[Brian Reynolds]

My suggestion is go a manual clapperboard system to start with.

I do TV,Film & Radio audio 6 days a week and the last time I did a full TC job was about 6 months ago with 8 cameras and 2x 16 track Mac PC based recorders for a kids hidden camera prank show.
The camera TC was set to 01:[then clock minutes] for camera 1, 02:[then clock minutes]for camera 2, 03:[then clock minutes]for camera 3 etc. This was done for later card / camera identification.
In post prod an ‘offset’ was then added to each file to suit as to time match the video from each camera…… BUT prior to that I hadn’t done a serious TC job for 10+ years.

A lot of commercial jobs I do on a day by day basis are DSLR and SD or CF audio record (NON TC). Or direct to broadcast video camera with a backup record (that has never been needed also NON TC).

[Brian Reynolds]

David why the interest on time code are you looking at using it in a production and do you have any specific set up questions or to just expand your knowledge base?

The difference between Knowledge and Wisdom is… Knowledge is the knowing of facts…. Wisdom is the sensible application of good quality knowledge…

[Brian Reynolds]

SMPTE = Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
The organization that comes / came up with various standards for Film / TV
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMPTE

DA= Directors Assistant… amazing people for keeping shoots on time and under control which leaves the Director to do the ‘creative’ things.
PA= Producers assistant more involved in the management / financial side of a production.
Continuity Supervisor= making sure people are standing, wearing, holding, facing and looking where they should.

LTC= (longitudinal / linear TC) this is normally recorded on one of the audio tracks in a tape based studio, in an audio multi track recording it would be placed on the last track of the machine ie track 16 or 24 etc then you need to leave the adjacent track empty as a guard track as the TC audio could bleed through a bit to the adjacent track. Giving a 16 track studio 14 usable tracks or 22 usable in a 24 track studio.
ViTC= vertical interval time code puts the information in the video control pulses.
CNTRL= probably uses the ‘control track’ of the videotape some how to embed the information there.
Digital card / hard drive recording has changed a lot of things but the basic principle stays the same of ‘time stamping’ data.

Free Run would need to be used unless you have a CONSTANT input of TC data, so even with RF systems they often operate as Free Run/ jamb mode which will use the constant feed until or if there is a dropout with the input signal then it will continue to free run.

For example… top of the range units from Ambient Recording….
https://www.ambient.de/en/products/ambient-recording/clockit-timecode.html
https://vimeo.com/46425313

Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!

This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Vimeo framework” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.

[Brian Reynolds]

Time-code is a way of “stamping” a clock time to be used as a reference point in media data.
Normally “time of day” is used in 24hr mode, so ALL the recorders (camera/s, video + audio) have the same time-code at the same time during a shoot so shots can be retrieved at a later time.
LTC (longitudinal / linear TC) is now a thing of the past and suited to tape based shooting.
During a shoot all recorders are referenced to a master time clock [normally the main camera or TC slate], all the recorders then operate in ‘free run’ mode and every few hours [meal & coffee breaks] they are then jambed synced to maintain alignment or via a RF time code sender.
The DA or ‘script chick’ and use a standard digital wrist watch to then log the useable takes as this will be set to time of day which is also TC time.
In post all the required material audio / video is brought into an editing time line using the TC as an alignment tool, clapper boards etc are then used to perfectly align the various tracks.

DSLR cameras do not have time-code so other methods are used to sync the audio to video.

I hope this basic overview helps with your question….

[Brian Reynolds]

Rode NT4
Sounds good, low noise floor, 9v battery or phantom power, simple with good results.

[Brian Reynolds]

Does your PC have a 3.5mm line input if so use the ‘tape out’ 3.5mm socket on the 552 to your PC. NOTE this socket has a fixed O/P level and can’t be adjusted to mic level [I’m assuming that because my SD442 is like that].
If not you might need to go from the TA3 or XLR sockets switched to mic level with custom made cables.
Or failing that there are lots of converters out there that will convert an analogue signal to USB that might be suitable.

[Brian Reynolds]

I will be suprised if you will get an off the shelf cable that will do what you want.
A 3.5mm stereo plug to 2 xlrs or 3.5mm plug to combined mono single xlr.
I would think it needs to be a custom build cable.

[Brian Reynolds]

That point would normally be low line level or a high mic level but should be ok.
You don’t have phantom power turned on the mixer do you?
The only other thing after that is the connection cable and the connections of that cable.

[Brian Reynolds]

So where is the signal coming from?
From the line output, the headphone output or speaker output?

[Brian Reynolds]

Are you going into the 552 at mic level or line level switch position?