Sound recording with Pulse generator

Forum covering all aspects of small gauge cinematography! This is the main discussion forum.

Moderator: Andreas Wideroe

Post Reply
Arislan
Posts: 486
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:22 am
Location: Enjoying Fujichrome

Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Arislan »

So I stick that into the "remote" jack of my tape recorder and the other end on the fujica zc1000?
If I understand correctly, the recorder then tapes 1 pulse every frame and keeps the sound in synch with the picture. If that's the case, what is the disadvantage in this system?

I'm possibly getting a Marantz PD660 tomorrow but at the moment I'm using a Radio Shack cassette tape recorder.
"Here we all are, all our nationalities chatting and joking on a forum- two or three generations ago we were blowing each other up! "
tlatosmd
Senior member
Posts: 2258
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2005 9:23 pm
Location: Hamburg, Germany

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by tlatosmd »

Arislan wrote:If I understand correctly, the recorder then tapes 1 pulse every frame and keeps the sound in synch with the picture. If that's the case, what is the disadvantage in this system?
Higher noise level than a digital recording?
"Mama don't take my Kodachrome away!" -
Paul Simon

Chosen tools of the trade:
Bauer S209XL, Revue Sound CS60AF, Canon 310XL

The Beatles split up in 1970; long live The Beatles!
Arislan
Posts: 486
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2006 4:22 am
Location: Enjoying Fujichrome

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Arislan »

tlatosmd wrote: Higher noise level than a digital recording?
I should have been more clear on this: I mean what is the disadvantage to pilot sync in relation to crystal sync using same media?
"Here we all are, all our nationalities chatting and joking on a forum- two or three generations ago we were blowing each other up! "
ccortez
Senior member
Posts: 2220
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:07 am
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by ccortez »

Arislan wrote:
tlatosmd wrote: Higher noise level than a digital recording?
I should have been more clear on this: I mean what is the disadvantage to pilot sync in relation to crystal sync using same media?
One disadvantage is the cable btwn the camera and recorder; two crystal sync devices don't have to be physically connected to remain sync'd (in theory).
jaxshooter
Posts: 739
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:52 pm
Real name: Marty Hamrick
Location: Windsor, Ontario

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by jaxshooter »

Arislan wrote:So I stick that into the "remote" jack of my tape recorder and the other end on the fujica zc1000?
If I understand correctly, the recorder then tapes 1 pulse every frame and keeps the sound in synch with the picture. If that's the case, what is the disadvantage in this system?

I'm possibly getting a Marantz PD660 tomorrow but at the moment I'm using a Radio Shack cassette tape recorder.
First off, I think it takes more than just connecting the cam and recorder to get your once per frame signal on tape.I think you need something to generate a signal, the burst from the camera just interupts that signal, leaving either a blip every frame or a blip every fourth frame,depending on your camera.
I've never worked with this type of system in super 8 , but I have used a synchro pilot generator with a Beaulieu R 16 and a sync pulse generator with a Bolex EBM.

In this type of system, I always experienced a drift in sync and had to fix it in the post either by adding or subtracting audio frames.If the speed was not at least somewhat consistent, as I experienced once with the Bolex, the transferred audio dragged or was off speed, something I wouldn't find out until I got the mag track back from the lab and attempted to sync the dailies.

If you have more than just a few minutes of sync, you're better off going crystal.
Marty Hamrick

Cinematographer

Windsor, Ontario
kentbulza
Posts: 699
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2003 2:04 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by kentbulza »

To get a pulse out of the ZC1000, you need to use the Pulse Sync Generator. This attaches at the same place as the Strobo Sync and generates one pulse per frame.
jaxshooter
Posts: 739
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:52 pm
Real name: Marty Hamrick
Location: Windsor, Ontario

Post by jaxshooter »

kentbulza wrote:To get a pulse out of the ZC1000, you need to use the Pulse Sync Generator. This attaches at the same place as the Strobo Sync and generates one pulse per frame.

Will this work only with the ZC 1000 or will it work with any camera with a PC flash sync jack?
Marty Hamrick

Cinematographer

Windsor, Ontario
Lunar07
Senior member
Posts: 2181
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 5:25 pm
Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Lunar07 »

I love going to such old posts. Poor jaxshooter, no one answered his last reply. This is an interesting subject.
The Fujica ZC1000 pulse generator can be used only on the ZC1000. It takes the flash contact closure and generates a pulse off that closure that gets recorded on one track of the audio recorder.
So, yes, if your camera has a flash contact you can do that BUT you need a circuit to take the flash closure and generate a pulse. Something like the film group flash contact to pilotone 60HZ signal converter.
However, this excercise, to have ANY meaning at all you MUST have a camera that runs at a constant speed. Think about it: the audio can be resolved. No problem. The audio speed is measured against the expected frequency of the pulse signal and the speed is corrected. But the camera, if not running at a constant speed there is nothing to resolve the visual part (well, there is, but read on). So you must have a camera that is running at a constant speed; that is, crystal synched. BUT if you have a crystal synched camera, then you can afford a crystal audio recorder and there no need for all the flash cables and converters :)

Back to the point of what to do if the camera is not running at a constant speed. In the good old days you get a dedicated projector that is dedicated to particular audio recorder. You connect them both via a dedicated cable. Then you run both. The projector in this case is SLAVED to the signal recorded on the audio recorder and it changes its speed to match any drift in the frequency of the pulse recorded on the audio recorder. For the Fujica ZC1000 for example there was the Fujica M2 projector to do that along with the Fujica Synchrobox 18 that connects the audio recorder to the projector.
A guy from Germany who used to post here a while ago used to modifiy certain projectors (Bauer projectors I believe) to slave them to certain pulse signals on the audio recorder. I can not remember his name at the moment.
Cinepugno
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:00 pm
Real name: Luigi Castellitto

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Cinepugno »

Hi,
I have long been in search of the original Fuji "Tape control cord" for my Fujica ZC1000, but it's really hard to find.
There is an alternative way to be able to record audio in sync, in the same way? The camera has this nice feature that I would like to take advantage of.
Thank you!
jaxshooter
Posts: 739
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:52 pm
Real name: Marty Hamrick
Location: Windsor, Ontario

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by jaxshooter »

I haven't done much with any of the 8mm formats in awhile, and outside of old mag stripe, I have no experience with modern syncing methods, but most of the folks I have talked to say its not an issue. Crystal sync is the best way to go, but if the camera has a good stable motor, you might get away with sync in short takes, around 10-30 seconds. A good NLE program can pretty much sync anything.
Marty Hamrick

Cinematographer

Windsor, Ontario
Cinepugno
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:00 pm
Real name: Luigi Castellitto

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Cinepugno »

I think I'd better record the audio with a digital system or, for example, Minidisc, in place of the open reel system or audio cassettes, etc., less risky as regards the synchronization. Then synchronization at PC and possibly record on magnetic strip (previously installed).
For now I edit the audio always and only with the NLA, with pre-existing track, now I will try to record it live and record magnetic stripo on film.
jaxshooter
Posts: 739
Joined: Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:52 pm
Real name: Marty Hamrick
Location: Windsor, Ontario

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by jaxshooter »

Mag stripe on film? Way cool, been years since I've worked with that. Who's doing your film striping? I didn't know anyone did that anymore. I knew a guy on here who kept some pre striped Ektachrome and some Kodachrome, but I doubt that's still around, he had kept it frozen. Kodachrome won't be able to get processed now, Ektachrome maybe, but it will be expensive I'm sure. Let us know how your project turns out.
Marty Hamrick

Cinematographer

Windsor, Ontario
Cinepugno
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2014 12:00 pm
Real name: Luigi Castellitto

Re: Sound recording with Pulse generator

Post by Cinepugno »

In Europe there are some laboratory (Andec, FFR...) that installs the mag stripes, with a cost for meter. Some lovers still use this method and then records over the strip with a recorder projector or another. I keep you updated!
Post Reply