Tomorrow's World "3D STEREO" Demonstration, BBC1 (Broadcast 21-03-1991)

[NormanArches]

I´ve just been listening to some Q Sound demos - comprehensively 2nd rate by comparison but the Holophonic stuff with the matchbox moving up and down was impressive. Newer technology I guess. And a simple Soundfield mic system is better sounding than pretty much all of this other '3D' stuff. The Roland stuff is essentially very different to what Soundfield do, though. The other stuff I´m hearing largely sounds like it could be replaced by it - but not the RSS.

[NormanArches]

1. I think it was fucking awesome, Mark, however I think you have always been shit. The effect, in short, was more convincing than you.

Anyway I´ve owned an RSS-10 since I read the SOS review in 95 and it is quite possibly the single most astonishing bit of kit I´ve ever had. Having always wondered about this original, more expensive, multi-channel version it was interesting to hear it over my monitors - good job with sound, by the way

contd.

[NormanArches]

2. - the RSS only in-outputs a single stereo signal. So it seems this original model, the one which looks like a Q-Sound controller as I recall, does a similar kind of thing to Q-Sound but just a lot better. It seems not to do the mind-melting velocity and doppler based tricks the RSS-10 does over its PC interface, judging by the rotary layout. Still, for 3D placement it sounded wonderful. How can it be that Roland don´t make these? They must be mad.Even just the reverb sounded stunning.

[DAVEnLYNNquenby]

I remember watching this "Live" *shocking*

[steve2997aristo]

I remember listening to this live.

10 years after this, I worked on a developing, 3d sound, from a conventional, 2 channel system.

It was a combination of speaker design and some electronics, but the results are out standing.

My system uses 4 speakers, 2 left and right, 2 either side at a precise angle, and I could say its makes top brand stereo systems seem like your back watching black and white television again.

However 5-1 should beat it, as long as they develop larger speakers.

[jackthelad4711]

didn't Mark goodier have episodes of a Batman story in "Q sound"?

[Auralcavity]

Hi @jackthelad4711 Yes, I know what you mean about Q-Sound although the daily series "Knightfall", which was on Mark Goodier's daytime show, was actually made for Dolby Pro-logic surround sound systems to decode. The reason you might think it was Q-Sound/RSS is because some binaural artefacts usually result as part of the Dolby soundtrack's encoding - some of the effects seem to come from directions outside the normal stereo soundstage. I have archive from this and may post some later.. cheers

[iheretic]

I can't believe this is over 20 years ago, it still sounds amazing on my laptop.

[drakelowc]

This is very nostalgic for me, I remember this from its original broadcast, its sad that the theme music featured was only used for another 3-4 months until the end of that series then it was replaced by a very percussion laden track by Chris Blackwell in the Autumn.

[irishradio]

Video now uploaded at youtube.com/watch?v=D6u654y9vX­I

[irishradio]

I have a proper VHS recording of this along with the full stereo audio from Radio One. Will hopefully post in the near future. I recently got a copy of the CD they advertise so might post up some 3D audio samples too.

[Auralcavity]

Hi @irishradio, that's good to hear. It would certainly be a relief to see the video footage in better quality than this.

[irishradio]

@Auralcavity

Yeah, it should be similar quality to the videos up on my Irish Radio site as they have been culled from VHS masters.

[Izzard]

Thanks for putting it together and telling the story. An important archive! :)

[brownae2]

Thanks so much for this! I've been looking for this for years! I remember watching it and still have an audio tape of the R1 broadcast somewhere. What I'd love is to get my hands on one of those CDs. Do you know the name or anything else about it? I can't make it out on here due to pixelation. Cheers!

[Auralcavity]

@brownae2 Hi, you're welcome. Great timing by the way - today (21/03/2011) is the 20th anniversary of the broadcast! I have the CD but due to possible copyright restrictions don't want to upload any of it to YouTube. It's called ESSENTIAL HI TECH SOUND EFFECTS (BBC CD 856).

Try searching Amazon - Good luck!

[Abrahandsome3200]

OMG it still works @_@

[HD41117]

Thank you very much for taking the time to piece this video together. It is great to see and hear it again. We didn't have NICAM either but I was able to set up a decent FM rig. It was an exciting event, right in the centre of my interests at the time. Watching this, it doesn't seem like too long ago, then I think about how far audio technology has progressed since then, and how much things have changed (not always for the better). It is amazing.

Thanks again.

[Auralcavity]

@HD41117 Hello, and thank you for your response. Reuniting these two pieces of archive has been a painstaking process but a labour of love - something which, I felt, simply had to be done. It's made all the more worthwhile by comments such as yours. Poignantly, I think it's wonderful that audio (& visual) technologies have progressed to the extent that like-minded people can now share, relive and reminisce about such memorable and, as you say, 'exciting' events as this... amazing indeed.