> > > The "loudness wars" (look on youtube if you are not aware of it) also > ruins music. > > I got hold of a dvd audio copy of suedes eponymous album and it was > heavily > compressed with a lower dynamic range rating than the original CD > release (dr9). > > stupid! > > Martin N > > Running MorphOS v3.1 (July 2012) on a PowerPC Powerbook, Moderator of > MiniDisc,amithlonopen,bwfc Yahoogroups
I tend to avoid the vast majority of stuff that carries the word 'remastered' as it seems to be an excuse just to make everything LOUD and completely sap the life and dynamics out of a recording - the only exception to this I can think of has been the Nick Drake albums which were lovingly restored from the master tapes with little tweaking. Last years re-issue of Nirvana's Nevermind was a good case in point. The original never had a problem so why remaster it anyway - Loudness wars, that's why! It's crazy, and these remasters are so completely fatiguing to listen to as there is never any let up in the volume pinning you against the wall. The last Foo Fighters album was another bad example on CD. It's actually a good reason for buying vinyl these days as the mastering tends to be more sympathetic. The Foos album on vinyl is a different beast altogether and can be enjoyed all the way through without feeling like someone is hitting you over the head with a hammer. It has been pretty well documented but I keep mentioning the Red Hot Chilli Peppers output. Take the CD and vinyl of Stadium Arcadium. Absolutely sublime on vinyl having received a sympathetic mastering from Steve Hoffman, but the CD is right up against the ceiling all the way through having been mastered by Vlado Meller, and if I see this guys name on anything I now refuse to buy it. He did even worse with the latest Chilli Peppers CD and it's not only up against the ceiling but there's digital clipping in there too. It's horrible, and it completely destroys the work that a band have done in creating an album. There was a white paper done a little while back that concluded 'LOUDNESS does NOT equal more sales', and for me that's most definitely true, so you wonder why the message hasn't sunk in with so many people yet. Thankfully it's not everyone. There's the odd album appearing here and there which bears the words 'This recording may be a bit quieter than some of your other new CDs, to enjoy it at it's best, just turn the volume up and enjoy the full dynamic range this recording has to offer'. Amen to that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ lovejoy's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=47846 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=95872 _______________________________________________ Touch mailing list Touch@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/touch
