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Epic/Scarlet TC... have I got this right?


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Tomorrow I have a day working with an Epic and a Scarlet and I will need to jam TC for the first time, using a 744 as master. Production are providing two ambient lockit boxes. Having read through the manuals of the 744, the lockit, the REDs and many threads here I have come up with the following:

1) Set 744T to Correct TC Frame Rate (24FPS) and TC Mode to 24 Hour Run.

2) Put batteries in Lockit.

3) Set Lockit to 24FPS (TC>24FPS)

4) Set Lockit Sync to Off - NO GENLOCK TO RED?!

5) Set Lockit to JamTC Manual/Once (GEN>JamTC>manual/once)

6) Connect Lockit + 744T > Lockit should Jam to 744T. (Cable: 5 pin lemo > 5 pin Lemo).

7) Disconnect Lockit from 744t, check TC matches with 744.

8) Set RED TC to Jam Sync mode

9) Connect Lockit to RED. (Cable: 5 pin lemo > 4 pin lemo). Check "TC" letters are visible (bottom middle screen) and they go green. TC should be going in and will hold fine.

Is there anything i've missed, or should this be foolproof? I won't get chance to test this either before nor on the day.

~Mark.

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A couple of things I can spot here that may catch you out -

If you're shooting with 2 cameras, this is the time you DO need Genlock. So set those preferences correctly in the cameras and plug in the Genlock/Sync connectors.

Speaking of connectors, if you're using ACL202 or 203's, then the TC and Sync o/p's are on a BNC connector, not a lemo. Check with where you're getting the Lockit's from what cables they're shipping with.

Check with the camera hire company that they are shipping the cameras with the relevant TC break out cables, because they don't always do that as part of the standard package. You're stuffed if you haven't got that 4 pin lemo to BNC breakout cable. And you will need BNC "barrels" if you want to connect standard female BNC cables, ie from the Epic breakout cable to a BNC connected to the Lockit.

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One huge issue: Are you shooting at 24fps or 23.976fps?

I'm not sure about your side of the pond, but in the U.S. 23.976 is more common but is quite often referred to as 24. If you ask the producer, you may be incorrectly told 24, so be sure to check with the DP and DIT.

This is critical!

+1

I'm often told 24, only to be told by the DP or AC that it's 23.976

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I agree -- get it all in writing, even if it's an email. The editor and/or post supervisor should specify timecode rates. 23.976 (aka "23.98") is very typical.

I will generally check the Lockit -- in my case, the Denecke SB-T -- by using it to feed a timecode slate, then I shoot a cellphone photograph of the sound recorder timecode display and the slate display. That way, I can verify that the jam box and my recorder are absolutely locked. A test one hour apart should verify it, since there should be zero frame drift in a 1 hour period (more like a 6 hour period).

Make sure the camera assistants occasionally keep an eye on their own camera timecode and the timecode slate. My experience is, when the Red is off, it's WAY off and not just a few frames off.

I would also consider sending the cameras a scratch track if possible, just to give the assistant editor a fall back in the event of bad code. Note that in slo-mo (high speed) or off-speed situations, timecode does not apply (nor does a scratch track).

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  • 3 months later...

Tomorrow I have a day working with an Epic and a Scarlet and I will need to jam TC for the first time, using a 744 as master. Production are providing two ambient lockit boxes. Having read through the manuals of the 744, the lockit, the REDs and many threads here I have come up with the following:

1) Set 744T to Correct TC Frame Rate (24FPS) and TC Mode to 24 Hour Run.

2) Put batteries in Lockit.

3) Set Lockit to 24FPS (TC>24FPS)

4) Set Lockit Sync to Off - NO GENLOCK TO RED?!

5) Set Lockit to JamTC Manual/Once (GEN>JamTC>manual/once)

6) Connect Lockit + 744T > Lockit should Jam to 744T. (Cable: 5 pin lemo > 5 pin Lemo).

7) Disconnect Lockit from 744t, check TC matches with 744.

8) Set RED TC to Jam Sync mode

9) Connect Lockit to RED. (Cable: 5 pin lemo > 4 pin lemo). Check "TC" letters are visible (bottom middle screen) and they go green. TC should be going in and will hold fine.

Is there anything i've missed, or should this be foolproof? I won't get chance to test this either before nor on the day.

~Mark.

Similar situation but instead of the 744, I've got a Nomad 8 as the recorder. The lock-it box is the Ambient CL 203. We're shooting with only one camera, a red scarlet. It's kind of an intimidating situation since I'm not used to work with lock-it boxes and never worked also with a red scarlet. The majority of work I do here is with DSLRs... sometimes with the AF100 from Panasonic attached to a SDevices pix (just jamming from the nomad was fine in this situation). So these would be my steps, right?

1) Set Nomad to Correct TC Frame Rate (24FPS or 23,98 FPS, check with DP) and TC Mode to Free Run.

2) Put batteries in Lockit.

3) Set Lockit to 24FPS or 23,98. In case it's 24 FPS, the lockit should be set as Switch1- 3; Switch2- 1; Switch3- 1. In case it's 23,98 FPS: Switch 1- 3; Switch 2- 0, Switch 3- 0.

4) Set Lockit Sync to Off - I DONT GET THIS ONE. DOES THIS MEAN THAT SWITCHS 1 AND 2 SHOULD BE SET TO OFF INSTEAD OF THE STATED ABOVE?

5) Set Lockit to JamTC Manual/Once (GEN>JamTC>manual/once). READING THE MANUAL OF THE ACL 203, I GUESS I DONT HAVE TO DO THIS BEIGN ALLOWED TO SKIP TO THE NEXT STEP, RIGHT?

6) Connect Lockit + NOMAD > Lockit should Jam from NOMAD. (Cable: BNC > BNC). IT'S THE LOCKIT THAT JAMS FROM NOMAD, NOT THE CONTRARY, RIGHT?

7) Disconnect Lockit from Nomad, check TC matches with Nomad.

8) Set RED TC to Jam Sync mode

9) Connect Lockit to RED. (Cable: BNC > 4 pin lemo). Check "TC" letters are visible (bottom middle screen) and they go green. TC should be going in and will hold fine.

Could you please comment on that. I'm still studying all I can, including reading other discussion from this forum and trying to understand Scarlet's manual but it's a quite laconic one. Thanks fo all the input.

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Similar situation but instead of the 744, I've got a Nomad 8 as the recorder. The lock-it box is the Ambient CL 203. We're shooting with only one camera, a red scarlet. It's kind of an intimidating situation since I'm not used to work with lock-it boxes and never worked also with a red scarlet. The majority of work I do here is with DSLRs... sometimes with the AF100 from Panasonic attached to a SDevices pix (just jamming from the nomad was fine in this situation). So these would be my steps, right?

1) Set Nomad to Correct TC Frame Rate (24FPS or 23,98 FPS, check with DP) and TC Mode to Free Run.

2) Put batteries in Lockit.

3) Set Lockit to 24FPS or 23,98. In case it's 24 FPS, the lockit should be set as Switch1- 3; Switch2- 1; Switch3- 1. In case it's 23,98 FPS: Switch 1- 3; Switch 2- 0, Switch 3- 0.

4) Set Lockit Sync to Off - I DONT GET THIS ONE. DOES THIS MEAN THAT SWITCHS 1 AND 2 SHOULD BE SET TO OFF INSTEAD OF THE STATED ABOVE?

5) Set Lockit to JamTC Manual/Once (GEN>JamTC>manual/once). READING THE MANUAL OF THE ACL 203, I GUESS I DONT HAVE TO DO THIS BEIGN ALLOWED TO SKIP TO THE NEXT STEP, RIGHT?

6) Connect Lockit + NOMAD > Lockit should Jam from NOMAD. (Cable: BNC > BNC). IT'S THE LOCKIT THAT JAMS FROM NOMAD, NOT THE CONTRARY, RIGHT?

7) Disconnect Lockit from Nomad, check TC matches with Nomad.

8) Set RED TC to Jam Sync mode

9) Connect Lockit to RED. (Cable: BNC > 4 pin lemo). Check "TC" letters are visible (bottom middle screen) and they go green. TC should be going in and will hold fine.

Honestly i'm still not the best person to answer this as I have not used this equipment much if at all, so don't rely on my reply being 100% accurate. My workflow was using a ACL 204 lockit rather than a 203, which are significantly different. Looking through the 203 manual your workflow seems correct as far as I can judge with limited experience.

4) On your ACL 203 Switches 1+2 setup the genlock/tri sync, Switch 3 sets up TC. In your position i'd probably set up/use the genlock as it can't hurt if it's set right, but it might not be necessary If you are not using genlock the 'off' switch on the 203 is switch 1 to "A", which disables the genlock/WC but still allows it to jam+send TC.

5) You skip this (204 has multiple jam modes for rec run etc), but be careful of the dipswitch that locks the external TC input on the 203. Make sure that is set to "off". (not sure if you then set the ext-TC lock to "on" after you've jammed?)

6) Correct. In your workflow Nomad is the master and sends jam signal to the Lockit, which you then connect and leave connected to the RED.

Hope that helps just a little... best thing is not to panic and just to make sure everything is set correctly. You won't believe how quick and easy it actually is to get everything in sync.

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Honestly i'm still not the best person to answer this as I have not used this equipment much if at all, so don't rely on my reply being 100% accurate. My workflow was using a ACL 204 lockit rather than a 203, which are significantly different. Looking through the 203 manual your workflow seems correct as far as I can judge with limited experience.

4) On your ACL 203 Switches 1+2 setup the genlock/tri sync, Switch 3 sets up TC. In your position i'd probably set up/use the genlock as it can't hurt if it's set right, but it might not be necessary If you are not using genlock the 'off' switch on the 203 is switch 1 to "A", which disables the genlock/WC but still allows it to jam+send TC.

5) You skip this (204 has multiple jam modes for rec run etc), but be careful of the dipswitch that locks the external TC input on the 203. Make sure that is set to "off". (not sure if you then set the ext-TC lock to "on" after you've jammed?)

6) Correct. In your workflow Nomad is the master and sends jam signal to the Lockit, which you then connect and leave connected to the RED.

Hope that helps just a little... best thing is not to panic and just to make sure everything is set correctly. You won't believe how quick and easy it actually is to get everything in sync.

Thank you, Mark. I'll check the dipswitch is set to off when I jam sync from Nomad. Just to clarify the purpose of this switch. If its set to on, it means that the 203 is the mater, right? In that case, I must switch back to on before inserting it at the Scarlet, right?

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According to the manual, the dipswitch prevents the lockit from jamming to external TC, but alters the bit counting. Personally i'm not sure how, nor if it's a problem either way. I suspect you could still jam the RED with the switch in either position and it'd work, but you certainly can't jam the lockit from the Nomad with the switch set to "on". If someone more experienced with the procedure can confirm the effects with jamming the RED and if the dipswitch needs to be set one way or the other that would be appreciated.

Genlock is needed in multi camera situations. It locks the video frame rate to the TC rate, without it the cameras can theoretically drift apart from each other even though the TC is identical (similar to word clocking audio equipment).

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1) Set 744T to Correct TC Frame Rate (24FPS) and TC Mode to 24 Hour Run.

I have found that on 7xx recorders "Free Run" is more stable TC-wise than "24h Run".

I think (but am not positively sure) the SD recorders get their "24h Run" TC values from the 7xx's system clock, and the "Free Run" TC from the Ambient TC unit (which is basically an on-board Lockit). Once the Ambient unit can't guarantee it's off less than a frame it resets TC to 00:00:00:00, so you can easily see if you need to reset.

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According to the manual, the dipswitch prevents the lockit from jamming to external TC, but alters the bit counting. Personally i'm not sure how, nor if it's a problem either way. I suspect you could still jam the RED with the switch in either position and it'd work, but you certainly can't jam the lockit from the Nomad with the switch set to "on". If someone more experienced with the procedure can confirm the effects with jamming the RED and if the dipswitch needs to be set one way or the other that would be appreciated.

Genlock is needed in multi camera situations. It locks the video frame rate to the TC rate, without it the cameras can theoretically drift apart from each other even though the TC is identical (similar to word clocking audio equipment).

Thank you, Mark. I'll just leave the switch off then. It's the switch described as LTC in mode in the manual, right? Could anyone describe exactly what it does.

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I have found that on 7xx recorders "Free Run" is more stable TC-wise than "24h Run".

I think (but am not positively sure) the SD recorders get their "24h Run" TC values from the 7xx's system clock, and the "Free Run" TC from the Ambient TC unit (which is basically an on-board Lockit). Once the Ambient unit can't guarantee it's off less than a frame it resets TC to 00:00:00:00, so you can easily see if you need to reset.

There is no difference in accuracy between Free Run and 24Hr Run. Both use the Ambient time code circuitry and TCXO. The only difference between the two modes is where the initial Time setting comes from -- User Setting or 24Hr Clock.

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Ok, I've just discovered, maybe too late, that the bncs on the 203 are only for output (SYNC and TC). Without a Lemo 5 pin I can't jam the lockit from Nomad. I'll try to get another cable in time but I´m already considering working the other way around jamming Nomad from the lockit (time of the day will be impossible this way unless we start shooting midnight) but it´s the only solution I can figure right now.

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