Listening to Now (synthesized surround - from electronically reprocessed [stereo])

[kfbkfb]

Harry Belafonte - Calypso

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1965 Vinyl release of "Calypso" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

The blurb on the back of this album says that RCA invented electronically reprocessed "stereo".

I just listened to this LP thru Dolby Pro-Logic 2 music mode, I don't know the specifics of what RCA did to give mono originals "stereophonic characteristics", it doesn't sound too weird (i. e. bass in one channel, midrange+treble in the other) in stereo or synthesized surround sound.

edit - more about the RCA system:

https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Audio/Archive-High-Fidelity/60s/High-Fidelity-1961-Mar-a.pdf#page=42

Anyone else have any electronically reprocessed stereo (probably only LPs) using the systems the other record companies used (and listened to them in synthesized surround sound - SM - DPL2 - DTS neo etc.)?


Kirk Bayne

 

[Doug G.]

I have some, including a couple of Capitol's "Duophonic" releases. I guess I never thought they sound as bad as most people feel they do, except for "High Tides and Green Grass" (the Stones first hits LP) which was done pretty poorly.

Doug

 

[kfbkfb]

aside - this LP sounds good (lots of clicks/pops due to the fact that my parents and I didn't know how to properly handle LPs) but, considering it was played almost exclusively on a (IIRC) Western Auto console stereo (w/3 tubes!) w/(high tracking force) ceramic cartridge + sapphire conical stylus, there's virtually no distortion that sounds like tracking damage.


Kirk Bayne

 

[LennonCobain]

Every major record company followed RCA and developed a method for making fake stereo. To achieve this fake stereo effect, various “tricks” were employed:

• Two separate mono signals placed in two separate stereo channels.
• The highs in one channel were stressed, while the lows in the other channel were stressed.
• The two channels were delayed a fraction of a second in speed.
• Reverberation and echo were added to fill the “hole” between the two channels.

Please note that nothing was actually recorded in fake stereo—the process was applied to mono recordings post-production, or after the fact.

Fake stereo is also known generically as electronically rechanneled stereo or simply rechanneled stereo.

Duophonic stereo is the clever name that Capitol Records coined for its fake stereo process.

Source: about those electronically reprocessed stereo albums

 

[kfbkfb]

Listened w/DPL2 music (a little surround effect), unusual that RCA re-released this ERS version during the quad era.



edit: Duophonic demo record, just found this, sounds a little better w/DPL2 music.


Kirk Bayne

 

[par4ken]

By far the best sounding "electronically reprocessed for stereo album that I've ever heard is "Hollies' Greatest Vol. 2" on the UK Parlophone label. Some tracks are listed as real stereo but others that also sound like real stereo are marked as reprocessed. Makes me wonder if some tracks are mislabelled. But all the tracks sound really good!

For the most part most fake stereo isn't worth it, better to just listen to the mono version.

 

[kfbkfb]

"Hollies' Greatest Vol. 2"

The Hollies - Hollies' Greatest Vol. 2

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1972 Vinyl release of "Hollies' Greatest Vol. 2" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

I have to ask - how do the electronically rechanneled songs sound thru your various surround sound creation devices?

(seems like this isn't available on CD in the rechanneled form)


Kirk Bayne

 

[atrocity]

Some tracks are listed as real stereo but others that also sound like real stereo are marked as reprocessed. Makes me wonder if some tracks are mislabelled.

I've got a Kiki Dee album on Philips that has the same issue. Some tracks are marked as fake stereo but absolutely are not.

I've learned just within the past couple years that some of my ancient pre-recorded reels that claim to be stereo aren't. I've got a 7-1/2 IPS Kinks Greatest Hits that sounds interesting enough but is definitely a pretty crude fake job. (To be fair, until recent years, all the fakes were "pretty crude" in one way or another!)

 

[The Rang]

Delete, wrong thread

 

[gvl_guy]

I discovered these guys because of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert." Huntertones. One of the guys, Jon Lampley, a trumpet player, is in both the Late Show Band and in Huntertones. The guys from the later joined the TV band for a week, so I looked them up online and bought a few of their CDs from their website. Just $5 each. Total bargain. (Some are available on vinyl, too.)

Huntertones are kinda pop brass Chicago-ish. Some vocals, but mostly jazzy. The incredibly talented Louis Cato, leader of The Late Show Band, joins them on this album (below.) Really fantastic! And this disc sounds like it was encoded. I swear. I ran it through both my Sansui 9001 synthesizer and the SM and both were amazing in surround! Sometimes the horns were only coming from the front. Another time I noticed one of the horns was absolutely in the left rear. On another, the fake quad did something really unique. While typically, the synthesizer would add some reverb to the rear channels, it was exactly the opposite. The front, as was mixed on the CD, had some reverb and it was removed in the rears.

This album was so pleasant to listen to. Relaxing, upbeat and fun. Highly recommend!! You'd need to buy it from their website. The album is also available on vinyl. Huntertones website: Home

 

[IMachine]

Wired Ways - Wired Ways!
Band from Germany!
Wonderful album and sound like 60s/70s.
You like Beatles in Prog? Do it!