John Barlow

Thanks all, you have been very helpful John

Thanks, Rich, I enjoyed very much your posts. 4.2s I have seen around $1000, is that about the going rate?

@Rich, @Bill I have been looking at Nagra, which model in yr opinions should I consider, also, what about service? I presume tape stock is 456 or what? The comment about squeezing into 30db DR, got me thinking about experimenting with highly compressed 8 bit, full band to emulate the old days. I was watching a blu ray of On the Beach, with Gregory Peck the other week, man that soundtrack sure growls :)

Do you have movement in the shot? If no then a 360 panorama could be stitched together and then you are free to pass through it at your speed of choice, just a thought :)

Although not a book, I would recommend a DVD about Jack Cardiff, where he mainly talks about the importance of the DP understanding the light and of course he did. The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, Cameraman [DVD]

Thanks James, useful tips there I guess those boxes can also be used at post time too, ie run recorded sound through the boxes into the NLE? New movie audio is like a downloaded mp3 of a bad bathroom recording. Agreed Fish poles like old skool techniques

Yep, used Nagras are cheap on the used market, however emulating tape compression via a VST or sound tools plugin is also quite advanced these days. The vintage soundtracks also have that warm edgy tube sound and perhaps a lift in the 400Hz region Still wondering how best to spend money chasing this sound.

I am trying to find more info on vintage movie sound techniques. I love the warmth, presence and timbre of the vintage movie sound tracks, which modern movies dont seem to have. Thinking about for example Peckinpah's Wild Bunch with William Holden and Getaway with Steve McQueen and also Greg Peck and Burt Lancaster movies. I realise these actors came through stage and theatre and knew how to project their voices, but its not so much them but the soundtrack of the movie itself. Do you think it is possible to recreate this sound with modern equipment? How does one achieve this?