Re: [ARSCLIST] The future of analog (fwd)

[Roderic G Stephens <savecal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yes, it's all true.  Nobody values the analogue
machines or techniques of yesteryear!!  See below.

--- "Scott D. Smith" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> What Tom says is sad but true.
> 
> I witnessed dub stage B at the same Warner-Hollywood
> lot (as shown in 
> the photo) get gutted in the late 70's. Out the door
> went dozens of 
> beautiful Western Electric 1251B reproducers, a
> custom tube console, 
> selsyn interlock system, monitors, and everything
> else. The only thing 
> they kept were the projection VI's, which are
> probably still in use to 
> this day.
>
<snip>

 This goes
> back to the days when 
> pictures were mixed one 1000' reel at a time, all
> the way through. You 
> blow a cue at 900', and it's back to the
> beginning!).

That's where I came in.  As an apprentice film editor
in the '50s, I used to carry and pickup the "units"
(the 1000' reels) to and from the dubb (that's how
some people spelled it, then) stages at Desilu.  The
mixers  had to be really good, but they would do
rehearsal runs, so that they knew what was in their
cue sheets and could adjust levels before the "final"
take.  Of course, they could do pickups (redo later
sections), and the sound editors would edit those
together "on the bench".
> 
> To clarify what you see in the photo, the lease that
> Warner Sound 
> operations had at the Goldwyn lot at 1041 N. Formosa
> was up recently, 
> and they had to consolidate all of their audio post
> to the Burbank lot 
> (with the exception, I believe, of some of their
> archival operations). 
> It must have been a sad day, as the Sam Goldwyn
> sound operations had 
> been there for many years, and had some beautiful
> dub stages. At least 5 
> pictures I worked on over the years were mixed
> there, by some truly 
> talented re-recording mixers.
> 
> RIP.

To that, I say AMEN!

The other tragedy is that the Goldwyn sound stage
where much of Hollywood orchestral film sound track
recording was done was considered the best in
Hollywood, and no one was allowed to even clean or
dust for fear of changing the acoustics.  Many of
Capitol Records orchestral and choral (i.e., L.A.
Philharmonic, Roger Wagner Chorale) recordings were
done there as well as other "outside" artists and
labels.

Needless to say, that stage has long since been
"renovated".

Rod Stephens