''Quadrafile'' is an LP recording released in 1976 intended as a demonstration of four different systems of

quadraphonic sound Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...

reproduction on

phonograph record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

Background

The record is a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

, with four sides containing identical material presented in each of the four LP based quadraphonic sound formats: SQ, QS, CD-4 and

UD-4 UD-4 was a discrete four-channel quadraphonic sound system for phonograph records introduced by Nippon Columbia ( Denon) in 1974. This system had some similarities with the more successful CD-4 process introduced by JVC and RCA in 1972. Only ...

. These had evolved as the result of four competing companies (

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, Sansui,

JVC JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...

and

Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

respectively) pursuing their own quadraphonic systems independently. This, and the incompatibility of the systems were factors in the slow uptake and eventual downfall of quadraphonic recordings. The project was put together by Mike Thorne, then editor of ''Studio Sound'' magazine. Able to persuade JVC and CBS via his own contacts, he soon found agreement from Sansui and Nippon Columbia and all four companies agreed to encode a side of the album each. Assembling material was more difficult since compilations spanning record labels were not as commonplace as they eventually became.

Tracks

The eventual album includes a set of single and paired reference sounds, a surround-sound demonstration named "Electronic Footsy" (created in collaboration with engineer Tony Faulkner), a

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the firs ...

violin duet and two classical pieces by

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

and Bartok, the latter being conducted by

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mont ...

, as well as

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

's "

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

" and 2 excerpts from

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

's ''

Tubular Bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within a ...

''. To ensure consistency in the mastering process, Thorne took possession of the actual master tapes of the Pink Floyd album ''

Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of t ...

'', which caused him considerable paranoia to the extent that he hid the tapes inside his piano, reasoning that it would be unlikely for a burglar to steal such a hefty object or search inside it.

Reception

The album was released just as quadraphonic sound was on the wane. Only 5,000 numbered copies were pressed and are extremely rare collector's items. Some collectors have sought out this release as the only example of Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd recordings being presented in that particular quad format. In 1976, ''

Music Educators Journal The ''Music Educators Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that covers in the field of education. The editor-in-chief is Ella Wilcox, and the Academic Editor is Corin Overland (University of Miami). It was established in 1914 and ...

'' described ''Quadrafile'' in an article on useful materials for music professionals.

References

{{reflist , refs = {{cite web , url = http://pinkfloydarchives.com/DUKLPsam.htm#Quad , last = Fitch , first = Vernon , date = n.d. , title = ''Quadrafile''—four speakers, four systems, four sides , website = Pink Floyd Archives , language = en , access-date = 2017-10-14 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160103105528/http://pinkfloydarchives.com/DUKLPsam.htm , url-status = live , archive-date = 2016-01-03 {{cite journal , date = November 1976 , title = Professional materials , journal =

, volume = 63 , number = 3 , pages = 21–26 , language = en , jstor = 3395093 , doi = 10.2307/3395093 {{cite journal , url = http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Studio-Sound/70s/Studio-Sound-1977-04.pdf , date = April 1977 , title = ''Quadrafile'': four way split , journal = Studio Sound and Broadcast Engineering , volume = 19 , number = 4 , pages = 46–50 , language = en , via = American Radio History {{cite web , url = https://stereosociety.com/20/Quadrafile.shtml , last = Thorne , first = Mike , date = 2001 , title = The production of ''Quadrafile'' , website = Stereo Society , language = en , access-date = 2017-10-14 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171014032336/https://stereosociety.com/20/Quadrafile.shtml , url-status = live , archive-date = 2017-10-14 Sound technology 1976 compilation albums