Do you prefer to listen to the Beach Boys in mono or stereo?

[branaa09]

In the case of Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down Vol. 2 those albums have real stereo mixes except 409  and A Young Man's Gone, those multis are missing. Don't forget the only song on Shut Down Vol. 2 that wasn't in Stereo since 1963, was Why Do Fools Fall In Love and now we have it!

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Quzi]

In the case of Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down Vol. 2 those albums have real stereo mixes except 409  and A Young Man's Gone, those multis are missing. Don't forget the only song on Shut Down Vol. 2 that wasn't in Stereo since 1963, was Why Do Fools Fall In Love and now we have it!

Surfer Moon still doesn't exist in true stereo, only in mono and duophonic.

[JK]

Mono, the way Brian hears it.

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Ebb and Flow]

Surfer Moon still doesn't exist in true stereo, only in mono and duophonic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT2pTH11-oc

That ain't duophonic, at least in the Capitol sense.  There's distinct stereo information there.  Duophonic would be taking a mono mix and adding a fractional delay to simulate stereo.  With Surfer Moon the mono backing track was reprocessed into fake stereo using EQ.  So you have low end EQ on left, high end EQ on the right, vocals in the center.  Not 100% true stereo, but also not entirely fake either.

I'm guessing they weren't satisfied with the raw stereo session master (heard on SOT Vol. 03) because it starts with Brian's lead vocal hard panned to the right.  Though they went on to release a few stereo mixes like that on Shut Down Vol. 2 only months later...so maybe not.

[JK]

Mono, the way Brian hears it.

Have you (or has anyone else here) ever considered listening to the later stereo-only albums collapsed into mono?
Because, wouldn't that be the way Brian hears those ones too?

No I haven't----or hadn't. That sounds like a great idea. Is there a simple way of doing it? Like pressing a button or something? (Technology never was my strong point.)

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Joel Goldenberg]

In the case of Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down Vol. 2 those albums have real stereo mixes except 409  and A Young Man's Gone, those multis are missing. Don't forget the only song on Shut Down Vol. 2 that wasn't in Stereo since 1963, was Why Do Fools Fall In Love and now we have it!

Denny's Drums is still mono-only.

[job]

- the binaural mix of Surfer Girl.

This.

[branaa09]

Dennys Drums was recorded with more instruments, but in the end the boys kept just the drums. Maybe Jon Stebbins could shed some light on whether Denny Drums was recorded in Stereo or Mono. He said a while back that when he heard the rediscovered masters, he heard more instruments on Dennys Drums!

[Joel Goldenberg]

Dennys Drums was recorded with more instruments, but in the end the boys kept just the drums. Maybe Jon Stebbins could shed some light on whether Denny Drums was recorded in Stereo or Mono. He said a while back that when he heard the rediscovered masters, he heard more instruments on Dennys Drums!

Very interesting! Maybe the rediscovered masters could be released and retitled Denny's Orchestra. 

[rab2591]

I enjoy Pet Sounds in mono, but WIBN has to be heard in stereo, imo. I prefer the 2012 stereo version of Today over the mono mix. The 2009 stereo version of Don't Worry Baby is probably the greatest sounding song I've ever heard.

The early surf tunes are so sparse in instruments that stereo is almost distracting. So yeah, truly depends on the album and mix.

[Bicyclerider]

On the early stuff if the vocals are in stereo I prefer it - I can better appreciate the harmonies.  Otherwise mono for early stuff.  As the backing tracks become more complex, I prefer stereo although I wasn't enamored of the Today and Summer Days stereo mixes.  Smiley Smile is glorious in stereo, and I prefer the Smile stuff in stereo.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Dennys Drums was recorded with more instruments, but in the end the boys kept just the drums.

Really ?  Never heard that before: care to share the source with us ?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Surfer Moon still doesn't exist in true stereo, only in mono and duophonic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT2pTH11-oc

That ain't duophonic, at least in the Capitol sense.  There's distinct stereo information there.  Duophonic would be taking a mono mix and adding a fractional delay to simulate stereo.  With Surfer Moon the mono backing track was reprocessed into fake stereo using EQ.  So you have low end EQ on left, high end EQ on the right, vocals in the center.  Not 100% true stereo, but also not entirely fake either.

I'm guessing they weren't satisfied with the raw stereo session master (heard on SOT Vol. 03) because it starts with Brian's lead vocal hard panned to the right.  Though they went on to release a few stereo mixes like that on Shut Down Vol. 2 only months later...so maybe not.

"TSM" - the BB version - recycles the track Brian recorded for "The Summer Moon" by Bob & Vicki 5/9/63 at United.

[Quzi]

Dennys Drums was recorded with more instruments, but in the end the boys kept just the drums.

Really ?  Never heard that before: care to share the source with us ?

I think someone who had access to the recently acquired SDV2 said this. Maybe Jon Stebbins?

[Ron]

On iTunes, I bought a version of Smiley Smile that contains both the stereo and mono mixes of the songs. When I compared songs side by side, it was almost like listening to two different albums. The mono version was creepier and more distorted sounding, while the stereo version made the songs sound more cinematic, like songs Pixar would use if they ever made a horror movie.

Then I went back to the other albums. Pet Sounds needs to be in Stereo for everything to be heard. Same with Smile. Surfer Girl actually sounded phenomenal in Stereo, especially "Your Summer Dream".

The other 60s albums sounded good enough in mono.

Depends on the song to me.  I have to admit, I'm an old soul so i want to rant and rave about how mono is where it's at, baby, but the truth is: I love listening to the Stereo Mixes Linett has done because everything is so clearly seperate that you can hear all kinds of little musical and vocal nuances you can't hear in the mono mixes. 

[Ron]

Mono, the way Brian hears it.

Have you (or has anyone else here) ever considered listening to the later stereo-only albums collapsed into mono?
Because, wouldn't that be the way Brian hears those ones too?

Especially the stuff that he produced /arranged. When he cut the tracks for 15 Big Ones and Love You he surely wasn't monitoring them in stereo....might there be something to listening in mono, then?
 Hmm...
Even if he had nothing to do with the final mixes, he saw those tunes and arrangements thru the lens of mono --while he was cuttin' 'em. I think I'm on to something.

I read somewhere (and i'm sure someone knowledgeable will immediately tell me how wrong I am) years ago, that Brian had a special console built for mixing, that had some sort of setup that 'mimicked' Stereo for him.  Not sure how that would work, but it allowed him to hear the Stereo mixes a bit. 

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I really don't care for the stereo Wild Honey mixes at all.

Darlin' sounds nice, but Country Air has had all the life sucked out of it - suddenly those gorgeous full harmonies sound flat - and I really don't like the echo on the 'sweeter, sweeter' part on stereo Wild Honey.

[Please delete my account]

My only preference is not to hear the stereo mix of Don't Worry Baby with one of the speakers missing.

[branaa09]

Dennys Drums was recorded with more instruments, but in the end the boys kept just the drums.

Really ?  Never heard that before: care to share the source with us ?

I think someone who had access to the recently acquired SDV2 said this. Maybe Jon Stebbins?

It was Jon Stebbins that said this when they obtained the lost Shut Vol. 2 Multi-Track Masters!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Just double-checked this w/Jon, and while there were other instruments - sparse bass & guitar - on an earlier take, the released version was as recorded: just drums.

And yes, it is Dennis. 

[Loves The Sunflower]

Like the original stereo mixes. If those aren't available I'm content with the original mono mixes, i.e., the "Wild Honey" or "Today" albums. I don't particularly care for the stereo mixes and remixes that have surfaced in the past decade. They always seem... off to me... somehow. 

[Billf]

Stereo all the way, to more distinctly hear all the instruments that Brian was directing.