Quad playback for Surf's Up CD using Dolby Pro Logic

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by abt4u, May 13, 2012.

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  1. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I was reading up on some post-Smile era Beach Boys albums and came across the following paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for the "Surf's Up" album:

    "This LP was mixed for Quadraphonic reproduction (also compatible for Stereo). It was to be played back by using the long extinct Dynaco or EV Stereo-4 decoders. However, this recording (LP or CD) can be played back in Quad by most of today's audio-video receivers. The surround sound information can be extracted using the Dolby Pro Logic setting. The Carl and the Passions LP and some of the songs on the Sunflower LP were also mixed with this process."

    Has anyone ever tried this before? If so, is it the equivalent of actually playing the discrete Quad LP of "Surf's Up"? I would love to here the original Quad mix of this release but am a little skeptical of the Wikipedia info.
     
  2. Lord Hawthorne

    Lord Hawthorne Currently Untitled

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    Check quadraphonicquad.com.
     
  3. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I will do that. Thank you for the tip.
     
  4. Beach Boys engineer Stephen Desper released a book on the recording sessions he did with the group (called Recording The Beach Boys, strangely enough!), which included a device he calls 360 Sound. From what I can gather, this was a progression of his earlier "spatializer" concept that works best on Sunflower and Surf's Up, plus the single Flame album released via Brother Records. I've even read that Dennis Wilson's abandoned solo project from the same era - featuring significant contributions from Daryl Dragon, no less - was the result of more similar experiments, and I can only imagine that one day this material will surface with a treatment comparable to his later Bambu sessions. Come to think of it, does anyone if the mythical Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again had a dedicated quad mix, as I believe this was at one point ready for inclusion as a bonus track with a shelved yet complete 5.1 reissue of Surf's Up?
     
  5. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I don't know the answer to the question at the end of your post, but are you saying that a 5.1 release of "Surf's Up" was completed but shelved instead of being released?
     
  6. I'm fairly sure a 5.1 DVDA version of Surf's Up was extremely close to becoming a reality not too long ago, only to be cancelled at the very last minute (and with test copies supposedly completed). Someone else here will probably know more about this...
     
  7. Larry Geller

    Larry Geller Surround sound lunatic

    Location:
    Bayside, NY
    The DVD-A was advertised as coming soon by Capitol. And it does NOT deciode with Dolby Pro Logic.
     
  8. pdenny

    pdenny 22-Year SHTV Participation Trophy Recipient

    Location:
    Hawthorne CA
    It does sound kinda cool in EARS on my Denon but it sure ain't discrete. Talk about the one that got away :realmad:
     
  9. Ramos Pinto

    Ramos Pinto New Member

    Location:
    Southeast US
    I would think that any of the Beach Boys albums that feature stereo mic techniques, as opposed to the usual "panned mono", would sound pretty convincing and cool through Pro Logic extraction. I have never tested this personally but you may have given me incentive here to do so.
     
  10. fortherecord

    fortherecord Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    If this is a matrix Quad, Dolby Prologic will give you some effect and extract surround information, though not exactly the same as the SQ or Dyna system.
     
  11. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    Dolby pro-logic is not like quad at all; it only has one channel of sound in the rear and three in the front. I remember playing with Dolby pro-logic MANY, MANY years ago.
     
  12. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam



    I forgot to include a link:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Pro_Logic
     
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  13. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Thanks for everyone's comments.

    I picked up a copy of the Sunflower/Surf's Up twofer CD and will give it a try sometime over the next few days.

    I'm keeping my expectations low because Dolby Pro Logic sounds like 'fake surround' to me when applied to music CDs (as opposed to watching movies/video)
     
  14. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    But Dolby Pro-Logic II, more common today, is more advanced.
     
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  15. Buckyball

    Buckyball Forum Resident

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  16. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    Yes, I would gather early Beach Boys stereo with a stereo vocal spread would sound cool, with the vocals possibly in the rear speakers.
     
  17. rstamberg

    rstamberg Senior Member

    Location:
    Riverside, CT
    The 5.1 Surround Sound mix for the proposed DVD-Audio Disc of SURF'S UP was, in fact, completed but never released, dammit.

    There are also some audio-only 5.1 mixes on the ENDLESS HARMONY DVD-Video disc that are excellent.
     
  18. fortherecord

    fortherecord Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
     
  19. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    I live close enough to work so I can go home during my lunch break. I did that today and listened to the "Sunflower/Surf's UP" twofer CD with Dolby Pro Logic II enabled. For what it is worth, this is the CD release that is not HDCD-encoded like several other Beach Boy's twofer CDs. (I'm not sure if there is an HDCD-encoded version of this twofer)

    I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't go as far to call it a "perfectly discrete" surround mix, but the experience was quite enjoyable and very... well... discrete-like.

    I didn't have a lot of time to analyze things today, but:

    The siren during the beginning of "Student Demonstration Time" (granted, my least favorite song on the CD) moves around my speakers in a semi-360 degree motion. Very cool.

    "Feel Flows" had a massive wall-of-sound feel during the instrumental section.

    In addition, and the reason I was 15 minutes late getting back to work, the 3rd movement of the song "Surf's Up" (e.g. Child is father of the man) was breathtaking. I only wish the "Pet Sounds" DVD-Audio surround mix had harmonies bouncing around me like that.

    My wishful thinking may have colored my perception (e.g. I was hoping to hear the quad mix before I started my listening experience - not the best scientific approach), so I recommend that you guys try this for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I would love to hear your listening experience if you try this. I've used Dolby Pro Logic before when listening to redbook CDs a few years ago and the surround experience felt very fake and unnatural. That was not the case this time.
     
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  20. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    If you thought this was good, listen to 10CC's Deceptive Bends and How Dare You. Your jaw will drop.

    I would gather you might have found the sound of the Surf's Up CD to be clearer than in regular stereo, where it's been found to be a bit murky.
     
  21. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    For those 10CC releases that you mentioned, do you mean I should listen to them with Dolby Pro Logic (DPL) enabled?

    I would agree with your comment about the "Surf's Up" CD sounding clearer with DPLII engaged. I doubt I'll ever listen to it in plain old stereo again, at least while at home.
     
  22. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam



    Yes, but the thread title says "Dolby Pro Logic."
     
  23. abt4u

    abt4u Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    That was my mistake. I did not realize there was a I and II. Sorry about that.
     
  24. Joel1963

    Joel1963 Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal
    DPL II.
     
  25. Big pete

    Big pete Forum Resident

    Ok so I tried this .The tracks from Surfs Up Are pretty cool.I dont want to sound like I drank the coolaid but Feel Flows has an awesome sound spread in the dolby pro logic field that feature separation that just wasnt there in stereo mode
     
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