DIN sync

DIN sync was introduced in 1980 by Roland Corporation with the release of the TR-808 drum machine.

[citation needed] The intended use was the synchronization of music sequencers, drum machines, arpeggiators and similar devices.

Instead of measuring the waveform's frequency, the machine receiving the signal merely has to count the number of pulses to work out when to increment its position in the music.

If a device is a DIN sync sender, the positive slope of start/stop must reset the clock signal, and the clock signal must start with a delay of 9 ms.[1] A detailed description on how to implement a DIN sync sender with Play, Pause, Continue and Stop functionality was published by E-RM Erfindungsbuero.

In some applications the remaining DIN sync pins (4 and 5) are used as tap and fill in or reset and start, but this differs from one device to another.

Similar to the MIDI standard over TRS minijack, the aim is to reduce space in the device with a smaller connector.

Typical values are 48, 96 or 192 pulses per quarter note (examples: Oberheim DMX, DX, DSX; LinnDrum 1 and 2).

The conversion from DIN sync to MIDI clock can be performed by devices such as 'Sync-Split2' from Innerclock Systems, or D-Sync by Kenton Electronics.