Santana Lotus - Stereo SACD from Audio Fidelity (Dec 2016)

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Is the quad mix actually decent?

I don't remember the conversion I had as anything special.. but if I may just give you this proviso = if it was an SQ decode thru a common or garden decoder and not a Tate or a software decode, etc., then I don't know what it was supposed to sound like, maybe properly decoded it's great!

Oh and I've not got around to decoding my Japanese Lotus LPs thru the SQ vinyl Surround Master, they don't look in such amazing shape tbh (though the whole set was like £9 on eBay so mustn't grumble) also there's too many (literally hundreds of) other old Quads I want to do first, I've still got a stack of SQ and QS records to do which are taking priority right now, sorry I can't be of more help.
 
Kap'n is right, all versions of this album are SQ encoded, but there was no Q8 of this released anywhere.

There were a bunch of these Japan-only SQ live releases that I think were all single-inventory SQ which makes me wonder if the guy mixing them mixed straight to an SQ encoder, rather than creating a 4-channel master and then deriving an SQ encoded stereo master from that. Some of the ones I'm thinking of include:

And then there is the Wake Up Everybody album by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. SQ only release in the 1970's (no Q8) but the 4 Channel Tape exists and was used for The Collection on Audio Fidelity Multichannel SACD.... :)
 
And then there is the Wake Up Everybody album by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. SQ only release in the 1970's (no Q8) but the 4 Channel Tape exists and was used for The Collection on Audio Fidelity Multichannel SACD.... :)

So there's at least a chance AF could release the Wake Up Everybody Quad on Surround SACD?
 
And then there is the Wake Up Everybody album by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. SQ only release in the 1970's (no Q8) but the 4 Channel Tape exists and was used for The Collection on Audio Fidelity Multichannel SACD.... :)

What Adam says... ;)
 
Yes, 4-earredwonder. have you heard back from Mr. Blonstein about the supposedly, Santana - Lotus?
 
I have a suspicious feeling that this live concert was in fact recorded and encoded to SQ at the source, and an actual 4 channel discrete master may not exist. It will be very interesting to see if AF can locate a quad master.

I would bet this release will be SQ encoded stereo only, but hey, you never know. If it is, don't jump down Marshall's throat on this one. He is clearly trying to locate this master if it does indeed exist.
 
I'm at
I have a suspicious feeling that this live concert was in fact recorded and encoded to SQ at the source, and an actual 4 channel discrete master may not exist. It will be very interesting to see if AF can locate a quad master.

I would bet this release will be SQ encoded stereo only, but hey, you never know. If it is, don't jump down Marshall's throat on this one. He is clearly trying to locate this master if it does indeed exist.

Really??? I could see him not clearly looking for the quad master, and had decided a whike back that a three LP set is excessive costs to remaster in 4-chan. If RTF and WR were not in quad for SACD, then a triple as asking for a lot.

How do you see it that he is clearly seeking quad?
 
He asked me if I had any idea where he might find it! :)

I wonder if the people at Sony Japan who have been doing those Jeff Beck Quad SACDs in 7" packaging might know the whereabouts of the Lotus Quad masters?

(On a tangent, sorry Jon not meant as a derail but while I've got your ear here and Marshall has your ear too.. might there be any faint glimmer of hope convincing Marshall to do RTF & WR in Surround at all.. please?) :eek:
 
I wonder if the people at Sony Japan who have been doing those Jeff Beck Quad SACDs in 7" packaging might know the whereabouts of the Lotus Quad masters?

(On a tangent, sorry Jon not meant as a derail but while I've got your ear here and Marshall has your ear too.. might there be any faint glimmer of hope convincing Marshall to do RTF & WR in Surround at all.. please?) :eek:

I don't think that a quad discrete master ever existed, but I could be wrong. As for BS&T GH, RTF, and WR, believe me, I feel your pain, but am helpless to do a thing. If The Mavin can't do it, I certainly can't.
 
I'm at

Really??? I could see him not clearly looking for the quad master, and had decided a whike back that a three LP set is excessive costs to remaster in 4-chan. If RTF and WR were not in quad for SACD, then a triple as asking for a lot.

How do you see it that he is clearly seeking quad?

I do think Jon and steelydave might well be on the money and there never was a 4-ch discrete master for Lotus but.. no harm trying to find it.. and Marshall is clearly trying to utilise a 4-ch master on this one from what Jon is saying! Fingers crossed! Lotus.. free at last from its matrix encoded shackles...! Maybe!

(Trying.. not.. to.. get.. my.. hopes.. up.. :eek: )
 
I don't think that a quad discrete master ever existed, but I could be wrong. As for BS&T GH, RTF, and WR, believe me, I feel your pain, but am helpless to do a thing. If The Mavin can't do it, I certainly can't.

Thanks Jon :)

Knowing how big on surround Brian Moura is, I'll bet he tried everything he could to persuade Marshall to do BS&T GH/RTF/WR in Surround.. *sigh* Oh well, just another "missed opportunity" I guess..!

Hopes currently on lukewarm for Lotus.. even if no 4-channel master ever existed for it, at least it'll all be in Hi-Res for the first time, in which case I'll buy it and decode the livin' daylights out of it with the Surround Master, no vinyl declicking and all that codswallop! Yippee! :eek:
 
None of this is really sounding that promising, but then again, I learned not to get my hopes up after what happened with both "Tale Spinnin" and "Musicmagic".

Then again if a 4-channel master tape cannot be found, then it's better to have a stereo-only release from that outcome than one in which 4-channel master tapes are available but not utilized.
But if this will be a multichannel SACD with a discrete Quad mix remastered from the original tapes, then this title had better sell by the truckloads.
So many people on this forum have been clamoring for more Santana releases in surround sound, so I had better see every single one of those people in line to get this on day one, or we can kiss our lovely AF Multichannel SACDs adios!
 
None of this is really sounding that promising, but then again, I learned not to get my hopes up after what happened with both "Tale Spinnin" and "Musicmagic".

Then again if a 4-channel master tape cannot be found, then it's better to have a stereo-only release from that outcome than one in which 4-channel master tapes are available but not utilized.
But if this will be a multichannel SACD with a discrete Quad mix remastered from the original tapes, then this title had better sell by the truckloads.
So many people on this forum have been clamoring for more Santana releases in surround sound, so I had better see every single one of those people in line to get this on day one, or we can kiss our lovely AF Multichannel SACDs adios!

In other words...
(unlike sesquipedelian moi to be so economical and use only 7 words when an essay will do :eek: )

"Put your money where your mouth is!" :D

I like the cut of your jib! :upthumb
 
I have a suspicious feeling that this live concert was in fact recorded and encoded to SQ at the source, and an actual 4 channel discrete master may not exist. It will be very interesting to see if AF can locate a quad master.

Could be. Based on past experience, if the 4 Channel Tape exists, Sony Music U.S. or Sony Music Japan probably has it and will locate it.
 
It would seem incomprehensible to me that LOTUS was encoded into SQ during the actual concert........analagous to a CD~4 encode being done 'on the fly.' A concert of this magnitude surely originated on multitrack analog tape and from these tapes the discs were encoded into SQ.

Bri the Mav surely knows but isn't telling.........and I still haven't received my usual prompt email (reply) from Marshall regarding the status of LOTUS (perhaps he's on vacation or isn't going to spill the beans THIS time).

At any rate, to encode SQ during a live concert recording when I'm sure it was multitracked doesn't seem logical.....unless Columbia Records had a SUPER DUPER SQ PROFESSIONAL encoder at the actual event .....as the SQ decoders built into the receivers of the time REALLY SUCKED!
 
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