Since the Betso SBox‑1N can act as both word clock and timecode master, it can be used to sync otherwise incompatible devices like the Zoom F6 and Sound Devices 702.
I’ve been using a Zoom F6 [multitrack digital recorder] to record our band sessions, and with good results, but we’re finding its six tracks to be limiting, and want to add more. I tried a Zoom H8 with the capsule extender but it didn’t work, and being accustomed to the sturdiness of the F6 (and the 32‑bit float recording) I found it a bit flimsy by comparison. Plus, the touchscreen didn’t seem to like my fat fingers, which makes setting levels a challenge for me. So I returned the H8, and have now thought of another route...
I see that you can ‘jam sync’ two F6 recorders with the proper cable (tip to ring 3.5mm). But I already own an old Sound Devices 702. I bought a 3.5mm to BNC timecode cable, and messed with it for a while but couldn’t get them to talk. The 702 doesn’t have any settings for timecode, just the word clock in and out ports. I matched the bit depth and sample frequency. I set the Zoom as the master to feed the word clock in on the 702, and then reversed that. Still no luck. The only thing I didn’t know is how to match the fps setting on the 702 to that of the F6. Anyway, I don’t know if anyone has ever tried this and succeeded — I’m trying to avoid the expense of another F6!
SOS Forum post
SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies: The F6 can only send and receive timecode (LTC), whereas the 702 can only send and receive word clock (though note that the 702T variant model did have timecode facilities). While word clock and timecode synchronisation signals are wholly incompatible, there is a possible solution: use a separate master device like the Betso SBox‑1N (www.betso.eu/sbox-1n) to generate synchronised master timecode and word clock outputs, which can be sent to each recorder to synchronise them.
However, the Betso costs pretty much the same as an F6! Plus, with this solution, you’d only be gaining two tracks, and you’d have to manually align the start of each recording from both machines in the DAW. Whereas if you were to get a second F6, you’d have 12 tracks rather than eight, recordings from both machines would have the same time stamps for instant alignment in the DAW, and you’d have 32‑bit float files to avoid the need for gain optimisation.