What's the best thing if I want sound on super 8 and 16mm?

[slashmaster]

I've been reading in here that magnetic soundtrack on super 8 isn't very good quality. What about optical sound? Is that any good? How good is the tape with sprocket holes that's synced with the projector? What are my other options? Is magnetic sound on 16mm a lot better? can it still be done with super 16?

[Will2]

Shot the last of my sound Kodachrome stock last year and had alot of fun with it. However, the quality is much lower than standard analog cassette tape which is part of the charm. Super 8 sound film was discontinued in 1997.

There are a few die-hard, talented members here that can stripe 8mm film but you have to really want to do it; it's not an easy or cheap alternative.

You're only reasonable current options are a dual systems like:

• Zoom H4N
• Small digital still camera with movie mode mounted to your Super 8 camera
• DV Camera

For the camera options you can set off a flash for syncing in post or a clapper for the audio-only options like the Zoom.

A Zoom (or equivalent) gives you the option of using great external mics or plugging directly into a sound system (or both in the H4N's case) if you are shooting a live performance.

[slashmaster]

Thanks will2, how did the picture on your last sound cartridge come out if you waited 13 years to shoot and develop it?

What's so hard about striping a film? I had the idea you just get a machine that does it and do it. Is the stripe or adhesive hard to find?

I was looking at the h4n, will it accept pulse sync signals from a camera? Or do I have to get a crystal motor camera?

[slashmaster]

Oh yeah, one more thing, Is magnetic sound not so good because it doesn't go fast enough over the sound head? Or isn't thick enough? I was wondering how much better it is on 16mm since its going faster?

[robbie]

if youre not doing sync-sound as in lip-sync, you may want to consider double system sound projection, the least expensive form. youll have the audio qued at specific point on the film leader. here you can choose whatever audio system/format you want.
but if you want to marry the sound with picture , such as mag track strip or optical, magnetic is higher quality and can be achieved with proper recording and playback equipment, but as stated will have to now be accomplished in post.
all that stated, i use optical tracks , which are only available as mono in 16mm. this is sourced from Zoom H4, cassette recorders and 1/4" reels. Works for me.

[richard p. t.]

unfortunately there is no sound striped 16mm film any more. Nor is there a machine (that I have ever heard of) that could post-stripe 16mm film. Certainly I have looked and never found anything.
Yes, it was better than super 8 mag sound, I would say not only because the film was running a lot faster, but also because of better mechanics and flywheels etc..
No, not possible to have a sound track on super 16 film at all as the 'super' part of the image is in the sound track area. you can't have both.
The only single system sound system for 16mm is optical by using one of the very old Auricon sound cameras. Quite an art in getting one of those to work. I use Auricon gear myself. It was a struggle to put together a working system.
If you are finishing on digital, then none of this really matters - just shoot double system with the sound recorded on something digital or crystal controlled. You would be hard pressed to get a crystal controlled super 8 camera, but you can easily get a 16mm crystal camera.

[jpolzfuss]

Hi,

a) http://www.super8data.com/database/arti ... ndards.htm says:
frequency response:
40-11,000 Hz at 18 fps, magnetic sound with Eumig S 926 GL
40-13,000 Hz at 24 fps, magnetic sound with Eumig S 926 GL
50-7,000 Hz at 24 fps, optical sound with Fumeo 9119 OM
50-5,000 Hz at 24 fps, optical sound with Eumig S O&M
b) At least fipra can post-stripe 16mm: http://www.fipra.de/000000982c0becf1f/0 ... ac601.html
c) Gebuhr used to sell (or is still selling) a CD-player that could act as "slave" when getting sync'ed to a projector.
d) You can get a "crystal sync"-device that gets connected to a Elmo GS1200 and to the sound-out of your computer/cd-player/DVD-player/dat-player/... . and that starts the projector upon the first noise from the sound-source. (And as long as your splices will hold, both projector and sound-source will run in sync.)
(There are similar devices for other projectors that can be "slaved".)

Jörg

[richard p. t.]

Well well, I never new that there was soundstriping available anywhere for 16mm. Thanks for the link.
richard

[jpolzfuss]

Of course real man stripe their 16mm-films with their own tape:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... lepeni.htm 8O

[Will2]

Of course real man stripe their 16mm-films with their own tape

Real men with lots of time on their hands.

[richard p. t.]

Of course real man stripe their 16mm-films with their own tape:
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... lepeni.htm 8O

What a legend! This is awsome as young people say.

[cinelicious]

Very interesting topic. Since our new Scanity 2K/4K film scanner has the audio option I've be researching the very same thing. The audio option allows us to scan 16mm Mag or Optical track while performing 2K or 4K HDR, optically pin-registered film scans.

http://cinelicious.tv/category/news

This is great for archival film which we to a lot of... but it would be very cool to do it on new film. After researching the the Auricon was all I came up with. Good to know someone is striping mag!

-Paul

[Uglipenguin]

For sound on super 8, I've been using the Bell & Howell Filmosound 8 system. This is a double system where you have to use a tape recorder connected to the camera. After the film is processed, you plug the tape recorder into the projector and the sound is sync'd. It uses one side of the cassette tape for the audio track, the other side for sync pulses to lock the projector in step. Sound quality is actually pretty good, I've been able to over-dub with music and add narration. Because the soundtrack is seperate its pretty easy to edit and you can put in effects without needing the projector to be on. I think its the best thing hahaha

[Will2]

how did the picture on your last sound cartridge come out if you waited 13 years to shoot and develop it?

Sorry I missed that question.

Here's a sample from a family vacation video with the audio in the very beginning before the music comes in. (kids picked the music not me so don't hate on it.)

It's nice and thin and tinny. Just what you'd expect from such a tiny, thin strip of magnetic tape.

http://www.vimeo.com/19756620