![]() The rules of sentence structure in the English language tell us that the period ending the previous sentence serves as the mark to know when a new sentence is beginning. If, however, the audience has no indication of where the sentence starts, the sentence could easily be interpreted as “bar and sits on the first stool a dog walks into a” or “walks into a bar and sits on the first stool a dog” or even “first stool a dog walks into a bar and sits on the”. To put this in context, imagine a comedian starting a joke with “A dog walks into a bar and sits on the first stool”.Īssuming the comedian and the intended audience understand the same language (i.e., English), we know that there will not be a problem deciphering the words spoken. While this data stream may make sense to the sender, the user has no frame of reference at where the data stream starts. When two digital devices have to exchange data, the data stream may look like that seen in Figure 1. While they both are methods of synchronization, and it is true they deal with digital bit streams, the similarity ends there. The misconception (and mislabeling) of timecode and its cousin wordclock is understandable however, it is very important that we in the audio field dispel the idea that they are the same. This is a good opportunity to discuss one major area of misconception within the audio world: Timecode is not wordclock and wordclock is not timecode. Since timecode had to travel with the medium, it was recorded (known as striping) onto an audio track of the videotape providing an instant reference on that video. A “0” is represented by a 1.2 kHz tone while a “1” is represented by a 2.4 kHz tone. Each value in the bit field is represented by a tone. The bit sequence is organized into bit fields that can be read by a decoder. Timecode consists of 80-bit spaces in order to form the full frame. It’s actually a bi-phase bit stream, simply a stream of digital “1” s and “0” s whose transitions are indicated by either a single transition from low-to-high (or high to low) within a bit space to indicate a “0” or two transitions within the same bit space to indicate a “1”. Timecode is a set of standards adopted by the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE) that was created to allow audio to be accurately placed with video. With the advent of videotape, a non-mechanical method of alignment of sound and image was needed. ![]() ![]() In the days of film, sound was aligned to video by mechanical means along the edges of film. While the concepts here can be applied to any DAW, the specifics discussed here relate to the Pro Tools hardware and software suite.īut first, part 1 – a timecode primer. Part 2 of this series will show this handy technique to allow tracks recorded to tape to be dumped accurately into a DAW, with a focus on Pro Tools. The ability to continually record in analog, dump it into Pro Tools and then re-use the analog tape for additional tracks is powerful. ![]() The analog world provides the pleasing sonic signature of tape, while the digital recorder or DAW provides the persistent storage and editing capabilities digital technology is known for. In fact, this skill is a perfect harmonization of the benefits of the digital world with those that analog can provide. While it is primarily used to synchronize audio and video together in visual media, it can provide a neat way to expand your options when, for example, using older technologies like multitrack audio tape with today’s DAW technology. Using timecode, however, is a powerful tool. Many in the industry itself don’t understand the subtleties involved in audio and video production using timecode operations. Timecode operations are often one of the most misunderstood and frequently misused aspects of the production industry. Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of a 2-part series - access part 2 here.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |