Dragon Box Sound Quality: My Conclusion

[kei17]

Maybe you have heard about this before. I made a topic about this in 2009 and it created some kind of a sensation.
Better Sound Quality on Original Run of DBZ in Japan

I've researched this more, then I drew my own conclusion from that.
I write all what I know here, but it might be hard to understand because my English sucks. I try my best.


First, for people don't know about this, here is an example. Check out these.
http://www.4shared.com/audio/PBcdSW2d/dbox1.html
http://www.4shared.com/audio/uDTVW7X0/or1.html

"dbox1.wav" is a direct DVD rip from Dragon Box. "or1.wav" is a VHS-rip sound from the original run in 1990. You know, or1.wav sounds far better than dbox1.wav. So why does that happen? The answer is simple. Fuji TV played the master audio tapes on the original run, and Toei didn't use them on the Dragon Box releases. What Toei used for DBOX is the soundtrack on film reel, which is called "optical sound", and it sounds horrible. Here is an image shows how optical soundtrack is printed on film.



It was normal to throw away master tape after printing optical soundtrack until the late '70s, because optical soundtrack is easier to broadcast and store. Every TV channel played optical sound even on original runs of anime. But in the end of the '70s, some TV channels began airing anime with master tape sound by playing the master tape itself with the film reel at once. In addition, Home video releases and video rental became common in the beginning of the '80s, which made anime production companies to store the master tapes, not to throw them away. This is why some of animated feature in the late '70s, such as the second series of Lupin III and first Gundam have the audio in very good quality.

However, sadly, since Toei Video had a negative attitude about releasing home video of TV series for children, they continued throwing away the master tapes because they were useless and voluminous. Toei Animation produces lots of anime TV series in the space of a year, and master tape, called "シネテープ (cinetape)" in Japan, is just as big as film reel. So such unused master tapes were just cumbersome for Toei.

Cinetape


Graphic Explanation


Some series released on VHS or Laserdisc in those days are the exception. The prime example is Sailor Moon. Toei Video released the entire series on VHS and Laserdisc during the original run (probably because of the existence of adult nerds), so today's DVD releases still have good sounds. Another example is movie. Toei Video released every anime movie including Dragon Ball series. That made them to keep the audio masters, so Dragon Box: The Movies and single movie releases have the amazing audio.

This theory can explain why FUNi's DB movie releases have bad Japanese audio track. They have access to only optical soundtrack printed on film reel, so it sounds as bad as the DBOX TV series.

In conclusion, the master audio tapes were probably thrown away, and do not exist now, so Toei and Pony Canyon had to use the optical soundtrack. This is why the DVD releases of TV series sound worse than the original run and movies.


Now, let's move on to GT. Things are different in GT. In the middle of the '90, Toei Animation began using D2 video tape. Some TV stations still have those D2 tapes, so even reruns of GT on Animax nowadays sound good. There is an exmaple of it. Toei even started recording GT episodes in stereo from episode 5 (I don't know why, but it's in mono until episode 4), but DVDs sound just as bad as DB/DBZ. D2 video tapes which have digital stereo audio track still exist, but Toei didn't use them. I don't know why, but I guess they didn't want to sync the D2 audio with the remastered new footage. Toei used D2 master for GT TV special included on the special disc (Why didn't they remaster TV Special? Did Toei lose the master film?), so they must know the existence of D2 tapes itself. Toei just didn't use them for DBOX. How lazy they are..

[Undercooked Sausage]

Reading about how we'll never get the original audio for Dragonball and Dragonball Z is always the most depressing thing. Show's like YuYu Hakusho sound leagues better than the Cell/Buu Saga epics in ran against in Japan. Didn't even The Hokuto No Ken Blu Rays in Japan have better audio than Dragonbox?

Wish Toei would field this question if they have these original audio masters or not.

[kei17]

Reading about how we'll never get the original audio for Dragonball and Dragonball Z is always the most depressing thing. Show's like YuYu Hakusho sound leagues better than the Cell/Buu Saga epics in ran against in Japan. Didn't even The Hokuto No Ken Blu Rays in Japan have better audio than Dragonbox?

Wish Toei would field this question if they have these original audio masters or not.

The old series of Hokuto No Ken has never been released on Blu-ray yet. HD remastered DVD BOX contains a digest of the story which was originally released on VHS by Toei Video, and it has the best stereo-mixed audio. TV episodes themselves sound exactly as bad as DBOX.

By the way, I uploaded sample videos from the original run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ3qoWIgfK0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puExyhnE6Fs

[Rory]

My god, that's just fucking upsetting.

[Cipher]

Well, this satisfies my curiosity as to why the Dragon Ball series, even on the Dragon Boxes, sound so noticeably more muffled than other series of the same era.

I guess I don't blame them though. They couldn't have predicted it would one day be a viable option to give the entire series a home release. The GT thing is particularly frustrating though.

[linkdude20002001]

D2 video tapes which have digital stereo audio track still exist, but Toei didn't use them.

And yet the Spanish (am I thinking of the right country?) DVDs did. Though, only for a few episodes.

[kei17]

D2 video tapes which have digital stereo audio track still exist, but Toei didn't use them.

And yet the Spanish (am I thinking of the right country?) DVDs did. Though, only for a few episodes.

Yes, that was the Spanish DVD release. I found an ac3 file someone here uploaded before. It wasn't in stereo, but sounds way better than DBOX.

[JulieYBM]

Man, this is just painful.

You said you had the all of the episodes in this quality, right? You lucky guy!

[kei17]

You said you had the all of the episodes in this quality, right? You lucky jerk!

A kind man gave me all episodes of DBZ and the first 7 episodes of DB, but they were recorded in a remote area, so they aren't in the best quality like the first example from TV special 1. Still good enough, though. After I finish ripping all episodes, I would share the audio files if you want.

[Undercooked Sausage]

That would be amazing if someone took that audio and edited it onto the Dragonbox video.

Kei17, do you have these episodes in digital or analog format(discs/files or vhs tapes)?

[JulieYBM]

You said you had the all of the episodes in this quality, right? You lucky jerk!

A kind man gave me all episodes of DBZ and the first 7 episodes of DB, but they were recorded in a remote area, so they aren't in the best quality like the first exmaple from TV special 1. Still good enough, though. After I finish ripping all episodes, I would share the audio files if you want.

*looks fearfully at mods*

That...would be incredible.

[kei17]

You said you had the all of the episodes in this quality, right? You lucky jerk!

A kind man gave me all episodes of DBZ and the first 7 episodes of DB, but they were recorded in a remote area, so they aren't in the best quality like the first exmaple from TV special 1. Still good enough, though. After I finish ripping all episodes, I would share the audio files if you want.

*looks fearfully at mods*

That...would be incredible.

Here's the entire audio of DBZ episode 30 in flac. All episodes are recorded in this quality.
http://www.4shared.com/file/disWwSr-/Z30.html

He also gave me Movie Overview Special, which is also called "TV special 3". I will make a topic about this later.

[JulieYBM]

Oh wow, thanks a bunch. This .flac is going to come in handy, I think.

The 'third TV special' is a very rare thing, so I'm looking forward to seeing that whenever you've got the free time.

[linkdude20002001]

Ooh! I can't wait to watch episode 30 while listening to this audio. Thanks, kei17!

[kei17]

Ooh! I can't wait to watch episode 30 while listening to this audio. Thanks, kei17!

Playback speed can be different, so maybe you have to change the speed to sync it with the DVD footage. In addition, NEP plays before the ending.

[linkdude20002001]

Alright, thanks.
And I always watch the NEP before the ED anyways. It's a bit of a hassle, though. What's wrong with Toei? you think the switch was a mistake? Or do they think it would confuse people who only watch new anime? -_-

[JulieYBM]

Looking at that episode #51 clip again...I'm surprised they cut to commercial after Part B. These days Fuji will do the prologue and opening, a commercial break, the title card and Part A, another commercial, Part B, the ending, and then the preview. Did they move the commercial break from the end of Part B to before Part A?

[kei17]

What's wrong with Toei? you think the switch was a mistake? Or do they think it would confuse people who only watch new anime? -_-

I think that's a mistake. The first DVD BOX of Hokuto No Ken in 2002 had NEPs after the ending as well, and they fixed that on the HD remastered DVD BOX in 2008.

[Gaffer Tape]

Alright, thanks.
And I always watch the NEP before the ED anyways. It's a bit of a hassle, though. What's wrong with Toei? you think the switch was a mistake? Or do they think it would confuse people who only watch new anime? -_-

Same here. It's become so much of a reflex for me on DBox viewings to jump ahead a scene to the NEP after the episode ends and then jump back to the credits that I almost forget that it's been switched at all.

[mister yummy]

wait, there's a third TV special now? I've gotta see this.