Right this moment, we’ll take a look on the new Saramonic TC-NEO wi-fi timecode generator.
Final semester, I taught a course on filmmaking at an area school. It’s all the time enjoyable discussing publicity, composition, lighting, and all the remainder of the fantastic and thrilling instruments we’ve at hand as filmmakers. However, in fact, filmmaking isn’t all creativeness and taking part in with enjoyable instruments. Most of it’s paying painstaking consideration to the small particulars that can decide whether or not your manufacturing sinks or swims—or, at a naked minimal, precisely how loopy you’re going to drive your self by the point you get to publish.
Timecode isn’t a very horny subject, however it’s vitally essential. Simply ask the sound mixer on a mission I shot final 12 months the place the timecode wasn’t functioning correctly. It may be the distinction between publish being a breeze and publish being a nightmare.
A fast recap for these of you who don’t know what timecode is: within the easiest phrases, timecode is a crystal-synced working clock that marries itself to your video footage. Damaged down into hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, it information the precise second in time that pertains to an actual body of video. This isn’t all the time the very same because the time of day. Somewhat, this can be a particular time system that pertains to recording your movie or video.
Why is that this essential? Properly, as a result of sound for skilled movie and video is normally recorded individually from video, there must be a solution to reliably line up the precise time of video that pertains to the precise time of sound. They have to be synchronized in order that sound matches image. You do that by ensuring they’re each working similar synchronized timecode. Equally, if you’re utilizing a number of cameras, the identical factor would apply. You’d need all of your cameras and all of your sound gadgets pointed to the similar timecode as a way to hyperlink them up simply in publish with out having to manually synchronize each phrase out of a personality’s mouth. I’ve had to do this earlier than. It’s not enjoyable. Belief me, dependable timecode is a a lot better solution to go.
So how can we accomplish this? Properly, that’s the place one thing just like the Saramonic TC-NEO is available in. It’s a small gadget that generates timecode you could then connect with your digicam or sound gadgets to burn into the metadata (or document as a reference monitor in case your digicam doesn’t have correct timecode ports). When you’ve got multiple TC-NEO, you’ll be able to synchronize every of them, then join them to a number of gadgets to make sure your entire instruments are working in synchronization.
The package I obtained to check out was the Saramonic TC-NEO Package with three mills set to work collectively. The system produces SMPTE LTC/ATC timecode output with Bluetooth 5.0 and a couple of.4 GHz wi-fi sync. It has three modes, which embody Grasp Run, Auto Jam, and Jam As soon as Then Lock. The package got here with three locking cables to will let you connect with quite a few gadgets, from mirrorless cameras to full cinema our bodies. It additionally features a sequence of chilly shoe mounts to assist simply hold your system compact. As somebody with a bent to beat the residing crap out of my gear, I appreciated the well-organized charging case that the three-unit package arrives in. This lets you hold organized whereas additionally charging your entire items concurrently on the go. I additionally like that the three items are completely different colours, which makes them straightforward to establish on set. The Saramonic System app, out there on each Android and iPhone, lets you management your gadgets as much as 250 ft away.
After all, in the case of timecode gadgets, there’s actually just one query: do they work? I introduced the gadgets onto a latest multi-cam shoot with me the place I used to be working two mirrorless cameras alongside an exterior audio subject recorder. I synchronized the gadgets, then used them to jam sync the timecode at some stage in the shoot.
It’s laborious to essentially illustrate correct timecode performance. It’s not like a high-megapixel file you’ll be able to zoom into to indicate element. Somewhat, having nice timecode is like having an incredible offensive lineman within the NFL. You principally discover it when the gadget screws up. In any other case, its job is to go unnoticed. And, on this case, the TC-NEO package carried out as promised.
The three items within the package have been straightforward to synchronize. I additionally had a person unit, which was equally straightforward to synchronize with the principle grasp, so I really had 4 items working concurrently. The items can each put out and obtain a jam sync, so combining it with different timecode gadgets ought to work nicely.
In case you are contemplating taking part in with this generator, I’ll point out one hiccup I had that you need to be conscious of. It is a man-made one, so not essentially a knock on the generator itself. However the directions within the package may very well be a bit clearer, because it took me an embarrassingly lengthy period of time to determine this out.
First, I ought to say that whereas it’s good that trendy gear all the time needs to connect with my cellphone by way of an app, within the subject I might far favor to have the ability to use my instruments in a tactile vogue quite than must hold pulling my cellphone out to manage them. Fortunately, the TC-NEO offers you that choice with a reasonably easy button and jog wheel setup that lets you change issues on the fly.
The place I obtained tripped up is that, out of the field, the items go into lock mode robotically. That is good, because it retains you from disrupting your timecode throughout a shot. However, for absolutely the lifetime of me, I couldn’t determine find out how to get the unit unlocked with the intention to change the body charge and different settings. It was clear that double urgent the dial would get me the menu. However I could not get to the menu as a result of I could not determine find out how to unlock it. So I spent a really very long time simply making an attempt to determine that out.
Seems all it’s a must to do to unlock it’s to triple-click the facility button. Then, you double-click the dial. However it’s a must to do it in that sequence. As I mentioned, not a knock on the system’s efficiency. However realizing that forward of time would have saved me a whole lot of time, so I wished to save lots of you some.
As soon as I obtained over that hurdle, all the pieces was fairly intuitive. Most all the pieces is managed with that dial, which may be spun or pressed. The menu is straightforward to know. Though, once more, the lock icon may use slightly work, because the minute distinction between it showing locked and unlocked contributed to my earlier challenge and will simply journey up a whole lot of thick eyeglass-wearing people like myself. Battery life is powerful. The menu has a helpful indicator that tells you the way a lot juice you may have left. The data on the menu display is straightforward, clear, and straightforward to comply with.
Professionals
Small dimension
Straightforward to hyperlink collectively
Suitable with different timecode mills
Easy design
Handy charging case
Cons
Conclusion
Coming in at $499 for the three-unit package or $149 for a standalone unit, the TC-NEO is a useful gizmo for all filmmakers. Even for those who aren’t but on the degree the place you are feeling as if you want to make the most of timecode in your workflow, it’s all the time good apply to get into the behavior of capturing completely synchronized media belongings on set. You by no means know when that little private mission you shot is immediately going to have to be run via a serious publish home, and it pays to be ready.
