Syncing multiple cameras with Tentacle Syncs

kj2184 wrote on 9/21/2022, 11:39 PM

Has anyone had luck syncing multiple cameras that were jammed via Tentacle Syncs? I've tried dozens of times using the method below but there are always multiple clips that are several frames off. I end up having to check each set of clips and realigning about 30-40% of them via waveform matching. Lately, I've just gone back to using PluralEyes, which seems to do a slightly better job. It's incredibly frustrating, especially when trying to edit projects with dozens/hundreds of clips.

I've talked to multiple other editors using Premiere, Resolve, etc. and they've never had this issue. Am I doing something wrong, or is it an issue with Vegas?

As a side note: Cameras are all the same (Canon C300mkII), all camera settings are double-checked to make sure they match, and timecode is jammed once at the beginning of the day and once at lunch. I'm currently on Vegas 18 Pro, Win 10 Pro. Below is the method I've been using:

 

1.    Create two custom bins. Name them for example CamA and CamB. Now import Camera A material to CamA bin and Camera B material to CamB bin.

2.    Now go to the CamA bin and change the project media view from Thumbnails to Details (It's the button that has an arrow pointing down, right next to the magnifying glass icon). Scroll to the right until you see a column called "Tape name". You have to give every single clip a tape name there, for example CamA.

3.    Now repeat the previous step with CamB bin and give the clips a tape name again, for example CamB.

4.    Now go to the All Media bin > select everything (ctrl+A) > right click one of them > select Lay Out Tracks Using Media Timecode.

5.    They are now all aligned on their own tracks based on their tape name.

 

Again, this does a decent job of lining everything up, but there are always several sets of clips that are off by 1-15 frames.

This is a mystery I've been trying to solve for months, so any help would be appreciated!

Comments

Joelson wrote on 9/22/2022, 11:07 AM

Here VEGAS works well with Media containing Timecode.

From your description you are doing everything right with the native Vegas process.

Try using Vegasaur which does the whole process automatically. The trial version can be downloaded in this link: https://vegasaur.com/Vegasaur

Simply organize the medias of the each camera and external audio into separate tracks and Vegasaur will do the rest. I made a short video bellow showing the process using Vegasaur. If the result is the same, there is something wrong with the generated Timecode or Vegas cannot correctly interpret the data.

Also try the trial version of other video editors: DaVinci Resolve, Premiere. If it works correctly on them, the problem is with VEGAS.

Steve_Rhoden wrote on 9/23/2022, 5:18 AM

@kj2184 Yeah, you are doing everything correctly by the book. The problem is of course Vegas, something is gonna end up off, that's just how it works.... Pluraleyes plugin is what i dedicate to handle tasks such as those.

kj2184 wrote on 9/25/2022, 5:50 PM

Thanks for the replies.

I sent some sample clips to two different editors who work with Premiere. They both said that the timecode jammed, but the audio was off 11 frames. This is exactly what I am experiencing with Vegas, which leads me to believe it's an issue with one of the cameras or Tentacle Syncs. I still have no idea why it only occurs with only some of the clips.

@Joelson Thanks for the heads up about Vegasaur & taking the time to share the video. Vegasaur's process of lining up the clips is much easier than how Vegas does it natively.

I'll continue to troubleshoot and will post an update if I make any progress.