Now let's talk Sound and Sound Tracks

[Stuart Budd]

"Eumig - Make Sound Movies Easy" is a little booklet that I thought I could have probably done without.

My Eumig 710D. Why does it have a sound selector switch. One position for Standard 8 and another for Super 8!

So those are some of my thoughts or muses. But reading said book I came upon this page.

The sound stripe being on opposite sides to one another for Standard and Super 8.

So would that mean Eumig D dual gauge machines will actually have two heads and actually beable to access two tracks!?

The book also mentions the added thickness associated with sound film. 10% additional room on reels, or less feet per reel. Never really thought about that. So a 400ft reel having 350ft. I've seen mention of 370ft on commercial reels.

I'll have to test track access via the switch on my 710D. Not sure if I'm missing apart of the equation here though.

[Tim Gillett]

Well it is just one head but it writes and reads two tracks, although only one at a time in the Eumig.

[Brian Fretwell]

Like a stereo head on a cassette recorder, but switchable. I found my (mono) Sankyo 301 is fitted with twin track heads, but with the pins on th ebalance track side cut short!!!

[Stuart Budd]

I hadn't paid any attention to where track 1 and 2 were in relation to gauge. I woundered about the selector switch on the 710D. A sound projector with gauge change cogs and gates. Baffled by the switch. This little book was an eye opener. I've probably been informed before. Just hadn't clicked. The sound head isn't clearly visible and my eyesight not great for closeups. More invetigation needed.

[Martin Davey]

Interesting picture Tim. I often wondered how the dual gauge worked, always imagining it as two seperate heads.

[Tim Gillett]

I hadn't paid any attention to where track 1 and 2 were in relation to gauge. I woundered about the selector switch on the 710D. A sound projector with gauge change cogs and gates. Baffled by the switch. This little book was an eye opener. I've probably been informed before. Just hadn't clicked. The sound head isn't clearly visible and my eyesight not great for closeups. More investigation needed.

The head as you see it faces downwards and is well covered up. To take that photo I had to remove the head unit from the Eumig and then remove the parts covering it up. Being so inaccessible the head is not easy to clean, but being Eumig it's generally well made, although I think they bought the heads from another European company, possibly Woelke.

That 710D was from my first sound projector bought in the mid 70's. No surprise, the rubber discs went hard many years ago.