Clean Slate – Clapperboard & Log
Clean Slate is a tool to help you synchronize recording devices such as cameras and sound recorders in post-production by displaying a flash-frame and simultaneously playing a synchronization tone. Clean Slate allows you to enter notes and ratings for each take and save it on your device.
In post-production (i.e. your editing software), line up the video at the first frame the device running Clean Slate flashes with the start of the sync-tone on the audio track(s), done!
Features
Small and responsive
The small file size ensures that the app downloads and launches as fast as you need it. No ads, no social media integration, no could nonsense, just a reliable tool.
Humble
Clean Slate only requests write permissions to store a shoot log locally on you device. No personal data (or any data at all, actually) will be submitted.
Reliable
Once a take is in progress, Clean Slate will track in the background. No matter if you switch off the screen, close the app, or even your battery dies: When you come back and stop the shot, Clean Slate will have recorded the correct duration.
Convenient
Clean Slate offers you to save a rating and a note with each take that can be stored automatically along with all meta-data in a file for later reference in your Documents folder. This CSV-format file opens up as a spreadsheet in MS Office, OpenOffice, or even Notepad. Further, Clean Slate can automatically increment provided file names.
Customizable
Fit it to your needs: Set the countdown time, the appearance and behavior of the timecode display, color, and duration of the flash frame, choose one of many synchronization audio cues and more.
Professional
Clean Slate reads your device’s audio latency to offer the best synchronization experience in post-production. Further, it supports all common timebases (12, 15, 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.97, and 60 frames per second), free-run timecode mode and will automatically increment the take number.
Usage
1) Enter all data such as production title, scene number, and camera meta-data
2) Hold your device that its screen is visible to the camera(s) and its sound will get picked up by the microphone(s).
3) Hit "MARK!".
4) After a short countdown Clean Slate synchronously flashes the screen and plays an audio cue and start counting the take's duration.
5) When the take is finished, hit "CUT!"
6) Optionally add note or rating and hit "SAVE". Clean Slate will write it to a local take log.
7) Rinse and repeat*
* Do not actually rinse your device! ;)
———
Note: The app is still in development and might have some kinks to iron out. Please post any feature suggestions as a comment or write an email to support.
Category : Tools
Reviews (11)
Would like to see simple up/down buttons for advancing scene and shot info instead of having to use the Android keyboard. Would make things alot faster and easier to use on set. Not big on having the 2 filename fields, would rather be able to have Director and DP listed instead along with MOS/Sync and Day/Night, Int/Ext, etc.It's pretty annoying that when you rotate your phone it clears the Shot number and you have to re-enter it. That creates all kinds of problems keeping track of where you are
Bravo! Perfect App for slating and logging. I'm very happy to see that it works well with my Chromebook and interfaces with google drive. The CSV file and notes after the take gives me a spot to log the audio file, though it would be nice to have an option for that on the slate in a future feature.
Still has kinks very similar in feature set to digital clapper without need to be online to sync shot log. 1) inadequate sync function on Pixel 2. Even at maximum sync interval didn't seem to make much difference when checking at 240fps 2) couldn't find shot log on phone under /Documents 3) would be nice to fix auto rotate to allow upside down for tail slate Uninstalled/refunded, will try again later when kinks #1 and #2 sorted out.
Fantastic App for my needs! Works flawlessly on my Samsung S9+. Great variety of sync tones, flash frame colors (can custom set), and a plethora of other settings (timecode, sync frame, shot log, etc..) to make it work just how I need.
Good for basic sound syncing. It's surprising that I have to go to App Info > Storage Settings > Clear Data to start new projects. The ability to save and jump between multiple projects is non-existant.
App is unusable. There's no horizontal lock iland the shot you type in disappears every time you rotate the screen. Very frustrating. Would not recommend. A waste of money.
My need is for free-run timecode which runs continuously through the marks, can be started independently, and is hard to reset accidentally, unlike all the stopwatch apps. Otherwise seems ok for the price.
I am biased, but to me personally this is the best clapperboard app for my purposes, sync is great on my Galaxy Note9 😄👍
How are you supposed to clear the timecode etc there's no option
Does exactly what it says on the box, no BS!
Fantastic little slate app. I love that it logs take notes on a spreadsheet. Probably the most handy little feature. This is definitely not a replacement for a real slate, but for indoor close up shots, it's perfect and intuitive to use. It would be handy if it could be used in landscape, as that seems like it would use screen realistate more efficiently. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend! 4.5/5