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TImecode with Avolites


Stee_cri1

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HI All,

 

I am a little confused.........

 

 

I usually use GrandMA consoles for timecode jobs so have not thought about it before but I am now in a little pickle that I hope someone will be able to help me with.

 

I have to use an Avolites Tiger Touch Pro II that will have LTC sent to it- Now the desk only has MIDI(MTC) In and Out

 

So my question is can I get LTC into the desk or not? - Then if so how :-(

 

Thank you in advance

 

Kind Regards

 

Steve

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I used to run videotape in sync with a commodore Amiga to add subtitles.

The Amiga needed MTC or Midi so we used a JL cooper box between

The unit was I think a pps100

There may be ones on ebay or a more modern alternative.

The audio track from track 2 ran smpte LTC into the box and midi came out.The subtitles stayed in sync as you played the video

Seems pretty stone age now!

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SMPTE or Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has a number of time code standards.

 

The common LTC or Linear Time Code is a format suited to recording on audio systems and the most common used in lighting control.

 

In the video world VITC or Vertical Interval Time Code is more common. This needs different decode hardware to LTC.

Also in the video boys toolkit is CTL or Control Track Longitudinal and BITC or Burnt-In Time Code, the on screen time code.

 

And then there is the SMPTE PTP Profile or Precision Time Protocol for time and frequency synchronisation over Ethernet that is currently

being implemented.

 

So if there is a socket marked SMPTE it will most likely be a LTC input.

 

George McDuff

ChamSys

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Thanks for the comprehensive answer George... fills in a few holes in my knowledge

 

http://www.avolites.com/Portals/0/CVStoreImages/pngTiger%20Touch%20II-Avolites%20Product-30-10-1317113_900.png

The 3 pin XLR to the left of the 4 DMX outputs is SMPTE input.

Note that the Tiger Touch (v1) and the Tiger Touch Pro do not have this input, just v2 onwards

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What an interesting read.

 

5 Replies and not one actually answers your question.

 

Personally I'd stick you what you know, stay with an MA for yor timecode needs.

However I accept that maybe you have not been able to spec the control for this specific jobs.

 

I noticed you are London based so why on earth did you not just call Avolites and ask them. They don't bite.

 

Maybe you didn't have the contact details, But fear not I have done the leg work on that one for you. Here it is!!

 

184 Park Avenue,

Park Royal,

London NW10 7XL

UK

 

Tel: +44 (0)20 8965 8522

Fax: +44 (0)20 8965 0290

 

 

 

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Just in case you have not found it, this is a great way of getting any LTC time code you may need for rehersals or basic testing or playback.

 

http://elteesee.pehrhovey.net/

 

I downloaded a selection and have them in various places for various jobs... Eg in winamp to be triggered by chamsys (ie chamsys reads winamp TC, the audio LTC can be sent to absolutely anything else), set to output channels 3&4 on hippo... even in my ipod..

You can on the "cheap" (not too expensive) pay for quicktime pro and very quickly add it to a 3rd and 4th audio channel of any video or audio file, use a cheap 5.1 usb sound card and have "true" synced TC on any media content for lower budget shows.

 

I find it quite usefull to have these on the days that the client wants to have some physical "control" of the show..

I will operate my desk or the hippo but all waiting for TC and leave the timecode wav's in screenmonkey.. Each wav just being one button he clicks to trigger parts of the show when they want.

They get to feel like they are involved yet I dont hand over final control/programming.

 

 

Just make sure you flatten all EQ's and effects processing in windows! Caused me 10 mins of head scratching one day when I could clearly hear audio LTC yet devices I was feeding it into wouldnt lock on.

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Figure 53 (they of QLab fame) also make a small bit of software than converts LTC to MTC: Lockstep. Never used it, but I assume it does what it says, if you're ever stuck in a scenario where you need to do this but have, say, a QLab machine handy. QLab can also generate LTC and MTC.
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