Sound 360
Encyclopedia
Sound 360 was the name of a motion picture
sound system used by 20th Century-Fox to enhance the premiere engagements of their 1977 feature Damnation Alley
.
The format employed the standard 35mm magnetic stereo soundtracks (left, center
, right and surround
) in a unique configuration. The center channel
was directed to the usual behind-the-screen loudspeaker. The left and right channels were redirected to a pair of large full-range speakers mounted on either side of the auditorium. The surround channel was reproduced by a single full-range speaker mounted in the back. The general effect was more enveloping (and often much louder) than a standard 35mm stereo presentation, and very similar to the Megasound
process unveiled a few years later by Warner Bros.
for the film Altered States
. In addition to "Damnation Alley", the film "Damien: The Omen II" was also released in the Sound 360 process.
The 2011 DVD
and Blu-ray release of Damnation Alley will not feature a "Sound 360" audio option, as the original elements were not salvageable.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
sound system used by 20th Century-Fox to enhance the premiere engagements of their 1977 feature Damnation Alley
Damnation Alley (film)
Damnation Alley is a 1977 film, directed by Jack Smight, loosely based on the novel of the same name by Roger Zelazny. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith.-Plot:...
.
The format employed the standard 35mm magnetic stereo soundtracks (left, center
Center channel
Center channel refers to an audio channel common to many surround sound formats. It is the channel that is mostly, or fully, dedicated to the reproduction of the dialogue of an audiovisual program...
, right and surround
Surround channels
Surround channels are audio channels in surround sound multichannel audio. They primarily serve to deliver ambience and diffuse sounds in a film or music soundtrack...
) in a unique configuration. The center channel
Center channel
Center channel refers to an audio channel common to many surround sound formats. It is the channel that is mostly, or fully, dedicated to the reproduction of the dialogue of an audiovisual program...
was directed to the usual behind-the-screen loudspeaker. The left and right channels were redirected to a pair of large full-range speakers mounted on either side of the auditorium. The surround channel was reproduced by a single full-range speaker mounted in the back. The general effect was more enveloping (and often much louder) than a standard 35mm stereo presentation, and very similar to the Megasound
Megasound
Megasound was the name of a movie theater sound system created by Warner Bros. in the early 1980s. It was used to enhance the premiere engagements of a handful of Warner features, including Altered States , Outland, Wolfen and Superman II .Theaters equipped for Megasound had additional speakers...
process unveiled a few years later by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
for the film Altered States
Altered States
Altered States is a 1980 American science fiction-horror film adaptation of a novel by the same name by playwright and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. It was the only novel that Chayefsky ever wrote, as well as his final film. Both the novel and the film are based on John C...
. In addition to "Damnation Alley", the film "Damien: The Omen II" was also released in the Sound 360 process.
The 2011 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray release of Damnation Alley will not feature a "Sound 360" audio option, as the original elements were not salvageable.