14. What's the deal with quadraphonic 8-tracks?
Description
This article is from the 8-track Tapes FAQ, by Malcolm Riviera malco@interpath.com with numerous contributions by others.
14. What's the deal with quadraphonic 8-tracks?
DEFINITION:- QUADRAPHONIC SOUND: Quadraphonic audio (aka Surround
Sound) adds rear channels (aka Surround Channels) to stereo audio
reproduction. Quad reproduces spatial characteristics and effects
unobtainable from two-channel playback. Quadraphonic audio attempts to
re-create subtle spatial "you are there" acoustic clues, and in some
cases puts the listener literally "in the middle" of a performing
ensemble, with musical instruments playing from all four directions
DESCRIPTION - QUAD-8 TAPE CARTRIDGES (QUAD-8): QUAD-8 cartridges
resemble Stereo-8 cartridges. QUAD-8 tapes allocate tape tracks
differently, combining tracks 1, 3, 5, and 7 to Program 1 and combining
tracks 2, 4, 6, and 8 into Program 2. QUAD-8 cartridges contain a small
vertical notch in the top left corner, so the QUAD-8 player can
automatically set up the proper program/track configuration.
Unlike the various quad LP formats, which used matrix or
demodulation schemes to retain full compatibility with existing stereo
record players, QUAD-8 cartridges provide "discrete" four-channel audio.
QUAD-8 cartridges won't properly reproduce on a Stereo-8 player, but
QUAD-8 players can reproduce Stereo-8 cartridges.
QUAD-8 PLAYBACK EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: QUAD-8 players have special
tape
heads and circuitry which contacts the correct group of four tracks, and
produces four discrete (separate) channels of audio output. QUAD-8
players also can play Stereo-8 tapes, but QUAD-8 tapes won't
satisfactorily play in a conventional Stereo-8 deck.
Prominent makers of Quad-8 decks include Akai, Panasonic, Pioneer,
Wollensak, Electrophonic, Realistic, and Sanyo. However, some
combination 8-track player/receivers prominently trumpet simulated
quadraphonic sound (i.e. "quatravox", "quadradial", "4D", "quad
matrix"). Some of these "impostor" Quad decks even have 4-channel
joysticks! Unless a player is plainly labeled QUAD-8, Q-8, or
DISCRETE QUADRAPHONIC 8-TRACK, the unit won't play Q8 tapes in discrete
quad. The "pseudo-Quad" decks merely provide simulated surround sound
from regular Stereo audio - they lack playback heads designed for
QUAD-8. playback.
MUSIC TAPES: RCA and Columbia far exceeded other companies in terms of
QUAD-8 tape releases. Other companies committed to significant numbers
of QUAD-8 releases include A&M, ABC, Command, and Warner Group
(Elektra/Nonesuch/Asylum Records). Curiously, very few QUAD-8 titles
were issued by EMI (Capital Records/Angel), by Decca/London, or the
Polygram labels. QUAD-8 tapes on the Polydor, Mercury, Decca/London,
Philips, and Deutsche Grammophon labels are extremely rare.
CHRONOLOGY: Introduced in the fall of 1970, shortly after the initial
appearance of quadraphonic open-reel decks and tapes, QUAD-8 tapes were
available a year before the initial quadraphonic vinyl LP records
appeared on the market.
Some of the earliest QUAD-8 tape releases were "remixes" from older
multi-track stereo releases. Among the initial RCA QUAD-8s: the 1964
soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" and the 1962 Reiner/Chicago
Symphony album of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra." After 1971, most
QUAD-8 releases were albums specifically mixed down for quad playback,
often with truly stupendous (if controversial) aural effects.
QUAD-8 tapes generally retailed for $1 more than Stereo-8 tapes. Part of
this additional cost reflected the greater volume of tape jammed into a
QUAD-8 cartridge, to offset playback time lost due to elimination of
two programs. A few QUAD-8 releases were issued on two cartridges,
or had some editing.
QUAD-8 tapes were unsuccessful commercially. Some explanations for this
are:
*The public resented the industry's Quad LP "format wars". the lack of a
uniform and high quality Quad LP system would tarnish acceptance of all
Surround Sound home formats for many years.
*Some equipment makers cheapened product quality in order to provide
Quad capability at a price comparable to regular stereo. The resulting
low-fi audio systems, with cheaper amplifiers, cut-rate tape transports,
and mediocre speakers, turned off many prospective buyers from Quad
sound.
*QUAD-8 cartridges were somewhat less convenient than Stereo-8
cartridges. Instead of four programs, there were only two programs.
QUAD-8 playback decks were about 30% more expensive than Stereo-8 decks,
and very few record decks had QUAD-8 record capability. Maximum playing
time was half that of Stereo-8.
*QUAD-8 cartridges used thinner tape (similar to double-play 90-minute
Stereo-8s), increasing the risk of tape print-through and mechanism jamming.
*The Arab Oil Embargo of late 1973/74, and the corresponding price
inflation, drastically curtailed consumer discretionary spending. In
the United States and other industrial countries, consumers struggled to
buy gasoline and other inflation-impacted necessities. They ignored
costly frills such as Quad sound equipment.
QUAD-8 releases peaked out during 1973-74, and sharply declined by 1976.
The final commercial QUAD-8 tape release, in 1978, apparently was Isao
Tomita electronic synthesizer performance of Holst's "The Planets" on
RCA's Red Seal label. (This also was the final CD-4 Quadradisc LP title).
COLLECTING QUAD-8 CARTRIDGES: QUAD-8 tapes have become something of a
"holy grail", as these tapes have become very scarce. Titles from EMI
and Polygram labels (i.e. Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon") are
exceptionally hard to locate in QUAD-8 format. If you seriously collect
QUAD-8s, build a network with other collectors, share "wish lists", and
make trades when you locate desirable tapes.
Ron Bensley hucb46a@prodigy.com
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