G,
Do you think that the audio masses will ever awakin from the matrix that we call the loudness wars and want a return to music with dynamics... I think(i hope) that one day there will be a backlash against over compression just like there was a backlash against hairspray rock and corney synths in the early 90's. I know its not exaclty the same but you get the idea...
Am i being naive?
class...
Yes. You're being naive, but you're not alone.
- Focus group testing support the loudness wars. Normal, non-audiophile people (everyone that is not involved in engineering/production) usually "like" smashed mixes.
- We used to A/B tracks sent to different mastering engineers in the studio, in an A&R's BMW and in the intern's shitty Toyota Corolla. We would then A/B in all of the interns' generally shitty cars - Civics, etc.
The heavily squashed/compressed tracks, on shitty factory 6x9's, "sound" better than the ones with dynamics. Most people in the world listen to stuff on shitty speakers. Not everyone has a custom Nakamichi system in their car or an Infinity system in their car.
- If something doesn't appeal to the exec in the promo meeting, like the mix is "too quiet," it won't get promo money because the non-audiophile idiot doling out the money "thinks" the mix sucks.
- Most people don't have their ears trained to notice when something is overcompressed. I can hear the shitty overcompression and hardlimiting in Metallica's new "Death Magnetic" tracks, but most 15 year olds don't give a fuck.
- The loudness wars is an "elite" issue... meaning people who are in the business or work with sound in some way understand it. These are a couple thousand people versus the millions that buy the album and "approve" of it.
- The only way the loudness wars will stop is if some Silicon Valley company designs some software or a new format that somehow makes shit louder while preserving dynamics.
Guess what will happen though if a genius finds a new format that will make stuff louder and preserve dynamics?
Exec to me: "Fuck the new format, let's make it louder than (other record company's shit)."
Me to exec: "How much are you paying me to manage this project?"
Exec to me: (large amount)
Me to exec: "Okay, let's squash it at 16:1, give it a 100dB boost and hard limit it -.0004 dB. Fuck it. Just let it clip and call it a 'new sound'."
Exec to me: "Brilliant, you just got a bonus."
Me to exec: "Then we can find other bands whose mixes we'll fuck up and call it a 'movement.' Let's call it "Clip-Music."
Exec: "Brilliant. Hire a multinational PR firm and 'create' the movement."
Me: "Yeah, but we'll have them seed the music in LA clubs by leaving flash disks on club tables, etc."
Exec: "Fuck yeah. Where do you want us to build your summer house? Maine or Connecticut?"
Me: "I want a larger expense account."
Exec: "Done."
That's what would happen.
We'd be going in circles.
I wrote this whole post because I was having ear fatigue listening to some mastered jobs that were going to be released. No headroom. My ears had no time to relax during the songs.
It's not the ME's fault either, they're just doing what the producer and RC want them to do. They get paid.
FUCK compression.
EDIT:
I fucking know that "compressors are great tools" and understand how to fucking use them properly. This is a comment on the fucking loudness wars.
If you want your chorus to sound better, LOWER the fucking volume on the chorus and then squash it to let the mix "breathe."
Most assholes don't do that, and they squash the entire fucking track. Why? Because normal people DON'T FUCKING CARE.
