Unicorn Digital Timepiece, Руководство пользователя, Страница: 49 / 101

CHAPTER
49
6
Converting/Generating Time Code
OVERVIEW
This chapter discusses how to convert or generate
time code with the Digital Timepiece.
Starting playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Deferred playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Generating or Converting time code . . . . . . . . .50
If the status LEDs don’t glow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
SMPTE Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Freewheeling to avoid time code dropouts . . . .51
Displaying time code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Synchronizing to discontinuous time code . . . .51
Regeneration and time code bits . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
STARTING PLAYBACK
Connecting everything to the Digital Timepiece is
nine tenths of the effort, so using it is easy by
comparison. Once everything is connected, you
simply:
1 Choose the desired time base mode on the front
panel.
2 Choose the desired word rate, if necessary.
3 Choose the desired SMPTE format, if necessary.
Not all time base modes require a manual setting:
some detect the SMPTE frame rate automatically.
For a summary, see “Setting the SMPTE frame rate
manually” on page 40.
4 Start playback of time code.
If the Digital Timepiece is in one of its internal time
base modes, simply make it start converting time
code. You can do so by pressing its STRIPE button
on the front panel or by initiating playback from a
sequencer or other MMC-compatible software, or
a hardware MMC controller that you have set up to
control the Digital Timepiece.
If the Digital Timepiece is in a time base made for
converting external time code, just roll the time
code source.
DEFERRED PLAYBACK
The Digital Timepiece has a convenient feature
called
deferred playback, which means that the
Digital Timepiece will wait for each device
connected to it to locate to the current playback
point before it begins generating time code. For
example, if you cue the Digital Timepiece from
zero to 15 minutes and then immediately initiate
playback from that location, the Digital Timepiece
does not immediately begin to generate time code.
Instead, it waits for any devices that cannot locate
instantly, such as ADATs and DA-88s, to fast
forward to the 15 minute location. Once they cue
up and are ready to play, the Digital Timepiece
begins generating.
When you turn off deferred playback, the Digital
Timepiece may, depending on the situation, begins
generating or converting time code while ADATs
and other devices with tape transports are still
cueing to catch up to the current playback location.
As soon as they reach it, they begin playing.
The Digital Timepiece can defer playback for any
MMC or SONY 9-pin device connected to it. And
you can choose to defer playback for some devices,
while not doing so for others. Doing so for all
devices ensures that they all begin playing at the
same time. But the trade-off is that you will have to
wait for all of them to cue before playback begins.