Song position pointer
A song position pointer is a MIDI event that describes where in a song a particular piece of equipment has reached. By sending this information from a multitrack recorder to a MIDI sequencer, or vice versa, the two can synchronise, allowing quicker recording of sequenced parts that start later in the song.
SPPs work in conjunction with the MIDI clock: SPPs say where in the song you are; the clock says when you start, stop, and continue, and whenever you advance along.
Technical notes
Event types
| MIDI Event | Data |
|---|---|
| Song position pointer | F2 ll hh |
Key
ll hhis the number of 16ths of a bar that have occurred since the start of the song, between00 00and7F 7F. Least significant byte first, most significant byte last. This allows a total of 16,384 16ths, or 1,024 bars (counting from 0). As there are 24 pulses per quarter note, there are 6 pulses per 16th note.
Further reading
- "The MIDI 1.0 Specification" Electronics & Music Maker, May 1984, pp. 40—44
MIDI: DAW | Editor/librarian | MIDI clock | MIDI sequencer | MIDI timing | ST MIDI sequencer timeline | Song position pointer | SysEx file
