Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or (in the case of headphones and multiple loudspeakers) channels are fed from a common signal path. In the case of multiple microphones the paths are mixed into a single signal path at some stage.

Monaural sound has been replaced by stereo sound in most entertainment applications. However, it remains the standard for radiotelephone communications, telephone networks, and Audio induction loops for use with hearing aids. A few radio stations, particularly of the talk radio variety, choose to broadcast in monaural sound, as a monaural signal has a slight advantage in signal strength over a stereophonic signal of the same power.

History

Monaural sound is normal on:

Incompatible standards exist for:

Compatible monaural and stereophonic standards exist for:

No monaural standards exist for:

At various times artists have preferred to work in mono, either in recognition of the technical limitations of the equipment of the era or due to a simple preference. This can be seen as analogous to film makers working in black and white - such as John Mellencamp's 2010 album, ''No Better Than This'', recorded in mono just like the mid-20th century blues and folk records it emulated were. Some early recordings such as The Beatles first four albums - ''Please Please Me'', ''With The Beatles'', ''A Hard Day's Night'', and ''Beatles For Sale'' - were re-released in the CD era as monophonic in recognition that the source tapes for the earliest recordings were two track, with vocals on one track and instruments on the other (even though this was only true on the first two, while the later pair had been recorded on four-track). This was actually intended to provide flexibility in producing a final mono mix, not to provide a stereo recording, although due to demand this was done anyway and the early material was available on vinyl in either mono or stereo formats. In the 1970s, it was common in the pop world that stereophonic versions of mono tracks were generated electronically using filtering techniques to attempt to pick out various instruments and vocals, but these were often considered unsatisfactory due to the artifacts of the conversion process.

Many of Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen's movies are shot in mono due to their director's preferences.

Monaural LP records were eventually phased out and no longer manufactured after the early 1970s. During the 1960s it was common that albums were released as both monaural LPs and stereo LPs, occasionally with slight differences between the two (again detailed information of The Beatles' recordings provide a good example of the differences). This was because many people owned mono record players which were incapable of playing stereo records, as well as the prevalence of AM radio. Because of the limited quantities pressed and alternate mixes of several tracks, the monaural versions of these albums are often valued more highly than their stereo LP counterparts in record collecting circles today.

On 9 September 2009, The Beatles re-released a remastered box set of their mono output spanning the ''Please Please Me'' album to ''The Beatles'' (commonly referred to as the "''White Album''"). The set, simply called ''The Beatles in Mono'', also includes a two-disc summary of the mono singles, B-sides and EP tracks released throughout their career. Also included were 5 tracks originally mixed for a ''Yellow Submarine EP'' but never released. Bob Dylan followed suit on October 19, 2010 with ''The Original Mono Recordings'', a box set featuring the mono releases from 1962's ''Bob Dylan'' to 1967's ''John Wesley Harding''.

See also

Category:Sound Category:Sound technology

Biography

Wishing to return to the east coast, Clark served as accompanist for singer Dinah Washington in February 1957 in order to relocate to New York City. In New York, Clark was often requested as a sideman by many musicians, partly because of his rhythmic comping. He frequently recorded for Blue Note Records, playing as a sideman with many hard bop players, including Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Clifford Jordan, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Art Taylor, and Wilbur Ware. He also recorded sessions with Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Billie Holiday, Stanley Turrentine, and Lee Morgan.

As a band leader, Clark recorded albums "Dial "S" for Sonny" (1957), "Sonny's Crib" (1957), ''Sonny Clark Trio'' (1957), with Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, and ''Cool Struttin''' (1958). ''Sonny Clark Trio'', with George Duvivier and Max Roach was released in 1960.

Clark died of a heart attack in New York City, although commentators attribute the early death to Clark's drug and alcohol abuse.

Close friend and fellow jazz pianist Bill Evans dedicated the composition "NYC's No Lark" (an anagram of "Sonny Clark") to him after his death, included on Evans' ''Conversations with Myself'' (1963). John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Ray Drummond, and Bobby Previte recorded an album of Clark's compositions, ''Voodoo'' (1985), as The Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Zorn also recorded several of Clark's compositions with Bill Frisell and George Lewis on ''News for Lulu'' (1988) and ''More News for Lulu'' (1992).

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Lou Donaldson

With Curtis Fuller

With Dexter Gordon

With Bennie Green

With Grant Green

With Johnny Griffin

With John Jenkins

With Clifford Jordan

With Jackie McLean

With Hank Mobley

With Lee Morgan

With Ike Quebec

With Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse

With Louis Smith

With Stanley Turrentine

With Don Wilkerson

References

Book sources

Category:1931 births Category:1963 deaths Category:Hard bop pianists Category:Mainstream jazz pianists Category:Bebop pianists Category:Post-bop pianists Category:West Coast jazz pianists Category:American jazz pianists Category:Deaths by heroin overdose in New York Category:People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Category:Musicians from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Category:Blue Note Records artists Category:Xanadu Records artists