The Stephen Desper Thread

[mike thornton]

stephen, it's all about quality. i have maybe 30 cd's (even then i play mostly just one cd, that being mason william's phonograph record-my "be my baby"). i have far more vinyl, perhaps 75 and they are mostly classical. i find that vintage stereo gear is the most satisfying. i have those wharfedale speakers that you mention (1969), a denon tt with a shure cartridge (early 80's), and a kenwood kr-9940 (mid 70's). my equip sounds almost as good as some off the charts expensive audiophile stuff. but it all pales in comparison to my vintage yamaha plain jane acoustic that i write with. you'd think with the advances in "fidelity" reproduction that we'd be really close. but, i haven't heard it.

[Mark Kidd]

I have FLACS as well.

Sorry if I was making an assumption there. I was glancing at this thread at the same time as I was showing one of my friends how to install a flac codec for the first time.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

I have FLACS as well.

Sorry if I was making an assumption there. I was glancing at this thread at the same time as I was showing one of my friends how to install a flac codec for the first time.

No harm, no foul.  I've saved songs from CDs as flacs when possible. 

[Stephen W. Desper]

PICTURES FOR aeijtzsche --

Capitol Records' early Ampex recorders





I know you like the history of recording.

Do you know who ROSS SNYDER is?

 

How does that man in the yellow coat tie-in with The Beach Boys?

ROSS SNYDER is the inventer of Multi-Track recording, or as it used to be called "sel-sync" recording.

His first model went to Les Paul -- called "the octopus"

   

That's right.  Without his idea, popular music would be no where. 

It all had to start somewhere.  Travel back to those early days of recording and enjoy a little history lesson.
 
The following Link is to a series of fascinating interviews that will take you back to the very beginnings of recording as we know it today.  Hear accounts of making the first multi-track recorder, the first practical demonstration of stereophonic sound to the audio professionals, the first public showcase of stereophonic sound.  I think you will find all this history, as told by the very people who made it, most interesting.
  
ROSS SNYDER REMEMBERS (past Ampex product developer)

~swd
 

PS ========================================


First Video Recorder made by AMPEX

[/b]


Now they are incorporated into pocket telephones!!   ~swd

[absinthe_boy]

I'm just saying that for all the time that has past, all the research that's been done, and all the effort which has gone into the capturing of sound, you would think we would have come further along with the fidelity part. [/b]  ~swd     

That rings a bell with me. You'd really think that audio gear would get better...in fact, like most technologically related consumer items it has merely become cheaper and more convenient for Joe Public to use.

I run a 1991 Systemdek IIx900 turntable through a 1978 Harman/Kardon high current reciever...home made speakers (fashioned from Castle Kendle II enclosures) connected using solid core mains cable.....that system beats the crap out of virtually anything else I have heard.

But...even better for the wallet...when I lived in the states I built up a system  using a Marantz 6210 turntable from a yard sale ($10 for TT, $60 for a new stylus, $15 for a new belt) a nice Nikko reciever ($20 from yard sale) and a pair of Realistic speakers from back when Radio Shack knew what they were doing ($10 from a thrift store).....$125 all in and it made people's jaws drop when the listened.


Now....my dad is deciding to have a late-life crisis and go on a spending spree. I'm helping him build a new hi-fi system.....and am glad to see Harman/Kardon still do stereo recievers with the high current design (+/- 42 amps internal current). But I gave him my old Onkyo cassette deck (circa 1988) thinking I'd buy a new one.....got a nice looking Yamaha with play trim which will help it play back tapes I recorded on my defunkt Nakamichi (non-standard bias)...but it is so flimsy! Can't imagine it lasting 18 years...

Best magnetic reproducer I have? The old Akai open reel...

Consumer electronics don't get better....they get cheaper, easier to use...pandering to the masses...why else would the cassette have ever become more popular than open reel? Its impossible to make them sound as good...but those reels take up space and people can't be bothered to thread them...much like cameras I'd touch very little currently on the market. Oh, there's good stuff out there (Pro-Ject turntables) but there's so much crap to wade through too...

[absinthe_boy]

Digital television.....I was told by a BBC engineer around a decade ago that the TV companies were anxious to go digital, not because of the increased quality but the fact that they could cram more channels in the same sized cable...with reduced quality (compared to a good analogue signal) that people would still find acceptable.

Having about 200 digital channels available to me (UK digital cable) I find the variation in quality is vast.

[MBE]

You have stated that the late 60s-early 70s was not a happy time of Brian's life. I would like to clarify that with you. Out of these three scenarios what is the closest to the truth about him then.
A. Consistently depressed with no real change
B. Gradually more depressed
C. Had good periods and bad periods.
I hope I don't sound cold the way I put this but I figured it would make answering the question a bit easier.

[Chris Brown]

Hi Steven...I was just flipping through my copy of "Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile!" by Dom Priore and found something quite interesting that pertained to you...there was an article in there that Dom himself responded to, intending to clear up common Smile myths that the initial article had suggested.  One of the points Dom made said that you had told him that there was a finished tape of the Elements suite in a vault somewhere (sorry I don't have the book on me for a direct quote at the moment).  What is up with this?  Seems like it may be more unfounded assuptions by Priore but I was curious to see if you knew anything about it.

By the way those pictures you posted were really cool! 

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Stephen, some recordings of BB concerts from Nov. 1967 have recently been "unofficially" released.  Do you recall if you would have had anything to do with them being recorded from way back when?

[Stephen W. Desper]

Steve gave me his passcode and ask me to post this here. I hope I'm doing it right.

Steve has been in the hospital and is now convalescing.  We expect him to be healed in about four to six weeks. He has Shingles, a very painful and energy draining condition. He is not able to use his computer during convalescing.

He also ask me to tell any of you who may have recently sent orders for his book to expect shipment when he is better. He is sorry for the delay.

His condition took him by surprise, and came on quickly. He is doing OK but very tired. Pain pills keep the pain down but it is not a good time.

Shingles has to run its course. There is no other treatment.

Thank you,  DMK

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

My father had reoccurring shingles.  They are painful, and as you said, you have to let them run their course.

As always, he has our prayers and hopes for a swift recovery.

If there's anything he wants or needs, please let us know.  Ditto for his mom, whom I believe he takes care of.

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Get well soon, Mr. Desper.

You're insight to all of our questions is so greatly appreciated.

[punkinhead]

Mr. Desper,

I don't know if you've anwsered this yet or it's been discussed, but in the Friends' sessions, did Murry Wilson sing bass vocals for Be here in the Morning? did he do anything else around this era?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Steve has already addressed this; in fact he called Al to confirm that Murry did indeed sing the lowest note a couple of times during the song you mention.  If both Steve and Al remember it, I'm pretty sure it's true.

[punkinhead]

oh, i believe it to, i was just trying to prove it to some others

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Tell those people to use the Desperpedia on this site.

[c-man]

Plus, Carl mentioned in back in '82 to Geoffrey Himes:  "My Dad sang the deep note on 'Be Here In The Mornin'".  The full intervew is published in the second "newly expanded" edition of "Back to the Beach", edited by Kingsley Abbott.  According to the Badman book, Mike was still in India at this time, so the Boys needed a bass singer...

Craig

[roll plymouth rock]

Dear Mr Desper,

I work at a museum called that Cantos Music Foundation (www.cantos.ca) that has a collection of rare pianos + synths. The question I have is in regards to a promotional poster we have at the museum from Mellotron that lists the Beach Boys as a band that uses Mellotrons in their recordings. It didn't suprise me to see them on that list, but I really have no idea what songs they might have used a Mellotron on and I was wondering if you knew what tracks featured the Mellotron on them.

Kind regards,
Barnaby Bennett

[NimrodsSon]

You should get his book. It tells which tracks on Sunflower and Surf's Up have Mellotron.

[Rocker]

Any news on Mr Despers disease? Is he doin' ok?

[Malc]

I know somewhere in my files I have Stephen recalling how the in-joke 'technical notes' to the "Surf's Up" album came about - the so-called "U2 Boat Mike" and the "DC456-1414" (apparently the direct line to the White House) ... has anyone ANY idea where it IS in print ? I've searched high and low thru my books, ESQ back issues, and on this site, but can't find it ! Or can anybody recall exactly how the notes came about ...
Thanks
 

[NimrodsSon]

I believe it's mentioned in his book Recording the Beach Boys.

[Aegir]

Any word on Desper's condition?

[doc smiley]

hopefully when Steve gets better we can hear what he thinks about "The Flame" being released on CD without his input..
I am assuming that he wouldn't have had any input in this release because its sourced from vinyl and without the bonus tracks....

[Stephen W. Desper]

Fellow Fans:

I''m doing better, but remain in bed a great deal of the day. The pain is still intense, but I can get to my computer for a short period each day and will try to answer or comment on any topic you wish to address. Don't expect speedy responses from me yet. Wanted to get back into the swing of it as part of therapy.

I'll comment on the new (?) Flame CD release in a few days.

Good Listening, ~Stephen W. Desper