The Smiley Smile Message Board

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New Study-Video for the Profound Beach Boy Fan

If you are interested in exploring the artfully subtle yet radically complex nature of Brian’s arrangements, Michael’s lyrics, and the resulting group harmonies, then you are invited to experience a new sonic interpretation of the classic hits.

Provided you follow the playback instructions, when finished listening to this Study-Video you will emerge with an expanded appreciation of these familiar melodies and the satisfaction of finally hearing everything the tracks have to offer . . . IMHO

http://swdstudyvideos.com   Button: “Beach Boy Surfing Hits”   1 hour plus  

~swd

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Some Feedback from fans:

MrRobinsonsFather > "Wow that sounds great!!! Don't know what you did but the vocals sound amazing. I think the bass is pushed forward a little too, sounds so good.
Wonderful work!!!! Kind of reminds me of the sound for the vocals in sunflower."

SMiLE Brian > "Genius work from Desper!!!!! Cool"

DRM > "Excellent work, Mr. Desper.  The sound is up front and present.  Right there with me, the way I love it.  And yet you manage to, simultaneously, create spacious/dimensional/layered "musical" sound.  Superb dynamics and stereo separation.  Along with "just right" blending of sound.  I especially love the multi-dimensional effect.  An excellent sound stage.  Transcendent.  What the earlier work needed and deserves.  Sound that deserves to be "relived"... , since audiophiles and Beach Boy lovers will be thrilled with your one of a kind mastering.  You hit the "sweet spot". Highest accolades."

Rondemon > "The remaster of "California Girls" sounds fantastic. I never noticed the sax in the verses and I like the organ panning yet the drums are centered, which is nice. The vocal levels are good too. Maybe a little loud in comparison to the released mixes but hey, it's The Beach Boys and the vocals are the most important element after all. It's interesting to hear these vocals without all the plate verb on them too (esp. in "Don't Back Down"). "Girls on the Beach" sounds great too. So nice to hear the vocals so prominent. I really love that acapella version of "Warmth of the Sun" as well and the Four Freshmen style. I feel like the BBs got further away from the FF sound later in their career."

I love listening to these songs mixed like this. They enable me to hear things that were just on the edge before. Many of Mike's bass vocals are much more prominent here. I never really heard Mike's  background vocals in Our Car Club like that before. I even like the  stuff like the 'chatter' near the end. I went back and re-listened to the originals and sure enough, both are there and are noticeable - now that I know what I am listening for. Nearly every song had a 'I never heard that before' moment for me.

The coolest thing for me would be to hear the BB catalogue a cappella with no microphone/headphone bleed. That is the technology I am waiting for!  ;D

As these mixes further show, there is no band out there that can (or ever will) touch this vocal blend. As talented as the various incarnations of Beach Boys touring groups are at recreating the sounds note-for-note, there is something missing.

COMMENT to Rick5150:

Thanks for sharing your views. Glad to hear the re-masters are peaking parts of the songs heretofore gone unnoticed. Isn't it fun to discover harmonies or blends a-new -- or as I entitled "re-DISCOVER."

I certainly agree with your point about the superior vocal blend of The Beach Boys. I call it "MAGIC" because I can't find any other word that is more fitting.  After hearing these wonderful early creations re-mastered in this Study-Video, the melodies and hooks tend to linger in your mind's ear for days . . . when you are doing something completely disconnected, all of a sudden some harmony will get stuck and re-play in your memory -- at times giving you an escape from some drudgery or mundane task that is refreshing.

I think many of these songs are just good therapy that we all could use.

~SWD

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New Study-Video for the Profound Beach Boy Fan

If you are interested in exploring the artfully subtle yet radically complex nature of Brian’s arrangements, Michael’s lyrics, and the resulting group harmonies, then you are invited to experience a new sonic interpretation of the classic hits.

Provided you follow the playback instructions, when finished listening to this Study-Video you will emerge with an expanded appreciation of these familiar melodies and the satisfaction of finally hearing everything the tracks have to offer . . . IMHO

http://swdstudyvideos.com   Button: “Beach Boy Surfing Hits”   1 hour plus   

~swd

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Totally and completely enjoying this. Thanks for sharing!

Tim

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COMMENT to Tim (bullman):

Thank you for your kind words.  Hopefully other fans will avail themselves of this listening pleasure.

Keep in mind, these Study-Videos are more than a fan's indulgence. They are part of Beach Boy history. 

Hey gang, these are our heroes. Take advantage of this study-video and listen. Give yourself a reward! ~swd

I'm just sitting down and listing to the first few tracks of the surfin' hits compilation.  This sounds absolutely amazing.  Even out of the cheap little computer speakers on my desk it sounds enormous.  Perhaps later I'll run it through my stereo and really experience it.  I feel tempted to hit the dynaquad button on my amp and see if the second coming of Christ occurs.

Hearing those vocals live and up close so often must have been an incredible experience. I (and I'm sure most of us) can't even dream of it!
Thank you for sharing these and the new Friends mixes, I look forward to listening ASAP.

Absolutely fascinating. Friends is a revelation.

Stephen,

This sounds incredible. Is this a remix or remaster?

While waiting for Stephen to respond, I'll step in and say I'd call it a psychoacoustic remaster, but of course I'll go with whatever term Stephen feels best describes the process. It's done using technology Stephen himself developed. Others came up with somewhat similar technology, with varying degrees of success, but from my experience absolutely no one has perfected it as well as Mr. Desper.

Edit: Just read the most recent posts in the Stephen Desper thread and see that Stephen calls his process "Transformative Re-Mastering". We are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of his continued work using techniques such as psychoacoustics to expand the stereo soundstage and sense of envelopment as well as place new emphasis on various elements in the audio mix.

As ever these sound great!  Thank you Stephen.

I would like to ask how these were done?  The video mentions youtube as a source.  Is that the source material or were any master mixdowns used?  For example, do you have these for the albums you mixed and mastered?

Thanks.

Stephen W. Desper, what a magnificent asset to this board. Yourself and a few others make this the board to beat all others, hands-down.

I would love to have Capitol/UM realise what a wealth of resources and more reside at your fingertips. I guess it would be the wildest dream of everyone here for the release of a series of SWD competed boxed sets with accompanying detailed books relating the minutia behind the recordings … I know that's what we have with your enlightening website, in essence, but I'm old school and love tangible (audio!) product. And it'd mean it was out there, to spread the word to music lovers who might not chance across this board and your site.

What would be the chances of such a project? If the Grateful Dead can muster up a Dick's Picks collection, and Dylan can have a (never ending) Bootleg series, surely a S. W. Desper curated choice treasure trove drawn from your own extensive archive could light a fire!

I'm sure Alan and Mark read these threads and might concur…

Agreed----on all counts.

Me too.  I haven't had the chance to listen to this yet, but did enjoy the Friends video last week.  That is fascinating.  Let's hope Alan and Mark can get at least some of these out on disc.  Or Stephen, have you discussed the possibility of releasing some of these with Capitol/UM?  Sure would be nice.  -Will

I'm listening right now.  My only question is why Isn't Mr. Desper more involved in the current Beach Boys product?  He strikes me as an incredibly competent engineer who has a unmatched passion for the Beach Boys.  Surely that would be someone they'd want involved in whatever way possible!

"Wendy" sounds incredible!  Just imagine if those early songs had full multitracks available for the vocals. 

Thanks so much for sharing, Stephen - something I needed desperately (no pun intended) today.

COMMENT to John Manning:
This is covered in part one of Recording The Beach Boys.  Capitol/EMI was given the change 45 years ago, but turned it down (see the book). I have given demos over the years to their A&R people, who said great sound, but not interested in re-working any original releases. Just think were the industry would be if they had been more open to these technical advances.

I don't think I'll live to see this, but you might. It is technologically possible to do today. Only politics is the hold up.

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"THE ULTIMATE BOX SET"
All the Beach Boy hits are now offered in 8-16-or-24 track configurations along with a mix program you can download and install on your computer. Then listen to each track, mix your own versions of any song. Add your own parts to any part of the multi-track. Make completely new Beach Boy songs up by mixing and matching tracks. It's an open season and you are in charge.

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Wishing it were so,  ~SWD

  

COMMENT:

RE-MASTER.  I would never want to re-mix these songs when the originator and original producer has given us their rendition, which I greatly respect. But the technical transition from mixing to mastering is open to interpretation, unless the original producer has provided a final mastering. Very few of those. I provided one for Sunflower by Carl. And, as you would think, it sounds fantastic. (See my book.)  Glad you like the re-masters.  ~swd

COMMENT to john k: 
What makes you think I'm not in communication with Alan or Mark? Alan is quite supportive. Mark is busy doing commercial renderings, of which the study-videos are not. But, thank God for Mark! A steady force who is holding more together than anyone knows.

Some time ago I made the decision to do what I thought more fans would gain from, rather than try to join forces with BRI. Why? For one thing, there is way too much political bullshit within the Beach Boy organization proper. (it would drive a sober person to drink.) This month I'll be 74 years old. I just don't have time for all the discussion and back-&-forth they do. If I would wait on them, we would just be providing our first Study-Video about now. Rather than enter into a series of Study-Videos for money (your money), I decided to go the educational route, offer them for free, and be my own boss. This allows me to proceed on my own time schedule and delegate my time in a way that is more creative and less geared to a deadline.

Along the pathway, I've meant some really talented people, William Curley and Mike Conner, to name a few. Together with these highly creative folks, we have been able to provide some actually good insights into the world of the Beach Boys by way of the Study-Videos. Please look forward to some really revealing study-videos coming along ... as my schedule permits.  ~swd   

Thank you Desper! 8)

Looking forward to it!!!

As always, Stephen, there are no words that can adequately express our gratitude for your ongoing efforts on our behalf. Best of all is that you've become willing of late to delve into material that you were not originally involved with--all to the better for the nuances that you bring out with such unwavering brilliance. This is "Endless Summer" a la Desper--the way it should always be heard!

I hope that you might see fit to move across the time spectrum to the songs created after your primary tenure with the band. I suspect I am not alone in wanting you to put your hands on some of the material from Carl and the Passions, Holland, and--I am sure that many will prick up their ears at this next possibility--a selection of Brian's songs from Love You. I would LOVE to hear a Desper remaster for "You Need A Mess of Help to Stand Alone"--I dearly love the "funky" Beach Boys (meaning mostly Carl) and for me hearing that track as adjusted by you would be like dying and going to heaven over and over in three-and-a-half minute increments!

Thanks so much and all the best--always.

That's great to hear!

Also very interesting how the Beach Boys organisation struggles to work for the good of the public, fans and each other due to internal issues.

I'm glad and very grateful that you have decided to take the course you have chosen and given us all this valuable insight into how it was to record the Beach Boys.