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I joined this feed to comment on my current successful project to convert SQ Quadraphonic records that I’ve owned for more than 50 years into digital 4 channel surround files that I could play on my high-end sound system.
What made it practical for me was the M4 Mac Mini that I purchased on Black Friday from Costco for $500. I needed this Mac to use the Stereo Lab Audiophile app that only runs on a Mac and decodes Quadraphonic stereo encoded sound.
I used my decades old Technics SL-L3 linear tracking record player with a new Ortofon 7 stylus in the original Technics cartridge. The record player was connected to a Behringer U-Phone stereo to USB converter which plugged into a USB C hub through a USB A port and the hub plugged into the M4 Mac Mini. I used the free Audacity for the Mac app to capture the stereo signal at the best Quality settings 96000 Hz 32 Bit and exported to FLAC file at 96000 Hz 24 Bit Level 8 format. The stereo FLAC files were than added to Stereo Lab Audiophile and converted as Quadraphonic SQ Quadraphonic encoded files that were converted and dithered and saved within 1 minute per recorded record side.
The converted FLAC files were than copied to USB FAT32 formatted USB A ZIP drive to be saved and played on my gaming computer connected to my high-end HDMI connected sound system.
The results have been very satisfying so far.
 
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Hi

I am Lovecraft.

A very recent convert to surround. Prompted by the realisation of all the surround mixes I had inadvertently got due to indulging myself in all these extravagant box sets over the years. I seemed to have pushing 60 surround mixes available to me, lying unloved and untouched.

So I spent some money and now it's my current obsession, though as I am a bit late to the party, some of the stuff I want is kinda expensive....

Nevertheless, really enjoying the journey thus far.
 
Hi

I am Lovecraft.

A very recent convert to surround. Prompted by the realisation of all the surround mixes I had inadvertently got due to indulging myself in all these extravagant box sets over the years. I seemed to have pushing 60 surround mixes available to me, lying unloved and untouched.

So I spent some money and now it's my current obsession, though as I am a bit late to the party, some of the stuff I want is kinda expensive....

Nevertheless, really enjoying the journey thus far.
Welcome to the QQ group Lovecraft! Any relation to HP Lovecraft🤔?
 
Hi

I am Lovecraft.

A very recent convert to surround. Prompted by the realisation of all the surround mixes I had inadvertently got due to indulging myself in all these extravagant box sets over the years. I seemed to have pushing 60 surround mixes available to me, lying unloved and untouched.

So I spent some money and now it's my current obsession, though as I am a bit late to the party, some of the stuff I want is kinda expensive....

Nevertheless, really enjoying the journey thus far.
Lovecraft, welcome to QQ. I can’t stop chuckling at two things that you said:

“So I spent some money and now it’s my current obsession…”.

Proves that you’re definitely one of us(albeit the master of understatement)!

What are your favorite music genres, and who are favorite artists in surround? Please tell us more!

P.S.

- If you see a guy here named @GOS post a sale, jump on it!
 
Hi

I am Lovecraft.

A very recent convert to surround. Prompted by the realisation of all the surround mixes I had inadvertently got due to indulging myself in all these extravagant box sets over the years. I seemed to have pushing 60 surround mixes available to me, lying unloved and untouched.

So I spent some money and now it's my current obsession, though as I am a bit late to the party, some of the stuff I want is kinda expensive....

Nevertheless, really enjoying the journey thus far.
Welcome, and enjoy the ride. Yes, this hobby can get expensive, and I’d be surprised if there were any members here who have lists of things they want but can’t afford (yet), including me.

So hopefully it remains a hobby and not an obsession. Most of the stuff we see here can be put off, although some of the deals require you to have fast fingers and wallet.
 
Lovecraft, welcome to QQ. I can’t stop chuckling at two things that you said:

“So I spent some money and now it’s my current obsession…”.

Proves that you’re definitely one of us(albeit the master of understatement)!

What are your favorite music genres, and who are favorite artists in surround? Please tell us more!

P.S.

- If you see a guy here named @GOS post a sale, jump on it!
I'm a prog guy mainly but have a pretty wide ranging taste. Yesterday my surround mixes were KC's Islands, Genesis' Trespass and Van Morrison's Moondance. All of them were hugely entertaining listens. The KC and Genesis were two murky recordings brought into the light, both a total revelation. The Van Morrison seemed a beautifully recorded album already, but the Atmos took it to another level.

I have quite a few in my to listen pile......Animals, WYWH, Land of Grey and Pink, some Talking Heads, Dukes of Stratosphear, Zappa, Rumours, Herbie Hancock.....
 
I'm a prog guy mainly but have a pretty wide ranging taste. Yesterday my surround mixes were KC's Islands, Genesis' Trespass and Van Morrison's Moondance. All of them were hugely entertaining listens. The KC and Genesis were two murky recordings brought into the light, both a total revelation. The Van Morrison seemed a beautifully recorded album already, but the Atmos took it to another level.

I have quite a few in my to listen pile......Animals, WYWH, Land of Grey and Pink, some Talking Heads, Dukes of Stratosphear, Zappa, Rumours, Herbie Hancock.....
Sounds like you have some great listening experiences ahead, Animals and Dukes of Stratosphear in particular(personal favorites of mine). No doubt, you’ve listened to your share of Steven Wilson mixes. A number of his Jethro Tull remixes are back in print. And Paul Sinclair’s SDE series has a number of gems (it’s a good email mailing list to be on!).
 
Sounds like you have some great listening experiences ahead, Animals and Dukes of Stratosphear in particular(personal favorites of mine). No doubt, you’ve listened to your share of Steven Wilson mixes. A number of his Jethro Tull remixes are back in print. And Paul Sinclair’s SDE series has a number of gems (it’s a good email mailing list to be on!).
I've tried getting an account on the SDE website but end up in some kind of weird loop trying to sign up and then being thanked for signing up without being actually to able do so.
 
Hello All

New member here. But long, long time reader of this forum. Though I frequent forums on a variety of subjects, I rarely join them and rarely post. I'm more of a listener. I learn a lot from what other people have to say.

I'll try to keep this introduction brief. I've had this forum as a main bookmark for years. And I've been reading everyone's posts for years. So I decided it was time to finally make the leap.

How did I find QuadraphonicQuad so many years ago.

I am old enough to remember the introduction of quad in the 1970s, but since I was in high school and later a college student with little money, I could barely afford a basic stereo system. So the idea of four speakers, not a chance. So quad was not on my radar back then.

As time goes by, and stereos become home theater I slowly upgraded to 5.1 surround for watching films. (As a side note, I live in Los Angeles and work as a film editor.)

And one fateful day I stumbled upon a Pink Floyd bootleg. Dark Side of the Moon. Additionally labelled as "Alan Parsons Quadraphonic Mix". I'm curious. (I'm between jobs so I have some free time.) I get myself a copy. But it's a DVD rather than a CD. Even more curious. So I load it into my DVD player which is connected to a very basic 5.1 surround system. Instead of starting at track 1, somehow I accidentally jumped to a later track, "Time". Without exaggeration, "it blew my mind". The fidelity was great. It sounded better than my CD. But the music (that I was already familiar with note-for-note) was a profoundly new listening experience.

For the first time in years I listened to Dark Side of the Moon from beginning to end. I sat on the couch and listened continuously, with all my attenion focused solely on the music (in the way you watch a movie from start to end).

That was it. I was hooked big time. The surround mix of Dark Side was light years better than so many surround mixes for the jobs I'd worked on. It had a kind of perfection for the style of music and arrangements. This will sound like a bad pun, but listening to Dark Side in surround was like being "inside" the clock, seeing and hearing how all the gears and parts work together.

So "quadraphonic" become a topic that needed a lot more investigation, which led me to this forum. Since I wanted to learn about the history and technical aspects quad I avidly read everyone's comments on this forum. You all greatly expanded my knowledge and appreciation of surround music (especially legacy quad).

I soon became a collector, finding all the various formats and experiments fascinating. And no doubt over the years, through eBay, have purchased items from past and current members of this forum.

I could write much more. But I'm trying to be brief. So here's to everyone on this forum. A big thank you.
 
Hello All

New member here. But long, long time reader of this forum. Though I frequent forums on a variety of subjects, I rarely join them and rarely post. I'm more of a listener. I learn a lot from what other people have to say.

I'll try to keep this introduction brief. I've had this forum as a main bookmark for years. And I've been reading everyone's posts for years. So I decided it was time to finally make the leap.

How did I find QuadraphonicQuad so many years ago.

I am old enough to remember the introduction of quad in the 1970s, but since I was in high school and later a college student with little money, I could barely afford a basic stereo system. So the idea of four speakers, not a chance. So quad was not on my radar back then.

As time goes by, and stereos become home theater I slowly upgraded to 5.1 surround for watching films. (As a side note, I live in Los Angeles and work as a film editor.)

And one fateful day I stumbled upon a Pink Floyd bootleg. Dark Side of the Moon. Additionally labelled as "Alan Parsons Quadraphonic Mix". I'm curious. (I'm between jobs so I have some free time.) I get myself a copy. But it's a DVD rather than a CD. Even more curious. So I load it into my DVD player which is connected to a very basic 5.1 surround system. Instead of starting at track 1, somehow I accidentally jumped to a later track, "Time". Without exaggeration, "it blew my mind". The fidelity was great. It sounded better than my CD. But the music (that I was already familiar with note-for-note) was a profoundly new listening experience.

For the first time in years I listened to Dark Side of the Moon from beginning to end. I sat on the couch and listened continuously, with all my attenion focused solely on the music (in the way you watch a movie from start to end).

That was it. I was hooked big time. The surround mix of Dark Side was light years better than so many surround mixes for the jobs I'd worked on. It had a kind of perfection for the style of music and arrangements. This will sound like a bad pun, but listening to Dark Side in surround was like being "inside" the clock, seeing and hearing how all the gears and parts work together.

So "quadraphonic" become a topic that needed a lot more investigation, which led me to this forum. Since I wanted to learn about the history and technical aspects quad I avidly read everyone's comments on this forum. You all greatly expanded my knowledge and appreciation of surround music (especially legacy quad).

I soon became a collector, finding all the various formats and experiments fascinating. And no doubt over the years, through eBay, have purchased items from past and current members of this forum.

I could write much more. But I'm trying to be brief. So here's to everyone on this forum. A big thank you.
Thanks for jumping in Ckitson; and from your first post, I am one who would like to hear more about your surround adventures!

If you have any influence in Hollywood; more nudging for 5.1/Atmos audio disc releases for films would be much appreciated- (something like Interstellar.) But there are tons more that would be amazing :)
 
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