A question I get asked quite often is: How do I properly sync multiple synths, drum machines, and arpeggiators with a DAW?
There is a short answer: Don’t rely on MIDI clock from your DAW. Use an audio-generated clock signal and let dedicated hardware provide stable timing. This gives you tighter synchronization and precise control over timing offsets.
When working with external gear, the main issue is often described as latency. In reality, the bigger problem is timing precision.
MIDI clock operates at a relatively low resolution (24 PPQN) and is prone to jitter - especially when sent from a DAW. Even if latency is compensated, external devices tend to drift slightly, feel loose, or never fully lock to the grid.
In simple setups, this might not be obvious.
But as soon as multiple machines, sequencers, or arpeggiators are involved, the timing instability became noticeable to me and caused a lot of issues...
How I Approach It
Instead of using MIDI clock directly, I base the entire system on an audio-generated clock signal.
The DAW sends a dedicated audio pulse through a separate output.
Because this signal operates at sample level, it acts as a highly precise timing reference.
This signal is then converted into clock by external hardware.
The advantage is twofold: The clock itself is significantly tighter and timing can be adjusted with high precision
I can shift the clock slightly forward or backward and align everything exactly to the DAW grid.
My Setup
In my case, I use an ERM Multiclock as the central timing unit:
The DAW sends an audio sync signal to the Multiclock
The Multiclock generates a stable clock
Each output can be offset individually
From there I sync the Polyend Sequencer and Synths, the Seq triggers analog drum machines etc.. This setup works identically in the studio and live.
