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. Two paths leave the Mac: BeatStep Pro translates MIDI clock into analog pulses for the DrumBrute, and a 50-foot DIN off the Volt carries MIDI clock straight to the Mother-32, which becomes the tempo hub inside the Moog rack — distributing analog pulses down to DFAM and Labyrinth.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → BeatStep Pro (MIDI clock + start/stop, for the DrumBrute)
- 02BSP CLK OUT → DrumBrute Impact CLK IN
- 03Logic → USB → Volt 876 (MIDI clock to Volt's DIN out)
- 04Volt 876 MIDI OUT → 50' DIN → Mother-32 MIDI IN
- 05Mother-32 (assign / tempo out from the patchbay) → passive mult → DFAM ADV / CLOCK + Labyrinth CLOCK IN
Settings
Logic Pro — File → Project Settings → Synchronization → MIDI → check “Transmit MIDI Clock”. Destinations: BeatStep Pro AND Volt 876 ports. 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.
Volt 876 — MIDI clock enabled on the DIN out to reach the Mother-32 down the 50' run.
DrumBrute Impact — Sync source = Clock, clock in rate = 1PPS to match the BSP.
Mother-32 — Receives MIDI clock and start/stop on the DIN. Patch an assign output (routed to internal clock) out to the DFAM + Labyrinth mult at 1PPS.
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.
- Pre-session: confirm X8IN word-clock lock (ADAT 1) and — if the drum station is up — SP8 ADAT lock at 48 kHz (ADAT 2).
All-Analog Fallback — Daisy-Chain from the BSP
The pre-DIN-run architecture, kept as a fallback if the 50' MIDI cable to the Mother-32 flakes out. BSP fans clock out to the whole rack via the DrumBrute's clock thru.
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.
- Use this only if the DIN path is broken. The standing setup drives the M32 with MIDI clock from the Volt — start/stop comes free.
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.
Volt DIN → Mother-32 (the standing MIDI path)
Logic drives the Moog rack over MIDI via a 50-foot 5-pin DIN off the Volt 876. The Mother-32 becomes the tempo hub inside the rack — its analog clock distributes down to DFAM and Labyrinth.
Cable chain
- 01Logic → USB → Volt 876 (MIDI clock enabled to Volt's DIN out)
- 02Volt 876 MIDI OUT → 50' 5-pin DIN → Mother-32 MIDI IN
- 03Mother-32 assign / gate / tempo out → passive mult → DFAM ADV/CLOCK + Labyrinth CLOCK IN
Settings
Logic Pro — File → Project Settings → Synchronization → MIDI → check “Transmit MIDI Clock”, destination: Volt 876 port.
Mother-32 — Receives MIDI clock and start/stop on the DIN. Route an assign output (or the internal clock at the patchbay) to feed the rest of the rack at 1 pulse per step.
DFAM / Labyrinth — Slaved to the Mother-32's analog pulse — same rules as the BSP path: one pulse = one step.
Watch for
- Mother-32 is the only Moog in the rack that speaks MIDI, which is why it's the entry point. If Logic and the rack disagree on the downbeat, hold-reset the M32 sequencer before the take.
- Long DIN runs are usually fine, but if MIDI stutters check the cable seating at both ends and swap for a known-good 5-pin before blaming the run.
- This path replaces the older BSP → M32 DIN routing. The BSP still handles DrumBrute + any straight-pulse recipes.
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.