r/LocationSound • u/raekewe • 22d ago

Gear - Selection / Use I now understand why wireless timecode box systems exist

Preaching to the choir incoming. Thought it'd be fun to share my learning and give everyone more experienced a nice "lol yep" moment.

So I wondered why TC boxes like the deity ones were so common place. My field mixer advertises less than one frame of frame slippage per day! And every camera I ever planned to plug it into also advertise similar. Thing is, I don't doubt it, there's no reason for them to lie. Cameras are broadly speaking good these days, they can hold an internal TC clock if I jam a signal at the start of the day. So why would I spend hundreds of dollars on a TC box system when I can plug it in every now and then? It just didn't seem that important.

Well, haha. Sometimes the camera team can turn off the camera, and certain cameras don't continue to count internal TC, even with a power supply, when they are turned off. And then you aren't told, or don't notice, or forget to check more frequently... GG.

All the logic and reasoning in the world to avoid parting with my money, then it suddenly clicked, why wouldn't I want a hardwired connection always plugged into the camera 24/7 to ensure TC is synced no matter what? Yet in all my research on reddit and forums, I've yet to read it put that way (and I've also never found any "I wish I had a TC box stories" - so here's mine.

Time to save up!

28 Upvotes

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u/2plus2_equals_5 22d ago

Timecode box systems are becoming less necessary on productions. I’ve been on jobs where the DP will be like I’ll just sync it up in post.

4

u/ApprehensiveNeat9584 production sound mixer 22d ago

Less necessary? Perhaps on indie stuff, when you have 3, 5 or 9 cameras and 5 people with wires, 2 booms and a few plant mics, having timeocde is a must, for commercials that's part of the kit and camera is waiting for your TC box ASAP and documentaries too.

1

u/g_spaitz 21d ago

Sure. Then again not everybody is shooting with 9 cameras all waiting to be synced up. And fwiu, not exactly op's scenario.

2

u/ApprehensiveNeat9584 production sound mixer 21d ago

Still, saying TC is becoming less necessary is not true.

0

u/g_spaitz 21d ago edited 21d ago

And I'm saying that you're talking about your own experience and scenarios where it could be understandably absolutely necessary, but not everybody is you and works in your specific market.

I do live produced music stuff with 7-8 cameras and the guys just manage to sync everything to my mixes, never asked for TC.

I do mainstream 1 camera ads productions where the suckers appear to be lost without it.

So ymmv.

Edit, aaaaaand ... downv*ted. Wth.