SMPTE 29.97 NDF progresses through HH, MM, and SS slower than the progression of time in the real world (called “wall clock” time) by 1.2 seconds for every 20 minutes. It advances the HH, MM, and SS by one second after the passage of every 30 frames, but the frames are playing back at only 29.97 per second, so the HH, MM, SS advance at a rate of 29.97 / 30 as fast as wall clock time.
If the script event times are in wall clock time, the slower rate playback causes the script playback to become out of synch with the music, running slower than the music by 1.2 seconds per 20 minutes. To compensate, the event times in the script need to be based on 29.97 NDF time rather than wall clock time. An event at the end of a script that is exactly 20 minutes long in wall clock time should have an event time of 00:19:58:24 in the script.
Some controllers have an option to compensate for the slower-than-wall-clock rate of SMPTE 29.97 NDF. Notwithstanding, if the show contains multiple timecode sections, the reason to not configure the controller to compensate for the slower-than-wall-clock rate of SMPTE 29.97 NDF is that each individual timecode section is expected to start at a specific, agreed upon SMPTE frame, such as beginning on SMPTE 01:00:00:00, 02:00:00:00, etc. An event at the start of timecode section 01:00:00:00 is expected to trigger on the literal SMPTE frame 01:00:00:00, not “the SMPTE frame that corresponds to 1 hour wall clock time in whatever the SMPTE frame rate is”.
When adding a soundtrack to your show, if you elect for Finale 3D to split the soundtrack’s timecode sections apart and automatically position them independently on the timeline, Finale 3D will position them on the timeline at the wall clock time interpretation of the SMPTE HHMMSSFF timestamps, even if the SMPTE timecode sections internally are in SMPTE 29.97 NDF. Similarly, if you slave the playhead in Finale 3D to external timecode input (see Timecode basic instructions), the playhead will be positioned according to the wall clock time interpretation of the timestamps.
Adjusting times in the script for SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode
When Finale 3D exports a firing system script, it provides an option: “Adjust times for SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode” with the options shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – The options for “Adjust times for SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode”
The YES options all adjust the times in the script to compensate for the expected slower-than-wall-clock progression of the controller. Obviously, if you use these options then you should not also configure the controller to compensate for the slower-than-wall-clock rate, because doing so would doubly compensate.
Table 1 – SMPTE 29.97 NDF adjustment options in Finale 3D
| Adjustment | When to use it | Imported songs must include SMPTE timecode |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, relative to 00:00:00:00 on timeline | You should use this setting if your controller will be receiving SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode from an external source, and if the show begins at approximately zero on the timeline in Finale 3D. Finale 3D expects the controller’s clock to advance more slowly than real time when receiving SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode. With this setting, Finale 3D adjusts the script times to compensate for the slow clock advancement and keep the script in synch with the music. | No, doesn’t matter |
| Yes, relative to the first event | You should use this setting if your controller will be receiving SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode from an external source, and if the show begins at a large offset on the timeline in Finale 3D (like 01:00:00:00). Finale 3D expects the controller’s clock to advance more slowly than real time when receiving SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode. With this setting, Finale 3D adjusts the script times to compensate for the slow clock advancement and keep the script in synch with the music. | No, doesn’t matter |
| Yes, for each 29.97 NDF timecode section | You should use this setting if the show contains separate timecode sections for the songs, and if some or all of the sections use SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode. Finale 3D expects the controller’s clock to advance more slowly than real time when receiving SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode. With this setting, Finale 3D adjusts the script times in each SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode section relative to the start of the section to compensate for the expected slow clock advancement and keep the script in synch with the music. The time adjustments are only applied to SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode sections. | Yes |
The first two YES options convert all the event times of the show to compensate for slower-than-wall-clock progression of the controller. The difference is whether the adjustments are relative to zero on the timeline or relative to the first event. Concerts with shows or songs that execute at agreed upon SMPTE times often require large offsets, like beginning at 01:00:00:00 or even 23:00:00:00. At show time, when the SMPTE at 01:00:00:00 or 23:00:00:00 starts playing, that’s the cue for the show to start. If the SMPTE is 29.97 NDF, then it will be progressing in HH, MM, SS, FF slower-than-wall-clock from that point forward. Thus the needed time adjustment is relative to the start time, 01:00:00:00 or 23:00:00:00, not relative to zero.
So, if the show begins at a SMPTE offset on the timeline in Finale 3D, use the second YES option to make adjustments relative to the first event. If the show begins at SMPTE zero, or if you are using a firing system export offset in Finale 3D for the SMPTE offset, then you can use the first YES option. In those cases there usually isn’t much difference between the first and second YES option anyway since the first event is usually near zero, so as a rule of thumb if the show does not have multiple timecode sections, you can always use the second YES option.
The first two YES options do not require that Finale 3D knows about your timecode. These options are available even if you import a soundtrack or song into Finale 3D as audio-only, without timecode.
The third YES option only converts the events in SMPTE 29.97 NDF timecode sections, leaving other timecode sections alone. Thus the third YES option does require that you import your soundtrack or individual songs along with their timecode, so Finale 3D can know which events to convert and what the start time the conversion is relative to.