All right, folks, the stereo mix for RotJ is completely done. I made a total of 26 edits to get it into a usable condition: patching over 12 reel changes, 2 laserdisc side breaks, and 3 other spots where sync is lost (possibly because of 2:3 cadence errors in the video); as well as 8 dropouts and 1 fairly severe instance of tape distortion.

That’s in addition to matching the level and EQ of the different sources to each other . . . It added up to kind of a lot of work, due to the necessity of listening closely to so many small details repeatedly; but it was definitely worth it, because this track sounds brilliant now. I hadn’t listened to it in years, since I’d mostly just been hearing the 1993 version lately. The 1983 mix is great, in some ways better than the '93, despite being less powerful. If the 70mm version sounded like the '83 stereo but with better dynamics, then I really wish we had a copy of it, because that would definitely be the ultimate version.

I’m now getting the Bluray LFE lined up with the GOUT, and from there it’s just a matter of setting the levels for the bass effects to blend in. Shouldn’t take too long, hopefully. Doing this in Pro Tools is so much easier than it was before, that’s for sure!