SMPTE and MIDI Time Code

SMPTE stands for the Society of Motion Picture Television Engineers (see www.smpte.org). This group has defined cooperating standards called SMPTE time code which is used to synchronize film, video, or audio material. Finale supports the MIDI Time Code (abbreviated MTC), which is the MIDI representation of SMPTE. For Finale’s purposes, MTC is primarily used to synchronize Finale playback with the integrated Movie Window as well as external movie players and editors.

While MIDI Sync synchronizes via relative time (24 clock messages per quarter note), MTC synchronizes via absolute time (sending “Quarter Frame” messages based on a SMPTE frame rate of, for example, 30 frames per second). Finale supports the sending of MTC, which means other devices capable of receiving MTC can sync with Finale. The device to which MTC will be sent, and whether or not to send MTC, can be set in the MIDI Setup dialog box. Whether or not to send MTC can be specified by checking or unchecking Send MTC under the MIDI/Audio menu. Additional MTC settings can be configured in the Sync and Video Options dialog box under the Document menu.

To synchronize an external MTC device with Finale

1. Open Finale as well as the other MTC-compatible device. Some examples of products that can be set to receive MTC are Cubase, Pro Tools, and SoundForge.
2. In Finale, choose MIDI/Audio > Device Setup > MIDISetup.
3. For MIDI Out, choose a driver that supports MTC. If your existing MIDI driver does not support MTC, try using MIDI Yoke which can be found at www.midiox.com/myoke.htm.
4. Click OK. Then go to your other MTC-compatible device, and set it to receive MTC using the same driver you selected in Finale’s MIDI Setup dialog box. The location and wording of these settings varies depending on the product. Consult the product’s documentation for details.
5. In Finale, click Play. When you play, pause, stop, rewind, or fast forward using Finale’s Playback Controls, the device receiving MTC responds accordingly.
   

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