Tape deciding to die out every time you try to import into your editing system? Getting those break in timecode error messages?

Here are a few tips:

1. Retention the tape without recording anything on it…. using a two-way tape rewinder you FF all the way through the tape and then RW all the way back to dislodge any particles that can interfere with recording.

2. When taping, simply post roll each shot for 3 seconds- if you know you’ll be reviewing the tape, post roll the last shot for 10 seconds so you can start taping again in the recorded area without leaving a gap or have a break in timecode. Many camcorders have an end-search feature that automatically shuttles the tape to the end of the current timecode.

4. Look in the viewfinder before shooting. If you have a 60-minute tape, you should see timecode on that tape- probably starts at 00:00:00:00 and ends at 00:59:59:29. In some cases, however, the timecode on a tape can become inconsistent.

5. Import video in chunks. You can also turn off “Abort capture on timecode break” on Final Cut Pro.

6. Make a clone of your tape by playing on one and recording on another. This will give the new tape a fresh timecode without generation loss.

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