When did you first here "it"

[Woochifer]

Probably the first time I heard a direct-to-disc LP played back on a decent system. This was before CDs took over, so at that time it was about as good a playback medium as there was for consumers. The illusion that the musicians were in the room with me was very convincing, and the dynamics on that recording were unapproached by anything I'd heard before. In the years that followed, I attended some high end shows, and direct discs were frequently the playback of choice even after CD players had begun displacing turntables; and hearing some of those recordings on those high end systems was often incredibly convincing.

(For those of you unfamiliar with direct-to-disc LPs, they were recorded entirely live in studio with the two-channel board feed going directly to the mastering lathe. No analog tape or multitracked mixing, it was all done on the fly. The session had to cover an entire album side, with no retakes or restarts possible. If the musicians muffed the last track on the side, they had to junk the whole side and start over.)

I guess my multichannel epiphany was the first time that I saw a movie in 70mm six-track in a THX auditorium. Pre-digital, 70mm prints were the only way to get full bandwidth 5.1 soundtracks, as most theatres were using 35mm optical soundtracks, which had more limited bandwidth than FM radio and was only a two-channel carrier. We now take full range discrete split surround 5.1 for granted, but back then it was an event to hear it. Keep in mind that at that time, the THX designation really meant something, because only a handful of theaters back then were certified and the rigor that went into those early installations was very evident. Most theaters back then had minimal acoustic controls in place, inadequate subwoofers, and incomplete complements of surround speakers, so the THX program addressed a need.

Even though 70mm soundtracks were huge step above the normal 35mm optical presentations, glaring flaws were still audible in the theaters I went to, but the THX presentation was a revelation. Aside from the wow factor of the original THX trailer, that was really the first time that I ever saw a movie where I got the full impact of what surround imaging was capable of, and dialog intelligibility such that I didn't have to ask "what did he say?". It was also the first time that I heard a movie soundtrack with fidelity comparable to a decent home audio system, except that it was in surround sound, which back then was not readily available for home use (stereo TV and hi-fi VCRs were brand new at that time).

[Worf101]

Probably the first time I heard a direct-to-disc LP played back on a decent system. This was before CDs took over, so at that time it was about as good a playback medium as there was for consumers. The illusion that the musicians were in the room with me was very convincing, and the dynamics on that recording were unapproached by anything I'd heard before. In the years that followed, I attended some high end shows, and direct discs were frequently the playback of choice even after CD players had begun displacing turntables; and hearing some of those recordings on those high end systems was often incredibly convincing.

(For those of you unfamiliar with direct-to-disc LPs, they were recorded entirely live in studio with the two-channel board feed going directly to the mastering lathe. No analog tape or multitracked mixing, it was all done on the fly. The session had to cover an entire album side, with no retakes or restarts possible. If the musicians muffed the last track on the side, they had to junk the whole side and start over.)

I guess my multichannel epiphany was the first time that I saw a movie in 70mm six-track in a THX auditorium. Pre-digital, 70mm prints were the only way to get full bandwidth 5.1 soundtracks, as most theatres were using 35mm optical soundtracks, which had more limited bandwidth than FM radio and was only a two-channel carrier. We now take full range discrete split surround 5.1 for granted, but back then it was an event to hear it. Keep in mind that at that time, the THX designation really meant something, because only a handful of theaters back then were certified and the rigor that went into those early installations was very evident. Most theaters back then had minimal acoustic controls in place, inadequate subwoofers, and incomplete complements of surround speakers, so the THX program addressed a need.

Even though 70mm soundtracks were huge step above the normal 35mm optical presentations, glaring flaws were still audible in the theaters I went to, but the THX presentation was a revelation. Aside from the wow factor of the original THX trailer, that was really the first time that I ever saw a movie where I got the full impact of what surround imaging was capable of, and dialog intelligibility such that I didn't have to ask "what did he say?". It was also the first time that I heard a movie soundtrack with fidelity comparable to a decent home audio system, except that it was in surround sound, which back then was not readily available for home use (stereo TV and hi-fi VCRs were brand new at that time).

Quite interesting that both of your epiphanies involved unusual circumstances. Direct to disk is an interesting footnote in audio history. As a man who's sweated in a recording studio or two in my time the idea of doing an entire album side, cold, one shot, no flubs is daunting to say the least. I also find it fascinating that you remember the birth of THX sound in the theatres. I remember only VOT and Sensurround... after that I stopped paying attention until my home theatre statred sounding better than half the movies I went to.

Da Worfster

[jack70]

Quite interesting that both of your epiphanies involved unusual circumstances. Direct to disk is an interesting footnote in audio history. As a man who's sweated in a recording studio or two in my time the idea of doing an entire album side, cold, one shot, no flubs is daunting to say the least.

It may be a footnote (I still have many of those LPs too), but it should be noted: THAT was the way discs were recorded for decades. 78's were, esentially, direct to disc. This was before tape and the flexibilty tape affords. Essentially they were cut live to disc.

The quality issues of the 78 shellac aside, unplayed (good condition) discs still can sound pretty amazing. Some of the Nimbus series have some of those rare discs played back with thorns as needles, and then edited with state-of-the-art methods for CD Re-mastering. As much as studio/tape wizardry allows for a more "perfect" product, we do miss a bit of the "live" reality that those old recording dates had.

[Woochifer]

Quite interesting that both of your epiphanies involved unusual circumstances. Direct to disk is an interesting footnote in audio history. As a man who's sweated in a recording studio or two in my time the idea of doing an entire album side, cold, one shot, no flubs is daunting to say the least. I also find it fascinating that you remember the birth of THX sound in the theatres. I remember only VOT and Sensurround... after that I stopped paying attention until my home theatre statred sounding better than half the movies I went to.

Da Worfster

Ah yes, Sensurround! Last time I looked up this stuff, I read that it was Cerwin Vega that created the special subwoofers for that process, and I think Terrence mentioned that the Sensurround track just activated some bass generating device that plunged the depths to about 10 Hz. Someone else mentioned that watching a movie in Sensurround made them sick because their insides were getting brutalized by the bass. The Chinese Theater in Hollywood apparently sustained some structural damage when they screened "Earthquake" in Sensurround. Heard that they had to suspend a net to keep ceiling fragments from falling onto the audience! Someone also once told me that for the Sensurround screening of "Midway" at the Chinese, they installed air raid sirens in the lobby that went off whenever a battle scene was starting up. Yes, remember when movie going was an event?

THX got hyped up in L.A. where I grew up because the first installation coincided with the premiere of "Return of the Jedi". Even though I saw quite a few films in 70mm, the first time I saw a THX presentation with a 70mm print, it was an eye-opener. One of the theaters I frequented while growing up used VOT screen speakers, and once I snuck a peek behind the screen. I saw those VOT giants propped up on platforms, but it surprised me how much open space there was behind the screen with untreated brick walls. The resulting incoherent reverberation was something that I just got used to over the years. THX, with the acoustic controls in the auditorium plus the required baffle wall built behind the screen speakers, was really the first time I ever went to a movie and understood all the dialog. I do credit them helping to raise the standard for movie theater sound. Nowadays, even rural multiplexes are built with acoustically treated auditoriums, irregardless of whether or not they participate in the THX program.

[topspeed]

THX got hyped up in L.A. where I grew up because the first installation coincided with the premiere of "Return of the Jedi". Even though I saw quite a few films in 70mm, the first time I saw a THX presentation with a 70mm print, it was an eye-opener.

Westwood, right? The best THX theaters were always in Westwood and there were like 3 different ones within walking distance. Almost every movie I saw during the latter half of the 80's was there.

[zapr]

........I've loved music since I was an early teen. My first system was a technics receiver, turntable and a pair of somas( still have turntable & speakers, gave the receiver away, big mistake, would have been great in the garage ). Stayed with technics for my second system which was early surround sound before pro logic. Then it was AR and you guys when I stepped up to yamaha and paradigm a few yrs. back. That's when I noticed something different. I was able to place instruments on stage and noticed a separation between them. After I biwired the speakers (sorry guys) the separation became more so with added air around instruments. Speakers became transparent and for the first time I was hearing the music. The light was on! As far as kids getting it, a lot of todays music leans toward the "boom" but I think they'll be disccussing this someday as we're saying - I remember that :]........Zapr.

[Woochifer]

Westwood, right? The best THX theaters were always in Westwood and there were like 3 different ones within walking distance. Almost every movie I saw during the latter half of the 80's was there.

Yup, and I was probably in some of those opening night audiences with you. Amazing that Westwood can feature so many world class theaters in such a small area. Living on the westside truly spoiled me! The four THX showcase theatres were the Avco (the original THX installation), Village, Bruin, and National. Until the Avco got chopped in half, all of these theaters featured 800+ seat auditoriums, huge screens, and excellent sound systems.

I knew the manager at one of the smaller theaters in Westwood and got some insights into just how much attention to detail (and fanatical overengineering of the projection, screen, and audio systems) went into the presentation at those theaters. Apparently, Westwood was a favorite spot for studio execs to pop by on a given night and see how a paying audience was reacting to a movie. If the sound wasn't right or the picture out of focus or not bright enough, there was bigtime hell to pay. Aside from fielding irate inquiries from studio higher ups, the theater managers would occasionally even get blamed for negative audience reaction to a particular movie since it would unnecessarily spawn negative word-of-mouth (doesn't matter if it's just a bad movie; less-than-stellar presentation was bad for buzz).

Before moving to San Francisco, I just assumed that the grand old single screen theaters in every big city got the same kind of state-of-the-art retrofitting that the theaters in Westwood got. How wrong I was! I still try to catch movies in Westwood whenever I visit SoCal.

[uncooked]

well for me it was like a year and a half ago, in the future shop speaker room. i had never heard surround before, but me and my dad were renovating the basement, and wired it all in for 6.1,

anyways went in there and the salesmen put on star wars "the pod racing scene" with a HK amp. like the 530 or something, and athena speakers. and he cranked it. I ALMOST CRAPPED MY PANTS! the best thing i had heard before that was a movie theatre...... and that sounds like complete garbage now. i bought the athena set. and a yamaha receiver. hooked it up in my basement, and it sounds great. ever since that moment i have been completely addicted to audio. since then i have built a 5.1 system in my room "it sounds ok" pretty dam good for me though, it was all my own money. took all of it lol. my mom was pissed for a month or 2. i have also set up neighbours, aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents friends, sisters friends, like they just tell me how much money they want to blow then i pick it all out and set it all and configure it all for them.

i also went to work experience at future shop, and talked to the same guy that sold me my surround and he's shocked how much i have learned in just over a year. i re wired the whole theatre room in future shop in 2 hours. and they hired me there even though im not 18. so far everything is going pretty good, ive still got a bit to learn "thats where this site comes in"

im slowly growing out of the kid way of music "just play it loud who cares about quality" im getting more into it and now realize its not about the volume, its clarity that makes it sound good.