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

quadraphonic sound Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic, also called quadrasonic or by the neologism quadio formed by analogy with "stereo"">portmanteau.html" ;"title="/nowiki>portmanteau">formed by analogy with "stereo" sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 s ...

reproduction on

phonograph record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

Background

The record is a double album, with four sides containing identical material presented in each of the four LP based quadraphonic sound formats: SQ, QS, CD-4 and UD-4. These had evolved as the result of four competing companies ( CBS, Sansui, JVC 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 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 19255 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 contemporary classical music. Born in Montb ...

, as well as

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, 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 experiments ...

'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: m ...

" and 2 excerpts from

Mike Oldfield Michael Gordon Oldfield (born 15 May 1953) is an English retired musician, songwriter and producer best known for his debut studio album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973), which became an unexpected critical and commercial success. Though primarily a gu ...

's ''

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

''. 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'', 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'' 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 = Music Educators 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