Hope this is the right place to ask this but: Did I bite off more than I can chew? Syncing DAWs with hardware is not my strong suit, yet, but here's my dilemma: I have a Tascam 2488neo that I want to be a master to turn on Sonar X2 transport and sync time code (?) or meter, so that when I import the Tascam audio tracks into Sonar, the MIDI data will be right with it. But Lord have mercy, it's like the help files and Tascam manual are written in Klingon and Vulcan. I just don't know what to set in Sonar prefs and the Tascam settings to make this happen. On top of that, the MIDI interface between them is a MOTU midi express XT, that uses Clockworks software. I have a Cakewalk UM-2G if you think that's a better choice. It's foreign to me, but there has to be a way that you guys know. Has anyone tried this combination of hardware? If so I love to hear how you did it. Even if not, I'd be grateful for any guidance. Any at all. Thanks in advance. ~Thom Ebersole

 SoH yImev Sov tlhIngan?



Sonar needs to be the master.  if you set it up that way it should work.  someone with more knowledge about it may say otherwise, and that's fine, but I've done this before with Sonar as the master and it works.

look here:
http://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation/default.aspx?Doc=SONAR%20X2&Lang=EN&Req=Synchronizing.02.html

icon (C) will allow you to choose MIDI SYNC
icon (D) will get you to the MIDI SYNC option.

then, go here
http://www.cakewalk.com/D...default.aspx?Doc=SONAR X2&Lang=EN&Req=Synchronizing.06.html#1115093

and follow those instructions on running sonar in master mode (I tried to copy and paste the direct instructions, but it's not letting me).

if you search the cakewalk documentation like that above, you'll see there's an option for sonar to be the slave.  I do not know how to get that to work properly for all devices myself, but sonar as the master is much easier, IMO.

if you can't get it to work, I'll try to help some more with it.

Thank you, Beagle. I'll pour through this. I really want the Tascam to be the Master though. I like the real buttons for transport control. Hopefully I can get it working. :) Sorry to hear about Hostess. :(

I have an older Tascam 2488 and have used it as a master while slaving Sonar.....check the clock setting in Sonar and set it to slave (or whatever they're calling it)

I have slaved Sonar to a Yamaha MD8, I remember the tricky part was to make sure they both are using the same Frame rate. ( 28?) 

 It is actually better to slave the computer. I worked like that for years. 

The MIDI interface should not matter as all it is doing is passing the data. As long as it has no data filters activated. 

It's all a ( not so ) simple matter of setting the Tascam to send the correct MIDI  sync format and then setting Sonar to the same. It will work and when it does it's kinda cool. 
Oh and there was "song position pointer " involved too?? Been a while.