Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1952)

42 MAGNETIC MARCHES ON! THE application of magnetic sound to motion pictures has become a long-awaited reality, as special equipment designed to combine the two makes its appearance on the market. This exciting new method of recording on film gives the amateur movie maker a fascinating field to explore — the addition of permanently synchronized sound to his footage. This growing interest in magnetic sound on film takes another long stride forward as Bell & Howell unveils its version of a combined 16mm. magnetic and optical sound projector. The new Filmosound 202. as it has been named, handles double-perforated silent and single-perforated sound film and has a capacity up to 2.000 feet. Priced at $699, it is available at photographic dealers now. BASED ON FILMOSOUND 185 Basically the 202 is identical in many ways to the earlier single-case model 185. Threading and operation of the projector controls are identical, as are their film transport mechanisms. Both have forward and reverse motion, motor rewind, 1000 watt pre-aligned lamp with direct lighting, coated 2 inch Super Proval f/1.6 lens, gear drive, rotary disc shutter, blower cooling with fins, speed control for 16 and 24 frames per second, built-in 6 inch speaker (or separately cased 12 inch speaker | on a 40 foot extension that can be operated in the case or removed and used at the screen. NEW FEATURES ADDED The new 202, however, has certain construction changes that give it the greater versatility required. A new sound drum assembly and amplifier enable the equipment to handle magnetic as well as optical sound, while an electrical safety system guards against accidental erasure of The Bell & Howell Company, with its Filmosound 202 projector, joins the march of magnetic sound on film the recording. This assembly, in addition to its optical mirror which functions during the playback of optical sound on film, contains a magnetic record-playback head and a magnetic erase head. In order to insure flutter-free sound reproduction from the moving film, the sound should be picked off at a point in the film path where the speed is most stable. I This applies to both optical and magnetic sound. ) So the assembly has been provided with a pair of levers to rotate either the mirror or magnetic record head into position, then a snap-lock arrangement insures positive alignment and location of either one, as desired. FIVE SEPARATE FUNCTIONS A completely new amplifier performing a variety of functions has been built into the new projector. It plays back optical sound on film, plays back magnetic recordings made on the magnetic track, records and erases magnetic sound on the coated film as desired, and also serves as a public address system. This versatile amplifier is provided with a master volume control with on and off switch, microphone volume control, recording level indicator, function selector switch, tone control, phono jack, and microphone jack. RECORDING PROCEDURES A little neon light adjacent to the tone control is a signaling device that indicates when the proper recording level has been reached. A microphone and phonograph can be connected to their respective jacks, and the volume controls adjusted while test signals are played through the amplifier. During the tests, either or both the microphone control and master control are adjusted until the neon indicator just begins to flash at the heaviest portion of the signals. The projector is then ready for recording sound of the most desirable quality. THE FltMOSOUND 202, Bell & Howell's version of a combination optical magnetic-sound on film projector and recorder, is pictured above. $699.00. and ADDING SOUND AT 16 FPS Recordings can be made at either 16 or 24 frames per second. While the latter is the more desirable speed, satisfactory results can be obtained at 16 fps — which is most likely to be the projection speed of existing amateur footage. In order to add magnetic sound to this 16mm. silent footage now in your library, you first have a photographic laboratory make a duplicate on single-perforated stock. You then have a magnetic stripe applied to this copy by a firm equipped to perform this service — and you are ready to record. In this connection, Bell & Howell is pleased to announce (along with its magnetic projector-recorder I that it is now offering magnetic striping under the trade name "Soundstripe." For the present this service will be available at Chicago only, and the current price is 3V-> cents per foot. GUARDS AGAINST ERASURE Since the Filmosound 202 is a combined magnetic recording and playback projector, it has been provided with an ingenious electrical interlock system that prevents accidental erasure of magnetic sound. This safety device