The Stephen Desper Thread

[Generation42]

Mr. Desper,

A question regarding the "Heroes and Villains" study in mastering video you've posted, if you don't mind?  In order to try to ask this clearly, allow me to set the stage.

First, you mention a process by which you are adding 'air' or space between the vocals, allowing us to better distinguish between each voice.  Later, you've said that an attempt was made to restore the 'leading edge' of the waveform (compromised through years of duplication).

My question is if this restoration of the leading edge is a result of the first, 'airy, separation' process (if you will), or is there a second method, in addition to the first, used specifically to target this leading edge restoration?  And if there was a second process involved, could you tell us more about your methods?

I hope this makes sense (though I fear it may not), and if not, perhaps I can attempt to 'remaster' my question to improve its clarity*.

*Lame attempt at humor.  Sorry.

Either way, I love your study videos and I thank you for taking the time to make these available to us.  Anxiously awaiting a possible 'history of "Sail On, Sailor" video.'

[Stephen W. Desper]

Mr. Desper,

A question regarding the "Heroes and Villains" study in mastering video you've posted, if you don't mind?  In order to try to ask this clearly, allow me to set the stage.

First, you mention a process by which you are adding 'air' or space between the vocals, allowing us to better distinguish between each voice.  Later, you've said that an attempt was made to restore the 'leading edge' of the waveform (compromised through years of duplication).

My question is if this restoration of the leading edge is a result of the first, 'airy, separation' process (if you will), or is there a second method, in addition to the first, used specifically to target this leading edge restoration?  And if there was a second process involved, could you tell us more about your methods?

I hope this makes sense (though I fear it may not), and if not, perhaps I can attempt to 'remaster' my question to improve its clarity*.

*Lame attempt at humor.  Sorry.

Either way, I love your study videos and I thank you for taking the time to make these available to us.  Anxiously awaiting a possible 'history of "Sail On, Sailor" video.'

COMMENT:  Thank you for your interest. There are two distinct processes, restoration and separation, in that order. The circuitry for both process is contained on one chassis and uses one power supply, but could easily be built on two chassis. Since the two process go hand-in-hand to bring about the desired restoration of clarity and listenability I put them both on one chassis to keep power supply costs down. Of note -- I have made both digital and analog versions of these processes and found that the analog version sounds much better, even using 192/24 resolution. One part of the process in which a digital microprocessor controls the audio signal was found wanting when compared to a counterpoint design using an equivalent ANALOG microprocessor (analog computer).  So the entire process is analog.  Even doing all processing in the digital domain (given a digital source) does not compare in sound quality to taking a digital signal to analog, then processing in the analog domain, then reconverting back to digital. You would think otherwise, but extensive listening tests ( or even casual listening) clearly demonstrates the superiority of the analog approach. I want you to know that this is a legitimate comparison. I have spent around $30,000 developing the technique you hear on these studio-videos. I believe the process is well researched and executed in its present form.

As to future releases of study-videos, they will be forthcoming but family business and the loss of a family member is slowing me down at the moment.  But stay tuned. Several study-videos involving songs you like are in the final stages of presentation and should be out soon. Meanwhile I'm working to get my book finished and need to get back to that project.

~swd

[Generation42]

Thank you very much for your reply, Mr. Desper.  I'm sorry to hear of your loss.  Indeed, you have given us much to consider and discuss, but given your current situation, we should save it for a another time.  Before I go, allow me to stress to you just how much we, the Smiley Smile community, value your presence and input here at the forum.

Happy Holidays and let us raise our glasses to better days.

[PS]

Another glass raised for better days and a nod of gratitude for your good works in the world Stephen. A privilege to read - and hear - your posts.

[Micha]

A privilege to read - and hear - your posts.

It really is. Absolutely.

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT:

Thank you all for your posts of appreciation. I'll keep on posting study-videos as long as I can. Stay Tuned.

Meanwhile, and in recognition of Brian's That's Why God Made The Radio, here's a bit of history to that end . . . ~swd


HISTORY OF THE CAR RADIO

Seems like cars have always had radios, but they didn't. Here's the true story:

One evening in 1929, two young men named William Lear and Elmer Wavering drove their girlfriends to a lookout point high above the Mississippi River town of Quincy, Illinois, to watch the sunset. It was a romantic night to be sure, but one of the women observed that it would be even nicer if they could listen to music in the car.

Lear and Wavering liked the idea. Both men had tinkered with radios (Lear had served as a radio operator in the U.S. Navy during World War I) and it wasn't long before they were taking apart a home radio and trying to get it to work in a car. But it wasn't as easy as it sounds: automobiles have ignition switches, generators, spark plugs, and other electrical equipment that generate noisy static interference, making it nearly impossible to listen to the radio when the engine was running.

One by one, Lear and Wavering identified and eliminated each source of electrical interference. When they finally got their radio to work, they took it to a radio convention in Chicago. There they met Paul Galvin, owner of Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. He made a product called a "battery eliminator" a device that allowed battery-powered radios to run on household AC current. But as more homes were wired for electricity, more radio manufacturers made AC-powered radios. So Galvin needed a new product to manufacture. When he met Lear and Wavering at the radio convention, he found it. He believed that mass-produced, affordable car radios had the potential to become a huge business.

Lear and Wavering set up shop in Galvin's factory, and when they perfected their first radio, they installed it in his Studebaker. Then Galvin went to a local banker to apply for a loan. Thinking it might sweeten the deal, he had his men install a radio in the banker's Packard. Good idea, but it didn't work -- Half an hour after the installation, the banker's Packard caught on fire. (They didn't get the loan.) Galvin didn't give up. He drove his Studebaker nearly 800 miles to Atlantic City to show off the radio at the 1930 Radio Manufacturers Association convention. Too broke to afford a booth, he parked the car outside the convention hall and cranked up the radio so that passing conventioneers could hear it. That idea worked -- He got enough orders to put the radio into production.

WHAT'S IN A NAME? That first production model was called the 5T71. Galvin decided he needed to come up with something a little catchier. In those days many companies in the phonograph and radio businesses used the suffix "ola" for their names - Radiola, Columbiola, and Victrola were three of the biggest. Galvin decided to do the same thing, and since his radio was intended for use in a motor vehicle, he decided to call it the Motorola.

Even with the name change, the radio still had problems: When Motorola went on sale in 1930, it cost about $110 uninstalled, at a time when you could buy a brand-new car for $650, and the country was sliding into the Great Depression. (By that measure, a radio for a new car would cost about $3,000 today.) In 1930 it took two men several days to put in a car radio -- The dashboard had to be taken apart so the receiver and a single speaker could be installed, and the ceiling had to be cut open to install the antenna. These early radios ran on their own batteries, not on the car battery, so holes had to be cut into the floorboard to accommodate them.

The installation manual had eight diagrams and 28 pages of instructions. Selling complicated car radios that cost 20 percent of the car’s price wouldn't have been easy in the best of times, let alone during the Great Depression. Galvin lost money in 1930 and struggled for a couple of years after that. But things picked up in 1933 when Ford began offering Motorola's pre-installed at the factory. In 1934 they got another boost when Galvin struck a deal with B.F. Goodrich tire company to sell and install them in its chain of tire stores. By then the price of the radio, installation included, had dropped to $55.

The Motorola car radio was off and running. (The name of the company would be officially changed from Galvin Manufacturing to "Motorola" in 1947.) In the meantime, Galvin continued to develop new uses for car radios. In 1936, the same year that it introduced push-button tuning, it also introduced the Motorola Police Cruiser, a standard car radio that was factory preset to a single frequency to pick up police broadcasts. In 1940 he developed with the first handheld two-way radio -- The Handie-Talkie -- for the U. S. Army.

A lot of the communications technologies that we take for granted today were born in Motorola labs in the years that followed World War II. In 1947 they came out with the first television to sell under $200. In 1956 the company introduced the world's first pager; in 1969 it supplied the radio and television equipment that was used to televise Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon. In 1973 it invented the world's first handheld cellular phone. Today Motorola is one of the largest cell phone manufacturer in the world -- And it all started with the car radio.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO The two men who installed the first radio in Paul Galvin's car, Elmer Wavering and William Lear? They ended up taking very different paths in life. Wavering stayed with Motorola. In the 1950s he helped change the automobile experience again when he developed the first automotive alternator, replacing inefficient and unreliable generators. The invention lead to such luxuries as power windows, power seats, and, eventually, air-conditioning.
Lear also continued inventing. He holds more than 150 patents. Remember eight-track tape players? Lear invented that. But what he's really famous for are his contributions to the field of aviation. He invented radio direction finders for planes, aided in the invention of the autopilot, designed the first fully automatic aircraft landing system, and in 1963 introduced his most famous invention of all, the Lear Jet, the world's first mass-produced, affordable business jet. (Not bad for a guy who dropped out of school after the eighth grade.)

Sometimes it is fun to find out how things that we take for granted came into being!
 
And It all started with a woman's suggestion!

[bgas]

great story, if not entirely true: 

>>The first car radio on record was fitted to the passenger door of a Ford Model T by 18-year-old George Frost, President of Lane High School radio Club, Chicago, and was in use by May 1922.

The first commercially produced car radio was the Philco Transitone, introduced by the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company in 1927. By 1933 there were claimed to be 100,000 cars fitted with radio in the USA. <<

(New Shell Book of Firsts)

[Stephen W. Desper]

great story, if not entirely true:  

>>The first car radio on record was fitted to the passenger door of a Ford Model T by 18-year-old George Frost, President of Lane High School radio Club, Chicago, and was in use by May 1922.

The first commercially produced car radio was the Philco Transitone, introduced by the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company in 1927. By 1933 there were claimed to be 100,000 cars fitted with radio in the USA. <<

(New Shell Book of Firsts)

COMMENT:

I like the story, but if it's accuracy you desire, I'd go with the US Patent Office.

See PORTABLE RADIO APPERATUS drawing clearly showing an automobile >>> http://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=pts&hl=en&q=patent:1626464+ininventor:Heina&num=10

This fellow Heina, may have been first, but the people in the story (at right around the same date and time) went on to influence car radio much more with Motorola and Lear's inventions.   I think that's the point of the story or if not at least that's why God made the radio.

 ~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT:

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====================================================================================

Announcement  &  Guidelines for Use

With help from Will C. Music Productions I am proud to announce the third of many study-videos that will explore the sound production techniques I used in the making of Beach Boy and other artists’ music. These studies also include examples of my favorite mastering techniques applied to finished works of other engineers. I believe you will find they clarify the music and expand the presentation in the stereo panorama. However, this "privilege of study" can cease to be, if abused. 

The study-videos provided under password covenant involve the use of copyrighted material. Copyright “Fair Use” rules and regulations allow for study and examination of copyrighted material provided that certain requirements are met. Navigating the Fair Use regulations is a slippery slope and open to much interpretation, depending on each particular situation.

Openly posted copies of copyrighted works proliferate the Internet today. In most cases these postings remain unchallenged by the copyright holder, and thus seem to be setting a broader precedence for tolerance. However, I caution you to be vigilant. The studies I am providing are not for use by the general public and are not openly posted nor should be openly posted. I have placed all these studies behind a password and non-descriptive web-address for a reason. Please respect my request that anything protected behind a password remain within and must be confined to this study. They are not be copied or posted elsewhere, such as Youtube.com, or to become the subject of a bootleg copy. To do otherwise is to tempt and/or “push” the Fair Use doctrine to a point that may not be tolerable or allowed by the copyright holder, resulting in the forced removal of the study(s).

I’m sorry to be so restrictive in my requests, but posting comments is one thing. Posting the actual music is another – even if used in a study format. All of these studies are available by privilege. Let us all respect that privilege and not violate the opportunity granted us for study by abusing the rules.

This message board is where I post. It is not connected with these study-videos.

These studies are provided for use by the dedicated and interested Beach Boy fan. Please feel free to share the study-site with fellow interested fans. But if you share, please caution those with whom you share of the restrictions that must be followed under this privilege.  Any copy of music or commentary should (1) be for personal use only, (2) not be for monetary gain, and (3) be in addition to purchased copies of the same material, i.e., not be used in place of the original purchasing of the musical product from a retail or Internet store.

IMPORTANT!  All of the provided studies are designed to be reproduced over any stereo system, from small to large. I would encourage you to connect your computer to a good set of speakers or to your stereo system (via the headphone or output jack) for a complete realization of the music-subject explored in each study. I master for good sound. Connect your computer to the best sound you can. The listening rewards are enormous.
Required passwords can be seen by clicking on my name, then look under Website. The best way to enter the password is to copy and paste. Copy only the two words (not the quotation marks) and paste into the window at VIMEO.

Please post all comments and/or discussions back onto this thread.   

Thank you and Good Listening,   ~Stephen W. Desper

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Cool, Cool Water >>> http://vimeo.com/willcmusicproductions/w583rthv42tr808ccw

Heroes And Villains >>> http://vimeo.com/willcmusicproductions/w583rthv42tr809hav

God Only Knows >>> http://vimeo.com/willcmusicproductions/w583rthv42tr808gok

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This new offering studies a favorite of every fan’s, God Only Knows. It’s 32 minutes long and offers some history that may be familiar to many of you. but when flavored with my engineering narration and sound processes will shed new insight into this song’s sonic journey while rewarding your listening time with some of Brian’s most cherished studio adventures. Thank you all, in advance, for taking the time to listen.

I strongly suggest that if it is at all possible for you to connect your computer to a high quality sound system, DO IT !!  At the least, sit in front of your speakers as suggested in the video for the sound perspective to properly emerge. Please let me know if you have any problems downloading this Vimeo presentation. Use the “other mixes” password from my profile. To avoid problems with the password, I suggest you copy it from my profile and paste it into the window at Vimeo. This seems to work the best. Will C. and I hope you enjoy GOK.      ~swd

[king of anglia]

Very cool. Half way through listening to this now.

Being forced to listen on headphones for now whilst my study is being decorated. The first playthrough in low fidelity mono brings back lots of memories for me. Reminds me of listening to Pet Sounds on my cassette Walkman through one headphone - I used to think I was totally deaf in my right ear (removed incus bone aged 14) so I'd never bother with the right earphone. However, I have somehow excercised and trained my right ear to hear now. Even though it's frequencies are all screwed, as long as the stereo balance is good (not too seperated, true binaural or stereo-swapped echo effects), I get a prety good stereo image - phantom centre speaker etc...

Can you explain what "leading edge restoration" is?

Thanks!

[PS]

Another wonderful listen and read, Stephen, thank you so very much. The Capitol chamber story with Carl is priceless, and your "re-master" has a very beautiful warmth coming through my speakers. These offerings are now becoming a master class, and this is an act of incredible generosity and shared love and honor for the music. I can't tell you how much I enjoy walking through the music with your insights and care.

(a minor point here, but because I know you would want the musicians to receive proper credit, it behooves me to point out the typo/spelling errors on Hal Blaine and Ray Pohlman's names)

Again, many thanks for starting my day off in glory.

[Big Bri]

How exactly step-by-step do I get onto the site you are all discussing?
I tried to find the 3 songs above but no luck?
Thanks Lads,  Bri~

[Stephen W. Desper]

Another wonderful listen and read, Stephen, thank you so very much. The Capitol chamber story with Carl is priceless, and your "re-master" has a very beautiful warmth coming through my speakers. These offerings are now becoming a master class, and this is an act of incredible generosity and shared love and honor for the music. I can't tell you how much I enjoy walking through the music with your insights and care.

(a minor point here, but because I know you would want the musicians to receive proper credit, it behooves me to point out the typo/spelling errors on Hal Blaine and Ray Pohlman's names)

Again, many thanks for starting my day off in glory.

COMMENT:

Thanks for your very kind words and heads-up on the spelling.  When will I ever learn how to type?  We will correct these spelling mistakes, but not for a while. It takes an entire day to render any corrections to this page, it is that large. Whenever Will C. can find the time, we will correct, but not for a while.  Thanks again.  ~swd

[Stephen W. Desper]

How exactly step-by-step do I get onto the site you are all discussing?
I tried to find the 3 songs above but no luck?
Thanks Lads,  Bri~

COMMENT:

If after reading the entire post of #1383 (Nov 29, 2012) and you still cannot "find the 3 songs" plus enter the password to view them, I am sorry, but I can do nor say more to help.  Perhaps another fan can help you.  They are very helpful.  ~swd

[Jonas]

Simply Amazing, Stephen. Thank you very much for all of this!

[Misterlou]

Followed instructions exactly and couldn't access videos. Any suggestions?

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Incredible. Astonishing. Almost life changing. Thank you so much.

[Mikie]

Trying to get the password(s) gives me:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage".

Too bad....

[Stephen W. Desper]

Trying to get the password(s) gives me:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage".

Too bad....

WILL C.,   PLEASE HELP THESE FANS OUT.  Everyone should be able to access Vimeo -- It's like YouTube or Google.

Looks like about half the messages are having problems.
 
As for entering into my profile, can you enter your own profile? That would be my first question.
 

~swd
 

[Misterlou]

Trying to get the password(s) gives me:

"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage".

Too bad....

WILL C.,   PLEASE HELP THESE FANS OUT.  Everyone should be able to access Vimeo -- It's like YouTube or Google.

Looks like about half the messages are having problems.
 
As for entering into my profile, can you enter your own profile? That would be my first question.
 

~swd
 

I can enter my own profile. I entered your profile, copied the password as instructed, pasted it on Vimeo, and nothing happens - it doesn't even state the password was incorrect, it just returns to its previous state, before I pasted the password.

[Mikie]

OK, we got it.  Gotta observe upper and lower case with the passes!

[Chris Brown]

That was an absolute joy to listen to as always Stephen, thank you so much for all the time, effort and love you put into these study-videos!

[Mitchell]

Fabulous! The sound dimensions in the session excerpts were incredible, especially when the different musicians spoke. You can hear them all over the room!

I also have to agree that the Carl at Capitol story was great. What a special relationship you and he shared.

Stephen, what's your opinion of this version of GOK, recorded in Wally Heider's studio in 1967 and officially released in 1998?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB1Pr50yWTI


Thanks again to you and Will C for sharing!

[grillo]

As always, great. You really bring depth to the sound.
 It's great imagining Carl sitting in the dark and singing to the echo chamber and you. Must've been crazy a surround sound!
anyway, thanks for everything.

[Stephen W. Desper]

Fabulous! The sound dimensions in the session excerpts were incredible, especially when the different musicians spoke. You can hear them all over the room!

I also have to agree that the Carl at Capitol story was great. What a special relationship you and he shared.

Stephen, what's your opinion of this version of GOK, recorded in Wally Heider's studio in 1967 and officially released in 1998?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB1Pr50yWTI


Thanks again to you and Will C for sharing!

COMMENT:  That rehearsal tape is very smooth in delivery. I assume this was a practice tape for concert work.

And what did you think of the a cappella ending?  And did you like the Spectrum performance?  ~swd