Triggering an Audio Recorder's Sync/Slate Tone Generator Externally

[Karl Lee]

Does anyone know if there exists a portable audio recorder (2-channel or otherwise) on which the internal sync/slate tone generator can be triggered through an external contact closure or voltage? I’m trying to put together a compact stereo audio recording system for my film rig, and ideally I’d like to be able to trigger the recorder’s integrated tone generator from a contact closure on an external device. If nothing else, I could use an external tone generator and feed it to my audio recorder, but for the sake of simplicity and keeping the amount of equipment to a minimum, being able to trigger the internal tone generator using an external trigger would be ideal.

Thanks!

 

[Marc Wielage]

I have never done a shoot in my life where I did any more than just lay down 10 seconds of tone once at the beginning of a shoot day. We never needed multiple instances of tone, though there is an old tradition of two beeps at the end of a take (going back to the analogue Nagra days).

What exactly are you trying to do? Are you trying to create a "bloop slate" -- one where the slate flashes and transmits a "beep" to the soundtrack at the same time? This kind of idea goes back in documentary filmmaking more than 50 years.

 

[Karl Lee]

What exactly are you trying to do? Are you trying to create a "bloop slate" -- one where the slate flashes and transmits a "beep" to the soundtrack at the same time? This kind of idea goes back in documentary filmmaking more than 50 years.

Yup, exactly...a bloop slate. I realize it's not a new concept, but I'm trying to put together a bloop slate rig customized to best serve my needs. I shoot 16mm with my Arri SR3, and I've tried shooting while using a few different configurations of external bloop slates. While they work, most of the time I'm usually doing solo run and gun shooting, and I'd prefer to not have to fumble with an external bloop slate, especially when doing handheld. So, I'm rigging up a system where I'll use a tiny pushbutton mounted on the eyebrow of my matte box to simultaneously trigger some strip LEDs mounted on the inside of the eyebrow (for a visual cue) and trigger an audible cue on my audio recorder. The idea is that I can flip down the eyebrow, roll, trigger the LEDs and tone generator momentarily for cueing, then flip up the eyebrow and proceed with filming.

I could accomplish the audible cue by using a tiny external tone generator tied into the pushbutton circuitry, but in the interest of keeping equipment to a minimum, it would be great if I could instead somehow trigger the recorder's internal tone generator using an external contact closure.

 

[Marc Wielage]

There are bloop slape apps for the iPhone, and those will work to a point.

http://rakeshanderson.com/bloopbox/

If you needed to send it wirelessly back to the camera, that would take some serious money and ingenuity. But the app itself is only $1.95.

There are companies that make large timecode readouts for the side of a documentary sound bag, so the camera can momentarily shoot the code for syncing purposes. Even if it's just ballpark-ish, it'll get you pretty close.

http://www.locationsound.com/betso-electronics-tcd-1-1-inch-compact-time-code-display-1325