I wish I'd thought of it.

[FIRESOLE]

Thanks for the laughs guys.

 

[ryanlikestorock]

doesn't heavy modern rock, like audioslave of system Of a Down for example, need a really loud master? they have to bang out of your speakers.

The irony is, by mastering an album with a more dynamic range, the song will actually "bang out your speakers" more than if it's compressed to the industry standard.

I guess the main reason why most producers prefer their album to be as loud as possible is to avoid the disappointment of hearing their quieter song come on after a louder song. The way I see it, this only happens at home. Usually, club DJs and radio stations have their own processing equipment to minimize this problem.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Hopefully it will pass. But what's also scary is the prospect of a whole generation coming up thinking it's supposed to sound like that.

...Like the band I work with. They play pop music. Nothing too heavy. I've explained the "squashing" problem to them. They understand the squashing problem. They can identify the squashing problem.....but they prefer that sound! Most of them are young college kids with shitty car stereos. That sound is what they are used to, what they want, and what they think sounds best. Furthermore, they are truly scared that people will think their music sucks if it comes on quieter. Drives me up a wall but hey....it's thier music.

I just hope it blows over with the bands I listen to. Any of you head the new Aerosmith blues cover album "Honkin' on Bobo"? Totally and entirely unlistenable it is squashed so flat. Flattest I've ever heard. Shame too since I like some of the songs.

 

[distortedrumble]

you offered them red pill or the green pill didnt ya!? lol i dont blame the guys for thinking what they think. the loudness sounds good on shitty radios and it does sound "unprofessional" if its quieter. but i cant see a no name band playing pop music breaking from the norm and taking a stand against the "loudness"....maybe a string quartet or a bluegrass/country group.....but not pop music

 

[foreverdown]

I would like to think of myself as from the generation you all are complaining about. And I would like to be thought of from this generation to show you that not everyone thinks the way they do. Granted I never listen to the radio and probably less than 5% of my purchases are major label releases. But I can't stand the heavy on bass fad. It started with Rap. People wanted to get the most of the beat out of so they could hear better when to dance. It has become another symbol of cool as many of you have hit on. I am not sure how everyone showed off in the 90's, but now the kids do it through their cars. They make the outside look ridiculous and throw a bunch of bass in it. I personally kept my factory speakers and spent 300 on a nice CD player. It plays mp3's and has a hookup so I can plugin my laptop or mp3 player (or anything with a headphone jack for that matter). IT drastically improved my sound in my car. Next step is to get better speakers. I will NEVER put a sub in my car. I think its ridiculous. Its a complete waste of money. People get the bass and crank it so loud that its all you hear. It drives me crazy. I am one of the few that believe in this and think that subs in cars are ridiculous. I am 19 years old and I listen to everything rock... from acoustic soft rock to Hardcore and Metal. I would rather EQ my speakers to get a nice round sound instead of getting a sub that cost me a fortune and then to get it to a volume that fits in with the sound I have to have it a hair away from off and have my regular speakers cranked to half full. Oh man, this is so stupid.

I will say that I am just getting into recording and everything and I don't really know what all you guys are talking about way too much compression. Its not that I disagree with you, but more so its just that I don't know what to listen for. Can any of you explain it to me a little and give me some examples? I have lots of zepplin and pink floyd if you would like to use those for references for well mixed uncompressed stuff. Those may not be a good example, but that's some of the oldest stuff I have that I enjoy

 

[distortedrumble]

..........have you listened to it with a sub from the inside of the car...or just the outside of the car next to you at a stop light....its a big difference. some systems are excessively rediculous....the 1k watt dual amps and 2 15s in the back of some huge ass suv. yeah thats going a little too far...however! my reciever cost $140, front and back speakers were $80 all together, $14 for the bass blockers, $69 for the amp installation kit, $59 for a 200 watt amp, $74 for a 10inch sub. total cost $436. the bass didnt matter too much when it came to rock music but on rap and dance, it was fun to have. the one problem i did have was that it was damn near impossible to fit my amp cabinet in the back with the subwoofer.

 

[distortedrumble]

they have small subs like a bazooka 8 inch powered sub. its compact and sounds pretty good...dont mistake the large systems for making the idea bad

 

[Chibi Nappa]

i dont blame the guys for thinking what they think. the loudness sounds good on shitty radios and it does sound "unprofessional" if its quieter.

That's exactly the wording they used. "Unprofessional". The perception is that audio was quieter in the "old days" (early 90's on back) because the technology didn't exist to make it that loud. You and I know that's not the whole truth, but that is the perception. If you are not loud, you are using old tech and out of date.

Regaurdless of what bands and the public think, it still doesn't change the fact that the current standard sounds like shit.

One more story: The band had one song professionally done in a multi-million dollar studio by a big shot engineer with decades of experiance. It was mixed to half inch tape. We were also given the mix on a redbook CD for listening purposes. The half inch tape was sent to a multi-million dollar studio for mastering by a big shot engineer with decades of experiance. We got the master and I liked it. The band sent the redbook CD to a friend of theirs who just started as a studio intern with a big label. He used the equipment at his disposal to make his own version of the master. The intern's master is much louder. Guess what one the band unanimously prefers? Uhg.... Yes, it truly has become the standard and anything less is now truly unacceptable. It makes me sick.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Oh well...we older guys have lived through Elvis and bell bottoms and for a long time there didn't seem to be anything worse....