The first ever Quadrophonic recordings
- Thread starter Fox
- Start date
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
As testament to the quality, people need to hear some of the Pentatone quad reissues on SACD. How is it that engineers could capture performances with simple recording tools so gracefully then and yet these days totally **** it up with everything that's at their disposal?
It's like giving Les Dawson a Steinway sometimes.
It's like giving Les Dawson a Steinway sometimes.
I hear very few made for surround recordings that are not exceptional. There have been some... questionable... surround mixes of formerly stereo works though.
What spurred this line of inquiry was Hildur Gudnadottir' surround mix of Leyfdu ljosinu (http://touchshop.org/product_info.php?products_id=516) which arrived and is fascinating and completely altered how I thought about the intent of composing and how one ought to be more respectful to the concepts of time and space - as she rightly reminds us these are "elements vital to the movement of sound".
I'm less interested in older recordings made surround (using things like unpack and spatialiser) but very excited about what surround means to building music from the ground up and hope to see more of this consideration in future. Leyfdu ljosinu is an absolutely viscerally engaging work in stereo but in surround it becomes fare more alive and vibrant, immersive and "whole" to my ears at least and its interesting to draw a line back through history and see where and how it started.
All grist for the mill
What spurred this line of inquiry was Hildur Gudnadottir' surround mix of Leyfdu ljosinu (http://touchshop.org/product_info.php?products_id=516) which arrived and is fascinating and completely altered how I thought about the intent of composing and how one ought to be more respectful to the concepts of time and space - as she rightly reminds us these are "elements vital to the movement of sound".
I'm less interested in older recordings made surround (using things like unpack and spatialiser) but very excited about what surround means to building music from the ground up and hope to see more of this consideration in future. Leyfdu ljosinu is an absolutely viscerally engaging work in stereo but in surround it becomes fare more alive and vibrant, immersive and "whole" to my ears at least and its interesting to draw a line back through history and see where and how it started.
All grist for the mill
Mike Reed
pfm Member
The things which killed QuadrAphonics in the mid seventies was partly the complexity of the different formats, each requiring their decoders, and the VAT hike to 25%.
However, the manufacture of cart's able to access the discrete 4 channel stuff did lead to better stylii. Mine was an Onlife (early Dv or Koetsu?); a moving coil, but probably high output (can't remember).
Only the RCA discrete records really gave a worthwhile 4 channel experience. The SQ and QS records were just glorified stereo, i.m.o.
However, the manufacture of cart's able to access the discrete 4 channel stuff did lead to better stylii. Mine was an Onlife (early Dv or Koetsu?); a moving coil, but probably high output (can't remember).
Only the RCA discrete records really gave a worthwhile 4 channel experience. The SQ and QS records were just glorified stereo, i.m.o.
JemHayward
pfm Member
I still use Hafler pseudo surround in my bedroom, it works well on some recordings. I also have the very rare quadrophonic Tubular Bells.