Loudness Wars

[mok`]

Interesting article/ blog on how the fashion to over-compress music to make it seem louder is basically making it sound like a load of crap :)

http://mastering-media.blogspot.com/2008/09/metallica-death-magnetic-sounds-better.html

Also worth having a skim through the following Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Personally Im of the opinion that a certain amount of compression is necessary in modern music, not just for the loudness aspect but because digital formats have a finite limit to their dynamic range anyway (although so does the human ear). However muddy, indistinct drum/ cymbal sounds are bad enough on 128KBps mp3s but when you start to get them on CDs something is horribly wrong.

[Feek]

http://www.ocukroguesgallery.com/feek/temp/lily-20080920-183232.png

What did I say? (http://www.boat-drinks.co.uk/showpost.php?p=191179&postcount=7) :)

[Flibster]

http://www.ocukroguesgallery.com/feek/temp/lily-20080920-183232.png

What did I say? (http://www.boat-drinks.co.uk/showpost.php?p=191179&postcount=7) :)

Aaaand what did I say later. ;) (http://www.boat-drinks.co.uk/showpost.php?p=192266&postcount=10)

Even worse is some CD's I've had to replace the originals were fantastic, the current "digital remastered" versions are garbage.

I've actually sold a load of modern digital re-f***edup CD's on the bay and have sourced a load of 1980's original CD editions to replace them. Sound so much bettter.

I've even bought vinyl instead of some CD's, for example RHCP's Californication sounds great on Vinyl, crap on CD.

[Mark]

Seen this myself when ripping CDs. I normalise everything to the same levels (though never to the extent that clipping would result). Modern CDs rarely need anything done. Some of my old CDs have required 2x or more.

No doubting that studios don't use the same limits I do though, and thus overdo it. Those of us who know better bemoan it. Those who want it (clubs included) drive their systems so hard they distort anyway so probably don't notice.

Shame. :(

[Flibster]

I always use replaygain and scan the albums in that. Normalises to 89db peak

My old 80's CD's usually need around +4 or 5db and the modern stuff, I've seen -9db on a couple of tracks recently.

[Mark]

Aye, I should probably normalise down a bit instead of the way I've done it. Would require re-ripping everything (again), but meh. I'm still only 1/3rd through the collection so better now than later.