MP3 Director sound/lights out of synch

[psenechal]

Before anyone posts about audio format, I have made sure that the audio file I am using has been converted to a 128kbps CBR file...several times. So the audio file is not the issue and the issue happens with every audio file I use. I'm also on the latest firmware for the light controllers and the MP3 director.

When creating a new sequence in the editor, I import the audio file and use the beat wizard to create a grid. The grid matches up exactly to the beat and I am sequencing a single channel to turn on at the beat. The timing grid is set so there is 4 breaks per beat (quarter beats)...so 1-2-3-4 and the beat occurs on the second quarter beat (2) in this song. The beat is consistent, so if I turn the lights on on the 2nd quarter beat, it sequences correctly through the entire song in the sequence editor. Confirming this in the visualizer, the lights turn on and off to the beat perfectly.

When creating the SD card to be played in the MP3 director and placing it in the director, everything loads up fine. When the song plays though, the audio is one quarter beat off from the lights now. This is consistent all the way through the song and even when it restarts. So it doesn't synch up.

To test this theory, I created a new sequence with the same song and instead of setting the lights on on the 2nd quarter beat in the sequencer (which matches the beat of the song), I set them to on on the 1st quarter beat. So now when I'm working in the sequencer, my lights are going off 1 quarter beat before they are supposed to when listening to it in the sequence editor. Create the SD card and place it in the MP3 directory and everything synchs up perfectly.

So here's my problem. If I create my sequence with all the light effects occurring 1/4 beat before the music in the sequence editor, everything will display fine when playing it in the MP3 director. BUT...it's incredibly difficult to design light effects to music when you have to configure them all to be 1/4 beat before the actual time you want them to come on.

This is obviously not what I signed up for when spending nearly $1000 on a starter set of light controllers.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to resolve this issue or at least make sequencing possible? This is obviously an issue with the MP3 director because if I play the sequence with my laptop connected to the light controllers, everything is perfect.

Thanks for any assistance to help resolve a VERY frustrating issue.

[Vince4xmas]

Does the red light come on at anytime during playback on the G3-MP3 Director? It is located on the bottom of this device.

 

[psenechal]

Yes...as soon as I power up the light controllers, the light blinks red. When I insert the SD card, it changes from blinking red to solid red as it plays the sequence. According to the MP3 Director manual, this is the intended result 

[Vince4xmas]

I believe the light should be off during playback.

[psenechal]

From the manual:

 

Status LED

Blinks once per second if the miniDirector is powered but no SD card is inserted.

Steady on during an active show. Blinks off during the show if the network speed is too slow to handle the complexity of the show.

Steady on if the miniDirector is connected to the Hardware Utility – no SD card should be inserted when connected to the Hardware Utility.

 

The light is steady on during my show per the manual...it never blinks and the music never glitches so my network speed appears to be adequate enough to handle the bandwidth.

Since I can connect the light controllers to my laptop and everything synchs fine, the issue has to be with the MP3 Director.

[NDNRoger]

I had the mini director until this year. I had issues with songs not sync'd up. Reloaded SD card would sometimes fix it or it might move to another song. Bought the MP3 director this year. Primarily to be able to have it turn on and off on its own. Not had any issues so far. So I agree, the mini director has issues.