Hi!

I am currently in the studio and I'm tracking a new song. It's a while since I used my MIDI interface, but my setup is connected, configured and it works logically just fine. But in Cubase SX I have really weird problems with the MIDI. When I record a MIDI track it works just great. It is recorded and when I play it back it plays just as it should. I have the resolution set to bars + beats, because I want a standard MIDI layout as I'm tracking. I use the audio click metronome in the DAW and when I record a track it is recorded just fine and the quantize function works great. Then I record another track and it ends up not in sync. Of course when I try to quantize it gets even worse. Then I remove the track and try again, but now the first notes on that track is not playing and it is still not in sync.

I have the buffer size set to the lowest level, 48 samples and I'm using no audio tracks. I have also tried recording with 60 fps frame rate and timecode, but that didn't work either. I have no problems with this in Cakewalk Sonar, both the midi recording and the quantize works just great, but in Cubase SX I get sync problems... Any idea what could be the reason for these problems?! It doesn't make sense, how can the MIDI side be affected by latency problems?!

I think I have found the right place to tweak now. It's in 'Device setup'->'VST multitrack'->'Expert'->'Adjust for Record latency'->'Record placement offset'...

I just realised something, this problem sucks!

If it is what i think it is there may be solution .
I'll try to keep it short - there 're two ways midi can enter Skewbase SX - either via "Direct Music" midi or via "windows midi" (its turned on/off in device setup/midi )
These are two "different" ways of how cubase interprets midi events transmitted by your midi interface .Depending of your version of cubase it's either "direct music" or "windows midi" turned on by default
You may notice that windows midi page is blank (nothing listed there ) if direct music is enabled and vice versa - why ?
Because some programming genious in steinbug headquarters tought it's actually intelligent and cute to hide these choices and it's default changes from version to version ???
Doh
Anyway to try to keep it short again - there's a folder inside main Cubase folder called MIDI Port Enabler with file named "ignoreportfilter" with no extension and its size is 0 bytes OR if you're using 3.1 version and above there's file called enableemulated also with no extension and 0 bytes in size .
All is okay -close cubase then copy that file to main Cubase folder (where Cubasesx3.exe is ).
Now you should see your midi interface listed in both direct music and windows midi pages and you can set what you want to use in "show" column on the right.
If you set Direct music to show on - turn it off in windows midi - simple.
Now it's time to test timing to see is your selection okay - turn on audio metronome and record 8th notes like madman right on click -pling,pling,pling few midi channels few bars .WHen you play it back it should sound okay as you played it .If it's not change your windows midi or direct music choice and you MUST restart cubase after every change .Ugh i forgot there's one more option under DIrect music called "use system timestamp" - thats actually "third" method - one of them will work - it's different for every midi interface - "older" midi interfaces mostly work with windows midi and newer with direct music with system timestamp turned on .
Jesus i can't beleive i'm actually quite calm while typing , i remember i wanted to send antrax letter to steinberg during discovery of all this crap


Note - there's a posibility that you still cant see both pages listed cause of that stupid filter thing - you can make that "ignoreportfilter" 0 bytes file yourself if you dont have it ,just make new text document name it "ignoreportfilter" and delete its extension .

ANyway good luck with it post some detalis if you don't solve it we'll nail it

Thanks for your help! Today I tried using "System Timestamp" and that made everything much more in sync. I am not sure is it the solution to the problem but I will follow your other instructions when I realise the problem is not solved yet... Thanks!

Rhodez, earlier I was using system midi timestamp, but it never really worked. I thought it worked but it didn't. However, I finally got Windows MIDI activated, I needed to record on another port before it was possible to switch, but then it all worked just great!!! Thanks so much for these awesome instructions!!! Now everything is perfectly in sync!