Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Timecode over wireless audio packs?

Matthew J

Matthew J

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2011
Messages
744
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Southeast US
Hey guys, after my shoot last week with a bad Denecke SBT, I was wondering about sending timecode via Sennheiser G2 wireless audio packs? An audio guy I worked with a few years ago on a feature tried it and I believe he got it to jam, but I never heard if it stayed jammed or was actually accurate. Does anyone have any experience with this?

My only concern is that it might be a frame or two behind because of the delay of going through the audios packs. But if it worked, it would be a great, cheap solution since I have an extra set of these packs laying around.

Thanks
 
I did this and I think I may even have used G2's before I upgraded to proper wireless. I recall keeping the RX always connected to the slate but did not consider delay. If there is delay it is probably negligible.

A note about terminology - they are not generally called "packs." :) Wireless or wireless mics would be more accurate.


Matthew J said:
Hey guys, after my shoot last week with a bad Denecke SBT, I was wondering about sending timecode via Sennheiser G2 wireless audio packs? An audio guy I worked with a few years ago on a feature tried it and I believe he got it to jam, but I never heard if it stayed jammed or was actually accurate. Does anyone have any experience with this?

My only concern is that it might be a frame or two behind because of the delay of going through the audios packs. But if it worked, it would be a great, cheap solution since I have an extra set of these packs laying around.

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
I would not do wireless timecode over wireless mic transmitters, because I think the risk of dropouts is too great. However, the Timecode Buddy system reportedly works very well. In the event of a dropout, the receiver keeps on regenerating new timecode and will stay in sync for reasonable periods of time. It's a very clever system, but is not cheap.

The Denecke SB-T's are rock solid and I've never encountered a bad one in 7 years. If you get a bad one, send it to Denecke in Valencia and get it fixed, and rent a new one for the time being.
 
The Denecke SB-T's are rock solid and I've never encountered a bad one in 7 years. If you get a bad one said:
Have to agree totally. We get phone calls all the time about "dead" ones........10 times out of 10 they are fine.....operator error mostly, or bad cable for jamming.
Click to expand...
 
And of course, the forthcoming Redlink will probably be a very workable system, depending on price and availability. Got no idea how good it will be in the real world, but on paper, it looks terrific.
 
Wireless mic systems such as G2 which are based on analog transmission model do not have any meaningful delay. As far as I understand it, the timecode gets stamped on an R3D file only during the first frame of an individual take. Genlock is what keeps a timecode in sync during a take by controlling the exact length of time between each exposure.

If timecode input drops during recording, the camera will keep generating timecode nevertheless. Therefore, if timecode drops during a take or before a take, it is not that critical. As long as the camera gets a healthy and uninterrupted TC signal a few seconds before the recording starts, you should be ok.

Please correct me if I am wrong.
 
Antti Pirskanen said:
As long as the camera gets a healthy and uninterrupted TC signal a few seconds before the recording starts, you should be ok.
Click to expand...
What if it doesn't?

To me, timecode is far too important to entrust it to a crappy wireless mic transmitter. That's not what the wireless system is intended for. Even when you use them with slates, they tend to be intermittent and dodgy under the best circumstances.
 
Marc Wielage said:
What if it doesn't?

To me, timecode is far too important to entrust it to a crappy wireless mic transmitter. That's not what the wireless system is intended for. Even when you use them with slates, they tend to be intermittent and dodgy under the best circumstances.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree 100%. I just wanted to make a point that the timecode via a wireless mic tx/rx combo would be accurate and there would be no delay in the transmitted TC provided that there are no dropouts in the wireless signal during that critical pre-roll period.

Like you said the only truly reliable way is to use something that has an internal generator and will keep the TC output intact even when there is a dropout in the wireless link. For example, Zaxcom products and Timecode Buddy have this capability, but products like Betso wireless tc link and the old Ambient wireless tc link don't.
 
Marc Wielage said:
The Denecke SB-T's are rock solid and I've never encountered a bad one in 7 years. If you get a bad one, send it to Denecke in Valencia and get it fixed, and rent a new one for the time being.
Click to expand...

BTW, when the unit got back to the rental house they tested it and it was bad. So at least I feel better that I wasn't doing something wrong or something was wrong with my Epic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top