Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi on Compression and the Loudness War in Mastering

In this clip from www.artistshousemusic.org - Greg Calbi is a Senior Mastering Engineer at Sterling Sound. He discusses compression and the current debate over the appropriate level of loudness for a mastered album.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• greg calbi
• mastering engineer
• artistshousemusic
• artists house music
• mixing and mastering
• production
• professional recording

[thermalmaximum]

I agree with these thoughts, but the truth is that the general public does not care about quality. And it's the money of the masses that keeps recording studios open, keeps music equipment manufacturers in business, and keeps recording artists stocked with cocaine and guitars. I think most musicians and recording engineers would agree with the subtleties of this video. As for whether or not it makes a difference in the marketplace? Probably not. Societally, we're engaged in a race to the bottom.

[astrosmash1]

I have stopped listening to bands who have released albums that were too "loud". RHCP and Sleeter-Kinney are two of the more egregious examples. The bad experience taints my enjoyment of their entire catalog, and I'm not likely to buy their next album or go to their next show.

So, in a way, the marketers are right. It's just the marketers and I disagree on what sounds good.

It's funny that I now have to go to independent bands to find recordings that actually sounds good.

[antonio610]

The music industry is the ultimate real-life argument against the invisible hand of the market.

[MrHENNYBLACK]

@thermalmaximum All this great work to be dumped to 8bit Ipods.

[YoungScoob714]

Everything you laid out made so much sense. Some of the theories that are made by people in the industry are way out there. But lets face it, people in marketing are not engineers. They do not have the insights that the engineers and some of the musicians do.

[kisulee]

This dude is so right on, it's humorous. Shadik

[imfree707]

The answer to the loudness war is simple. Most people have AADD, audio attention deficit disorder, and just need to start paying attention and listening to what's coming out of their speakers and phones. Few people really listen to music very deeply any more.

[lonzenator]

This engineer is correct. I wish the general music business would wake up and hear people like him talking. Dynamic range is alway better than just loud..... Look at the moist enduring works of all times (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt or any other major composer. They wrote music that went from very soft to extremely loud and people loved it. Music should be about how it affect the emotions of the person, not how deaf we can make them....

[weses1]

Digital has such an incredibly low noise floor... there's really no point in having anything loud at all. Anything above -78 db will sound great with 16 bit. That's an awful lot of headroom for good sound.

[MichaelTobiasMusic]

RIght on man. Thanks for posting. 

[analyzingfunny]

@infinitesimotel yup, it's just theft of one work