diff --git a/packages/core/pattern.mjs b/packages/core/pattern.mjs
index aa5e1060f..a84934984 100644
--- a/packages/core/pattern.mjs
+++ b/packages/core/pattern.mjs
@@ -1457,6 +1457,27 @@ export function stack(...pats) {
   return result;
 }
 
+
+/**
+ * The given items are played at the same time at the same length.
+ *
+ * @tags temporal
+ * @return {Pattern}
+ * @synonyms polyrhythm, pr
+ * @example
+ * mute_stack("g3", "b3", ["e4", "d4"]).note()
+ * // "g3,b3,[e4 d4]".note()
+ *
+ * @example
+ * // As a chained function:
+ * s("hh*4").mute_stack(
+ *   note("c4(5,8)")
+ * )
+ */
+export function mute_stack(...pats) {
+  return silence;
+}
+
 function _stackWith(func, pats) {
   pats = pats.map((pat) => (Array.isArray(pat) ? sequence(...pat) : reify(pat)));
   if (pats.length === 0) {
diff --git a/packages/mondo/mondo.mjs b/packages/mondo/mondo.mjs
index 0255ef78f..390e20477 100644
--- a/packages/mondo/mondo.mjs
+++ b/packages/mondo/mondo.mjs
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under th
 */
 
 // evolved from https://garten.salat.dev/lisp/parser.html
+
+let recurse = 0
+function lrec(...args) {
+  recurse += 1
+  console.info(recurse, ...args)
+}
 export class MondoParser {
   // these are the tokens we expect
   token_types = {
@@ -25,15 +31,16 @@ export class MondoParser {
     // dollar: /^\$/,
     pipe: /^#/,
     // Matches _$ or _$BASS
-    mute: /^_\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)?/,
+    mute_stack: /^_\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)?/,
     // Matches S$ or S$VOCALS
-    solo: /^S\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)?/,
+    solo_stack: /^S\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)?/,
     // stack: /^[,$]/,
     stack: /^,|^\$([a-zA-Z0-9_]+)?/,
     or: /^[|]/,
     plain: /^[a-zA-Z0-9-~_^#]+/,
- 
+
   };
+  solo_enabled = false;
   op_precedence = [['*', '/', ':', '!', '@', '%', '?', '+', '-', '..'], ['&']];
   // matches next token
   next_token(code, offset = 0) {
@@ -68,7 +75,7 @@ export class MondoParser {
       offset += token.value.length;
       tokens.push(token);
     }
-    console.info("TOKENS", tokens[0], tokens[1])
+    lrec("TOKENS", tokens[0], tokens[1])
     return tokens;
   }
   // take code, return abstract syntax tree
@@ -80,19 +87,22 @@ export class MondoParser {
     while (this.tokens.length) {
       expressions.push(this.parse_expr());
     }
+    let parsed = expressions[0]
     if (expressions.length === 0) {
       // empty case
-      return { type: 'list', children: [] };
-    }
+      parsed = { type: 'list', children: [] };
+    } else if (expressions.length > 1 || expressions[0].type !== 'list')
     // do we have multiple top level expressions or a single non list?
-    if (expressions.length > 1 || expressions[0].type !== 'list') {
-      return {
+    {
+      parsed = {
         type: 'list',
         children: this.desugar(expressions),
       };
     }
+
+    lrec("PARSED", parsed)
     // we have a single list
-    return expressions[0];
+    return parsed;
   }
   // parses any valid expression
   parse_expr() {
@@ -127,8 +137,11 @@ export class MondoParser {
       children = children.slice(splitIndex + 1);
     }
     chunks.push(children);
+    lrec("chunks", chunks)
     return chunks;
   }
+
+  
   desugar_split(children, split_type, next) {
     const chunks = this.split_children(children, split_type);
     if (chunks.length === 1) {
@@ -260,12 +273,15 @@ export class MondoParser {
     }
     return node;
   }
+
   desugar(children, type) {
     // if type is given, the first element is expected to contain it as plain value
     // e.g. with (square a b, c), we want to split (a b, c) and ignore "square"
     children = type ? children.slice(1) : children;
-    children = this.desugar_split(children, 'stack', (children) =>
-      this.desugar_split(children, 'or', (children) => {
+
+    const desugar_split_children = (children) => {
+      return this.desugar_split(children, 'or', (children) => {
+        console.info("TYPE", type)
         // chunks of multiple args
         if (type) {
           // the type we've removed before splitting needs to be added back
@@ -276,16 +292,34 @@ export class MondoParser {
           children = this.desugar_ops(children, ops);
         });
         children = this.desugar_pipes(children);
-        console.info("STACK CHILDREN", children)
+        lrec("STACK CHILDREN", children)
         return children;
-      }),
-    );
-    console.info("CHILDREN", children)
+      })
+
+    }
+
+    console.info("PRE_CHILDREN", children)
+    // children = this.desugar_split(children, 'mute_stack', (children) => {
+    //   const x = desugar_split_children(children)
+    //   // lrec({x})
+    //   return x
+    // })
+
+    lrec({ children })
+
+
+    children = this.desugar_split(children, 'stack', (children) => {
+      return desugar_split_children(children)
+    })
+
+
+    lrec("CHILDREN", children)
     return children;
   }
   parse_list() {
     let node = this.parse_pair('open_list', 'close_list');
     node.children = this.desugar(node.children);
+    lrec("node", node)
     return node;
   }
   parse_angle() {
@@ -334,9 +368,8 @@ export function printAst(ast, compact = false, lvl = 0) {
   const br = compact ? '' : '\n';
   const spaces = compact ? '' : Array(lvl).fill(' ').join('');
   if (ast.type === 'list') {
-    return `${lvl ? br : ''}${spaces}(${ast.children.map((child) => printAst(child, compact, lvl + 1)).join(' ')}${
-      ast.children.find((child) => child.type === 'list') ? `${br}${spaces})` : ')'
-    }`;
+    return `${lvl ? br : ''}${spaces}(${ast.children.map((child) => printAst(child, compact, lvl + 1)).join(' ')}${ast.children.find((child) => child.type === 'list') ? `${br}${spaces})` : ')'
+      }`;
   }
   return `${ast.value}`;
 }
diff --git a/packages/mondough/mondough.mjs b/packages/mondough/mondough.mjs
index a230c3cb9..f683401d6 100644
--- a/packages/mondough/mondough.mjs
+++ b/packages/mondough/mondough.mjs
@@ -49,10 +49,11 @@ lib['or'] = (...children) => chooseIn(...children); // always has structure but
 //lib['or'] = (...children) => chooseOut(...children); // "s oh*8.dec[.04 | .5]" is better but "dec[.04 | .5].s oh*8" has no struct
 
 function evaluator(node, scope) {
-  const { type } = node;
-  // node is list
-  if (type === 'list') {
-    const { children } = node;
+  const { type,children } = node;
+  // node is list]
+  if (type === 'list' && children.length) {
+    // const { children } = node;
+   
     const [name, ...args] = children;
     // some functions wont be reified to make sure they work (e.g. see extend below)
     if (typeof name === 'function') {
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ function evaluator(node, scope) {
     const first = name.firstCycle(true)[0];
     const type = typeof first?.value;
     if (type !== 'function') {
+      console.error("first", first)
       throw new Error(`[mondough] expected function, got "${first?.value}"`);
     }
     return name
@@ -76,12 +78,16 @@ function evaluator(node, scope) {
       })
       .innerJoin();
   }
+
+  console.info("NODE", node)
   // node is leaf
   let { value } = node;
   if (type === 'plain' && scope[value]) {
     return reify(scope[value]); // -> local scope has no location
   }
   const variable = lib[value] ?? strudelScope[value];
+
+  console.info("VARIABLE", variable)
   // problem: collisions when we want a string that happens to also be a variable name
   // example: "s sine" -> sine is also a variable
   let pat;
@@ -107,6 +113,7 @@ export function mondo(code, offset = 0) {
     code = code.join('');
   }
   const pat = runner.run(code, undefined, offset);
+  console.info("MONDO_PAT", pat)
   return pat.markcss('color: var(--caret,--foreground);text-decoration:underline');
 }