Timecode

Frame rate Auto: 23.976 until the Tentacle says otherwise23.976242529.97 drop frame29.97 non-drop30 Audio input (the Tentacle cable or interface)Default input Display offset, ms (positive = later). Use to match a camera's own TC.

Look

SlateDarkWhite Timecode colorRedGreenAmberBlueWhite Unlit segments behind the numbersFaintVisibleOff

Slate

Shot letters (Scene + shot mode) Skip I and O (they look like 1 and 0) Skip I, O, Y and Z Use every letter When MOS is on Turn the timecode offKeep showing the timecode When Tail is on Keep the slate uprightFlip the slate upside down After each clap Advance to the next takeKeep the take number Clap with Clap + Beep buttonPhysical clapper (the iPad listens for the sticks) Take ends At the next clapWhen I press Cut When scene, shot or slate number changes Reset take to 1Keep the take number

Clap

Beep tone1 kHz (post standard)2 kHz3 kHz (loudest to the ear) Beep length6 frames · 250 ms (loudest)3 frames · 125 ms2 frames1 frame · 42 ms Timecode sound after the beep Soft LTC: quieter hum, Resolve can still read it LTC: full level, Resolve can read it Chime code: one musical note per digit Spoken scene and take Off LTC length4 frames12 framesAbout 1 second Hold timecode after clap1 second2 seconds3 seconds White flash on clapOnOff

How it works

Tentacle cable. Set the Tentacle's output to mic level and run its 3.5 mm output into the iPad (TRRS mic adapter or a USB-C audio interface). The slate reads the LTC audio and locks within a second. Unplug it and the slate keeps running from the last jam, like a real slate.

Beep. The beep starts exactly on a frame edge. LTC or soft LTC after it lets Resolve read the clap's timecode from the audio track. Chime code plays the 8 digits as notes, in pairs (hours, minutes, seconds, frames). Spoken scene and take works as a voice slate for whoever scrubs the audio later.

While a TRRS adapter is plugged in, iPad sends sound to the adapter, so the beep may be silent. Jam, unplug, then slate. A USB-C interface with its own speaker avoids this.

Bluetooth works in the iPad app. It listens to the Tentacle's own broadcast, so no pairing is needed and the Tentacle app can stay open. The broadcast says 24 or 30, not 23.976 or 29.97; the slate works that out after about 20 seconds. It cannot tell 29.97 drop frame from 30, so pick 29.97 DF here if that is your project.