Tentacle Sync Track E Pocket Audio Recorder with Timecode

Worked great - easier than expected!

I produce a fishing show for TV and use double-system sound almost all the time. Until now I'd use multiple wireless mics that fed a digital recorder. It required 28 AA batteries to run six wireless transmitters and receivers, plus the digital recorder. And that also meant needing bulky battery chargers when working at remote locations.But with the very compact Tentacle Track E, all of that is eliminated. No receivers. No issues with finding clear frequencies. No sound bag with receivers and a recorder to manage. About 10 pounds of gear is no longer needed.The Track E is used with the Tentacle Sync units to maintain accurate timecode sync between the camera(s) and recorder(s). Right now I run four Track E recorders and up to three Tentacle Sync units on the main camera, an Insta360 X4 and Insta360 Ace Pro, or a gimbal-mounted camera.All seven Tentacle units are easily synchronized through the Tentacle app on a smart phone. And the Track E recorders can be set up so that the talent can't accidentally stop or turn off them off. Each Track E can be wirelessly monitored individually via the app. However, it's not possible to monitor all of them simultaneously.Everything stays in perfect sync throughout a typical 10-hour day. The Tentacle Track E has been tested to run for around 15 hours. The Tentacle Sync units can run much longer than that. They can all be charged with an AC adapter and a multiple splitter USB-C cord.Audio quality is excellent. They're as good as the Sony UWP wireless systems I was running until now. And with 32-bit float format, there's no need to constantly check levels.It makes the art of capturing good audio a lot simpler.

This is literally the best lav mic. From sound quality, battery life, and ease of use. Yes, they are pricey, but totally worth it. I'll for sure be getting another one in the near future.

Love being able to record in 32 bit float. The IOS app works flawlessly with the units using wireless control, allowing me to adjust levels, monitor audio, sync, and all types of goodness. I've used many wireless devices with my iphone and this is probably the smoothest running wireless unit and app yet.It's very obvious they put a lot of effort into making the wireless function a core aspect of the design. It's incredibly solid.Had a tiny issue with one of the supplied accessories. Contacted Tentacle about it, and once we had everything figured out what was wrong, they had a new piece out to me in less than 3 days. They are located in Germany, so email might be delayed due to time zones, but they are on top of it for sure.Really happy I went with this over the Zoom audio recorder. It's worth the extra cost.Also, FYI, you can now get the Track E alone without all the accessories, which is cheaper if you already have a lav mic to use.

I'll have to get a fleet of these things to deploy on shoots now. I've gotten so used to just placing the one i've got on my talent and forgetting it. i can check the recording using my phone, while it's recording and if I'm to low or too hot it doesn't matter since i can raise or lower the audio to obscene levels in post and not introduce noise or over-modulation to my mix.Just make sure you set the recorder to do 32bit float and set the frame-rate to your production standard. I had mine set to 25fps for a 29.97 shoot and after recording several hours, had to deal with some slight audio drift. I'm also not using the timecode functions just yet, but i imagine they'll remove a ton of headaches from my post workflow.

I bought the recorder with the lapel mic. The sound quality is excellent and the 32 bit recording is very quiet. The Tentacle smart phone app supports the recorder and my Tentacle Sync time clocks which makes it easy to sync them all together. I would prefer the European version that is not subject to the US patent restriction on listening to the headphone output while recording. How did that silly patent get approved?

I am using both Tentacle Sync Track E and Sync E devices for our productions, and I love both. I much prefer the quality and reliability of the Track E to wireless mics and body packs, and with the 32 bit float audio and timecode syncing, I don't see any disadvantage. I haven't found that they require any monitoring and they sync flawlessly to the video and other audio tracks. Great hardware, great software, great support!

This device DOES NOT generate timecode, so as a professional video/sound person, you better be aware of what you are buying. You are NOT getting a tentacle that will work to provide timecode to camera or your audio bag. You are getting a RECORDER that records timecode to the audio files. So if you think this thing can substitute one of your tentacle timecode lockit boxes, you are WRONG. You have to have the regular tentacle to do that. This is great for recording a person with timecode when, for example, you are not able to use your wireless frequency for some reason, like if you are in a venue that has not approved the use of wireless lav mics. But you cannot use this device as a lockit box. Tentacle really, really needs to make sure that people who buy this product understand that it DOES NOT FUNCTION LIKE THE OTHER TENTACLES. That is why I am giving this device such a low rating.