I was listening to the CD of Meenaxi and on track 5 the music is all around the head.
It's only stereo, but it sounds
like surround. Is Rahman using
Q-Sound or some other out of phase
tricks?

Cool! I'm gonna have to get the Meenaxi soundtrack now. I wonder how it will sound with Dolby Prologic II music.

Don't know if this helps...

http://www.daxcodigital.com/news_rahman.htm

The 3,000 square feet studio is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed by end 2002. It will be the new home for A.R. Rahman's Panchathan Record Inn from where he has churned out his numerous hits. It will house a recording studio as well as a film mix stage.

The studios will not only house a full-blown Recording Suite but also a Film Mix Stage where final mix-downs will take place. The Acoustic Design & Architectural plans for the studios were made by Studio 440 , acoustic architects from CA, USA who have designed studios for Interscope/ Universal Music Group , Warner Brothers , Burbank , California and Saban Entertainment , just to name a few.

A local Architectural and Construction Company in Chennai has been appointed to execute the project and to ensure that all construction is done according to Studio 440's stringent plans and design. Studio 440 is overseeing the construction through site visits and correspondance together with DAXCO DIGITAL.

The Control Room is equipped with a 140 channel Euphonix System 5-M Digital Mixing Console with 2 cores . Having worked in several top studios in the UK , USA & Canada , Rahman had the opportunity to work with and evaluate all the large format consoles currently available in the market. He decided to go for the Euphonix System 5 as it gives him the speed, power and flexibility that he needs for his work which ranges from Music Recording & Mixing to 5.1 Mixing . Another important factor for Rahman was that the System 5 supports 24-bit / 96KhZ operation which allows him to work in the highest quality digital environment and to be ready for DVD Audio .

Recording will be done on the Euphonix 48-track 96kHz/ 24-bit R-1 Digital Audio Multi-track Recorder . The decision to use the R-1 Recorder was a natural one for Rahman, as it features a simple user-interface, superior sound quality , is highly efficient and reliable - and at 24bit / 96K perfect for DVD Audio .

The Monitoring System is a Miller & Kreisel 5.1 surround THX system. Some of the Outboard equipment includes Manley, Focusrite, Lexicon -960L,TC-6000

The Mix stage will be home to Thomlinson Holmen's Terrasect Speakers and the Main studio will be using exclusively designed George Massenburg Speakers.

Through the combination of professional design by Studio 440 , consultation and supply of state-of-the-art equipment by DAXCO DIGITAL , A.R. Rahman's Panchathan Record Inn will be one of the best designed and equipped Recording Studio in Asia.

Cool! I love DVD-Audio sound.
Rahman in 5.1 at 24/96 would
be ultra cool. This system
is also used by AIX records. I have
several DVD-Audios from them and
they sound very good.

I always thought AR Rahman sounds best on DTS but unfortunately this medium is not fully utilised on Indian dvds but still I think Saathiya is best sounding AR Rahman dvd. Dil Se unfortunately is distorted.

I be happy to have AR Rahman on DTS 5.1 on cd alone but a
DTS DVD-Audio 96/24 would be a dream come true.

There is one ARR DTS CD available in India:

http://www.indiavarta.com/shopping/musi ... 143-329401

I didn't know that...is it in Hindi or Tamil??

It's in Tamil. I don't think there is a Hindi version of BOYS.