TicTacSync: timecode for the (DIY) masses

Want to sync dual-system sound without breaking the bank? Doing multicam? Multisound? Need clock drift correction? tictacsync does it all!

  • YaLTC is a new audio sync track format. Stands for Yet another Linear TimeCode : it is not SMPTE LTC.

  • TicTacSync (note the caps) is the hardware dongle generating YaLTC (one for each recording device). Low cost, essentially off the shelve components (from 25 to 45 USD). At these links you can find cabling instruction for Adafruit Feather boards SAMD21 + L80 GPS (nicest but costlier) and the Arduino code. photo

  • tictacsync is the postproduction CLI program that processes recordings shot with the dongle(s). See repo. This program does the syncing, before putting your clips into your NLE of choice (see demo on the left). And it corrects excessive clock drift between your devices if any (see code).

Yes, it’s similar in function to Tentacle Sync but it’s open source and this project goes back to 2011, well before their 2015 Indiegogo campaign. Anyway, this isn’t rocket science… on every forum each year someone pitches this idea of a portable GPS-disciplined LTC generator, I just made one. There’s a catch: it is not SMPTE LTC (more on that later). For a standard LTC GPS-disciplined generator, see the (failed) Dish.tc PRO Kickstarter campaign

I’m progressively migrating content here, from its Hackaday page.