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Because QMSS can be applied to any stereo stream, users are probably going to try it on their existing MP3s and CDs to see how different the experience will be in discrete surround sound. One way to see whether or not the music coming out from the rear speakers really is distinct from the front speakers is to isolate the sound from one one channel (ie the left speakers), and then listen to the front and rear speakers as if they were left and right speakers themselves. When doing this, it’s pretty obvious the rear speakers aren’t just reproducing the sounds of the front speakers, but are instead playing portions of the front channel information, with added reverb, different volume, and some other sound processing.

As you may have guessed, a lot of chorus information gets sent to the rear channels. This can be good in some material, and devastatingly disconcerting in others. On some songs, I got this eerie quadraphonic playback of the chorus singers, which seemed unnatural and distracting to me. On other material, background music was pleasantly filtered to the rear channels, which made for a very immersive playback. The type of music determined the actual results of the QMSS enhancement. As a general rule, classical and orchestral music work well with QMSS, providing a natural and immersive surround playback. This is especially illustrated by grandiose and sweeping songs like those found on musical scores for movies like the Gladiator and Braveheart. “Unplugged” type recordings, like recordings from live performances, where stereo information is not specifically encoded for 2 speaker playback, become quite interesting, though not as natural. Jazz, Rock, and other types have varying results. We were given a DVD compilation of hits by The Eagles, and some of their classics like Tequila Sunrise were beautifully processed by the QMSS algorithm. By contrast, a few R&B and hip hop tracks are not treated so nicely by QMSS processing. The currently popular Destiny’s Child song “Independent Women” (on the Charlie’s Angels movie soundtrack) has a chorus with female vocals. QMSS puts a heavy surround emphasis on the chorus vocals so that it sounds like the chorus is all around you. Some people may like this, but I found it an unnatural way to experience the song.

Control Panel: Effects & Midi

The bottom line on QMSS and music is that it can enhance your experience, if you enjoy being surrounded by your music. It does enhance immersiveness on some material, but personally I am a little picky about instrument placement and QMSS definitely does NOT help improve placement of vocals or instruments. Instead, it might hinder the correct placement of instruments, because it will put some of that information into a rear channel, and that changes your perception of where the sound is placed. The drawback is that you cannot turn QMSS off for music if you decide you don’t like it. We used the MidiLand S4 7100 5.1 speaker set as one of our test sets, and turning off QMSS was not a matter of switching to 2 speaker mode, because the speakers themselves are expecting information in a certain way. So in the shipping version of the drivers, there is no ability to turn off QMSS on internal stereo streams.

Other Music Enhancements

There isn’t as much emphasis on the reverb effects that can be applied in real time to any sound source, but this is a feature that was very cool. The Thunderbird Avenger DSP has the capability to process some pretty neat effects on sound streams using QSound’s Environment Modeling engine. The presets include simulation of being in a large room, or a bathroom, or an auditorium, or something weird like a forest and underwater. The level of the effects in internal and external sources can be adjusted in real time, and we found that a mild setting on Auditorium or Concert Hall made for a fairly interesting experience with many types of music. It certainly adds a flair similar to being at a live performance.