For decades the NBCUniversal StudioPost Audio Restoration department has been dedicated to the restoration and preservation of audio in a manner that maintains the integrity of the original film. Our teams of editors and mixers have worked on hundreds of classic films and television shows (domestic and foreign) not only from the Universal Studios vaults, but for clients from other motion picture studios and music archives around the globe (some of these include The Film Foundation, The Library of Congress, Sony Pictures, Disney/ABC Studios, The Frank Sinatra Estate, The Peggy Lee Estate, 20th Century Fox and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). Titles showcasing our audio work are featured at film festivals and exhibits around the world.
The StudioPost Audtio Restoration team prides themselves on continuously testing, evaluating and employing the most advanced audio tools and techniques available to repair or reduce various problematic anomalies embedded in damaged and worn audio tracks. As we continue to mine and preserve the Universal Studios vaults and work with other studios in restoring the audio of their films and soundtracks, the team is always mindful of preserving the integrity of the original masters along with protecting the aim of the original filmmakers.
Some of the tools we employ in our audio restoration work include:
- Sondor machines with Resonances Audio Scanning Package for digitizing (currently 1 of only 2 operating in the U.S.)
- Albrecht machines for digitizing
- ProTools 11
- iZo tope RX
- Cedar tools
Available audio restoration and services for large or small scale preservation projects include:
- Physical element inspection, repair and prep for capture
- Audio format and quality evaluation reporting/recommendations
- Digitization of elements at sample rates up to 24bit, 192kHz
- Restoration processing for the removal and/or reduction of crackle, pops, bumps and other anomalies
- Restoration mixing and EQ to reduce broadband noise, including hiss, hums and background set noises
- Production dialogue processing and noise minimization
- Music restoration and mastering
- Music removal and replacement
- Multi-channel (5.1 and 7.1) Upmixing
- DCP prep and creation
- Archiving to various formats along with digital file delivery of audio upon project completion
For inquiries contact:
Peter Grives - Manager, Audio Restoration
818.777.3631 / peter.grives@nbcuni.com
Noted below are just a few of the hundreds of titles we’ve worked on over the years. For a more expanded list please click on the Audio Restoration Credits bar highlighted in green below.
- Love Parade (1929)
- All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
- Dracula (1931)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- The General Died at Dawn (1936)
- Arise My Love (1940)
- So Proudly We Hail (1943)
- Double Indemnity (1944)
- A Foreign Affair (1948)
- The Heiress (1949)
- To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
- The Birds (1963)
- Shenandoah (1965)
- Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
- The Sting (1973)
