Once again we turn to the tools the market offers our small (or not so small) home studio. In this chapter we're going to take a closer look at some little devices that seem trivial, even laughable, at first glance, but that, viewed with a more “complex” eye (to use an exact antithesis), can work wonders and open up a much wider range of ways to work.
The truth is that the audio field keeps moving closer to video work. Time code tools, for example, have always been used in video and film, and today they are making their way in the same manner into studios dedicated exclusively to audio. In short, time code is generally used in post-production to synchronize different machines and provide a real-time reference for tape-based media.

Synchronization
Naturally, one of the most important functions of MIDI systems is transferring data about timing references between the different points (machines) in the system.

Not every device in a MIDI system cares about timing information (it sounds like we're talking about sunny weekends, but we're not...), since that depends on the function each machine has been assigned.

Given that MIDI has carved out an enormous place for itself in recording, in home studios and huge professional facilities alike (a home studio can be professional too), the need arose for methods that would let us lock MIDI timing information to a time code previously recorded on a multitrack (or on a videotape). That way we can synchronize the timing of our MIDI sequences (sequencer, computer) with tape-based systems, such as a multitrack recorder in audio sessions.

The need for these time codes has been oriented toward real time (as opposed to musical time), which gave rise to a MIDI extension known as MIDI TIME CODE (MTC).

Real-Time Synchronization and MTC
One well-known method is to generate the time code with an MTC synchronizer. The synchronizer then sends this code to control the devices you want.
/estudio15_2.jpg" width="180" height="108" hspace="8" vspace="8" border="2" align="left" alt="">
It may be worth specifying that the main things we will control with time code are the timing clock, start, continue and stop.

To illustrate the theory with a practical case, picture a multitrack on which we record a sync tone (that strange little noise the synchronizer emits). Now, every time we press play on the multitrack (with the appropriate cabling, of course), the synchronizer picks up that reference and sends start, continue, stop and other commands to all the synchronized MIDI machines, so that all the “gizmos” start, continue and stop at the same moment and the same point in the song.

SMPTE Time Code
The SMPTE time system is based on a continuous indication of the time elapsed since a given moment. The reading is expressed on an eight-digit clock that specifies hours, minutes, seconds and frames. The information from this clock is encoded and recorded on an audio track.

The Synchronizer
The synchronizer, then, is the device that reads the time code from two or more machines and controls the speed of all the slave “units,” so that their codes run at the same speed as those of the master machine.

Some devices that are not synchronizers but other kinds of equipment in our studio may have a synchronizer built into their “circuitry” or chassis, capable of generating sync signals and so on...

The Chase Synchronizer
This type of synchronizer could simply be a box with a time code input for the master and slave machines. A chase synchronizer is designed so that the slave device follows the master at all times. So if the master starts a fast wind, the slave will do the same.

The Full-Featured Synchronizer
This kind of unit is more common in somewhat more complex installations. It offers more features than a chase unit. You will find full-featured synchronizers in setups where you need to control, for example, several multitrack machines and different codes that tie the sync of all of them together.

Applications in Our Home Studio
Leaving aside the theory of codes and so on... (after all, who cares how on earth the little box manages to do it, as long as it does) let's move on to practical applications.

There are different types of sync, some of which we've mentioned, like MTC and SMPTE, and others such as FSK, DTL and so on... The two most common and current are the first two.

Why Do We Need a Synchronizer?
Well, it depends on the different devices we have in our studio, our way of working and so on..

The truth is that if our system is based on hard disk recording through an audio interface, that is, a card that uses software to sync MIDI with audio (think Cubase, Logic, Cakewalk and so on...), a synchronizer (in small setups) isn't going to be especially useful, although...

Perhaps we have a recorder, say an 8-track multitrack that we used before putting together this whole computer contraption. Well, if we're a bit short on audio tracks on the computer, assuming our card gives us 8 or 16, the idea of buying a small synchronizer may start to make sense. We would record the sync tone on one of the eight tracks of our old multitrack (leaving seven available) and connect the synchronizer to the computer. Now, when we press play or stop on our machines, 7 tracks plus the computer's 8 (or sixteen, etc.) will move together, giving us 15 audio tracks in perfect sync with our MIDI.

We can also think about the usefulness of a synchronizer when working with video, that is, when scoring or recording for picture. With a synchronizer, the picture (from external devices) and our computer will move in parallel. Naturally, computers have reached this field too, and some of the best-known programs now include tools for viewing AVI files (movies) in sync with our audio tracks, so that when we press “play” in the music program installed on the computer, all the recorded tracks start at the same time as the .avi (movie) file.

In short, sync lets us tie together several devices that we previously couldn't use together because of timing problems. From that point of view, all you have to do now is think about what gear you have lying around and how to hook it together.

How It Works, Minus the Jargon
For those of you who have no idea how this gizmo works.
Let's take the example of a very simple, rather basic synchronizer that nevertheless handles the most common tasks perfectly.

A small synchronizer can be very compact (10 x 10 x 5 cm). Let's say the minimum this little guy needs is three or four types of code, so that it can work with different “gear” (since an older unit may well run on a different sync format and so on..), plus a selector that lets us choose the type of signal we're going to send (SMPTE, MTC, FSK, DTL and so on....)

As I mentioned a bit earlier, operation is as simple as this: press the synchronizer's switch so that it emits the signal, and record it on a track. Then set the synchronizer's switch to “READ,” in other words, to receive the signal (which we recorded earlier) and pass it along to the different slave devices.

That's It, It's That Simple
Of course, yes, yes, yes, the computer can generate sync too. Obviously. In the not-too-distant future, your computer will surely be able to whip up a plate of pickled anchovies while you sequence your tracks. For now, we'll settle for the particular subject of this chapter. Many audio editing programs (our main software) come equipped with the relevant sync options, which means they turn the computer into a tool capable of generating and processing sync.

Conclusions
I hope that reading this chapter has explained clearly enough what a synchronizer is and what it's for, for those who were newcomers before reading it, and that for the more experienced it has been a recap that offered new ideas or information you hadn't considered.

We could certainly go deeper into synchronizers, but... it's not a “gizmo” with all that many mysteries.