TIMECODE
RECORDING AND PLAYBACK
IN SAW PLUS 32 (WIN95)
TIMECODE
RECORDING AND PLAYBACK
IN SAW PLUS 32 (WIN95)
This application note describes how we recorded 16
channels in SAW+32, synchronized to two ADATs via the Studi/o Sync Backplate.
Timecode recording is when you have the computer following the ADAT tape
so that it records and plays back in perfect synchronization (lock step)
with the tape.
| Hardware | Software |
| Pentium-II 300MHz
ASUS P2L97 AGP motherboard Matrox Millenium II AGP Powerdesk graphics card 384MB RAM Adaptec AHA-2940U/AHA-2940UW PCI SCSI controller 4.5GB Seagate Cheetah 4LP SCSI hard drive STUDI/O STUDI/O Sync Backplate 2xADAT XT MOTU Pocket Express (not used for this) |
Windows 95 B
SAW Plus 32 version 2.5 Sonorus 1.31 drivers Virtual Memory On (or Off) Graphics Acceleration Full (or OFF)
|
With this setup we were able to record 16 channels from the two ADAT XT's into the computer locked to timecode. We listened back to the recorded tracks and the ADATs at the same time to make sure they were sync'd -- which they were -- over the whole 6 minute song!
We should point out, that for a program as efficient
as SAW+, this machine is total overkill! But then, you could use
the extra 'juice' for plug-ins.
Here are the pertinent setup screens in SAW:
Fig. 1 Input Setup
As you see (Fig. 1), we have a relatively low PreLoad Buffer Queue. If you have a slower machine, you may need to increase this and/or check the "Relaxed Record Timing" option. If you don't know what that is, check SAW's excellent online documentation. In fact, you should check it anyway!
Fig. 2 Output Setup
We have STUDI/O set up as Stereo sound devices to Windows, which is compatible with SAW (Fig. 1 & 2). Since SAW+32 is currently limited to 16 output channels, you can use our Monitor/Mixer applet to get a mix of the digital outputs (and inputs) to STUDI/O's headphone/monitor output.
Fig. 3
In order to record on multiple SAW tracks at once, we engage the Multi-Channel Record Mode (Fig. 3). This procedure is beautifully described in SAW's online documentation, as you hopefully are aware. Also, use the Multi-Channel Record Setup to select the file name and folder for the resultant audio files.
Fig. 4
Having installed the STUDI/O Sync Backplate, we use that for our ADAT synchronization. If you have another sync box, select that for Sync Device In. For this application, the other MIDI settings are irrelevant.
Next, pick the SMPTE mode. We select 'MutiTrack SmteTrigger' (Fig. 5) since we want SAW+32 to wait until the specified time to commence recording. This way our SAW project is in sync with our tapes. The other SMPTE modes are described in SAW's online documentation. Please note the selection of "Auto Smpte Stop Detection" and "Auto Smpte Format Detection."
Fig. 6
Here (Fig. 6) we set the start time of our project, which corresponds to the ADAT Tape position of our song, plus one hour. The one hour offset is common with synchronizers, including STUDI/O Sync Backplate, to avoid handing the editing program a 'wrapped' timecode like 23:59:59 when going 'before' zero, which on the ADAT tapes is the 'Data' section at the head of the tape. Since timecode has no negative numbers, this is a pain to deal with.
Fig. 7
Now we're ready to record. By clicking on the red 'Rec' buttons on each track, we get input faders/meters, where we also assign which inputs go to which tracks. Click on the image (Fig. 7) for a fullsize view.
Fig 8
Once we start rolling tape (before the trigger point, thank you very much!) SAW+ automatically pops up this little window (Fig. 8), and starts recording as soon as the trigger point is hit. Since STUDI/O is sample-locked to the ADATs via the optical lighpipes, the recording is sample-for-sample accurate, and drift free.
Stopping the tape machines automatically stops the recording (since we had that option checked -- see above). It's that simple!
Now, you can rewind your tapes, and check the recording
-- you'll see that it matches exactly! Change the SMPTE mode to chase
trigger, and SAW will chase and lock to your tape machines -- great for
mixing!
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Keep in mind, that these are the settings that we used to get this setup working.
Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computers, Inc. Windows 95, Windows MM System are trademarks of Microsoft Inc. Studi/o is a trademark of Sonorus, Inc. Copyright © 1997 Sonorus, Inc. All rights reserved
