Biggest single surround release?

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Yes I got the email about the CW show as well…still my fav of all time is Winterland ‘78 and my next favorite live concert although not Bruce is Aerosmith ‘75 live in Central Park man….they used to ROCK better than anyone back then and the recording is BAR NONE!!!
Those 78 shows were amazing. Love the Roxy shows as well. Could never really fall in love with Aerosmith. Right behind live Bruce for me would be Elvis Costello or Tom Petty. But we're now getting off topic. :)
 
I have to admit that the first Post sounded like this was going to be a major selling artist and many people here have speculated the same. Unfortunately, this is not the case. So, I’m not so excited by this Thread anymore and will move on.
Sorry if I misled you with the initial post; that certainly wasn't my intent. I simply assumed that most people on QQ already know the kind of bands/artists I work. I concede that the wording I used could incite wishful thinking on the part of those who don't, so I apologise again.

...however, I would like to question your logic, if I may?
Why on earth would such a monumental body of work *not* excite you unless it's by a "major selling artist"?

If collecting surround music since 2002 has taught me anything its to buy and listen to bands and artists that I would otherwise never have heard of. As well as discovering some truly epic surround mixes, I've also discovered several dozen new artists and bands, many of whom are now firm favourites.

But, more importantly; the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with are every single bit as good musicians, recording artists and engineers as any "major selling artists." The product is/will be easily as good, and quite probably better than any major label release. Furthermore, these guys really believe in surround as a medium for getting their music across: It's their personal, artistic decision to produce surround mixes, often with borderline commercial cases or even at a personal loss. It's not a faceless marketing decision by a major label to further line the nests of bands that arguably don't really need even more money.

Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.
 
Sorry if I misled you with the initial post; that certainly wasn't my intent. I simply assumed that most people on QQ already know the kind of bands/artists I work. I concede that the wording I used could incite wishful thinking on the part of those who don't, so I apologise again.

...however, I would like to question your logic, if I may?
Why on earth would such a monumental body of work *not* excite you unless it's by a "major selling artist"?

If collecting surround music since 2002 has taught me anything its to buy and listen to bands and artists that I would otherwise never have heard of. As well as discovering some truly epic surround mixes, I've also discovered several dozen new artists and bands, many of whom are now firm favourites.

But, more importantly; the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with are every single bit as good musicians, recording artists and engineers as any "major selling artists." The product is/will be easily as good, and quite probably better than any major label release. Furthermore, these guys really believe in surround as a medium for getting their music across: It's their personal, artistic decision to produce surround mixes, often with borderline commercial cases or even at a personal loss. It's not a faceless marketing decision by a major label to further line the nests of bands that arguably don't really need even more money.

Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.

Neil, you have encapsulated in these few lines of prose what QQ Forum and the surround community at large have meant to me, personally. Discovering NEW music by otherwise once anomymous musicians who as you stated: "the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with ARE EVERY SINGLE BIT AS GOOD MUSICIANS, RECORDING ARTISTS AND ENGINEERS AS ANY MAJOR SELLING ARTIST!"

Fellow QQer's, just look over your surround collection and you can agree with Neil that there are a LOT of favorites which otherwise would have remained out of reach had they not contained the words MIXED IN SURROUND!

Would you have otherwise ever heard of Porcupine Tree or for that matter Steve Wilson??????? And even the maligned Silverline Label has unearthed some treasures which I still play to this very day and enjoy immensely.
 
Sorry if I misled you with the initial post; that certainly wasn't my intent. I simply assumed that most people on QQ already know the kind of bands/artists I work. I concede that the wording I used could incite wishful thinking on the part of those who don't, so I apologise again.

...however, I would like to question your logic, if I may?
Why on earth would such a monumental body of work *not* excite you unless it's by a "major selling artist"?

If collecting surround music since 2002 has taught me anything its to buy and listen to bands and artists that I would otherwise never have heard of. As well as discovering some truly epic surround mixes, I've also discovered several dozen new artists and bands, many of whom are now firm favourites.

But, more importantly; the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with are every single bit as good musicians, recording artists and engineers as any "major selling artists." The product is/will be easily as good, and quite probably better than any major label release. Furthermore, these guys really believe in surround as a medium for getting their music across: It's their personal, artistic decision to produce surround mixes, often with borderline commercial cases or even at a personal loss. It's not a faceless marketing decision by a major label to further line the nests of bands that arguably don't really need even more money.

Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.
Some of the most interesting music and best surround mixes have come from bands that don't have big contracts, and aren't necessarily 'house-hold' names, and we've had some releases from them, such as Van de Graff Generator, Gentle Giant, Robert Reed etc. so I'll definitely be buying it when it is announced.
 
Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.

Some of the most interesting music and best surround mixes have come from bands that don't have big contracts, and aren't necessarily 'house-hold' names, and we've had some releases from them, such as Van de Graff Generator, Gentle Giant, Robert Reed etc. so I'll definitely be buying it when it is announced.

Preach! You know, something important hit me when I was about to joke around for my first post in this thread and suggest an artist that might get a chuckle... I realized that the degree to which the folks on QQ are willing to give pretty much anything a spin (check out what's going on in the Apple Music Atmos thread for abundant examples) meant that I couldn't even readily come up with an obvious punch-line artist that would be out of bounds. And in that moment I realized this is something that I am so grateful for; in literally every other community I move through, online or otherwise, that's just not a thing... there's always a line drawn, always something excluded—not a general attitude of "bring it on" most of the time, and "not typically my bag, but I gave it a spin anyway and the mix is pretty sick" at worst.

So I hear you 100%, Neil—excellent points and no matter what or who it is, I'm intrigued.

But I've also had a bit more time to simmer now. Milli Vanilli? Vanilla Ice? MARKY MARK AND THE FUNKY BUNCH?!?!?!?
 
Sorry if I misled you with the initial post; that certainly wasn't my intent. I simply assumed that most people on QQ already know the kind of bands/artists I work. I concede that the wording I used could incite wishful thinking on the part of those who don't, so I apologise again.

...however, I would like to question your logic, if I may?
Why on earth would such a monumental body of work *not* excite you unless it's by a "major selling artist"?

If collecting surround music since 2002 has taught me anything its to buy and listen to bands and artists that I would otherwise never have heard of. As well as discovering some truly epic surround mixes, I've also discovered several dozen new artists and bands, many of whom are now firm favourites.

But, more importantly; the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with are every single bit as good musicians, recording artists and engineers as any "major selling artists." The product is/will be easily as good, and quite probably better than any major label release. Furthermore, these guys really believe in surround as a medium for getting their music across: It's their personal, artistic decision to produce surround mixes, often with borderline commercial cases or even at a personal loss. It's not a faceless marketing decision by a major label to further line the nests of bands that arguably don't really need even more money.

Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.
Agree 100%. I would never dismiss a smaller band just because they weren't as successful as a band that got mainstream acceptance. The only reason that I'd be more excited that something was being released by an un-named larger band versus an un-named smaller band is because that would mean that the probability was higher that I'd be very interested in it. There are smaller bands that I'd be just as excited about; the aforementioned Frank Marino, Triumph, Anathema, The Mars Volta, Tesla, Saxon, etc.. But to be honest, most of the smaller bands listed by other members in this thread, I just don't care about. It's not that I dismissed them, it's that I've heard some of their music over the years and it just didn't do it for me.
 
Agree 100%. I would never dismiss a smaller band just because they weren't as successful as a band that got mainstream acceptance. The only reason that I'd be more excited that something was being released by an un-named larger band versus an un-named smaller band is because that would mean that the probability was higher that I'd be very interested in it. There are smaller bands that I'd be just as excited about; the aforementioned Frank Marino, Triumph, Anathema, The Mars Volta, Tesla, Saxon, etc.. But to be honest, most of the smaller bands listed by other members in this thread, I just don't care about. It's not that I dismissed them, it's that I've heard some of their music over the years and it just didn't do it for me.
TRIUMPH now that would be awesome along with MAX WEBSTER!!
 
I think this 55 SACD MC set takes the cake in terms of biggest release (in size).
R-12250217-1531421546-7411.jpeg.jpg
 
Sorry if I misled you with the initial post; that certainly wasn't my intent. I simply assumed that most people on QQ already know the kind of bands/artists I work. I concede that the wording I used could incite wishful thinking on the part of those who don't, so I apologise again.

...however, I would like to question your logic, if I may?
Why on earth would such a monumental body of work *not* excite you unless it's by a "major selling artist"?

If collecting surround music since 2002 has taught me anything its to buy and listen to bands and artists that I would otherwise never have heard of. As well as discovering some truly epic surround mixes, I've also discovered several dozen new artists and bands, many of whom are now firm favourites.

But, more importantly; the smaller bands that I've been lucky enough to work with are every single bit as good musicians, recording artists and engineers as any "major selling artists." The product is/will be easily as good, and quite probably better than any major label release. Furthermore, these guys really believe in surround as a medium for getting their music across: It's their personal, artistic decision to produce surround mixes, often with borderline commercial cases or even at a personal loss. It's not a faceless marketing decision by a major label to further line the nests of bands that arguably don't really need even more money.

Please don't dismiss the smaller bands doing surround releases; they're hugely personally invested in the process, they believe in the format, they know that we and QQ exist and are keen to please. Plus, they really, really need our support.
For those of us that are relatively new to QQ can you educate us re: some of your past endeavors?
If only to leave us a trail of breadcrumbs to help narrow our guesses? Thanks in advance 👍
 
Preach! You know, something important hit me when I was about to joke around for my first post in this thread and suggest an artist that might get a chuckle... I realized that the degree to which the folks on QQ are willing to give pretty much anything a spin (check out what's going on in the Apple Music Atmos thread for abundant examples) meant that I couldn't even readily come up with an obvious punch-line artist that would be out of bounds. And in that moment I realized this is something that I am so grateful for; in literally every other community I move through, online or otherwise, that's just not a thing... there's always a line drawn, always something excluded—not a general attitude of "bring it on" most of the time, and "not typically my bag, but I gave it a spin anyway and the mix is pretty sick" at worst.

So I hear you 100%, Neil—excellent points and no matter what or who it is, I'm intrigued.

But I've also had a bit more time to simmer now. Milli Vanilli? Vanilla Ice? MARKY MARK AND THE FUNKY BUNCH?!?!?!?
Along those lines… Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers?!?!
 
For those of us that are relatively new to QQ can you educate us re: some of your past endeavors?
If only to leave us a trail of breadcrumbs to help narrow our guesses? Thanks in advance 👍
Sure.

To date I've been involved as a play tester for pretty much every one of Robert Reed's major surround releases, including all his solo work, most of the Magenta surround catalogue as well as his Cyan, Kompendium, Kiama, ChimpanA, Cursus 123430 and The Ringmaster projects.

I've had a much more "proactive" role in Bruce Soord's many projects, such as his solo material, the more recent Pineapple Thief albums, and his work for others (many also on the Kscope label) like Anathema, Tim Bowness, Fire Garden, Ghost Community, Gong, Riverside, Opeth, Katatonia etc. (By "proactive" I mean that I was very influential in his early days as a surround engineer: As well as play testing, I was initially helping/coaching him to develop his approach to mixing - things like using discrete placement, where best to position things in the surround field, mixing vocal harmonies in surround, being light on compression etc. )

I also played a similar role but even more "proactive" with Rob Aubrey (Big Big Train) and Max Reed (The Enid.)

I don't want to create the impression that the release I am currently involved with will necessarily be by one of these engineers/artists, but this should give an idea of the kind of thing it is going to be...

(Not related to the subject, but I should also stress that the engineers I mention above all quickly "out grew" me. I still help now and again with placement suggestions, but they make 99% of the mixing decisions these days, and hand me a virtually complete, good to go mix!)

[Edit: Added a few more artists, after checking my play testing notes history.]
 
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Sure.

To date I've been involved as a play tester for pretty much every one of Robert Reed's major surround releases, including all his solo work, most of the Magenta surround catalogue as well as his Cyan, Kompendium, Kiama, ChimpanA, Cursus 123430 and The Ringmaster projects.

I've had a much more "proactive" role in Bruce Soord's many projects, such as his solo material, the more recent Pineapple Thief albums, and his work for others on the Kscope label, like Anathema, Riverside, Katatonia etc. (By "proactive" I mean that I was very influential in his early days as a surround engineer: As well as play testing, I was initially helping/coaching him to develop his approach to mixing - things like using discrete placement, where best to position things in the surround field, mixing vocal harmonies in surround, being light on compression etc. )

I also played a similar role but even more "proactive" with Rob Aubrey (Big Big Train) and Max Reed (The Enid.)

I don't want to create the impression that the release I am currently involved with will necessarily be by one of these engineers/artists, but this should give an idea of the kind of thing it is going to be...

(Not related to the subject, but I should also stress that the engineers I mention above all quickly "out grew" me. I still help now and again with placement suggestions, but they make 99% of the mixing decisions these days, and hand me a virtually complete, good to go mix!)

Great resume, Neil. I have many of those Surround releases and can attest to their enduring place in my burgeoning music collection.

At the very least, we now know, for certain, that you're NOT the Fifth Beatle! 😃
 
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Sure.

To date I've been involved as a play tester for pretty much every one of Robert Reed's major surround releases, including all his solo work, most of the Magenta surround catalogue as well as his Cyan, Kompendium, Kiama, ChimpanA, Cursus 123430 and The Ringmaster projects.

I've had a much more "proactive" role in Bruce Soord's many projects, such as his solo material, the more recent Pineapple Thief albums, and his work for others on the Kscope label, like Anathema, Riverside, Katatonia etc. (By "proactive" I mean that I was very influential in his early days as a surround engineer: As well as play testing, I was initially helping/coaching him to develop his approach to mixing - things like using discrete placement, where best to position things in the surround field, mixing vocal harmonies in surround, being light on compression etc. )

I also played a similar role but even more "proactive" with Rob Aubrey (Big Big Train) and Max Reed (The Enid.)

I don't want to create the impression that the release I am currently involved with will necessarily be by one of these engineers/artists, but this should give an idea of the kind of thing it is going to be...

(Not related to the subject, but I should also stress that the engineers I mention above all quickly "out grew" me. I still help now and again with placement suggestions, but they make 99% of the mixing decisions these days, and hand me a virtually complete, good to go mix!)
I think it’s fantastic that these engineers trusted you to give the perspective of the educated fan of surround and a bridge to the preferences of us here on this forum. Even better that they progressed to developing their own skills and style as a result. The more engineers that can get that kind of perspective, the better. You did good, and thank you!

(Do you think you could do the same for Richard Chycki?)
 
I think it’s fantastic that these engineers trusted you to give the perspective of the educated fan of surround and a bridge to the preferences of us here on this forum. Even better that they progressed to developing their own skills and style as a result. The more engineers that can get that kind of perspective, the better. You did good, and thank you!

(Do you think you could do the same for Richard Chycki?)

Methinks Dick Chycki is still grappling with the transition from MONO to STEREO!
 
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