Interview with Chuck Ainlay

[superval99]

Just came across this interview:

http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2009/Dec/Producer_Chuck_Ainlay_on_Recording_Mark_Knopfler.aspx

[ustas]

Thanks Superval99! It is great to know more about record session from insider.

[superval99]

I hope "Alchemy" will be released on DVD as well as Blu-Ray though!   

[ds1984]

I think that the Alchemy master is video tape so I really wonder what result you can get in Blu-ray format...

[JeroenvG]

I think that the Alchemy master is video tape so I really wonder what result you can get in Blu-ray format...

I don't think it has something to do with the video but more with the sound! Alchemy has not the best sound on cd and video.
I read somewhere they had the master tape and that's the one that got mastered.

So hopefully a great sounding 5.1 blu-ray/dvd from Alchemy.

http://www.endlessanalog.com/chuck-ainlay.html

[dustyvalentino]

Great article, thanks Val.

[ustas]

I think that the Alchemy master is video tape so I really wonder what result you can get in Blu-ray format...

As usual the old video master should be scanned to digital hi-res format (1080i or 1080p). Next, noise reduction. But there is some question - what kind of aspect ratio was used to film concert in 1983?

I'm not sure that it has 1,78 (16x9) or 1,66 (5x3) ratio, it was filmed for '80 TV standard. For example, Live in Knewborth and Live Aid were re-released on DVD with 1,33 (4x3) ratio.

[GennT]

The chances are that they will crop and edit it to be 16x9 as I have seen many old black and white movies that now are digitally remastered in 16x9 and the picture quality is perfect ,hopefully the source is the original tapes from the cameras that filmed the concert so they can re edit it in a better way.

[Love Expresso]

A few months ago, when the Alchemy BluRay talk came up, I mailed Chuck Ainlay and asked him about the film and not only audio. He answered
and I was not sure to release it here, but hey, now I think, why not? So this is what Chuck answered:

I am not involved in the video aspect of the project. I don't know if there
was actual film stock that they can go back to or not. I do know that the
audio should be discrete 192k/24bit quality which can only be released on
Blue Ray with video content. Does the picture really mean that much to you?
Just joking.

Chuck Ainlay

So, you gear heads and hifi freaks, maybe this answer gets some speculation going??

LE

[GennT]

The fact is that ..." we MUST see MK "...in better video quality,it is like a drug lol just kidding.Well as for me I can say that the picture quality matters just as much as the sound.I hope they other extras too like interviews about the gig and that kind of stuff.

[ustas]

A few months ago, when the Alchemy BluRay talk came up, I mailed Chuck Ainlay and asked him about the film and not only audio. He answered
and I was not sure to release it here, but hey, now I think, why not? So this is what Chuck answered:

I do know that the
audio should be discrete 192k/24bit quality which can only be released on
Blue Ray with video content.

Chuck Ainlay

So, you gear heads and hifi freaks, maybe this answer gets some speculation going??

LE

Hmmm. If I remember the sound was recorded by DAT Sony PCM 3324 with resolution 16bit/48kHz

P.S. Of course it is not new for Chuck - Sailing To Philadelphia was recorded by PCM 3348 (48 track) with the same 16/48. And surprise - the DVD-Audio has multichannel 5.1 24 /48 and stereo 24bit/88,2kHz - I called it "Turbo CD"  (16/44,1 save as 24/88,2) 

[Pottel]

i just hope the whole night will now be shown.and god knows, maybe some behind the scene footage.

[ds1984]

The chances are that they will crop and edit it to be 16x9 as I have seen many old black and white movies that now are digitally remastered in 16x9 and the picture quality is perfect ,hopefully the source is the original tapes from the cameras that filmed the concert so they can re edit it in a better way.

A 1930 movie shot on photographic film will definitively give better result on Bluray than a mid 80's concert shot on video film.
Because video is 250/300 line definition only whereas photographic film does not stores info on a limited number of lines but on very very very small pixel.

So when we are talking about "HD video" we are still in the prehistoric age compared to silver film technology (a Blu-ray is a downscale of a 35 mm film), and unless Alchemy has been shot on argentic film (ie not magnetic video) upscaling analog video to HD format will give only limited quality result.

[dustyvalentino]

The chances are that they will crop and edit it to be 16x9 as I have seen many old black and white movies that now are digitally remastered in 16x9 and the picture quality is perfect ,hopefully the source is the original tapes from the cameras that filmed the concert so they can re edit it in a better way.

If it was filmed in 4X3 then I hope they DON'T remaster in 16x9, as then we will lose a chunk of the picture.

[dmg]

The chances are that they will crop and edit it to be 16x9 as I have seen many old black and white movies that now are digitally remastered in 16x9 and the picture quality is perfect ,hopefully the source is the original tapes from the cameras that filmed the concert so they can re edit it in a better way.

Of course motion pictures were released in many various formats over the years some widescreen, some very widescreen (greater than 16:9 i.e. letterbox) and all that was required was that they drew the curtains back in the theatres!  A film that springs to mind is It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.  Some of these formats were VistaVision, CinemaScope and Ultra Panavision so old films were filmed in various ratios, but does anyone here know what cameras were used to film Alchemy?