Page 26 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

Where it all began. The original Kershaw.

output. Like all Kalee amplifiers they increasing the slit height in the sound know of, nearly fifty years. Gears
were reliable and had excellent head. This put more light on the cell rarely needed replacing and film
specifications for the time. and increased the signal to noise ratio sprockets of hardened steel lasted for
(The sound from a photoelectric of the first stage. When Dolby Stereo years and years. They were easy to
cell reading an optical soundtrack required extension of the upper keep clean with plenty of space in the
tends to distort or ‘drop off’ at the frequency response from the sound threading path and surfaces finished in
higher frequencies in the audible head, these slits had to be reduced. enamel. The main weakness was
range. The so-called SMPTE curve is No doubt there were teething tendency toward a slight lateral weave
a means to boost the treble and problems with gear stripping and film when the gate blocks wore, nearly all
compensate for the drop off.) The scratching with the one and only of which was removed by the steady
most common method at the time was model 21 plant in N.Z. The Kalee 20 rollers.
to build equalisation into the pre- and 19's had the benefit of minor In the sixties Kalee introduced an
amplification stage, but the Kalee modifications and ran for years with idea from the thirties - a projector
equipment produced this roll off by only routine servicing - in one case I with the sound head incorporated with

26 2002 CINEMARECORD