Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: 17-track optical test film?

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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 03-14-2010, 01:14 PM:

The SH-1000 manual mentions a 17-track optical calibration film. Does this still exist, and would it have any value?

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 03-14-2010, 04:48 PM:

I may have one of these.
I seem to recall that somewhere in my ersatz archives,
I have an optical test alignment reel from 1947
issued by the SMPE. (There was no "T" back then!)

I can't recall how many tracks are on it, but it's
several hundered feet long.

- and it's on nitrate stock.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-14-2010, 06:03 PM:

OK, I'll bite -- what does that mean, exactly....17 tracks?

Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 03-14-2010, 06:14 PM:

It appears to be a test film used to align the sound pickup. From the manual, "when tracks 3-15 are aligned" you're as good as it gets.

I'm guessing it was for lateral alignment, though it does also note that filament sags are indicated when the middle tracks are underperforming.

I wondered if it was seventeen tracks all together, or alternating tracks simply numbered 1-17.

-David

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-14-2010, 07:17 PM:

They were able to fit 17...even just 15 tracks into the soundtrack area of a 16mm print? These are modulated tracks? And how was one supposed to isolate each track to determine the performance?

I would love to see a picture of this thing.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-14-2010, 07:56 PM:

Perhaps there were 17 frequencies on a multi-frequency test reel? I cut mine done years ago before pink noise. (Only short bursts of tone.) Louis

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 03-14-2010, 07:56 PM:

Frank-
We might all be talking "apples & oranges" here.

If I recall, the reel I have is 35mm and contains multiple consecutive "sections" which in the paperwork were referred to as "tracks".

It was like having SMPTE buzz track, 1k Tone, Frequency Sweep, etc test films all spliced consecutively onto one reel.

Those were followed by several short scenes from different films which were meant to judge sound system and room acoustics.

There was one scene of dialoge, another which contained an orchestra playing, another of a piano solo, etc.

An accompanying piece of paper told you what to listen for as you listened to each cut, such as "wow" or flutter in the piano and violin solos which would indicate speed problems.

It's similar to the 16mm SMPTE "Jiffy" test film, but longer and in 35mm. ("Almost Jiffy"? [Big Grin]

)

I don't know if this is the same film David said is referred to in the SH-1000 manual. But it has multiple "tracks" and is the right vintage.

Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 03-14-2010, 10:11 PM:

Thanks for the info Jim. That must be what they were referring to.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-15-2010, 06:14 AM:

The 35mm test film you describe was issued by SMPTE and was called "The Manager's Test Reel."

btw: Dolby once had 6 channels of stereo inside the existing track area of optical sound. (Not matrix.) You can see what it looks like with the Dolby 566 test film. No one wanted "double system" so it was doomed. (about 1980.) Louis

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-15-2010, 09:00 AM:

Actually, it was 4-track only, to the best of my knowledge. It was also known as Parasound because Paramount used it for Popeye

Steve

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-15-2010, 09:06 AM:

Popeye's sound track was Vistasonic.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-15-2010, 12:32 PM:

Seems to me his used to exist. Also that SMPTE also made a similar thing when they actually used to be into making useful test films. It was Optical and had different cuts of different frequencies as well as some music and piano. Not unike Dolby's Jiffy Test Film but with more things on it and there was no image. The one for Popeye Steve is thinking of is an entirely different film and was used to test/adjust the color decoding on that system (can't remember it's name though).

Mark

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-15-2010, 12:33 PM:

also there was colortek discrete analogue system and kintek had one too

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-15-2010, 12:34 PM:

Yea, thats the one Gord, Colortek. The problem with Kintek is thay didn't have anything that actually worked... for the long haul!

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 03-16-2010, 10:07 AM:

Didn't John Mosely use his system on some prints of TOMMY? Quintaphonic Sound or something?

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 03-16-2010, 01:10 PM:

Friend of mine has a vintage 35mm 4-Track print of "TOMMY" plus the Quintaphonic Sound decoding unit from the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills. John Mosely/Colortek used it on "A Bridge to Far".

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 03-16-2010, 08:38 PM:

Quintophonic was based on 4tr mag.

Dolby did offer a "quintophonic module" for the CP-100. Might have been used in the UK. Louis