Louis Dorren

Louis Dorren commonly referred to as Lou Dorren was an American sound engineer, music producer and inventor.

In 1969 Dorren invented the Quadraplex system^[1] of single station, discrete, compatible four-channel FM broadcasting. He founded Quadracast Systems, Inc. (QSI) of Palo Alto, California, United States to license his patents to RCA and others.

Dorren was awarded more than a dozen patents in the radio communications field, many of which are still in use today.

History and background

Dorren's recording experience was starting to develop when at the age of 15 he was recording a local group.^[2][3][4] Years later, in the 2000s he would produce and work on recordings for The Beau Brummels and actor / singer Ronny Cox.^[5][6]

In the 1970s Dorren was the director of research for Quadracast Systems, located in San Mateo, California. While in that position he made a prediction of sorts that with Discrete CD-4 records that only a single inventory would be required.^[7] He was the inventor of the QSI system that sparked up interest in quadraphonic broadcasting.^[8]

Dorren was well known to the organizers of the Westcoast Songwriter's Conference, with him and his company sponsoring and supporting the event for years.^[9][10] At the 26th annual conference, he hosted a segment in the Xytar room on how to make home recordings sound professional. At the same event he brought actor / singer Ronny Cox to appear at the Xytar Room.^[11]

News of death

Dorren died on October 26, 2014, from complications of heart and kidney problems. He was 66 years old. His remains were interred at the Salem Memorial Park cemetery in Colma, California.

Companies

Bay Sound Records

Bay Sound Records was a label that Dorren started in the 1960s. In later years, well in to the 2000s the label would release a recording by The Beau Brummels.^[12] Other recordings released in later years were by Canvas with Storyteller,^[13] Ragtimers Nan Bostick and Tom Brier with Missing You at the McCoys Bay Sound Records BSR6945,^[14] and their other album Dualing at the McCoys.^[15]

Xytar Digital Systems

In the 2000s he was the CEO of Xytar Digital systems, a company located on Taylor Boulevard in Millbrae, California. Xytar handled remastering of soundtracks, and had done work for Ballet San Jose.^[16][17] Albums such as Dualing at the McCoys by Nan Bostick & Tom Brier were recorded with its technology.^[18] As well as being a sponsor of the Westcoast Songwriter's Conference for years,^[19][20] Xytar was the main or sole sponsor of the WCS International Song Contest in 2004.^[21] It was also one of the sponsors for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) the following year.^[22]

Two examples of Xytar recording equipment were the Xytar ADMS 32HD "studio-in-a-box" system and the DMS4848 CDR system that provided simultaneous recording on 48 tracks.^[23][24]

Music production

Early years

Around 1964 when he was 15 years old, Dorren was friendly with some guys at his high school who had a band called The Banshees. He produced two singles for them. The first single was "They Prefer Blondes" bw "Take a Ride with Me". The second was "Never Said I Loved You" / "So Hard to Bear. Both singles were released on the SOLO label. Later with Kensington Forest which was a Banshees incarnation of sorts, he produced another single called "Movin’ On" bw "Bells". This was released on the Bay Sound label in 1967.^[25][26][27]

later years

In 1995, Slyest Freshest Funkiest Rarist Cuts by Sly & The Family Stone was released on the Magical Mystery label. Produced by Leo De Gar Kulka and co-produced by Michael Briggs, it featured four songs plus outtakes recorded by Kulka in August 1967. Dorren handled the transferring of the material.^[28] In 2006, Dorren co-produced actor / singer Ronny Cox's live album Ronny Cox At the Sebastiani Theatre. In addition to the production chores, he mixed the album.^{[29][30][31][32]} Later, he worked on another Ronny Cox album, How I Love Them Old Songs..., as Engineer and handling the Mastering and Mixing.^[33][34] Decades later after The Beau Brummels had broken up, remaining members of the band got together with Dorren and recorded a new album that was released on his Bay Sound label in 2013. The album was called Continuum. Sadly Dorren's wishes for all the original members to record weren't possible as the drummer John Petersen died in 2008. They had found three drum tracks of Peterson that had been recorded in 1965. One of them was used and Ron Elliott wrote the words to it and it was made into a song called "She Is.". Further recordings were made and the CD that was released contained 18 tracks.^[35][36][37] The album was recorded over a period of a year and a half. It was recorded with his own designed equipment at his studio in Alameda, California.^[38]

Quadraphonic

Broadcasting

Around 1977, his system helped radio station KIOI FM make broadcasting history when the station did the first discrete quadraphonic broadcast.^[39]

CD-4 1970s

In 1973, Dorren was working with Jac Holzman, president of Elektra Records, in relation to the CD-4 system and its relationship to the records. In an interview Holzman said that Lou had built him a demodulator, and Holzman who had previewed others said that Lou's was the best he'd heard.^[40]

In the mid 1970s, CD-4 demodulator kit was offered by Southwest Technical Products. It was designed by Dorren. Also offered was an optional Technics" EPC-451C cartridge and a test record he had recorded for Southwest Technical Products. Readers of the Popular Electronics magazine in which the items were advertised could send away for them. Products Corp.^[41]

CD-4 2000s

In 2007, 33 years after his first CD-4 demodulator, Dorren designed a new one with the technology of the day in mind.^[42]

Discography list as producer

Singles

• The Banshees - "They Prefer Blondes" / "Take a Ride With Me"
• The Banshees - "Never Said I Loved You" / "So Hard to Bear"^[43][44][45]
• Kensington Forest - "Bells" / "Movin' On" Bay Sound 6901 - (1967)
• The Styx - "Hey, I'm Lost" / "Puppetmaster - Onyx 2200 - (1967)
• The Tears - "Rat Race" / "People Through My Glasses" - Onyx 2201 - (1968)
• Weird Harold - "Saratoga James" / "Just Yesterday" - Onyx 2202 - (1968)
• Gypsum Heaps - "Would You Love" / "Moving On" - Onyx 2203 - (1968)^[46]
• Sweet Thunder - "Bean Whistle Rag" / "I Never Wanted To Be A Woman" - Soundbird SB1-XB^[47][48]
• Louis Dorren & James Gabbert - CD-4 Quadraphonic, 4 Channel / 2 Channel Test Record - Soundbird SB4X-002 - (1975)^[49][50]

Albums

• Various Artists - Love Is The Song We Sing (San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970) - Rhino Records (2) – R2 165564 - (2007)
  (Original producer on Butch Engle & The Styx Hey I'm Lost only)
• Ronny Cox - At The Sebastiani Wind River Records RCO4040D - (2008)^[51]

Discography list as technician, engineer, mastering etc

Albums

Engineer

• Active Ingredient - Building Houses - Bainbridge BCD-2101 (1988) / (1991)^[52][53]
• Ronny Cox - How I Love Them Old Songs... Wind River WNDR 4041 (2007)^[54]

Technician

• Michael Lee Thomas – Fresh Out Of Nowhere Bainbridge Records – BCD6281 - (1989)
• Various artists - Crystalize Your Mind- Big Beat Records – CDWIKD 131 - (1994)^[55]

Mastering

• The Mermen – Food For Other Fish - Kelptone Records 0001 - (1994)^[56]
• Ronny Cox - How I Love Them Old Songs... Wind River WNDR 4041 (2007)^[57][58]

Remastering

• Sunday Only - Steam Railroading under Thundering Skies - Bainbridge BCD-6242 (1993) / (1994)/ (2003?)(Audio remastering along with Leo De Gar Kulka)^[59]
• Mystic Moods Orchestra - Mystic Moods Orchestra Plays Nighttide HDS 4502 (2004)
• Mystic Moods Orchestra - More Than Music HDS 4503 (2004)^[60]

Mixing

• Ronny Cox - At The Sebastiani Theatre Wind River RCO4040 D (2006) / (2008)^[61][62][63]
• Ronny Cox - How I Love Them Old Songs... Wind River WNDR 4041 (2007)^[64][65]

Transferring

• Sly & The Family Stone = Slyest Freshest Funkiest Rarist Cuts - Magical Mystery 00002 - 1995^[66]

References

Links

• Patents by Inventor Louis Dorren at Justia Patents