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Quantiloop and Funkbox sync problem

Continuing where I left off from: https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/32044/i-could-use-a-step-by-step-for-getting-3rd-party-app-working-for-rhythm-in-quantiloop#latest

I have Funkbox connected to Quantiloop and QL does make FB go on and off. The problem is that the first few bars of what FB plays seem delayed/cached and then it spews out and eventually plays smoothly. I also think that it loses sync with the beat counter as I am used to the visual metronome flashing being pretty tight with the beat.

If you're using FunkBox with QL, how do you set it so it starts and runs smoothly?

Comments

  • Sorry, I don't use Quantiloop but, just so you know, Funkbox remains a sort of 'gold standard' for iOS MIDI sync around these parts. That is to say, I'd investigate issues with Q before spending much time investigating potential issues with funkbox. Does Q stay in sync with other apps pretty well for you?

  • edited August 2019

    My only other apps are EasyBeats and Cubasis, neither of which work with QL at all. So by that measure FB works pretty well. The thing that does work properly on QL is the internal metronome.

    Also, there are multiple sync variables, Ableton sync, etc. and henceforth many ways to configure those and it would be nice to know if there is a "right" way or if all of that somehow doesn't matter?

    Assuming that FB is just following the clock signal, it sounds like it gets an unpredictable burst of clock at the beginning of the playback. Just going on a bass-snare pattern, I expect to hear the snare 1/2 a second later but I hear it almost immediately along with a bunch of other stuff, and in an unpredictable fashion from one playback to the next.

    It is more of a Quantiloop question. Is there a drum app that works well with it? I see also Beat Buddy has tighter integration. It might be worth pursuing that.

  • @Digital_Larry said:
    My only other apps are EasyBeats and Cubasis, neither of which work with QL at all. So by that measure FB works pretty well. The thing that does work properly on QL is the internal metronome.

    Also, there are multiple sync variables, Ableton sync, etc. and henceforth many ways to configure those and it would be nice to know if there is a "right" way or if all of that somehow doesn't matter?

    Assuming that FB is just following the clock signal, it sounds like it gets an unpredictable burst of clock at the beginning of the playback. Just going on a bass-snare pattern, I expect to hear the snare 1/2 a second later but I hear it almost immediately along with a bunch of other stuff, and in an unpredictable fashion from one playback to the next.

    It is more of a Quantiloop question. Is there a drum app that works well with it? I see also Beat Buddy has tighter integration. It might be worth pursuing that.

    FunkBox is working fine for me as the rhythm instrument in Quantiloop. Try disabling MIDI and Link in FunkBox. You’re probably getting conflicts between MIDI clock and IAA sync.

  • edited August 2019

    I'm going to post a few of the screens in Quantiloop and Funkbox that relate to MIDI and sync and metronome etc. I have no idea what I'm doing.

    I would like the MIDI footpedal to start and stop Quantilooper (this works).
    I would like Quantilooper to start and stop Funkbox, which it does, currently with a spasm at the beginning that throws everything off.

    I did manage to make a synchronized recording where I started it with Funkbox, showing the Quantiloop logo and REC/STOP/PLAY controls at upper left. That is another one of the 143 ways you can configure it, no doubt.

    Quantiloop




    FunkBox


    MIDI ON/OFF








    Ableton Link

  • wimwim
    edited August 2019

    Hi @Digital_Larry, It looks as though you missed what I suggested.

    Please try turning MIDI off in Funkbox. You don't need it and it's gumming things up. IAA Sync from Quantiloop is all you need. You're probably getting inconsistencies because of both MIDI clock sync and IAA Sync from Quantiloop.

    You probably want to disable Link Sync in Funkbox as well. Again, IAA is taking care of the sync, and is the tightest there is. Having more than one sync method going on usually causes problems.

    (BTW, be sure background audio is enabled in both Quantiloop and Funkbox. When I was writing an earlier post, Quantiloop and Funkbox lost their connection to one another. I found that it was caused by Quantiloop not having background audio enabled.)

  • Hi @wim I just showed all the screens to impress everyone with how many of them there are. I do know that you said "turn MIDI off" but there's more to the story. Let me try your specific recommendations and get back to you. Thanks!

  • edited August 2019

    I haven't yet spent the time to document the 100% foolproof way to set this all up, but I have a few comments/questions that come to mind.
    1. What is MIDI for in Funkbox if not to sync with other applications?
    2. Sometimes the Funkbox appears to stop putting out sound. I wind up killing it and restarting and it's OK. Tracking this down, I usually think the sync settings are wrong so I change those. Then, after I restart, the settings really are wrong so I have to find my way back to where I thought I was.
    3. In Quantiloop, make sure your mono instrument/mic inputs are mono inputs rather than the stereo mix. Otherwise your sound stays on one side and cannot be panned. It's not currently possible to "fix" a recording which was made this way without invoking other tools.
    4. I can probably export a WAV from FB and then just use this as the rhythm loop for Quantiloop - fewer things to go wrong. I know, that way it's harder to tweak the drum part, but then it's just another WAV file rather than some complex interaction between apps. It's also not far off from what I see as a typical workflow - I am not going to be fine tuning drum parts in Funkbox.
    5. I don't think Quantiloop has a concept of storing FB's pattern with its own preset. If you're set up to use FB as the rhythm thing for QL, then FB just plays "whatever" happens to be loaded into it. This is another reason to export a WAV file - at least that way it's all together in one place.

  • wimwim
    edited August 2019

    @Digital_Larry said:
    I haven't yet spent the time to document the 100% foolproof way to set this all up, but I have a few comments/questions that come to mind.
    1. What is MIDI for in Funkbox if not to sync with other applications?

    It is, but there are three other ways to sync: Link, IAA, and AU/host sync. Link is more reliable than MIDI clock. IAA is used when one IAA app is hosted within another and is very tight if done right. AU/Host sync is used when an AUv3 app is hosted within another, and is super tight too.

    No matter what you use, when you have more than one going on at once you’re headed for trouble. It’s like a three-legged race at a picnic.

    1. Sometimes the Funkbox appears to stop putting out sound. I wind up killing it and restarting and it's OK. Tracking this down, I usually think the sync settings are wrong so I change those. Then, after I restart, the settings really are wrong so I have to find my way back to where I thought I was.

    Could be background audio settings like I mentioned. Or it could be a bug. Be totally sure that background audio is enabled in both Quantiloop and Funkbox. If it is and the sound disconnects, then yes, it is a bug.

    1. In Quantiloop, make sure your mono instrument/mic inputs are mono inputs rather than the stereo mix. Otherwise your sound stays on one side and cannot be panned. It's not currently possible to "fix" a recording which was made this way without invoking other tools.
    2. I can probably export a WAV from FB and then just use this as the rhythm loop for Quantiloop - fewer things to go wrong. I know, that way it's harder to tweak the drum part, but then it's just another WAV file rather than some complex interaction between apps. It's also not far off from what I see as a typical workflow - I am not going to be fine tuning drum parts in Funkbox.

    That is always the most reliable. I don’t like the quality loss when changing tempo of loops, but I’m just mucking around at home, not performing or anything. If I was performing I would stick 100% with loops.

    1. I don't think Quantiloop has a concept of storing FB's pattern with its own preset. If you're set up to use FB as the rhythm thing for QL, then FB just plays "whatever" happens to be loaded into it. This is another reason to export a WAV file - at least that way it's all together in one place.

    No, it can’t do that. No app except AudioBus can. It’s a limitation of IAA. Audiobus has special magic to be able to do it, but you’re trying to reduce complication, not add it, so probably not a good direction.

  • OK, well I see what you mean about Quantiloop stretching loops into mush. I wonder if there is some way to get Funkbox to record the loop at the proper tempo so it doesn't have to be stretched? I'm not totally enamored of Funkbox anyway - but that's a different thread.

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