[2] The 10-channel and 20-channel console outputs for Phase 4 recordings were originally made on then novel 4-track tape, but the innovation was in the special scoring used to maximize the technology.
These recordings took advantage of the technological advances developed by the firm during World War II at the request of the Royal Navy.
In the hands of innovative sound engineers like Kenneth Wilkinson, the recordings of the Decca-London stood out for their wide frequency response and good resolution.
[4] Although devotees enthusiastically welcomed stereophonic recordings for their ability to reproduce the music as it would be heard in a concert hall, the system in principle did not have a good response at popular level.
The sound engineer, in close collaboration with orchestra directors and arrangers, controlled the volume of certain musical instruments or orchestral groups to enhance their presence in the recording, or caused them to move between the left and right channels.
During the initial stage, some artists of the Decca's easy listening catalogues participated in the series, such as Eric Rogers, Ted Heath, Werner Müller, Ronnie Aldrich, Edmundo Ros or Stanley Black.
However, Leopold Stokowski, always keen on the popularization of the great classics, had no objection in making several recordings for Phase 4 Stereo Concert Series, and was followed by other established conductors such as Antal Doráti, Erich Leinsdorf, Anatole Fistoulari, Charles Munch, Lorin Maazel and Bernard Herrmann.
A space themed version, An Astromusical Odyssey, was arranged by Johnny Keating which included songs from the late 1960s to the early 1970s.