Record an NDI® feed on Mac with visible timecode | Apex

To record an NDI® feed on Mac with a visible reference, connect the source in Timecode Recorder, configure the overlay and use Start Recording. The documented output is a QuickTime MOV with H.264 video, AAC audio and timecode drawn into the picture. This provides a useful reference for reviewing a take or sharing precise comments.

Prepare the Mac and intended file

Have your licence, an active source on the local network and a folder with free space ready. The reviewed distributed version targets an Apple Silicon Mac. Check compatibility on the product page before installing. Arnaud Frey reports testing Timecode Recorder 1.0, whose manual is labelled version 1.0 (1), on macOS Tahoe and Golden Gate.

Define the deliverable too: a viewing reference, an editing master and synchronised ISO recordings have different requirements. For another approach, see NDI Video Monitor for Mac or the NDI SDK recording tools. Their features and formats belong to those tools.

Record your first take

1. In NDI Sources, select the source and click Connect. Wait for moving picture. The status bar shows the source, dimensions and frame rate. If “Waiting for frames…” persists, check the sender and network before continuing.
2. In Recording, use Select Folder. Enter a unique Filename, such as rehearsal-01.mov, and check that it does not already exist: an existing destination can be replaced. The app adds .mov if you omit the extension.
3. In Overlay, choose Clock for the Mac’s time of day or Elapsed for time since recording began. Adjust font and position without covering important picture information.
4. Click Start Recording once. Begin with a short take containing movement and recognisable sound. The indicator changes to REC.
5. Finish with Stop Recording and let the file finalise before moving it or quitting. The source’s Stop button disconnects reception; it has a different purpose.

Check picture, sound and reference

Open the MOV in your player, then in the intended editing application. Review the beginning and end, actually listen to the audio and note duration, dimensions and frame rate. Check that the source is already sending sound before starting. An audio track listed in file properties does not guarantee audible content.

Clock follows the Mac’s clock; Elapsed begins with recording and stays at zero while idle. Neither mode automatically adopts the camera’s time reference. Burn-in does not replace an editing timecode track or synchronisation between devices. For comments, write, for example, “rehearsal-01.mov, 00:00:12:08, check the microphone”, including the mode and frame rate.

Check monitoring outputs separately

NDI output stream publishes the overlaid picture and audio as “Timecode Recorder”. Check that source on the intended receiver. For browser monitoring, click Open WebRTC Player. From another network device, use the Mac’s IP address rather than 127.0.0.1. If autoplay blocks sound, press play and check listening separately. Perform this check in the browser and on the device you will use.

Common mistake: looking for an API take in the interface folder

The folder and filename selected in Recording apply to the button. Starting through POST /start_record saves to ~/Movies/NDI_YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.mov. Identify the take’s path before deciding it is missing. For a long session, check behaviour over the intended duration with the outputs you plan to use before the important take.

NDI® is a registered trademark of Vizrt NDI AB.