Nu-Trix The Synth Guy Throws Down: Drumlogue vs Circuit Mono Station Sync Showdown

Nu-Trix The Synth Guy doesn’t mess about—he’s got a Drumlogue and a Circuit Mono Station on the table, and he’s ready to make them dance together. The mission? Get both boxes locked in step, using both old-school analog clock and trusty MIDI. It’s not just about plugging cables and hoping for the best; Nu-Trix is out to show exactly where things work, and where they get messy.

He kicks off by reminding us that even if you don’t own these exact machines, the process and the pitfalls are universal. There’s always a surprise lurking when syncing two bits of gear, and it’s never as simple as the manual makes out. If you’re expecting a flawless plug-and-play, prepare for a reality check—this is hands-on, real-world troubleshooting, not a glossy promo reel.

Nu-Trix lays out the basics: analog sync is just a pulse—simple, dumb, but sometimes effective. MIDI, on the other hand, is a full-on data party with start, stop, continue, and position messages, letting both machines know exactly where they are in the groove. He shows how analog clock will get the tempo right, but forget about start/stop—one box keeps running while the other’s already at the bar.

Switching to MIDI, things get a bit more civilised. Now both machines can start together, stop together, and—crucially—stay in the same place in the pattern. But as always, it’s not all roses: Nu-Trix points out that analog is quick and dirty, while MIDI brings more control but also more ways to trip yourself up if you’re not careful.

Here’s where the toaster-fight begins. Nu-Trix dives into clock division settings—get these wrong and your groove turns into a car crash. The Drumlogue and Circuit Mono Station don’t always agree on what a 16th note is, so you’ve got to match their divisions or risk one box running twice as fast as the other. Rise/fall settings? Most of the time, you can ignore them, but get the divisions wrong and you’ll know about it fast.

Then comes the MIDI channel madness. Plug in MIDI and suddenly the Drumlogue starts spitting out unwanted kick drums—because it’s receiving notes it shouldn’t. Nu-Trix shows how to dodge this by setting the Drumlogue’s MIDI channels so it ignores rogue notes from the Mono Station. It’s a classic case of RTFM, but Nu-Trix walks you through the fix without the usual eye-glazing techspeak.

So which sync method wins? Nu-Trix breaks it down: analog is fine if you just want tempo, but if you need both boxes to start at the same bar, MIDI is your friend. He demonstrates how MIDI keeps everything lined up, not just in time but in pattern position—essential if you’re running tight live sets or want your fills to actually land together.

But it’s not always about perfection. Sometimes you want one box to be free-running, sometimes you want military precision. Nu-Trix makes it clear: pick your sync method based on what you actually need, not just what’s easiest to plug in. If you want both machines to slam in together every time, MIDI’s the way to go.