Friday the 13th Original Audio Mixes

[crampedmisfit1990]

So as many of you know, the Friday the 13th films on BD features the original mixes in AC3 form and that is only for Part 1-3. 4 and up are remixes and have multiple added/missing sound effects. I do not know exactly all of them but have heard of some from various sources. My plan is to find the best source for the original mixes and from talking to a few people here and other sites... it seems the VHS tapes would be the best bet. The laserdiscs do not feature digital sound or they would be the best option. Part 6-8 on LD does have digital sound but that does not help us with 1-5. I have just purchased brand new and sealed VHS copies of 1-3 and 6-8. I need 4 and 5 to complete the Paramount series but I will get those when available. Now I need all of these VHS copies captured in a lossless format and synced and I'm sure they will bare much better results than the AC3 audio. Any thoughts?

[spoRv]

Parts 6...9 are available on laserdisc with digital tracks; while part 1...5 are available only with analog tracks, they will sound probably better than VHS - even if the technical features are more or less the same, the better wow&flutter on laserdisc should help to get higher quality; now, getting them (captured) is another matter!

[crampedmisfit1990]

Are you saying the analog sound of 1-5 on LD would probably sound better than the VHS captures?

[bronan]

Have you checked out the German 84 Entertainment releases? They have lossless 2.0 tracks, not sure if anyone's verified they're the original mono/stereo though. I have a few of them if anyones interested in inspecting

[spoRv]

Are you saying the analog sound of 1-5 on LD would probably sound better than the VHS captures?

Yep, even if it depends on a variety of factors: LD CX present or not, VHS Hi-Fi or not, VHS tape and player wear, master used etc.
The biggest problem IMHO is the tape wear, that could lead to noticeable quality decrease - also, after many years, I guess magnetic fields and also time would ruin the tape, while laserdisc (if not corrupted by laser rot) should play fine.

I wrote an article about laserdisc audio tracks here: https://fanrestore.com/thread-1107.html

[crampedmisfit1990]

Have you checked out the German 84 Entertainment releases? They have lossless 2.0 tracks, not sure if anyone's verified they're the original mono/stereo though. I have a few of them if anyones interested in inspecting

Yeah I own all of those and sadly they are the 5.1 remixes in 2.0 form. I bought them really hoping they were truly the original mixes and was disappointed. The only purpose those German releases truly serve is Part 4, 5 and 8 look better cause they have a higher bitrate. Part 2, 3, 6 and 7 are inferior to the US BDs.

[bronan]

Darn, that's a shame. I've taken a look at the Friday the 13th laserdiscs before, we will need a small loan to get all those

[crampedmisfit1990]

I have Part 1 on LD on it's way to me. It's sealed and so I don't know if I can bare to open it. May have to buy an open copy to capture the audio. Haha Damn this stuff gets expensive.

[bronan]

Yea, I'd feel bad for opening something sealed for like 30 years

[crampedmisfit1990]

Ha! No kidding. I try to keep my sealed LDs sealed and for display. I use those record frames. Haha