More on the loudness wars

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:44 am

A very good article on the loundness wars....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-loudness_mastersonjan01,1,7109479.story?page=1&ctrack=2&cset=true&track=rss

Mark my words, all you wanna-be mastering engineers out there: There will be a new career waiting someday, for those who have the guts: REMASTERS of great works, without all the finalizers and compressors.

Get on the bus while you still can. If they haven't already, someone is going to kick-start this as a specialty business for elite clients, and then it'll become a trend.

Eventually, there will be a market of people who want to hear the stuff just as it was recorded, straight off the mix buss, before the rest of our brethren RUINED it by squashing it. Just like they redid all of the old vinyl releases to CD and film transfers to DVD, someone is going to create an industry of "correctly" mastered CDs (or whatever media delivery will be used by then).

I predict Sting and RUSH will be among the first to pursue this market, after waking up one morning with fresh ears and realizing they've let their last five year's worth of material be ruined by over-compression and finalizers. Twisted Evil

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1842 Location: NYC

The pendulum always swings. But it is usually sparked by a new format that succeeds.

we'll see how long that takes.

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2008 11:11 am

Maybe not a new format this time. How about a new application of old technology that will be the thin end of the wedge. More of these home theater systems are coming with dynamics control - the biggest selling point is the ability to turn down highly compressed commercials during TV shows. Maybe as people gain control over this, they will be able to tell the difference and realize how annoying a consistent barrage of heavily compressed music is.

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:25 pm

All the stuff my kids listen to is pretty bad. I like alot of the music, but not how its recorded. Too loud. Im a home recorder (hobby) and I found and still do, myself trying to make it louder. I have the means (plugins only) to do it (compress/limit) and have. But when I play the tunes back I like the mix without the crap on the final mix. All I have to do is crank the volume up. And I can listen to the lower mixed tunes for longer periods of time. So I told my self that I will never again try to be as loud as a the next guy. Take the song "The Music Must Change" by The Who. If that tune was done by engineers today you would never be able to hear the footsteps or half of the instruments in the mix. Sad

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:32 pm

I heard that radio stations squash stuff yet again as they broadcast it. Is that true?

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:47 pm

Yes, it is true.

Jukeboxes do it too, but via cheaper means.

- There's a pool hall down the street that has one of the new MP3 jukes. I'm gonna break a cue stick over it one of these days! I know the cat that owns the amusement company that put it in, and I've told him at least 5 times now to back the damn thing off! He's got it set to friggin' crush the hell out of everything recorded in the past 15 years or so. It's the most god awful jukebox you'd ever want to hear. One of these days I'm gonna reach my hand around the back and hit the button that kills that stupid limiter! (I am, of course, assuming that the limiter has a kill button next to the volume knobs!!!)

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:34 pm

Whats the saying now adays. If its not as loud as Everclears music then do it again. Their stuff is freakin loud. Though I do like a few of their songs. Man we are having some bad thunderstorms here in Ohio. And its the winter time.

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