REVIEW OF: In the Realm of the Senses - an Immersion Program
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Agent Joe sez...

In summary:
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Tune in any week (with headphones) to ABC-FM's "ListeningRoom" 
http://www.abc.net.au/classic/lroom/index/LroomChronoIdx.htm
and save yslf $10.

In detail:
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Turns out that Dolby Surround *is* 5 channels (5.1 actually)
(altho encoded onto film as two chanels).
However it would have been far more immersive
to have simple quadraphonia.

The whole exercise seems to be quite nice for those involved:
funding, gathering of like minds from around the globe,
and a resulting "portfolio" piece with which to go hunting soundtrack work.
(35mm film is an expensive recording medium)
For the listener there is not much of a novel experience.

Why choose Dolby surround for an immersive concert?
We were told coz there are so many cinemas already set up
to play it back easily.
What about the ease of just using 4-track magnetic tape to record?
And the many (much cheaper than Dolby cinema hire) PA's out there.
(two PA's and you have quadraphonia).

I sat in the middle right up the front so that the stereo side speakers
might sound like they are behind me. Didn't work.
And one of the 5 channels is centre-screen.
Doesn't equal volume in left & right give illusion of centre anyhow?
Not if you are seated to the side.
If you sit in the middle it is irrelevant.
Overall it isn't much better than headphones
(altho headphones don't give you deep sub-bass)

The music itself?
Boys with their toys.
Cold, famboyant, generally either arhythmical or soundscapes, disjoint.
Not unpleasant mind you. And not banale "plip-plop".
Pretty trippy (and worthwhile!) stuff for those used to a techno diet. 
Only one piece flowed with elegance; the one by France's Christian Zanesi...
and as I now check the programme I read the description of it:
"floating thoughts, memories" :)
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Wish that Dorobo had curated instead.
Tho Verhagen, Lamb, Philip Samartzis do have pieces in some of the sessions
(not the very first session, the one I attended).

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Excrementa by the Undesirable Propagation Unit.