Solution for USB Clock duplication

[Carney#12]

If you're trying to use the microfreak over USB you might have discovered a real problem issue. The USB port sends clock data out on all channels regardless of any settings. This means that other hardware in your rig listening in on any USB channels is likely to end up confused and not syncing correctly.

This morning I spent an hour trying to figure out why the clock wasn't syncing on my new hydrasynth. It was showing 160 while my master clock was sending 80. I wouldn't have ever guessed that arturia would be able to screw up my other gear, but I figured out it was their fault when I turned off the microfreak, and low and behold, the hydrasynth works fine.

The solution to making the microfreak play nice over USB with other gear is more gear. Using a bomebox to create specific USB midi paths means I can prevent the microfreak from sending the clock to anything else.

I hope this helps someone else who wants to use the microfreak even though arturia's done a garbage job with midi, like usual.

For sure, Arturia's going to add more oscillators before they make it work properly, if ever.

[csurieux]

Real Time events and clock are independant of midi channel, always sent on all channels, that's the standart.

[Carney#12]

None of my other synths send a clock when they are set to receive one, especially not out the same port it's being told to receive it from. Broken midi over USB implementation is an Arturia specialty.

That's why you need a separate customizable midi host like the bomebox that does advanced midi processing to get the microfreak to play nice with other hardware.

[csurieux]

I agree that the MicroFreak midi has many 'non standard features' and the little engine is difficult to integrate in a set of midi instruments.
May be I have no't understood your question, or you changed it ?
You wrote 'The USB port sends clock data out on all channels regardless of any settings' : that is a normal feature.
But 'None of my other synths send a clock when they are set to receive one' could be explained by the midi thru setting.
What I have personnaly experienced is that MicroFreak is sending midi clock out on usb as soon as the arpegiator is triggered, whatever the setting, and it is annoying.
The machine should be named midiFreak.

[Carney#12]

I am not asking a question.

Synthesizers are not supposed to send a clock signal out through a port when they are instructed to listen for a clock on that port. That is not normal behavior.

"What I have personnaly experienced is that MicroFreak is sending midi clock out on usb as soon as the arpegiator is triggered, whatever the setting, and it is annoying.
The machine should be named midiFreak."

This happens whenever it receives a start message, regardless of whether the arp or sequencer is turned on.

It's called a bug, and Arturia is aware of it. They either cannot or will not fix it.

This forum is riddled with people complaining about how they can't use their microfreak with other gear because of this issue. If you put a microfreak into a synth rig with USB midi, it breaks the usb midi clock being sent to everything by sending a clock signal even when it's been told to sync to an incoming usb clock. None of the other gear on usb midi will clock correctly to the master. All you have to do is turn off the microfreak, and everything works right.

In an effort to be helpful I posted a solution that worked for me.

[Milkman76]

This seems to be a long term issue, and I am becoming very alarmed by it. I am beginning to regret my purchase, as I am NOT going to "work around" a fundamental MIDI sync issue like this with another piece of hardware. I am a cubase 12 user and am experiencing this identical issue, and it doesnt seem like Arturia is addressing it. I hear there is a 5.0 firmware coming soon -- is there any indication this contains a fix for this??

I have sent a ticket to Arturia about this today and hope to hear back ASAP, but honestly if I dont hear some sort of clarification for this issue very soon, Ill just return the device.
Nothing else in my studio has any issue like this, and Ive spent a great deal of time perfecting my environment over many years.

Does Arturia address any question on this forum, or is this strictly where users complain to each other?