Independent DAT sound?

[tropine]

First post. Please offer as much help as you can.

 

My filmmaking team (3 of us) will soon be shooting some important footage for a documentary film.

We're interested in having one of us be a dedicated sound-recorder for

this new footage, independent of either of the two XL2 cameras that would

be filming (though obviously also capturing sound).

We're thinking that the independence of the sound recorder (not cabled to either camera)

will allow a less cumbersome filming process and lend versatility to our sound samplings.

 

We will be following the subject through the woods hunting, reuniting with family,

and walking through the scene of a crime.

 

I'm guessing one of us will carry around a portable DAT with a boom mic, and trying

later, just by ear & scrupulous tape-labeling, to synch up whatever sound we might want to use

from the DAT. But I was wondering what you would recommend for this

setup. What options might we have for simplifying any later

synchronization of the independent audio recording? Would you

recommend a different approach altogether?

 

Editing with Final Cut Pro.

[Gordon Highland]

That way will work, and a clapboard visible by both cameras at the start of each shot would be helpful. Also you might consider using use free-run timecode on all sources, and starting/resetting them all at the same time (i don't think you can jam-sync an XL1), which will get you within a few frames when it's time to edit. You could also use a wireless transmitter on the output of the DAT to a receiver on each camera for redundancy. Dunno, there may be a latency delay with that (from DAT In to DAT Out), but it would be a common offset.

[Brian Wells]

Gordon's right, there is no way to Jam-Sync with an XL2 or any of the smallish DV cameras. One idea involves sending an LTC track wirelessly to both cameras left audio track. Then, you could use a plug-in for FCP that interprets the audio track and converts it back into an LTC track that FCP recognizes as TC. Then, using this reference you could (theoretically) sync with your DAT recordings.

 

The problems with this idea are: (1) Getting the DAT or HDD audio recordings to sync with the video, even with a common TC reference and (2) I don't recall the name of the obscure British software developer that makes the plug-in in question. Sorry.

 

I should add that this basic functionality is included in some versions of Avid.

[Tim J Durham]

Gordon's right, there is no way to Jam-Sync with an XL2 or any of the smallish DV cameras. One idea involves sending an LTC track wirelessly to both cameras left audio track. Then, you could use a plug-in for FCP that interprets the audio track and converts it back into an LTC track that FCP recognizes as TC. Then, using this reference you could (theoretically) sync with your DAT recordings.

 

You CAN synch 2 or more XL-2's in either 60i or 30p. Here is an article about it by Chris Hurd from the XL-2 Watchdog site:

 

http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxl2/articles/article11.php

 

This does not help you with getting the DAT recorder synched but if you're in free-run and get the DAT time close to the cams TC, you can do a clapper at the beginning and the difference between the cams and the DAT should stay the same throughout the day.

[Andy Sparaco SOC]

Horita has a selection of timecode and wireless time code products which may fit the bill. A Denecke time code slate reading the Dat recorders time code might also work . You would need to have all cameras start on the slate. In the old "Docu Days, The sound recordist would carry a "blooper light" which would flash and place a bloop tone on the audio recorder. the shooter would swish pan from the recordist or interviewer to the subject. I think "THe Film Group" still makes them- low tech can be beautiful!. Do a google search to find all of these folks.