Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!rutgers!gatech!bloom-beacon!oberon!pollux.usc.edu!papa
From: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Audio tape control?
Message-ID: <10596@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 11 Jul 88 04:38:47 GMT
References: <6121@megaron.arizona.edu> <59155@sun.uucp> <351@uwslh.UUCP>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 52

In article <351@uwslh.UUCP> lishka@uwslh.UUCP (Fish-Guts) writes:
>>In article <6121@megaron.arizona.edu> rogerh@arizona.edu (Roger Hayes) writes:
>>->Do you know of a way to control an audio tape from an Amiga program?  I
>>->need precise repositioning and replay.
>>	[.... actual application edited out ...]
>     Another idea: isn't there something out there called "SMPTE" (not
>the exact initials) that allows incredibly accurate synchronization of
>video to music tracks?  I believe it is some sort of "time stamping"
>that is recorded along with the music, and is [usually] used to
>synchronize video with audio tracks when merging from two separate sources.

SMPTE stand for Society of Motion Picture Engineers. SMPTE time-code is 
usually used to synchronize multi-media elements, such as tape decks, 
sequencers, VCRs, slide shows, and lights.  

>     The reason I mention this is because it was used at a recent Pink
>Floyd concert which I attended.  They had a video screen, and all
>sorts of amazing lights and lazers, which were *perfectly*
>synchronized.  They also seemed to have a backup track which they were
>playing with (though not on all songs).  My friend told me afterwards
>that they were using "SMPTE" equipment to synchronize everything.  He
>also said they (Pink Floyd) had an engineer on the commitee that
>lobbied for certain standards when SMPTE was proposed.  They wanted it
>to be "fine-grain" enough so that they could "lip-synch" visual images
>with people singing, which they did at the concert at one point, and
>which matched perfectly.

Yes, I went to the last Pink Floyd concert, and they indeed had a lot
of SMPTE and MIDI equipment.  Definitely the best laser show ever.

For the Amiga some new things are coming out from Mimetics.  A VCR transport
synchronizer/controller that allows the Amiga to send commands to up to
three video decks which communicate via Sony Control-L, Control-T or "remote"
connectors (this is from their flyer so don't ask what that means :-).
Supposedly this setup allows synchronization of Soundscape MIDI to video
without the need for SMPTE. This unit was listed at $199.

Mimetics is also releasing the Soundscape SMPTE interface that can read and 
generate SMPTE time-code.  This interface was also listed at $199.

I called Mimetics and was told that the SMPTE stuff was about a month away
from release.  I did not ask for availability of the VCR transport
controller at that time.  Prices are from an 8-month old flyer, talking
about unavailable products, so final prices might be different.

Mimetics can be reached at (408)741-0117.

-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
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