How to Use a Super 8mm Voice Projector

Super 8mm voice projectors were very popular in the 1970's. They were an improvement on the regular 8mm tapes that were made in the 1950's and 1960's. Many people still have old super 8mm tapes lying around in their homes. It is a fun and educational experience to bring out those old tapes and record new sound over the old soundless tapes. Operating a super 8mm voice projector is easy, and it takes very little time and effort.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Super 8mm voice projector
• Microphone
• Super 8mm tapes
• Electric outlet
• Blank wall
• Dark room
• External speakers

1. Purchase an old Super 8mm video player. The most common place to find these is online. There are many different versions of a super 8mm player, so it is important to be careful when purchasing one. Super 8mm voice projectors are fairly rare. It is important to make sure that the one that you buy has sound capabilities.

2. Examine the machine once it arrives at your house. Find out if the projector that you purchased has built-in speakers, or if it needs external speakers to work properly. Make sure you have a microphone and speakers that fit the jacks that are on the super 8mm video projector. These will also probably have to be purchased online.

3. Plug the speakers and microphone into the appropriate jacks. Plug the video projector into the wall. Place a blank tape on the projector and attach the end of the tape to the take-up reel. Each projector is a little different. It is important to examine the one you bought to find the right way to attach the tapes.

4. Turn on the projector. Press the record button. Speak into the microphone with whatever dialog you want to preserve. The sound will be recorded on the 8mm tape. It is possible to record sound on top of tapes that have video already on them. However, once the sound is recorded, it is impossible to erase it without destroying the whole tape.

5. Play back the sound clip that you have made. It should come through the external speakers, if you hooked them up or the built-in speakers, if the projector came with them. The quality of the recording will not be very good at all, but you will have an authentic sound quality like they had in the 1970's.

6. Watch all the old super 8mm tapes on your super 8mm voice projector. It is always fun and interesting to look back on old recordings. With the addition of sound, you can create a whole new form of entertainment for the entire family.

Tips & Warnings

• Plan out what you are going to say before trying a recording session.
• Never record sound on a tape unless you want it to remain on that tape forever. It is impossible to remove sound once recorded onto a tape.