About
These are timecode boxes that communicate in real time wirelessly to ensure that all of your gear is locked in sync together. They have a built-in lithium ion battery that charges over over a USB-C plug on the bottom. They take two hours to charge and can last for up to 28 hours. You set one of the boxes as a Master timecode source, and then it sends that timecode wirelessly to other boxes which are set be Slave units. They can then physically output that timecode using the 3.5mm jack on each box. We have a number of cable options to work with popular cameras and audio recorders. The rear of the casing has a patch of “Hook-n-Loop” material (the hook side), and we can include a hotshoe/1/4″ screw hole attachment that works with it. In addition to displaying timecode information, its dot-matrix screen also shows you its menu system which you can access through the onboard scroll wheel. The more efficient way to interact with it though, is to use Deity’s free Sidus Audio app via bluetooth (the unit only communicates with the app over bluetooth, the wireless timecode system uses a different radio and frequency for syncing timecode data). It has a small built-in microphone. Why? Most mirrorless cameras do not have a dedicated timecode input, so it’s necessary to record the timecode signal as an audio signal, then modern editing software can look at that audio track and decode it back into timecode. That’s better than having no timecode but the problem is that the 3.5mm input on most mirrorless cameras is all or nothing: whatever you plug into it overrides both channels. So you have timecode but there is no way to have the camera’s onboard microphone recorded on the second channel. That’s why the TC-1 has the built-in mic: timecode on one channel, low quality “scratch” track on the other.
So, some nice features but why would one pick them over existing products such as our Betso units? The main reason is that they integrate with other products made by Deity such as our Theos wireless microphones. Each of the Theos transmitters, in addition to sending digital audio to a two-channel receiver, can save that audio to an onboard micro SDXC card as a 32bit float recording. That way if there is a problem with your wireless signal (out of range, breakup, wrong frequency, etc) you have a high quality backup. That backup recording is of limited use however if you spend all of your time trying to line it up with the picture in the editing suite. That’s where Deity’s integration pays off. The Sidus Audio app can tune into the Master TC-1’s timecode signal and quarterback sharing it to the Slave units. But the app can also control the Theos transmitters and ensure they too access the TC-1’s broadcasted timecode signal and use it for the onboard recording. So your double system sound multitrack audio recorder, each camera, and the backup recording on the wireless mics are all locked in sync together. As Hannibal says on A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
In order to use the system properly, you need a transmitter and a receiver, so we package your initial two units together for the $20/day. Each additional receiver is an additional $20/day.
3.5mm Output cables:
-BNC
-5-pin Ambient/ARRI
-Sony Mult-Terminal Micro USB
What Comes with it?
- Deity TC-1
- USB-C Charger and Cable
- One use-specific timecode cable
- Hook-n-Loop attachment on request
Price
| Day | $20 |
| Weekend | $20 |
| Week | $60 |