Timecode Preferences

How time is displayed across the transport, timeline, and ruler. The Timecode panel covers the format you read time in (HMS or SMPTE), the frame rate that SMPTE uses, and a couple of behavioural options for how playback handles the head and the loop.

Format

HMS — hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds (01:23:45.678). The default. Good for music workflows where the absolute time-of-day doesn't matter and you just want to know how far into the file you are.

SMPTE — SMPTE timecode (HH:MM:SS:FF) at the selected frame rate. Use this whenever you're working to picture, comparing notes with a video editor, or your delivery spec calls for SMPTE.

The chosen format applies to the transport readout, the timeline ruler, and any timecode displays in the loudness panel.

Frame rate

Four options for the SMPTE frame rate: 24 fps, 25 fps, 29.97 fps, 30 fps. The picker is shown regardless of the format setting (it's used internally even in HMS mode for SMPTE-aware features like the preroll), but it's most relevant when Format is set to SMPTE.

TIP

Match this to your project's video frame rate. The most common pairings: 24 fps for cinema, 25 fps for European broadcast (PAL), 29.97 fps for North American broadcast (NTSC), 30 fps for online video and some game audio. If timecode reads "look right" but is drifting visibly against picture, the frame rate here is almost always the culprit.

Preroll

2-Sec (2-Pop) Preroll — when on, Orbit treats SMPTE timecode 01:00:00:00 as the start of the programme content, with a two-second leader (the "2-pop" reference tone) preceding it. This is the canonical broadcast convention for handing off to a video editor: the ADM file starts at 00:59:58:00 with the 2-pop, and the picture cuts in at 01:00:00:00.

When off, SMPTE counts from 00:00:00:00 with no offset.

This setting only affects SMPTE display — it doesn't change the audio. It also only changes how transport positions are labelled; the playhead lands in the same place either way. Default is on.

Loop behaviour

Play From Loop Start — when a loop region is set and you press Play, start playback from the loop start rather than from the current playhead position.

Pro

Looping is an Orbit Pro feature. This option has no effect without a Pro licence.

Off by default — Play resumes from wherever the playhead is, and loop entry happens naturally when the playhead reaches the loop start. On is sometimes preferred for QC work where you want every Play press to drop you back to the loop start regardless of where the playhead drifted to.

See also

• Sessions — sessions persist loop regions and markers along with timecode-based metadata.
• Workspace Tour — where the transport and timeline ruler appear in the layout.