Recorder Playback Drift On Six

Yes - for a 75-second hexapod routine, the better approach is usually to split it into shorter clips and trigger them from a script rather than relying on one long Recorder playback.

What you’re seeing makes sense for two reasons:

1. Recorder is replaying a captured stream of servo events, so very long sequences can accumulate tiny timing inaccuracies.
2. Reverse playback of gait-like motion often looks unstable because the original movement order is not always symmetrical when played backward.

Recommended approach

For a Six routine, I’d suggest:

• Build a known start pose in Auto Position
• Split the dance into multiple shorter Recorder clips
• Use a script to:
  • force the robot into the start pose
  • wait for that pose to settle
  • start audio and motion together
  • trigger each segment in sequence

That gives you much better control than one long playback.

Best practice setup

1) Create a dedicated start pose

Make a frame in Auto Position like:

• D0-D11 all in your exact neutral standing pose

Then use that as your reset before every clip.

2) Split the routine

Instead of one 75-second recording, make something like:

• DancePart1
• DancePart2
• DancePart3

If possible, keep each segment around 15-25 seconds.

3) Trigger from a script

Use a script skill to run the sequence. For example:

controlCommand("Auto Position", "AutoPositionFrameJump", "Stand");
sleep(500);

controlCommand("Servo Recorder", "Play", "DancePart1", 1);
Audio.playAudioFile("C:\\Music\\track01.mp3");

If you need each part to run one after another, wait for the recorder to finish before starting the next part:

controlCommand("Auto Position", "AutoPositionFrameJump", "Stand");
sleep(500);

controlCommand("Servo Recorder", "Play", "DancePart1", 1);
sleep(100);
waitFor(getVar("$IsServoRecorderRunning") == false);

controlCommand("Servo Recorder", "Play", "DancePart2", 1);
sleep(100);
waitFor(getVar("$IsServoRecorderRunning") == false);

controlCommand("Servo Recorder", "Play", "DancePart3", 1);

Important note about audio sync

If the MP3 leads the motion by ~0.8s, that usually means the audio is starting faster than the robot motion begins, not that the laptop is "too slow."

A common fix is:

• start the robot motion first
• then delay audio by a short amount
• or start both from a script but add a small offset

Example:

controlCommand("Auto Position", "AutoPositionFrameJump", "Stand");
sleep(500);

controlCommand("Servo Recorder", "Play", "DancePart1", 1);
sleep(200);
Audio.playAudioFile("C:\\Music\\track01.mp3");

Or if the audio needs to lead slightly, reverse that delay.

Even better: use one master timing source

If the song is critical, the most reliable method is often:

• use audio as the master
• then trigger motion at known timestamps using script segments

That avoids relying on a long recorded motion to stay perfectly aligned for 75 seconds.

Why splitting helps

Breaking it into segments helps because it reduces:

• accumulated timing drift
• memory load
• long-run servo scheduling error
• reverse-playback oddities

It also gives you a chance to re-center the pose at each seam.

My recommendation for your Six

For a hexapod dance, I’d do this:

• Auto Position for:
  • stand pose
  • between-clip reset poses
• Servo Recorder for:
  • short motion snippets only
• Script for orchestration:
  • start pose
  • audio start
  • clip sequencing
  • seam resets

One thing to check

In the Servo Recorder skill, open the kebab menu and confirm the playback settings are exactly what you want for each clip. Also make sure the control is renamed consistently if you reference it in scripts.

Question for you

Are you playing the MP3 through:

1. PC audio with Audio.playAudioFile(), or
2. an EZ-B speaker / SoundBoard skill?

That matters because the best sync strategy is a bit different depending on where the audio is coming from.

If you want, I can help you write a clean ARC JavaScript script that:

• resets Six to Stand,
• plays each Recorder clip,
• and keeps the MP3 aligned as tightly as possible.