

Some transforms respond to tempo:

• Delay — Delay by beats instead of milliseconds
• Arpeggiator — Arpeggiate at beat divisions
• Gate — Note length in beats

Requires clock source (internal or external) to be configured.

Start/Stop Transport

MIDI Start, Stop, and Continue messages:

• Start — Begin playback from beginning
• Stop — Halt playback
• Continue — Resume from last position

Neurode passes these through routes automatically.

Troubleshooting

Clock not syncing

• Check clock source in Settings → Clock
• Verify route from clock source exists
• Use Clock Analyser to see if clock is detected

Jittery timing

• High jitter in Clock Analyser = unstable clock source
• Try different clock source
• Reduce system load

Devices not starting together

• Ensure Start/Stop messages enabled on route
• Check device manual for clock/transport settings

Best Practices

• One master — Choose one clock source, don't mix
• Monitor jitter — Use Clock Analyser to verify stability
• Test offline — Set internal clock and test routing before live use
• Latency matters — Clock routing adds minimal latency (<1ms) but check stats

Next Steps

• Monitoring — Track timing stats
• Tools & Utilities — Clock Analyser details
• NeuroScript scheduling — Tempo-aware effects (after <beat>)