ATEM ISO TimeCodes are different

I've always assumed that since the ATEM software has a TimeCode feature, that it would set all my cameras to match that particular timecode, but somehow it never seems to work right.

For example, I created a video today with and ATEM Extreme ISO with the following ports:

1. BMPCC 6K G2 (my main source of audio is in the XLR inputs).
2. BMCC 6K (FF) - internal mics
3. BMPCC 4K - internal mics
4. BMPCC 6K Pro - internal mics
7. My Mac Desktop (has audio on).
8. HyperDeck Shuttle HD to play things like my intros (has audio on).

I use the ATEM software to define a title, and I have it set to record originals in camera, and inserted cards in the 6K G2, and the 6K Pro. Then I start the recordings all at the same time from the ATEM.

When I load the project into DaVinci to make some changes like trimming the start and end, I've noticed that when I use the Camera Originals, the sound is out of sync. When I use turn off the originals, the sound is fine.

Another funny thing is that the Sync bin only shows Camera #1. I assumed the TimeCode would be identical in each ISO track, including the BRAW originals. Apparently not.

So, I decided to just disregard all the ISO magic and place all the clips into a new project, then add all the tracks and that's where I noticed that the dates on all the cameras are different. I recorded all these tracks together, but according to the media pool, they were recorded on 3 different days.

I'm not sure if dates can be sent via the HDMI TimeCode Sync, but is it possible that's why the Sync Bin didn't show all the other cameras? Is it possible they all share the same timecode, but DaVinci also factors in the date? If so, I'll know I need to ensure I verify the date.

For what it's worth, I've got a USB-C to Ethernet adapter and I've used that as a quick way to set both date and time to Internet Standard Times. Perhaps if I add that to my pre-recording checklist, I can prevent this.

Before I tinker with hacks, is it simply that I need to do something in the ATEM software to make sure EVERYTHING gets the TimeCode correct?

Hello,

For the difference between timecode I have no idea, but for cameras visibility in DaVinci, I've noticed that on the capture screen, you're position in bin tree is here "Master/Blackmagic RAW/1-BMPCC 6K" so you can't see other camera in sync bin. Try to navigate in "Master/Blackmagic RAW/" or just in Master and I think you'll see other cameras.

My 2 cents

For the record, I experimented a bit with my original ISO project and came to the following observations.

When I recorded this particular show, I only needed 6K BRAW in two cameras, so I only put cards into two of my four Blackmagic cameras, so the other two were never in view, but still expected to be in the Sync Bin, along with 1080 footage from my Mac Desktop and my HyperDeck Shuttle HD.

I copied the BRAW versions of the two cameras to the same ISO folder, then turned on Camera Originals, so I could apply LUTs and finalize the look.

That's when things went wrong.

As I said, I only saw one camera in the Sync Bin, but I just noticed some other things.

1. When I go back to the ISO in the TimeLine, I see all 8 ISO tracks.

2. When I toggle back to Camera Originals, once again, I only see one camera. The 2nd Camera Original is still not there. I still think it's because the date is wrong and I wonder if in this particular case, if the date was the same on both cameras, I would see just the TWO camera originals, or if I would see all 8 again?

3. When I use the Camera Originals, I noticed the sound is off by a few extra frames. This is still my biggest issue. The sound seems correct when I use the ISO files.

So, I'll test by theory about the date by confirming the dates on all the cameras before my next recording.

Even if that fails, it also looks like I can solve the Sync Bin issue by making sure the ISO is used when editing. But that still leaves one other issue, the sound being out of sync when I switched to Camera Originals. I can't understand why the BRAW timecode isn't the same as the ISO recording

It was nearly impossible for me to edit my last show because even bringing in the original audio and syncing it with the ISO video would still be wrong because the BRAW was off. Syncing to the BRAW would mean the ISO would be off. I ended up rendering an unedited version in 4K, then syncing the audio, and doing only basic edits from there.

The thing that drives me crazy is that I'm using the ATEM to speed up my production so I only need to swap the camera originals and keep 95% of the cuts as-is.

I just need to know what best practices are for TimeCode and the ATEM ISO vs Camera Originals.

If I jam them all before turning on the ATEM, will the ATEM end up pushing over something different and I'm back to square one?

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with the footage from this particular show and I can confirm that:

1. The audio from the In Camera Recordings in BRAW have perfectly synced audio. They sound perfect when played via the Blackmagic RAW Player, and the timecode of the 1st frames are identical. As I mentioned, the date stamps are two different dates, and neither of them are the actual date I recorded them.

2. The audio from the ISO recordings have the correct date, and as expected the ISO recordings tend to start about a second earlier, so although the timecode of the 1st frame is different. My primary audio was recorded in-camera on the 1st camera via XLR and it is perfectly in sync with the video.

3. When I open the project in DaVinci Resolve and hit play, the audio is still in sync.

4. When I switch to Camera Originals, the audio is no longer in sync

Any idea why?

In case anyone is curious. I confirmed the solution to the problem in the Sync Bin and have a solution.

Although all the clips have the same exact TimeCode, the dates definitely were the reason the Sync Bin did not work when using Camera Originals.

I confirmed this by plugging in an Ethernet to USB-C connector into all four cameras and went to the setup menu to confirm all cameras were on the same date, time and timezone before hitting record.

The result is that the Sync Bin now shows all the cameras, regardless of whether I am using Camera Originals.

I recorded before and after changing the date and confirmed the problem is predictable.

This is what the Sync Bin looks like when at least one camera has the same date. In both cases the TimeCode is coming from the ATEM and is correct.

If you scroll all the way to the left, the second camera shows up. Pushing even further to the left of that camera, yet another camera showed up because the ATEM has one date (the correct date), and the two other dates were isolated from the ATEM footage and from each other. So, each date effectively has its own Sync Bin.

That said, I'm still having trouble with the audio being slightly out of sync when I switch to Camera Originals.