Mono mix for Moth3r's ANH DVD

Author: Moth3r
Date: 26-Sep-2005, 9:14 AM

Author: Moth3r
Time: 26-Sep-2005 9:14 AM
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As a few of you will remember, some time ago I managed to find a 1st generation VHS tape of A New Hope, as recorded off ITV circa 1982.

This recording is of interest as it is one of the two known sources of the original theatrical mono mix (details). Although parts of my tape are extremely worn, and several sections of audio are missing, the quality is generally better than the audio from the '77 bootleg tapes (which suffer from generational losses). (The EditDroid DVD, recently posted on the newsgroup, featured the mono mix taken from one of these bootleg tapes.)

I originally made the audio available in two formats, MP3 (50MB) and lossless FLAC (320MB). See this thread. Molly attempted to use the mono audio with the EditDroid video in her Prototype "XP77:4EB" Edit, however she wasn't totally sucessful in achieving good sync. Since then, AFAIK no-one else has done anything with this audio.

So I decided, just for fun, to see if I could create an alernative audio track for my DVD. I re-recorded the audio from the VHS, and this time I captured the video as well to use as a reference aid for sync. The process wasn't as easy as I first thought, as quite often scenes on the tape run 2-4 frames longer than those off the laserdisc. Eventually however, I ended up with an audio file, padded and trimmed where necessary, that syncs up near perfectly with the video from my ANH DVD. I've not made any attempt to fill in the blank bits, or to adjust the pitch to account for the PAL "helium" effect, but I decided to release what I've done for those die-hard SW geeks among us!

To be uploaded to the newsgroup in the next day or so is an 80MB Dolby Digital .ac3 file in 1.0 mono, which has the exact same length as the video on my DVD.

If you have a copy of the DVD, it's a simple job to extract the video (e.g. use DVDDecrypter in IFO mode) and re-author with this new audio (e.g. use DVDAuthorGUI). You could extract the 2.0 Dolby Surround mix off the DVD as well, and put both mixes on a new DVD, but then the output would be marginally too big for a single layer DVDR. (You could always transcode the video with DVDShrink).

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Author: ocpmovie
Time: 26-Sep-2005 9:29 AM
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Great! You should also change the pitch and fill in the blank bits though (with stuff from the common stereo mix). I suppose any of us could do that.

Author: Moth3r
Time: 26-Sep-2005 9:40 AM
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I'll be sending the raw files to this guy to have a play with, but I thought I'd post the unprocessed audio up for those who may be curious.

The pitch speedup will be not be an issue if this source is used with NTSC video.

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Author: klokwerk
Time: 26-Sep-2005 10:11 AM
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Moth3r,
Was wondering if there might be another way to get this other than newsgroups. Perhaps you could create a gmail account specifically for this file and send it to yourself. Then I (or anybody else you want) could log in and download the file. I hate to be a pain and ask for special uploads like this, but I just can't do the newsgroups thing.

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

Author: s7en
Time: 26-Sep-2005 11:12 AM
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Nice one Moth3r, I look forward to having a play with the mono track.

When I get hold of it I'd be happy to upload it to megaupload so people without newsgroup access can share it, unless you have other plans, Moth3r.

Author: Grinder
Time: 26-Sep-2005 4:58 PM
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This rocks! A DVD with all the mixes (seven if I'm not mistaken) still is a great idea. The blank bits were caused by missing pieces of film around the commercial breaks right?

That's no moon. It's a LaserDisc.

Author: Ell the Ewok
Time: 26-Sep-2005 5:28 PM
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Cool, I thought about this a while back, I think I posted it somewhere.

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Author: s7en
Time: 26-Sep-2005 8:25 PM
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I've just uploaded Moth3r's mono mix to megaupload. It's in its native .ac3 format (80mb), so hope it downloads ok. Here's the link

Many thanks Moth3r for releasing this

Author: Moth3r
Time: 27-Sep-2005 4:28 AM
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Originally posted by: Grinder
This rocks! A DVD with all the mixes (seven if I'm not mistaken) still is a great idea. There are five mixes, not including the foreign language dubs:

1. Original Theatrical 70mm 6-track
2. Original Theatrical 35mm Dolby Stereo
3. Original Theatrical Academy mono
4. 1985 digitally remastered mix
5. 1993 THX-certified digitally remastered mix

I think it's safe to say that sadly, the 70mm 6-track mix in its original form will never see the light of day again (although elements of it appear in the later remixes).

Originally posted by: Grinder
The blank bits were caused by missing pieces of film around the commercial breaks right?

Correct.

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Author: Moth3r
Time: 27-Sep-2005 4:30 AM
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S7en, thanks for upping the mix to http.

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Author: russs15
Time: 27-Sep-2005 8:32 AM
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Thanks for the instructions to add the new Mono mix to your ANH DVD.

Even a complete blundering idiot could follow those instrictions - I should know!!

I look forward to having a listen tonite after work.........

4 - 5 - 3 - 1 - 6 - 2

Discuss…

Author: Grinder
Time: 27-Sep-2005 10:39 PM
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Originally posted by: Moth3r

Correct.

With 6 and 7 I meant the SE and the DVD.

That's no moon. It's a LaserDisc.

Author: Moth3r
Time: 28-Sep-2005 4:01 AM
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Originally posted by: Grinder
With 6 and 7 I meant the SE and the DVD.

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Author: Moth3r
Time: 28-Sep-2005 8:33 AM
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I'd be interested to hear opinions on this mix. (Remember it's about content, not quality - which is the reason why I made this preliminary file available).

Originally I thought that I could never accept Star Wars without Dolby Surround. However, the more I listen to this mix the more I warm to it. I can appreciate why Ben Burtt called it "the definitive mix of the film".

For a start it contains the missing tractor beam and blast doors lines, and the "blast it wedge" replacement, all of which helps complement the action. Also keeping in mind that when the Dolby mixes were mastered, it was new technology, and there seemed to ba tendency for overuse of the "gimmick factor". The sound of the Alderaan meteor storm, the additional echo in the Death Star chasm, and the over-synthesised voices in the final battle are losses that I don't really miss.

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Author: russs15
Time: 29-Sep-2005 7:06 PM
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I have backed the Mono soundtrack projects for a while now since I finally realised that it really was something different and a very important part of the Star Wars world and needs to be preserved.

The Editdroid mix is good but very quiet whereas yours is much loader and, in my opinion, better.

Now I have your latest AC3 Mono file attached to your PAL DVD release, the good old Molly Prototype is in retirement.

I urge anyone who has the Moth3r ANH to get the AC3 Mono file and give it a go for themselves.............

I still hope that a full, repaired Mono soundtrack will happen one day but until then I am a happy chap.

4 - 5 - 3 - 1 - 6 - 2

Discuss…

Author: Neil S. Bulk
Time: 30-Sep-2005 2:33 AM
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Originally posted by: Moth3r
I'd be interested to hear opinions on this mix.

It's probably the best mix of the movie. Everything in it just sounds so right, to the point that I start saying to myself, "This is how it should have been all along". It's the most complete sounding version of the movie, and since it's all from 1977, nothing stands out as new, the way things in the 1993, 1997 and especially that horrendous 2004 mix do. I like the 1977 and 1985 Dolby mixes
but even they don't seem to be as well done as the mono track.

Neil

Well at least the reversed surround channels have been addressed.

Author: klokwerk
Time: 30-Sep-2005 3:42 AM
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I still hope for the inclusion of the mono mix one day on a future release. The Jaws 30th Anniversary Edition DVD gives me hope. But then Lucas' tinkering and firm belief that the 1977 version of Star Wars doesn't exist anymore kind of discourage my hopes.

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Author: Mentor
Time: 1-Oct-2005 10:37 AM
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Many thanks for going to the trouble of providing this Moth3r.

Does anyone know a way I could author this directly to VOB’s instead of an MPEG file to get around the 4gig limit?

Author: Moth3r
Time: 1-Oct-2005 2:06 PM
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I've not tested this method, but when you demux the M2V stream from the DVD using DVDDecrypter, you can specify a split file output. Now I think you can specify these split files as the video source in Muxman.

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Author: SilverWook
Time: 1-Oct-2005 7:00 PM
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I noticed an early PAL Betamax of Star Wars on Ebay recently. The "rental library" box art. Is there any possibility the mono mix was used for the UK release? The oldest NSTC beta tape I have just has the 2.0 soundtrack mixed down to mono.

Where were you in '77?

Author: Mentor
Time: 1-Oct-2005 7:49 PM
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Thanks Moth3r, I managed to get it working with TMPG.

Just watched half of the film with the mono track and for a twenty-year-old TV recording it sounds excellent! Although I’m definitely not as much of a Star Wars expert as most people here, I agree it feels like a far more accomplished track than the more common versions.

Author: Erikstormtrooper
Time: 6-Oct-2005 5:57 PM
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Thanks for the mono track, Moth3r!

Since I'm an NTSC man myself, I was hoping I might be able to add this as a track to Dr. M's NTSC conversion of Moth3r's disc.

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

Author: russs15
Time: 6-Oct-2005 6:21 PM
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Since I'm an NTSC man myself, I was hoping I might be able to add this as a track to Dr. M's NTSC conversion of Moth3r's disc.

If you manage it, please share your AC3 file with us to add to our Dr.M DVD's

4 - 5 - 3 - 1 - 6 - 2

Discuss…

Author: Erikstormtrooper
Time: 6-Oct-2005 6:29 PM
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Originally posted by: russs15

If you manage it, please share your AC3 file with us to add to our Dr.M DVD's

Will do. Of course, feel free to throw any suggestions at me.

You know of the rebellion against the Empire?

Author: Hoichi the Earless
Time: 6-Oct-2005 8:40 PM
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I have Dr. M's version as well, but is there a way for me to burn a copy of it with this mono track so that it won't have the pitch change/speed-up??

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