MIDI clock setup for a looping rig

["Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill" <rs@moinlabs.de>]

Today, I finally completed the slightly new MIDI clock setup for my looping
rig. Making it that complicated was of course caused by the unstable
internal clock of the Repeater with which some devices only work with
problems (like clicks in the TC devices' delays). First, let me draw a
simplified MIDI chart (note that there are no patchbays, merge boxes or 
thru
boxes used in the setup). For any device, the LEFT side means the MIDI In,
the RIGHT side corresponds to the MIDI Thru and the BOTTOM to the MIDI Out.

+--Eclipse---MC505
|    |
|    +---FCB1010(*)----Repeater---FireworX---D2--+
|                         +--Q--Wavestation--KP2 |
|                            +--MicroModular     |
+------------------------------------------------+

not integrated: VBass (no MIDI outs/thrus with clock left), DL4 (no MIDI)

Details of the devices' setups: The Eclipse is set to use internal clock
(which is controlled by a FCB1010 Note msg or the tap button). The Roland
MC505 is set as slave (and in that case, it transmits no MIDI clock on its
output). The FCB1010 is set to Merge (i.e. the sole output functions as a
merged Out/Thru). The Q is set to syncronize to MIDI clock and to transmit
MIDI clock at the output. All other devices are set to sync to MIDI clock.

You might know that lots of devices both have an internal (appable)clock 
and
also sync to MIDI clock but do not generate MIDI clock themself. (Example:
Wavestation, FireworX, D2, KP2, MicroModular). Some do, but do not trasmit
MIDI clock at their output when synced to an external clock (the
aforementioned MC505). This might explain some of the choices I made in
compiling this setup.

Looking at this setup, we have basically three possible master/submaster
clocks:

Eclipse (tappable by FCB1010)
   V
Repeater-->Q-->MicroMod
   V       Wavestation, KP2
FireworX
D2
MC505

So, the following is possible:
synced to MIDI
Repeater  Q
   X      X             everything runs to Eclipse clock (tappable w/ 
FCB1010)
[Standard setup]
   X      O             the Q and the MicroModular have their own clock
   O      X             the Repeater/Q/MicroMod/Wavestation/KP2 branch 
runs with the
Repeater's clock (tappable w/ FCB1010)
   O      O       as above, but the Q and the MicroModular have their own
clock

For tapping the tempo, I use three different switches on the FCB1010: tap
Eclipse, tap Repeater and tap both (of course, when not syncronized, 
they're
bound to drift, but that adds to the fun).


Rainer Thelonius Balthasar Straschill
Moinlabs GFX and Soundworks - www.moinlabs.de
The Straschill Family Group - www.straschill.de
digital penis expert group - www.dpeg.de
Eclectic Blah - www.eblah.de