grandMA3 timecode without Reaper

What Reaper does in a timecode setup

In the common setup, Reaper or Ableton plays the song with a timecode track next to it. An audio router such as Loopback or BlackHole splits the song from the LTC. If the desk wants MIDI timecode, a converter turns the LTC into MTC. Tools such as MATools MArkersPRO and TCHelper then connect Reaper to grandMA3.

That is three or four programs and a routing setup to keep in sync. None of them is hard on its own. The work is in keeping them configured when you move to another laptop, studio or rehearsal room.

The same job without a DAW

grandMA3 does not care where timecode comes from. It needs LTC on an audio input or MTC on a MIDI port, at the frame rate of the show. QTracks generates both from the song timeline, so the player, the router and the converter are one app.

1. 1

   Drop in the song

   Create a project in QTracks and drop in the recorded song. Add the click and any stems you want to place cues against.

2. 2

   Place markers

   Play the song and place a marker on each hit and each structure change. Give each marker a cue type.

3. 3

   Export the grandMA3 macro

   Export the macro and run it once in grandMA3. It creates the sequences, the empty cues, the timecode pool and a timecode event for each marker.

4. 4

   Route the timecode

   On the routing canvas, send MTC over a virtual MIDI port to grandMA3 onPC, or LTC into an audio device that is wired to the LTC input of a desk.

5. 5

   Press play and program

   Press play in QTracks. The cue list in grandMA3 follows the song, and you program each look while it runs.

What you need

• A laptop with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• grandMA3 onPC, or a grandMA3 desk.
• The song as WAV, FLAC, MP3 or AAC.
• For onPC: a virtual MIDI port between QTracks and onPC.
• For a desk: an audio output that is wired to the LTC input of the desk.

The routing guide shows both setups, and the grandMA3 timecode guide explains LTC, MTC and frame rates.

When to keep Reaper

If you already work in Reaper and rely on its tempo grid, or you record and mix in it, there is no reason to leave it. QTracks is a previz and programming tool. It is not a DAW and it is not a playback system. At the real show, timecode comes from the band’s rig and goes straight into grandMA3.

Frequently asked questions