Stereo songs with main vocals on one channel only

[willdav713]

I don't ever remember there being any issue with playing mono records on stereo phonographs, but apparently there was at one time a recommendation NOT to do the reverse. In other words, NOT to play a stereo record on a mono record player because it would ruin the record, or something like that. But I am not old enough to remember those days, so I don't really know this information for sure, firsthand, myself.

They said the same with Quadradiscs. But you get a totally different mix on Quadradiscs vs. Stereo LP's. Tony Orlando and Dawn's He Don't Love You album is a perfect example.
I don't have a CD-4 demodulator but play the CD-4 records off the turntable and they sound louder and better than the CD. It's too bad they stopped making CD-4 Quad.

 

[willdav713]

I have many old Allied, Radio Shack and Lafayette catalogs with quad equipment. I asked someone what ever happened to quad and they said there was some audio problems when radio stations transmitted quad. I forget the exact answer but I think it caused the regular stereo listening some problems and most people were listening in stereo, not quad. I remember my older brother setting up speakers all over the living room for some late night network quad broadcast which used the tv audio as the center channel and the fm broadcasting for the other speakers.

No it was because the FCC didn't agree on a quadraphonic broadcast standard. There was quite a couple of formats out there discrete quad which would require the use of 2 FM radio stations, Station 1 would play the front channel and Station 2 would play the rears.

Plus there was compatibility issues, you couldn't play Quadraphonic 8 tracks in a Stereo 8 Track machine, and Quadraphonic reel to reel was very expensive and bulky.

Then you had matrix quad, which you had basically 2 formats one RM or QS, and the other SQ. KRMH-FM Buda, Texas Good Karma now Bob-FM KBPA used to broadcast in QS Quadraphonic Stereo.

Truly, I think the Walkman killed quad, people wanted portable. Portable meant 2 channels. Along with the walkman incorporating compact cassettes.
I still have in my possession quadraphonic headphones. I show them off to people and they can't believe that they made such a thing!

 

[Avid Listener]

I recall reading more than a few articles about the producer behind Cream's records, Felix Pappalardi, and how "innovative" he was in mixing the vocals and drums to the center, with the guitar on one side and the bass on the other. Everything I read about studio product in the early days of recording stereo records in the studio said that they deliberately tried to make stereo-in-the-studio recordings have the highest separation possible to justify the extra $1 that stereo albums cost compared to the mono versions.

Personally, though I like the sound of quad, I find that the modern 5.1 theater sound system sounds even better if you want a realistic "concert hall" sound.

 

[TheFonz]

A lot of early stereo records (and some not so early) were mixed in very extreme stereo separation to create the "ping-pong" effect much in demand with stereo fans of the 1960's. You might hear the vocal on one channel and the instruments on the other, or a group divided between two mikes. Some other examples would include the Mamas and the Papas, the 5th Dimension, the Kingston Trio, a lot of the Kasenetz-Katz "bubble gum" productions (Ohio Express, etc,) Peter, Paul, and Mary; David Seville and the Chipmunks, Ray Charles' "Hit The Road Jack," Jane Morgan's "The Day The Rain Came Down," etc. A couple AM oldies stations in my area have problems with broadcasting only one stereo channel in mono. Beatles karaoke, anyone??

There's no excuse for a radio station playing poor "stereo" songs. I have a $20 computer program that will mix poor stereo back to mono.

 

[Avid Listener]

There's no excuse for a radio station playing poor "stereo" songs. I have a $20 computer program that will mix poor stereo back to mono.

I can top that. I have a FREE computer program that does an excellent job of turning stereo to mono. It's called Audacity. It's a very effective audio editing program.

 

[R_F_Burns]

I can top that. I have a FREE computer program that does an excellent job of turning stereo to mono. It's called Audacity. It's a very effective audio editing program.

I use Audacity for tons of editing it's one if not the best open source programs out there.

 

[spinetingler]

I've got a lot of those ping-pong era albums up on the blog. They're sort of a specialty hobby for me. I'm a big fan of Enoch Light.

Some of them are here: http://audioarchives.blogspot.com/search?q=enoch
and here: http://audioarchives.blogspot.com/search?q=ping

and there are probably more that evaded that quick search.

 

[JeffM]

There's no excuse for a radio station playing poor "stereo" songs. I have a $20 computer program that will mix poor stereo back to mono.

Well...they don't need excuses any more...last month they dumped music and flipped to sports talk. (What the hell, there were only two other sports talkers in this market already.)

 

[JeffM]

I've got a lot of those ping-pong era albums up on the blog. They're sort of a specialty hobby for me. I'm a big fan of Enoch Light.

Some of them are here: http://audioarchives.blogspot.com/search?q=enoch
and here: http://audioarchives.blogspot.com/search?q=ping

and there are probably more that evaded that quick search.

One of the wackiest ones I've found is an early 60's Columbia LP titled VOICES IN MOTION. The overall effect is that of putting a 24-voice mixed chorus on roller skates and having them chase each other in circles...

 

[Robert Bass]

Forgive me if this one has already been mentioned...

Say, Say, Say from Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson. McCartney is in the left and Jackson is in the right.

R