[Frameworks] Perfectone motor

[Scott Dorsey]

> does anyone know if modern recorders accept tone? does the tone actually
> show up in your sound?

A good introduction to how pilot tone works can be found in "A Primer For
Filmmaking" by Roberts and Sharples.  The tone is recorded on a second
channel, separate from the audio.  In the case of the Nagra it's a little
center track, if you record with a Uher or something, it's the lower edge
track (as if it were a stereo tape).

If you send the 1/4" tape with pilot tone on it to the sound lab, we can 
play it on a recorder whose speed automatically adjusts to keep the tone
constant, and transfer it to a digital file or to sprocketed fullcoat.  The
file or fullcoat would lock frame-by-frame to the camera because any speed
variations in the camera or in the field recorder would be followed precisely
on playback.

You COULD record on a DAT machine or a digital recorder, using one stereo
channel for audio and one for pilot tone.  You would have to turn off any
digital compression.  However, if you did this, you'd probably still have
to dub it down to an analogue tape to get it resolved to picture.
--scott