WAV players that sync to SMPTE LTC or MTC?

[Dan Hudgins]

I was wondering if anyone here knows of a good WAV file player for MAC or LINUX that will sync to SMPTE LTC time code or MTC MIDI time code?

Right now I am using Magix de Luxe on a PC to playback in sync with my editing system's image playback for full screen or windowed 24/25/30fps.

I drive Magix through the joy-stick port's 15pin with a 15pin to MIDI cable, to get the MTC I use a SMPTE LTC to MTC converter box the SMPTE comes from a Telcom T120 that hooks to the serial port of the image computer so My program can sync to the SMPTE. It works well for both master and slave both ways using a JL Cooper PPS-2 sync box (with EPROM upgrade).

I would like to look into the option of using a MAC or LINUX computer for the audio rather than just another Windows (tm) PC, so can programs like ProTools on a MAC sync to external SMPTE LTC, what is needed to do that, will a MAC sync to MIDI MTC also, does MAC have built in MIDI like a PC does or would I need to add a MIDI board?

Are there any LINUX WAV player/editor programs that sync to MTC on the joy-stick port of a sound board?

Thanks for any experience you can share about syncing MAC or LINUX computers to SMPTE LTC or MIDI MTC.

This could also be of interest to people who want to playback music and audio cues using the SMPTE out of the REDONE etc.

==

On another point, if anyone has any R3D files with embeded audio that is lip sync they can share it would be a help in testing the audio part of my REDONE workflow. If you don't have embeded audio, an image R3D and a WAV that has the clapboard slap on it and lip sync would also be helpfull.

==

Thanks for any info on this line...

[Sound Sorcerer]

I use Nuendo for that on a MAC... AFAIK theres nothing on Linux yet; but if you have a PC a great tool is the BWF Widget. Honestly, there's nothing like it on MAC, Windows or Linux...

[Dan Hudgins]

I use Nuendo for that on a MAC...

Nuendo looks like it does many nice things, I found their page that lists MTC time code sync,

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products...onization.html

I use the MTC from one of those old boxes that was used to sync MIDI synths to tape playback with SMPTE LTC on it to convert the SMPTE LTC from the Telcom T102 into MTC to go into (or from) the Joy-Stick port on the sound board. So that should work with Nuendo... Being MAC and Windows would help people who need to use both.

AFAIK theres nothing on Linux yet;

There seem to be people doing post with Linux programs, so one would think that there must be some kind of WAV player that can sync to MTC and or issue MTC? I tried google but did not see an obvious hit!?

I wonder if anyone here who has used Linux knows what WAV player syncs to/from external MTC MIDI time code?

but if you have a PC a great tool is the BWF Widget. Honestly, there's nothing like it on MAC, Windows or Linux...

Looks like a good tool for working with embeded time code in the WAV file, what I was looking for though was hardware sync from external MTC time code coming into the MIDI port.

My system can make or read SMPTE LTC, but in order to have the audio software automaticly sync it must read MTC from the sound board or MIDI card/port. Since my system can master and slave it can also read MTC made by the audio software and output through the MIDI port.

It is possable to play SMPTE LTC off an audio track then sync my system's image playback to that (through the LTC input on the Telcom T102), my system will slave to the playback, but that is not as usefull for editing as having the sound sync to the image using the MTC.

Maybe there are not too many Freeware Audio programs, editors, WAV players that support MIDI time code aka MTC? If anyone knows of some that work, please reply so I can then google the names of those programs to find out more. Its good to hear from users of programs to see what realy works well...

[Sound Sorcerer]

Nuendo looks like it does many nice things, I found their page that lists MTC time code sync,

With Nuendo I use a MOTU miditimepiece AV which takes LTC & generates MTC for slaving MMC devices.

[Dan Hudgins]

With Nuendo I use a MOTU miditimepiece AV which takes LTC & generates MTC for slaving MMC devices.

Thanks for the link about the MOTU.

I have a Mark of the Unicorn MIDI timepiece model "MTP AV", it may be like yours, it works for converting SMPTE LTC to MTC for driving Magix deLuxe from my software via the Telcom T102 (tm), when the image playback starts the sound automaticly syncs (I have a second or so runup option for sync lock), so since you are using the same (?) hardware it should work with Nuendo. All you would need to use my system is a "junk" PC that can run FreeDOS or ME boot floppy (or XP Home SP3 maybe) and a Telcom T102 (tm) box (they come up used sometimes.)

I could not get the MTP AV to work the other way, having the sound software master, so I picked up a used JL Cooper PPS-2 and purchased the EPROM upgrade so now I can use time code both ways and the sound or image can be master or slave. You can use a Y cable on the SMPTE LTC to mage the MTP AV LCD display show the SMPTE numbers since there is no display on the PPS-2, just leave the MTP AV in auto read mode.

I do not have the MTP AV drivers installed on the PC, it works SMPTE LTC to MIDI in hardware only, btw... Mine looks almost the same as the one in your link, but I guess is an older edition, my buttons are black.

I tried a MIDIMAN (tm) SYNCMAN (tm) and it works to drive the audio software as slave (LTC > MTC) but not to have it master. Same with the XR300 by XRI Systems (the white one may go both ways, I have not tried it), I like the XR300 (mine is the black one) because it has big red LED readout for the time code, it looks cool to have the numbers going while you edit :cute: The readout on your MOTU can also help de-bug the hook-up. I got confused one time and could not get the T102 to output, then figured out that the mouse was also using COM1, so I moved the T102 to COM2 (and set my program to COM2) and then the numbers on the MOTU readout started in sync with the images, I then knew I have SMPTE, so it was just a matter of getting the MTC and sound player to work together...

I was thinking, if there is a LINUX sampler program, it might be possable to bring in a long WAV file as a sound sample, and have the sampler play that sample in sync to MTC, that would work as a SMPTE sync WAV player maybe?

I found some info on LINUX but it will take some time to figure out if there might be something that could be used to play WAV in sync with MTC,

http://linux-sound.org/

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7912

So if someone know of more freeware programs that can sync WAV playback to MTC please speak up...

Thanks again for the links.

[Bouke]

Not sure i understand what you are trying to do.
To me you use a tremendous amount of 'black boxes' to get your job done.
Why? (Really, i don't get what you are after)
And why MTC? A lot of boxes do LTC to 422 for just a hundred bucks.

Not free, but perhaps interesting to have a look at:
http://www.videotoolshed.com/?page=products&pID=26

It says it's for FCP, but that is not entirely true.
What it does is reading audio TC in QT's and, based on that, it makes a new QT TC track. (either normal or AUX).
besides that, there is a helper application that can paste BWF into QT video, in sync.
No need for additional hardware, and most editors can read QT TC.

(keep in mind that i'm the creator, so i might be a bit biased)

Bouke