Fell Into Quad

[stoopid]

...

I've just ordered my first Q4 tapes and they should be here shortly. I also have several sealed CD-4 records I collected during this renovation that haven't been played yet. I would like to back up the nice CD-4 records but especially the tapes.

1. What hardware do I need to connect my quad receiver's Rec Out rca jacks to a Macbook Pro in order to make multichannel flac backups?

2. What software do I need to record and play back multichannel flac files?

You'll need something to handle the (4) discrete analog channels as 4 inputs on the computer, then software that will allow you to assign each of those inputs to their own dedicated track so when you hit "record" it starts capturing them all simultaneously/keeps them lined up.

See if Behringer or Presonus make a 4 channel/input usb audio interface that's compatible with your Mac's operating system. I'm pretty sure Presonus has solid Mac support. I mention these two brands because they're on the lower end and you don't need anything sophisticated for basic recording i nthe manner you're looking to accomplish.

Reaper is Mac compatible and free to use, this should allow assignment and capture of the individual tracks. Garageband is available for the Mac and has multitracking capability, but I've heard it has limitations and may not allow you to capture all 4 channels at the same time.

Since I've never made a surround FLAC someone else would need to chime in with the process for accomplishing that. I'd imagine it can be done with Foobar 2000 with the correct settings or plugin.

 

[meta_noia_fot]

You'll need something to handle the (4) discrete analog channels as 4 inputs on the computer, then software that will allow you to assign each of those inputs to their own dedicated track so when you hit "record" it starts capturing them all simultaneously/keeps them lined up.

See if Behringer or Presonus make a 4 channel/input usb audio interface that's compatible with your Mac's operating system. I'm pretty sure Presonus has solid Mac support. I mention these two brands because they're on the lower end and you don't need anything sophisticated for basic recording i nthe manner you're looking to accomplish.

Reaper is Mac compatible and free to use, this should allow assignment and capture of the individual tracks. Garageband is available for the Mac and has multitracking capability, but I've heard it has limitations and may not allow you to capture all 4 channels at the same time.

Since I've never made a surround FLAC someone else would need to chime in with the process for accomplishing that. I'd imagine it can be done with Foobar 2000 with the correct settings or plugin.

Thanks so much @stoopid. Looking into all of this.

 

[armyjazzer]

I bought one of these years ago (2014) that I used on a PC. I think it is supported on MAC also:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048KM70Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Good luck!

 

[jaybird100]

Hi Everyone.

Through a tremendous amount of luck, I've fallen into quad sound. My grandfather died a few years ago, but my grandmother just got around to dealing with his quad receiver. I jumped at the chance to get his QRX-7500. I took it to a local hi-fi repair shop and it only needed basic maintenance. I was already running an AT VM750SH on a low-capacitance turntable (a stock AR "The Turntable"), so after tracking down a CD-4 adjustment disc, I was on my way.

I've got CD-4 up and running reasonably well at this point. I only have a couple quad records at this point, but the Serebrier-conducted Charles Ives' Symphony No. 4 sounds pretty excellent (it's also maybe my favorite symphonic piece). I don't have any matrix recordings yet but I've ordered one (The World of Harry Partch, which I already have in stereo and love).

I wasn't sure how much time, money, and effort I wanted to put into quad sound, but after these promising early results, I want to keep digging deeper. So what would you do from here? How can I maximize my enjoyment of the 7500? I've been experimenting with the QS Synthesizer on stereo records and that's a lot of fun. Are there other sources I could connect to the receiver besides LP, reel, or 8-track (not that I have a quad reel player or 8-track yet)?

Thanks!

You might want to try to find some QS-encoded records that fit your tastes. There are several classical albums, and plenty of rock and easy listening recordings, too. The decoder in your receiver is optimized for QS; SQ was an afterthought by Sansui, since it was a competitor's system. Using the QS synthesizer with stereo recordings can be quite an adventure, in that you'll hear things in the recordings that were "buried" when played with only two speakers. Congrats on discovering what we've known for years... QUAD RULES!

 

[Fourplay]

Just a quick hint - before spending time preserving analog quad sources, check here to see if said source has already been preserved in a digital format. Dutton Vocalion has already been mentioned, but there is the Rhino Quadio series and several other vendors who have produced classic quad recordings from the master tapes. In most cases these will exceed anything you can do to preserve the source. Then you can focus on those that are not already digital.

 

[meta_noia_fot]

Just a quick hint - before spending time preserving analog quad sources, check here to see if said source has already been preserved in a digital format. Dutton Vocalion has already been mentioned, but there is the Rhino Quadio series and several other vendors who have produced classic quad recordings from the master tapes. In most cases these will exceed anything you can do to preserve the source. Then you can focus on those that are not already digital.

I have one tape and several records that haven’t been re-released on any multichannel digital source.

 

[meta_noia_fot]

You might want to try to find some QS-encoded records that fit your tastes. There are several classical albums, and plenty of rock and easy listening recordings, too. The decoder in your receiver is optimized for QS; SQ was an afterthought by Sansui, since it was a competitor's system. Using the QS synthesizer with stereo recordings can be quite an adventure, in that you'll hear things in the recordings that were "buried" when played with only two speakers. Congrats on discovering what we've known for years... QUAD RULES!

I’ve fooled around with the QS synthesizer on some recordings. It’s fun.

Most of the matrix discs I have are in SQ, so I’ll have to track down some more QS recordings. Maybe the most prominent QS recording I have is the …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead from 2022 but I haven’t listened to it yet since my system is disassembled currently.

 

[kfbkfb]

Some QS (and SQ encoded content):

(channels are reversed on the YT audio, swap L & R)

also:
https://www.youtube.com/@nationalkid8988/videos

Kirk Bayne

 

[MidiMagic]

Hi Everyone.

Through a tremendous amount of luck, I've fallen into quad sound. My grandfather died a few years ago, but my grandmother just got around to dealing with his quad receiver. I jumped at the chance to get his QRX-7500. I took it to a local hi-fi repair shop and it only needed basic maintenance. I was already running an AT VM750SH on a low-capacitance turntable (a stock AR "The Turntable"), so after tracking down a CD-4 adjustment disc, I was on my way.

I've got CD-4 up and running reasonably well at this point. I only have a couple quad records at this point, but the Serebrier-conducted Charles Ives' Symphony No. 4 sounds pretty excellent (it's also maybe my favorite symphonic piece). I don't have any matrix recordings yet but I've ordered one (The World of Harry Partch, which I already have in stereo and love).

I wasn't sure how much time, money, and effort I wanted to put into quad sound, but after these promising early results, I want to keep digging deeper. So what would you do from here? How can I maximize my enjoyment of the 7500? I've been experimenting with the QS Synthesizer on stereo records and that's a lot of fun. Are there other sources I could connect to the receiver besides LP, reel, or 8-track (not that I have a quad reel player or 8-track yet)?

Thanks!

More sources:

CDs - many are encoded in Dolby Surround (plays in QS). Soundtrack albums often have film excerpts taken from the film.
TV sound - the stereo output of your cable box often has Dolby Surround. I am listening to this right now on the Travel Channel.
FM stereo - Often has encoded music and even commercials.
DVDs - Many of them have both Dolby 5.1 and Dolby Surround.
Records - I actually have some records (e.g. The Story of Star Wars) deliberately recorded in Dolby Surround. Movie soundtracks may also have some Dolby Surround.