Pro Audio Support

Q:
MOTU Issue: The Digital Timepiece (DTP) and Triple Sync
 
A:
The Digital Timepiece and Clockworks console 1.03 and later add many new timebase modes including:

Word1x/Video/Internal
Word1x/Video/MTC
Word1x/Video/LTC
Word1x/Video/VITC
Word1x/Video/Sony 9-pin

Triple Sync settings (Word/Video/Address) allow you to phase lock to a Word 1x input to take advantage of low jitter, using video input to align video frames for video frame lock.

This form of sync was designed with a specific Timecode DAT setup in mind: synching a Sony 7030 Timecode DAT with the word clock as the source of rate. Here’s the setup:

1. Feed Blackburst to the 7030
2. Feed Blackburst to the DTP
2. Feed Word from the 7030 to the DTP
4. Send LTC from the 7030 to the DTP.

The DTP should be set to Word1x/Video/LTC mode in the clockworks software.

Triple sync’s design applies to the above setup. As you may substitute Timecode DAT brands, it’s not applicable for setups with all devices. MDMs like DA-88s or Digital Mixers have internal phase lock loop engines which can cause problems with triple sync. With the DTP, use Tascam or MTC sync with the DTP in LTC/video or internal/video mode for stable timebase and address.