Article Published in November 2023 in the Magazine Cyclical issue no5
Attending a concert of Suzanne Ciani or Morton Subotnick in full surround sound is quite an experience. Quadraphonic is not new, but it failed to emerge after stereo due to competing standards to encode 4 channels into two and press them on vinyls. These standards also had their gotcha, for instance a potential cancellation of a sound placed in the center of the 4 speakers.
Q: What is quadraphonic sound and how does it relate to modular synthesizers?
A: Quadraphonic sound is a type of surround sound that uses four channels and speakers placed in the four corners of a listening space. This creates a more immersive audio experience. The rebirth of quadraphonic sound in modular synthesizers involves using these synthesizers to create and manipulate sounds that can be spatially distributed across four speakers, offering a rich and dynamic sonic environment.
Q: Why is there a renewed interest in quadraphonic sound?
A: There's a renewed interest in quadraphonic sound due to advancements in audio technology and a growing appreciation for immersive soundscapes in music production and live performances. Artists and listeners are seeking more engaging and enveloping sound experiences, and quadraphonic sound provides a unique way to deliver that.
Q: How can one experience quadraphonic music created on modular synthesizers?
A: To experience quadraphonic music, one would typically need a setup with four speakers positioned in a square layout. Some music venues and studios are equipped for quadraphonic sound, and there are also recordings available that are specifically mixed for quadraphonic playback, which can be enjoyed in a properly equipped home audio setup. Additionally, some online platforms may offer quadraphonic mixes for streaming with the appropriate hardware.
Quadraphonic music is hard to explain, it is an experience. It may not change the power of a song, but it changes your experience. When you go to the movies, you don’t remember that the image was 3D or the sound was surround, but you remember you got a way better experience without being able to describe it. So I will not try to explain it to you but encourage you to go and experience that sound. After my first experience, I knew immediately this was the sound I wanted to create, I needed to figure out how.~~
Releasing quadraphonic music, or even 5.1 music was not easy. The main issue was to find a distribution channel, many artists were hosting their own files. Very few people have the means to own a surround sound system, often as a home theater. This all changed when streaming services started to offer Dolby Atmos. First Amazon Music and Tidal, but more importantly Apple Music, which used its own renderer, allowing music encoded in Dolby Atmos to be played on home theaters, on headsets, simulating though psychoacoustic effects and head tracking, a spatial sound (binaural), but also on a wide range of speakers found in laptops, tablets, phones, home assistants… Everyone could now experience spatial sound. Apple also used its might to strongly encourage artists to release in that format.
Dolby Atmos is mainly an object based format. You place your sound in space, and this is encoded in the file. The renderer then converts this information to fit your listening setup. It differs from source based formats, where the sound is encoded to fit exactly a 5.1 or 7.1 listening system. Dolby Atmos is all possible because such computational power is now available in the smallest devices. For quadraphonic music, you place a sound object in each of the 4 corners to create an Atmos master. You can then upload that master to a DSP like Distrokid or Avidplay to have your music released on streaming services (edit 20240627: LandR can also upload Atmos files).
In the world of modular synthesizers, the reference is Buchla with the 227e module that has 4 inputs that can be panned within 4 speakers. This module supports polar (make the sound go round) and cartesian coordinates (make the sound cross from one speaker to another one). This module was created in the 2010s based on the 227 module created in the 1970s. The module has 4 balanced outputs, allowing you to connect to 4 speakers.
So you need 4 speakers. Any 4 speakers will do first. I have 4 QSC K8.2 for when I do live performances, but I also have 4 cheap tabletop/computer speakers to allow me to perform on the road. Do not worry about matching the speakers, just borrow another pair from a friend. If you find this is what you want to do, you will invest in proper speakers later.
A Buchla with a 227e module is rather expensive, but you can also get quadraphonic in the Eurorack format. A first possible step is to combine 2 stereo mixers in your eurorack case. Mixers with CV panning like the WMD performance mixer are preferred. It will allow you to have sounds in the front and different sounds in the back. It creates a spatialization but you cannot move sounds completely in the space. However this is an easy way to start and experience quadraphonic music.
Eventually you will need a proper quadraphonic module. Unfortunately, there is only one module that can mix the outputs of other quadraphonic modules and this is the Shakmat Aeolus Mixer. It takes 3 quadraphonic input, 2 stereo inputs and mixes them at unity into a quadraphonic output. From this building block you can add other quadraphonic modules. First let’s check the output. I use Intellijel stereo modules and headphone modules in 1U, but you can use the normal format too. I use 2 of each. Their advantage is that the stereo output connects with the headphone via ribbon cables. I use 2 of each. I have therefore 4 balanced outputs to go to the front of the house mixer, and 2 stereo headphones outputs that I connect to a Zoom H6 to record my performance.
As input to the Shakmat Aeolus Mixer you have a few options. The Shakmat Aeolus Seeds provide one voice with all the possibilities and more of one voice on the Buchla 227e. Its advantage is the presence of an LFO which helps smooth the sound during transitions. You may have noticed when you CV pan using a square wave on any mixer, there will be a scratch, unless you smooth the square wave to avoid sharp transitions on the VCAs.
The Intellijel Planar 2 is also an excellent module allowing live performance with its joystick. You can create a pattern with the joystick, record it and let it play. I often use that module for sound check, to ensure with the joystick that the sound goes into the right speaker. I pan with the joystick in each corner and check the sound is coming from the respective speakers.:
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Finally, the uHe Civilization module is very powerful, it has 4 voices in its quadraphonic mode. Each voice can be either rotated amongst the 4 speakers, or with an envelope follower affected randomly to one of the speakers. It also has 2 CV inputs that you can use to control any of the 4 voices. Maybe if you want to start, that could be the first module to acquire. It has several stereo modes, and you can use it as a 4 voices quadraphonic panner/mixer.
All these modules, besides the Shakmat Aeolus Mixer, are useful in a stereo rack on their own. So you can start with them in stereo before upgrading to quadraphonic.
There are a few more modules available for quadraphonic, but to me these are the main building blocks. Some modules are no longer manufactured like the Koma Poltergeist. I describe more modules on the page Euroquad. You will also find there an Apple Music playlist of Dolby Atmos music made with Modular Synthesizers: “Modular Synthesizers in Space” that you can listen to in binaural with headsets or better on a soundbar.
I hope I helped demystify quadraphonic music on modular synthesizers and that we will join me in producing such awesome immersive music.