Very well put together, thanks. It's sad how music has been degraded so much in the last several decades. By the way, what piece of software are you using to analyze/draw the dynamic range?
Look at Massive Attack's most popular songs on iTunes, the quieter versions outsell the louder versions. I think it's more down to record industry paranoia than it ever being likely to sell more records, you see radio compresses everything to the same volume anyway.
Hi, I'm new to making music. I use software synthesizers to make electronic music, but the video talked only about music made by bands using physical instruments that always use a dynamic range. Do the problems that arise in the loudness war affect electronic music as much as other genres, even though you would have to program a synthesizer to make it use a dynamic range? Sorry if i didn't use the term "dynamic range" correctly.
KHS ... I see stunning similarities between your arguments regarding audio quality and my points of view regarding contemporary movie and TV productions. Today's "shock-and-awe type content," as I like to call it, means dialogue is getting increasingly vulgar, the intensity of the violence portrayed is ever-increasing, and CGI is over-used to the point of being ridiculous. It's no wonder that many discriminating people prefer old-time radio dramas, a.k.a., the theater of one's mind. Great video.
Ty for this video.. As i come to understand the function of music as a structured web of harmonics the absence of dynamic range can be really dangerous.. it takes out one dimension in experiencing music.. the function of this goes deeper i feel then just create more loudness which equals getting noticed.
@Simplistic7SalvatioN Indeed. The problem is the environment. How many people actually Listen? Sitting in front of a stereo, with minimum background noises? Very few. Most use iPods on the streets.
Sadly, music is nowadays a background thing.
LISTENING, even on lower range stereo equipment brings the whole music and dynamics, but almost lost nowadays.
Great video, and very well explained. I see the creator is 18 (I'm 16) and people our age ignore this, nice to see someone aknowledged.
That's what I don't understand about the loudness wars. If the average Joe doesn't care about sound quality, why even bother to compress it in the first place? Why not just master it the correct way from the start? He's already too dumb to know what compression and peak limiting is, I doubt he'll actually care if there's dynamics in a mix. Or better yet...just add compressors in all portable listening devices. That's what Apple and others should have done from the very start.
I completely disagree with you. You obviously have a very limited listening range. Let's take 60's soul/funk/psych/rock. Alot of these great sounding recordings were recoded with very minimal equipment - sometimes with just the one microphone placed in the middle of a room with the musicians spaced from it. You get a very natural sound this way - and the way it would sound live - the best sound of all.
The, the recording was pushed to tape tape, HOT - to create that lovely loud dirty sound.
@lazrpo You mean, the 1997 remix by Iggy himself ? I think the loudest record I know is Iggy Pop's own "Beat 'em up" (2001) ; I don't know if the dynamic is more compressed than that of "Death magnetic", but at the same volume I use for most other music, it literaly makes the walls tremble (especially with the Subwoofer on – very bass heavy). His two following records are pretty heavy too ("Skull ring", "The weirdness"), but BEU is the record of choice if you want to piss off neighbours.
Thanks for the info!
AprilRoxStudios 1 week ago
Very well put together, thanks. It's sad how music has been degraded so much in the last several decades. By the way, what piece of software are you using to analyze/draw the dynamic range?
carloszamora1978 1 week ago
Look at Massive Attack's most popular songs on iTunes, the quieter versions outsell the louder versions. I think it's more down to record industry paranoia than it ever being likely to sell more records, you see radio compresses everything to the same volume anyway.
ajuk1 3 weeks ago
Anyone heard the new Van Halen? It's one of the worst I've ever heard in terms of loudness
BinaryPill 4 weeks ago
Hi, I'm new to making music. I use software synthesizers to make electronic music, but the video talked only about music made by bands using physical instruments that always use a dynamic range. Do the problems that arise in the loudness war affect electronic music as much as other genres, even though you would have to program a synthesizer to make it use a dynamic range? Sorry if i didn't use the term "dynamic range" correctly.
Noahaddavis 1 month ago in playlist Image-Line | Audio Quality
have you maybe thought about that the songs are ment to hit HARD in a system.
example club music. heavily compressed BOOM BOOMING!
DjFrankPhilip 1 month ago
you see, this is why i listen to vinyl over cd's. most vinyl pressings don't use so much compression
RobertC19850209 1 month ago
@RobertC19850209 agree
kenoba 1 month ago in playlist Image-Line | Audio Quality
This phenomenon pisses me off more than anything else in the entire world. Something has to be done. It basically destroys the music.
PurpleGreenHaze 2 months ago
We need a DAW from an analog company,because they know how music should be made.
numanuma20 2 months ago
haha 1:34 notice that the overall track is much better and if it would have the drums of its predecessor it would suck
qoalwisk 3 months ago
Excellent and clear presentation of one of my biggest pet peaves. Thanks for putting this together!
spudunit 4 months ago
KHS ... I see stunning similarities between your arguments regarding audio quality and my points of view regarding contemporary movie and TV productions. Today's "shock-and-awe type content," as I like to call it, means dialogue is getting increasingly vulgar, the intensity of the violence portrayed is ever-increasing, and CGI is over-used to the point of being ridiculous. It's no wonder that many discriminating people prefer old-time radio dramas, a.k.a., the theater of one's mind. Great video.
tonyny77 5 months ago
The last example actually scared me!
Hyper5nic 5 months ago
Ty for this video.. As i come to understand the function of music as a structured web of harmonics the absence of dynamic range can be really dangerous.. it takes out one dimension in experiencing music.. the function of this goes deeper i feel then just create more loudness which equals getting noticed.
There is a deeper layer to this matter.
ghanz135 6 months ago
This is one of the reasons I got bored of the American Idiot album. I like the songs but can't help thinking it's a wall of mush at times.
TimpBizkit 6 months ago
One listener is deaf.
Geomanb 6 months ago
@Simplistic7SalvatioN Indeed. The problem is the environment. How many people actually Listen? Sitting in front of a stereo, with minimum background noises? Very few. Most use iPods on the streets.
Sadly, music is nowadays a background thing.
LISTENING, even on lower range stereo equipment brings the whole music and dynamics, but almost lost nowadays.
Great video, and very well explained. I see the creator is 18 (I'm 16) and people our age ignore this, nice to see someone aknowledged.
wotajared 7 months ago
@wotajared
That's what I don't understand about the loudness wars. If the average Joe doesn't care about sound quality, why even bother to compress it in the first place? Why not just master it the correct way from the start? He's already too dumb to know what compression and peak limiting is, I doubt he'll actually care if there's dynamics in a mix. Or better yet...just add compressors in all portable listening devices. That's what Apple and others should have done from the very start.
gfcf42489 6 months ago
Metallica should change the name of Death Magnetic to Deaf Magneto :)
SpaceInShadow 10 months ago
I agree that great sound can be achieved with minimal equipment.
Sometimes I listen to recordings that use only one mic and I think it
gives the music a rich, "live" feel. But the point I was trying to
make with this video isn't that you have to have expensive equipment
to have a good sound but that modern CD's have pushed the volume
beyond the point of good taste. No matter what type of equipment you
use, over compression reduces dynamic range and is not what music
actually sounds like live.
KHSDigitalMediaArts 10 months ago
I completely disagree with you. You obviously have a very limited listening range. Let's take 60's soul/funk/psych/rock. Alot of these great sounding recordings were recoded with very minimal equipment - sometimes with just the one microphone placed in the middle of a room with the musicians spaced from it. You get a very natural sound this way - and the way it would sound live - the best sound of all.
The, the recording was pushed to tape tape, HOT - to create that lovely loud dirty sound.
johndehaura 10 months ago
People sadly are happy with listening to 32kbps like WTF?!?
jsproductions 11 months ago
Death Magnetic's not the loudest compared to Raw Power by Iggy Pop.
Not saying that it makes Death Magnetic any less of an example, though!
lazrpo 11 months ago
@lazrpo You mean, the 1997 remix by Iggy himself ? I think the loudest record I know is Iggy Pop's own "Beat 'em up" (2001) ; I don't know if the dynamic is more compressed than that of "Death magnetic", but at the same volume I use for most other music, it literaly makes the walls tremble (especially with the Subwoofer on – very bass heavy). His two following records are pretty heavy too ("Skull ring", "The weirdness"), but BEU is the record of choice if you want to piss off neighbours.
idiosyncrazy1980 9 months ago
Nice job on this. Informative - Great animation!
BlackDoveStudios 11 months ago
Comment removed
Cedarpoint582 11 months ago