Dynamic Range Database (Loudness War)

[frzndrwnwrld]

http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/list?artist=madonna

Has anyone else seen this? I found it interesting. MDNA is pretty high on the scale, and Like A Prayer is really low.

[Bellenger1981]

Yep. I have seen this. It goes to show how loud everything has become and how the dynamics in music have been squashed. Many people think that loud equals better. That is not always the case. Sometimes too loud leads to ear fatigue. I will be the first to admit that I used to love everything extremely loud and in your face (look at some of my own remasters). However, over time my opinions have changed. I like my music loud, yet I also like the music to retain some of the dynamics as well. Mastering can be tastefully done, too. It's just that most mastering engineers today are pushed to make everything sound as loud as loud as possible.

[Django]

so, what is all this about? can somebody explain?

[ryan]

I don't think MDNA is loud at all!!!!

[Guest CzarnaWisnia]

so, what is all this about? can somebody explain?

Read this:

What is dynamic range? Dynamic range is the difference between the softest and loudest sounds we can hear. Or, to put it
another way, the difference between the softest and loudest sounds in a recording. Dynamic range is measured in decibels
(dB). For comparison, the typical dynamic range for a cassette recording is around 60 dB, while CDs can reach a dynamic
range of 96dB.

For years we've tried to recreate the excitement of a live performance by trying to maintain as wide a dynamic range as
possible. This has always been difficult with analog recording. We had to keep the softest signals above the noise floor while
keeping the loudest signals below the level of distortion. To keep the soft signals from being buried in tape hiss, we had to
record with as high a level as possible. To keep our loud signals from distorting, we had to compress the signal which resulted
in a restricted dynamic range. As the years went by, many improvements were made in recorder and tape technology. This,
along with various types of tape noise reduction systems, helped to improve the dynamic range of our recordings, but it was
still limiting.

Then one day we awoke to a new technology, "digital recording." Wow, now with a dynamic range of over 90 dB, our recordings
could almost rival a live performance. Well, in theory, yes. However, the music industry had other ideas.

Rather than use this new technology to take advantage of it's wide dynamic range, the music industry went in the opposite
direction. They decided that louder is better. Suddenly, we found ourselves in a race to see whose CD was the loudest. The
only way to make CDs louder was to keep compressing the signal more and more. That's where we are today. Everyone's
trying to make their CD sound louder than everyone else's. The term that is used for this process is called, hot. Yes, most of
today's music is recorded hot. The net result, distortion with a beat.

In December, 2001, several prominent individuals in the recording industry served on a panel to judge the best engineered CD
for the Grammy's. After listening to over 200 CDs, they couldn't find a single CD worthy of a Grammy based on the criteria
they were given. Everything they listened to was squashed to death with heavy amounts compression. What they wound up
doing was selecting the CD that had the least amount of engineering. In reality, the winner didn't win because of great
engineering, he won simply because he had messed with the signal the least. On second thought, that was great engineering.
For the record, the winner that year was Norah Jones' CD, "Come Away With Me."

Here's a quote from the late Roger Nichols one of the participants on that panel. "Last month, I listened to all the CDs
submitted to NARAS for consideration in the 'Best Engineered Non-Classical' Grammy category. We listened to about 3 to 4
cuts from the 267 albums that were submitted. Every single CD was squashed to death with no dynamic range. The Finalizers
and plug-ins were cranked to 'eleven' so that their CD would be the loudest. Not one attempted to take advantage of the
dynamic range or cleanliness of digital recording." - Roger Nichols Grammy winning engineer for Steely Dan, Beach Boys and
more. EQ Magazine January, 2002, issue.

from: http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm

[Django]

Read this:

from: http://www.cdmasteringservices.com/dynamicrange.htm

thanks!

[AceOfMadonna]

The Loudness War:

This Video describes the Loudness War very comprehensible.

Edited January 18, 2015 by AceOfMadonna

[Guest]

Very depressing seeing some of Madonna's albums in the red. Imagine how they'd sound if they weren't so heavily compressed?

I wish they would properly remaster AL. That is my ultimate dream.

[vocalism]

I have a loudness dial on my stereo receiver which has become very useful. I usually keep it at 75% for older CDs, but turn it down for new releases. 75% is still very high, I know, but that's what sounds good to me. I wonder where it should be to be "ideal."

[dubtronic]

Yep. I have seen this. It goes to show how loud everything has become and how the dynamics in music have been squashed. Many people think that loud equals better. That is not always the case. Sometimes too loud leads to ear fatigue. I will be the first to admit that I used to love everything extremely loud and in your face (look at some of my own remasters). However, over time my opinions have changed. I like my music loud, yet I also like the music to retain some of the dynamics as well. Mastering can be tastefully done, too. It's just that most mastering engineers today are pushed to make everything sound as loud as loud as possible.

Yeah, that's true. I let most of my remixes master as well, but I always say: "Not too loud", it destroys the dynamics of a track!