Whether he talks about meditation or music, producer Rick Rubin has the ability to convey his message in a beautiful way.

During an afternoon drive in Malibu, Rubin and author and journalist Neil Strauss discussed the art of listening to music, everything from digital versus analog sound to sound patterns.

When you're listening professionally, what are you listening for?

First I'll listen in an overall way: The groove and the feel, and whether that's working for me. After that, I'll start listening to more details: Is the singing in tune? Is everything else in tune? Does it speed up or slow down too much to the point of where it sounds like a mistake? I guess I'm looking for qualities and flaws: Does it have the qualities to make it be the take of the song to use, and does it have flaws that need to be worked on? Or sometimes it also could be the opposite: Is it too perfect? Does it need more flaws? Does it need to have more rough edge to it and what would that sound like? So it’s listening to it, really being with it, and then imagining. And being open to the idea that it might be better a different way and just seeing instinctually if I have any hits on "let's try it faster," "let's try it slower," "let's try it in a different key," "let's rewrite this section of it," "let's change the bass part." It comes pretty natural, those responses to it.