Sorry for bumping an old thread but I just got this release today and my "quad" mix, is actually a 5.1 mix, with information in all 6 channels. From screenshots earlier in this thread, it looks like some discs actually were 4 channel quad mixes. Can anyone point me to which release has the proper 4 channel quad mix? (even if it sounds like garbage) Thanks!
Welcome to the forum! The audio information in the center & sub channels on this disc is actually derived from the four corner channels, probably via a center extraction plugin (or mono summation of the front channels) and low-pass filter. There are numerous surround discs out there that use transfers of the '70s quad mixes, but for some reason the mastering engineers feel the need to 'manipulate' them to 5.1 by adding synthesized center & sub content.
Unfortunately, this disc--which uses a poor-sounding needledrop of the quad vinyl rather than the discrete 4-channel master tape-is the only official release of the Paranoid quad mix. The best version out there is a fan-made transfer from the 7.5 IPS quad reel-to-reel.