XTC Back Porch

Blushift

A topic that has been brought to the front again with the release of the new Metallica album. Have we lost our chance to keep sound dynamics and it's nuances in music? Is it because of all the audio codecs that have ruled the portable audio gadget world for some years now?

Here is a site I just ran across today with many articles about this issue.

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What are your thoughts?

Jeff Truzzi · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject:

You can't hear shit anymore,
because everything has the shit compressed out of it.

Dynamics are for sissies.

It's an mp3 world.

sticksman3 · Mummer Joined: 09 May 2008 Posts: 351 Location: Londonium

Sissies!!!!!!!??????

How very DARE you! Wink

Even in an mp3 world, there IS room for dynamics! It's just a cop out that they compress everything to hell these days. Take the re-releases of the XTC stuff, or from one of my faves... Level 42 and their album Retroglide.... now THAT is so badly compressed that the dynamics are lost, and it's just a wall of noise, even in some of the supposed "subtle" tracks.

Bring back the room for the music to BREATHE!

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Blushift · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject:

Maybe I shouldn't have talked about the codecs in the same breath. I know they're not really the main reason. I just wondered if the direction in which gadget based audio is going could be contributing to this idea that everything in the recording has to be at high volume.

Could it even have to do with the lower quality earplugs and headphone with the gadgets that can't reproduce wide dynamic range? In other words, are engineers mastering for the gadgets more than the ears?

Thomas Walsh · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 2:09 am Post subject:

I very proudly got Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray to master my latest album as a total statement against the 'Brickwalling' culture of mastering.

These people LEAD the field against such sonic atrocities and I'm honoured that they agreed to do the mastering. You can crank the album to 11 and hear little nuances even easier!!

Very Happy

T.

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I don't wanna' be here.....!!

Blushift · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject:

Thomas Walsh wrote:

I very proudly got Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray to master my latest album as a total statement against the 'Brickwalling' culture of mastering.

These people LEAD the field against such sonic atrocities and I'm honoured that they agreed to do the mastering. You can crank the album to 11 and hear little nuances even easier!!

Very Happy

T.

...and very much appreciated TW!

favoritething · Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 2:34 am Post subject:

Anyone heard of this Code, or CODE, thing? Seems to be at least an interim solution to the Loudness Wars, at least for music that serious people might like:

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I'm gonna get a replacement, because I'm so hip.