How to Jam Sync a Tentacle Sync E to a MixPre 3 II/MixPre 6 II

[@robdisner]

Thanks! I’ve got the MixPre 6 as a backup recorder, so this helps me get more familiar with a device that I don’t get a whole lot of use from during my normal workflow on set.

[@newyorkartistandphilosophy8091]

Nice video. I have been down the path you traveled. What version of the firmware are you using? You may want to call them about that bug. They can be helpful. peace

[@JJSCTech]

Hey thanks! The firmware on both devices are up to date. I’ll try reaching out to Tentacle Sync on this particular issue.

[@Histibe]

Can I sync another Tentacle Track E 32-bit Recorder to the Tentacle Sync while it's connected to the stereo output on the MixPre, and sync them all together with the MixPre? I would appreciate your advice on this matter.

[@JJSCTech]

You can only have one master. If the mixpre is the master, you can sync all of the tentacles to it. Note that the track e or the sync doesn’t have to stay connected to the mixpre after it syncs up, so you can have many tentacles synced to the mixpre simultaneously.

[@Histibe]

@@JJSCTech Thanks so much for your reply! I really appreciate it. Does this mean I can set the MixPre as the master, connect Tentacle Sync to it, and use them until I power them off? If I power them on again, do I need to match Timecode again, right? By the way, what software can you recommend on PC to read timecodes in 32-bit recordings and sync Tentacle and MixPre files? Thanks for your feedback.

[@JJSCTech]

Yup, you can run them till they power off. Of the power of, you have to re-sync them to the mixpre. I haven’t tried this so I’m not sure. I think Resolve can sync TC.

[@Histibe]

@@JJSCTech thank you so much! Best wishes

[@wishboxmedia]

Thank you! I've been having difficulty getting this setup correctly. The Output setting was the piece I was missing. Works great now. I really appreciate you posting this video.

[@JJSCTech]

No problem! Glad to help! Let me know if you need any other help. Maybe I’ll make vid about it!

[@natejmedia]

At 0:48, when you go Menu -> Output, you clearly have 4 menu pages to choose from. This is confirmed by the 4 dots under and to the right of "Outputs" at the top. For you, the first dot is filled in black, indicating which page of that menu you're currently on. For me, I only have 3 dots, and when I scroll over to page two, as you've done at 0:51, I do not have "St. Out L Dly", St. Out R Dly", nor "St. Out Mode". My second page has "USB 1", "USB 2", "USB 3", and "USB 4". Do you know why I don't have the same amount of menu pages as you for the Output menu? Also, I just updated the firmware. EDIT: I discovered the solution and thought I'd share it here in case there was someone else looking for this solution, but couldn't find it. I have the Mixpre-3, and the Mixpre-3 ii had small changes, but one of them was the addition of Timecode generating functionality.

[@JJSCTech]

Is it in Advance mode?

[@natejmedia]

@@JJSCTech it was yeah. But I figured out the issue. I have the mark i, not the mark ii. It’s the mark ii that is the time code generator.

[@JJSCTech]

Ahh copy. If it’s in you budget, try to sell and upgrade to version II. 32 bit float alone is a great feature.

[@natejmedia]

@@JJSCTech yeah man, I already have the mixpre-6 ordered from BH! Thanks for the help!

[@dag221]

I just got my Sync units in and can't get the green lights to appear. One light keeps blinking red and the other turns blue and the clock on the Tentacle Sync is not matching the Mix Pre 3 clock. I'm probably doing something wrong....back to more videos. Thanks for the tips.

[@JJSCTech]

The red means it’s in slave mode. Just double check to make sure that the frame rates are the same. Try with 30nd and set the stereo output of the mixpre to ltc out.

[@dag221]

@@JJSCTech thanks for the reply. I figured out the problem shortly after I posted this. It's working now.

[@jonathancaro6420]

Thank you for sharing this. I had a smiliar issue with my Tentacle Sync and because of this video I fixed the issued.

[@JJSCTech]

Glad to hear!

[@ralfgrunder4863]

Many thanks for that video. It helps to get that recorder tc-running.

[@JJSCTech]

No problem at all!

[@HeavyReverb]

is the mix pre recording when you're syncing the tentacle?

[@JJSCTech]

Nope, it wasn’t recording.

[@HeavyReverb]

@@JJSCTech good to know.

[@cruisingforone]

Perfect thanks

[@gurugamer8632]

What is the workflow for videographers capturing audio on the MixPre 6 ii (32bit float). I think most video editing apps don’t support 32bit.

[@JJSCTech]

Great question. I now use isotope RX to make some adjustments to the audio first, (Dialogue isolate, mouths de-click, leveller, eq and etc) then import it into Final Cut Pro. Final cut can also read 32 bit float, but you need plugins to make proper adjustments within final cut.

[@cubul32]

Why not jam it in the recorder. This way all the tentacles could be monitored. And I think the app has a function to sync the tentacles right away should one lag.

[@JJSCTech]

Appreciate this comment! All of the tentacles can still be monitored in the app when the mixpre is the master too!

[@galosu82]

Interesting video, but wouldn't it make more sense to connect the Tentacle Sync to the "Aux/Mic In" and use the "JAM" feature on the MixPre?

[@JJSCTech]

Nope! Because you loose audio in the aux port. If you want to use the aux port and the other xlr inputs, using the stereo out for TC is the only method.

[@wangmedia]

@@JJSCTech but after jamming you can remove the tentacle and set the imput to audio.

[@dab7963]

I tried this but why make the Mixpre3 the master? You still need 2 tentacle sync units when just plugging one into the Mixpre3 aux and one into the Mic port on the camera so what is the benefit ?

[@JJSCTech]

No need for 2! When the tentacle sync syncs, you can plug it out and put it into the camera port. Benefits of this is if you are renting a tentacle sync and don’t want to add it to your app.

[@dab7963]

@@JJSCTech Wow let me try that.

[@dab7963]

Fantastic worked perfectly. Now I only need one Tentacle Sync plugged into the camera. Thanks so much works fantastic. I also can confirm the bug, The Mix Pre is set to 29.97 nf and the Tentacle Sync is set to 29.97 as you said to do in your video and its working great. If set to 29.97 df (I guess this means drop frames the tentacle sync will not sync. No big deal because it works fine the way you have outlined. THANKS now I have another sync unit to use on another camera.

[@dab7963]

It only synced once :(

[@JJSCTech]

Are both up to date?

[@sashashae]

Oh yeah! Neat tips 😄

[@jmmy7463]

Thank you very much for the video. May I ask is the TC mode on the "MixPre II" has to be "Free Run"? Can it be set to "Time of Day"? And what is the problem (or bug) you mention in the video on the Syen E about? Thanks again for the reply.

[@JJSCTech]

If I’m not mistaken, it must be set to Free Run. The bug is that the tentacle sync won’t sync properly using some fps. Most of the time it’ll just hang trying to sync.

[@robertbrown8317]

Worthless video. Does not explain how to set up and sync