Music Question for Tiki Centralites

Do any of you listen to music in 5:1 audio (ie: surround sound) ?

Maybe in the form of a live show DVD of a band you like ?

The wheels are turning again, and I'm really considering the idea of doing a 5:1 version of the current Tikiyaki Orchestra CD, or possibly doing the next one in 5:1.

To me, there is no music more suited to 5:1 audio than Exotica....all the bird calls and jungle sounds, and all that great reverb, not to mention all the various percussion tracks....Something tells me that this would be a really cool listening environment for Exotica.

I guess it would be packaged as an audio DVD.

Anyone have any opinions on this ?

I would love your stuff in surround sound...you're on the platter in my car most of the time. I don't have surround in the house, but that would be rockin!!! :)

My experiences with 5.1 have been disappointing. That said, I am a huge fan (and collector) of quadraphonic recordings from the 70s.

I think the potential is tremendous and I agree that neo-exotica would shine in 3d sound. They just aren't doing it right today.

For example, even high end audio manufacturers dummy down their standards for 5.1 or 7.1 amplifiers. They all suck compared to their stereo versions.
I have wasted hours in listening salons trying to find a high quality 5.1 amplifier.

I have to use two matching stereo amplifiers (tube of course) and a separate sub-woofer to get any kind of decent quadraphonic sound.

It's all oriented to home theater. Got to get that explosion right! Nothing to do with music.

Jack

I've offered and offered to do 5.1 mixes for the acoustic acts, large bands and the like for their labels and their producers and so far - nada.

Even the DVDs we produce - no one wants it.

Seems everyone is focused on portable TV and media and letting the high end stuff sort of sit there.

That said - I wouldn't buy one either. Albeit a good idea - the practicality of producing it may be a labor of love that few will benefit from.

I shouldn't be talking to you anyway - Mr. Imonhawaiianairlinesandyourenot.

Pablus...don't be hatin'.

Actually, an audio engineer friend of mine was telling me about the audiophile community and how there are acts that quietly see 70,000 units to audiophiles alone, because they're really into super hi-fi recordings, gear etc....

HE thinks it's the next frontier for recorded music, but the technology isn't there yet on a consumer level. Either way I think that Exotica would be a great candidate for 5:1

Why, you feel like doin a 5:1 mix of one of my tunes ?

Another friend of mine who works at a big Post facility wants to try it with me, so I'm gonna mix one song and see how it sounds.

I've got a full 5.1 (up to 10.2) setup here (Nuendo 3 and Blue Sky system 1 monitors, same setup as Lucasfilm uses) and plan to do a surround mix of my stuff. I think it's a great idea. I even want to press some on vinyl to accomidate the folks with turntables. I think 5.1 rules!

Tiki Bill.

[ Edited by: Tiki Bill 2007-12-12 10:05 ]

YES!! :)

Music, if done correctly in 5.1 sounds incredible. Just listen to the Beatles "Love" audio DVD. It is an incredible listening experience that brought tears to my eyes.

Exotica in 5.1 is a great idea! I say go for it!! It would be a first in the industry to have an Exotica CD in surround sound. Plus the format would work very well.

I think Tiki Bill and Tikiyaki should explore this new adventure in sound.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

re the Blue Sky system;

Would you consider using it as a listening system (i.e. recreational listening)?
Maybe that's the way to go. Buy a studio monitor type 5.1 system for listening?

Jack

It would be a first in the industry to have an Exotica CD in surround sound.

Methinks that 'Surround Sound" equates ALMOST with what WAS Quadraphonic, and I think there were quite a a few issued in quadraphonic both the SQ and Matrix formats, at least there were over here in the UK.
Baz
Former EMI Studio Two Stereo Artist.

My days of true audiophile are long past, but I do love my music and still have pretty good equipment. Much of what I've tried in the past for quadrophonic or 5.1 was not worthwhile, mainly because I tried remasters of old classic rock. Old, remaster, 3-instrument bands... A recipe for disaster.

Exotica and other such multi-instrument and/or dimensional music would be great for 5.1. If done right.

I'd certainly buy it to try it. Not a concert DVD though, since I'd probably never actually watch it...

I would love to know what those quad Exotica releases are, Baz. I have been collecting the reel to reels and have never run into any true Exotica. Lots of Command label stuff, but no Martin Denny, Lex Baxter, etc.

Let me know, please.

I have to check with my collector friends and my own collection, but for starters these are Semi exotica..
JAMES LAST -
Voodoo Party. Polydor 2371235 (QS) [Germany] {Listed as Stereo}

TATTOOOS -
Hawaiin Trumpets. BASF 20 21625-2 (SQ) [Germany]

WIDE HAWAIIAN -
Hawaiian Standard Hits. Teichiku MX-4008 (QS) [Japan]

BEYOND THE REEF -
Blue Hawaiians With Strings. JVC CD4B-5024 (CD4) [Japan]

No wonder. they are all vinyl. I have a quadraphonic reel to reel tape deck only.

Have you heard quad vinyl? I never have. How does it compare to tape?

On 2007-12-12 10:19, Jeff Central wrote:
Music, if done correctly in 5.1 sounds incredible. Just listen to the Beatles "Love" audio DVD. It is an incredible listening experience that brought tears to my eyes.

Amen to that. I've got the "Love" DVD-audio and it is, as Jeff says, incredible. I'm a bit of a purist, but what they did to the music in the mixing room was pure genius. I also have some Aerosmith, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and others on Super Audio CD and I've given some demos to folks on my 5.1 Mirage setup and they were just blown away. I think it really depends on the material as to whether it's going to work on 5.1. Exotica would work great, but it would be a bit of a novelty. I mean, how many of us sit down in the "sweet spot" to listen to exotica? Not me. It's playing in my home bar in plain jane stereo while I'm shakin' and sippin'.

But that's not to say that I wouldn't buy it, because I would. But it would probably be listened to in 5.1 maybe the first 2 or 3 times and then in just stereo in the home bar after that. So anyway, go for it you audio engineer geeks, you. Bring on your best surround sound mix!

You know, I do have to say that after a couple of Zombies, sitting in that "sweet spot" listening to Bwana A in 5.1 surround would be quite a mind blowing experience. :)

I have a 5.1 setup (with properly placed and matched Paradigm speakers)and I love it. I would definitely purchase any Exotica released in 5.1. I prefer SACD over DVD-A but it's more of a convenience thing as I have an SACD carousel and my DVD-A player only handles one at a time.

As far as most of the 5.1 mixes out there, it's true that many are not that adventurous. The most daring mix of anything mainstream that I have heard is the Who's Tommy. At times it has vocals in the rear speakers and sometimes the whole soundstage is flipped around. With most 5.1 mixes, the performance is typically confined to the front with the main vocals often isolated to the center speaker, rear speakers are maybe used for ambience or occasional effects. Another exception is "Dark Side of the Moon", but I hear that it's still pretty tame compared to the original quad version.

All in all though, I usually won't run my system in 5.1 unless I'm actually going to sit in the sweet spot.

On 2007-12-12 13:03, basilh wrote:

JAMES LAST -
Voodoo Party. Polydor 2371235 (QS) [Germany] {Listed as Stereo}

Good Lord, a JAMES LAST sighting on TC... I LOVE IT!

I, Zombie

p.s. been searching the thrift bins for Voodoo Party... so far the closest I got was an inner sleave (from a different Last album) with a picture of the LP on it...

A few of our Maikai Gents tunes from "The Wiki Wiki Grog Shop" were mixed into 5.1 by our engineer, Jory Prum at studio.jory.org. He did a great job and hearing that "Hawaiian War Chant" coming from all angles was truly awesome! I would love to hear some more exotica in this format.

-Weird Unc

On 2007-12-12 15:27, Hakalugi wrote:
I have a 5.1 setup (with properly placed and matched Paradigm speakers)and I love it. I would definitely purchase any Exotica released in 5.1. I prefer SACD over DVD-A but it's more of a convenience thing as I have an SACD carousel and my DVD-A player only handles one at a time.

As far as most of the 5.1 mixes out there, it's true that many are not that adventurous. The most daring mix of anything mainstream that I have heard is the Who's Tommy. At times it has vocals in the rear speakers and sometimes the whole soundstage is flipped around. With most 5.1 mixes, the performance is typically confined to the front with the main vocals often isolated to the center speaker, rear speakers are maybe used for ambience or occasional effects. Another exception is "Dark Side of the Moon", but I hear that it's still pretty tame compared to the original quad version.

All in all though, I usually won't run my system in 5.1 unless I'm actually going to sit in the sweet spot.

To Me, rock is not the music best suited to 5:1. 4 or 5 piece band....what can you do other than some cool verbs and pans ?

Imagine hearing Esquivel in 5:1 tho....Exotica is the best candidate for it because of the jungle ambience and all the reverb. not to mention, if there is alot of percussion going on, which, in my music is definitely the case, it could be really cool. I have 5-7 tracks of percussion in most cases. Most of it doing polyrhythmic stuff, latin style, where things are ping ponging off one another. I really am curious to see what that would all sound like in surround.

Maybe surround sound needs the right music to make ppeople want to sit in the sweet spot, especially that you can get marijuana legally here in California now :)

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2007-12-12 18:05 ]

I'll go along with the Esquivel in 3D sound, but I won't want the pot :wink:

A mai tai though....

The Enoch Light, Perrey & Kingsley, Mystic Moods Orchestra, Henry Mancini, Tony Mottola, Free Design, Rod McKuen with the Anita Kerr Singers and the San Sebastian Strings, Bernard Hermann, Hugo Montenegro, the Brass Ring, Claude Denjean & Synthesizer, Urbie Green (doing a version of "The Party") and even Les Baxter with the 101 Strings quad reel to reel recordings are mind blowing.

Someone should transfer these extraordinarily well crafted 3 dimensional mixes to 5.1.

I listened to the Love recording on an Audiophile sytem and have to admit I was impressed. But would I ever want to hear it a second time? Nah. It's a one liner.

On 2007-12-12 10:28, tabuzak wrote:

re the Blue Sky system;

Would you consider using it as a listening system (i.e. recreational listening)?
Maybe that's the way to go. Buy a studio monitor type 5.1 system for listening?

Jack

It's the ULTIMATE listening system! But it's not cheep. The full setup is about $3000.00 but still cheaper than the Genilec's at about $2500.00 PER SPEAKER!
The Blue Sky system 1 is an ultra flat, studio quality, near field monitor system made for small to medium mixing rooms. ESPN uses them in their live trucks for producing the X games. But if you can afford them, they would make KILLER home thearter speakers! They make a smaller system called the Pro Desk, also used by Lucasfilm.
Hope this helps.
Also, for Tikiaki and Jeff (and anyone else with a 5.1 setup), here is a link to my song "Island Mist" mixed in 5.1 surround.

http://www.mindshaftmusic.com/exotica_project.htm

It's a Dolby AC3 file and WILL NOT PLAY ON MEDIA PLAYER! Play in a DVD player program (like power DVD from Cyberlink) or make a DVD_A from it (using DVD Architect etc.). If your player is new enough, you can just burn it to a DVD ROM and play it just like you would MP3 files.

Tiki Bill.

[ Edited by: tiki bill 2007-12-18 07:21 ]