Frankenstein (1931) Audio Preservation

[jerryshadoe]

I only needed the VHS audio to replace the missing audio from the side 1 to side 2 change on the LD and other than that, it was just a verification reference. (The LD and VHS are identical transfers, down to scratches, timing, drop-outs, etc.)

"Technically," I am done syncing the track and fixing the audio drop-outs. The total list of shit that had to be done is 140+ (!)

I even managed to make an enhanced version, which might bring some of the noise out (although the "types" of noise present on this track are a few and a LOT of the noise HAS also been removed WITHOUT removing ambiance, and "fullness" of audio) but restores a lot of dynamic range and brings out the ambiance clearly BUT it also made some of the instances where I spliced in custom matched BD audio more noticeable. (they REALLY did a number on that one)

On both, the "raw" LD sync and the "enhanced" LD sync, there are things that are still bothering me a little bit and I want to see if I can improve them further...

A friend of mine stopped by earlier today, while I was testing some potential "fixes," asked me what I was doing and then told me he'll be back in a few minutes... I was kinda confused like, "You just got here and you're already leaving?" and he told me to "trust him." Ok, whatever... I went back to working on this... 45 minutes goes by and he comes back, handing me his copy of this CD: http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Bride...B000059SWC

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On this CD, the first 5 tracks are from Frankenstein and they sound fantastic. There is a very slight (and I mean very) amount of noise reduction, but it's very well balanced. The tracks are CRYSTAL clear when it comes to the presence of clicks, pops, scratches, etc. that plague ALL other transfers and 4 of the 5 sound better than any other source (the first track, being the spoken intro, suffers from slight audio artifacts due to noise cancellation)

FORTUNATELY FOR ME (and those that will enjoy this track when it's completed) almost ALL of the areas that I had an issue with and wanted to fix, I will be able to fix now using this CD. NOT ONLY THAT, but this CD ALSO contains the uncensored line (the feels like to be God part) BEFORE the overzealous noise reduction of the BD!!! Interestingly, some of the audio glitches present on ALL other transfers, including LD/BD (that also bothered me and I wanted to fix) are FLAWLESSLY FIXED on the CD! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not gay, (although I have NO problem with those that are) but I gave my friend a big-ol-kiss on the check for this one and then smoked him out:victory:

So, I guess I'm not done yet and in this case I'm actually glad

On note of other transfers: I did some research and supposedly the R0 Australian 1999 DVD from MRA Entertainment has an LDPM 2.0 48khz/16bit audio track. I was able to verify this here and here. According to that second review (although I don't know how credible a person claiming that this R4 release is superior to R2 because it has LPDM "stereo" sound, as this film is mono) that audio track contains noise, but no clicks, pops, and audio drop-outs. If this is true, this track might prove to be valuable, as it could help fix some of the issues on the LD audio that I can't fix with the CD audio.

Does ANYONE have a copy of this... I can't even find this one used online

If not, the track will still sound awesome, once I slice in the CD audio where necessary. Will be working on that later tonight

EDIT: Back to topic of that CD audio, I wish I knew WHERE the hell they got the source for that one and I really wish I could get the entire film in that quality as it would be killer!

[crissrudd4554]

Wow thats really handy. I think I've heard of that CD but never got it. I'll check ebay since its really expensive on Amazon. I dont have that particular DVD for Frankenstein although funny enough I do have the one for Bride of Frankenstein. If the print of Frankenstein on that release is anything like the print used on the BOF DVD, then we may not be missing out. The BOF DVD was VHS sourced and the quality wasnt that good frankly. Cant remember how it sounded since I havent watched it in a while. However, I'll be on the lookout for it. Have you considered using parts of the 1999 DVD for what else you have to fix. The level of crackle on that release is much lower compared to the VHS/LD and even the BD but its something that may be considered. I did find this but it appears to have the same track listing as the CD you posted. Good news for me is its cheaper on Amazon!

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Also I don't know if this helps but this article mentions the Australian DVD and the Universal DVD.

http://www.hifi-writer.com/blog/20040408...40420-2058

[crissrudd4554]

Is this the correct DVD????????

http://www.dvdloc8.com/viewdvd_6333.html

[jerryshadoe]

Yes, it is. It has to be because that was the ONLY DVD edition that was released with an LPCM audio track. ALL others had an 192kbps AC3 track.

[Lil Brutto]

This is getting better and better as time goes by.

[jerryshadoe]

I found this used one on ebay Australia but they don't ship to the US:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Frankenstein-...3f5dee3ad5

[jerryshadoe]

Can someone demux ALL of the foreign audio tracks (should be French, German, Italian, and Spanish) from the BD and PM them to me please? There is a couple of things I want to confirm before I complete everything.

As far as splicing the CD into the LD, yes - I can do it, but I'm not sure if I want to. The way I have everything matched on the LD sync, is relatively good and apart from three instances, it's pretty seamless. The CD audio has a very different sound to it, one that I'm not sure that... well, that I can match it or that I want to. Reason for this is because the CD audio actually resembles in quality (very closely) the "enhanced" version that I made from the LD synced audio, that made everything sound much better, but also made the BD audio stand out more and made those transitions less seamless. Splicing in the CD audio on the "enhanced" version makes for a seamless experience, but I know that some of my "purist" brethren will want the "untouched" (there is very, very little BD audio used) LD audio, while others will want a "proper" audio restoration that uses all of the best elements possible, with enhancements, some minor clean-up, etc. For the most part, I am against noise reduction because it's usually done wrong and almost always destroys the background/ambiance/sfx/music that was present originally. I'm fine with fixing audio drop-out, clicks, pops, scratches, crackles, warble, humming, buzzing, etc. I do a little bit of audio clean-up, usually via spectral filters, but I always try to find a balance between "clean" and "scrubbed to death."

Ah, maybe I should explain why I want all of the foreign dubs... Yes, the dialog is useless for an audio preservation of the English track, BUT there is a ton of ambiance, sfx, etc. that could potentially be used if it's from a different master and there is a good chance that it will be. What if some of the glitches and problem areas (aside from dialog, of course) could be fixed with one of the other language tracks? Or, what if certain parts just sound better period and could be used to replace portions of the LD track? I am not dogging the LD track, but it has it's problems too due to the original source it was transferred from. I'm just curious if some of those problems don't exist on the dubs because they came from different audio masters and have a different "history of aging" versus the English track.

This might be a huge waste of time, I realize that, but I'd rather explore all available options and find out that the other audio transfers are useless, then to always wonder if I could have done a better job if I had just not been lazy and checked

[crissrudd4554]

This is a R4 DVD but its from the same distributor and the Frankenstein logo looks identical to the Australian Bride of Frankenstein DVD I have. Maybe a bit pricy but it ships worldwide and maybe you'll find this useful.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Frankenstein-...Swu1VW2gzK

However according to this link (http://www.hifi-writer.com/blog/20040408.htm) the disc we are looking for has the 'In the Name of God' line censored so my guess is this would be the same source used for the LD/VHS because remember I had mentioned that the Australian Bride of Frankenstein DVD I have appears to be VHS sourced. It's your call though.

Unfortunately I have no way of capturing the foreign tracks at the moment but if something pops up I'll let you know.

[Moshrom]

Oh, wow - just seeing this thread now. Hope everything works out.

Perhaps. And sadly they don't tend to turn to past releases to add assistance. You'd think they could at least attempt something along the lines of what we're doing, especially considering they probably better tools then we do, but I guess they rather work with a more authentic source and hence we get an aged track. It's probably why by 2012 the mono track for Jaws IMO wasn't as crisp as it was in 2005. Sometimes leaving it in the can can really be a let down for later on. Then again lemme ask you. Do u feel this was a case of Universals team being lazy or something that as far as they were concerned was unfixable????

It has nothing to do with age. It's pretty much entirely noise reduction, which is applied liberally by most blu-ray distributors today. Universal does it, Warner does it, and Criterion does it. It really needs to be judged on case-by-case basis, though, which is an absolute PAIN because there are still such an enormous number of titles affected.

[jerryshadoe]

A LOT of it does have to do with age, as far as the natural degradation of the audio elements over time. However, I also agree with you completely that the studios apply way too much noise reduction to almost everything.

A certain someone, you know who you are, has sent me the foreign dubs. THANK YOU!

Will be looking at those later today