Ambient v. Deneke

[Tim Duran]

Three years ago (Build 16), Mark Pederson did a review of Red time code and the Deva. I've read a lot about these two competing systems but have used neither. What I'm hoping for is an update to Mark's input as to what system works best with Red now.

Like 19mm v 15mm rods, Ambient and Deneke seem to have regional preferences. If we can set aside the regional biases, I'd like to know with today's builds which system works best. (I recall reading in Red literature that Ambient is the preferred system. Ditto Zaxcom literature. But Coffey Sound says Deneke is their best seller. But then again Sound Devices is the better seller.)

Is Deneke better with SD and Ambient with Zaxcom?

Do you guys buy a complete time code system, or can you mix and match? Or do you want to mix and match?

I look forward to your input.

 

[Marc Wielage]

Both the Ambient Lockit and the Denecke SB-T work very well for providing good, solid timecode and reference sync to many digital cameras (including the Red). I prefer to use the SB-T simply because Denecke is in California, and I can call and talk to their staff engineer if I run into a problem and get an answer in five minutes or less.

I've used Denecke and Zaxcom (and also Sound Devices) with zero problems. Flawless sync, no glitches, no bugs. I think Denecke's user interface makes more sense to me, but that's a personal thing. Their manuals are available for free online.

 

[Tim Duran]

Marc, thanks for your input. I read that Red corporate uses Ambinet. Zaxcom refers to Ambient in their literature. Yet the guys in the street all seem to like Deneke. Is this a regional issue similar to 15mm rods preferred in Hollywood and 19mm everywhere else?

 

[Marc Wielage]

There's no practical difference between Ambient and Denecke. My preference for Denecke is simply that I think it's supported better in America. As long as you have a local dealer who knows the product well, it doesn't matter that much. I've used the Denecke SB-T many times with Red and had flawless results; my only problem was running into crews who didn't always know the menu settings. (This is a good reason for having a laptop with lots of PDF camera manuals on it, which I drag around on shoots.)