Quintaphonic Sound

Quintaphonic sound is a method of recording five channels of sound on 35mm film. It was originally used with magnetic striping, on film cut and perforated in accordance with ANSI PH22.102, “Dimensions for 35mm Motion-Picture Film, CS-1870,” and striped in accordance with ANSI PH22.177, “Dimensions of Magnetic Striping of 35mm Motion-Picture Film for Four-Track Magnetic Sound Release Prints,” or their equivalent. It is compatible with the multi-channel optical sound systems under development which contain at least three separate tracks. The film must be run on projectors in conformance to ANSI Standard PH22.103, “Projector Usage of 35mm Release Prints with Four-Track Magnetic Sound Records,” or equivalent. All tracks are companded. Tracks No. 1 and No. 3 are matrixed to form the left and right front and back channels. Track No. 2 forms the center front channel. Track No. 4 was not used initially, but recently an FM track has been placed on it for low-frequency augmentation. The film can also be played stereophonically, without matrix decoding, after passing through the compander, to give conventional left, center, and right channels. It is essential that the theater sound system be in excellent condition in order to obtain proper results from this system.