I think I can answer this accurately: none. The ProSpatializer did not exist at that time. Rather, an earlier matrix encoder was used.Stephen
Do you have a list of Beach boys LPs
That you have used the ProSpatializer in the mix?
Also is Surf's Up LP ProSpatializer mixed?
Ron
lol...all that screaming from OD about ev dy and qs decoding for beach boys turned out to be pointless after all.
Rolling Stone/October 29, 1970
Brother Records... ...director of engineering, Stephen Desper... ...first compatible quadraphonic album - quad, stereo, and monaural - should be out next week.
...according to Jack Reilly, Brother's director of creative services...
"The industry, ...would just love for all of us to have to buy new equipment to get quadraphonic sound. But the Beach Boys feel it's time one company give the public what they can get without making them spend more money."
Note that besides the blurb in the original pressings of Surf's Up, there's also this article from Rolling Stone, from several months before the release of Surf's Up:
Four for the Price of Two
Rolling Stone/October 29, 1970
"LOS ANGELES - If you have a stereo system, you're a lamp cord and two more speakers away from having a quadraphonic (four channel) system.
Brother Records, the Beach Boys' label, discovered the instant conversion system when their director of engineering, Stephen Desper, read about it in a technical magazine, and their first compatible quadraphonic album - quad, stereo, and monaural - should be out next week.
The system, according to Jack Reilly, Brother's director of creative services, was developed by Dynaco, and electronics parts company in Philadelphia, and it enables consumers to bypass new tape equipment and new kinds of records to get the four-channel effect. Brother Records will include an instruction sheet with their next album releases. The first one will be by Flame, the South African band discovered by the Beach Boys in a London cabaret several months ago.
To get the quad effect in a phonograph record, Reilly said, the stereo mixdown "goes through a matrix which electronically combines and properly shifts each of the four tracks into the walls of the groove." When playing the record, the instruction sheet explains, "the stylus in the groove may move one of four says: left-center, right-center, up-center or down-center...but records have never before been mixed down in a way as to take advantage of the full range of movement by the stylus.
The listener converts his stereo amp into four-track by hooking up all four speaker outputs by either speaker wire or lamp cord.
The system, Reilly said, was successfully tested on the recently released Beach Boys' Sunflower album - two tracks, "Cool Cool Water" and "Got to Know the Woman," are actually quadraphonic - and will be used on all future Brother releases. Reilly is hoping other labels will follow.
"The industry," he said, "would just love for all of us to have to buy new equipment to get quadraphonic sound. But the Beach Boys feel it's time one company give the public what they can get without making them spend more money."
So far, most quadraphonic marketing has centered on four-channel tapes and tape systems."
not always the case. Black Sabbath did their 1970 debut album, which become iconic, in 3 days, albeit for sure, from technical view it isn't polished to perfection masterpiece.You don't record an album in a month and then release it.
well i'm not the fan of BB and never was, but thank you mr. Desper for all your works and for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. that's interesting read.
in regard of
not always the case. Black Sabbath did their 1970 debut album, which become iconic, in 3 days, albeit for sure, from technical view it isn't polished to perfection masterpiece.
b.t.w. you mentioned your works with Frank Zappa. i'm curious if you been involved into his quad experiments?
that's interesting. Frank Zappa seems was extremely innovative personality and back in 70s he had so much enthusiasm about quad format, that he even namedYes I was. I traveled as chief mixer with Frank for about a year. You will find my name on the albums as one of the engineers associated with Apostrophe* and Overnight Sensation. I will always remember Frank as a fantastic musician, a fanatical perfectionist and a real gentleman. ~swd
that's interesting. Frank Zappa seems was extremely innovative personality and back in 70s he had so much enthusiasm about quad format, that he even named
his then newly founded company DiscReet Records. he planned to release all his works in quadraphonic but sadly the commercial trend at that time took drastic
turn and nothing, beside mentioned by you albums, haven't been released, albeit officially was announced as upcoming quad "Roxy & Elsewhere" and " One Size Fits All".
rumors has it, more was prepared but no one sure, as his family seems not too kind to free out even his known quad mixes in new surround formats, let alone rumored ones.
that's sad, because Zappa's complex music just perfect candidate for surround experience.
i'm curious if you have any sort of insider knowledge about this matter?
That would mean I was in Australia with Frank Zappa when this was done. ~swd
Stephen,
I find it incredible that someone at Brother Records went to the trouble or bother to indicate "subsequent"versions of the album "Surf's Up" as being quad encoded (via Dynaquad of course.).
Is it possible or conceivable that after you left in 71 to work with Frank Zappa...someone at Brother, another engineer perhaps, encoded this disc ?
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