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' -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= uucp:...!pollux!papa BIX:papa ARPAnet:pollux!papa@oberon.usc.edu "There's Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Diga!" -- Leo Schwab [quoting Rick Unland] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=