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If it's the regular analog optical soundtrack, you might try:

Adjusting your splicer such that the two ends of the film fit closer together before taping. Also, that the splicer is cutting the film evenly and cleanly across. On the main "Film-Tech," page there is a nice article on tweaking your splicer, which might help you.

If the "pop" only happens after the film has been run for awhile, perhaps the "sticky" on the tape is not holding the film together, and the two ends are slowly parting. Try a different tape manufacturer. I like the Nuemade, but I'm sure there are other good ones.

With newer "red light" LED soundheads, the blooping ink/tape need only be opaque to red light. You can test it in the same way.

Properly "blooping" analog soundtrack splices seems to be a lost art.

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Anybody else have black mylar that "motorboats" as it goes through? We ordered a whole huge roll of black mylar and got this junk. My mgr. won't order anymore 'cuz we "already spent too much" on mylar.

It seems that the black stripe on the soundtrack has little semi-transparent spots where the frame lines go all the way across the film. I've tried using all kind of ink to blot them out but I just make it sound worse.

When I remake existing splices that are pulling apart, or, sticky, I peel and clean everything, splice one side, then apply a tiny piece of soundtrack blooping tape to the soundtrack area on the other side before applying the splicing tape.

I find that this helps to quiet "pops" in the print, especially in quiet parts, and saves a frame. I always cut the ends of the bloop tape at a 45 degree angle to minimize the noise.

I know this takes alot of time, but I am doing preservation here.

These "blooped" splices pass thru my Holmes with no more movement than regular tape splices do.

They seem to play well in a real theater here in town where I run prints occasionally. Old rebuilt Century CC's with Christie lamphouses.

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It sounds like you have the Xetron leader. They make fantastic clear with black frame line leader that is the best on the market in my opinion, but their "black" mylar is crap (also my opinion). Every so many frames there is a very large clear space in the soundtrack. I have a feeling this is what you are referring to, as Cinemark has traditionally always purchased their leaders from Xetron.

No, it isn't being threaded backwards. That's the first thing I checked when I heard the motorbotaing. It took me a couple of days to figure out what the hell was going on.

If you look at it under 'casual' conditions it looks normal. It's only when you look closer and shine some light through it that you notice. The frame lines go from edge to edge. It's just that they're very faint in the analog soundtrack area. It almost looks like a black stripe was painted down the film to make a soundtrack.

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