Loudness Wars.

[KrazyKatz]

Excellent video describing the terrible modern calamity that plagues our music. I Recommend this be moved into technical documents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ

[LPChip]

Nice video. I totally agree that the modern "making it as loud as possible" aspect just ruins the song.

And although I think that it could go into the tech docs section, I'd like to see more opinions about this idea's, and possible tips and tricks first.

[Saga Musix]

This is true, but I also think that compressing the output is also essential for different styles, like in electronica. It really depends on the tune IMO

[KrazyKatz]

Certain electronic music is defined by its compressed and mechanical levels, so I would agree. But when you have real life players expression turned into the same mechanical approach... thats just destruction of art.

[Saga Musix]

Indeed. Compression shouldn't be applied to any rock or jazz genres...

[KrazyKatz]

Well Compression does have a place in Rock, Jazz and even the Classical Genre.  I mean the human voice singing near a microphone invariably causes  unnecessary peaks, and sometimes a drummer can hit the snare ridiculously hard at  an inopportune moment, but in this case the point of compression is to actually make it sound more natural and fluent. The issue at hand is that the modern approach is  no longer the use compression, but  the abuse of it.

[Sam_Zen]

Abuse it is. I once loaded an Eminem-song from an audio-cd my granddaughter had, and it looked like this :



This is ridiculous. It's a maximum compressed MP3 re-converted to WAV to be written on an audio-cd.

I don't agree, that electronic music should be compressed as default, because it's mechanical.
I understand the emphasis on compression, because it has been common use for a quick transport of audio-files on the Net.
But in reality, it's just one of those tools. Sometimes you use it, sometimes not. Like a flanger.

In the case of the vocal or drummer peaks, a limiter is the first tool to choose, not a compressor.
A limiter just decreases the peaks, so the track can be normalized to a higher percentage, but it doesn't loose it's dynamic spectrum.
If compression is used, not only the peaks are cut off, but the softest passages wil be amplified as well.
To make it, yes, as loud as possible. So the dynamic spectrum gets a smaller range of differences.

[Saga Musix]

Well Compression does have a place in Rock, Jazz and even the Classical Genre.  I mean the human voice singing near a microphone invariably causes  unnecessary peaks, and sometimes a drummer can hit the snare ridiculously hard at  an inopportune moment, but in this case the point of compression is to actually make it sound more natural and fluent. The issue at hand is that the modern approach is  no longer the use compression, but  the abuse of it.

I agree that Vocals have to be compressed / limited, but I was talking about compressing a whole song

[Sam_Zen]

I just saw the movie for the first time. Excellent story with clear arguments.
I will place this link in a Dutch Synth-forum.

[Snu]

This is ridiculous. It's a maximum compressed MP3 re-converted to WAV to be written on an audio-cd.

I don't agree, that electronic music should be compressed as default, because it's mechanical.
I understand the emphasis on compression, because it has been common use for a quick transport of audio-files on the Net.

huh? i think you are confusing dynamic compression with file compression (mp3s).  a highly compressed mp3 would sound terrible for entirely different reasons.

anyway, nice video, ill have to send it to some friends of mine whom i have tried to explain this to.
also, this trend is especially noticable (and disturbing) on radio stations, i cant even listen to the radio anymore, it just sounds like over-compressed crap.

[Sam_Zen]

@ Snu
You're right about a possible confusion.
I know the dynamic compression tool of a wav-editor is something else, as converting a file to a compressed format.

You mention radio, but over here there was a public discussion about being the sound of commercials between tv-programs being too loud suddenly, according to the remote-setting of the tv. There was a political debate about this, but of course about the wrong criteria. They talked about a max volume percentage, while it should be of course about max compression percentage.

[psishock]

"when there's no quiet, there can be no loud"
priceless quote, i use this technique a lot and it realy gives that "dramatic feel" or punch when you need it. I agree, that many artist dont care about "soft" voices, but trying to make every single instrument they have sound loud as possible.

[Saga Musix]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rye_D9qnwFM
just listen to this (the tune is like that, it's not youtube destroying it)
one can say that we're all used to sidechain compressors now, especially in dance music, but the vocal compressor is just utter shit... it sounds totally out of control.
is that really what people need to make their remix outstanding?

[LPChip]

Indeed, this is so ugly compressed. At first I thought it was supposed to be like that, but appearantly some parts aren't compressed like this because there's no interfearing signal and then it sounds good.

Yuck!

[Sam_Zen]

Blinded by the might