8mm Forum: Digitizing magnetic sound?

»	8mm Forum » 8mm Forum » Digitizing magnetic sound?

UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!

Author

Topic: Digitizing magnetic sound?

Joseph Gerard
unregistered

posted January 15, 2017 12:04 PM

Anybody got any ideas for digitizing magnetic sound from 8mm/super 8 and 16mm film?
Thanks

IP: Logged

Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted January 15, 2017 12:30 PM

I don't think the results could ever be too exhilarating Joseph, not at least without the aid of professional studio software for advanced noise reduction / elimination and cleaning.

Even the very best professional magnetic recordings I've ever heard on much better tape sources than Super 8mm film, contain some audible noise.

--------------------
"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

| IP: Logged

Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 15, 2017 04:47 PM

We had company over the holidays and we saw Derann's Disney "The Small One" through my audio system.

-my Digital Age nephew said he was surprised analog sound could sound so good!

The tracks themselves should be about as good as a cassette tape. Where you get in trouble is with variability in stripe and recording quality.

My first tip would be that the projector and sound capture hardware should be plugged into the same outlet: ground loops are NOT your friend!

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

| IP: Logged

Tom Spielman
Master Film Handler

Posts: 339
From: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Registered: Apr 2016

posted January 16, 2017 11:52 AM

You'd need a film projector with sound. One with some type of audio jack(s) would be best but I suppose not absolutely necessary if you're good with wiring.

Then you need to connect the output from the projector to a computer. How you do it depends on the type of output your projector has and the sound input jacks your computer has. My computer uses a simple headphone jack for both input and output. If your computer doesn't currently have any sound input capability, there are plenty of USB solutions.

Your local electronic store would typically have the kind of cable or adaptors you need. Once it's plugged into your computer you need some software like "Audacity" to capture the audio. Audacity or other software usually has filters to reduce hiss and other noise.

Good Luck !

| IP: Logged

Andrew Woodcock
Film God

Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012

posted January 16, 2017 03:29 PM

I used the method Tom describes to obtain a known "good" English track from a digest print, to then place onto a digest of another identical print with a different language.

I also used audacity cleaning software to "polish" the resulting sound as best I could.

The results? ...Well far from startling if I'm honest.
The guy I did this work for seemed happy enough with the fact he now had an English track of his film, but if I compare the sound I created on digital file of this, to those I've created from mag tracks recorded from digital source, well they are a league apart quite frankly.
Both for noise on the track and for audible quality, in my headphones at least.

--------------------
"C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"

| IP: Logged

All times are Central

Printer-friendly view of this topic

UBB.classic^TM 6.3.1.2