How to use

Why you’ll love it

How to connect

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Main features

Record Hardware Sequencers in time in the DAW

(note: the audio pulses will be either generated by a VST/AU/AAX plugin or there will be a tool to generate the correct WAV file. Either way, all DAWs will be supported)

Sync your band during your Live Performance

Control the tempo… in so many ways

Everything is configurable

There is so much you can change, configure, adapt to your needs on the Midronome. And everything is configurable right on the device, quick and easy!

(For more details about all the options, see the walkthrough video lower down)

Expand easily

The device has:

• 2x MIDI outputs
• 1x 3.5mm jack (stereo) analog clock (can be 2x CV Clock or 1x DIN Sync Clock)

You can easily expand this by syncing 2 devices together… or 20 if you’d like!

You can also easily get more MIDI Outputs by using MIDI Thru Boxes.

Note that the Midronome is compatible with any MIDI-powered equipment (like many of those MIDI Thru boxes).

It’s even future proof

I get it, times change (pun intended), needs change, and the amazing device of today might be completely outdated a few years from now. But not the Midronome! Its hardware was smartly designed so it can easily be reused, changed, or adapted. In fact that’s where most of the versatility of the device comes from!

Hardware designed to Last

The hardware of the Midronome won’t budge: simple and smartly designed electronics with appropriate ESD protection, packed in a strong metal case and a metal knob which will resist the toughest Live usage!!

To top it all, the case is very easy to open and the electronic parts are easily found if they ever need to be replaced.

Coming new Features via firmware updates

The device you will receive will be finished and fully tested. It will also have a very full set of functionalities already. But I know some of you want more!

The device’s firmware can be upgraded – so I plan on adding a lot more to your device! Just to name a few:

See all the suggested Features on the Midronome Forums (forum.midronome.com), feel free to join the discussion and add more to the list!

Future Add-on Module with awesome features

Need more?  make your own modules!

That’s the cherry on top: the Midronome Module’s interface will be publicly documented, so that anyone can easily make a custom module, using an Arduino for example!

How it all started

Playing drums in time with a sequencer… Have you ever tried it? Well, I have – and during practice it’s not easy. Live, it’s pretty much impossible!!

My bandmates and I wanted a simple box that could send MIDI Clock to the synths and a click to the drummer. But we simply could not find one!

We also realized in the studio how recording hardware synths in time with modern DAWs was a pain in the bottom. The few solutions out there were either unreliable or too expensive.

So, I decided to do something about it: use my smart IT brain to make the best damn clock ever, so that musicians never have to think about timing and clocks twice.

2 years, many beta-testers, lots of headaches, and one Kickstarter campaign later, I am very proud to present to you: the Midronome in all its glory!!

Who is Simon?

By now you probably understood that I am the main person behind this project. I am a Midronome engineer by day, and musician by night (yea I don’t sleep much 😀 ). Feel free to read more about me on the midronome.com website.

I love talking to people interested in the device, so do not hesitate to contact me 🙂

Tech Specs

See the full tech specs on midronome.com or check the config walkthrough video below 🙂 

Let’s talk about Jitter

Inside most recent devices, there is a part software and part hardware. Even when the software is very reliable, it can still sometimes be busy doing something, which can delay action by a few microseconds, creating jitter.

With the Midronome, the software does not send the MIDI Clock. Instead, it configures the hardware to do it. Once the hardware is set, the MIDI Clock is sent 100% by hardware, the software could even stop, and the MIDI clock would keep going! That is how the Midronome reaches such an insane precision: its jitter is under 10ns! 50000 times more precise than a DAW!

I have measured it and compared it to other clocks, see the details and analysis here:

Wanna learn more?

Check out these video series:

• Demo of every functionality
• Learn about the USB Connectivity

Full walkthrough (video manual):

Testimonials

Don’t take my word for it! Here’s what the beta testers are saying!

And here is a full review from allmyfriendsaresynths:

Reptil from Gearspace also made an official review (find the full review on gearspace.com)

Peace of Mind Matters

Disappointed in crowdfunding? I get it, I experienced it myself! But your peace of mind really matters to me – I want you to be able to pledge without having to worry.

If you’re already interested in the device and think it might help you and your music, then please do me a favor and pledge right now – it really helps the project, and Kickstarter won’t even charge your card right now! You can change your mind anytime until the end of the campaign.

Manufacturing and Fulfillment

I’ve been working on this project for 2.5 years – and while a lot of that time has been dedicated to the device itself, I also spent countless hours talking with manufacturers. In fact I had production in mind from day 1, and I smartly designed the device so it can be manufactured with as little manual work as possible. This helped keeping the costs low without compromising on quality.

Today I can say I have 95% of the manufacturers ready and eager to start on a bigger batch. Most of them are the same ones I used to manufacture the prototypes. They are all professional factories and have the capacity to scale if needed.

As for the fulfillment, I also have been speaking to a couple of companies who would pick up the devices from the manufacturer, store them in a warehouse and ship them to you directly, without my involvment. We plan on using eco-friendly packaging around the Midronome’s packaging (which is only made of recyclable cardboard).

Production Timeline

Why I need your support

When I started doing the Midronome I saw 2 ways of doing this:

• either as a hobby project working on the device in the evenings
• or as a professional career move

If I had gone the hobby way, trust me the device would not be what it is today. Working on this full time also meant I could spend time on creating a large community, selling the device in quantity, making the device affordable. Because making a few hand-made devices is not only less reliable, it’s also more expensive (my dear Midronome prototypes were very costly for example!).

But going the professional way is a lot of work for one person, in fact I’ve been working insane hours almost every single day for the past 2,5 years! I simply cannot do it without you, and there are tons of ways you can help:

• Spread the word – the power of a community like this is unbelievable. Tell your musician friends, speak about it on your socials, on forums, reddit, discord, etc. 🙂
• Answer when you can – if you see comments/questions on Social Media posts or ads, here on Kickstarter, on the Midronome Forums, or anywhere else on the net
• And back the project obviously – every amount counts, so feel free to donate whatever you like for support

Risks and challenges

I’ve worked extremely hard to get the Midronome ready for Kickstarter and full-scale manufacturing and fulfillment, but there are always risks! Here is my plan to assess the potential risks: MANUFACTURING: The prototypes you could see in the videos were already professionally manufactured. It was expensive, but worth it because not only I got proper and solid prototypes (some of these have been used for 2 years without issues!), but I could also test and make contacts with manufacturers. So I have all the contacts I need for production, and quality assurance people that will be on site during production. ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS SOURCING: You have probably heard about it already: the whole world is in constant shortage of electronic components, so it’s difficult to know when a component will be available and at what price. The good news is this was already the case when I started designing the device – so I had it in mind since day 1! I made sure to use as few as possible specialized components, so it will be easy to find equivalent alternatives. FULFILLMENT & SHIPPING: Sometimes things get a bit crazy and stuff happens that can’t be planned for: a supplier misses a deadline, customs clearance or a shipment gets lost. Those things could cause a delay. I’m using an experienced logistics team to get the device to you. As for the rest I’ll keep open and honest communication with you throughout the whole shipping process so you know where your lovely little clock is and when it’s going to get to you! Other than that we should be right on schedule – prototypes are almost final, just need a few tweaks, CE/FCC certification, and then production can start!

Environmental commitments

Long-lasting design

As I mentioned before, the Midronome is really made to last, not only physically but its adaptable design should make it suit the needs of musicians for years and years! I really hope the project never ends, that the software keeps improving, that this community grows and that you guys start making your own modules, or even changing the firmware to get what you need from the device! We live in a world of extreme consumption, people tend to buy cheap things that do not last. That’s terrible for the planet AND for your wallet! The Midronome will definitely not be one of these. And if you ever get to the point where the Midronome is not for you anymore, please give it away, I am sure other people will gladly take it 🙂

Sustainable materials

The Midronome’s box is 100% cardboard, easily recyclable. The shipping box (around the Midronomes’ box) will also be envronmentally friendly as part as our fullfilment center’s green program.

Sustainable Distribution

The whole production chain is located in the same city, so there is very little shipping from one factory to another. Even our fulfillment partner (the place where they will pack and ship your lovely Midronomes) is nearby so it’s all happening in one place, no tiny parts shipped from all over the globe like most companies do. Imagine the fuel impact to ship those things all over the globe!

And one thing more

Midronome is part of the Stripe Climate program and will donate 1% of all its earnings to help the environment through the program. But I personally believe that we all, in our everyday life, can have a huge impact. We are almost 8 billion people on the planet, every little act counts! In that regard I do my fair share: I do not own a car (I use my bike or public transports for longer distances), I avoid buying packaged food (I cook), I buy and sell a lot second-hand – reusing is key 🙂