Movietone Bulletin (July 1928)

THIS FILE VOLUME I, No. 28 se 422 JULY 14, 1928 The Fader OVIETONE projectionists # must keep constantly in mind the fact that regulating the volume of sound is one of their most important functions. If they err in the matter of sound amplification, the result is to detract from the effectiveness of the illusion and to make the performance much less valuable as a source of entertainment. It has come to our attention that some projectionists make the mistake of using too much volume. They cause a speaker, for example, to speak with unnatural loudness, which you will, I am sure, agree with me, is not good. We are accustomed to hear a certain voice volume under any given condition, in real life. Automatically we expect to hear that same volume under the same condition, in movietone, and unless we do hear it about that way the effect of unnaturalness is set up. Of course we fully realize the impossibility of regulating sound for exact naturalness simultaneously in all parts of a large theatre; also volume requirement will vary with varying acoustic properties of different auditoriums. And it is in these matters especially that careful, painstaking work on the part of the projectionist is very valuable. In small auditoriums sound volume may be regulated almost to perfection in the matter of naturalness. In auditoriums having great depth it is more difficult; sound, of course, cannot be regulated to fit both front and back perfectly. Brotherly Love Reaim Contributes Photos When William Penn did his famous treaty stuff with the Indians there wasn't any moyvietone to record it. But movietone is there now, and going strong, according to the above twosome of the State Theatre, Uniontown, Pa, They are: Mr. W. H. Bierer, (above), and Mr. G. R. Miller. | To get the best possible results the production should and must be cued for every theatre. This involves a running of the same before an audience is assembled, with the manager or an assistant in the auditorium to direct. The projectionist then marks the position of his fader at each point, on a cue sheet. That, gentlemen, is the right way to do it. It is the only right way. The real purpose of this article, however, is to direct your attention to the fact that too much volume is bad, and to ask you to be very careful in this respect. The Finger Test OME projectionists do not make the best possible test to ascertain whether or not the sound is percolating properly in the amplifier equipment. Instead of making the more reliable “finger test” they tap the first tube in the 8-B panel, listening for the microphonic tube noise from the horns. A very much better way is to move the finger up and down through the light beam where it enters the photo-cell at the projector. No film should be in when the test is made and the sound gate should be out of the way. The tubes must of course all be switched on, and the fader turned part of the way up to get sound from the horns. This test not only checks up from the main amplifier forward to the horn, but also it checks the photo-cell, the sound attachment and the fader as well. Tapping the first tube will sometimes apparently show everything O. K., yet the sound will not “perk” through by reason of some fault back of the 8-B.. The finger test is conclusive because it really checks through on the whole system. We therefore cannot too strongly advise you to use it in preference to any other, except with the film itself. An inadequate test is in one way worse than no test at all because it may deceive you. You find something is wrong and because you have placed dependence upon a test which really only has included a part of the system, you don’t know what to do. To use the finger test or a reel of film, is the safest and best rule.