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Time Formats

The time ruler above the clip editor, the position displays and the numerical time entries all show time in the format you choose in the Preferences. Choose Preferences... from the Edit menu, open the General tab and pick a Time format.

The list of available time formats described below

The following formats are available:

  • Hour:Min:Sec:MS

    Hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds. This is the default and the right choice for most work.

  • SMPTE 23.98 fps

  • SMPTE 24 fps
  • SMPTE 25 fps (EBU)
  • SMPTE 29.97 fps (drop frame)
  • SMPTE 29.97 fps (non-drop frame)

  • SMPTE 30 fps

    SMPTE timecode at the given frame rate, for work against picture. Choose the rate that matches the video you are working to — 25 fps for EBU material, 23.98 or 24 fps for film, and one of the 29.97 fps variants for NTSC. Drop frame and non-drop frame count the same real time but number the frames differently; use the one your video editor uses.

  • Sample index

    The position as a plain sample number. This is the most precise format available and is what you want when working at sample level, for example when drawing waveforms or making very short repairs.

  • Bar:beat:tick

    Bars, beats and ticks, for music production. The bars and beats are derived from the tempo and time signature of the recording, which you set in the Tempo and key settings tab of the file properties, or — in a multitrack session — in the Session Properties. Set the tempo before switching to this format, otherwise the grid will not line up with the music.

Time Offsets

The Offset time by sample offset value setting in the same preferences tab makes Acoustica add the recording's own start offset to every displayed time. Broadcast Wave files carry such an offset as their Time reference (see File Properties and Metadata), which holds the timecode position of the first sample. Switch this on when you need the displayed timecode to match the timecode of the original production rather than starting from zero.