Britannia sounds for Garry but don't hold your breath

[markw]

I suspect the reason why a lot of early newsreel or promo film sounds have to be treated with a pinch of salt is a lot of filming for newsreels or other similar film productions used silent film even into the 1960s so sound effects had to be dubbed on afterwards. Given many of the films were going to have music and narration added I suppose it made sense to use non-sound equipped kit but it does mean that many of the films have odd sound effects added afterwards. The majority of people working in La La Land have no idea what type of plane (or train or bus) is on screen which is why we still get Merlin powered Piper Twins, Inter-City 125s sounding like American Amtrak diesels, and modern low-floor buses apparently powered by AEC Routemaster engines (all of which I've heard in the past fortnight on British TV despite significantly more modern technology...) so it's probably best to exercise a bit of caution.

[TobyV]

Not a lot to go on, but sounds in the original clip (except for the silly piston startup sound thats been added in) do seem to sound similar to the brief bits you get in these clips:

Taxiing sound inbetween music and speaking - sounds like a scaled up Dart:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=39969

Flypast - sounds to be dominated by the jet efflux rather than the prop:
http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=30284

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=35000

[Garry Russell]

HI Toby

These were the dubbed sounds mentioned above, The bottom link is the sound of a Viscount on take off.

The Farnborough sounds like a jet fighter and not at all soundong like other Farnborough flypast clips I've seen of Britannias.

The noise was very prop orientated..those 16 footers made themselves known. Same size on the CL-44 which was bigger than the Vanguard and gave a lot more prop noise on the 44 over the Vickers machine.

Minefield with these old clips as they are either dubbed or, as in the early Farbrorough of types I do know and are genuine, the sound recording of the time did not capture the true sound very well.

Garry

[TobyV]

Oh well, sorry. Thing is I remember seeing a clip of a Britannia doing a fly past (with what I thought was a realistic sound - i.e. a large turboprop that sounded different to others I knew). Britannia has never been a personal favourite for me so I didnt bookmark it or save a copy. Are there any other aircraft that have the same engine? CL-44 - might be one of those on FL350.com? SRN.4 Hovercraft?

[Garry Russell]

The Proteus that the Britannia used was on the Princess fliyng boat anf the SR4 Hovercraft

The comparison betwen the CL-44 and The Vanguard above was because they both used Tynes.....not at all klike the sound of a Proteus and a much bigger engine too.

But as touched on I have sen many clips of, for example, Viscounts that are Viscounts but don't sound right due the recording limitations.

So if there is a genuine Brit recording the chances are they are not accurate but I wouldn't know as I never heard one in real life.

It does seem that on taxying there was a bit of prop flutter and a hissing turbine plus the sound of the prop slipping ina and out of beta.

Garry

[DaveB]

BUT there is that odd high pitch whine like the Vanguard from the inner engines.

Sri Leif.. I'm very much au fait with Vanguard Tynes and the sound of all four of those winding up sounds like a Vanguards 1 & 4.. first at low ground beta then at high ground beta in the final part of the clip. As they reach the 'top end' of low ground beta.. they sound like that.. yaffling at the bit Nice find though.. not seen that clip before

ATB

DaveB

[DispatchDragon]

Thanks Dave

The 44 had EDCs on the inners and I thought that might make the same sound as the Vanguard -- as Garry said
the 44 like the Brit had ALOT of prop noise seems a shame that there are so very few sound bites of the Proteus
Tynes are twoapenny



Leif

[DaveB]

Yup.. seems odd doesn't it.. so few Tynes yet so many clips. The Brits feature 'in passing' on the Avion London Heathrow series (50's/60's and 60's/70's) and the Proteus is a very different sounding beast. I don't think there's enough on either DVD to get a decent soundset from though

ATB

DaveB

[Garry Russell]

Do they still run up the Kemble Brit?????

I was told they only ran one but the site implied it was a multi engine run. One prop is in feathered position ,most of the recent pics

Garry

[DispatchDragon]

I asked them about ohhh 18 months ago Garry
The answer I got was they only had ONE running (thats probably the one you see feathered)
\
I could have sworn at the time there was a clip on you tube but I cant find it.

I think the reason so many are dubbed (besides the fact that alot of Pathe stuff was filmed silent then overdubbed is "they" didnt think it
sounded enough like a turboprop......as you said it was all prop noise -- Brian Hs insight into hearing the brakes "tinkling" on take off says it all
once the props passed you you heard very little. And before it got to you would hear this deep rushing sound - as I said before I remember sitting on
the hill opposite the end of 26 at Luton many many years ago -- (when it was still open land) and watching a BAL Brit take off -- you saw it first then heard the sound (this was at 0430 of a summer morning) the fact that we lived at the bottom of the hill at Luton for five years and heard EVERY other takeoff
you very rarely heard a Brit -- just saw them in all their majesty -- as Peter Mc says they were a HELL of a lot noiser inside --(again prop noise) and later
no insulation or sound proofing in cargo conversions. However on the flight deck they were very very quiet all you heard there was airstream noise.


Leif