The Stephen Desper Thread

[Stephen W. Desper]

I still have much, much catching up to do in my Beach Boys research, and have been meaning to get around to reading the Honored Guest threads for some time. I've been contemplating recording a Cool Cool Water cover lately, and after studying the track for a couple months, it hit me a couple days ago that there may be some insight into the track in this thread. I had absolutely no idea what a treasure trove I was about to find! Mr. Desper (and Will C.), I literally cannot possibly thank you enough for posting the in-depth CCW study. To get to hear such a complex, incredible piece of music and recording broken apart and reconstructed is beyond magnificent. I could listen to this kind of thing forever and never ever get tired of it. I would go on, but suffice it to say that your work (in the study and beyond) is absolutely invaluable. I also have a few of questions, if you'd be so kind as to answer.  

1) While recording CCW, did Brian ever toy around with including a Child Is Father of the Man section? On The SMiLE Sessions (disc 4, track 15, "Cool Cool Water (Version 2)"), after a couple rounds of the CCW "part 1" part, Brian plays the same variation of the "Child Is Father" chorus that the Boys recorded vocals over in April 67. The same Child Is Father riff is played during the Love To Say Dada sessions before it falls apart. I'm very interested in how far this idea was taken before it was finally dropped.
2) How did you get access to the original recordings to do the study? Is it from copies of the original multi-tracks?\
3) You've mentioned possibly reprinting Recording the Beach Boys in the last few months.  Any movement on that front? There is clearly significant interest for it in this thread, and with social media, Kickstarter, and other outlets, it would be much easier to spread the word and find a wide market for it than during its first run.


Thank you again for everything you've done for this community!

COMMENT:
Thanks for taking the time to respond to the CCW Study-Video. Check out the other titiles too.  More on the way. I am currently finishing a revised verson of my book.  Please keep checking this thread. In the not-too-distant-future all your questions 1,2, and 3 will be answered in due time.

~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

Maybe you address this somewhere in your book or elsewhere in the thread, Stephen, but I'm curious about a general approach to recording with Brian and company: Assuming Brian (or anyone else in the group for that matter) was not himself also a competent audio engineer, how did he communicate to you the ideas that shaped the sounds heard of the recordings you did for him? Would he just go "There should be more delay on those horns" or "Put more echo on my voice" and then you'd apply this or that specific filter or effect that you think he might like, and use something else if he didn't? (Sort of like how he seemed to work with the session musicians or outside arrangers during recording sessions.) Or was it more involved than this might suggest?

COMMENT:  I think this short story sums up the Beach Boy / engineer relationship.

One day I came into the control room to find Bruce playing the multi-track of one of his songs to which we were about to add some sweetening instruments. He was turning the EQ on and off on some of the tracks. I said to Bruce, what are you doing? Can I help you?  He looked at me with this innocent playful look and said, I was just seeing if some "leftover" EQ would help this track. end of story.  By leftover EQ he meant that EQ settings from another song were still on the board --  it had not been normalized or "zeroed out" yet. So Bruce's knowledge of EQ was not great at that time and he was seeing if as he called it "left over EQ" or settings left on the console would work for his track. Now days, Bruce knows a lot more as does everyone.

When I was their engineer not much was known. Somewhere in my stash of past stuff I have an old reference I used to use to help them and me communicate better. It was something like you will find at

EQ TERMS >>> http://www.presonus.com/community/Learn/Equalizer-Terms-and-Tips  LOOK UNDER THE HEADING "MAKING THE CUT"

Some musician terms are used which an engineer must change into physics.  

Brian always used non-engineering terms to describe a sound he wanted.  Never any reference to frequency in Hertz or cycles/sec, dB or dBa or dBm, length of reverb in milliseconds, gating in microseconds, or other technical references.

My experience with Brian and his descriptions of sounds he wanted was the most bazaar. Especially for Life of a Tree.  He ask for young tree sounds, old tree sounds, dieing tree sounds, he also wanted the sound of a milkshake applied to vocals (?? - what does that mean, Brian - and we would work our way through adjectives until we found a common meaning and go from there. Most of what Brian wants involves more than EQ changes, as you can hear in the session takes of the GOK study-video. Listen to that and you will hear Brian NOT taking in terms of EQ, dB, Hz, or even types of echo. His terms are descriptive, subjective descriptions. Not +3dB @ 3.5kHz, rather "make the lead voice come forward of the BGs" or add sparkle to that piano, not +6dB narrow Q @ 7kHz or move the mic in tighter on the top strings.

So in short, they spoke in subjective terms not engineering terms.

Today may be a different story, I mean you can learn an awful lot in 40 years of record production.

 ~swd

[the captain]

...he also wanted the sound of a milkshake applied to vocals (?? - what does that mean, Brian...

Thanks, Stephen--that is hilarious. It reminds me of the stories of Captain Beefheart, for example wanting the drummer to mimic his car's windshield wipers for "Bat Chain Puller." Beefheart's former guitarist Gary Lucas told several funny stories like that when I saw him speak and perform some years back.

[brother john]

EQ TERMS >>> http://www.presonus.com/community/Learn/Equalizer-Terms-and-Tips  LOOK UNDER THE HEADING "MAKING THE CUT"

 ~swd

I've seen these sorts of charts before but this is a particularly good one, so thanks very much.

Really looking forward to the next instalment of your study videos Stephen,

BJ

[Stephen W. Desper]

EQ TERMS >>> http://www.presonus.com/community/Learn/Equalizer-Terms-and-Tips  LOOK UNDER THE HEADING "MAKING THE CUT"

 ~swd

I've seen these sorts of charts before but this is a particularly good one, so thanks very much.

Really looking forward to the next instalment of your study videos Stephen,

BJ

COMMENT TO BROTHER JOHN:

Perhaps this is off topic, but with regard to your signatory statement . . .

What about the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution?

The First Amendment protects the right to freely practice any religion and freedom of expression from government interference.

The Amendment, like most of them does not establish rights, rather it acknowledges our natural (God given) rights, and prohibits government for limiting those rights.

I would be interested in your explanation of your signatory statement since you posted it for all to see and ponder.

~swd

[monicker]

Thanks so much for these study videos, Stephen. The CCW one is especially a dream come true.

I just wanted to throw two questions out there that have been asked in this thread but not answered yet, in the hopes that more people asking might ensure an answer:

1. A few pages back in the thread Mitchell asked about headphone listening through the matrix but the discussion turned to headphones in general. So, how do headphones affect listening through the matrix? Do you recommend not listening through headphones and only through monitors or does it not make a difference, speaking only in terms of the matrix? I've listened on headphones and i do hear clear differences between the "flat" and "remastered" examples you've presented, but i am wondering if the differences are even greater or the same if listening through speakers. I am asking because i am unable to listen through speakers at the moment.

2. I, too, am wondering what the situation is with you and the tapes of everything that you recorded from 1969 to ’73. Is it that you have copies of the multi-tracks? I’m asking because i really wasn’t expecting to hear isolated elements as we hear in the CCW video. That was an amazing surprise. Is this something we can expect from future study videos of songs that you yourself engineered? I can imagine how nuts we'd all go if we get the same treatment for songs like All I Wanna Do (Sunflower), This Whole World, and A Day In The Life of a Tree.

Thanks again for everything!

[Stephen W. Desper]

Thanks so much for these study videos, Stephen. The CCW one is especially a dream come true.

I just wanted to throw two questions out there that have been asked in this thread but not answered yet, in the hopes that more people asking might ensure an answer:

1. A few pages back in the thread Mitchell asked about headphone listening through the matrix but the discussion turned to headphones in general. So, how do headphones affect listening through the matrix? Do you recommend not listening through headphones and only through monitors or does it not make a difference, speaking only in terms of the matrix? I've listened on headphones and i do hear clear differences between the "flat" and "remastered" examples you've presented, but i am wondering if the differences are even greater or the same if listening through speakers. I am asking because i am unable to listen through speakers at the moment.

2. I, too, am wondering what the situation is with you and the tapes of everything that you recorded from 1969 to ’73. Is it that you have copies of the multi-tracks? I’m asking because i really wasn’t expecting to hear isolated elements as we hear in the CCW video. That was an amazing surprise. Is this something we can expect from future study videos of songs that you yourself engineered? I can imagine how nuts we'd all go if we get the same treatment for songs like All I Wanna Do (Sunflower), This Whole World, and A Day In The Life of a Tree.

Thanks again for everything!

COMMENT TO MONICKER:

(1)  Listening to regular stereo over headphones places the internal aural illusion to the front half-sphere of  the head. Using the matrix, the back half-sphere of the head will be filled with some sound also. About twenty years ago, when I first built devices such as these, I made one to raise some money for development. This device had eight inputs with each input having its own 360 degree joystick. Using headphones, you could move a sound completely around inside your headphone listening experience. You could move the sound in a circle around inside your head or move the sound to be at the center of your head. It could also do the same thing with speakers, that is, move a mono source around the room using two speakers. If I had joysticks, the matrix would do the same thing, so to answer your question, yes there is a difference, but certainly not as dramatic as with speakers. That joystick device was built using Radio Shack parts (except for the joysticks themselves and the enclosure) for around $400. Through demos of the device I was able to raise 2 ½ million dollars in research money and went on to form a NASDAQ listed corporation. And yes, when and if you can listen over speakers, setup as described in the study-videos, your listening experience would be much different than using headphones.

(2)  At this time, I’m just a fan like you with no special inroads to my work. CCW was an exception, but I’ll try to release study-videos that are still informative and entertaining. Many of the songs are really not as complex as CCW, but still it would be great if BRI opened the vault to me and let me produce other exposés, such as the CCW study-video.

~swd

[kwan_dk]

Dear Stephen

I also would like to thank you for these awesome study videos. They are truly fantastic and the mind boggles thinking about the mixes you could come up with if you were allowed full access to the tape archives!!!

I have a question for you that is a bit unrelated to the recent discussions here but I hope it's OK that I ask it anyway.

I'm currently reading a bunch of old California Music Beach Boys & related fanzines from the 80s and 90s. Two of the issues include a two-part interview with Rick Henn of the Sunrays where he brings something up that I haven't heard about before - and a quick search on the message board here doesn't bring anything up either. Here's a direct excerpt from the interview (talking about the period shortly after the Sunrays disbanded):

"One other interesting project Murry gave me was a band from Omaha, Nebraska. I've forgotten how he found them, but he flew me out to Omaha to cut a bunch of demos with them. I guess he was going to try and do another Sunrays'-type thing again. There was one guy in the group who wrote really good songs and since I was going to school, learning how to notate, write charts and so forth, I was more or less gives the job of arranger. So I went into the studio with them and worked on the arrangements and the production. We cut some demos in Omaha and then we brought them back to Hollywood and cut a bunch of tracks at Sunset Sound. (... short passage about Sunset having a real good sound)
Anyway, we produced the group, but I'm not sure if Murry ever made a record deal for them. I do remember going over and doing some vocals at Brian's house on Bellagio with Steve Desper as the engineer. However, Brian was NOT involved in the production at all. I do remember taking them out onto the roof, which I think Steve did with the Beach Boys quite a bit for that out-doors natural sound. It was crazy, but we did it and shortly after that, the entire project ended."

As found in California Music issue 74, 1988. Stephen McParland who interviewed Rick adds afterwards that this Nebraska group was originally called the Parade (not the same group that had a top 20 hit with 'Sunshine Girl' in 1967) - apparently they changed their name to Snow while being involved with Murry.

Do you remember anything about this project Stephen? Would be interesting in hearing anything you might like to add?

By the way, did you engineer the vocals for Soulful Old Man Sunshine? Rick mentions that he cut the track at Sunset Sound but that the vocals were recorded at Bellagio?

[Stephen W. Desper]

Dear Stephen

I also would like to thank you for these awesome study videos. They are truly fantastic and the mind boggles thinking about the mixes you could come up with if you were allowed full access to the tape archives!!!

I have a question for you that is a bit unrelated to the recent discussions here but I hope it's OK that I ask it anyway.

I'm currently reading a bunch of old California Music Beach Boys & related fanzines from the 80s and 90s. Two of the issues include a two-part interview with Rick Henn of the Sunrays where he brings something up that I haven't heard about before - and a quick search on the message board here doesn't bring anything up either. Here's a direct excerpt from the interview (talking about the period shortly after the Sunrays disbanded):

"One other interesting project Murry gave me was a band from Omaha, Nebraska. I've forgotten how he found them, but he flew me out to Omaha to cut a bunch of demos with them. I guess he was going to try and do another Sunrays'-type thing again. There was one guy in the group who wrote really good songs and since I was going to school, learning how to notate, write charts and so forth, I was more or less gives the job of arranger. So I went into the studio with them and worked on the arrangements and the production. We cut some demos in Omaha and then we brought them back to Hollywood and cut a bunch of tracks at Sunset Sound. (... short passage about Sunset having a real good sound)
Anyway, we produced the group, but I'm not sure if Murry ever made a record deal for them. I do remember going over and doing some vocals at Brian's house on Bellagio with Steve Desper as the engineer. However, Brian was NOT involved in the production at all. I do remember taking them out onto the roof, which I think Steve did with the Beach Boys quite a bit for that out-doors natural sound. It was crazy, but we did it and shortly after that, the entire project ended."

As found in California Music issue 74, 1988. Stephen McParland who interviewed Rick adds afterwards that this Nebraska group was originally called the Parade (not the same group that had a top 20 hit with 'Sunshine Girl' in 1967) - apparently they changed their name to Snow while being involved with Murry.

Do you remember anything about this project Stephen? Would be interesting in hearing anything you might like to add?

By the way, did you engineer the vocals for Soulful Old Man Sunshine? Rick mentions that he cut the track at Sunset Sound but that the vocals were recorded at Bellagio?

COMMENT:
Rick Henn married my ex-girlfriend -- and that's OK since they went on to raise a fine family of three children, I believe. Rick is an excellent arranger. I don't know how he did it, but Rick was able to work with Murry Wilson certainly much better then Murry's sons. Sometimes projects would come into the studio like the one you cite. Undoubtedly, we recorded on the back deck because the studio was full of other stuff for other projects. I don't remember specifically, but that's usually how it went.
Soulful Old Man Sunshine was one of those on-again, off-again projects. I remember recording vocals, then re-recording vocals and again. We also sweetened the track at Bellagio, but I can't remember what it was we added.  That song has seen several versions. Brian would move it one way, then Alan would move it another direction, then Brian would change it again to another sound. Did we ever finish that song? I don't remember, but I do remember working on it over and over. Eventually the master tape was moved to the tape vault on Ipar Ave. From what I understand the multi-track master is lost. All that remains are some rough mix out takes.    ~swd

[wantsomecorn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKBOP86qT_g

There was a version edited together for the Endless Harmony comp, but from what I heard it was never finished before the 90s. Great song.

Also, when you said that Alan wanted to take it in another direction: do you mean Jardine? What was his involvement with the song, if you remember it, or am I confusing him with another Alan?

[egon spengler]

I still have much, much catching up to do in my Beach Boys research, and have been meaning to get around to reading the Honored Guest threads for some time. I've been contemplating recording a Cool Cool Water cover lately, and after studying the track for a couple months, it hit me a couple days ago that there may be some insight into the track in this thread. I had absolutely no idea what a treasure trove I was about to find! Mr. Desper (and Will C.), I literally cannot possibly thank you enough for posting the in-depth CCW study. To get to hear such a complex, incredible piece of music and recording broken apart and reconstructed is beyond magnificent. I could listen to this kind of thing forever and never ever get tired of it. I would go on, but suffice it to say that your work (in the study and beyond) is absolutely invaluable. I also have a few of questions, if you'd be so kind as to answer.  

1) While recording CCW, did Brian ever toy around with including a Child Is Father of the Man section? On The SMiLE Sessions (disc 4, track 15, "Cool Cool Water (Version 2)"), after a couple rounds of the CCW "part 1" part, Brian plays the same variation of the "Child Is Father" chorus that the Boys recorded vocals over in April 67. The same Child Is Father riff is played during the Love To Say Dada sessions before it falls apart. I'm very interested in how far this idea was taken before it was finally dropped.
2) How did you get access to the original recordings to do the study? Is it from copies of the original multi-tracks?\
3) You've mentioned possibly reprinting Recording the Beach Boys in the last few months.  Any movement on that front? There is clearly significant interest for it in this thread, and with social media, Kickstarter, and other outlets, it would be much easier to spread the word and find a wide market for it than during its first run.


Thank you again for everything you've done for this community!

COMMENT:
Thanks for taking the time to respond to the CCW Study-Video. Check out the other titiles too.  More on the way. I am currently finishing a revised verson of my book.  Please keep checking this thread. In the not-too-distant-future all your questions 1,2, and 3 will be answered in due time.

~swd

I've checked out the other study videos and they are just incredible--the God Only Knows story is absolute magic. Thank you again so much for sharing with us in this thread. I'll be especially looking forward to your info (if any) on where Child Is Father of the Man fit into Cool Cool Water!

[brother john]

EQ TERMS >>> http://www.presonus.com/community/Learn/Equalizer-Terms-and-Tips  LOOK UNDER THE HEADING "MAKING THE CUT"

 ~swd

I've seen these sorts of charts before but this is a particularly good one, so thanks very much.

Really looking forward to the next instalment of your study videos Stephen,

BJ

COMMENT TO BROTHER JOHN:

Perhaps this is off topic, but with regard to your signatory statement . . .

What about the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution?

The First Amendment protects the right to freely practice any religion and freedom of expression from government interference.

The Amendment, like most of them does not establish rights, rather it acknowledges our natural (God given) rights, and prohibits government for limiting those rights.

I would be interested in your explanation of your signatory statement since you posted it for all to see and ponder.

~swd

Comment to Stephen Desper:

Hi Stephen,

Well, for a start I'm not an American, I'm English, and we don't have a constitution, so I'm not bound by the First Amendment.

We are all born free, we are not born religious - religion we tend to have thrust upon us, often when we are too young to make a choice or to know anything different. Many things are done in the name of religion which would not be tolerated in the name of secularism. If you want examples of this just watch the news.

What my signature means (and I'm not a radical atheist or anything like that...) is that freedom is a right, not a privilege. We are free to practice religion (and I support this freedom) but religion cannot be used to justify the freedom to behave as we like.

You are correct to say the Amendment acknowledges your rights, but incorrect (in my view) to say these rights are God-given. Your rights are granted to you by being a member of a free society, and in this respect you as an American (and I as an Englishman) are lucky, when so many places in the world are not free and not democratic. The First Amendment acknowledges rights, it doesn't grant us those we already have.

Now, when are you gonna release another study video?!!

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT:

I have removed the passwords at my profile on the Smileysmile.net website. In their place you can link to Study-Videos by calling up my Profile and clicking on the “website: swdstudyvideos.com” provided on the profile page.

   --- OR ---

I put together a simple WebPage that makes logging-in much easier. Study-Videos can now be viewed via this link:

SWD Study-Videos  >>>   http://swdstudyvideos.com

Two songs are the subject of new studies:  Break Away and Cabinessence

It’s all there.

Good Listening,  ~Stephen W. Desper


And, Please leave any return comments here, at the Desper thread.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

All these years, I thought that was Brian on the first verse of Break Away!

Question...which guitar parts were Brian's? Is it all the parts on the right channel?

[Stephen W. Desper]

All these years, I thought that was Brian on the first verse of Break Away!

Question...which guitar parts were Brian's? Is it all the parts on the right channel?

COMMENT:  I'm sorry, but my session notes do not give that detail. From experience I'd say all --  I mean, once you start with adding guitar parts to one section, you usually finish the song out.    ~swd

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Oh...wow...in that case, I wish Brian had played guitar more often! What other songs did he add guitar to?

[Mitchell]

Wow, that was unbelievably amazing... I wish every Beach Boys song could be presented 'a capella' and 'backing vocals only'... I could listen to individual sections over and over, never mind the whole song... Sheer bliss!

This song really should have been a hit single and I think it would have done Brian a world of good if it had been (the same can be said about Sunflower and its singles)... it must be disheartening to put so much effort into something only to have it not turn out the way you'd hoped commercially (commercial success seems to be a big thing for Brian).

Also, the a cappella mix really shows the greatness of each of the Beach Boys as vocalists. Mike in particular shines in a whole new light since he's so buried in the full version. He adds a great depth to the blend.

Regarding the versions of the song, a few have been released over the past several years...

- Break Away (45 Version) also on the Friends/20/20 CD - This is the well-known version that has Carl, Brian and Al trading off vocals (Carl does the verses)
- Break Away (Demo) on the Endless Harmony Soundtrack (this features an unadorned Brian lead vocal and single Brian backing vocal)
- Break Away (Alternate Version) on Hawthorne, CA (this features a different Brian lead vocal on the first verse, Al on the chorus, and Carl on the 2nd verse ("when I lay down on my bed"), as well as an extended coda (including "fathers and brothers...") - I think this one is the basis for your a capella version.. It also has some chatter before the count-in and grunt
- Break Away (Alternate Version #2) on The Warmth of the Sun - this appears to be the same as the version on Hawthorne but without the count-in



Once again, thank you so much for this look behind the scenes of one of Brian's most overlooked masterpieces!

[monicker]

Stephen, what is the cause of that clicking sound heard during the background vocal only sections of Break Away (not the a cappella mix with lead vocal)?

[leggo of my ego]

Break Away a Capella is amazing!! 

Enjoying the study-videos VERY much -- thanks Stephen!

Q: are you going to have download links for Cool Cool Water & Heroes and Villains ??

We are on internet "dish" and streaming vids are not so great they stall and are very slow but I can down files
a lot faster.

[Stephen W. Desper]

Wow, that was unbelievably amazing... I wish every Beach Boys song could be presented 'a capella' and 'backing vocals only'... I could listen to individual sections over and over, never mind the whole song... Sheer bliss!

This song really should have been a hit single and I think it would have done Brian a world of good if it had been (the same can be said about Sunflower and its singles)... it must be disheartening to put so much effort into something only to have it not turn out the way you'd hoped commercially (commercial success seems to be a big thing for Brian).

Also, the a cappella mix really shows the greatness of each of the Beach Boys as vocalists. Mike in particular shines in a whole new light since he's so buried in the full version. He adds a great depth to the blend.

Regarding the versions of the song, a few have been released over the past several years...

- Break Away (45 Version) also on the Friends/20/20 CD - This is the well-known version that has Carl, Brian and Al trading off vocals (Carl does the verses)
- Break Away (Demo) on the Endless Harmony Soundtrack (this features an unadorned Brian lead vocal and single Brian backing vocal)
- Break Away (Alternate Version) on Hawthorne, CA (this features a different Brian lead vocal on the first verse, Al on the chorus, and Carl on the 2nd verse ("when I lay down on my bed"), as well as an extended coda (including "fathers and brothers...") - I think this one is the basis for your a capella version.. It also has some chatter before the count-in and grunt
- Break Away (Alternate Version #2) on The Warmth of the Sun - this appears to be the same as the version on Hawthorne but without the count-in



Once again, thank you so much for this look behind the scenes of one of Brian's most overlooked masterpieces!

COMMENT:  Thanks so much for your impressions and observations. That's what the spirit of study is all about. ~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

Stephen, what is the cause of that clicking sound heard during the background vocal only sections of Break Away (not the a cappella mix with lead vocal)?

COMMENT:  Sounds like digital overload, but I don't know for certain. Check your gain along the chain. Anyone else notice clicks?  ~swd

[bgas]

No clicks. 
Really, really, nice listening.  In the case of Breakaway, it's almost as if it would have been the hit as acapella( in the nude) 
Does "Video" refer to the text messaging about what we're hearing?  or is there stuff I should be seeing that I'm not?

[Stephen W. Desper]

Break Away a Capella is amazing!! 

Enjoying the study-videos VERY much -- thanks Stephen!

Q: are you going to have download links for Cool Cool Water & Heroes and Villains ??

We are on internet "dish" and streaming vids are not so great they stall and are very slow but I can down files
a lot faster.

COMMENT:  Cool, Cool Water and Heroes And Villains can both be downloaded at the website.  I'm sorry, but a high-speed Internet connection is required to view the Study-Videos. Due to copyright regulations the Study-Videos cannot be made available as files on a disc.  At the website, click on the first link. This is about recording from Vimeo. You might find some help by looking at the topics. It may be possible to build a file from the stream. ~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

No clicks. 
Really, really, nice listening.  In the case of Breakaway, it's almost as if it would have been the hit as acapella( in the nude) 
Does "Video" refer to the text messaging about what we're hearing?  or is there stuff I should be seeing that I'm not?

COMMENT:  Video as in moving as opposed to text, or what you are now reading. NOT study via textbook, rather study via words that present the music or speak to how the music was created or recorded or mixed in sequence with the music proper. Can't do that with a book.   ~swd

[zachrwolfe]

‍