Sound Track
sound track
[′sau̇nd ‚trak]Sound Track
a signal track obtained as a result of sound recording.
Sound tracks may be classified according to the physical phenomena used in recording and the characteristics of the information recorded. The first category includes mechanical (phonograph records), photographic, and magnetic sound tracks, obtained by means of mechanical recording, photographic recording, and magnetic recording, respectively. In the second category, for example, sound tracks may be classified as monophonic, stereophonic, or quadraphonic, depending on the spatial pattern of the sound sources (seeMONOPHONIC SOUND RECORDING and STEREOPHONIC SOUND RECORDING). The number of tracks usually ranges from one to four; in special cases, for example, when recording orchestral and choral music, a sound track may consist of up to 20 or more separate tracks. (See alsoRECORDING AND REPRODUCTION OF INFORMATION.)