FOUR SIDES OF THE MOON

[JonUrban]

www.stereosociety.com/FourSides.html

How come I never saw this before????

or this

www.stereosociety.com/Quadraphonics.html


or this

www.stereosociety.com/Quadrafile.html



:-jon

 

[winopener]

Jon, i can only say a word: THANKS!

Now we can start a debate if the "true quad mix" intended by Alan Parson for DSOTM is the SQ one or the 8-track...

 

[AllAroundSurround]

I myself , Like the effects of the q8 over the sq even by the tate 101-a . The q8 is more discreet and more active in all the channels. Seperation is also better. But the source tapes are very noisey, and detracts from the over all sound! And " that fade out " just kills me ! I 've yet to get a tape worthy of a decent conversion to d.t.s. I remember dirving around in my 1968 426 Hemi Road Runner With my q8's blasting out all 4 channels. I kept it and my Quad tapes in hope of somday getting the sound better. I have 3 q8's and all have some drop out in them at some point , and wreck the sound so it's not getting done in d.t.s. till I get a copy worth the time . Still hoping thou! By the way Jon, Alan is my favorite . I love all his work ! Thanks for digging up those articles , great reading!!!!

 

[AllAroundSurround]

Jon , I was looking at the Quadrafile articule and looking at the picture. Is that the same album in the header of the site upper left corner!? Under the "Q" in Quadraphonic Quad !

 

[JonUrban]

Jon , I was looking at the Quadrafile articule and looking at the picture. Is that the same album in the header of the site upper left corner!? Under the "Q" in Quadraphonic Quad !

Yes, it is! That's my copy of Quadraphile>>>

As for DSOTM, it just proves that the illusive British Q8 was made with the discrete master reel that the Quadraphile dude stored in his piano. (Too bad he didn't loan it to Tab!) It is unbelievable to me that Capitol Records would manufacture a Q8 of a landmark album that was recorded with quad in mind and would be the "torch bearer" for the format in the lousy, horribly bland matrix decoded Q8 that they dumped on the public.

Let's face it, the Q8 was the least expensive was to experience purely discrete quad. I wonder how many people bought those cheap Clarion or Juliette or whatever one piece quad systems, then bought DSOTM as their first Q8. It was at the peak of it's long popularity at that time. They popped it in, and went, "huh"? Sure, it's surround, but can you imagine if they popped that thing into those cheap systems, heard the DISCRETE version, and went "WHOA!". Don;t you think they would have sprung for more equipment, more software, etc......

Just another example of the poor job the labels did in the '70s with Q-Fi.

One more observation, if AP created the mix with quad in mind, why is the group so admant against releasing the album in discrete DVD, DVD-A, or SACD?

:-jon

 

[AllAroundSurround]

So the British q8 is the true discreet version. I'd Love to here that one! I still say there is a big difference in the U. S. q8 and the S. Q. l.p. Version Though!

 

[JonUrban]

Tab did a conversion of the British Q8. So did Cai. Cai's version has the track change in MONEY patched and sounds quite well! You might want to email either one and check them out.

You can tell the difference BIG TIME if you are listening to the UK Q8 or the US Q8.

The last time a UK Q8 sold on eBay, it went for $700!!
I know, because I bid around $500 myself, and got blown away!

:-jon

 

[Cai Campbell]

Tab and I had a discussion where we evaluated the pros/cons of the Q8 version versus the SQ version played on a laser turntable through the Tate decoder. I have to agree with his assessment that the laser SQ version has much better fidelity, sounds more natural and is easier to listen to. The Q8 version sounds almost too discrete, if that makes any sense. The individual channels are so well defined and stand out so much, that they can be distracting; drawing your attention to them and away from the overall presentation. However, the Q8 version is certainly the one to listen to if you're attempting to dissect and analyze the mix. So, both versions have a very useful purpose.

Jon, thanks for the links! They make for a very entertaining read.

 

[proufo]

Hello to all.

What's the veredict on the other PF Quad albums?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Cai Campbell]

The verdict is...

they are there.

Yep, they really are.

Seriously, what exactly are you asking? I can take a shot-in-the-dark based on the current thread and guess you are wanting to know how the Q8 versions stack up to the SQ versions. Assuming that...

Wish You Were Here SQ (laser turntable/tate version) - Outstanding fidelity, pretty darn decent quad performance, although soundstage not as "on spot" as the Q8 version.

Wish You Were Here Q8 - Outstanding quad performance with "spot on" imaging. Fidelity is quite good but not as good as the laser/tate SQ version.

Atom Heart Mother SQ (standard turntable/tate version) - Excellent, excellent, excellent! One of the best SQ performers in my opinion. Actually, one of the best quad recordings of the quad era. It's easier to appreciate this oft misunderstood masterpiece in quad. The stereo version is too muddy with activity, but the quad version breaks it out so you can really appreciate it.

Atom Heart Mother Q8 - I've never heard it.

In any event, it almost always boils down to:

SQ LP = best fidelity
Q8 Tape = best quad performance
Reel Tape = best of both worlds

Take your pick.

 

[The Quadfather]

I consider Atom Heart Mother to be one of PF's best works. It's great in quad, even SQ. Now,I only wish Meddle had been released in quad.

The Quadfather