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Sara Anna Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 7:28 PM |
This article in the Daily Mail newspaper caught my eye the other day. Apparantly CDS and downlodable music is being produced at higher overall sound levels. Studio engineers are using digital technology to compress sound waves so that quieter sections of a piece can be increased in volume at the mastering stage. The effect is to create a constant volume with fewer crescendos and quiet parts. Critics beleive the technique is destroying music, wiping out all the subtelties and detail and transforming everything into a barrage of sound.
Leading studio engineers are calling on consumers to make their voice heard and marginalise one level music.
The trend for loudness has been driven by a belief among industry executives that it heightens the impact of a song in an age where music on MP3 players need to be heard over the din of every day life.
Apparantly this one level sound is causing the listener fatigue and even pain. A mistaken belief by the record industry that loud will sound better and turn a song into a hit and has caused most major label releases in the last few years to be an aural assault. In older recordings you will notice the loud and soft parts compared to the barrage sound you now get. Todays CDs induce a sense of fatigue and becomes psychologically tiring and impossible to listen to due to the more dominant low frequency.
There you go, another example of corporate music industry fat cats putting profit before music. I knew there was a reason why i'm always twiddling with the balance and volume on my stereo these days and yes i've noticed older CDs are more of a pleasure to listen to rather than the barrage of sound we now get.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Sarah x
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Gladly (the cross-eyed bear) Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 7:38 PM |
| If you think that music is too loud thats a sign of getting old. |
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Andrew Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 7:39 PM |
Music being produced loud doesn't cause pain, people listening to it at high volumes causes pain.
That aside I've read a bit on this subject and it does seem to be the current trend although it would be interesting to hear some audio comparisons. |
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DAKOTA Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 7:55 PM |
Andrew wrote:
That aside I've read a bit on this subject and it does seem to be the current trend although it would be interesting to hear some audio comparisons.
Click For Video Example. |
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Scottish Dubliner Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 8:25 PM |
Sara Anna wrote: This article in the Daily Mail newspaper caught my eye the other day. Apparantly CDS and downlodable music is being produced at higher overall sound levels. Studio engineers are using digital technology to compress sound waves so that quieter sections of a piece can be increased in volume at the mastering stage. The effect is to create a constant volume with fewer crescendos and quiet parts. Critics beleive the technique is destroying music, wiping out all the subtelties and detail and transforming everything into a barrage of sound.
Leading studio engineers are calling on consumers to make their voice heard and marginalise one level music.
The trend for loudness has been driven by a belief among industry executives that it heightens the impact of a song in an age where music on MP3 players need to be heard over the din of every day life.
Apparantly this one level sound is causing the listener fatigue and even pain. A mistaken belief by the record industry that loud will sound better and turn a song into a hit and has caused most major label releases in the last few years to be an aural assault. In older recordings you will notice the loud and soft parts compared to the barrage sound you now get. Todays CDs induce a sense of fatigue and becomes psychologically tiring and impossible to listen to due to the more dominant low frequency.
There you go, another example of corporate music industry fat cats putting profit before music. I knew there was a reason why i'm always twiddling with the balance and volume on my stereo these days and yes i've noticed older CDs are more of a pleasure to listen to rather than the barrage of sound we now get.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Sarah x
I have a passion for Mogwai, somehow I don't think they'll ever let it happen. Also Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil, I already have all the CDs I want, so they can do whatever they like, the bands with important quiet parts will never allow it, (mogwai, arab strap etc.) |
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Dutchgirl Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 8:27 PM |
DAKOTA wrote: Andrew wrote:
That aside I've read a bit on this subject and it does seem to be the current trend although it would be interesting to hear some audio comparisons.
interesting video |
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Sunny Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 8:45 PM |
Along the same lines ... has anyone else noticed that Under the Moonlight on TBWNN seems to be louder than any other track?
It could, of course, be my dodgy hearing ...
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KevInSweden Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 9:36 PM |
| I can't stand this trend either. Listening to music that hasn't been overly butchered in this manner is so much more enjoyable. |
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harry potter Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 9:37 PM |
any discussion about music CANNOT involve any or all references to the red hot chili peppers. fyi. |
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KevInSweden Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 9:51 PM |
I edited that out before you even posted that :D haha
And yeah, I don't like them either. But the production on some of their albums is apparently really really bad. Still probably the least of their problems eh! |
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Davie_G Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 9:52 PM |
| If it means I can annoy the neighbours more, all the better :D |
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harry potter Posted Tue 12 Jun, 2007 9:54 PM |
Davie_G wrote: If it means I can annoy the neighbours more, all the better :D
that is soooo rock *rock dude finger sign* |
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Sara Anna Posted Wed 13 Jun, 2007 8:19 AM |
Gladly (the cross-eyed bear) wrote: If you think that music is too loud thats a sign of getting old.
He he, I thought that too at first but apparantly not, if you compare production on older CDs to those made in the last few years, yes there is a difference. |
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Sara Anna Posted Wed 13 Jun, 2007 8:20 AM |
Sunny wrote: Along the same lines ... has anyone else noticed that Under the Moonlight on TBWNN seems to be louder than any other track?
It could, of course, be my dodgy hearing ...
Yep and it's not your dodgy hearing. |
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Posts: 36 |
Sara Anna Posted Wed 13 Jun, 2007 8:27 AM |
Scottish Dubliner wrote: Sara Anna wrote: This article in the Daily Mail newspaper caught my eye the other day. Apparantly CDS and downlodable music is being produced at higher overall sound levels. Studio engineers are using digital technology to compress sound waves so that quieter sections of a piece can be increased in volume at the mastering stage. The effect is to create a constant volume with fewer crescendos and quiet parts. Critics beleive the technique is destroying music, wiping out all the subtelties and detail and transforming everything into a barrage of sound.
Leading studio engineers are calling on consumers to make their voice heard and marginalise one level music.
The trend for loudness has been driven by a belief among industry executives that it heightens the impact of a song in an age where music on MP3 players need to be heard over the din of every day life.
Apparantly this one level sound is causing the listener fatigue and even pain. A mistaken belief by the record industry that loud will sound better and turn a song into a hit and has caused most major label releases in the last few years to be an aural assault. In older recordings you will notice the loud and soft parts compared to the barrage sound you now get. Todays CDs induce a sense of fatigue and becomes psychologically tiring and impossible to listen to due to the more dominant low frequency.
There you go, another example of corporate music industry fat cats putting profit before music. I knew there was a reason why i'm always twiddling with the balance and volume on my stereo these days and yes i've noticed older CDs are more of a pleasure to listen to rather than the barrage of sound we now get.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Sarah x
I have a passion for Mogwai, somehow I don't think they'll ever let it happen. Also Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil, I already have all the CDs I want, so they can do whatever they like, the bands with important quiet parts will never allow it, (mogwai, arab strap etc.)
Hey the Cocteau Twins, i've seen them play live a couple of times. I think some bands would probably protest at having their creative control influenced by the industry and good on them, in some types of music, the wrong balance would probably destroy the overall effect. They were reffering to more main stream commercial bands in the article like The Artic Monkeys and Oasis.
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