When did dual inventory (Mono/Dolby A Stereo) prints cease to be a thing.

[Steve Guttag]

The only dbx prints I recall, and I don't know how widespread they were was Nine-to-Five.

[Sam Chavez]

The screenings I did were straight mag and if DBX encoded, it certainly wasn't noted. DBX encoding was not subtle so the side effects would have been obvious. Not saying it didn't happen in some instances but someone would have to provide the DBX decoder. Could have used a Sensurround box but I don't know if there was a version that supported more than a mono input. "Callan" was on the list of early releases but I can't recall in any order the titles. The list was certainly part of Dolby history and Ioan used to show a slide with that list in his shows or lectures.

[Gordon McLeod]

Sinbad the eye of the tiger Listomania had dolby mono prints up here

[Gordon McLeod]

Gordon,

I commented on this film previously and I set up a couple of mag screenings. No Dolby NR or DBX encoding in my experience. Maybe why it sounded so bad. LOL. Charles Durning was the highlight of the film.

We played it at the Varsity in toronto with DBX. I remember it as it was the last filmshown on the Simplex mag penthouses on the centurys (with a KT 30 and Dolby cp50 systemand quintaphonic box still in the rack) before hte V8 3570 ent in with the cp200

[Marcel Birgelen]

It was always Dolby-A. You may be thinking of "Dolby System" which was the generic name applied to Dolby noise reduction before there were choices. If you look on a CAT22, you'll see the Dolby System logo but in text "Type-A" noise reduction.

Don't forget SPARTACUS. Also multi-channel (pre Dolby).

I know they used "Type A" for the production of "A Clockwork Orange", I didn't know if the system was known by that name back then though. But looking it up: Dolby A was introduced in 1965, so yes, by then it was already called "Dolby A".

According to what I could find on-line, Callan (1974) was apparently the first "Dolby Mono" release.

[Steve Guttag]

It was always Dolby-A. You may be thinking of "Dolby System" which was the generic name applied to Dolby noise reduction before there were choices. If you look on a CAT22, you'll see the Dolby System logo but in text "Type-A" noise reduction.

Don't forget SPARTACUS. Also multi-channel (pre Dolby).

I wonder if Sam Chavez knows what movies actually were released in Dolby Mono. The era of the 364/E2 combination predate my cinema time.

[Marcel Birgelen]

And yet, I consider the 2001:ASO to be an outstanding soundtrack from Stanley Kubrick and it wasn't mono; quite the opposite. Wasn't "Clockwork Orange" Dolby-Mono or something like that?

From what I remember, Dolby noise reduction (which later became "Dolby Type A") was used during production/mixing of the soundtrack (in mono), but the prints (at least the original releases) contained a standard optical soundtrack.

Also, from what I've read, Kubrick's dedication to mono was based on that he was obsessed with how his movies eventually would be presented in the theater. With many theaters lacking proper equipment for stereo sound, he focused on making it sound as good as possible in mono. The sole exception was, of course, 2001, although that release pre-dates Dolby Stereo. Eyes Wide Shut technically doesn't count, because the mix was created after he died, but apparently, he did a crash-course on "stereo sound editing" and considered a stereo or multi-track mix for Eyes Wide Shut right from the beginning.

[Sam Chavez]

I believe Steppenwolf was the first Dolby Mono in the US and Canada. Dolby had a tech, Goerge Schowerr (sp) who installed a Dolby E2/364 package all over North America, among them some art houses where he would do a couple of locations a day. He would arrive with a giant steamer trunk with assorted audio cables for breaking into the sound system, be it a Cinemaccanica or who knows what, between the pre amp and power amp. I'm amazed by the dichotemy of the 2001, vs. films in Mono. There was probably some financial aspect that rushed the spot production. Certainly the case with Barry Lyndon, shot largely in natural light.

[Steve Guttag]

And yet, I consider the 2001:ASO to be an outstanding soundtrack from Stanley Kubrick and it wasn't mono; quite the opposite. Wasn't "Clockwork Orange" Dolby-Mono or something like that?

[Sam Chavez]

Gordon,

I commented on this film previously and I set up a couple of mag screenings. No Dolby NR or DBX encoding in my experience. Maybe why it sounded so bad. LOL. Charles Durning was the highlight of the film.

[Gordon McLeod]

Universal stayed with 4 track mag for along time issuing Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in Mag with DBX noise reduction

[Michael Coate]

I recall attending an industry event hosted by Ioan Allen which included a screening of a reel from Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” that had been re-mixed in Dolby Stereo in an effort to convince Kubrick to go with Dolby on his forthcoming films. Interesting experiment but apparently not convincing enough as Kubrick continued to make his stuff in mono.

[Sam Chavez]

Kubrick was a special case for sure. He was close to Ioan Allen of Dolby but he never got around to doing a release in 35mm Dolby Stereo even though there were stereo elements. Seems he was more of a picture guy, IMHO.

[Mike Babb]

This stuck in my head for some reason, not dual, but mono only. Full Metal Jacket 1987.

Runtime	1 hr 56 min (116 min)
Sound Mix	Mono | Dolby Digital (re-mastered version)
Color	Color
Aspect Ratio	1.33 : 1 (Full Screen) 1.37 : 1 (negative ratio) 1.66 : 1 (theatrical ratio - Europe) 1.78 : 1 (Blu-ray) 1.85 : 1 (theatrical ratio - US & UK)

[Lyle Romer]

As a related question, at what point did all major releases become quad format (SRD, DTS, SDDS)? I remember a few minor studio titles that were SRD only even towards the end of the film era.