Syncing Tape to Protools

[MMAID]

Hey Guys

I'm getting set up to do some recording with my Fostex R8 and want to sync it to Pro Tools so I can use it as a multi-track recorder. (i.e. Record onto tape then dump it into Pro Tools, re-record onto the same tape then dump again)

I'm looking to buy the MOTU 8-pre as the interface/sync unit and stripe track 8 on the reel to reel (leaving 7 as a guard).

I understand that since the tape will run at slightly different speeds the R8 needs to be the master and Pro Tools needs to be set in 'chase mode' but I don't understand how they will sync up. How will Pro Tools know at what point the tape is at? Do I need to record the time code from the tape onto Pro Tools?

Thanks
Martin

 

[jpmorris]

Well, the sync unit will presumably convert the R8's timecode into MTC, which Protools will be able to understand directly. There will be a MIDI out port on the sync box, so you just need to plug it into the input on your MIDI interface and make sure PT is set up to act as an MTC slave.

Then, when you play the tape, Protools should automatically jump to the appropriate song position after a second or so and remain in lockstep with the tape. If the sync unit is smart it should be able to compensate for short dropouts.
You shouldn't need to stripe ProTools with a sync track unless you're doing something fairly odd.

 

[MMAID]

Thanks for the reply.

Maybe I'm thinking about it the wrong way but is it right to think that the time code on the tape relates to at what position the tape is at and tells Pro Tools how fast the tape is running which'll allow each dump of audio to be made at the same speed?

I don't quite understand that since there's in no time code information on Pro Tools how does it lock into what it's chasing? Or really how it knows where the start of the song is so when a second dump of audio is made it'll match up with the first dump? Will I have to manually move it into place?

Hopefully this will all become clear when I've got everything set up.

Cheers
Martin

 

[jpmorris]

At first I was wondering if - no offence - you understand how pro-tools actually works, but I think I see where you're coming from now.

If you have an existing project in pro-tools, it will have a length, say 3:30. If you play it back, the cursor should start from 0:00:00.000 and work its way to 0:03:30.000 when the song ends. Likewise, if you record, your record cursor is going to start from 0 or wherever it was left and keep increasing until you hit STOP.

If you were to slave it to a tape machine, the tape deck would control the cursor position. If you started the tape from 1:50, Pro-tools would jump from 0:00:00.000 to 0:01:50.000 or something like that, and it would start playing/recording from there.

I'm not honestly sure what it will do if you try to do a synchronised record with an empty project, and I think that might be where your confusion is coming from. If it were me, I'd experiment and if it doesn't work, create a track of silence about the length of the song to give it something to lock against.

I can only give you vague hints based on the way other software works because I can't afford pro-tools and it won't run on my systems if I could. I use timecodes to dump MIDI sequences to tape, I've never actually done this with audio.

 

[trancedental]

I've done this many times before although not with PT8 or later since I bought a Macbook Pro, it works fine on 6.4 trough to 7.3 on Windows XP. I don't see any reason for it not to work in later versions?

PT just reads the MTC / SMPTE from playback if the code is properly striped / recorded to your recorder, I used a Phillp Rees TS1 (?) & also a Tascam MTS 1000 later on. Connect your MIDI leads to & from the computer & sync box & follow the instructions in your MTC / SMPTE box for striping to tape. Connect your audio cable to & from the sync channel on the recorder.

PTLE will follow the MTC location & you can change the counter conductor to follow the timecode position, you just set the time range within the program so it responds & follows the recorder / sync box MTC / SMPTE position.

If you want to use MIDI drums / loops or material in time with existing recorded material you will have to record a tap 1/4 beats per bar all the way through your song on one track so that you can have a proper tempo. Then tab to transient on that track in PT edit window entering the exact tempo & that will give your material a MIDI tempo map.

Easier to do than explain by typing!!!!

I actually synced Logic & Pro Tools together on Win XP with 2 different sound cards once so that I could record a NI B4 Hammond Organ patch through the s/pdif i/o's & it worked fine!!!