Sources Page

In the topmost section, the following options are available:

Activate External Sync: Activates/Deactivates the external synchronization.

Timecode Source

The Timecode Source section allows you to determine whether Cubase is acting as timecode master or slave. The following options are available:

Internal Timecode: Sets Cubase as timecode master that generates all position references for any other device in the system based on the project timeline and the Project Setup settings.
MIDI Timecode: If Activate External Sync is activated, this sets Cubase as timecode slave to any incoming MIDI timecode. You can select the MIDI Input ports in the MIDI Timecode Settings section.
ASIO Audio Device (Windows only): Only available for audio cards that support the ASIO positioning protocol. These cards have an integrated LTC reader or ADAT sync port and can perform a phase alignment of timecode and audio clock.
VST System Link: Sets VST System Link as timecode source. This allows for all aspects of sample-accurate synchronization between different computers that are connected via VST System Link.

Note

Discrepancies between the Project Frame Rate and the incoming timecode can cause problems during postproduction, even if Cubase is able to lock to that timecode.

MIDI Timecode Settings

The MIDI Timecode Settings become available if you activate MIDI Timecode as a Timecode Source.

MIDI Input: Allows you to select the MIDI input ports. To allow Cubase to synchronize to MIDI timecode from any MIDI connection, select All MIDI Inputs.

Timecode Source Preferences

If you activate MIDI Timecode as a Timecode Source, you can set up Timecode Source Preferences for working with external timecode. The following options are available:

Lock Frames: Determines how many full frames of timecode it takes for Cubase to lock, that is, establish synchronization.

Note
If you have an external tape transport with a very short start-up time, set Lock Frames to a low value to make lock-up even faster.
Drop Out Frames: Sets the number of timecode frames that must be missed until Cubase stops. Using LTC on an analog tape machine can increase the number of drop outs.
Inhibit Restart ms: Some synchronizers still transmit MTC for a short period after an external tapemachine has been stopped. These extra frames of timecode sometimes cause Cubase to restart suddenly. Inhibit Restart ms allows you to control the amount of time in milliseconds that Cubase waits before restart (ignoring incoming MTC) once it has stopped.

Auto-Detect Frame Rate Changes: Notifies you about frame rate or timecode changes and interrupts playback or recording. Activate this if you want to diagnose problems with timecode and external devices.

Transport Start/Stop: Starts/Stops playback in Cubase.