Syncing various analog and digital recording equipment

[sherm_jonathan]

Looks like I didn't do all of my homework before hand... but now I have a tascam tsr8 plus two 32's (so 3 reel to reels), plus some digital options. I have also a macbook pro, and I am hoping I can somehow sync at least some, if not all, of these units together.

I know they have remotes that can sync two reel to reels together, but are there any other options, such as software, etc. I was envisioning the mac book pro as the brain of my system, with the vintage (and other) equipment being the body parts. I guess I want my cake and to eat it too. Any advice would be nice, thanks.

Cheers,

Jon

[ssscientist]

Here's a link to a current eBay auction for the TSR8 side of the equation ---

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tascam-MTS-1000-...QQcmdZViewItem

This will generate SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineer) time code and you will need a Mac interface that can reinterpret this sync code on the computer end.

Unfortunately, most of the mac interfaces that can understand SMPTE are now off the market and as such are probably incompatible with current macintosh operating systems.

Also, I couldn't find any way to recommend to you to bring the two Tascam 32's into the family, so you're on your own there.

If you just want to take advantage of the 'warmth' of analog tape there are other ways to do it --- like a bounce to analog and then back again.


.

[TexRoadkill]

You're pretty much screwed. Most cheap analog decks will not slave to time code. If the TSR8's will accept control messages for Start/Stop etc you might be able to to get the Mac to act as a remote control. At best you will be able to use one analog deck as the SMPTE master and have the mac slave to that through a SMTPE to MIDI convertor. I don't know if the TSR8's have any way of syncing up with each other but that is the only way you will get them to all work with the mac.


Syncing analog decks was always a little sketchy, temperature changes can make the tapes stretch a bit, they can lose sync, shit breaks. Those are the reasons they made 24 track machines.

EDIT - Just saw that Middiezer on Ebay. If that works you should be good. You can probably get the mac to read MTC. If all goes well it will still probably not work half the time but, good luck.

[TexRoadkill]

Just to add, the easiest way of getting the best of both worlds with computers and tape is usually to just record on the tape and dump it into the computer for editing and mixing. If you can take the sync aspect out of the equation you will spend a lot more time recording and less time pulling your hair out.

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by TexRoadkill

You're pretty much screwed. Most cheap analog decks will not slave to time code. If the TSR8's will accept control messages for Start/Stop etc you might be able to to get the Mac to act as a remote control. At best you will be able to use one analog deck as the SMPTE master and have the mac slave to that through a SMTPE to MIDI convertor. I don't know if the TSR8's have any way of syncing up with each other but that is the only way you will get them to all work with the mac.

I use a TASCAM ATS-500 myself. It can be a fiddle to set up, but it does generally work. The TSR-8 can take either a serial connection from a TASCAM device (again, like the ATS-500) or a parallel connection. I didn't quite get it to work with a pair of TimeLine Lynxes, and I still think it was the link between them that was failing. The ATS won't take an MTC code input unfortunately, although recording a timecode on the computer and feeding that in would probably work. It would be easier to get the mac to follow the TSR-8 via MTC.

Reminds me, since syncing seems to be fairly unusual I'm tempted to put a video of mixing a synced song on YouTube

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by jpmorris

Reminds me, since syncing seems to be fairly unusual I'm tempted to put a video of mixing a synced song on YouTube

Do it!

That would be a true public service, and if you have the camera setup to execute something like that it wouldn't take much time.

Be sure to post a link if and when you have it on YouTube...


.

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

Do it!
That would be a true public service, and if you have the camera setup to execute something like that it wouldn't take much time.
Be sure to post a link if and when you have it on YouTube...

I already have a couple of recordings of a mixing session, but they haven't been edited yet and the sound is poor since they were made on a digital still camera with video support, and it had to be done with the internal mic. I'm not sure I have a complete session of the song because it tended to run out of space on the SD card. I know I've got the beginning for several takes though. I wasn't sure if there would be enough interest, and promptly forgot about it...

[jpmorris]

Right, here's a video of 'Operation Wendigo' being mixed from a pair of synchronised TASCAM TSR-8s. I have another one of me testing the setup the night before, with a different track, but it's less interesting. This isn't exactly gripping either, but it has its moments.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GYT0IuLt30I

This is edited together from three takes. With the first one, I lean back so you can see the slave machine chasing at startup, which is kind of cool. Then I promptly fluff the mix.

The second take fades into the end of take 4, where I managed to fluff it yet again. I've kept this because when I stop the master, the slave doesn't quite believe it's happened and slowly grinds to a halt, which is kind of cool.

Then we have a complete mix of the song.

Note that I'm monitoring off the Revox, while the camera is being fed direct from the mixing board. Hence my embarrassing jiggling is about 1/15th of a second out of time with the song.

For the die-hards, the other one is this:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FYkaKtwJMMA

I'm not sure why I put it online now. Probably the most interesting thing is near the end where I put the ATS-500 into setup and it syncs the two recorders. Unless you especially want to see me wondering why it doesn't work and checking the wiring

[TexRoadkill]

Originally Posted by jpmorris

Right, here's a video of 'Operation Wendigo' being mixed from a pair of synchronised TASCAM TSR-8s. I have another one of me testing the setup the night before, with a different track, but it's less interesting. This isn't exactly gripping either, but it has its moments.

What a pain. I think to go through that much trouble I'd have to be recording Hendrix, Joplin & Jaco with Jesus on percussion.

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by TexRoadkill

What a pain. I think to go through that much trouble I'd have to be recording Hendrix, Joplin & Jaco with Jesus on percussion.

You've got to admit doing it this way is different

[TexRoadkill]

Originally Posted by jpmorris

You've got to admit doing it this way is different

Yeah, I used to have go through all that when I was doing film scores in the late 80's/early 90's. My MTC to SMPTE convertor has been gathering dust for years now.