Eno's "On Land" Surround Sound system

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I've been digging through my old vinyl because I'm finally getting rid of it at local record fairs (£350 made so far from two transactions), and I came across my old copy of "On land" and was reading Eno's sleevenotes again in which he explains how to set up a sort of surround sound or environment by connecting a third speaker to the two red outputs on your hifi and placing said speaker at the apex of the triangle made by the normal hifi speakers.

And I thought to myself "Yes, I remember doing this" and from the summer of 1984 to the summer of 1986 I had this set up in my bedroom, much to my mother's annoyance when it came to cleaning as there was always a speaker in the middle of the room. But yes it did work and yes it was rather cool, so I was wondering if anyone else was either (a) curious or (b) sad enough to try it out. Or was it just me?

I'd be interested to know.

― Rob M (Rob M), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 07:53 (nineteen years ago)

POV QUESTIONS RELATED TO BRIAN ENO'S SOLO CAREER:

1. WHERE CAN I GET OBLIQUE STRATEGIES CARDS?
2. DID ANYONE TRY THE SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM ON THE BACK OF ON LAND?

and, i dunno, three more.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:04 (nineteen years ago)

I have this on cassette; I remember reading the notes and thinking, "I'm not going out and buying one speaker!"

Never tried it. I presume it "works" because you're mixing in some out-of-phase signals with your main 2-channel stereo?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:05 (nineteen years ago)

xpost.

Try www.enoshop.co.uk, Oblique Strategies is £30.

― Rob M (Rob M), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:08 (nineteen years ago)

I did this too, and around the same time (1987, while in college). I can't recall what it sounded like, sadly. Didn't Eno also have a video that required you to turn your tv on its side? I have some memory of that, but don't think I ever bothered w/it.

― dlp9001 (dlp9001), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 08:35 (nineteen years ago)

YES, me and bandmate friends rigged our systems up that way back in the 80's - it does work!
I'd almost forgotten bout it - need an extra speaker & more wire now

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 11:40 (nineteen years ago)

The Eno video was made to accompany "Thursday Afternoon" and yeah required video to be on the side.

Always wanted to try this, but I was a little afraid it would hurt the amp or something. I'll scan an image of how it works later if no one puts it up.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 11:52 (nineteen years ago)

dlop - Thursday Afternoon & Mistaken Memories of Mediaeval Manhattan.

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/videoother.html

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 11:55 (nineteen years ago)

Oblique Strategies is also available as a widget for Konfabulator/Yahoo, possibly Dashboard as well?

Let's turn a card just for fun...

Is something missing?

― The Bearnaise-Stain Bears (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 11:58 (nineteen years ago)

I have an Oblique Strategies widget on dashboard, and my girlfriend bought me an actual deck for Christmas last year from Eno Shop online.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:03 (nineteen years ago)

I made my wife a deck of Oblique Strategy cards for her birthday a couple years ago. Not that I'm cheap, but I didn't know you could buy them. I used the text from the websites & had them printed on card stock & cut at Kinko's. She's a choreographer and uses them at times when making dances.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 12:10 (nineteen years ago)

I had my house wired up this way for a few years. The weird thing is, as Eno says in the notes, that the stuff that comes out of the third speaker are sounds that are common to both the left and the right. It's a cheap way to get a more immersive stereo experience.

Wish I had a projector TV to project the DVD I have of Thursday/Medieval. I was thrilled when that DVD came out.

― Brakhage (brakhage), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 17:03 (nineteen years ago)

It's actually the difference sounds, not the common rounds. So if you were listening to mono the third speaker should be silent.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 17:42 (nineteen years ago)

not the common sounds, that is.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

Oblique Strategies widget for Mac:

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/reference/oblique.html

fuck yeah.

― sleeve version 2.0 (sleeve testing), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 18:23 (nineteen years ago)

Thanks Mark, after I posted it I wondered if I had that right (or left).

― Brakhage (brakhage), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 19:57 (nineteen years ago)

hey! i have a spare speaker. right enough, i don't have a fucking stereo setup at the moment, but that's a long story. eventually i shall try this.

the oblique strategies widget does indeed rock; however, it's no good at work, where i don't have access to it. so instead i use this handy web resource. must do it more often, actually ;)

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 21:33 (nineteen years ago)

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/enoass.gif

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 27 September 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

I've had my stereo system set up like this for years. It's cheap and easy and the result is an interesting, wider, deeper soundfield that's fun to sit in or walk through. I guess it's something like stereo 2.1 ...?

― JayBabcock (jabbercocky), Thursday, 28 September 2006 00:49 (nineteen years ago)

It's also a fun way to blow your amp if you're not careful.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Thursday, 28 September 2006 03:19 (nineteen years ago)

there is an oblique strategies dashboard widget

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Thursday, 28 September 2006 04:06 (nineteen years ago)

oh beat to it

― a name means a lot just by itself (lfam), Thursday, 28 September 2006 04:07 (nineteen years ago)

I guess it's something like stereo 2.1 ...?

That would require a sub ;)

More like Stereo Two-and-a-half. I guess what you're hearing is L + R + mod(L-R)?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 28 September 2006 07:43 (nineteen years ago)

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Eno's "On Land" Surround Sound system - did anyone try it?