Talk:Quadraphonic sound

Ok, so how Does it Actually Work
This article discusses various versions of quadraphonic sound and their differences, but it never talks about how the needle physically reads all 4 channels.


 * Well, the various systems are collected into two sets. The first is Quadraphonic sound, where the systems that use a needle state how the extra channels are super-sonic.  The second is Quadraphonic sound, where the systems describe how the extra channels are encoded into the two main channels.  What part of this wasn't clear from the article?  Martin.leese 08:22, 10 January 2007 (UTC)


 * In no section of this article is the method of encoding or decoding, apart from the above-20KHz method or the discrete digital methods employed today, explained. Again and again, the phrase "the signal is 'encoded' and then 'decoded' " is used. There is not even a rough, non-mathemetical, description of the methods employed for transcoding four channels into two and then back again. Phase shifting is used once, briefly. Perhaps someone could add some simple explanation? At present I have to guess that it is some kind of phase difference between the channels that is filtered off, or high / low pass filtering? Literally nowhere is matrix encoding of 4-2-4 or 2-2-4 explained. And I have a reasonable grasp of encoding systems, such as ATRAC and NICAM. Blitterbug 09:46, 27 October 2019 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Blitterbug (talk • contribs)

Phil Spector
Although Phil Spector is persona non grata for obvious reasons, I still feel like this article is incomplete without at least a passing mention of his contribution to reverb mixing techniques in the 1960s and 70s. Relevant information on this topic should be incredibly easy to source and cite by those with skills in editing official articles, which I lack. 98.235.68.109 (talk) 03:46, 6 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Is that directly related to the subject of this article? Bubba73 You talkin' to me? 03:52, 6 November 2022 (UTC)

can somebody add a "when?" tag to this, please?
"The most common digital media capable of reproducing surround sound music today are Super Audio CD, DVD, and Blu-ray. All of these are capable of playing high-resolution audio with multiple channels."

reason being that SACD is all but defunct, commercially.

my page editing chops have atrophied... cheers!

duncanrmi (talk) 18:13, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

I have 2 sides
. 5.235.246.138 (talk) 04:25, 12 August 2023 (UTC)

I have had four "sides" or true quadrophonic since 1965
I have also had all of the others too. So.... When oh when, will everyone learn. QUADROPHONIC is a simplitons equation of dual stereo, whereas using the summation and differentials of any two, many others can be found.

Original quad came from a left Right Summated central front, and a differential central rear. Then someone suggested "turning" the stage slightly, to get two pair of L & R frontal immediate, and rear time delayed. OH WOW... way better (not).

1930 is when stereo (more than one channel) could be created using two needles, then two channels together. Two together actually has THREE but they only amplify two, and TWO is all you get. Me I have up to whatever number of phase angles I wish to blend, across the entire 360 degree angles of ONE "PLANE" If two (anX & a Y) are added together, I can get 360 + 360 If I add the 3rd basic angular "plane" each 90 degree orientated to any other, I get 3x 360 channels. Suddenly your QUAD (4x) become very insignificant.

However, stereo was first used, back in 1930. Thus: Multiple channels have existed in "genuine stereo" ever since the very first stereo recording, was done away back in the early 1930's. Back then they were ONLY testing two different channels, and at that time they used TWO needles, recorded with two sound tracks (slightly different tothe other) which they then needed to be "played back" at precisely h same time.A VERY COMPLICATED METHOD, of getting two mono recordings exactly "aligned" with theother. Thank goodness, they eventually realised, they could actually use the ONE needlle, to both record and play-back two distinctlt different tracks - so long as BOTH had what could better be known as a COMMON GROUND, or even better still, a "common node" for the other two to work with.

Sadly, no one actually took the time to consider, that what sound is to frequency, is the same as light & he generation of electricity itself. ALL are at precise frequencies, along the radio frequency spectrum Now, as any electrician will tell you. Generated power is either DC or AC, and audio sine waves are AC Any TV technician, will also tell you, both the AUDIO and VIDEO signals are received via various frequencies. Funny that eh?

AND as there are 3 MAIN colours used for LIGHT (to replicate white) the same goes for audio. EXCEPT, that audio only needs to use TWO of the three main elements, thereby saving something in "transmission components"

The RGB in a visual sence, is the RED/LIME/BLUE which can be combined to create a simulated WHITE The complete removal of those three, will produce nothing which also funnily enough, represents BLACK, Which was how B&W TV initially started.

Now, in the late 1960's COLOUT+R TV was in it's infancy, however the MAIN elements of audio had been there from day dot, in 1930/1932 It's just that no one recognised them there. Later someone said OH LOOK, we can use the R (R= red) for Right, and the G/L (G/L or L = green/lime) for LEFT. Hence they pushed stereo audio RG into a TV signal at a different frequency to the visual RGB signals.

But forgot that they could use the BLUE phase of that particular wave band - for B = BACK.

Now here I am talking of PHASES, as Each frequency of the radio frequency band, can be "split" into a range of phases about a 360 degree circular plane at each frequency, allowing up to or more than 360 induvidually different PHAES per full circle, on a circular plate / plane around ONE frequency. There being way too many frequencies across the entire radio frequency spectrum, to bother trying to catagorise them all here, suffice to say, most ONLY deal with 2 of any 3 phases, unless all three need to be included.

Hence by dropping ONE audio techs thought they could gain 1/3rd space in the transmission of signals.

True, but not true.

Now, as foor when will anyone be able to provide anything other than two audio signals? I've been finding them since 1965. Haven't you?

I found in 1965, I could use any 2ch integrated amp (or an old valve amp) for obtaining at least THREE and at most NINE individually "phased" audio channels, directly from any 2ch stereo recording.

So I don't know why people still ask? WHEN ? When - was back in 1930, but it wasn't found by me, until 1965 Now if you actually stop and think, YOU can find up to at least 360 individual angle phases, in a single tone, using AC DC on the other hand is a single mono without phase angles.

Me, I just utilise nine directly available signals sent out from three points, that of a R=Right (red) phase"120 degrees away from that sent out via a L=Left (lime/green)at 120degrees from the R However, I also utilise the B=BLUE (Back channels, which is also 120 degrees away from EITHER the R or the L.

I thus use three phases of a naturally occurring NINE, that are inherently contained in a pair of phases, when derived from the same sound source.

I spotied a picture on Wikipedia (here) which relates to audio, where the uploader gave a simple explaination of the "assumed" QUAD that shows two pairs with a time delay between the front and back pair, in other words, standard stereo delayed = 4? Yeah right NOT. That is NOT a genuine quad. Genuine quad is the wide right & wide left (taking the summation of the two lefts and gaining a wider left) while summating the two rights, of right & deleayed right) to get a wider right, then summating r with L to get a front, and taking a differential between R+L to get a full back/rear. ONLY THEN will you find the original "somewhat quad", that has more vacant holes than swiss cheese.

Whereas, taking all three master phases, one gets a DELTA configuration, stable with holes. One then takes the in-between STAR configuration, and intertwines the fingers of both. That way - you get SIX poles. Stand them up on the main vertically incoming three phases, and you get a trpod with a delta star pyramid atop for which you can enclose 3D surround ANALOGUE.

I'f built a 25.7 channel surround sound system and did a visual video, by way of a MONO cellphone recording of the various (diffferently phased) channels therein, playing from a bog standard, 2ch iron oxide tape cassettte, dubbed years ago, off a vinyl record

Just because I could, although YouTube insisted it be audio-swapped, AFTER upload, so you get to hear the 2,000's YouTube nnational anthem of 007 Dreamscape. But at least the visuals lining up to the flashing lights as the music plays. 10 channels of alternating lights, from completely different phasings, of one audio track,in 3D. Ref? Oh OK.. Just for you mind.

Or search @QUIX4U "10ch" via

For a variety of TEN channel uploaded videos. Mostly tutorials.

So? Anyone else not up to speed with ANALOGUE, go ask a lighting specialist how many basic colours are needed to produce a white light, (to be told three, RG&B) Ask any sparky, as to how many phases one "needs" to spin a simple 3 phased motor, and they too will tell you THREE Orange, Purple & BLUE

How many phases are used in audio? Ask anyone and they'll say two - two is all you need to hear a difference.. ONE if just wanting noise, and that's MONO But two will give you the LEAST of stereo (which means MORE than one, as it also means MORE than two. THREE basic audio channels gives you a solid fibre of sound. Beigng Left (of front), Right (of front) and (full) BACK. If you have one you have mono, if you have two you have an UNBALANCED stereo Whereas if you have thee channels,you will have a ully balanced stereophonic sound. I call it "Tripello" as that's my word for three channel stereo.

Multiple channels of Analogue since 1965 Tripello ©1965 = QUIX4U™ QUIX4U = www.WSTL.nz (since 2002)

PS: As YouTube does NOT allow peolple in NZ to be partners, no one in NZ (a kiwi that is) can obtain money from any video they upload to YouTube, so ALL of my educational videos over there, are exactly that - FREE to you, as educational videos - to allow you to LEARN something. 125.239.133.202 (talk) 10:47, 14 May 2024 (UTC)