Hello, new to Liberation here. I am using rekordbox dj paired with TimecodeLink to generate an LTC signal running through VB-audio Virtual cable (lots of different softwares lol i know, many possible points of failure butttt), I have verified the LTC signal on TimeCode Monitor as recommended on another forum post by Seb. I have my SMPTE (LTC) timecode set on Liberation for each song by hours and the same on TimecodeLink. When I select the proper timecode audio device and correct channel, the red box next to the audio device on Liberation does not turn green. I am not sure how to go about this and get the signal to be recognized by Liberation. Appreciate any help! Also pls let me know if you need any additional information about my setup. Forgot to add I am running this on windows.
Hi Vasav, welcome!
A red indicator there can mean one of two things: either the audio device failed to open, or it opened successfully but there’s no incoming signal. I’ve improved that feedback in the next build as it’s a bit ambiguous in the current versions.
I can see you’re on 0.9.6 - in that version Liberation connects using the device’s “preferred” sample rate, which I’ve since discovered can sometimes be set to unhelpful values. So it’s possible the sample rate is part of the issue.
First thing I’d suggest is trying the latest version (1.0.3) and seeing if the behaviour changes. (You can set the sample rate in 1.0.3)
If it’s still not working, I’d check the chain step by step:
- Confirm the LTC signal is definitely present on the exact device and channel you’ve selected (sounds like you’ve already done this with Timecode Monitor, which is great)
- Double-check that VB Cable is set to a sensible sample rate (e.g. 44.1kHz or 48kHz) in Windows sound settings
- Make sure no other application is exclusively locking the device
- Try a different input device if possible, just to rule out VB Cable
- Try a different time code source (like Timecode Generator)
And double check everything I mentioned in this post!
You’re absolutely right that with a setup like this there are a lot of possible failure points, so it’s just a case of narrowing it down one stage at a time.
Let me know what you find
All the best
Seb
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
I updated my software to 1.0.3, it doesn’t show the VB-cable but instead shows my Virtual Audio Cable from another software (not sure why VB-cable isn’t recognized on 1.0.3 version of Liberation but continuing on). Liberation starts showing a stuttering green light but as the other forum you linked, I am having a stuttering issue, changed the volume of the LTC signal on TImecodeLink where its generated, double checked the frame rate. The timecode is working but now with stuttering.
When I run Timecode Monitor, the signal is running smoothly and doesn’t jump around the way it looks on Liberation. I also ran Timecode Generator and it seems to still be stuttering on Liberation. Again, I appreciate your help and look forward to hearing back.
Thanks,
Vasav
Hi Vasav,
Thanks for the update.
In 1.0.3 I filtered out some known problematic ASIO drivers because they were causing crashes, and it looks like VB Cable may have been caught in that as well - I’ll take a look at that for the next build.
On the stuttering:
The fact that both Timecode Monitor and Timecode Generator are smooth, but Liberation is still stuttering tells us the LTC signal itself is fine. So we’re likely looking at how the audio is being handled on the input side.
A couple of things to check:
- Make sure the virtual cable is set to 44.1kHz or 48kHz in Windows sound settings (both input and output sides)
- Try a different source like Timecode Generator (just to fully isolate Rekordbox/TimecodeLink)
- If possible, try a different audio device entirely (even a physical input) to see if the behaviour changes
There may still be some edge cases on Windows with certain virtual audio devices, so I’ll also take a look at tightening up that part of the code before the next release.
Windows audio can be a bit… fragile… especially with virtual devices, but this should be something we can narrow down.
Let me know what you find,
Seb
Gotcha sounds good, I tried a few things.
I plugged in a physical input. The issue I’m running into is that Timecode generator is outputting to physical speakers while Liberation timecode input is the microphone. Without a virtual cable, I’m unable to route the signal from Timecode Generator to Liberation. Everything is set to 48kHz. I will continue to try and see if I can put it together on my end but wanted to give you an update on where I’m at.
Thanks,
Vasav