Timecode sync for fairlight

I have been working on finding an inexpensive solution to synch multiple non genlock capable cameras to the same timecode, while recording multitrack audio.

Yes, I know all about devices like tentacle sync.
Synching 2 cameras and a computer is almost $1k.

For $75 I have now a working poor man's solution.
I am using a small app called Horae that will generate timecode through any audio output, as well as generate that same timecode to the internal IAC bus on the computer.

I am using protools for this. The regular cheap version, not HD.
By naming my three record tracks the same but with L, C, R at the end if the respective mono tracks, it will automatically put them together in the region list, and I can export them as interleaved polywav files from the region list.

Now.....
If blackmagic would allow the Fairlight section to generate timecode out of any output from your audio device, people could be able to use it as a pretty awesome, free field recorder.

Maybe Resolve already outputs timecode, that I am not aware of.

Resolve has embedded timecode in the SDI output from a Blackmagic capture card. I'm not sure if it is also in the HDMI outputs. You just need to work out a way to extract that embedded timecode.

I think the only LTC output possible now is with the BMD Fairlight Audio Interface.

Good suggestion though.

This might be a case of Ask and you shall receive. From the 16b3 release notes:

"Support for a timecode generator output in Fairlight page for driving external audio applications"

This might be a case of Ask and you shall receive. From the 16b3 release notes:

"Support for a timecode generator output in Fairlight page for driving external audio applications"

Awesome.
I'll test it out in the next few days.
This would turn resolve into a field recorder as well.

Any luck getting this to work in R16 beta 3? I was excited to see that bullet point feature but I'm so far unsuccessful. I don't have the Fairlight hardware, so maybe that's what I'm missing, but I've been through the software and new features guide and can't figure out how this is implemented. That LTC "System Generator" is still there in my patch I/O window but doesn't seem to be generating anything just as it never did for me in R15.

The only way I've successfully done this in the past is similar to the above-mentioned method: using third party tools to generate LTC and then routing it out channel 16 via SDI on a Decklink card.

I too was hoping to get this working, but there dont seem to be any routing options within the app for outputting LTC via a different output than the actual audio itself, and while the internal TC window shows up and runs fine, it doesnt show up as a generator in a variety of other apps that support reading LTC, including Horae, Lockstep, etc. Also tried a bit of internal routing using Resolve as a source for Loopback, and then trying to feed that into apps, but no dice.

(and this is after ensuring the appropriate boxes were checked and configurations made in user prefs and general prefs)

BMD Teranex Mini Converters can route timecode from SDI to audio output.

Will this help?

Screen Shot 2019-05-29 at 11.33.07 am.png (41.9 KiB) Viewed 2897 times

Will this help?

Unfortunately not. This is what several of us have referred to already in this thread as the current 'solution', e.g. my post "The only way I've successfully done this in the past is similar to the above-mentioned method: using third party tools to generate LTC and then routing it out channel 16 via SDI on a Decklink card."

Even with this solution there's another app (e.g. Lockstep) listening to an audio input for the LTC, then converting that to MTC (Midi Timecode) for driving of a DAW. It's this functionality I'm hoping Resolve can soon do directly because it would mean I can compose in Logic and work in Resolve but trigger playback from Resolve and have the timelines sync, all without rendering a file. Resolve reading MTC would be equally awesome since there's not really a great video out solution to an external video display from inside Logic. Having Logic send MTC that triggers video playback in Resolve would be spiffy.

So what we (or at least I) want is IAC between applications: an inter-app communication that doesn't require outboard hardware. The biggest current mystery is what the new functionality in R16 beta is as Blackmagic specifically called out a new feature relating to the control of external applications via timecode. Is this related to the previously existing LTC "generator" inside Fairlight (which still does nothing as far as I can tell unless it requires Fairlight hardware)? Dare we hope this may be some sort of IAC communication between Resolve and other audio apps? Who knows.

The legacy Fairlight Xynergi has a button to turn the generator on and off. I wonder if this is missing in Resolve, hence the lack of output....

I gave up and picked up a used , 2 tentaclesynch setup, that works amazing I must say. I jam synch it to timecode from the F4 zoom. Resynch in Davinci is a dream.

Tentacles work great, but for an entirely different purpose than MTC sync between applications. I wasn't aware the old Xynergi had a button to control the LTC generator. Even so, the question remains, what in beta 3 was updated relating to timecode and control of third party applications?

Tentacles work great, but for an entirely different purpose than MTC sync between applications. I wasn't aware the old Xynergi had a button to control the LTC generator. Even so, the question remains, what in beta 3 was updated relating to timecode and control of third party applications?

I agree.
It would be awesome to be able to save protools to Resokve, while working on audio in protools.

Tentacles work great, but for an entirely different purpose than MTC sync between applications. I wasn't aware the old Xynergi had a button to control the LTC generator. Even so, the question remains, what in beta 3 was updated relating to timecode and control of third party applications?

I'm just hypothesizing but there are currently functions in the Desktop editor that aren't available via the GUI yet. Maybe this is one?

Straight from Dwaine:

"This is only available with the Fairlight Audio Accelerator Card and Audio I/O chassis combo."

Straight from Dwaine:

"This is only available with the Fairlight Audio Accelerator Card and Audio I/O chassis combo."

That was the case until now.

This feature is now working.

In b4 there is an option under the Fairlight menu for "Remote Control Settings". Turn SMPTE on and it will generate whenever the transport is rolling. Patch it where you need it.

*EDIT - just tested on my laptop. I can roll LTC out of my built-in headphone jack. Neat.

Straight from Dwaine:

"This is only available with the Fairlight Audio Accelerator Card and Audio I/O chassis combo."

That was the case until now.

This feature is now working.

In b4 there is an option under the Fairlight menu for "Remote Control Settings". Turn SMPTE on and it will generate whenever the transport is rolling. Patch it where you need it.

*EDIT - just tested on my laptop. I can roll LTC out of my built-in headphone jack. Neat.

You're right. I posted before Dwaine's comment was rescinded. Is everyone using this with an actual hardware I/O path? It should be much simpler done in software (and ideally IAC at some point) but I've had limited success using Soundflower and Lockstep (to convert to LTC to MTC) though it seems like it should be possible. Oddly enough, it's worked with just a pre-created LTC audio track. One frustration: when I create an aggregate output device in Mac OS Resolve never sees all of its components which makes it hard to use Soundflower+Quartet outputs in my case.