Timecode and Sync — Music Video Setup¶

BOTH

Shooting multi-pass motion control for a music video requires two separate but complementary systems working together:

Camera sync to Flair — for frame-accurate pass registration
Timecode triggering — to lock each move to the same point in the soundtrack

Without both, you cannot achieve frame-accurate, tempo-locked repeat passes. This guide covers the full workflow from initial setup through to part-run shots and TC offset calculation.

Step 1 — Establish camera sync¶

Connect a sync cable from the camera to the Flair system using the appropriate MRMC Camera Sync & Trigger cable for your camera model. Sync is an output from the camera and an input to Flair's RT unit. This is what gives frame-accurate pass registration — see Timecode vs Sync — Key Concepts for the conceptual background.

Step 2 — Distribute timecode from the soundtrack¶

Both the camera and Flair must receive the same timecode from the music video soundtrack. This ensures:

The camera records a TC reference on each take (lining up clips in the edit)
Flair can trigger moves at a reproducible point in the music

Ask the sound department how they will distribute timecode to multiple devices. Options include:

XLR/BNC/Lemo cable distribution
Radio timecode transmitters (common on larger shoots)
An audio file with timecode on one channel and music on the other (play back the TC channel to the RT14 LTC input)

Your master timecode source should be the sound playback device — not an external sync generator.

The Panasonic EVA1 and many other cameras accept timecode via BNC. Check your camera's manual for the timecode input connector.

iPhone timecode

Timecode generated from an iPhone is generally not of sufficient quality for professional moco use.

Step 3 — Connect TC to Flair via RT14¶

Timecode input for Flair is via the LTC In port on the back of the RT14 — a 3.5mm mini jack stereo (TRS) connector.

The current incoming TC is displayed in the bottom right of the Flair Side Menu. When no TC is detected, the display standardly shows 00.00.00.00 (or 23.23.23.23). You should see numbers progressing whenever the TC source is playing.

Low volume TC signal

A low-volume TC input will give an unstable signal. If the numbers are erratic or missing, check the output level of your TC source.

Step 4 — Set TC comparator mode¶

In the Timecode Setup, set the Comparator Mode to Timecode Comparator.

Step 5 — Set the start timecode trigger point¶

Type your chosen trigger TC in the Start box above the Current TC display. Enter 8 digits without colons (e.g. type 01000000 for 01:00:00:00), then press Enter.

Start the TC one hour in (01:00:00:00): A common convention is to start the song (or a count-in) at 01:00:00:00 rather than 00:00:00:00. This makes the entry point immediately recognisable and avoids issues with TC starting exactly at zero.

Start and Current TC must not match when not in use

If you are NOT triggering from timecode, make sure the Start TC and Current TC boxes show different values. If they match, your move will start immediately without entering the Ready to Shoot pre-run state. A safe default is to set Start to 02.00.00.00 when TC triggering is not in use.

Step 6 — Execute the shot (Ready to Shoot)¶

Put the move into Ready to Shoot (pre-run) state.
Play the audio soundtrack (with its LTC output active).
When the running TC crosses the trigger point (forwards or backwards on the soundtrack), the move will run automatically.

Be ready to stop

Because the move can trigger at any moment the TC crosses the start point, always have your finger on the Spacebar (Stop) for safety. TC could accidentally trigger a run if the soundtrack is rewound or cued unexpectedly.

Step 7 — Part-run shots using TC triggering¶

TC triggering enables insert and pickup shots on specific portions of a longer move — avoiding the need to run the entire sequence for every take.

For example: if you have a full 3-minute master sequence and need a 20-second insert at bar 32, you can trigger at the corresponding TC and run only that section.

Preroll considerations for part-runs¶

Part-runs may show some "shake" at the beginning if the preroll acceleration is too high. Two settings affect this:

Job Type > Start mode:

Along Path or Path Run Up will generally give the smoothest preroll results.

Axis Setup > Preroll Factor:

Normally set to 0.8–0.9 to avoid excessively long or distant prerolls. Lower values reduce preroll distance and dynamics.
An Along Path preroll is NOT executed along the move path — it follows the natural path of each axis independently. The preroll portion will not follow the camera/target path.
Reduce the Preroll Factor for the axis most dominant in the specific portion of the move (typically Rotate for side-to-side, or Arm/Lift for up-down movements).
Test by small increments until the preroll is acceptably smooth.

Apply, don't Save

It may be preferable to use Apply only, not Save to disk, so default (safer) settings are preserved on the next boot. Your saved move file will carry the current shoot settings.

Recalculate TC trigger after changing Preroll Factor¶

Changing the Preroll Factor changes the time required to execute the preroll. This shifts the correct TC trigger point. Use the Timecode Calculations within the Input Triggers Setup menu to recalculate the correct TC trigger offset for your modified preroll.

Always recalculate the move at the intended shooting speed for these calculations to be correct.

Using a bloop light¶

A bloop light (flash or camera flash) can mark frame 1 for the editor to align layers. Trigger it after the camera has ramped up to correct speed — most modern digital cameras have a variable delay before the first frame is taken, so triggering too early will mark the wrong frame.

Source: Setting up Timecode and Sync for a Music Video — talk.mrmoco.com