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Author
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Topic: Derann's "bad soundstripe" era (mid-90's)
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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted October 12, 2012 11:38 AM
Well, here's a topic thats been touched on before, but I thought it deserved its own thread.
As many here know, there was a period of time when Derann was transitioning from pre-striped film, to different sound stripes, some which were very bad. I was a victim to one of these bad sound stripe prints, and I've been experimenting with it.
In the mid-90's, I bought a brand-new print of "ALIEN", in scope/stereo. When it arrived, I found this to be, visually, the most perfect print. With perfect sharpness, colors, brightness, basically a perfect print in every way- except for the soundtrack. At some parts, it sounds ok, but other part drop, or the dialog is hard to understand. Sometimes when music is playing, it sounds like its going up and down, and then an occasional "bump" is heard. With that said, it was still o.k.
When I called Derann to arrange an exchange, they advised that ALIEN was no longer available, so only a refund would be possible. I decided to keep it.
I have recently experimented with re-recording the first 400 feet of the movie. One interesting problem I found is that, no matter how many times I try to erase the original sound, there are still traces of the sound there. So, you can still hear the old sound (lightly), and the new track, and even that won't record very strongly. I decided to leave the rest of the track alone until I can find a way to erase the old track.
Has anyone else attempted to re-record one of those "bad tracks"? I would be interested to know what problems/successes you had.
Thanks.
James.
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted October 16, 2012 09:07 AM
As a matter of fact David, I do posess an extremely powerful magnet. I used to work on military microwave magnetrons, and I was able to get hold of an Alnico V horseshoe magnet off an X-band magnetron. It is so powerful that if you put a steel bar across it you cannot get it off. There was a story at Litton Electron Devices where I worked, that one of our salesman was carrying one of these magnetrons in a cloth bag to a customer in New York. He went down onto the subway platform and stood a little too close to one of those steel support girders. The magnet in the bag snapped over to the girder, almost impailing the guy's hand in the process. It took a tire lever to pry the thing away from the post! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif) I don't know if this is realy true or not, but it makes a good story! I do know that the magnet is super powerful and it will destroy a watch 6 inches away.
I have never tried erasing super 8 mag stripe with this thing, but I am absolutely sure that it would wipe off everything, so I may give it a try.
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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
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Hugh Thompson Scott
Film God
Posts: 3063
From: Gt. Clifton,Cumbria,England
Registered: Jan 2012
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posted October 17, 2012 11:07 AM
Hi Jim,paste stripe is just what it says, a liquid paste that is applied
to the film by people like Derann, laminated stripe is the tape
of which you mention that is applied with adhesive to your films.
there were a number of machines that the amateur could use to apply it, or have it done professionally.Laminated did not adhere
to mylar or estar film stocks.Hope this helps.
As a post script, John is absolutely right,if Derek Simmonds hadn't
persevered with his experiments, then film collecting would have become a secondhand domain sooner than it did.
[ October 17, 2012, 12:15 PM: Message edited by: Hugh Thompson Scott ]
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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted October 17, 2012 12:32 PM
Guys, let me caution you to never erase a tape or film stripe with any form of fixed magnet. Only the lowest quality tape recorders ever used such a thing. Gary's electromagnet belt, or a carefully applied bulk tape eraser, is the ideal, so long as you move the reel slowly.
A fixed magnet erases the track by applying a strong one-pole "charge" to the magnetic particles, in essence recording a maximum-strength north OR south. The problems with this include the possible transference of that strong magnetization to the metal parts of your machine, which can then in turn slightly erase everything else you run through it; also, it will make an excellent subsequent recording more difficult, because you're recording into particles that are already strongly magnetized, not neutral.
So an Alternating Current electromagnet is ideal because it can render the magnetic material back to randomness.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 17, 2012 01:10 PM
I do agree with James on this. While most DErann prints have very good mag stripe (especialoly before the grey stripe era), sometimes that soundstripe can be downright poor.
I have a Derann print of "BEN HUR" that, while the main stripe is OK, the balance stripe constantly goes from super thin to fat and alternates like that constantly throughout the whole print ...
... which effects he stereo reporduction when viewed, of course.
However, having said that, aren't we all damned glad that Derann was there in the "foist" place?
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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