pmsummer Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 The Loudness Wars: Why Music Sounds Worse The sad irony of this story is that my local "Hipster Headbanger" NPR music station seems to be doing this (loudness compression) more than the local rock stations do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Outstanding post PM, outstanding!!! [Y] My favorite paragraph.... "There are really different levels of MP3 coding," Oxenham says. "You can go from much less data — which people can hear the difference — to higher levels of coding which take up more space on your MP3 player but sound better and are basically indistinguishable from a CD. And I would argue that under proper listening conditions — if it's really indistinguishable from the CD as far as your ear is concerned — then you really haven't lost anything perceptually." Pi*s poor CD's, el cheapo level MP3 stuff, stuff that's been "re-mastered" with the obvious "loud factor" in mind, etc. all come to mind. And with a really good amp and a pair of Klipschorns.... you can tell the difference..... at any volume level.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Well, yes and no. Crappy music, mixed badly and compressed has always been with us. For most of my life, like most of America, I've been listening to bunches of crap music through crappy equipment. Funny thing is, is that I've also been listening to bunches of music I like, through crappy equipment and enjoying the hell out of it. The enjoyment of music is not dependent upon discerning ears, sublime recording mastering, high -end equipment and perfect rooms. Listening this am to James Brown, outside, through gas station speakers still had me groovin, despite, or because of, it's presentation. Hey James Brown is James Brown. He'd sound good warbling through the water in a toilet bowl. The Ipod is simply the latest itineration of the transistor radio, which begat the boom box, which begat the Walkman which begat ... The fact of the matter is when we look at pop music we are lucky to have any well recorded music at all. The industry , quite rightly I might add, views pop music as emminately disposable, simply because most of it is. Unless the artists themselves insist on it, there's no inherent reason to make a good recording, and it's surprising how much well recorded pop music there is. For the tiny percent of the population that benefits from it, this is a blessing not to be frowned upon. Classic and jazz, on the other hand are marketed to a different set of listeners and thus, by and large, are mixed right.They are also niche markets that generate steady but limited income for the record companies. The above notwithstanding, I didn't take four years building a kick *** system, just to listen to compressed crap, but hey, sometimes that compressed crap get's you movin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 My Lord Thebes: >The Ipod is simply the latest itineration of the transistor radio, which begat the boom box, which begat the Walkman which begat ... Amen. The finest summation of musical entropy in action I've ever seen. But, of course, that is a contradiction in terms. Bravo. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
germerikan Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Here is an interesting link to people fighting the wars... http://www.pleasurizemusic.com/ There is a standalone Dynamic Range meter where you can see what the DR of the disk is. Unfortunately the freeware is only available to active members ( cost 30$ year) so not really free. I am an inactive member there so I just signed the petetion that I am not happy with how many recordings are bieng made today. There is also a totally free plugin here http://www.kvraudio.com/get/3714.html where you can get the plug in for the formats VST, Audio Unit and RTAS and see what the dynamic range is when recording. I guess you could also load pre recorded and take a look at what is happening. A lot of interesting info on the pleasurize music website... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Then why when I listen to NPR the DJs are always whispering very close to the mike? Click n Clack, other than their outragious boston accents talk normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Click and Klack brothers,,Sound like a couple of Magpies birds,, NPR has turn,d in to nothin but liberal KACK talk programs,,, What DJs ????? No music on mine,,,Except Wobegon Wobegat with Harrison Keeler,,When ie he going to retire ?? They call and beg for donations,,, I tell them More music first..THe Govt. cut there funding for a good reason,,, Taxpayers are fed up with that foney crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 >Except Wobegon Wobegat with Harrison Keeler,,When ie he going to retire ?? I must assume your politics transcends your ability to appreciate one of the greatest talents this nation ever produced. I find it easy enough to ignore his politics and enjoy the only radio personality left in the world, a man of such massive talent I cannot even comprehend how it can be packed into that body. When he retires or passes that will be it. There was no one like him in the past, and there will be no more like him in the future. I shall miss "It's been a quiet weekend in Lake Woebegone, my hometown..." long after his politics are forgotten. Dave PS - The "Writer's Almanac" is probably the most intelligent program in all of American broadcasting. It constantly reminds me of how ignorant I am of the wealth of literature that surrounds me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblio Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 I pretty much detest his politics but I agree that GK is one of a dying breed WRT radio theater. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 NPR is funny..... many stations are exactly what Maron describes; and it drives me crazy!!! It's driven by what the big donors to that station want. Some, and fortunately, invested their donations wisely and pretty much carry the news during "drive time", and then it's classical all day long until it's drive time again. Nightime? cannot tell you much because the "nightime is the rightime" for the "system" and the LP's and CD sources. NPR will be the last bastion of fairly non-commercial source material for some time to come. Hopefully. I dread to see (or hear...) what comes about on the FM band in the future. [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Houston's NPR is pretty dull. They have a fantastic audio engineer (Todd Hullslander) and a great studio so I hear some wonderful music, but the rest is mostly classical music with the obligatory All Things Left of Center Considered, etc. One of the best I ever heard was in Rolla, MO when I was working on an Army contract. Wall to wall local, NPR, PRI stuff. Blue grass, jazz, a local guy with his 78 collection, old time radio, Schickele Mix, ALWAYS something going on, and if you didn't care for it wait til next hour. All from a little town of 40k or so. Houston should be ashamed. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblio Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Houston's NPR is pretty dull. They have a fantastic audio engineer (Todd Hullslander) and a great studio so I hear some wonderful music, but the rest is mostly classical music with the obligatory All Things Left of Center Considered, etc. One of the best I ever heard was in Rolla, MO when I was working on an Army contract. Wall to wall local, NPR, PRI stuff. Blue grass, jazz, a local guy with his 78 collection, old time radio, Schickele Mix, ALWAYS something going on, and if you didn't care for it wait til next hour. All from a little town of 40k or so. Houston should be ashamed. Dave Was that KUMR ? I was a DJ at KMNR (89.7) in the late 70's early 80's. Small world. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 As it was UM Rolla, I assume as much. They were outstanding and a great example of what public radio was supposed to be. Driving back and forth to Dallas I would start with Dallas, then Lawton, then OKC, Tulsa, Springfield, and Rolla. Had the schedule and switchover points cold. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblio Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 As it was UM Rolla, I assume as much. They were outstanding and a great example of what public radio was supposed to be. Driving back and forth to Dallas I would start with Dallas, then Lawton, then OKC, Tulsa, Springfield, and Rolla. Had the schedule and switchover points cold. Dave Had a few friends from KMNR who worked KUMR cause it paid real money. Of course the fun place was KMNR where we broke all the rules and sometimes paid for it [6], we were the Delta House on broadcast radio. I had a show called 'The Wild Turkey Review' on Sunday evenings, full of acid rock and lubricated with Turkey. Lot's of fun but made Monday classes a bit painful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 You'd have loved "Ozone Theatre" from AFTN-Udorn. Midnight to 4AM (prime sapper hours!) and well lubricated with Thai ganja... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 WUTC in Chattanooga is pretty good. You get a lot of the NPR news/opinions, but outside of that it ispretty much all local and really good stuff. They do NO calssical, as WSMC, the other public radio/school station does that. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmsummer Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 I like Garrison Keillor and P.J. O'Rourke. They are two of the best observers/satirists of American Culture working today... and neither of them are COMPRESSED. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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