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Two questions on Tentacle Sync


Christian Spaeth

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Since a lot of you folks are using Tentacles, I chose to ask here instead of calling Tentacle, as this might be interesting to others as well.

1 When a Tentacle is not is use for a long period of time, at some point the battery must run empty. What happens then? Will the clock have to be re-set? Will it charge properly?

2 I read around here that people have used the built in mic on professional cameras such as Alexa. I wonder how that would work. Plugin Power (5V, as supplied by DSLRs or handheld recorders) is needed for the mic to work. If there's a way to make it work with "big" cams that would be sweet. Those who know, please share.

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1. i can answer, 2. i dont have any idea since i dont think i will ever use this option. 

the internal battery is a Li-Po. when it is recharged, using the OSX app, you can set the internal clock to reflect the system time on the computer. I think the battery should charge properly since Li-Po chemistry does make the charge last quite long. 

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I have a couple that I brought more as a back up or for steady cam rigs. Without using or charging them in at least a couple of months, I used them to test something the other day. For the life of me I can't remember what I was testing exactly. The TC was way off, as is to be expected. The battery was about two thirds full. Couldn't tell you what state it was in prior to last use, but I am pretty sure I hadn't charged it after a half days use. Don't know if any of us have owned them long enough for the batteries to go completely flat from inactivity. 

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2) I believe what's in the manual, and that is - it will switch to mic mode when it detects plugin OR phantom power at the input. So, there you have it.

Have two of these, they're cute, and work well. But didn't use the microphone feature. And I don't think I will soon.

http://tentaclesync.com/files/downloads/tentacle_manual_english.pdf

 

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actually, it doesn't say the mic feature will work with phantom power, only it will switch tentacle to mic level. I guess you should email them, they're nice people.

 

BUILT IN MICROPHONE - Tentacle features a small built in microphone which can be used to record reference sound on DSLR Cameras like Canon 5D and others. It is located right behind the micro usb connector. By using the mini jack sync cable the timecode signal will be recorded on the left channel, reference sound will be recorded on the right channel. - Using the built in microphone is only possible when working at mic levels with plugin power switched on at camera side. 

Auto Mic Level: With 'Auto Mic Level' enabled Tentacle switches the output volume to mic-level when plugged into a device with plugin power (for 3.5mm mini jack inputs like 5D or GH4 or BMPCC) or phantom power (for XLR inputs). This helps to prevent distortion on mic inputs if you forgot to set the output level to mic.

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On a camera which provides phantom power, why on earth would you use the Tentacle's mic and why wouldn't you use a proper mic on it? Or a receiver of some sort. 

Regarding the battery: I seem to remember a post by Glen Trew here, where he stated that LifePo batteries should always be on the charger when not in use, even for long-term storage. If correct, that might be applicable here, too

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Regarding the battery: I seem to remember a post by Glen Trew here, where he stated that LifePo batteries should always be on the charger when not in use, even for long-term storage. If correct, that might be applicable here, too

I don't think this is the case. My experience with LiFE batteries and from documentation, these batteries have very good self-discharge characteristics: they will hold a charge for a long time with very little loss. I certainly do not have any specific guidelines but further research might yield the suggestion to fully charge anything that has been sitting unused for many, many months. I will see what I can come up with in documentation I have.

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On a camera which provides phantom power, why on earth would you use the Tentacle's mic and why wouldn't you use a proper mic on it? Or a receiver of some sort. 

Simple answer: weight and bulk. If I can have Timecode and some audio going to camera from one small box, it's a big plus. I've had editors request some kind of guide track to always be recorded on camera, just so they could hear what's going on even if it's a MOS take. In this case the Tentacle's mic would have been perfect. I'd say 95% of the ACs I've worked with on drama productions would not be amused at all to have a camera mic mounted on their Alexas.

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Simple answer: weight and bulk. If I can have Timecode and some audio going to camera from one small box, it's a big plus. I've had editors request some kind of guide track to always be recorded on camera, just so they could hear what's going on even if it's a MOS take. In this case the Tentacle's mic would have been perfect. I'd say 95% of the ACs I've worked with on drama productions would not be amused at all to have a camera mic mounted on their Alexas.

absolutely, but I'd doubt that on such a production you'd use, or they'd even want the Tentacle's mic sound? On drama they'll always either get a receiver from me, or they don't get sound at all, depending on what production asks for, but the mic inside the Tentacle is on par or perhaps slightly better than the mic built into a 5D, so, especially on drama work where the camera may not always be close, it's probably not very useful. 

But on the other hand, YMMV and it's good to have options 

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Exactly. I try to make editors happy and if that's what they want (he really just wanted something to hear what's going on before the sound was synced I believe, not be actually used later), so no need for a clunky receiver on top) so in this specific case using the mic would have been a nice option, and if the mic is there, why not use it. Well, because we can't, we know that now.

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absolutely, but I'd doubt that on such a production you'd use, or they'd even want the Tentacle's mic sound? On drama they'll always either get a receiver from me, or they don't get sound at all, depending on what production asks for, but the mic inside the Tentacle is on par or perhaps slightly better than the mic built into a 5D, so, especially on drama work where the camera may not always be close, it's probably not very useful. 

But on the other hand, YMMV and it's good to have options 

Editors just want to be able to hear what's happening when the camera rolls, they wouldn't use that audio in the edit. It can also be useful for syncing if the timecode gets corrupted or the operators miss a slate.

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Editors just want to be able to hear what's happening when the camera rolls, they wouldn't use that audio in the edit. It can also be useful for syncing if the timecode gets corrupted or the operators miss a slate.

of course, I don't doubt any of that. I am just relaying my own experience, which has been so far, that either I am working with a camera which provides phantom power which then usually also provides two separate inputs, and I get asked to provide a receiver for my audio, plus TC, if they want any audio on the camera at all, which is not always the case. 

Or the camera is of the DSLR variety and I usually provide nothing as they will use the on-board mic. Of course, here Tentacle brings a new option as it will offer TC and audio. 

Exactly. I try to make editors happy and if that's what they want (he really just wanted something to hear what's going on before the sound was synced I believe, not be actually used later), so no need for a clunky receiver on top) so in this specific case using the mic would have been a nice option, and if the mic is there, why not use it. Well, because we can't, we know that now.

true, I suppose, if that's what they want. You could try to step the voltage down from 48 to 5, but then it's getting clunkier again. 

By the way, I got my 6 Tentacles in mid May. 4 of them I have never touched until today. I turned on one of them, which it did. On the computer then the battery showed 4.12, which is very nearly full, I believe. 

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  • 7 months later...
3 minutes ago, ScottStoneback said:

Curious, would the tentacle then be a good fit with a GoPro to provide timecode and also a reference audio track? Hell, it can't be much worse than a gopro's built-in mic! 

If the editor is prepared for a LTC audio track, yes. Tentacle makes a 1/8" to usb cable specifically for gopros

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Thanks for reply... I didn't realize I already had a solution for jamming GoPros. Is the USB cable necessary or can you just run mic level into the gopro from the Tentacle? I just realized that the gopro might only have single channel audio... so the Tentacle's mic may not work.

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  • 4 months later...

If I missed this comment in the thread I apologize. I just got my own Tentacle and love it. 2nd one coming soon. To address the issue of using the on board Tentacle mic for use on Pro cameras with XLR 48V phantom inputs, I think this would solve the problem: http://www.pro-sound.com/p/ambient-emp35-ph-48-voltselectret-converter-35-mm-jack-sennheiser-ew.html

I haven't checked, but using the Tentacle on a Pro camera with TC input and wanting to send the internal Tentacle mic to the camera XLR Audio input may require a custom cable.

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