Synchronising with a Camera

One of the key features of your :wave is that it can provide timecode and genlock to professional video cameras, such as the Sony^® F55^®. The timecode data provides the 'time stamp' information that is added to the recording, such as the time and any user-defined metadata. The genlock signal allows the camera to synchronise the frames of its recording with the timecode, so that the video and timecode always match. Using a combination of timecode and genlock eliminates problems caused by the camera's clock drift and significantly reduces the amount of work required in postproduction.

For cameras that do not have genlock, :wave provides highly accurate timecode only.

Note: If you are using a camera without genlock and have your :wave in Free Run/Jam Ext mode, you will need to synchronise your camera and :wave at the beginning of each day of filming. This is not required if your :wave is part of a BLINK network and is connected to your camera.

When you set up your camera and :wave, you need to connect the camera to the :wave's TC port for timecode sync and to the TC/SYNC port for receiving genlock. You also need to set the camera to receive external genlock.

To set up your :wave, you need to choose the appropriate genlock signal (this should be specified in the manufacturer's instructions for the camera). You also need to consider whether your :wave is free running or part of a BLINK network.

If it is the master in the BLINK network, it will send a genlock signal to the camera. For timecode, it will either send its own timecode to the camera and the slave devices or it will receive timecode from the camera and send it to the slaves. You control this by setting the master mode for the :wave (see Set the Timecode Mode).

If your :wave is a slave in the BLINK network, it will receive timecode from the master device and then pass it on to the camera.

If your :wave is set to run in Free Run/Jam Ext mode, It has to be synchronised ('jammed') to a timecode source. This timecode is then sent to the camera as well as a genlock signal (if supported).

Note: It is possible for your :wave to output timecode via the TC/SYNC port, but it cannot be used to output genlock at the same time.

To learn how to set up your :wave to output genlock and timecode, see Quick Setup :wave Connected to Camera.