Fantasound
Fantasound was a
Origins
Recording the Fantasia soundtrack, 1938–39
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
In January 1938, over 100 musicians assembled at Culver Studios in California for the recording of the nine-minute Dukas piece.[3][4] The plan was to create a multi-track recording that allowed the separation of sound channels which would allow the dynamic balance of the music to be adjusted on reproduction. To increase reverberation, the stage was altered acoustically with five double plywood partitions that separated the sections of the orchestra, creating the world's first baffles.[5] Although a satisfactory recording was made, in the days before widespread use of headphones and click tracks to control the speed, the musicians could not hear the other instruments clearly enough and this affected the tempo of the piece. Poor control over the separation of low frequency sounds presented a further problem on playback of the music.[5]
As production costs for The Sorcerer's Apprentice surpassed $125,000, it became clear to Disney that it would not recoup costs as a short.[1] In February 1938, he decided to expand the concept and start on a feature-length film consisting of several animated segments named The Concert Feature.[1]
Academy of Music sessions
A year after recording The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Stokowski signed an 18-month contract with Disney to conduct the remaining pieces for Fantasia[6] and the process began in earnest. Fascinated with the rich sound he heard from the playbacks at Culver Studios, Disney felt the conventional sound systems at the time sounded too tinny and inadequate for the experience he wanted Fantasia to be. "We know...that music emerging from one speaker behind the screen sounds thin, tinkly and strainy. We wanted to reproduce such beautiful masterpieces...so that audiences would feel as though they were standing at the podium with Stokowski", he said.[7] The goal was to reproduce a full symphony orchestra with its normal volume range and acoustic output in the theatre. The set-up used for the recording of The Sorcerer's Apprentice was abandoned,[5] and it was decided to record with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which Stokowski had directed from 1912 to 1938, at the Academy of Music concert hall in Philadelphia, the orchestra's home known for its good acoustics.[3][5][7]
The recording for Fantasia began in April 1939 and lasted seven weeks.
Each microphone was channeled to a central switching panel, where an operator would read the score and mute those that were not in use to keep noise and leakage to a minimum.
Development and testing, 1939–40
Pan pot and togad device
The average monaural sound systems around the time of the production of Fantasia had a number of disadvantages. Their limited range in volume was ineffective as symphonic music was impaired by excessive ground noise and amplitude distortion. Their single
The first task was to create the illusion of sound "moving" across neighboring speakers. It was found that by placing two speakers roughly 20 feet apart it was possible to produce a "moving" sound, but the effect could not be achieved through simple volume control. The problem was solved with a three-circuit differential junction network named the "pan pot" (panoramic potentiometer), that allowed sound to progressively travel using constant fades with a left, center and right speaker configuration.[15] The second issue was dynamic range, the difference in volume between the loudest and quietest sounds. The dynamic range of typical film soundtracks at the time was limited to a poor signal-to-noise ratio of about 40 dB. This was tackled by increasing the volume during loud passages and reducing it during quiet ones, to which the dynamic range would increase. A tone-operated gain adjusting device, or "Togad," was built that varied the volume of the replayed sound under the control of a tone of varying amplitude. This device was the predecessor of the automated mix-down systems found in modern recording studios.
Fantasound set-ups
Ten different Fantasound setups were built and tested during its development. As many as several hundred designs were detailed on paper, each with different equipment combinations.
The Mark V system, the first installed at Burbank, was in operation for one day. Though the equipment operated correctly, the system failed because the personnel could not remember the correct configuration from one rehearsal to the next. The crew then developed the simpler Mark VI setup that consisted of three stage speakers, three program tracks and a three-tone control track. The first serious dubbing of Fantasia was attempted on this system. The Mark VII was the first to be manufactured by RCA that closely resembled the Mark VI, but included tone rectifier modifications. The Mark VIII system was a rearranged version of the Mark VII. A log-log tone rectifier designed by RCA replaced the linear tone rectifier used in the Mark VII. The second dubbing of Fantasia was done through this system. Following the installation of a stand-by channel, this equipment was installed in New York City for the film's premiere.[18] Two further systems were developed after the film's opening. The arrangement of the Mark IX setup was changed and two sets of rear speakers were manually switched in to supplement or replace the left and right front speakers at several points in the film. In the Mark X, the switching and level changes in the rear speakers are done automatically using a thyratron and mechanical relay system operated by means of notches on the edge of the film. This was developed by Disney engineers C. A. Hisserich and Tickner. Disney became an early customer for the newly established Hewlett-Packard company when it ordered eight of its Model 200B oscillators to test the Fantasound systems.[19]
The following table summarizes the different Fantasound setups, panning methods and speaker placement described before:
Fantasia roadshows with Fantasound, 1940–41
Fantasia debuted as a
Fantasound never expanded beyond the initial roadshow engagements in New York, Los Angeles (where the automatic Mark X system was used), Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington, Minneapolis, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Eight of the roadshow engagements used the Mark IX systems.
End of roadshows and development, 1941
Garity and RCA's Watson Jones ended the roadshows in 1941, and later gave these reasons:
- The amount of equipment required and the time necessary to make the installation.
- Because of the time element, attractive theaters were not available to Disney, as the first-class houses in the various communities had established policies and the installation of the equipment would generally require keeping the theater "dark" for a few days.
- The advent of wartime conditions precluded the possibility of developing mobile units that would have lessened installation time and costs.
- The variation in the regulations throughout the country, both as to operating personnel and local ordinances, materially affected the operating and installation costs.
- Limited space in many projection rooms was a major problem.
In April 1941,
On February 26, 1942, an Academy Honorary Award was given to Disney, Garity, Hawkins and RCA for their "outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia".[25]
Legacy
Fantasound marked the first use of the click track, overdubbing of orchestral parts, and simultaneous multi-track recording. Almost a fifth of the film's budget was spent on musical recording techniques.
Fantasia was re-released multiple times, with the full-length version making a return to theaters in 1946. Stereo sound was not restored until its 1956 release when it was also presented in SuperScope, an anamorphic widescreen format similar to CinemaScope. To create the stereo soundtrack the original tracks were transferred across telephone lines from the optical Fantasound equipment to the new magnetic recording equipment. These were housed in separate buildings and could not be brought together. This wire transfer resulted in some loss of treble response, but the copies retained the original dynamic range.
For Fantasia's 1982 issue, the original recordings were abandoned altogether and a completely new soundtrack was recorded using digital stereo technology in Dolby Stereo, conducted by Irwin Kostal, who later composed the score for Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983).
The original soundtrack returned when Fantasound was also recreated in Dolby Stereo for the film's 1990 theatrical release. Disney audio engineer Terry Porter spent six months restoring the Stokowski soundtrack. He used remastering technology to remove some 3,000 pops from the four-track magnetic copy from 1955, with tools also used on phasing, hiss and distortion. "I proposed to management that we could piece the soundtrack together...in a way that re-created the impact of the original roadshow. When we play it back...it exactly simulates the way their equipment played in the theaters...back then." The result, named "Fantasound 90," was only set up in two theaters, one each in New York City and Los Angeles.[26] The six-channel surround print that Porter created was also used as the basis for the master soundtrack of the film's DVD release on November 14, 2000.[10]
For Walt Disney Pictures' 2016 film version of The Jungle Book, director Jon Favreau and composer John Debney sought to recreate the Fantasound experience Disney had in mind. When mixing the soundtrack in Dolby Atmos, as Favreau said, "we isolated instruments when we could. And in the sound mix, we created a Fantasound mix. If you see the film in Atmos, you will feel that there are instruments that move around the theater."[27] A mention for Fantasound appears in the film's closing credits.
Personnel
The following is a list of persons who were acknowledged by Garity and Hawkins in a 1941 article for their "suggestions and assistance in the development of Fantasound":[28]
- C. O. Slyfield
- W. C. Lamb, Jr.
- Charles A. Hisserich
- H. M. Tremaine
- P. J. Holmes
- Melville Poche
- H. J. Steck
- E. A. Freitas
Further reading
- Fantasound (1941)
- Experiences in Road-Showing Walt Disney's Fantasia (1942)
- The Future of Fantasound (1942)
References
- ^ a b c d e Solomon, Charles (August 26, 1990). "Fantastic 'Fantasia' - Disney Channel Takes a Look at Walt's Great Experiment in Animation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ "Leopold Stokowski, Dr. Harvey Fletcher and The Experimental Recordings of Bell Laboratories". stokowski.org. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ a b c Fanning, Jim (December 2, 2010). "15 Fascinating Facts About Fantasia". D23 - The Official Disney Fanclub. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ Garity and Jones (1942), pp. 6-7
- ^ a b c d Garity and Jones (1942), p. 7
- ^ "Stokowski signed for Disney films". The Evening Independent. January 25, 1939. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Andrew R. Boone, "Mickey Mouse Goes Classical", Popular Science, January 1941, pp. 65–67.
- ^ Artner, Alan G. (September 23, 1990). "Conductor's Sound Innovations Make The Most Of The Music". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Garity and Jones (1942), p. 9
- ^ a b Shepherd, pp. 3–6.
- ^ Plumb (1942), p. 16
- ^ Telotte, p. 39.
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 144
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 128
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 130
- ^ a b c Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 140
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 141
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 142
- ^ "Timeline: History of Hewlett-Packard". Fox News. February 9, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
- ^ Alexander, Max (September 30, 1990). "Disney Sweeps the Dust Off 'Fantasia' at 50". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
- ^ Janusonis, Michael (September 30, 1990). "A Fantastic 'Fantasia'". The Providence Journal. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
- ^ Churchill, Douglas W. (April 28, 1941), "RKO Will Distribute Goldwyn Productions and Acquires Rights to 'Fantasia'", The New York Times
- ^ Thomas, Bob (September 28, 1990). "'Fantasia' success delayed". The Press-Courier. Oxnard CA. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ Goldmark and Taylor, p. 88.
- ^ Holden, p. 584.
- ^ Ryan, Desmond (October 5, 1990). "Stokowski Restored Old Orchestra Sound Is Found In New 'Fantasia'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
- ^ Reif, Alex (April 15, 2016). "Fantasound Returns in 2016 with the Jungle Book". Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Garity and Hawkins (1941), p. 146
Sources
- Garity, William E.; Hawkins, J. N. A. (August 1941). "Fantasound". Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. 37. United States. doi:10.5594/J12890.
- Garity, William E.; Jones, Watson (July 1942). "Experiences in Road-Showing Walt Disney's Fantasia". Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. 39. United States. doi:10.5594/J09876.
- Goldmark, Daniel; Taylor, Yuval (2002). The Cartoon Music Book. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-55652-473-8.
- Holden, Anthony (1993). Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-70129-1.
- Kerins, Mark (2010). Beyond Dolby (Stereo): Cinema in the Digital Sound Age. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-22252-7.
- Plumb, Edward H. (July 1942). "The Future of Fantasound". Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers. 39. United States. doi:10.5594/J09877.
- Shepherd, Ashley (2003). Pro Tools for Video, Film and Multimedia. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-59200-069-2.
- Telotte, Jean-Pierre (2008). The Mouse Machine: Disney and Technology. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07540-7.