SMPTE Timecode
The time format show production runs on: hours, minutes, seconds and frames, so lights and video can chase the same clock as the music.
What is SMPTE timecode?
SMPTE timecode is the time-addressing standard from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. It gives every moment an address in the form HH:MM:SS:FF: hours, minutes, seconds and frames.
It was created for film and television editing in the 1960s. Recording studios, broadcasters and touring productions still run on it, and so do DJ-driven light shows.
Frame rates
The frame rate sets how many frames make up one second. The common SMPTE rates:
- 24 fps: the film standard, used in cinema production
- 25 fps: the PAL television standard, common in Europe and at live events
- 29.97 fps (drop-frame): the NTSC broadcast standard in North America
- 30 fps: common in music and show control
For DJ show control, 30 fps is the usual choice. The resolution is fine enough and the math stays simple, with no drop-frame compensation.
How TimecodeLink uses SMPTE timecode
TimecodeLink gives each track in the set its own timecode start. If "Track A" starts at 01:00:00:00, the playhead position is added to that, and the result is the running absolute timecode.
Lighting designers and VJs program their cues to those addresses. When the DJ plays the track, the show jumps to the matching point in its timeline.
Variable-speed timecode
DJs ride the pitch fader to beatmatch, so a track plays a few percent faster or slower than recorded. TimecodeLink follows the fader and runs the output timecode at the same speed.
At +3% pitch the timecode runs 3% faster than real time, so a cue programmed on a beat still lands on that beat.
Frame-accurate sync
The output follows the DJ's playhead to the frame, so a cue set on the drop fires on the drop.
MTC, Art-Net or LTC
TimecodeLink sends SMPTE timecode as MTC (MIDI), Art-Net (Ethernet) or LTC (audio), whichever your show control software takes.
Default track
A track that isn't in the list falls back to a default timecode region with generic content, so an unplanned track still gets a show.
Learn more
- MIDI Time Code (MTC): SMPTE timecode over MIDI
- Art-Net: timecode over Ethernet for lighting consoles
- SMPTE LTC: timecode encoded as an audio signal
Ready to sync?
TimecodeLink turns whatever your DJ software is playing into timecode your show control can chase.