Clock Lab
Logic Pro is the master. The BeatStep Pro translates its MIDI clock into analog pulses, and the rack counts steps. These are the working recipes for single-take recording — cables first, then settings, then the gotchas.
Logic Master — Full Rig (single-take)
Logic Pro owns tempo and transport. The BeatStep Pro translates MIDI clock to analog pulses and everything downstream steps in time: DrumBrute, Mother-32, DFAM, Labyrinth.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → BeatStep Pro (MIDI clock + start/stop)
- 02BSP CLK OUT → passive mult (or stackable 3.5mm cables)
- 03Mult → DrumBrute Impact CLK IN
- 04Mult → Mother-32 TEMPO IN
- 05Mult → DFAM ADV / CLOCK
- 06Mult → Labyrinth CLOCK IN
Settings
Logic Pro — File → Project Settings → Synchronization → MIDI → check “Transmit MIDI Clock”, destination: BeatStep Pro port. Set a 1-bar count-in.
BeatStep Pro — Sync = USB. In the MIDI Control Center, set Clock In/Out rate to 1 pulse per step (1PPS). One pulse = one 16th at BSP resolution.
DrumBrute Impact — Sync source = Clock, clock in rate = 1PPS to match the BSP.
Mother-32 — Patch nothing at TEMPO until sync is wanted — a cable there overrides internal clock. One pulse advances one sequencer step.
DFAM — Pulses at ADV/CLOCK advance steps; the sequencer's own tempo knob is bypassed. Patch trigger normals stay intact.
Labyrinth — External clock at CLOCK IN takes over; use its internal divider to run half- or quarter-time against the grid.
Watch for
- Analog clock carries no start/stop — sequencers step whenever pulses arrive. Logic only sends clock while the transport runs, so everything starts together on bar 1… but confirm each sequencer is reset to step 1 before rolling (hold-reset the DrumBrute, reset the M32 pattern).
- If the downbeat lands one step off, nudge the region in Logic rather than re-fighting the hardware.
- Record-arm everything, run one throwaway bar, and check the ADAT channels are locked before the keeper take.
No Mult? Daisy-Chain Variant
Same result using the DrumBrute's clock-thru instead of a passive mult.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → BeatStep Pro
- 02BSP CLK OUT → DrumBrute Impact CLK IN
- 03DrumBrute CLK OUT → Mother-32 TEMPO IN
- 04Split after the M32 with a stackable cable → DFAM ADV/CLOCK + Labyrinth CLOCK IN
Settings
DrumBrute Impact — Clock out mirrors clock in when synced externally — set out rate to 1PPS as well.
All — Every device in the chain must agree on 1PPS or steps will run at different musical rates.
Watch for
- Each hop adds a hair of latency (microseconds — inaudible, but keep the chain short).
- Mother-32 has no clock thru; the split must happen on the cable, not the panel.
BSP Drum Gates as Rhythmic Triggers
Beyond straight clock: use the BSP's 8 drum gate outs to fire the DFAM and Labyrinth in programmed rhythms instead of constant 16ths.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → BeatStep Pro (as above)
- 02BSP Drum Gate 1 → DFAM ADV/CLOCK — the DFAM only advances when the BSP drum track says so
- 03BSP Drum Gate 2 → Labyrinth CLOCK IN — syncopated generative steps
- 04BSP CLK OUT → DrumBrute (straight time underneath)
Settings
BeatStep Pro — Program the drum track pattern in the DRUM sequencer; each active pad step = one pulse out its gate.
Watch for
- The DFAM's 8 steps now land wherever your gate pattern puts them — write the gate pattern in multiples of 8 to keep the loop breathing evenly.
- This is the trick for DFAM swing against Logic's straight grid.
MIDI Fallback — Mother-32 Direct
Skip analog distribution for the M32: it's the one Moog in the rack with a MIDI DIN input.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → BeatStep Pro → MIDI DIN OUT → Mother-32 MIDI IN
- 02Everything else clocks as in the full-rig recipe
Settings
Mother-32 — Receives MIDI clock and start/stop — the one box in the rack that will also *start* itself on Logic's downbeat.
Watch for
- Mixing MIDI-clocked (M32) and pulse-clocked (DFAM/Labyrinth) devices works fine, but check relative phase on the first bar.
Tempo math
| Division | Delay time | Rate | 1PPS pulses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 625 ms | 1.60 Hz | 4 |
| 1/8 | 313 ms | 3.20 Hz | 2 |
| 1/8 dotted | 469 ms | 2.13 Hz | 3 |
| 1/8 triplet | 208 ms | 4.80 Hz | 1.33 |
| 1/16 | 156 ms | 6.40 Hz | 1 |
| 1/16 dotted | 234 ms | 4.27 Hz | 1.5 |
| 1/2 | 1250 ms | 0.80 Hz | 8 |
| 1 bar (4/4) | 2500 ms | 0.40 Hz | 16 |
Dial the Supa-Puss and DD-3T from the delay column. At 1PPS each pulse is a 16th — a bar of 4/4 is 16 pulses, so one full DFAM lap (8 steps) is half a bar of straight 16ths.
Pulse dictionary
What each rate means in this room
24 PPQN — MIDI clock standard — 24 pulses per quarter note. What Logic sends the BSP over USB.
1PPS — One pulse per step. The lingua franca for the Moog rack — one pulse, one sequencer step.
2 PPQ — Korg volca-style sync — 2 pulses per quarter (8th notes). BSP and DrumBrute both speak it if needed.
48 PPQN — High-res option on the Arturias. Overkill here — the Moogs count steps, not subdivisions.
Delay pedals on the grid
Way Huge Supa-Puss ~20–900 ms — Analog — set by ear or tap; dotted 8ths get lost above ~120 BPM (900ms cap).
Boss DD-3T 12.5–800 ms — Tap tempo via the pedal — tap quarters, select the division on the mode knob.