Tiptop Circadian Rhythms - Manual (Page 26)

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Advanced Tutorial 4: Syncing the Circadian Rhythm to Your DAW (or Any Clock)
Because a true standard for synchronization has never been established, multiple methods for
analog and digital clock synchronization have been developed for different electronic music devices
and their manufacturers. We are hopeful this section can resolve some of the confusion that has
emerged over the years due to the absence of standardization. Below we will cover both theory and
application of sync as it applies generally to DAWs and other electronic music hardware. This is a
potentially confusing topic with many variables so please read carefully and have patience when
setting things up!
In most recording studios, the advent of digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Apple Logic,
Ableton Live, Pro Tools and Cuckoos Reaper have replaced most analog recording methods. Now,
the DAW is the centerpiece of control and the primary clock in the digital studio, so it makes sense
to understand how to sync the CR to it.
In the digital audio realm, the audio sample is the basic building block and the standard unit by which
all digital audio is measured today. The clock which drives audio interfaces (and thus DAWs) is the
most accurate available to most people and also the best source for common synchronization of
devices.
The clock inputs and outputs of the CR use analog voltage pulses where the rising edge of the pulse
indicates the time to execute the next event. A DAW can generate and record these pulses just like
audio. No additional software or hardware is needed to do this.
Here’s the important concept to grasp: the DAW can treat clock control pulses just like any other
audio signal. Unlike MIDI (which runs separate timing), audio clock pulses are locked to the same
precise clock as the rest of the audio generated by your DAW. To give you an idea of how fine grai-
ned control of timing digital audio can be, the CR can be triggered by a single clock a pulse at any
specific sample in your DAW’s timeline.
Further, the DAW can also record the clock pulses from the CR and these recorded clocks can
trigger the CR for sync between subsequent overdubs. This method is probably the easiest and
most modular-centric sync between the DAW and Eurorack hardware. You can now focus on the
the tactile performance of the modular and use the DAW as a fancy tape recorder where everything
runs in sync.
In addition to recording audio pulses from the CR, third party plugins exist for generating a sync
pulse from the DAW to the CR (we use Expert Sleepers’ Silent Way as an example below). If your
tastes run more to the algorithmic side of composition Audio programming environments like Max/
MSP, Pd, or SuperCollider can produce proper sync pulses as well, although the use of these runs
outside of the scope of this manual.