Old Biker Pete and Randy B are both correct, just different situations.
I have worked in a situation where I was doing colour printing with about 10 different enlargers, no electronic aids at all, just a quick test strip, run it through the machine, use viewing filters for adjustments, another test, then usually colour was nailed and a full print was done.
With a home darkroom you basically need consistency to save precious paper and chemicals, so one resorts to some kind of system or machine.
You need to be able to make a correct colour print before you can tell an analyser what is correct, there is only one system I have seen that enables you to get a correct colour balanced print, the late Bob Mitchell's "COLORBRATOR, for color negatives", is the best thing out there I have seen and have used.
I transcribe the blurb on the (sort of) A5 booklet and package:-
"A single trial print from the SPECIAL COLORBRATOR TEST NEGATIVE will allow you to program your analyzer for NEUTRAL COLOR BALANCE, IMAGE D-MAX and SKIN COLOR."
Bob's Colorbrator does do what he said it would do. I had personal correspondence with Bob not too long after he announced the release of this little gem of a darkroom aid.
My personal preference for the perfect set-up, my own in fact, is for a trio of things to aid in near perfect results first go, each time you hit the darkroom.
Firstly, Bob Mitchell's COLORBRATOR.
Secondly, a Wallace EXPO/DISC which will give you a perfectly exposed and true grey negative.
Thirdly, to analyse your Expo/Disc exposed negatives under the enlarger, consider a Jobo Colorstar analyser. I have the original Colorstar analyser.
The Jobo Colorstar is the only analyser I know of that measures all three colours at the same time, using a simple but ingenious system of two sliding levers.
The system works like this:-
You get correct colour using the Colorbrator to calibrate your enlarger settings for a certain batch of paper. Once you have achieved that, you place the Jobo probe under the negative and calibrate the analyser with the neutral grey segment known to be correct, this will take about 5 seconds.
Out in the field when shooting colour negative film, you place your Wallace Expo/Disc on your lens, point it at the light source, set the camera metering system to automatic, trip the shutter. You then shoot away to your hearts content at your chosen subject, until the light changes. Once the light changes, whack the Expo/Disc on the lens, point it at the light source, put the camera onto automatic, trip the shutter, then resume normal shooting.
When you get back into the darkroom, set the analyser to the correct settings for the paper you have analysed. Place any negative in your enlarger and compose your print.
Remove your negative and replace it with your Wallace Expo/Disc negative that was exposed when you shot your negative you wish to print into the enlarger. Place the Jobo probe under the Expo/Disc negative, then turn the dials on the enlarger until all of the lights on the analyser go out.
You have just set the correct colour balance for the negative you are going to print. You simply place your scene negative into the enlarger, focus, print and develop. If correct procedure has been observed, then you will have a correct colour balanced print.
Finer points of the systems are correct print density, but that is for another time.
One thing to remember with colour negative printing is how colours are arrived at, basically.
You change the Magenta and Yellow filters in the colour head to add or subtract, yellow, blue, magenta and green. The red and cyan colours, are arrived at by density changes when the other two colours are correct.
If a print is too light, (not enough density) then it will start to go cyan, if it is too dark, (too much density) then it will start to go red.
Mick.
