The Secrets Of Pink Floyd’s Quadraphonic PA

[@BillMueller2016]

After 42 years and 6 months, I finally got the chance to speak with Roger Waters for a minute about one of the most incredible, potentially disastrous, nearly fatal, and little known events to happen in rock history; the nearly complete destruction and rebuild of the Pink Floyd sound system on the Dark Side of the Moon tour. On March 5th 1973, Pink Floyd played Cobo Hall in Detroit. About half way into the show, with the sound system at full volume and Alan Parsons at the FOH console, according to Roger when we spoke yesterday, a ballast weight fell from the rafters into a flash pot and caused a massive explosion on stage. The weight itself was blasted into small chunks of flying shrapnel. According to what I was told by the Floyd crew at the time, the explosion ripped a hole in the stage and threw chunks of wood 30 rows into the audience. Roger and Alan Parsons told me separately, that one man was hit in the chest by a chunk of plywood and critically injured. It was a miracle that none of the band or crew were killed. The force of the explosion blew every single driver in every single cabinet in the PA system! Let that sink in for a moment. This was one of the largest PA systems ever constructed to that time, and according to the crew, chunks of drivers showered down on the first ten rows of the audience. I can't imagine their shock. Something that I didn't find out until yesterday from Roger, was that immediately after the explosion, the Floyd crew scrounged together some spare cabinets and built a tiny system, one cabinet per band member, and they finished the freakin' show! That was the beginning of a heroic effort on the part of two sound crews. I was a roadie for Heil Sound at the time. Heil Sound was one of the largest PA companies in the US with two large systems, one for Humble Pie and one for The Who along with lots of other gear to put together smaller one-off systems. We were also one of the only JBL speaker reconeing companies in the mid west. It turned out that Bob Heil had met Pink Floyd some months earlier when he flew to London to purchase a Mavis console for the two big systems. So Bob knew who Pink Floyd was, but most of us on the crew had no idea. The night of March 5th, someone from Pink Floyd, somehow got Bob's home phone number (communication was NOTHING like it is today!) and told him of their plight. Bob rallied a crew, me included, and the next morning at dawn we loaded up a straight bed truck with loads of 15" JBL speakers along with boxes of tweeter drivers, dozens of drivers in all and four Heil 2X12 speakers and a pair of Phase Linear 700 amps, and headed for Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Pink Floyds next stop on the tour. We met the Floyd crew at the stage door and formed a plan. They would bring in the cabinets and begin constructing the system as planned and as they built the massive stacked system, we would remove the backs from the cabinets and replace the blown drivers with brand new JBLs. If I recall there were only four of us Heil roadies on the gig, so the idea of replacing an entire sound systems driver contingent was really really a tall hill to climb. My job was a little different from the other three. I had to run a thousand feet of speaker wire and set up the Heil quad speakers that Pink Floyd used for the rest of the tour and assist some guy named Alan Parsons to set up and run a little TEAC 2340 quad tape machine. (The Heil speakers are coincidentally in the Rock Hall of Fame, but not because they were used on the Dark Side of the Moon tour, but just because Bob is Bob.) We went to work as quick as we could and worked right on through the day without a break. No lunch, no nothing. Just get the job done. Five O'clock came and the band came out to do a sound check, except there was no functioning PA yet, so they just played with their amps on stage and maybe a little bit of monitor. Nothing out front. I had no idea who Pink Floyd was and from my perspective out front, I thought they sounded kind of sleepy. Ha! 8 O'clock came and went and we weren't ready. 8:30 and we still didn't have the system put together yet. Around 9:00PM, someone made the call to open the doors and people streamed in, excited to hear some band I had never heard of. Odd. Around 9:30PM the house lights went down and a few seconds later, the curtain started to climb up out of the darkness and the PA EXPLODED again, but this time with the first strains of a kind of music that I had never heard before, I was shocked. After about a half hour set, the band took a few minutes intermission. When they came back, they played The Dark Side of the Moon! OMG. All of the tweeters were not yet replaced and we still had a crew member standing on each stack, screwing the backs on cabinets, but the sound was literally breathtaking. The scene was epic. I found myself standing next to Alan, while he smoothly swung back and forth between the FOH console and the little TEAC tape machine. He had gobs of white leader between each sound effect and in near total darkness, would fast forward the tape to the next SFX and cue it up. Then back to the console for a vocal ride or guitar ride and then back to the play button on the little tape machine. I say I found myself because at the first notes of the first song, I began to have an out of body experience like I had never experienced before. I had no idea who Pink Floyd was and was in no way expecting the sonic feast I was experiencing. I was an audio snob up to that point, and believed I knew how sound systems should sound. Oh no, I had no freakin' idea how sound systems should sound. That much was clear. The Pink Floyd PA, with brand new JBL speakers and drivers, and The Dark Side of the Moon flowing from it, was unlike any I had ever heard or have heard since. I was standing right in Alan Parsons sweet spot and the balance of the quad system was unbelievable. There were voices in my head. There were bells sweeping through my body and out the other side. At one point, a combination of exhaustion and elation almost cause me to lose my balance and I had to lean on the table, still being careful not to get anywhere near that tiny little player. When the show was over, I gathered myself and we Heil crew loaded our truck with our tools. I shook Alan's hand, may have got a hug from a Floyd roadie and almost without a word, we drove off into the night, only suspecting the profound musical event we had just witnessed and helped save. With every passing day, the events of March 6th, 1973 have become more profound to me. Kiel Auditorium is long gone, Many of us on the two crews are long gone. But the memories are as vivid as last nights sunset.

[@rohan_of_arc9895]

This is simply one of the most incredible things I have ever read, and an important footnote in popular music history. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

[@fredfox3851]

Wow! I guess that is what they mean when they say the show must go on. : ) Peace!

[@JohnnyD-u4y]

Wow what a story! Love it - ‘sonic feast’.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

Dude, amazing story! Thanks for sharing.

[@BobbyGeneric145]

​@@fredfox3851do i have to stand up, out in the spotlight, what a nightmare, why don't I turn and run....

[@MultidimensionalSentinel]

Somebody give this man a cigar, doing good work here Mr. Hewitt, I hope someday I will be able to hear this rig in action!

[@kierenmoore3236]

He’s gonna go far! He’s gonna fly high!

[@MultidimensionalSentinel]

@@kierenmoore3236 Yes!

[@thedavesofourlives1]

he'll go far

[@mariusbogdan9036]

@@thedavesofourlives1 And with Jaguar, of course! 🤣How many years have passed and I still have the lyrics in my mind! I was also a "roadie" only in Hungary with our biggest rock bands. Nice memories! But even now, at the age of 70, I am improving, even "upgrading" my stage and studio technique. It's a passion like a drug! Fortunately, this gives you a zest for life, it doesn't destroy it!🙏

[@Tim091]

I remember standing in approximately the middle of Wembley Stadium sometime in the 1980's waiting for Floyd to come on. There was the usual music playing quite quietly through the PA and the sounds of thousands of people chattering. After a while I realised that the music was fading slowly until there was nothing. The anticipation increased and then we realised that it was raining, bummer! No, wait, why aren't we getting wet? It was the sound of rainfall slowly increasing in volume and filling the air from all directions! This was the beginning of the show!! Never forgotten the feeling at that moment of realisation.

[@fusion-music]

Amazing. incredible how a composition well executed can take control of your senses. Never seen them myself, but can imagine the quad experience. Thanks for your personal experience.

[@dubstatic]

I was at that gig too, right smack in the middle - what a gig! Also saw Roger 2002 at Glastonbury pyramid stage again in the middle quad sound (a first a glastonbury) plane fly over - top night!

[@davidkeeley8473]

I experienced hearing this PA at the Pink Floyd Milwaukee stadium concert and it blew my mind when the audio started to rotate around the stadium.

[@peters7949]

I was technical manager at Mayfair Studios during the recording & mixing of The Final Cut. When Pink Floyd were in, all our studio monitor power amps had to be replaced with Pink Floyd’s Phase Linear Amps.

[@dominicshaw4140]

great album still sounds lush

[@Da-Freaks]

love it

[@christheghostwriter]

I just listened to the final cut last night for the first time in 30 years.

[@bradatherton9369]

Great choice of Bob Carver design!

[@robbybobbyhobbies]

The algorithm sees all and recommends another winning video - last two days I've listened continuously to just Pink Floyd (with a dose of Waters' solo work as well). The Final Cut (obviously standing between both worlds) remains a favourite, thanks for your contribution.

[@FuriousMess]

I saw Floyd at the East Town Theater in Detroit during the Ummaguma Tour and they had Quad Sound with speakers all over the theater; front, rear and above and a joy stick controller to swirl the sound. There was a large 'control pit' in the center on the floor. It blew everybody's mind when a sound bit of a guy chasing a fly around with a newspaper ended with a smack down and a satisfied got you, went all around the theater. Interstellar Overdrive was amazing.

[@craigoog]

I remember seeing the same thing at different show. Rick controlled it as I remember.

[@chunkystylemusic]

Wow! Easttown Theatre! I used to live just a few blocks from there. Back then, I was too young (and too poor!) to get in to concerts, but I was allowed to hang out in the alley and listen from the loading door. What an awesome era for music

[@markraney5150]

I experienced Umaguma in Real Spatial Audio but back in the early 90’s…on a couch…when CD’s came out on a killer Sony Home Theater Center 😂

[@TheTayedrums]

yeah you are def. from Detriot...michigan palace-grand ballroom....so many great concerts bavck then...in the D

[@andreasrowicki6393]

Wow! This is a legendary and groundbreaking PA! Wonderful too see it being restored.

[@Manu-Official]

Not even 30 seconds in and I'm reminded why I see Allen And Heath as top tier mixing equipment...

[@bradrehn1007]

I got to hear this system several times. This and the Dead's Wall of Sound were the best I ever heard in that era, thanks! 👍👍👍

[@jimmypenrose1401]

Pink Floyd were also fans of the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound. When the Grateful Dead went on hiatus in 1975, Pink Floyd leased it from them for the North American leg of the Wish You Were here tour. After the tour was over it was dismantled and sold\auctioned off. Every now and then you still find bits of it floating around on eBay.

[@mickeythompson9537]

Those three words: "Pink Floyd, London" as iconic and as conquering as SPQR.

[@mikebro2557]

I still remember the fantastic quad sound featuring Rick’s synth solo intro on Shine On You Crazy Diamond at Knebworth back in 1975, still makes the hairs rise on my arms just think about it. Great video, it’s good knowing the history of Pink Floyd 🤘

[@christheghostwriter]

There was a time in the late 80s where Dan Healy (Grateful Dead FOH) would set up rear speakers in the upper deck of the arena, and they would run the normal PA for most of the show and then kick on the rear speakers during the "Drums and Space" segments. Suddenly these crazy beats and weird noises would start spinning around the room. It was particularly enjoyable under psychedelicized conditions 🤪

[@georgegeranios2918]

I mixed Blue Oyster Cult on a later custom Floyd desk, a Midas with all the markings in colored phosphorescent paint. It was a two piece affair with dueling black lights and, yes, all the lettering glowed in the dark!

[@jono_young]

Way cool 🤩

[@familiedejonge6813]

The famous Mirrored Midas !!

[@kierenmoore3236]

Legend has it, Mick ‘The Pole’ also made some ‘colorful movies’, back in the 70s …

[@GrumIsMe]

Always happy when gear like that ends up in the right hands. Very cool.

[@toonertik]

Oh the nostalgia... I entered the live sound game mid/late 70's and remember very well those Martin "W" bins and by that time we had the phillyshave mids and Mida mixers. The other Quad mixer of that time was the MAVIS, built like a tank and superb.. designed by one Bill Hough, who also did lots of mods for Deep Purple and also made some really cool parametric EQs for my FH Midas ( I regret not pulling at least a couple of them before I sold the desks).. Great to see all that old vintage gear lovingly cared for. Oh yes.. nostalgia ;-)))

[@MarioConsunji]

Im just starting to get into live sound and recently just learned that those martins are legendary!

[@TheTayedrums]

yeah deep purples sounds was great

[@lowandodor1150]

Thank youuu! For a musician and live sound engineer who had a 2 year phase of deep, deep Pink Floyd listening experience and cherished them ever since and is a serious analog gear enthusiast, this was beyond epic. My mouth still wide open.

[@gingerovertone2929]

I have a TEAC A3340S and have put on tape all the Quad mixes PF have released in recent box sets. Looks and sounds marvellous!

[@garycoots5629]

I have the honor of owning a Phase Linear 400 amp that I use for my rehearsal room p.a. and also live (small venue) use. It is so amazingly clear!!

[@mariusbogdan9036]

I appreciate it too! With my knowledge today, I understand how important phase linearity is for good sound. Back then, I checked the uniformity of the phase. This was also important knowledge for my later work. For me, that was the "Rolls Royce" category of amplifiers!

[@garycoots5629]

@@mariusbogdan9036 and to think I traded even a Peavey CS800 to get the Phase Linear 400!!! Later he told me he was sorry he traded...

[@TheTayedrums]

i just remember that name phase linear with awesome power...

[@fredfox3851]

This was fascinating. Loved it. My 1984 Sennheiser 409, that I use as my drummer's vocal mic, is the last microphone I would ever sell.

[@kierenmoore3236]

I have one or two, plus some Blackfires (which I think are exactly the same, internally … ?!)

[@pipofferreira]

Beautiful rig and always happy to learn about new and old quad setups! Thanks, Sound On Sound!

[@joepostle3561]

Would be great if Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets did a gig with this setup.

[@sircampbell1249]

Started mixing sound and going lightning for bands back in 1981... this takes me back to old school

[@cthulholmhastur5317]

Great content. Love this man, what a fount of knowledge, and a great vibe he has. Great to see the pics of Floyd in their classic live element, too.

[@boriss.861]

Those Phase Liners give a great heart beat to that system.

[@GiantLoveChicago]

I worked for Jerry Cameron Sound out of Miami. I got to hear that Dark Side show in Chicago at the Cow Palace as it was called. I think it was the International Amphitheater. Amazing time in audio history.

[@coldacre]

its incredible how much gear they amassed in a couple of years. in '68 they had a basic P.A., 2 X 50 watt Selmer amps for Dave & Roger.... thats it. by '70 Dave's playing through several HiWatt's, Rogers got those WEM bins and this giant quad P.A. with the Azimuth Coordinator that Rick was controlling on stage. can only imagine how glorious it would be to hear Gilmour cranking a Fuzz Face through a 100w HiWatt at full throttle

[@Rockky67]

Never saw PF with this, but saw the Bunnymen on their Ocean Rain tour and they had a 3D sound system - Will Sergeant would hit a chord that then got rotated around the room. Rumour was they were using this old Floyd PA.

[@boilinabag]

i still have a original 4 track quadraphonic! reel to reel of dark side that was put out in the seventies. can only be played on a 4 track machine. amazing mix for 73. and i saw this pf show, also elp, yes, and a few others used this quad live system. it was great.

[@peteytwofinger]

SUPER COOL . there was a james guthrie 4.1 mix and then a allan parsons 4.1 that was never officially released but the Immersion Blu ray versions of the quad mix are supposed to be the best of all. you can play these mixs with any pc as long as the sound card has enough (4) outputs , so technically there is a way to listen in quad , but you wont have the analog end of the deal . for me that didnt matter as i am not a gatekeeper , despite the fact i have owned all sorts of multi channel tape machines in my day. i first listened to quad by down loading quad mixs off the pirate bay , using a turtle beach sound card. they had some harry nillson quad mixs that were really great fun .

[@kyanithuringen]

..die technologischen Möglichkeiten macheten bzw machen einen großen teil der Soundarchitektur der PF aus. Sie haben es auch zu 100% realisiert, den Sound von der LP 1:1 live zu realisieren, was auch nicht viele Musiker hinbekommen. Respekt vor dieser Leistung & Schaffen!

[@KordTaylor]

👏 What a cool video. Thank you Sound On Sound. Another great video!

[@agork]

You have got to be kidding me..! This is what I call passion

[@Drummer55]

I went to the quadrophonic concert in Tampa, Florida. It was amazing!

[@artprojectsnz]

Great info from a legend - not too many left now - but this kit looks amazing. Well done for keeping it alive! JPMusic.

[@andyevans2336]

Still enjoyed experiencing shows in surround in the Seattle Center Arena, but in the Kingdome, they managed to take advantage of the normally difficult accoustics and create an awsome experience. Never to be repeated, but so happy to have been there.

[@TakeTheRide]

I'm drooling... need a bib. Eye AND ear candy! A quad reel to reel... sweet memories. American Express had it wrong. THIS is priceless.

[@LordOfTheThreeWorlds]

So glad you guys are doing this. It's not so much the "vintage" that matters it is the engineering which produced full dynamics that are a critical and integral part of the music. The current generation would benefit highly from this experience. I put together a home system with about $100k worth of gear and I get such a thrill when I find a recording that does not need any tweaking. At that moment I feel all is one. Funny thing is the best sounding music was recorded between 1940's through the early 1980's. After that things got rough! My gosh thanks again.

[@KristoffKuche]

I played in a Pink Floyd tribute for 14 years and we did many live shows in quad . it took a huge amount of equipment and effort but an amazing achievement ! We of course had philishaves M300's and 212's . Ah the good old days !

[@plasaonline]

Fascinating stuff! We can't wait to see Chris' collection on display at PLASA Show!

[@scottdrake5159]

What a treat. And what a treat it must be to be able to hear and interact with it. This kind of history is important. It's the kind of thing that can easily fall through the cracks, so I'm glad SoS did this feature. The reported differences between this and a modern system are interesting. Compression makes sense, but I have little experience with systems from the 1960s to early 1970s, and never accompanied by a vintage engineer. I think I would probably love how this system sounded, even if it lacked some things like discrete, controlled sub bass (being one place where compression really shines). I've also got a hunch that we've gone off the rails with equalization, and I'd probably like that aspect of the system, as well. The older I get, the more graphic EQs seem like the devil, or at least not always worth the trade-offs. Thanks again, @soundonsound

[@ScottEvans-vk7hse]

The inside cover of the 1969 Ummagumma album with all the audio equipment laid out totally blew my mind in 1992!

[@andywild9183]

Thanks, really interesting to look back into the world of 70's PA.

[@jamesmaxdavissands]

Lifetime Pink Floyd worshiper having studied them in depth as much as possible in their own words from American interviews. Became a massive audio fanatic because of their commitment to sonic perfection. Did my own experiments in reaction to their astounding performances that left me breathless & dizzy. Most folks have no idea just how powerful this audio manipulation of the senses can get. Because of their wonderfully positive influence upon me I have been creatively consumed for most of my life. Seeing this equipment instantly rocketed me back to the very beginnings of my journey like seeing pictures from my childhood. Thank You so very much for this wonderful trip down Memory Lane -

[@soundonsound]

I'm pleased to hear you liked it. We too were astonished when we discovered the gear was still around and being lovingly restored by it's owner Chris Hewitt. We felt we just had to make a film about it 🙂

[@jamesmaxdavissands]

@@soundonsound In age I cannot recall the name of the American Company that tried to market their astounding creation of Azimuth Alignment on multitrack tape for the unbelievable live effects they created. Something in name along the lines of, "3D Spatial Controller" I drooled over one of these when I was still in my teens. Cost prohibited me from purchase along with the MiniMoog. Living at a time when there was NO information available even hinting at how these things were accomplished never-the-less anything ever like a schematic it took me until the early 80's to figure out a few of the components. Long before anything beyond Stereo was available I seriously shocked my wife by introducing a hacked together version of delay & separation in the channels whose realism was so profound as to be frightening. The poor unfortunate souls who never experienced a Pink Floyd Concert will never understand its Affects. Cheers!

[@leethefixitman7530]

Just WOW, a musical gem and a great video! Thank you.

[@brianbumgardner8704]

Experienced this system at The River Front Stadium in Pittsburgh in 73 during the Dark Side tour.

[@turboslag]

This was a revelation for me!! Being of the generation that were teens when dsotm was released, so bought one of the first release, this was special to me. DSOTM is one of the best and most important musical works of our time, confirmed by it's significance only increasing over the decades. Having always been a hi-fi enthusiast, it was one of the albums that put me on a journey of continuous sound quality improvement, as in, spending more money! I was always fascinated by the American super amps, like the Crown/Amcron DC300A and of course the Phase Linear 400 and 700. In there time I could never afford any of them but have now got a DC300A, used every day and last year found a mint PL 400, uk version, first type with the VUs, at a reasonably price! Thing is, I had no idea that Pink Floyd used these in their PA system, so I'm utterly thrilled to now know this, and I have one!! So it's now going into my system, after I check it over, and this will give me a special connection to the music and the whole era. Bloody brilliant!

[@SunnnyDay]

Fascinating segment ! I saw Pink Floyd 5 times, always superb sound !!

[@kagin1235]

This is so cool! no one has ever talked about this before. I've never knew using surround on a concert is a thing before I thought its just a modern cinema/threater thing.

[@Alex-cw7xf]

Thanks for sharing this. I love quadraphonic audio. I worked with JD Brill from Clair Global on Desert Trip in 2016 where we built two separate quadraphonic systems flown on 50+ foot delay towers, one for a temporary stadium seating 40,000 people and another for the remaining GA crowd for another ~20k. Shame but understandable that quadraphonic audio was a commercial failure, especially as portable audio players became popular in the early 80's with the walkman, subsequent CD revolution and now streaming revolutions where almost everyone is listening on earbuds. I guess I am in a small minority that thinks the notion that "you only have two ears, you only need two speakers" is complete rubbish. Dave Rat is another audio engineer I have worked with and he has a quote which I really agree with "no sound in nature comes from two places at the same time". As far as I understand the way a standard quadraphonic system typically works is by passively splitting the out of phase or "side" information from the main stereo signal and routes it to the back speakers with some of the mid (something like L-R/2 and R-L/2), while leaving the standard stereo image intact and playing that from the front speakers. Having an effects send/return bus that is routed to the quad makes perfect sense in that typically this will be out of phase with the original dry signal. The azimuth co-ordinator and the Allan & Heath console seem to take this a step further whereby the moving the joysticks varies the amount of resistance of the output channels of the fx return buss to control the level sent to the speakers. A lot easier to do these days with digital processors. ;) Cool stuff!

[@kevinpeterson1880]

Life long audio guy here. Mixed on Rat Sound rigs a few times. I was at Desert Trip- second week. Made an effort to seat ourselves in prime center (GA) for Rogers set. It was amazing. I was also very fortunate to attend Laserium at the Seattle Science Center in the mid 70's for the PF shows. Yes, Liberty Caps...

[@fluxfaze]

@@Alex-cw7xf Spatial Audio in Logic Pro X has me excited about immersive musical experiences again. I’m not a pro sound engineer but I am still having fun tinkering with it in my own amateur recording projects.

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

What a marvellous video

[@AndredeBruinSoundengineer]

Excellent video! One sidenote. Modern PA systems have more then sufficient dynamic range, the problem is the new generation of digital mixers have a compressor on each channel and thanks to the hype over compressors on, for instance, youtube. The new generation of soundengineers compress everything to an extend that they kill the musicality. I hear it over and over again at festivals. Being a soundengineer from the late 80's I've seen this compression hype slowly becoming a common practise. Back in the days you had 3 or 4 dbx160's (if you were lucky) and could make a very good sound for a 30 input channel band.

[@richnorris1061]

I don’t use any compression or noise gates live , mainly because we run on batteries and the less gear the better , 17 years doing festivals and all on batteries ( big one’s mind you :-) ) and Studer inverters, lovely sound live very dynamic and not compressed :-)

[@mbell5950]

It’s because those rigs cost $1,000,000 sometimes, and compression keeps the speakers from blowing

[@martindale1680]

The heavy use of compression, particularly at festivals is largely due to the increasingly strict noise level restrictions imposed on these events. The more big transients they catch, the easier it is to stay within the on-site and off-site dB limits set out in the event's license. Sadly.

[@AndredeBruinSoundengineer]

@@mbell5950 Thats not correct, those systems have their own limiters running in the accompanying dsp/crossover. They will limit at a spl you don't even wanna be near at during a live show. Modern Line-array systems are capable of producing 127 dBA easily. Now you don't wanna be near that volume.

[@AndredeBruinSoundengineer]

@@martindale1680 Thats partly true, festivals are resrtricted to 98dBA or 103 dBA but measured over 5 or 10 minutes. At least where I live. Gives you plenty of headroom to do a proper show. Still the youngsters compress the heck out of everything.

[@ReneAlexisPenalozaMunoz]

Sound technology has come a long way thanks to the imagination of those early pioneers.

[@alanriley9754]

Have the quadrophonic vinyl version of Dark Side of the Moon in my music collection. Thanks for this very educational video. 👏

[@OFR]

That quad Azimuth Coordinator panning device was built at Abbey Road Studios by technician/boffin Bernie Speight. Bernie's gone missing, but he was one of the stranger (yet more creative) Abbey Road technical engineers.

[@jameslandon9194]

Thank you. What a great video and project.

[@stevelane5885]

When I was working at Pink Floyds touring PA company and Studio. Britannia Row in the 1980s the Phase Linear amps had their massive mains transformers removed and put in the bottom of the racks to make them less top heavy. The amps were tested by running into a dead short. If they survived they were good to gig.

[@michaelleader8025]

Interesting to see four Electro Voice Tan-Light Brown colored mid range drivers on the silver mid range horns.

[@Totalplonker]

Big shout out to Andy bereza, the original object based audio mixer. Eat your heart out Dolby Atmos

[@robertsawyermusic6995]

Pretty amazing, and thanks for sharing.

[@joselares9031]

It`s avery nice history about PINK FLOYD gear sound...STanding ovation...¡¡¡ YEAH...😎😎😎

[@guitboxgeek]

Well, I was too young to know what I was looking at, but I was there at the DSOTM tour in America and several shows over the years afterwards. The Floyd always had amazing PA systems and the surround was mind-blowing. I think the only group that ever did it near as well was Yes.

[@RocknJazzer]

Yes had quad sound too, I had one of their custom quad panners from then

[@acceler9]

Man, Gilmour is going ham on that pickup with a pair of side cutters @ 4:05!

[@RocknJazzer]

he's just changing strings mate, that's how we do it

[@steveg219]

Would d love to hear this system!

[@jono_young]

Fascinating video 🎚️🔊

[@Sunnbobb]

I love the pure sound of my Phase Linears. They have been outfitted with a Watts Abundant Speaker relay as well as a White Oak Audio upgrade.

[@mikemurel1917]

Was at the Milwaukee county stadium show in 1975. I saw a Teac 450 by the sound guy. I was really struck by the sight of that and that it was part of the sound. I thought the sound was great.

[@nigel900]

Fascinating. 👍🏻

[@wallisliss]

Tangerine Dream also used a quad system in the 70’s. Incredible…..and electric fungus made it even wilder!😮

[@andyillingworth3905]

And ELP

[@u.m.a9325]

incredible reports! I have a Tascam Series 10 (16X4)w Quad panner, currently modified so that I can use it on any console to broadcast sound.

[@BlackMatt1972]

1988. Sydney Entertainment Centre. My fist roadie gig. I volunteered for Audio Crew. Each Tuibosound array for the 3 sides needed 3 rows of seats replaced with scaffolds and every single cabinet and amp rack was winched up the concrete steps... Foyer level to the roof at least 100m at 45 degrees....(at least 30 on each flank). I took over 3 days just to land the gear (BTW, Audio crew usually do the most lifting... knees don' 'really' need cartilage, do they? (me: 15 y.o.)

[@dearprudence2001]

I can't wait to watch this. There are some remastered matrix audience recordings from 1970-1974 that come close to reproducing what's described here, including the buzzing fly and newpaper swatting someone else mentioned. Roger Waters had impeccable surround sound when I saw his Desert Trip show in 2016. What a show that was.

[@ianhasell2976]

I last saw the quad desk at Brit Row's warehouse in Wandsworth, I thought they still had it.

[@andyb7813]

Thanks for this video

[@soundonsound]

Most welcome

[@daveg8htfadlibaudio250]

Spot on Chris as always. 😀😀😀😀

[@Jack_Sparrow_1]

Pink Floyd ❤

[@tomdecuca3627]

We used to call the Phase Linear amps- 'Flame Linear"!!

[@randymx]

Thank You So Much ❤

[@TheTayedrums]

i have said this a few times going to a few more recent concerts --the sound seems more compact--more mid range and tight...than full range,loud to a point of sounding wide open...and with a vibrating deeper bottom end...

[@Kraatzman]

I am sure Floyd Nation in the USA would be interested in the project.

[@PrankZabba]

10:00 - That's crazy

[@ivanobellini]

Fascinating. Aussie Floyd on Quad? I’m in!!! 🔥🔥

[@SuperMcgenius]

Great PA history, I used to sell Phase linear, they could sound good with a few mods, but the build quality was never great.

[@victorblakey4260]

Another problem with the Phase linear power amps was that the transformers were all on one back corner, now the transformers were pretty much the heaviest part of the amp, so if you had a rack of 3 (or more) Phase linear, there was one corner that required superhuman strength to lift, and 3 corners that could be lifted easily with one hand …

[@user-yk4gd1fl4z]

why design it like that?

[@atlantaguitar9689]

On the 75 tour I remember trying to inspect one of the quad speaker modules but a cantankerous secutiy person initially wouldn't let me near it. He relented and allowed me a brief few minutes to get a look and then shooed me away. At 3:12 I find it interesting that promoters were resistant to the placement of the mixing setup in the audience center. There would be no other reasonable way to decently mix a Floyd show. I hung out near the mixing setup for most of the show and loved it. Since quad was a new thing then (for records) and especially for live sound I guess the promoters didn't see the benefit or value. For general admission shows it wouldn't matter.

[@Greenaresy]

Wow... Can you imagine Nick Mason's Saucerful doing the pompeii setlist on this rig?!

[@fuzzloon]

I love this dude

[@OlafurKG]

This just made me think about the wave I rode when I drifted away from our conversation but you set that wave up for me 😑

[@remixandkaraoke]

outstanding video!

[@ChiefGuitarOfficer]

The ultimate sound experience!

[@MikeBalk]

Love it thanks for the effort!

[@watermaj]

I saw Pink Floyd during the 'Wish You Were Here' tour, they had the quad setup - was it the same gear as 'Dark Side'? Roosevelt Stadium Jersey City, back speakers way up in the bleachers. It was quite an experience.

[@sam64evo]

Very interesting I never knew they were originally called kelsey martin before the name changed to martin audio super cool I've just recently upgraded my pa system to martin audio im using the f10s with pair of martin audio em150 subs sounds absolutely amazing very crystal clear speakers and subs are from 2003

[@mvilla36]

This is awesome

[@vladtepis4316]

The Beastie Boys did a summer tour with a quadraphonic sound set up. It was awesome.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

I built a 5.1 P.A. system around Bag End Crystal and a Phonic Mrs 1-20 desk that was true analog 5.1.

[@rickblackers88]

Fascinating

[@guitarnationtv]

Great to see Andy Bereza, hope you’re well mate, how about Phil Taylor was he around when Floyd invented immersive audio?

[@pleasurevinyls]

no Phil Taylor was not around at the time of this desk

[@richardpeace4724]

Great video, thanks.

[@massapower]

ANALOG BABY. It doesn't get any BETTER !!😛👊👍🏻

[@TheMixClub]

This was Amazing.