Dolby A

Dolby A is a sound format that incorporates a Dolby A-Type noise reduction process. It is used in many aspects of analog recording but for the purposes of Sprocket School we will be talking exclusively about its use with 35mm stereo optical track prints and 35mm/70mm film prints with magnetic soundtracks. It is a 4 channel format- left, center, right and surround.

 It was in use from approximately 1975 to 1986, when it was largely replaced by Dolby SR.

It is important for projectionists to be able to distinguish between Dolby A and Dolby SR because different circuitry within the sound processor is required to play them back correctly. If you playback Dolby A as SR or vice versa, it will not sound correct.

Via the [Dolby Stereo] Wikipedia page: "The optical soundtrack on a Dolby Stereo encoded 35 mm film carries not only left and right tracks for stereophonic sound, but also—through a matrix decoding system (Dolby Motion Picture matrix or Dolby MP[1]) similar to that developed for "quadraphonic" or "quad" sound in the 1970s—a third center channel, and a fourth surround channel for speakers on the sides and rear of the theater for ambient sound and special effects. This yielded a total of four sound channels, as in the 4-track magnetic system, in the track space formerly allocated for one mono optical channel. Dolby also incorporated its A-Type noise reduction into the Dolby Stereo system."

Dolby A noise reduction is a process in which the dynamic range of a recording is compressed, and then expanded upon playback via a Dolby sound processor. In basic terms, during noise reduction a compressor boosts the quiet parts and reduces the loud parts while an expander makes the loud parts louder and quiet parts quieter. Dolby SR (spectral recording) applies a different compression and expansion characteristic to each frequency band. Dolby A applies the same one to all the bands. This is part of why it sounds bad when you playback an A-type track with Dolby SR noise reduction. You (or rather the Dolby processor) is applying the incorrect expansion characteristic. The expander does not match the compressor!

Visual Identification

Dolby A is difficult to distinguish from Dolby SR by sight. Like with aspect ratios it is best to use multiple sources in order to help inform your decision, including things like the production year of the print, any labels identifying format on the print itself, on the leader, or in the credits. Country of origin, whether the film was a hollywood production or low-budget independent film. Here are some tips on telling them apart:

• First, make sure it's not a mono print with two variable area tracks. This is very common. It's safe to say that any film made before 1975 will be a mono print. There are some cases where mono films were re-released later on with remastered Dolby tracks, but these usually are fairly well labeled and easy to identify. There are many films released in mono post-1975, especially foreign titles or films made with smaller budgets. Look at the two tracks closely, with mono prints they will be identical. With Dolby A or SR prints the tracks will be the same in some spots and differ in others. Check areas that have music in them, the credits at the end of the film are often a good spot.
• Many studio films made between 1975 and 1985 will have Dolby A tracks. If the tracks look different at any point, you can rule out mono.
• Some (but not all) films with Dolby A tracks will display the word "Dolby" - or "Dolby Stereo" rather than "Dolby SR" - with the Dolby logo in the end credits. But be careful, just because you see one of these in the credits of the film does not guarantee that it is A Type or SR. Some films were released as both mono and stereo prints, or a film may have been re-mastered and released as SR but was originally mono. Seeing the logo in the credits is just another clue to be used with alongside other sources of information.
• Some (but not all) films with Dolby A tracks will display the words "Stereo" on the edges of the film leader.

=Auditory Identification

If you are still unsure, the best way to identify whether you need to play something as Dolby A or Dolby SR is to run a reel and listen. Stand in the room where the film is being played, close enough that you can hear well. It's harder to do this using a booth monitor. Have someone else switch between A and SR if you cannot do it yourself while in the auditorium. Follow the below tips and it should become fairly obvious what is correct.

• A played as SR: the expander does not match the compressor. It will sound bright, tinny, and sibilant.
• SR played as A: Dolby indended SR to be backwards compatible ("reasonably well"). Though the expander and compressor don't match, so it will not sound very good. It's a little harder to identify than A played as SR. It will sounds dull and flat, because you're not getting the full dynamic range of the recorded track. This likely will be more obvious in scenes with music or a lot of sound, rather than dialogue only.
• Mono as A or SR: you're putting it through an expander (it was never compressed, recorded with 30db dynamic range). This will sound pretty obviously incorrect. Sounds exaggerated, loud, and very harsh.

• 

  Dolby Stereo logo.

• 

  Dolby Spectral Recording logo (SR)

External Links

• Wikipedia: [Dolby Stereo]
• Wikipedia: Dolby SR
• Wikipedia: [Dolby Pro Logic]