YEAH!!!
MAN! Everytime I stop going to ProRec when they have no new stuff for a while, they put up something like this. It's a KILLER article, and it really hits on a problem that is getting to be epidemic today.
I actually made a comment about this a few weeks ago, and I also included the Offspring "Conspiracy of One" album in my rant. What I noticed about the Rush album was that I could listen to it in my car at a low volume and not mind. But I could only handle about 3 songs at home before the distortion drove me INSANE! And as Rip said, I do mean DISTORTION! On some vocal passages, every time a tom fill hits, the vocals distort like a cheap stomp box.
I can now add the new Papa Roach album to this list, as well. I was listening to it a couple nights ago, and the first song, M80, was just an over-compressed, over-limited, distorted, crappy mess. My worst mixes had better definition that this.
I suffered through "M80," just to see if the album had any redeeming music on it. The next song that came up (don't remember the title), was absolutely fine!!! No massive compression, no messy distortion - nothing. Yep, it was quieter, but as Rip pointed out, the first song was so messed up and distorted that I really didn't listen; it had no subtlety. The second song sounded so much clearer and more open that it was like listening to a different record!
I think I know why this is, and why I can't even remember the 2nd song's name. That first song is just SO hard rockin' in the label's eye (it is a strong song), that they figured it would be a single and would need to be loud enough to compete. The second song, since it seems musically weaker, was left un-destroyed since it was assumed no one would hear it 'till after they bought the album.
I honestly believe this to be the case. And as such, I'm going to send a plaitive cry to anyone writing good music - just record it! If it doesn't sound like the big-boys - GOOD! Please DON'T make it sound like that! I did one mix a while ago that got panned for being too thin. Either way, when it was done, you could obviously hear the difference in sound quality (not just loudness) between 1.5dB and 3.0dB of Waves L1+ Ultramaximizer. And to be honest, both sounded worse than the original.
I guess I'm just begging people to turn off their limiters. I mean, heck - when I'm in the car, I turn it up and down CONSTANTLY so I can hear the quieter parts without getting deafened by the chorus. I'd hope others would do the same with my music.
Like Sennheiser said, "... turn the big knob to the right."