Sound Recorder Workflow Questions

[Jim Exton]

If one wants to use an external recorder such as the Sound Designs 702. Do you need to have timecode to keep it in sync with the camera? Or does it have to be synced with the camera?

I am assuming since the camera runs at 23.97 or 24.0, that the sound recorder does at least one of those speeds.

I have never done double system with video, in a nutshell, how does it work as far as synching and loading your audio files into an editor and such?

 

[Michael Mann]

I am using a 702. As long as you use a clapper board (or at least clap your hands at the beginning of a new shot) there should be no need to sync it to your RED.

 

[martinnoweck]

depends on the length of your takes ... for short takes you can use the slate to sync audio to picture like michael described it.

for longer takes or if you don't want to distract people in documentary work you can either hardwire the camera with the audio recorder or use a wireless system like lockit from ambient to share the same timecode. one of the devices will be master, the other one slave.

for this setup you would need a sounddevices with "T" option - for timecode.

if you have a regular sounddevices (no "T"), then you need to sacrifice one audio channel - the camera will be master and you feed the (LTC!) timecode out of the camera to one audiochannel of the audio recorder. Since LTC is an audio signal you can also use a wireless audio transmitter instead of cable.

in editing you would have to convert the audio track - if i remember right in avid it is called something like "Convert Audio to TC" (?) - not sure about that one. It is also not so reliable - sometimes you have sync shifts, so the audio to TC method is not to prefer.

If you really want to use Timecode it would try to get an audiorecorder with seperate Timecode in (the timecode will be written in the metadata), if you can get away without timecode then use a slate / clapperboard and you will be fine.

Martin

 

[Cam McGrath]

You could also feed TC from your recorder to a timecode slate (with LED display) wirelessly assuming it's a 702T. Just shoot a few frames of the slate once camera is rolling and slam the clapper shut, record the 'clap' as well and you have timecode sync plus the luxury of "old skool styles" visual + audible sync....but this is way over the top! Make either the camera or recorder the Master and the other the slave. You could transmit the timecode between the two, or as Martin said hardwire or use Lock-it boxes.

Cam

 

[Charles Angus]

Timecode rates

Timecode rates

It is imperative (with Sound Devices, anyway) that you set the timecode rate so that it matches the rate at which it will be synced. i.e. for video, or film finished on video, one chooses 29.97. For RED, editing at 24, I would presume that one would choose 24. We have observed sync drift if the sound TC rates and editing TC rates do not match.

 

[Jim Exton]

Thanks y'all. I found some more information where people have said that as long as your takes are under 5 minutes, you should be okay. It is only when people let it run for 30 minutes that they will get sync drift.