Thomas 4-way 8mm 1/4" perforated tape synchroniser

Part of collection of amateur sound synchronising equipment: Thomas 4-way 8mm 1/4" perforated tape synchroniser, 1975-1980.

For amateurs who made 8mm sound films, a perennial problem was how to keep the picture and sound (which were recorded separately by camera and recorder) in synchronisation throughout the editing process. Most amateur film editing machines were simple picture viewers. There was no professional standard 8mm sound and picture editor – at least, one that was affordable – so this is an example of a device made by a small specialist company that allowed amateur film-makers to ‘lock’ together the 8mm film and the ¼” sprocketed tape during the editing process.