Q-Sound Recordings

[Bonzodog]

Desper is great. I wonder what he thinks about his mixes through a matrix decoder?
Thanks for the links! There was a good interview with him on The Flame website which seems to have gone missing. It had talk about mixing while monitoring in the Hafler speaker configuration.

Very talented enginer.

Too bad he had the fight with Q Sound.

http://www.courtlistener.com/cafc/4Tuf/desper-products-inc-and-spatializer-audio-laborato/

It’s unfortunate when emerging technologies spend their time up fighting each other in court instead of spending their time working on their inventions.

 

[artwwweb]

I have found that Q-Sound recordings decode exceptionally well with an SQ decoder.

I only heard of Q sound a few months ago, and then by chance I saw Madonna's Immaculate Collection in a charity shop for 50p. (There's probably a copy in every charity shop for 50p.) I tried it in stereo and there were a few definite bits of surround action. Nothing to get excited about in these bluray days, but interesting for a purely stereo CD playback. But then I tried with PLII (music mode). Wow! I do not have an SQ decoder, but even in PLII, this is, as Cai said, exceptional. Wonderfully discrete and a great mix - drums, vox and other bits up front, BVs, percussion, sfx in the rear. When I've heard PLII before it's always a "well, it's better than nothing" feeling, but this is amazing.

 

[The Rang]

I’ve always thought Sting’s Soul Cages was great in Q Sound even in stereo, will try it PLII

 

[jimfisheye]

I have found that Q-Sound recordings decode exceptionally well with an SQ decoder. For those unfamiliar with Q-Sound, it is a mastering process that is supposed to offer a more three-dimensional sound presentation in a conventional stereo system. I don't know about that, but they sure decode well in quad!

For more info on Q-Sound, check out this link:

www.qsound.com

Anyway, Q-Sound in audio mastering has been around since 1991. I tried to find a Q-Sound discography but came up empty handed. Through further searching, I was able to cobble together this list:

- Luther Vandross - Power of Love/Love Power
- Madonna - The Immaculate Collection
- Pink Floyd – Pulse
- Richard Wright – Broken China
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (soundtrack)
- Roger Waters – Amused To Death
- Sting - The Soul Cages

I was surprised by the lack of titles! Is this it? Are there any others that anyone here knows of?

I was under the impression that this is not an after the fact alteration done in mastering but an integral part of the mix system. Monitored in Q-Sound while mixed. Everything I've read mentions actively monitoring while mixing.

I'm only familiar with the Roger Waters title. My impression from the original release on the CD format was... that I didn't really hear anything resembling surround or 3D. Listening to the 24/96 transfer of the original stereo mix from the bluray... OK, now I hear some of this if I sit in the sweet spot. The new 5.1 mix kind of makes it a moot point as it's such a better mix. But I definitely hear the 3D elements in the original stereo mix now. Heh, you also really hear where they pasted those new overdubs over the original mix! Jumps out as not being part of the original 3D soundstage.

Does it really "decode" with one of the quad decoder systems and actually match the 3D perspective of the original?

 

[artwwweb]

I recently picked up Northern Star, a CD from 1999 by Spice Girl Melanie C, because it was recorded in Q Sound. It processes really well through PLII. There's lots of discrete sounds going on in the rears and it doesn't sound random, it sounds like they're meant to be there.

Musically, it's not just different to the Spice Girls, it contains a lot of different genres on the one album, so it might not be what you expect. Sadly the recording is heavily compressed - the average DR is 6.

In the UK, they practically pay you to take this out of a charity shop (alongside a copy of Fifty Shades Of Grey) so you've pretty much nothing to lose if you want to try this.

(I don't think it mentions it anywhere on the sleeve that it's Q Sound, I only found out from the list of Q Sound discs on Wikipedia, so don't let the lack of info put you off if you see the CD in a shop. The album was reissued with two extra single mixes and that is the version I have so whether you get the original release or the reissue it shouldn't matter, they should be Q Sound.)

 

[John Svensson]

Thanks for this ArtW, you may become our resident Q Sound expert. I didn't spot the Melanie C. release listed on the wiki, may be my eye sight, but I may have to give the Madonna or Sting a whirl, have never owned either, was never a fan of her's but I do have a 45 of True Blue lurking somewhere in the collection, a guilty pleasure.

 

[artwwweb]

I didn't spot the Melanie C. release listed on the wiki

You're right, it's not listed there, my mistake. Your comment has reminded me that it's mentioned in the longer list available here: http://www.qsound.com/spotlight/users/recording-artists.htm which is worth a quick look.

 

[Muppet69]

If you read the sleeve notes on Amused To Death it says “if the dog barking at the start of the album doesn’t sound like it’s coming from your neighbors yard your speakers are out of phase”. You do need to sit in the middle for the best results especially when the rocket seems to fly over your head and explode behind you. I personally find the original mix better than the recent remix as far as effects go. It’s just more dynamic to me even though I like the sacd version.
I actually talked to a guy about eight years ago who was recently retired that claimed he was part of the team responsible for Q sound in calgary and he definitely knew what he was talking about and was familiar with the Roger Waters album.

 

[bmoura]

The QSound encoded albums also work very well with the Surround Master matrix decoder.
If you have/enjoy QSound, you will definitely want to get a Surround Master!

http://involveaudio.com/surround-master/

 

[John Svensson]

Thanks for the updated list, of course I have "Is There Anybody Out There", never knew it was Q Sound. Has it really been almost 30 years since Wilson Philips were big? How time flies......

 

[Muppet69]

Pink Floyd-Final Cut is in Holophonic

As is Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking by Roger Waters. Apologies if this has been mentioned.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

As is Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking by Roger Waters. Apologies if this has been mentioned.

Psychic TV -Dreams Less Sweet.... is also a Holophonics recording .