May 18, 1974
RCA Sets New 'Q' Drive
By ELIOT TIEGEL
LONDON-
RCA, under it's new management team, is infusing new life into the quadrasonie medium.
The company is exploding on a number of fronts with 4-channel developments, all of which indicate a new drive and enthusiasm for the medium.
At a series of demonstrations for executives attending IMIC-5, RCA announced the release of 50 LP's before the end of 1974, the development of a new vinyl compound, which is being offered gratis to the chemical industry, and the issuance of a line of modular under $500 player components.
The latter will be released through the RCA consumer electronics division and will probably debut to coincide with the Consumer Electronics Show in June.
RCA Records officials attending the 4-channel demonstrations could not provide any information on the number of units nor the exact price range of the equipment.
Two years ago when RCA (along with JVC and Panasonic) debuted the discrete quadrasonic LP at
IMIC-4 in Acapulco, RCA was represented with a small number
players. Now the intention is to get into the hardware field with a bevy of models and the undercurrent one gets is that the record division under its new president, Ken Glancy, and its vice president for music service.
David Heneberry, are bullish about promoting as well as merely releasing 4-channel albums.
Since IMIC-4, RCA has released 52 4-channel albums, 15 during the first quarter of this year. Heneberry noted that the first 24 releases were in a single inventory situation since the intention was to eliminate stereo and quadrasonic stocking situation.
“But record dealers, following their experience, stocked 4-channel in the back in a section marked
‘quadpasonic.’ Not in stereo,” Hen-eberry said. So the attempt to sell a on-record concept failed. Notes Heneberry: "We have to admit we did not do an adequate job of educating dealers." This should be changed, Heneberry notes, since the company plans to work with those dealers who show an interest in building their quadrasonic business.
Still, one of the claims for the Quadradisc (that it is compatible with normal stereo equipment) holds up strongly, Heneberry claims, pointing to the Elvis Presley "Aloha From Hawaii” LP of which one million double sets were The LP was only released in 4-channel and Heneberry says that 95 percent of the people playing the disk are doing so on standard stereo equipment.
There have been no complaints about the stereo reproduction from consumers, Heneberry claims.
In recapping the involvement of the discrete disk. Heneberry pointed to the Warner/Elektra/Atlantic group's releasing 30 LP's with 25 more due shortly and another 25-50 due this year. And Enoch Light's Project Three label has issued 22 discrete disks.
As for the new vinyl formula, Heneberry indicated these characteristics: exceptional wear capabilities, superior audio properties and a high degree of stability during molding conditions.
RCA is contacting major American chemical suppliers about meeting with its manufacturing director to review the development. Participating in the musical demonstration was Claude Nobs, WEA's European relations chieftain, who played cuts from LP's by the Doobie Brothers, Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Mingus (called the first jazz record in CD-4) and Aretha Franklin. RCA artist Hugo Montenegro, in his own demonstration, exposed the audience to "the creative potential of quadrasonic sound."
He explained how sound, time, space and motion are new tools for the composer, adding: "the most startling concept I had to learn is I don't write for your ears. I write for your brain." He explained how audio perception and psycho acousties are involved in perceiving sound, then played cuts from his new 4-channel LP "Hugo In Wonderland," as well as cuts from his four other quadrasonic LP's.
The music effectively demonstrated how sound can move, expand and contract and totally engulf the listener. And it was a totally successful means of sonically demonstrating how good quadrasonic sound can and should sound.
On the studio equipment level, Atsutaka Torio of the Victor Music Publishing Co. of Japan announced a new Mark II cutting demodulator which is a third generation model and will be available in the U.S. in September. And on the hardware level, Irwin Tarr of Panasonic indicated that as models from 11 manufacturers were on the market in Japan and that a new IC chip has reduced the size of demodulator units.
A JVC official further indicated that worldwide there are 46 OEM firms making CD-4 players, each tied to a 10-year licensing pact with an automatic five-year renewal. He skirted answering what the licensing fee is per unit. Tarr said Panasonic will be setting up demonstration centers. 200 major dealer outlets as well as mounting advertising campaigns on TV, radio and in the print media. Panasonic and JVC are exporting player units to 74 countries.
On the software front, RCA's Heneberry indicated the company plans importing 4-channel LP's into a number of European countries this summer to bulwark already existing quadradiscs. "England has the greatest immediate potential," Heneberry said.
In the area of cartridges, Tarr noted there is a new Titanium Shibata stylus, with a Panasonic representative citing $65 for a semi-conductor model while a JVC representative pointed to a $49 unit.
JVC is also working on a ceramic cartridge which would be much cheaper than existing models.
