Post by spidervodka on Jan 4, 2008 3:45:06 GMT -5
This has NOTHING to do with how good your audio system is; what type of music; what year it was made in; or if it's a CD or an MP3 file.
Why should a music fan give a rat's ass about this issue? (and why should they read this long-ass post!
)
Well if you really listen to music for music's sake and not just for "audio wallpaper" i.e. in the background while shaving, reading, etc, read on........
What's happening is that the quietest parts of a song are being forced to be nearly as loud - or AS loud - as the loudest parts of the music. Doesn't seem like much to worry about until you try to listen to the drums, synthesizers, guitars or other parts that provide much of the beat of the music......then you realize the backing vocals and cymbals are as loud as the damn drums!! :mad:
The reason this is happening is because the music's signal waveform has been overcompressed back at the studio, or as it's more commonly called, recorded too "loud". This has gotten so bad regular news outlets are now reporting on it, like this article by the Chicago Tribune, the third one I've seen this past year.
Plus, a new organization has even been created recently dedicated to helping educate artists and the public about how loss of dynamics (overcompression) is negatively affecting their music: turnmeup.org
What does a "loud" recording sound like?
An audio engineer/music teacher made a non-geek video that clearly shows how much of our music today is being robbed of its vibe (300,000+ views so far): "The Loudness Wars". Not my favorite track by Mr. McCartney but it definitely gets the point across.
Someone else made another one using an ABBA track (must be old people making these videos
) that also demonstrates this effect.
What does it *look* like?
Following is a print version based on a now-classic article about this issue at www.prorec.com concerning Rush's Vapor Trails CD:
OVERCOMPRESSION IN MUSIC IS MUCH LIKE WRITING IN ALL CAPS: EVERYTHING IS ALL THE SAME SIZE. BUT YOUR BRAIN DEPENDS ON VARYING SIZES, AND VOLUME LEVELS, TO HELP IT TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT THE EYES AND EARS ARE SENSING. BUT IF THOSE VARIANCES ARE MINIMAL OR TOTALLY LACKING, IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT. DO IT LONG ENOUGH AND MANY BRAINS FINALLY GIVE UP AND JUST TUNE IT OUT.
Ouch that can become almost painful to read that......and that is the other worrisome effect of overcompressed/loud music:
people can get tired much more quickly listening to that kind of music than *properly* recorded songs, very possibly reducing their interest in music itself by a large amount without really knowing why. Technically speaking this is usually called "listener's fatigue".
And lowering the volume level on your stereo or MP3 player will not help much if at all, because it is not the overall volume that is the problem.
FYI: using a system's treble control can help to somewhat reduce the irritation, because the treble in a loud recording is boosted along with everything else - that's why many people report hearing a "staticky" or "sharp" quality when listening to loud/overcompressed music.
For other visually-oriented people, this site has lots of screenshots of popular music tracks showing their waveforms...or what's left of them: "The Death of Dynamic Range: A Chronology of the Compact Disc Loudness Wars"
What music is most affected by this trend?
Pretty much everything except classical and jazz.
AND ---> this includes remastered versions of old classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s. This is why so many audiophiles no longer buy new versions of CDs because they can sound so irritating but lifeless at the same time.
Not all albums coming out are overly loud, but most are.
WHY is this being done?
Amazingly, because many marketing people think loud, in-your-face music.....ANY music, including country and smooth jazz......sells better. They say normal sounding music can't compete with other music labels' loud CDs and MP3 files so theirs needs to be as loud or louder. WTF?! Who the hell buys music based on how loud it is?
Another reason is that much music today is marketed via commercials, TV shows and video games, so for the music to be heard better, the engineer is ordered to overcompress it so the smaller details are better heard through crappy 4" TV speakers, cheap plastic computer speakers and $5 earbuds.
Will playing this type of music through an expensive audio system help it to sound better?
No. If anything, it will sound worse because high quality gear will reproduce all those tiny-but-LOUD details even better than the cheapo audio systems.
So if you've been wondering why when you listen to an old CD or someone's vinyl version of an album (vinyl, and tape, cannot be overcompressed nearly as much as a digital source) and you feel your head bobbing or a leg bouncing a lot more than with a brand new CD or MP3 file, there's a good chance you're listening to music recorded with its groove intact.
Why should a music fan give a rat's ass about this issue? (and why should they read this long-ass post!
)Well if you really listen to music for music's sake and not just for "audio wallpaper" i.e. in the background while shaving, reading, etc, read on........
What's happening is that the quietest parts of a song are being forced to be nearly as loud - or AS loud - as the loudest parts of the music. Doesn't seem like much to worry about until you try to listen to the drums, synthesizers, guitars or other parts that provide much of the beat of the music......then you realize the backing vocals and cymbals are as loud as the damn drums!! :mad:
The reason this is happening is because the music's signal waveform has been overcompressed back at the studio, or as it's more commonly called, recorded too "loud". This has gotten so bad regular news outlets are now reporting on it, like this article by the Chicago Tribune, the third one I've seen this past year.
Plus, a new organization has even been created recently dedicated to helping educate artists and the public about how loss of dynamics (overcompression) is negatively affecting their music: turnmeup.org
What does a "loud" recording sound like?
An audio engineer/music teacher made a non-geek video that clearly shows how much of our music today is being robbed of its vibe (300,000+ views so far): "The Loudness Wars". Not my favorite track by Mr. McCartney but it definitely gets the point across.
Someone else made another one using an ABBA track (must be old people making these videos
) that also demonstrates this effect.What does it *look* like?
Following is a print version based on a now-classic article about this issue at www.prorec.com concerning Rush's Vapor Trails CD:
OVERCOMPRESSION IN MUSIC IS MUCH LIKE WRITING IN ALL CAPS: EVERYTHING IS ALL THE SAME SIZE. BUT YOUR BRAIN DEPENDS ON VARYING SIZES, AND VOLUME LEVELS, TO HELP IT TO MAKE SENSE OF WHAT THE EYES AND EARS ARE SENSING. BUT IF THOSE VARIANCES ARE MINIMAL OR TOTALLY LACKING, IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO DO THAT. DO IT LONG ENOUGH AND MANY BRAINS FINALLY GIVE UP AND JUST TUNE IT OUT.
Ouch that can become almost painful to read that......and that is the other worrisome effect of overcompressed/loud music:
people can get tired much more quickly listening to that kind of music than *properly* recorded songs, very possibly reducing their interest in music itself by a large amount without really knowing why. Technically speaking this is usually called "listener's fatigue".
And lowering the volume level on your stereo or MP3 player will not help much if at all, because it is not the overall volume that is the problem.
FYI: using a system's treble control can help to somewhat reduce the irritation, because the treble in a loud recording is boosted along with everything else - that's why many people report hearing a "staticky" or "sharp" quality when listening to loud/overcompressed music.
For other visually-oriented people, this site has lots of screenshots of popular music tracks showing their waveforms...or what's left of them: "The Death of Dynamic Range: A Chronology of the Compact Disc Loudness Wars"
What music is most affected by this trend?
Pretty much everything except classical and jazz.
AND ---> this includes remastered versions of old classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s. This is why so many audiophiles no longer buy new versions of CDs because they can sound so irritating but lifeless at the same time.Not all albums coming out are overly loud, but most are.
WHY is this being done?
Amazingly, because many marketing people think loud, in-your-face music.....ANY music, including country and smooth jazz......sells better. They say normal sounding music can't compete with other music labels' loud CDs and MP3 files so theirs needs to be as loud or louder. WTF?! Who the hell buys music based on how loud it is?
Another reason is that much music today is marketed via commercials, TV shows and video games, so for the music to be heard better, the engineer is ordered to overcompress it so the smaller details are better heard through crappy 4" TV speakers, cheap plastic computer speakers and $5 earbuds.
Will playing this type of music through an expensive audio system help it to sound better?
No. If anything, it will sound worse because high quality gear will reproduce all those tiny-but-LOUD details even better than the cheapo audio systems.
So if you've been wondering why when you listen to an old CD or someone's vinyl version of an album (vinyl, and tape, cannot be overcompressed nearly as much as a digital source) and you feel your head bobbing or a leg bouncing a lot more than with a brand new CD or MP3 file, there's a good chance you're listening to music recorded with its groove intact.
