Sample-Accurate Clock

Audio events land on the sample grid, far more precisely than any MIDI clock.

Related

Sample RateAutomationMIDI Protocol

Every audio sample is placed by the sample clock, and which sample an event lands on decides how precise it is.

The problem

Two identical kicks stacked with a start difference of a few samples cancel low frequencies. MIDI timing is far coarser than the sample grid, so aligning with it only reaches the millisecond range.

How it works

At forty-four point one kilohertz one sample lasts twenty-two point seven microseconds. Audio events and automation points are scheduled on the sample grid. A three-byte MIDI message takes nearly a millisecond at thirty-one point two five kilobaud, and messages queue behind each other.

Settings and practice

Let the audio interface supply the master clock. Align layered sounds at sample level by zooming into the first peak, and write fades at sample resolution to avoid stair-step noise. Buffer size changes monitoring latency, not grid precision. Render before fine alignment when precision matters.

What to listen for

A stacked kick that sounds dull or thin is often a phase difference, not a timbre difference. Nudge one track by a single sample and the low end changes at once.

Common misunderstandings

A higher sample rate does not remove MIDI jitter, and a smaller buffer does not make MIDI messages more accurate. Sample accuracy describes the audio grid, not the timing quality of every input.

Sources

• 采样间隔与 MIDI 消息传输时间的换算，依数字音频与 MIDI 规范核查，未抄文本
• 叠层对齐与采样级淡化的做法，依混音工程通识核查，未抄文本

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.