Metronome to audio sync

Vedeja

@peter, I have seen the discussion many times, but would you please explain why the metronome could not start exactly when the audio file starts playing? My stems all begin exactly on the first beat, so that would mean the audio and metronome would play in tandem time. Or is the timing of the metronome not good enough, meaning it would drift and end up out of sync a few measures later even if they started simultaneously?

I believe the question applies to both ST3 and ST4.

Damir

Vedeja It would make sense that the metronome starts as you hit start button and if your song has immediate start the two would stay in sync .
Because ST does not know the tempo after that the click will drift off time to your audio the longer it plays as the two don’t have a constant reference
The click is good if you need a count in and then it stops as you start a song , and also if you have no audio and want to have a click as a guide , but it’s not meant to be there with your backing tracks , you have your audio to guide you and lyrics to prompt you , I actually hate a click track while playing my old drummer had click and in ear monitors now he has develop so much he only needs a visual cue to start and once the backing is there he uses the other instruments like the bass to work with and floor monitors , the bass never makes a mistake 😂as its always the same like everything else in backing so he finds it really easy in actual fact I love it if we fluff it up on occasions as it appears more normal to the audience , I always say it’s good to make a mistake every so often to keep it real😂
I find perfection gets boring after a while.
To fix your problem record your own click.

Midimannz

Hello, it’s a good idea, however, not all my tracks begin on the first click of a metronome

Vedeja

Midimannz. Well, in your case then it would not make any difference. Not better, nor worse.

MarkGuitar

Damir I find perfection gets boring after a while.

But the audience generally don’t.

Vedeja

Damir thanks. Though, I was not asking for opinions about clicktracks. I have my own.

I am looking for @peter ’s technical explanation for:

Can or cannot the audio and metronome start simultaneously? If not, why?
Will the audio and metronome playback drift apart, and if so why?

To hopefully drive my point: I have five tracks on my songs in ST (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, queues and clicks) and when I hit play they all start SIMULTANEOUSLY and do NOT drift apart for the duration of the song.

Damir

Vedeja I am looking for @peter ’s technical explanation for:

Can or cannot the audio and metronome start simultaneously? If not, why?
Will the audio and metronome playback drift apart, and if so why?

In that case yes to no 1
And yes to no 2 for the reason I already explained.
If you are talking about the internal metronome.

peter

Vedeja I am looking for @peter ’s technical explanation for:

Can or cannot the audio and metronome start simultaneously? If not, why?
Will the audio and metronome playback drift apart, and if so why?

The metronome is started at the same time as the audio tracks. ST3 has a noticeable start delay in multitrack files. ST4 has a delay compensation when starting the metronome and the audio delay is way lower than in ST3. So in ST4 the start should be in sync if your audio files start exactly on the first beat.
Yes, they will drift apart. Once started there is no sync. A sync would only be possible if ST4 would know exactly where the beats are placed in the audio file. Without this knowledge it is not possible to keep a sync.

peter

Is this about ST3 or ST4?

Vedeja

peter

Good to hear for ST4. I will test it.
I understand fully that there is no sync, in the real meaning of the word. But there is no sync between multi tracks either and somehow they remain interlocked in time. Is it because the metronome is a sample (ST4) and the timing that controls it triggering is not precise enough?

peter

Vedeja Is it because the metronome is a sample (ST4) and the timing that controls it triggering is not precise enough?

Yes, ST triggers a sample player via midi it does not render a click track. If you need sample accurate click, you will have to provide it yourself as a separate click track.

Vedeja

peter thank you for providing the explanation. Personally, I will lay the topic to rest now. And continue with my own click tracks. 😍