I made some GOUT-synced Laserdisc audio files... (Released)

They are not uploaded yet, but I’m posting here to see if there’s any interest. They are in FLAC format, and therefore huge and non-trivial to upload/download.

I have the 1980 ESB stereo audio from Darth Mallwalker’s Laserdisc capture, synced to the GOUT.

I also have the 1983 ROTJ stereo audio, also from DM’s Laserdisc capture, synced to the GOUT but with some fix-ups.  I changed the timing so that it syncs better with preservations derived from the PAL GOUT (e.g. dark_jedi/You_Too and Harmy).  This audio appears to have had many glitches (millisecond audio dropouts, pitch changes), which I fixed using audio from the '93 mix.  Technically I don’t know how many of these errors were theatrical and how many were introduced during the transfer, but they all annoyed me and would have been fixed during a proper restoration, so I still consider it the 83 mix.  All of the modifications and fix-ups add up to a few seconds of audio throughout the movie, at most.  I do not have a version without the fix-ups.

After listening to them, I’d have to say I still prefer hairy_hen’s purist 5.1 mix for ESB, but maybe there’s a hardcore purist out there who just can’t watch the 35mm cut of ESB with anything but the stereo track it showed with.  For ROTJ, I have to say I actually prefer my mix to anything else I’ve heard, but it’s entirely due to the better sync and I have confidence hairy_hen will make my current preference short-lived.

I am not an audio engineer.  I’m a novice at best.  So if someone else synced these tracks already, they probably did a better job.  Nevertheless, I personally think they sound pretty nice.

Anyway, there it is.  Let me know if there’s any interest.  Thanks to Darth Mallwalker and others for getting me access to the raw captures, msycamore and others for pointing out exactly where the sync problem was located, and hairy_hen for making this project more obsolete every minute.

CatBus, do you know how these files are any different from the 35mm stereo files used by Harmy and DJ in their projects?

In other words, what's new about the files you made?

Aside from the fixes, it's pretty minor.  My goal was just to have some lossless audio sources for these movies, since I could already find lossless versions for the Star Wars stereo/mono audio.

The '80/'83 tracks from Harmy and DJ seem a little softer overall, ROTJ a little more than ESB.  I think it's more than could be accounted for from just the lossy compression though, so I think whatever track Harmy and DJ used may have had some noise reduction and/or dynamic range compression applied to it, and mine must not have as much processing--or I'm imagining things.  i.e. if I make a lossy compressed version of my files, it still sounds a hair better than the Harmy/DJ tracks (again, ROTJ a little more than ESB).  That said, I still prefer hairy_hen's lossy 5.1 ESB track over my lossless 2.0 ESB track, so it's not the best thing out there.

The ROTJ fixups are pretty significant IMO.  The major sync problem in ROTJ starts at about 47:37 (just after Luke's last scene on Dagobah) and continues until 1:38:33 (after some Ewoks jump over a log), after which it becomes a minor sync problem for the rest of the film (technically it exists but you don't notice anymore).  Maybe it wasn't until I started doing subtitling, but now I can't stop noticing how badly off the lip sync is during that bad period, and ALL NTSC-based audio has the same problem.  My version is the first version I've heard where I don't wince on and off for 45 minutes whenever Han talks (for some reason, it's always worse with Han).  That said, if you don't make a practice of watching people's lips when watching the movie, you may not notice this at all.  There's also just little audio glitches, such as at 3:23.903 when the audio just decides to go missing for 4 milliseconds.  Again, it's not huge, but you can notice if you're listening carefully.

Anyway, don't mean to down-talk my own work.  Obviously I think they're worth it for someone or I wouldn't have made them.  But they may not be a huge improvement for most people.

EDIT: I will also re-adjust all of my subtitles to match this audio.  For unadjusted NTSC audio, it'll just mean subs will be a hair late (compared to the audio--if you watch lips they'll show up at exactly the right time), which is actually perfectly fine.  I just don't want them showing up EARLY, which is awful.

Oh yeah, and if it wasn't clear from earlier, the 1983 ROTJ track that Harmy/DJ supply not only has the sync problem, but all of the same audio glitches from the Laserdisc.

Catbus, I know exactly what you're talking about with ROTJ. That really bothers me as well.

In case anyone is wondering, the PAL gout and the NTSC gout use different telecine sources (unlike ANH and ESB whose PAL gout discs are upscaled NTSC masters) and there is a slight cut in frames at Reel ends on the different sources.

A lot of the GOUT synced audio projects were done using the NTSC GOUT to keep sync but a majority of the remastered projects (Harmy's / Dark Jedi's) use the PAL video because of its higher quality. Thus the sync issue. So CatBus's ROTJ audio probably would be great to mux in.

CatBus said:

I have the 1980 ESB stereo audio from Darth Mallwalker's Laserdisc capture, synced to the GOUT.

Nice, I am definitely interested in that, with Mallwalker's rip as the source, it wil sound great. It has not yet been determined which track of the 35mm Dolby Stereo mix of Empire is the most complete and which of them that is of better quality. I posted the frame differences between the Pioneer SWE and SC LD here: http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/Pre-93-Special-LD-transfers/post/581572/#TopicPost581572

Okay, looks like there is some interest, so I'll be uploading them and sending PM's to mavimao and msycamore (and anyone else who wants them) probably later today.

Files uploaded and PM's sent.  Please let me know if you want links, if you spot problems (e.g. the laserdisc was known to have the wrong fox fanfare, or something like that...), or if you have anything else helpful to add.  Positive feedback is always nice too.

I'd be very interested in any lossless option. Can they be synced to the de-specialised editions?

PM sent.  Yes, they already sync to the Despecialized Editions, but they are FLAC, so you need to convert them to WAV or AC3 first.

Neato!  That shouldn't be a problem at all.  

Downloaded it overnight and will mux it into my Despecialized versions when I get home in a couple of weeks! Thanks a lot!

Have you considered syncing to GOUT the ANH 1130-85 bit-perfect rip audio that Darth Mallwalker posted alongside the ESB and ROTJ you have already done?

Those three tracks (taken from the Special Widescreen Edition) and the schorman13 bit-perfect rip 1977 stereo track recently posted would make a full set of LD diGital SOUND tracks prior to the 1993 THX DC and Faces releases.

Having heard the schorman13 track vs the current best available Belbucus equivalent is a revelation.

I expect that the three tracks Special Widescreen Edition tracks would equally be a revelation vs the current best available transfers.

Also a question. Were the Belbucus 93 audios basic transfers or bit-perfect rips?

Answered my own question. YES they were.

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/GOUT-DVD-using-Faces-PCM-Sound/post/244480/#TopicPost244480

The 1130-85 audio would complete the set of available LD GOUT synced bit-perfect rips.

I've considered it, but I'll admit it's pretty low on my list.  My motivation for the ESB and ROTJ tracks were:

1) AFAICT, no GOUT-synced lossless original stereo tracks existed for these films.

2) Existing ROTJ tracks had a sync problem.

3) I needed to practice/learn syncing audio for an unrelated project.

Frankly I don't think my skill at audio sync and repair measures up to what Belbucus and others have demonstrated, so I steer clear of Star Wars simply because it looks like the pro interest is already there.  I'll probably be quite happy with the digital SW audio from the Japanese P&S disc, and it's hard to be motivated when you're not dissatisfied with the status quo.

Also I've recently learned that I hate working with audio, with a passion ;)

Would begging help???

Heh, not at the moment.  Seriously, I'm neck-deep in (not Star Wars related) badly-out-of-sync Japanese audio I don't even understand, this will take me a very long time, and I'll probably want a break from audio editing after that.  Sorry, I'd never say never, but definitely not anytime soon.

It was worth a try. Good luck with your Japanese audio project and hope that you may re-visit this in the future.......

Russs, I have have GOUT synced tracks created from the JSC and SWE for Empire and Jedi ready to upload if there's interest.

I've got interest... but probably only in Empire unless your Jedi also compensates for the sync issue.

I am interested in any bit-perfect rips (not standard capture/transfers) of any of the pre-THX diGital SOUND LD's that are GOUT synced.

The SWE and JSC, ANH 85 mix and ESB/ROTJ theatrical would be perfect.

Having listened to the raw Mallwalker rips of the SWE against the audio on two DVD transfer/captures of the sqme releases, the quality is worlds apart and essential to have in our quest for the best ever audio.

Maybe wanting the ANH 85 mix is a bit OCD - especially as we now have a diGital SOUND ANH 77 mix but I think these are all worth preserving in the highest possible quality...