and, actually, i found a file from 2002 - it was mixed quietly, so i've taken it up, and while it doesn't null with the 2007 mix, it's close. i've got volume differences and cd compression in the way. it certainly nulls more with the 2007 mix than it does with the 2002 mp3, leading me to believe it wasn't burnt from mp3 and the 2007 mix was the original. it's not coming out in the form of a reverb ghost or something, it seems like a volume difference, primarily.

but, i've got an a/b, there. i need to pick one of the two. either the 2002 mix was basically burnt from the same file (meaning the 2007 mix is the original file), or i've got some processing on the 2007 file to find. if i can't hear it, it's not there.....

...and i want to stick with the file at almost exactly the same volume as the 2002 mp3, which is the 2007 file, which is what i had to begin with.

note to self: leave notes to self.