Musical Skills!! 55board. Composers can make spotting notes in the sequencers while the
program runs in sync with the video.
Before digitized video was the industry standard, video was synchro-
nized with a computer-sequencing program by using SMPTE time code.
Following is a description of how it is implemented.
SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code
(also called longitudinal time code) is the preferred code for audio and
video production. The time code is displayed on the screen (hours, min-
utes, seconds, and frames) and is burned in. (The code has been added to
the video and is permanently on the screen.) For example, a code that
reads 05 10 18 27 refers to the video address 5 hours, 10 minutes, 18 sec-
onds, and 27 frames. Let us assume that a car crashed at this video
address. Depending on the tempo, composers are able to determine the
measure and beat in which an event occurs. The time code is based on a
24-hour cycle. One of the stereo audio tracks generates an audible time
code.
Another form of time code is VITC (Vertical Interval Time Code). In
this process, the code is recorded on an address track. The advantage of
using an address track is that it does not eliminate one of the two stereo
audio tracks. This method requires a very expensive professional video
player. The visual time code is not necessarily burned in; it can be viewed
when necessary and then hidden.
NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) is the American
standard for video. Black-and-white video contains 30 frames per second;
this is called non–drop-frame code. Color video contains 29.97 frames per
second; this is called drop-frame time code, meaning that frames are auto-
matically dropped to make up the difference in time. With drop-frame
code, there are 108 frames per hour extra, which translates to 3.6 addi-
tional seconds per hour. When using drop-frame code, two frames are
dropped at the beginning of each minute, with the exception of every tenth
minute. This corrects the timing problem.
Composers must inform editors of the tape format (e.g., VHS) and
time code incorporated. (Most commercials are in color and therefore
require drop-frame code.) A sequencer must be set to the proper setting of
either 30 frames per second or 29.97 frames per second. If the setting is
wrong, synchronization will not be accurate.
The European equivalent of NTSC is called PAL/SECAM and runs at
25 frames per second; in this format, black and white and color are the
same, and both use non–drop-frame time code. Film runs at 24 frames per
second.
Time code is also used to synchronize (lock) several tape recorders
together.
Assignments
- Record examples of studio technology as it applies to music produc-
tion. Submit song samples or commercials in which technology is