It wasn't until the SQ processed test pressings came in a week or so later that the heartbreak set in!
Just to bolster fredblue's case for Rick Derringer's quad albums, a picture from Jim Reeves' website, which has a lot of neat vintage studio pictures including the CBS/Columbia studios.
"Larry Keyes at his CBS Quadraphonic Suite 4th floor room 414 with
Rick Derringer and Al Lawrence. Larry was not only a great all-around
engineer, but highly knowlegable about electronics and designed this
Quad room built in-house for him by the CBS R&D staff."
The neat thing about this picture is that it shows Derringer obviously had some level awareness of the quad mixes of his albums, and maybe involvement even. I think the prevailing wisdom up until somewhat recently had always been that quad mixes were like bastard stepchildren, farmed out to second-rate engineers who weren't ready for prime time. The more of these old quad mixes that come out in digital formats that don't compromise the presentation of the mix due to their deficiencies, the more this myth is being dispelled which I'm really happy about. Guys like Larry Keyes were involved from the earliest Columbia quad mixes (Sly's Greatest Hits) right up to the last ones (The Isley Brothers 'Go For Your Guns' LP pictures that Fred posted the other day have his name in the credits) and regardless of style or genre, they're uniformly excellent which is no small feat.
Also, check out that 'Columbia Quadraphonic Records and Tapes' poster in the background - I'd kill for one of those!
I also found this short biography about Larry in a newsletter from his alma mater:
I would expect that many artists and producers sat in with Larry Keyes during a quad mix and consulted along the way.
I suspect that maybe the lads in R.E.M. would have.
Really? I know the albums say the mixes were approved (or something to that effect) but judging by Stipe's comments about R.E.M. demos and the way some of the mixes take the life out of the tracks, I'd hope not. Or that there was a DAW to file error.
I'd like to think that it would be like sitting with Elliot Scheiner during the playback of his 5.1 mix of your album, but I wonder how many artists actually did. I suspect that maybe the lads in R.E.M. would have.
Oh, I don't know. I thought that they could have been involved as I thought the mixes were well done and that perhaps the band had some input into the process. I have not read anything on the matter. Wildly speculating here. My apologies!
My apologies!
If you have a little snoop around QQ threads and Polls you'll see Aquamike's not a fan of the R.E.M. 5.1's..
AFAIK, most artists that have worked with Elliot Scheiner on surround mixes have generally been hands-off for the most part, maybe just coming in to hear the final mix and making a few small suggestions, but the vision of the mix is largely his. A few times that hasn't been the case like when he worked with Brian May and Queen on "A Night at the Opera" or when he mixed Beyonce's latest album in surround.
I don't like to mention it though
You had to mention that you don't like to mention it..!
I have a copy..and the decoded SQ LP files!I'd be very happy to hear the SQ LP of Rick Derringer's "Spring Fever" - flaws and all - if I could find a friggin' copy...!!!!
I have a copy..and the decoded SQ LP files!
Who did Abraxas, and were any of the Santana quads done by Larry Keyes?
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