Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1532181
the mixer has more options and control than participants. They can create a new project and session and invite participants using the guest's email. They can choose to run live video via a video capture de- vice or choose a local video file to push out to guests, set their Pro Tools Session Start time and sample rate, choose what "Mode" the session is in, and more. Again, the uncluttered interface makes setup and operation easy, yet advanced controls are available. THE MODES, EXPLAINED There are four "Modes," which are accessed in the SyncDNA standalone appli- cation window: Mix Mode, Screening Mode, Isolate Mode, and Live Edit Mode. In Mix Mode, the mixer or editor is working in their DAW or NLE, hearing and seeing content as they normally do (from their timeline in their room with zero latency). Guests are hearing things slightly downstream, yet it's high-resolution audio and video absolutely synchronized to pic- ture. Even though Mix Mode creates a short playback delay for guests, Wales noted that "if a client asks to stop, the entire process will stop instantly for everyone as soon as the mixer hits stop regardless of any down- stream latency from the process." In Screening Mode, everyone (including the mixer/host) is watching the picture and listening to audio entirely simultaneously. This is the best mode for real-time notes, as everyone in the session is referencing the exact same frame of picture and sound. In Isolate Mode, the mixer or editor is making changes and not sending audio or video at that time. This is a work mode for when the mixer or editor isn't ready to share what they're doing. The key here is that the conference capability remains live at all times, so even though session guests aren't seeing and hearing what the mixer is doing, everyone can still communicate with each other. In Live Edit Mode, the mixer or editor temporarily sends a lower-resolution feed for a "rough and ready" review — a quick review to get clarification about a specific scene, section of content, etc. The audio source for this mode is from a Transmit plugin that is placed in the signal chain in the workstation (often in the same place where the mixer is sending a 2.0 channel feed to guests). Wales mapped the Modes to a Stream Deck, so switching between modes is an easy button press. "It's basically instant. They built an app for SoundFlow, which means the buttons you need to activate the Modes are pre-created and show up on my Stream Deck," he said. Mixers who prefer consoles (e.g., Eupho- nix System 5, SSL Duality, AMS Neve DFC, etc.) can also use SyncDNA software for remote work. Castro explained, "You would monitor the feed from the stem recorder. So, you'd select the channels that exist in Pro Tools (or your preferred DAW) on the stem recorder, and from there, send audio out to SyncDNA. So, re-renders coming back from the Dolby renderer, or fixed channel 5.1 or 7.1 re-renders, would be selected from the stem recorder and sent to participants." INSIDE THE WORKSTATION Inside the DAW or NLE, SyncDNA works through a set of four plugins: Main plugin, Transmit plugin, Delay plugin, and Delay MIDI plugin. The Main plugin, found in the Instru- ment category in the host DAW or NLE, i s t h e d ata p i p e l i n e t h at co n n e c ts t h e workstation and the standalone SyncDNA application. It resides on an extra channel not being used in the session. The Transmit plugin is placed on an aux channel with the audio that the mixer/ host wants to feed to a participant. They can have several Transmit plugins in the session to match the audio output to each participant's audio profile. For example, they can send a live re-render at 7.1.4 to one guest, a 5.1 live re-render to another, a binaural re-render to another, and 2.0 stereo to others. Wales said, "That's really important, because the mixes I'm sending are mixes that I'm creating and choosing. It isn't some crash-down the system made, so no one knows exactly what they're hearing. If someone comments on the stereo mix, I can listen to the exact stereo mix that t h ey ' re h e a r i n g. Th a t way I k n ow a ny client comments are real notes and not a format-related problem." The Delay plugin is placed on the main monitoring output of the host workstation, and only works when the system is in "Screening Mode." This allows the mixer/ host to monitor sound and picture precisely in sync with every guest in the session. Since the mixer/host is monitoring through a delay, this is a review-only mode so hands- on mixing would not be feasible. T h e D e l a y M I D I p l u g i n l i v e s o n t h e s te m re co rd e r a n d i s o n l y u s e d i n air-gapped installations. SECURITY DESIGN Security is a high priority for the enter- tainment industry, as it is for Synchronicity Media. SyncDNA uses built-in encryption/ decryption coding for added content secu- rity over the internet. All data traffic, audio/ video data, and messaging is fully encrypted between all points in the SyncDNA system, including video conferencing. Additionally, all media data is shredded in SyncDNA's proprietary format, rendering it useless to any outsider. 2FA and SSO capability is set up for customers who request it. Bailey said, "We're adding a preference for some orga- nizations to have a username watermark in our video window. This isn't going to stop somebody from recording what they see on Dominic Castro. 44 C I N E M O N T A G E T E C H