|
|
Author
|
Topic: cyan tracks and white-light readers
|
Scott Norwood
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/30f.jpg)
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
|
posted 01-25-2006 06:46 PM
I've recently tried playing cyan tracks (from two different features and assorted trailers) on various types of soundheads using white-light exciter lamps. The result was, in essence (and with apologies to the "Freedom Rock" commercial) as follows:
Hippie #1: "Hey, man, is that a cyan track?" Hippie #2: "Yeah, man!" Hippie #1: "Well, turn it up, man!"
For the most part, the cyan tracks sounded perfectly good, though the level was much lower than it would typically be with a silver track, which was easily solved by turning up the fader a couple of notches. Unfortunately, lab splices become much louder than normal as a result and must be removed to avoid blowing speakers and bursting eardrums.
The results were consistent across three types of soundheads (Simplex 5-Star, Western Electric, and MP-30 portable projectors) and different types of sound systems (Kelmar mono system, Dolby CP65 with A-type NR configured for mono, and a wacky homemade setup involving microphone preamps and no NR). I haven't yet had the chance to try this with a full-blown Dolby Stereo system yet, but expect that the results would be similar.
Has anyone else tried to play cyan tracks with white-light readers, and were the results similar to mine? Obviously, the cyan tracks were noisier than silver tracks, but I didn't find them to be offensively so. If I were running a theatre on a tight budget and had only mono sound, I'm not sure that I would think that the LED upgrade would be worthwhile. And I say this as one who is usually an advocate for improved picture and sound quality.
Comments? Experiences?
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
Frank Angel
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/248b.jpg)
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 01-26-2006 09:24 AM
Very interesting, Scott. I was under the impression, from the way peeps talk about the need for red, that using white exciter would result in practically NO sound and when you turned THAT up enough to hear it, what you WOULD hear would be total trash, especially the noise. In other words, the noise floor, in theory, should be up around the ceiling somewhere with the audio burried in hissy, crackling garbage beneath it. But you are saying the sound was clean?, just lower volume, correct? You only needed to push up the level a couple of points?
Maybe it will turn out that this is one of those things that in theory SHOULDN'T work, but does; the electronic gods put those kinds of anomolies in place just to piss-off the smart-ass techies. Like playing old films without the Academy curve which I did for years when I was using one of those home-brew optical stereo playback concoctions (as you apparantely did too!). Every sound engineer I sat down to evaluate film sans-Academy filter said the non-Academy playback sounded just fine. In fact, without the rolloff filter it sounded better than the same film played with the curve in.
Hell, in the early days, before we could afford a real Dolby unit (non-profit, your know....emphasis on NON), I made my own stereo with surround playback system. I got my hands on Kelmar stereo cells, canabalized 2 high-end mic preamps out of Roger Meyer studio console modules, grabbed an original (I am talking about the very first NR/A model when Dolby was only in recording studios quiteing down analog 2 channel Ampex and Scully tape transports), a consumer Dolby A decoder for the surround, 3 Art 1/3rd octave studio eqs for the screen channels, an Art 1 octave eq for the surround with the surround extracted by a Sansui Type II studio matric decoder, and as the piece de resistance, a DBX 115 Subharominc Enhancement unit just for that gonad-vibrating effect we love so much.
Believe it or not, this system sounded awesome and by virtue of the old Dolby A unit, I STILL got to call it "Dolby Stereo." When I told cinema techs about it, they said scoffed and mocked....until they heard it. One even commented that it sounded better than the famed NYC's Zeigfeld. It's always nice to have bragging rights.
And hey, Pete, I look forward to Steve's kick-ass, exquisitly crafted, anti-cyan rant over my morning cup of coffee, as well as John P. always polite, gentlemanly rebuttal.
What would I do without this site in the mornings?!
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|