Welcome to this short introduction to SynQR! It will help you to set up the app and get started.
If you haven’t installed the SynQR on your phone yet, go ahead and download it from the App Store.
First Launch
Upon launching the app, you’ll be prompted to grant access to your device’s camera and microphone. This is a necessary step for SynQR to enable measurements on your playback system.
Next, you are required to activate SynQR. Enjoy a three-day free trial with complete access to all its features.
The trial will automatically expire, eliminating the need for you to cancel it.
Once the activation process is complete, the store view disappears, and you are prompted to calibrate your device.
Calibration
All iOS devices, depending on their model series, introduce a certain delay themselves when recording audio and video data at high frame rates. To ensure reliable use of SynQR, it’s essential to determine and compensate for this offset.
SynQR offers a specially designed method for device-specific calibration. It works similarly to a film clapperboard: an optical mark is synchronized with an acoustic one.You will need to gently bump your device a few times during this process. The guide, which automatically pops up as soon as you open the Calibration View, will explain precisely how it’s done. To open the guide manually, tap on the “?” symbol.
Check Sync
After calibration, your device is ready to check the sync of your DAW. There are two ways to do this: open the Settings view (⛭ symbol) and choose between ‘QR Code’ and ‘2-pop’.
In 2-pop mode you can use a standard film leader with the classic ‘2-pop’ and a counter overlay. Before starting, select the playback frame rate and the counter position of the pop-frame. It is recommended to play the 2-pop several times before modifying the video offset of your DAW since playback delay might vary slightly with each start.
In ‘QR-Code’ mode, SynQR utilizes dedicated custom test files. These files consist of a series of test signals that utilize QR codes to control the measurement process. This approach enables highly accurate measurements, independent of speed fluctuations or start delays in the playback system, by averaging values. However, a test file must be imported into the playback system before measurement, which may not always be feasible.
You can find the test files under downloads.
When ready for a measurement, point the camera of your iDevice at your video screen, capturing the full height of the screen. Adjust the zoom as necessary using the pinch gesture in the viewfinder.
Press play on your DAW. SynQR will automatically start capturing when it detects an approaching test signal. Take several measurements to determine the average offset of your playback system. Stop your computer after at least 5-10 successful captures.
Adjust the video sync offset in your playback system. Afterward, clear SynQR’s average and history by tapping the trashcan icon.
Restart playback on your DAW to verify the adjustments. Repeat this process as necessary until you achieve a sufficiently short offset. NOTE: The video offset feature in some DAWs (e.g., AVID Pro Tools) behaves rather unpredictably. It might not be possible to fine-tune it down to the millisecond.
We hope you find SynQR useful. If you do, please tell your friends about it.