I got this Email from CHC today. Can anyone help?

HERE AT CLASSIC, WE ARE VERY KEEN TO CONTINUE RELEASING NEW SUPER 8 FILMS TO THE COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE.

THIS PROCESS HAS STALLED FOR SOME MONTHS BECAUSE OF NEW FILM STOCKS, STRIPING PROBLEMS ETC.
WE NOW HAVE PRINTS READY TO RECORD, BUT THE MAGNATECH MACHINES AT THE LABS HAVE FAILED, AND THE SOUNDHEADS NEED REPLACEMENT.

I SEEK HELP AND ADVICE FROM AROUND THE UK AND THE WORLD TO FIND REPLACEMENT SOUNDHEADS.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY?

DO YOU KNOW WHO MAY MAKE OR REBUILD SUCH HEADS?

PLEASE TELL US IF YOU CAN HELP

PHIL SHEARD
CHC



The original heads are from Magnatech, we have reproduced
them by a company in Great Britain nearly 20 years ago at, but they didnt
offer it since years.
Its a senddust head, and last price for one was
horrable, ( stored heads )
Problem ,we need the identical technical data.

It would help if Phil had given us the model number of the magnetic head itself, not just the machine it is fitted to.

This really isn't enough to go on as it stands.

As there have been enough delays already, why dosent Phil sell these prints mute for collectors to record their own sound providing the soundtracks are easily available or CHC can provide them. Just a thought.

Graham S

As said Graham, there may well be things that people could do to offer to help if only Phil could provide more technical information than he currently has done so far by his mail to us all.

I asked Phil about it. He don´t have that info..yet. Let´s wait and see. Selling unrecorded prints, is not a bad idea, for those who have the skills and equipment.

or the time, aside that, i wouldn't want to be paying tens or hundreds of pounds to have to record my own sound. The definatly wont work for me unfortunately, i certainly dont have the time for this.

It is very time consuming it has to said, and also very much a Labour of Love I have to say.

You do however get a real sense of achievement from the results often obtained though once you have done a little of this work, as I'm sure Mark would agree given the fact he seems to have done more than his fair share where this type of activity is concerned.

Andrew has nailed it on the head with recording the sound, it is very very time consuming and I know this for a fact plus as well the wear and tear it puts on your equipment, when I recorded the sound for CHC prints in the late 1990s it ruined the motor on my GS1200 with all the stop starting, and as Tom said the amount of money that it costs or prints they should be recorded with sound unless that is that dealers will reduce the price with silent prints

I agree on that pricing point you make there of course Dave.
I use the T610's for my recording purposes. If one of them suffers over the years as an end result, I will live with that and try and source another for suitable replacement, then keep back the rest of the machine for spares for the others.

I couldn't be without one of these for long just for recording duties alone, personally.

I personally find that these machines above all others I have ever used, lend themselves much better to forward and reverse projection duties, even in relative quick succession at times. The only thing to avoid is the fast frame perfect computerized option of reverse projecting the print through the gate while using these as a recording tool. (Designed more as a benefit for recording home produced movies)

This places the claw and cam under far more strain than is healthy for it when running the machine at 24fps and has reported to end many a Bauer owners pleasures with these, unless repaired at this point in time. I believe its fine to use at 18fps this way, as was probably the intentions of the design team when editing camera stock sound tracks, but for 24fps films it is a definite no no.

I haven't luckily, heard too many reported horror stories, if any, surrounding the longevity or durability of the motors on these. I know from experience that the brushes at least should last an eternity. They are unbelievably long and relatively oversized once you are forced to dismantle one of these motors.

I use a GS1200 for my recording jobs, it's used solely for this purpose as it's about the best machine I've used and gives superb results, I have another GS along with others for playback, it does take it's toll on these machines stop start recording ,but if it's a feature or trailer etc that's a lot easier to do and less strain on the machines, you have to take into consideration especially if your doing someone else's prints wear on the film path and not to mark a film, saying all this it's one part of the hobby I really enjoy and the difference it makes to a film, if I have a source for the sound then most of my prints will be in stereo or just redone for a better sound recording, buying mute striped films wouldn't bother me as long as the sound source can be found, Mark

I will 100% agree that a home re record is much better than that supplied as standard, (although most films are more than acceptable and many are top notch), As i mentioned elsewhere i acquired a much wanted 400ft edition of young Frankenstein, i was also fortunate to have the edited to 400ft CD English soundtrack and Mr Clancy helped me out no end. I was invited to his Cornwall home where i enjoyed wonderful company of both Mr and Mrs Clancy, after some grub and a cup of tea i watch John record this German sound film into English and i have to say the result is outstanding. To this day i wish i could do something to repay John for doing this, a few forward and reverse's were required but he made it look easy. I seriously wouldn't know where to start with this aspect of the hobby, but definatly agree, i wish i had the patience & equipment. I have my Snowman that requires a stereo re-record, this is one of the prints that has wow and flutter in the same place every time on three different projectors, (& it was re recorded twice by Derann who said they couldn't improve this), & of course my latest Madagascar Penguins which although acceptable has what i would class as average quality of sound due to that crappy oxide soundtrack.

Madagascar can be improved Tom, but don't expect miracles from the grey stripe, it has nowhere near the frequency range that the Brown pasted stripe often can have.

It can be just about ok on grey, but my ears always detect this type of stripe before I even have to look at the print to check it .
It lacks much of the very uppermost high end frequencies and you always struggle to keep down the hiss to well below the recorded levels.

Are you still in touch with John Clancy, Tom?

As you say, living in Cornwall makes him the perfect solution for your Snowman print and the results on this one will be excellent, I guarantee it mate.

I am surprised we don't see more posted on the forums from John and others like Mr Super 8 himself, the gentleman that is of course, Mr Keith Wilton.

I suppose they've read it all,done it all and seen it all 10 times over before though by the time you've been in the hobby for as long as they both have.

I have Bowie at live aid promo with Jagger doing the old Dancing in the street favourite, great though it is to have this one on actual film, there is no comparison between the enjoyment gained from watching and hearing this one as it HAD to be made, versus how it could have sounded had it made it onto pre striped stock.