Record digital sound in sync with your analog Super8 or 16mm camera — even when the camera itself has no sound recording. Meet Matchbox, by CinoTrac.
A silent camera does not have to mean a silent film. Matchbox records digital audio alongside your analog Super8 or 16mm camera, using sync pulses to link the sound to the film’s movement.
Record directly into Matchbox with a microphone, or use your own field recorder linked to Matchbox through LTC/SMPTE timecode. Our companion application MatchboxSync brings externally recorded audio into sync with the film. The camera’s flash-sync connector supplies the primary frame reference; other pulse systems use a suitable interface.
Record with the camera. Bring synchronized sound to your digital film scan, your video edit or your projector.
Capture audio directly with Matchbox, even with a silent Super8 or 16mm camera. Or record on your own field recorder, linked to Matchbox through LTC/SMPTE timecode. Camera pulses connect the sound to the film’s movement.
Use Matchbox recordings or bring field-recorder and iPhone audio into sync with MatchboxSync. Supply the synchronized audio for a digital scan of your film, or place it under the scanned footage yourself in a video editing program.
Play your Matchbox recordings or an external soundtrack synchronized with MatchboxSync. Frame pulses from a compatible projector guide playback; preview audio, step through frames and adjust the alignment.
Matchbox captures the film’s timing. MatchboxSync brings your externally recorded audio into sync with it.
Record sound on your own field recorder, or on an iPhone using a Tentacle Sync E™ and the Tentacle Recorder app. Matchbox links the shared LTC/SMPTE timecode to the camera’s frame pulses.
MatchboxSync — our application currently known as super8sync — combines that timing reference with your external audio recording to produce audio synchronized to the film. Choose the recorder that suits you, then bring the sound back to your film.
Supply the synchronized soundtrack alongside your film for the scanning workflow.
Place the synchronized audio under your scanned footage in your editing program.
Use the synchronized soundtrack with Matchbox and a compatible pulse-connected projector.
Explore the principle behind each workflow. The illustration shows how sound and film relate; it is not a live device display.
Record microphone audio directly into Matchbox. The camera’s sync pulses link the sound to the film’s movement, even when the camera has no built-in sound.
Digital recording, frame references and soundtrack playback in one compact system.
No. Use a microphone connected to Matchbox, or a timecode-linked field recorder, to capture the sound separately. Your camera needs a supported sync-pulse connection. On suitable sound cameras, the monitor output can also serve as an audio source.
The core workflow uses frame pulses from the camera or projector. These provide a reference to the film's movement, linking the recorded or played audio to physical frames.
The primary camera connection is the flash-sync connector on compatible Super8 or 16mm cameras. Other sync systems, including 1,000 Hz pulse systems and projector interfaces such as Elmo ESS, require suitable interfaces. The required connection depends on the model; confirmed equipment and connection guides will be documented.
MatchboxSync is our companion application, currently known as super8sync. It combines audio recorded on an external field recorder or iPhone with the timing reference captured by Matchbox, bringing the external recording into sync with the film. The synchronized audio can then be used for a digital film scan, in a video editing program or for soundtrack playback with Matchbox during projection. Explore the MatchboxSync workflow.
Yes. Using synchronized audio with a digital film scan is a central workflow. For external field-recorder or iPhone recordings, MatchboxSync brings the audio into sync using the timing reference captured by Matchbox. Supply the synchronized soundtrack for the scanning process, or import it alongside the scanned footage and place it under your film in a video editing program. Matchbox recordings use WAV/BWF files, with frame information kept alongside the audio.
Matchbox already includes an implemented LTC Slave mode. It links LTC/SMPTE timecode to the camera’s frame pulses, so audio recorded on a compatible external field recorder can be brought into sync with the film.
You can also use an iPhone as your audio recorder with a Tentacle Sync E™ and the Tentacle Recorder app (Timecode Audio Recorder). The app receives timecode from the Tentacle via Bluetooth and embeds it in the recorded audio files. Matchbox receives the same timecode through the Tentacle’s wired LTC output while also recording the camera’s sync pulses.
The shared timecode connects the audio timeline to the film’s physical frame reference. MatchboxSync uses that reference to synchronize the external recording. You can then use the synchronized audio with a digital film scan, in your video editing program or in the projector workflow.
Matchbox by CinoTrac.
Digital sound for analog film.