Recording sound on super8 : which materials to use

[Pierre Mdihi]

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the recording of sound on a super8 magnetic tape. I know it's can be a bit tricky so i asking for help. I owned a lot of film in Italian and other languages that I don't understand and I want to put it in French. To do this, I have many projector and materials than can be used for it but I don't know which is the best for having a good synchronization and sound quality ?

I owned a :
- fujicascope SD25
- Elmo ST 1200
- Erno re 904 NF
- Erno re 703
- Elmo GS800

- and something that seems to be useful to recorded sound but I'm not sure if it can be used and how it can be used. I have attached a picture of it. Maybe someone know how it's work

I know a lot of you have already re-recorded sound on their super8 film, could you please tell me which one is the easiest to used? And what your recommendation do succeed?

Many thanks for your help,

Best regards,

Pierre

[Oliver Feld]

Pierre
For years now, I re-record Super 8 films and features with the Elmo GS 800, which You own.
The great help is the speed adjuster, which can easily make the machine run at the same speed like the DVD or BluRay sources.
I put the Elmo in front of the TV set, with a little screen for the Elmo right before it and put the sound cables directly from the player to the Elmo and after adjusting the sound level (mostly in Stereo) I start the Elmo when the DVD/BluRay starts. After a couple of minutes You will be in sync with both pictures.
And after that I return to the beginning and start the recording.
In the beginning it seems hard to find the sync between DVD/BluRay and the Elmo, but after some tries You will make it.
The DVD runs faster than the BluRay, so the speed adjuster is the best help of all.
Even if the films have some frames missing or jumps, You don’t have to stop the recording, but only adjust…
Maybe this helps a little.
Regards
Oliver

[Arnau Pell]

Bon jour Pierre,
Of the projectors you mention for recording, I would prefer the elmo gs800.
I don't know how Ch-Vaast works or how useful it is, although I found an old advertisement.

I explain how I do it to sound the movies
As a projector to record I use a Revue Lux Sound 80 or Chinon SS1200 since it allows 360 meter reels, record a track without using a light bulb (useful when going from one track to another) and with the push of a button. It already records (not like some yelco, sankyo or elmo models that have a combination of keys), so you gain speed and hardly notice the "prick" when recording.

When I have bought a movie that is in another language
and I want to have it in Spanish, the first thing I do is transfer the original audio from the super8 copy to track 2 so I can use track 1 with the language I'm going to record.
Then I look for the movie with the best audio quality and that has an old dub if the movie has multiple dubs.
Once the perfect movie is located, I extract the audio (with Pazera Free to wav (and by the way convert to mono audio) and with a video and audio editing program (I use Magix Video deluxe) that allows me to modify the speed without losing the original tone.
Then it's time to connect the projector with the sound card with the respective sound inputs and outputs, find the best volume without clipping and start testing to adjust the correct speed of the projector with the audio of the program. You obviously have to project the movie to see that the sync of the video with the audio is correct!
He helped me with headphones to isolate the noise of the projector and see that the recording is correct.

If it is an integrated film, it makes the task much easier since it is only paying attention and following the film with the recording. When they are reductions, it is already slower and more complex since you have to locate the parts that have been cut with the help of the video of the original film to locate the point in the audio track.