Re: surround looping

[Bill Fox <billyfox@soundscapes.us>]

goddard.duncan@mtvne.com wrote:

> it's very depressing, all this, for it's true. despite the exciting 
> prospect of multi-channel music production, both studio & stage, there 
> really isn't much call for it, even with the most immersive & abstract 
> instrumentation.

Hi Duncan,

If RMI want to do four channel sound at the next Gathering, I'd be happy 
to bring a pair of nice JBL speakers on stands and a stereo power amp 
suitable for use in St. Mary's to suppliment Chuck's system.

> Then there are the practical difficulties- multi-channel delivery 
> formats have yet to settle down unless you're in the movie business, & 
> even then it tends to be a bit fireworky, detracting from the main 
> body of the action. directors regard it as a necessary evil.

Robin Miller, who lives near me in Bethlehem, PA, used to be a 
filmmaker.  He is now somewhat of a multichannel audio expert.  He has 
conducted experiments that seem to indicate that subwoofers in fact do 
contain spacial information.  A church organ recording was used in the 
tests and two subwoofers were better than one at creating a realistic 
sense of being there.  Sure, low frequencies might be omnidirectional, 
but they still take time to travel through space and the resulting phase 
relationships need to be preserved in order to keep information that is 
lost when using only one subwoofer... if I understand what Robin's 
friend told me.

Cheers,

Bill Fox
P.S. You can hear Duncan's RMI mates in an interview the last time RMI 
played in Philadelphia.
http://wdiy.org/programs/emusic/rss/podcasts.html