I posted this on my reel thread, but it's worth mentioning on this sub forum as well:
Could this be the elusive quad encoded broadcast of the 1977 BBC sessions? link
The recording date of the WMMR broadcast (June 18th 1978) corresponds with a blank KBFH (DQR) entry listed here: link
Hi Kurgan,
Is that not merely the King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast? They put on that horrible crowd noise to make it sound like a live performance.
I see that KBFH is written in the description.
Cheers,
Keith.
Yes it is the King biscuit flower hour, the all important factor this time is that the recording date corresponds to a broadcast using a discrete quad reel.
The Kurgan wrote:
A stereo recording can contain SQ (quad) encoding.
Yes, I know a stereo broadcast can be SQ (or QS) encoded. But there's no evidence whatsoever that these particular broadcasts were quad, even if the open reel tapes were 4-track. For what it's worth, I don't think the Maida Vale sessions were mixed in quad, so even if that tape is quad, it might be pseudo quad (and with fake audience).
Many radio stations in the states regularly broadcast the KBFH in SQ quad in the seventies.
If a discrete quad reel was used for the broadcast (rather than a stereo reel) then it is entirely possible it was mixed in quad.
The reel has the answer.
I wouldn't want you to do that, I'm sure you can find somebody local.
I'd gladly help you out, but mailing reels from Chicago to London would not be much fun for you.
But if it's your only option, I'm here.
Let's see how the auction pans out first, and don't let me influence your bidding!
For reference, this is a clip of my deck: link
Good luck with the bid.
If it should turn out to be SQ encoded, this is the hardware that decodes: link
Like I said earlier though, there is also a software alternative.
Update:
On another thread he now states that they are currently being sent to a family friend who owns a studio, so I'm not sure what the point of asking me to do it in the first place actually was?
I offered my services at his request, so it would have been courteous to at least reply to my last email and put me in the picture.
Hey-ho.
Until you will find the best quad encoded recording and the proper decoding matrix there is one thing you can still do.
Please post a snippet of a SUCCESSFULLY decoded BBC quad tape, just for reference (Procol Harum ?).
I consider myself a technical guy and I understand your obsession with this subject.
But does it really worth it? I mean, is there a real content on the rear channels, is there at least a decent separation between front and rear channels?
The whole "quad on two channels" concept looks flimsy to me, more like a marketing gimmick.
By 1977 US Radio still favoured SQ encoding, whilst the BBC were committed to Matrix H for their own Quad broadcasts in the UK.
If you think two channel quad encoding is nothing more than a flimsy gimmick, then I can only suggest you do a little bit more research into the subject.
I'm not quite sure why you want it, but here is link to your Procol Harum sample request (a 24/48 lossless SQ decode from the BBC archives).
Recorded at the Golders Green Hippodrome, London on March 22nd 1974.
Your comments on front and rear channel separation are welcome. link
Further reading: link
In the meantime I'll continue my non obsessive search for the 60 minute KBFH quad encoded broadcast from December 6th 1978 that contains the The Cars and Queen '77 session tracks.