Sync Drift from different Zoom Recorders

[steve]

was thinking of a very simple, massively common (and therefore cheap as chips, ha ha) solid state device that would be completely self-contained, requiring no contact with the outside world or external services of any kind, that would simply make a timing mark on a video recording (a flash perhaps?) and at the same generate an audio noise which would be captured by the device's external microphone.

Like a clapper board ?

[kozikowski]

You can certainly get complicated, but for five bucks you can get a clapboard you can use with any camera or any sound device. Or multiple devices. Hand off the work to any good editor and you're done. Please note the clapboard also has show information, time and date built-in. 80% of shooting a show is bookkeeping.

http://www.ht-express.com/Mini-Clapboard-P299.aspx
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/7 ... ycled-Low/

You do have to know to do one at the end if you suspect there is a speed issue as in this case.

Software in the device would use the measured timing difference (the lag or latency) to automatically correct the recording with no further human intervention, editing etc, required.

Sounds like a product you should be developing.

Koz

[brianejsmith]

The clapper board is fine in instances where a) there is a clapper board operator separate from the cameraman b) there is control over the recording session such that no one cares if and when the clapper board is used and c) in the event of one person operation (opo) the recorder is mounted on a tripod.

Filming a performance you are a guest at or where a clapper board would be obtrusive or there is no room for a tripod limits their applicability.

I was thinking of a universal sort of device triggered by a simple button on every video recorder such that opo would be easily achieved without disturbing the audience and without requiring the operator to let go of the recording device.

[steve]

I was thinking of a universal sort of device triggered by a simple button on every video recorder such that opo would be easily achieved without disturbing the audience and without requiring the operator to let go of the recording device.

I'm certainly not knocking the idea. I think it would be an excellent invention, but not applicable to the here and now because as far as I'm aware it doesn't exist yet (perhaps worth doing a Patent search).

Filming a performance you are a guest at or where a clapper board would be obtrusive or there is no room for a tripod limits their applicability.

Assuming that you are recording video on a camcorder of some sort, and recording the audio on a separate audio recorder, you may not need to have the visual timing point of the clapper board on the video. Camcorders will record sound, even if the sound quality may be poor, so it may be sufficient to just have audio cues that are picked up by both the camcorder and the audio recorder. It could be something as unobtrusive as a cough or clap, as long as it is clearly defined and you can find it later when you come to synchronise them.