The Loudness War Explained

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What is the loudness war in music? In this video, I will explain what the loudness war is all about. The loudness war is something that happened with the introduction of the CD. Music producers realized they could make their music louder than the competition. Louder always sounds better to humans, and by making the music louder, it was believed that people would appreciate the music over the competition. Unfortunately, this pursuit of louder and louder music resulted in the music losing quality, and ending up sounding distorted. You can only make music louder until a certain point before it starts to degrade, and that's what the loudness war is basically all about. The loudness war, in the end, became a very bad thing for music in general.
If you are a producer you have probably heard about the loudness war. But what is it exactly? And will it ever end? This video will highlight all the important stuff you need to know about the loudness war. Some people say the loudness war is finally over, but that's not entirely true. It's true that today we are much better off than we were at the start of the loudness war. However, the war is still not officially over, and a lot of music is still suffering from it.
Make sure to check out my next video about the loudness war where I will be talking about the end of the loudness war, and what you need to know in order to make sure your tracks sound good after it's finally over.
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Опубликовано:

9 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 476

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Want professional feedback on your track? Mixing or Mastering? www.fiverr.com/firewalk Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/firewalkmusic

@iqbalji427 7 лет назад

FireWalk u r just amazing men u helped me alot love from india

@Stuart.Branson. 5 лет назад

ha yes I bet Hans Zimmer bribes engineers to boost his crappy music louder

@lyxar777 5 лет назад

You completely missed the most important thing: The listener owns the volume knob, so the whole "war" was and is an exercise in full retardiation: Listeners just turn the "gained" volume to their preferred level.... and end up with music, which in the words of a famous man "Sounds like dogshit!"

@maxfieldstanton5411 6 лет назад

Well mixed music makes you turn the volume up. Poorly mixed music makes you turn the volume down.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

True! :)

@YouTubeAIbot 4 года назад

Damn I’ve never noticed this but I totally do this

@PuudingMusic 3 года назад

@@RU-vidAIbot same

@revuutube 3 года назад

If you have to turn the volume up or down you're just going to change the song probably. Loud grabs the attention and the only people who really care are audiophiles. I also never get 'exhausted' from listening to music personally, if something is so loud that it hurts i just turn it down. Highs hurt more than lows though

@whatdadogdoin6082 2 года назад

HOLY FUCK

@keithroy7884 6 лет назад

Finally, someone who can explain in a plain way for non-audiophiles to understand, while not going off on complete misinformation! Good job!

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks, much appreciated :)

@davidsucesso2419 6 лет назад

Damn it... if you want more volume just use an amplifier to boost frequencies... companies shouldnt destroy dynamic range to get more volume

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

They all want their tracks to be louder than the others without touching the volume knob. It's the same as the commercials on TV: The signal level is exactly the same when watching a movie or commercials, but because the commercials are heavily compressed, they become much louder. They do so in order to get your attention, to make THEIR product stand out. All this compression is a real problem not only in music unfortunately :\

@davidsucesso2419 6 лет назад

I noticed ( i dont know if its realy true or in my ears) i tested yesterday for example thriller original from 1982 and thriller for 2012 remastered on tidal and i enjoy it more on the old original release. I could notice the separation on instruments a little better on the old release. I noticed some distorcion on the new release on high volume. Didnt noticed on the old release from the 80s Am i crazy mate? My phone is samsung galaxy s8 and my headphone is a brilliantly done kingston revolver s

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

When tracks get compressed, every instrument tend to become equally loud, so all the subtle nuances and textures tend to get lost. Our hearing depends on judging the difference between quiet and loud elements. When everything is the same volume it becomes tiresome to listen to and as I said, textures tend to get lost. Imagine a conversation: someone talks quiet and loud throughout the conversation. You'll be able to judge much of what's going on based on which words they places more importance on by the volume etc. If someone is yelling constantly with the exact same volume, it's almost impossible to determine which parts they feel strongly about or not. The same thing happens to music. Things that would otherwise stay in the background and just provide texture, will be brought up, so you're faced with a wall of sound which sounds exactly the same all the time. it's difficult to explain, but what you have experienced is a good indication of this. The older tracks are more dynamic. Now, this will mean that they are also quieter than modern tracks, but as you said, you can always turn up the volume on your amp! Overall, the quality of those old tracks are much better. The music becomes much more enjoyable to listen to.

@davidsucesso2419 6 лет назад

FireWalk i enjoyed more the old track and only clicked 1 time on the volume button on the phone to get equaly loud... to the newer one If you are not satisfied you have an equalizer to adjust that.. dont understand this loud wars... 'the guy/ company' that begun this should have been out of business

@davidsucesso2419 6 лет назад

You have opened my eyes to this subject.. i cant thank you enough. I have good earing and i can tell subtle differences... i have more fun using the old track... for example when the door closes if feels more natural on the old release than the new one ( thriller michael jackson)... damn it producers.. long live piracy if they are destroiyng the quality of the music im glad i can pirate that album

@davidjenson4512 4 года назад

It always strikes me as ironic that we now have so much more dynamic range available in the digital realm, and what do we do? We work very hard to destroy it!

@FireWalkMusic 4 года назад

Indeed!

@jaydeeoldboy9903 7 лет назад

The ironic thing about the loudness wars is the inability to be able to listen to the affected music loudly. Optimally compressed music can have it's volume cranked up with comfort and ease to a louder degree than ridiculously over-compressed music, which can only be listened to comfortably at low volumes.... that's if its listenable at all.

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Very true!

@inventorofhotwater1501 6 лет назад

Overcompressed music actually sounds better when it plays in a car radio or quietly in the background, but it's when you have good headphones or speakers and you want to crank it up that it starts sounding like shite.

@OTPulse 6 лет назад

Inventor of hot water : Sounds shit on a decent car system as well. I can't stand listening to much music past about 1998 in my car at any kind of high volume level. Decided to crank up London Grammar and she sounded like she was singing through a fan.

@agamaz5650 5 лет назад

@@FireWalkMusic there is still new music that has excellent dynamics but that is faaar away from radio

@surethingbaby 5 лет назад

@@agamaz5650 Not to sound like someone who's stuck in the past (even though I am, okay you got me!) but can you recommend some music nowadays with good dynamics? I'm curious where all the good sounding music is. You can recommend any type of music. I listen to anything... well, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Darn you rap metal!

@LocoDirewolf 6 лет назад

With the extra loudness and decreased dynamic range, it makes music very fatiguing to listen to for any length of time. I much prefer to listen to an older recording.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

That's absolutely correct.

@surethingbaby 5 лет назад

And if you're someone who likes to listen carefully to the things going on in the background, the extra loudness totally ruins that idea.

@rhd244 6 лет назад

Videos like this is why I love RU-vid. I learned something I never knew was a thing.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Glad you liked the video :)

@Monkeymosh 4 года назад

So this explains why the loudness button on my amplifier from the 1980s boosted the bass. It was designed for listening at low volumes because those frequencies couldn’t be heard as clearly, thank you!

@anonomous2221 6 лет назад

Albums are usually engineered for the masses. Most people don't even have a good sound system at home and use a stock stereo in the car which has a limited frequency range. A recording that is made to be loud would sound better on a sub par system but not necessarily on quality equipment that can play a full range.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

True :)

@3rd.Eye.Saw.Destruction 2 года назад

The educated cow mocks the undegreed cattle within the same pen

@hectortorres8188 2 года назад

I totally disagree. It's true that loudness gives the impression of "better recording". But a good quality master, with full dynamic range will sound better anywhere, anywhere, even in the speakers of a laptop, compressed music clips and saturates the speakers, music with dynamic range let them breath, any system will sound better, from the mono speaker of your cellphone to the high end rig. This idea of, we make music for budget system, that's why we make it loud is bullshit, just a miserable justification to convince you that you cannot enjoy full dynamic range music if you don't have a hi Fi equipment, bullshit.

@Linkale_ 6 лет назад

I thought the analogy with food would be more like "today we are getting used to food being tastier and tastier, for example using too much salt and sugar, so we can no longer appretiate little nuances in flavour".

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

That would also have worked :D

@davidbteague 6 лет назад

I'm a classical double bassist, and a PhD mathematician. I like the ideas here, and I like the quite accurate science. Thank you. I do not like any music uniformly loud. And the loudness war has done much damage to music and more to the ears of the listeners.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

You're welcome. Indeed, I totally agree. Most devices has something called a volume knob. Despite that, a lot of people argue that they prefer their music compressed, because they're too lazy to turn up the volume manually. This is especially true among young people. They don't know what they are missing, but those of us who remember the days when music used to have dynamics do. :)

@tylerdurden6220 3 года назад

Weird flex but ok

@ScottyKirk1 4 года назад

Pink Floyd has done an excellent job of remastering in their high-resolution Immersion sets. Incredible dynamic range. In a WAV editor the thing peaked in the high 60s.

@BreakMasterzMusic 7 лет назад

i think a track should have sufficient dynamic range otherwise track will sound dead like all elements are playing at a same volume..

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Agreed!

@BreakMasterzMusic 7 лет назад

+FireWalk Sir please make a video on mastering i need it very much..:(

@krisztianstelczer9479 4 года назад

@Mark Donald yup its like u can be dynamic and loud af at the same time its just really challenging

@krisztianstelczer9479 4 года назад

@Mark Donald oh yeah tbh im in heavy bass music scene and its kindof hard to get that loud as the professionals but imo its just more knowledge to gain so im fine with it

@late.student 6 лет назад

Not only is all this information invaluable, you make it incredibly easy to digest and learn!

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks! glad you liked the video :)

@JJtoob 6 лет назад

I hate extreme signal compression, and I hate extreme file compression. I hate extreme compression.

@comdrive3865 4 года назад

unless it's HVEC or FLAC then it's cool

@omnipop4936 6 лет назад

Loved the explanations and the visuals! Especially liked the example of the french fries - going from the hot, pleasing and dynamic "crispy outside, soft inside" range of textures to the unappetizing and compressed "same all the way through" texture of the cold, rubbery fries. One thing though: Around 8:35, seems like it might've been helpful to turn the overall track volume up a bit on the Normal track, to get more of the loudest elements of it closer to where they're at in the Compressed version, so people could then focus more on the greater dynamic range in Normal. As it is, I think some folks who are struggling with the concept might simply conclude that the Normal one just sounds "quieter" overall, when in fact there's more to it than than. But hey, again great job on putting this video together!

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks, glad you liked it. I agree 100%. Should have volume matched them to better show it off. I was running out of time so unfortunately I didn't have the time to review the video good enough. I usually let it sit and then watch it several times over the next few days. This time it took so long to make the video that it was actually finished the very same day it was supposed to be published. It's really eating at me. Putting so many hours into it and then overlook a mistake like that. :\ Still, you can clearly hear the difference in the low end especially. All though slightly quieter, the original is much punchier and crisper. :) I hope the new version of youtube creator studio will allow me to edit volumes on published videos. Perhaps I can then go back and improve it. :)

@omnipop4936 6 лет назад

FireWalk Well, if it doesn't let you, I wouldn't sweat it. It's a minor thing really. I'm sure most people will get it, especially if they've paid attention to the rest of the video. Keep up the great work!

@lusterquin2683 6 лет назад

People used to tell me that I can't make great commercial music without smashing the hell out of it... which I think depends on the market you're after. Thankfully, we're starting to appreciate the concept of dynamic range more, but there's still much progress to be made in bringing beautiful music back to mainstream. For me, I'd rather temper the fire than drench it with gasoline - you have more control over the flame's form. Such is the same with composition; the loudness war has prevented us from being able to see the forest for the trees.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed. I remember back in the late 90's / early 2000's when Trance music had it's golden years. All the tracks were punchy and had dynamics. Today most trance tracks are squashed to death. With the exception of some psy trance, most of the uplifting stuff is very tiresome to listen to due to the lack of dynamics. When looking at the waveform it's mostly a solid wall from start to finish. Now that spotify etc has introduced a loudness ceiling of -14 lufs (if memmory serves) perhaps this will help force back the dynamics. After all, when a loudness ceiling is introduced, a dynamic track that's brought up in volume will always sound better than a heavily compressed track that's brought down in volume. That alone should be a good reason to not overdo the compression.

@urphakeandgey6308 3 года назад

I kind of wish more EDM experimented with dynamics instead of pumping the master up to 0. Imagine the perfect drop with the perfect dynamics. It could be legendary. There's barely any contrast in modern drops because shit's just too loud.

@FireWalkMusic 3 года назад

Indeed :)

@peepermcbeeper2997 2 года назад

Jon Hopkins - Emerald Rush

@nikolaikitanov9996 Год назад

It's bad to lose dynamic! Thank you for the presentation!

@chukwuemekaokwechime2627 3 года назад

The Loudness war forces me to master my tracks to the point of losing some desirable dynamics that would have given it a warmer and punchier sound (based on the demands of the market). Though, I'm already perceiving some changes as most productions I listen to are now maintain as much dynamics as possible to give the track a better expression when listened to.

@elvoj5245 5 лет назад

I'm barely starting off a career in music, this type of videos are quite useful. Thanks!

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

You're welcome! :)

@SoundOfVinyl 5 лет назад

one day music will not be about how loud it is but about how silent a track is, what goes up must come down

@j.t2548 4 года назад

The lady in the first clip: " I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'm DOING!!"

@SLKRR 2 года назад

Four years later, and the loudness war is still going strong in Japan. So many great artists composing amazing music over there, only to have it come out on record like a giant mushy turd. Such a waste.

@cakeisamadeupdrug6134 6 лет назад

The thing about loudness is... you can get it without compression with a good amplifier. I spent more on the sound system attached to my TV than on the TV itself -- it's arguably more important. CDs potentially have much better sound quality than vinyl, and they have *much* more dynamic range available. It's sad that not only is it not being used, but we are just now going back towards the quality we had with vinyl. And it's nothing to do with the technology involved.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed. Imagine watching a horror movie with a heavily compressed sound track. All the sounds and music has the same relative volume throughout the entire movie. That wouldn't be very effective. Our hearing works by differentiating loud and quiet, so dynamics are important. Some compression is ok. I'm not saying that all compression is bad, I'm talking about compression abuse. This is why heavily compressed music is so tiresome to listen to for prolonged periods compared to dynamic music. Another thing to point out is that compressed music will always sound less punchy than dynamic music that's manually turned up to the same volume using the volume knob. :)

@DoRC 6 лет назад

Has anyone ever told you that you sound just like the How It's Made narrator?

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

I think you may just be the first one today :D

@DoRC 6 лет назад

FireWalk yeah I figured it wasn't a revelation.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

hehe :D

@lanceunderpants 5 лет назад

@@FireWalkMusic Has anyone ever told you you sound like CaptainDisillusion?

@JADDEPRODUCTION 5 лет назад

It's not his actual voice, man, if you'd've checked his Fiver, y'all be knowing by now that he's a norweagian and all the vids are voiced over by the dude who's voice you clearly hearing here :) But who gives a fuck, these vids are pure gold any fuckin way. Already got your Fiver mix/master gig in sight for my next track , mr FireWalk :) So, y'all should check his stuff out,man, this shit's gold :D

@Suchitttt 7 лет назад

Making loudness means adding more salt to urs food, it doesnot means u get a better taste

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Indeed. The problem with the loudness war is that it's been going on for so long that people have been used to all that "salt". If you try to reduce the salt now, they will think there's something wrong with the "food".. :\

@josephfrye7342 6 лет назад

bleh it made it worse than we though its backfires or misfires the sound hertz frequency. this must been the loudnees wars moment round 2.

@highmastdon 6 лет назад

Same thing goes for sugar. I'm from The Netherlands, and when I go to the US, I feel that most food is waaay too sweet. It gives a uniform taste to almost everything, but it destroys the diversity of the different foods. The same goes for music with the loudness.

@saporob 6 лет назад

It's not problem of salt, the problem is that a perfect mastered track(every genre of musics) will play like crap on most systems. Producers should give 2 mastered tracks, one for good desktop systems and another for mobile. Obviously it's useless to have a 24 bit 192 flac for a club edm music...

@kensley94 6 лет назад

@@FireWalkMusic best explanation (exept ida with évolution but that is off music)

@Boz1211111 6 лет назад

Never thought about that but its crystal clear when you hear them side by side. Dynamic range gets destroyed

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed. :\

@rodsprague369 3 года назад

When music went from the Baroque to the Classical Era, The crescendo (the composers indicated the music should build in volume, rather than stay at the same volume or change abruptly from quiet to loud) became much more used. I made a world of difference in the emotional expression of the music.

@QusayM91 9 месяцев назад

Thank you very much for this simple yet informative explanation. I would like to add that some music producers, in addition to the compression, they amplify the both extremes of the frequency spectrum and the result is a loud and a V-shaped sound signature.

@thomasfroland762 7 лет назад

I love the attention to detail you put into your videos. The video was very entertaining to watch, and very informative. Thanks

@hifitommy 6 лет назад

yes, he covered all the bases in a preferable and complete way. ...hifitommy

@gavra5000 7 лет назад

You deserve more subs man. Great work!

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Thank you, much appreciated! :)

@TheAtb85 6 лет назад

A little myth busting: Vinyl vs CD. Analog vs digital. The *recording* is the same for both, and it's *digital*. So the Vinyl's source is digital too. Masters are different because the media is used differently. The CD master is *usually* more compressed+louder just because it's the media the ends up being used in random (often noisy) places, while vinyl is guaranteed to be listened at home, so you can preserve a bit more of dynamics, and the final user can turn up the volume of the speakers instead. Some genres can actually benefit from a bit of compression to achieve a bigger wall of sound, e.g. metal and electronic music, but it's a choice. Another limitation of vinyl is the lathe that physically engraves it. Yes, it's an analog device, but it's limited: you have to be careful with highs and lows. High peaks could literally make your vinyl skip, so you have to limit them; stereo lows can split the grooves of the record, so they are often collapsed to mono in the master. CD does't have these limitations. Another way the CD potential is wasted: the dynamic range of vinyl as a medium is about 50dB, while a 16bit CD's is 96dB! You *can* do a more dynamic master on CD, but sadly you don't, because your CD ends up as an MP3, listened through cheap headphones in a noisy environment, so a flatter louder master will be perceived as better. *For bands out there that prefer the master that ends up on the vinyl, you can burn that one on CD, or have two CD versions: a standard one for noisy places and a dynamic one for home.* There's still hope though: RU-vid and Spotify now normalize volumes across different videos/songs, so now more compressed+louder masters will not stand out, and instead will just feel less dynamic. Again though: some genres can actually benefit from a bit of compression to achieve a bigger wall of sound, e.g. metal and electronic music, but it's a choice.

@abassplayer4life 6 лет назад

And this is exactly why there is a resurgence in vinyl.

@Mr.MagnumDong 6 лет назад

David Korr wow I never thought about it like that, I just assumed it was a hipster movement or something. Are the same techniques that are used to master a track to mp3. the same when putting a track on vinyl? Or is there a different technique?

@OTPulse 6 лет назад

Jaime Diaz : Same, probably because I've not purchased a CD since 2001. I've not heard how bad its gotten and just blamed shitty MP3 rips.

@abassplayer4life 6 лет назад

Jaime Diaz The techniques are very different. CD/MP3 (digital) are just 1s & 0s being copied. Vinyl is analog. The master vinyl is a physical capture of the sound waves. Then the master is used to create a mold and the mass production of the records are made from the mold. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5OWEEFg6fTY.html

@abassplayer4life 6 лет назад

Jaime Diaz The process of recording a song, for the most part, is the same. Mass producing a vinyl record is very different than mass producing a CD. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-abnPMnKhnwI.html

@John-uj9zy 6 лет назад

I like both uncompressed digital (CDs, FLAC, ect) and vinyl. Digital audio gets a bad rap because of cheap Digital to Analog Converters aka DACs.

@spiritvoys 6 лет назад

Very well explained sir ,Thank you so much for your help !

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

@kellyrobinson1780 2 года назад

Omnipop said, "Loved the explanations and the visuals! Especially liked the example of the french fries - going from the hot, pleasing and dynamic "crispy outside, soft inside" range of textures to the unappetizing and compressed "same all the way through" texture of the cold, rubbery fries." I agree. I also echo the commenter who said thanks for explaining in a way that non-audiophiles can understand. I know a little bit about sonics, but I'm no producer mixer, or engineer. So thanks for including us lay people who may still be interested in learning, but in a more general way.👍 It's obvious from this explanation that a balance needs to be struck between compression and dynamic range for best overall sound quality. I particularly liked the side-by-side comparison of normal and highly compressed (over-compressed, IMO) signals. Too much compression makes the music sound to me like it's being played through a pillow, while normal was a brighter, more interesting sound. But better still is skillful compression, increasing perceived loudness while maintaining "good" (a subjective term, and music is highly subjective) dynamic range. Thanks for enriching my understanding!🤠🖖

@FireWalkMusic 2 года назад

Glad you liked the video, and yes, that's exactly right, there needs to be a good balance between dynamics and compression. :)

@FrightfulAccountant 6 лет назад

Intresting topic. I think the place we listen music has to be taken into in account. I like taking a seat in my leather chair with a glass of wine and a (e-)cigarette and listen to the music through my silver face hifi set with old big 3 way speakers. In my case, I have great benefit from a very dynamic range. When I get in my car and drive my Civc over the high way with the rev counter at 3500 rpm, the game changes. the bussy engine will outgun all the quiet parts of my music. In this case, I will hearmore of my music when everything is compressed. Many people today will not do a lot of listening in the living room with a glass of wine but will do a lot of listening while driving in a car or listening through headphones while on a train. Ideal a cd would need to come with 2 discs, a dynamic one for my living room and a loud one for my car...

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed, you have some good points there! :)

@Magnulus76 5 лет назад

Good media players have compressors, no special formatting of the music is needed.

@AIDAHAR210 4 года назад

I just hang on the 3rd gear on the highway with my rev counter at 8500 rpm, and the sound of the engine drowns away my cars stereo even at max volume

@hifitommy 6 лет назад

yes, i am aware of the loudness war and NOT an audio professional. i have had some professional exposure such as my friend who took me behind the scenes at drake-chenault when he worked there, he also liked to use dbx devices to attempt to undo the broadcasted signals of radio and concluded that it is nearly impossible at home. we fooled around with peak limiting and unlimiting and the use of noise reduction which of course employs comp/exp scenarios of various types, and sometimes includes eq pre and post to arrive at quiet recordings with dynamic range. ok, that was a run-on sentence. i would truly love it if compression were a control in the car stereo. one LP i bought right away was Analog Man by Joe Walsh. i figured the vinyl would be the way to the dynamic range such as was included on Joe's prior releases. i was wrong, it had been grossly stepped on by whoever mastered it. i love the songs but not the sound. a couple of weeks later, my friend Fritz Heiler (proprietor of Frizspeaks Loudspeakers) warned me to not buy the new Joe Walsh cd because it was squashed. too late Fritz! even if he had warned me, i would probably have bought the LP THINKING it wouldn't be squashed. so i burned a cd for myself form the digital download included with the LP (THANKS, Joe!) . it turns out that the download had less compression (to my ear) than the LP and probably the cd that Fritz warned me about. i find that to be curious. it was a couple of notches more satisfying than either the CD oe LP. well, thank you for the very enlightening video. i will share it with the other members of the LA/OC Audio Society (LAOCAS.net). ....hifitommy

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

There's a lot of opinions on the loudness war, that's for sure. Most of us who can remember those days of lps and later casettes, know how music used to sound like back then. We miss the dynamics. The younger generation though doesn't feel the same way. They seem to like the heavily compressed sound. A study even concluded that the vast majority of teenagers actually seemed to prefer low quality mp3 over high quality wav. They speculated that the reason they preferred the low quality was that they had become so used to listening to low quality music everywhere, that the high quality track stood out, and sounded "weird" to them, compared to what they were used to. It's much the same with compression I'm afraid. I doubt very much we'll ever get dynamic music the way we used to have. That said, fortunately things are looking a little bit better now that spotify and other streaming platforms are introducing a loudness ceiling on their services. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the video, and of course, feel free to share the video with your community! :)

@proacapellas8237 4 года назад

I'm glad that almost all streaming services have a LUFS limit around -14 LUFS so that when you master a track, you won't increase the volume that much!

@FireWalkMusic 4 года назад

Indeed! :)

@LibertyDIY 6 лет назад

I suppose so many people today are listening to "music" on their phones they probably prefer the boosted version. But when you are listening on a system that has power to spare, the difference becomes very apparent.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

yeah, I think you're right about that. Some people even states that they are just too lazy to turn up the volume, so they prefer the music compressed. But as you say, it becomes VERY apparent on a good stereo system, or even at a club. The dynamic track will be a lot more punchy than the overly compressed track. If I were to volume match a dynamic track and an overly compressed track, and have them played loud then I'm sure most people would prefer the dynamic track. A certain amount of compression on various elements etc is good. Compression is a tool after all. I'm not against compression by any means, but I don't like the abuse of compression. Some music today are still being compressed and limited way too much. Many labels demand loud masters with just 4-5 dB of dynamic range. That's really squashed. It's just a wall of sound. There should be at least 6-7 dB in my opinion.

@onsesejoo2605 6 лет назад

8:02 no wonder the DJ / producer stuff of today sounds to boring. Just a wall of noise over massive beat but nothing really feels to happen.

@ryanshatch 3 года назад

That bass song in the intro oof! I was vibing

@FireWalkMusic 3 года назад

@williamkidwell1504 5 лет назад

This is another great video you have, BUT... where is the sequel to it you mentioned you were going to make? :) Thank you for sharing this!

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

Thanks. It's still on my list of things to do. These longer videos take a long time to produce, and these days I'm doing mixing, mastering, feedback on music, autotuning etc every day after my day job, so there's just not enough hours in a day. I think I need to clone myself so that I can get everything done on time ;) So many plans, but very little time to get it done.. :)

@zeproo 6 лет назад

Totally correct, these days I hate they use dehummers, dequantizers, delossfiers, pre-amps, AGC's, absolute high levelers, bass boost, limiters and compressors, natural dynamics effects, and so on to produce music. ITS HORRIBLE

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed. The problem is that louder always sounds better to humans. If you have two identical tracks, one in high quality and one in poor quality, and you play the one with poor quality louder, most people will prefer the one with poor quality, even though all the fine details and such are gone. I wish people would just use the volume knob instead of requesting squashed masters.

@MRconfusedboy 6 лет назад

its terrible now i understand why i keep wasting so much time trying to find a better higher quality version of a song that i like, even lossless versions sound just as bad as the 2mb sized ones sometimes , they should release both versions loud and high quality version for every song

@agamaz5650 5 лет назад

omg good idea

@youwhatmadeidk 5 лет назад

That would be such a good idea. I would genuinely pay a premium price for a subscription like that.

@itaylevin4555 6 лет назад

I didn't think a video about sound mixing will make me hungry. Damn you I want french fries now!

@angelopanetta 4 года назад

Great video. Thanks for posting.

@FireWalkMusic 4 года назад

You're welcome :)

@sofamorto 7 лет назад

Awesome video! You explained very well! I didnt know anything about this and now i do :P thanks

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Thanks, glad you liked it! :)

@davidstewart4780 6 лет назад

A part of the story is also FCC specs about bandwidth. Too much deep bass could cause a radio station to wander into nearby stations, normalizing the music into a brick helped prevent that. Compression ratios, companders, thresholds, noise reduction, keypex gates, soft knees, "apparent" loudness, so much stuff plus all these new mastering plugins. Maybe they'll create radios that uncrunch signals in the same way the stations can send artist - title information

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

You obviously know your stuff! Personally I think radio as we know it is going to loose to internet radio eventually. It's already starting to happen. In Norway for example the FM net has been shut down and replaced by DAB+ and more and more people are using internet radio. I don't think FM will be around for that much longer to be honest.

@Tom-Lahaye 6 лет назад

The stranger it is when you listen to the radio newer music seems to have much louder bass than records from the 70s or 80s. There is more bass in to make the music sound better at low volumes, that's why amplifiers used to have loudness buttons for in the first place, you had the choise. It's like said by Jaydee Oldboy,it's uncomfortable to listen to modern music at high volume levels, partly by lack of dynamic range, and partly because bass gets way too loud. When a radio station plays an early 80s song and you listen to it loud you will turn the volume down when a modern song comes.

@IloveHamberger 3 года назад

This explains why my 84' CD copy of Magical Mystery Tour is quieter than my 09' CD copy of Abey Road.

@BernellJonesII 4 года назад

Now I understand why on those miles records, all his notes would sound fine, then when he hit those high E’s with his mute, they would pierce my ears

@wisteela Год назад

Excellently explained. Subscribed.

@klazmicofficial1016 7 лет назад

LOVE every vid you put out! Wish you had more video output I learn so much from every damn vid you put out. Thnx for the upload :]

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Thank you! Much appreciated :) It takes me a long time to make just one single video. I wish I had more time so that I could make even more. :)

@RolandDeschain1 4 года назад

Mp3s are also to blame. I resent having to pay nearly full price for compressed-to-shit mp3s. If I buy a record online I want the WAV files to come with it. Or FLAC at the very least.

@breekwhal 6 лет назад

I think the loudness war is taking music back to the baroque period harpsichord music. Like Bach, the musicians now have to add more counterpoint and ornaments in order to give the songs texture because they can’t use dynamics.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Interesting theory!

@j7ndominica051 Год назад

Compact cassettes were also overdriven with "warmth" such that high frequencies disappeared when a kickdrum hit. Clipping was the first weapon used in the war

@loendsti 6 лет назад

thank you so much for making this video, subbed

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

You're welcome :)

@tootsrr1 6 лет назад

AWESOME Explanation

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Glad you liked it :)

@CanuckFluter 2 года назад

When I turn up an ABBA album that has been compressed my ears just wanna bleed! No more loudness ABBA... I am talking to you Benny and Bjorn. LOWER THE DIALS!

@FireWalkMusic 2 года назад

Indeed!

@h.hristov 7 лет назад

Thanks for the great video!

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

You're welcome :)

@Radiatron89 4 года назад

Interesting, always wondered about this, good video.

@FireWalkMusic 4 года назад

Glad you liked it :)

@przmatic_ 3 года назад

Thank you!

@FireWalkMusic 3 года назад

You're welcome :)

@abyssalspecter93 6 лет назад

great explanation and visuals

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks :)

@LightningJackFlash 6 лет назад

I have few CD-s from 1990's and the loudness war is visible there. For example I have Heather Nova's "Siren" (released in 1998) and it's compressed as hell, it's freaking triple the volume of other CD-s I have in my car... I have also Bruce Springsteen "Human Touch", an original 1993 release, and it's anything but compressed, but you gotta have a 1993 pressing, because 2000's presing is also there, and it's already less dynamic than the original. The same story is with Jean Michel Jarre's "Les Concerts En Chine" - I have two pressings - a 2014 or near and a 1995 version. Man... the 2014 remaster has had to be cut off from lots of frequencies/sounds that are on the original, beause when you compare the sane tracks in audio device similar to yours in this video, the waveforms are exactly like that - the 1995 pressing is pretty, nice MUSIC, while the 2014 version is simply a rectangle with straight horizontal lines... Well you know, for someone who is not in the topic the louder version will be just louder and probably better than the quieter but more dynamic version. But they will be unaware, that the older pressing is simply more true, more pleasant when listened loud, than the newest "freaking great remaster" which is enormously loud even at "1" Volume...

@LightningJackFlash 6 лет назад

@Mike P I wanted to have an original, because it can be a good music, in lots of terms. For Springsteen I have only his "Human Touch" record, because this record has everything there is you need from a good piece of music. Great songs, some are only good :P, great instrumentalists and no distorted or compressed mastering. I always look at it in a way that the original, first release is what Springsteen agreed on, the way it sounds is the way he approved and wanted it to sound, so it's the closest to the artist's view, his emotions maybe, at that time... I'm kind of into that. The Bob Ludwig's 2015 remaster, if it is louder, then it's already not the way it was suppose to sound for the very moment it was created. So I probably won't be into it. I might know what you are talking about - similar story is with Metallica's "Master Of Puppets", meaning there is a later "Gold" edition or something, which is louder, but is not distorted, it is unfortunately less dynamic. I can't tell whose remaster it is, it is approved by Metallica for being "on time" with trends etc., but I don't like it if I know something was manipulated there ;) For the Springsteen's "Human Touch" I suggest that you could check the dynamic range of the 2015 version, with TTR Dynamic Range Meter or similar software device, but anyway - if you don't mind listeening it being less dynamic, then what can I do? ;) I love the 1993 original release, I always rip the CD-s with EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and listen to WAV files in my car, not mp3-s. If I know physically there is nothing to diss the record about, then I'm happy. Also - there is a site where people share the dynamic range of different releases of records through years - "dr.loudness-war.info/album/list" is the link. There are few of mine entries, one of them is the CK5300 "Human Touch" from 1992 (sorry not 1993). You can find pretty mucha nything there ever was released.

@LightningJackFlash 6 лет назад

@Mike P Ye it is the DCC release of "Master Of Puppets" I'm talking about. I just like the original, more dynamic version better. The original CD is not much less dynamic than the vinyl release. I love wav-s because this is the way it was released, I used to look for FLACs but I don't see any point, it is half the data volume but I don't care about it at all. Today when there are pendrives that can store 2,500 songs on a 128GB flash memory, what's the point for me to care about compression... I love originals. For Metallica there are some of their releases that just are unbelieveably destroyed, for example the 2010 Japanese mini-LP release on CD of their "...And Justice For All" - I know it is deprived of huge amount of original sounds, fequencies, just to be louder... No, I don't like it. What's Fiio? ;)

@LightningJackFlash 6 лет назад

@Mike P Ye I know what you are talking about when you say they're not loudness war'd to death. The DCC mastering of "MOP" is like that, it is a little louder, but it's not been cut off of half of the sounds, it's all there, just a little more compressed. But there are releases of their albums (Metallica's) where the extreme compression demanded to cut off like 20% of the sounds, nuances etc. Like these mini-LP's 2010 from Japan. Only to be louder, but it's really ridiculously compressed. The DCC is compressed more than the original, but there is still everything there, no hard limiting.

@LightningJackFlash 6 лет назад

@Mike P Go to discogs.com - a last bastion of good sounding music. I always compare best sounding versions and but htem if they are available. No, in Poland there are no original releases in shops as well, you gotta trade them personally with people from discogs.com or similar deals. What you can find on the market today are the latest remasters, I recently bought some of CD-s from "old times" and they are brickwalled. That would be Jean Michel Jarre "Oxygene" and "Les Coencerts En Chine", Shakin Stevens "Greatest Hits", Whitney Houston etc. A lot of good music unfortunately bad sounding. Gotta look for originals on discogs.com ;)

@wickedprinc3624 6 лет назад

Dude i love your videos.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Thanks, glad to hear it :)

@SPTX. 7 лет назад

Weird that no one in the comments noted that this video is louder than others on youtube.

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Oh the irony! :D

@n3dek 7 лет назад

Thank you for this amazing video!

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

You're welcome :)

@ozzyowenmusic 2 года назад

War? Who needs war?

@GabrielMartinez-pe6ln 2 года назад

I have CDs of the Japanese singer Mariko Ide that are loud, though I can’t complain of owning her music and jamming out to it.

@jonnda 6 лет назад

The amount of compression on the first Ramones album was disgusting too. it sounded like someone was actively fading back and forth from the guitars to the vocals.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Yeah, it's "pumping" due to the compression. I'm surprised by how many people say they prefer loud and compressed tracks because they are too lazy to turn up the volume on their equipment. I think I failed to convey the main message here some how :\

@krisztianstelczer9479 4 года назад

Its a really nice insight but I have to disagree on completely sacraficing dynamic range. I mean thats the hard thing about it try to make ur track as loud as possible while still keeping as much dynamics as possible Its the balance between the two imo Great vid btw!

@FireWalkMusic 4 года назад

Thanks! Indeed, it's important to find the right balance :)

@krisztianstelczer9479 4 года назад

@@FireWalkMusic yess and its really hard lol I mean for me its pretty hard still but agree 100% that it would been much easier not having to deal with absurd volumes but in my scene it is just impossible to ignore that.. (talkin about heavy bass music)

@Otokichi786 6 лет назад

To quote Captain Kirk: "Will you turn that %$#@ NOISE down?" This is why I'm a fan of Folk/Acoustic/World music that (usually) doesn't resort to electronic massaging that reduces dynamic range.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

It's a shame that we're still not able to fix this problem. :\ We have dug ourselves into a hole, and now it's so deep that it seems nearly impossible that we'll ever be able to get out of it..

@TheMrVengeance 6 лет назад

I don't get the point though. What's the use of recording louder if the person listening in the end has a volume knob?

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

You're not the only one. The whole thing is kind of stupid. It's like a crowd of people who's all screaming at once, and they are all trying to be the one who get heard by screaming louder than the other guy. It's not just the producers and engineers though. I've heard listeners say that they prefer their music loud and compressed because they are too lazy to adjust the volume knob. A certain amount of compression is good. Having all music at about the same level can be a good thing. This is why spotify and many other streaming platforms are now normalizing all the tracks so that they all appear to have the same loudness. Despite this people still keep squashing their tracks. I guess this has gone on for so long that even if there's really no need to do so any more, considering the normalization on streaming platforms (loud tracks will get turned down) it's gone on so long that the compression has become part of the way the music sounds, and therefore there's no going back now. That's just a theory though.

@alexthejapanfan7905 3 года назад

@@FireWalkMusic So by that theory. If I wanna turn the volume up and yet I can’t get up right now and I can’t find a remote near me, would that be lazy? That doesn’t sound too lazy to me, A$&hat. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

@johnnyanko6051 7 лет назад

Great vid. Very informative :)

@kl1n9yklingy51 2 года назад

I prefer compressed music. thank you for giving me an explanation.

@Gloomer2000 7 лет назад

great and funny vid, Eirik, I liked it and I learned a thing or two, thanks for everything ;-)

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Thanks Jan! Glad to hear that you liked it :)

@Morenob1 5 лет назад

This guy is like the masked magician for producers

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

Thanks, much appreciated :)

@LondenTower 4 года назад

The war will never be over! Audio streaming services will suffer due to this, and may even die like the cd did. But other than that, this video was very informative and everything was explained very well!

@MrChippiechappie 2 года назад

How is the CD dead when they are still freely available?

@Ceko 4 года назад

There's a nice mix of Death Magnetic used in the video game Guitar Hero I believe. It was better than the original :D

@RolandDeschain1 4 года назад

Yes, the stems the GUITAR HERO team got were not as heinously compressed as the master files they had to use for the CD, which is unlistenable. So the GUITAR HERO version of that album sounds a lot better. But the production is still as dry as a nun's nasty.

@patricj951 6 лет назад

Interesting video. I have never before heard about this actually, neither thought about it. I wonder if there is some similarity with that many people want as much bass as possible, and can't live without loudness control on the amplifier and/or subwoofer? In my opinion it can be too much of bass because you loses the clearness of the music. I think strong bass also can be a way to hide the lack of sound quality of low quality stereo equipment. I wonder: one advantage with the compressed dynamic may be that when one wants to play really high volume there are no surprising peaks who could damage the speakers?

@slimandahra4294 5 лет назад

thanks for the videos..it was so useful..

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

You're welcome :)

@kevincozens6837 6 лет назад

If compression was partly used to deal with the different extent to which our ears react to different frequencies the wrong approach was used. Proper equalization would reduce the need for use of compression while minimizing the effect on dynamic range.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Some years ago, whenever you bought a home stereo system the amplifier would almost always have a "loudness" button. When pushing this button, it would amplify (EQ) the lower frequencies more when the music was played at low volume. Much the same way the progressive power steering on your car works. When standing still or moving very slowly, it apply very much assistance, but as you go faster, it becomes less and less to make sure you don't run off the rod just by tugging slightly on the steering wheel. I much prefer that approach myself. :)

@surethingbaby 5 лет назад

It's funny how compression has been a big annoyance in music for a long time, but yet, when I watch TV, the sound fluctuates from too quiet (during the program, in particular when two characters are having a conversation) to too loud (during commercials, WOW are commercials loud these days) at a constant rate! There was a time the volume was even the whole way through a program.

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

They are all trying to make their ads stand out from the rest by winning the loudness war and making their ad louder than everyone else. Many people turn down the volume during the ads, so they try to make sure that you can hear the ad even so. It's damn annoying, that's for sure.

@surethingbaby 5 лет назад

@@FireWalkMusic I definitely agree! I just learn to hit that mute button. I remember 30 some years ago when I got my first TV with a mute function. I never thought I'd need it but, all these years later, that button is the most important one on the remote!

@s.knight5991 6 лет назад

Compression indeed can ruin your track when overdone. On the other hand it's a useful tool to balance out loud and silent parts.

@youwhatmadeidk 5 лет назад

S. Knight they don’t always need balancing though

@Setsuna_Kyoura 6 лет назад

It's funny, that the audio equipment was never able to play such high dynamic ranges like the gear we have nowadays. But now, the music industry is completely killing the possibilities by compressing the fuck out of every new track...

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed, it's quite ironic

@marq_8976 6 лет назад

Dave Pensado needs to watch this video.

@adt_10terrarian5 5 лет назад

What did you say in the video? I couldn't hear it, because of the eurobeat in the backround

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

Turn on the subtitles :D

@archdukebigdogkoopa3821 5 лет назад

I imagine mine being kinda similar but this time, with me in the same office Stephen J. Cannell used to be in, this time me and my co-typewrite type out something like: "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the next generation of The One, The Only, Cannell Entertainment Inc.", after that I pull the paper out and toss it upwards into the air with style!!!!!!!! The paper goes animated and falls on to a stack of paper sheets forming the familar Paper C! "Cannell Entertainment" in Chiller Bold Italic font appears, with Inc. appearing in the same font via wipe-in effect!

@kvanculutas4408 7 лет назад

Addicted to your videos!!!!

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Glad to hear it! :D

@mbakutchalla 5 лет назад

I don't understand why the labels and/or artists don't just release both versions... the compressed and the uncompressed

@FireWalkMusic 5 лет назад

I think there's two reasons why we are where we're at. 1: Everyone feels like everyone else is doing it, so they must do it also. 2: The loudness war has gone on for so long now that the compressed sound has now actually become part of how many genres tend to sound. If you were to make a dynamic track now, it would sound kind of strange and out of place compared to all the rest. We've kind of painted ourselves into a corner.

@bruceliu1657 6 лет назад

I seem to be more vulnerable to the low volume range than most people. so the example shown only had the volume difference to me I could still hear all the elements.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

You can hear that the kick and snares are flatter and not so punchy in the compressed version, since they are the same volume as everything else basically, while in the dynamic version they are much louder. If you volume matched the two and played them side by side you would notice the difference more clearly. Too bad I didn't include that in the video as well :\

@marcopolo2418 4 года назад

I have never thought louder music is better

@phinok.m.628 6 лет назад

Well, I agree with most of what you say. I do however think compressing tracks can have advantages. Sure you won't get the best quality this way and of course one shouldn't take it too far. But compressing songs makes them louder without increasing the maximum power output (just the average). If people just wanna hang out, have a small party or whatever and listen to music on a portable Bluetooth speaker or whatever, the quality may not necessarily be so essential. But you wanna be able to hear the music despite background noises etc. And compressed music enables a speaker to play music a lot louder than non compressed music does with the same max power output. Now, of course if you wanna listen to music on a good sound system with good quality, compressing music isn't a very good idea. But I think the whole loudness war may also be related to the fact that the way people listen to music and what they expect from their music may have been changing. Of course these kinds of trends take some times to settle to a reasonable balance. But all I'm trying to say is that compression isn't necessarily a bad thing that makes music sound bad. You can take everything too far. But imagine you have a really silent track with a few really loud parts. In that case compressing it would probably make it significantly more enjoyable. Since very high dynamic ranges can also be quite annoying. You just need to find the right balance.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Indeed, I'm not by any means against compression. Besides EQ, compression is arguably one of the most important mixing tools available today. You can easily ruin a track if you abuse an EQ too. When used right, it can make a huge difference. The problem is that many people (still) tend to push it further than they should.

@phinok.m.628 6 лет назад

Of course... You certainly have to find some kind of balance and not just go on compress songs more and more until you have basically no dynamic range at all. I guess as most things in life, compression has it's advantages and disadvantages and the trick is just to only use it in a way that offers more advantages than disadvantages. Which of course depends a little one what you consider advantageous and what not, but considering they do it so their tracks are perceived as sounding better. It will eventually balance out, since you can only go so far until things are not perceived as sounding better no matter how loud you make 'em.

@FireWalkMusic 6 лет назад

Exactly. On a second note, I think that some people purposely overdo it a bit because they know the content is going to be played a lot on very poor quality equipment such as cheap Bluetooth speakers, phones, cheap earbuds etc. When played on those devices, compressed music tend to sound better in a sense. The thing is: On a hifi system the textures would be audible, but not on such small and crappy systems, they will just disappear if the track is too dynamic. So there's that too.. It's a spiraling circle :\ I came over an article a while ago about an experiment being done on some teenagers. They were told to listen to some music that had very low bitrate mp3 (soundcloud quality) and then they played the same music again, but this time lossless and in high quality 24 bit 44100 khz uncompressed wav. They were then asked which version they preferred. They did this with a variety of music. The conclusion was that most of the teenagers actually preferred the low quality mp3 format.. They thought the wav files sounded "weird"... What happened here is most likely that they had become so used to listening to poor audio quality, that they had come to expect that this is how music should sound. When introduced to high quality, it therefore sounds strange and out of place compared to what they were used to. I'm afraid the same thing will be the case with compression and the loudness war. Even if a universal loudness ceiling were to be magically introduced tomorrow, and there is no need for a loudness war any more, I still don't think it would go away. Simply because it's been going on for so long. People have now come to expect music to sound this way now. :(

@phinok.m.628 6 лет назад

Yeah... I guess that's mainly it. Which is fair enough, if the majority of the people just care about it sounding reasonably good and them being able to play it as loud as possible on their low end sound system or simply squeezing out the last bit of bass their subwoofer can provide, which I believe many average people mainly care about. Which I can't necessarily exclude myself from in some cases. Like I say it can have advantages. But it's still a shame that the quality with which we can store and playback sound has increased so much in the last decade and we sort of just waste it. I guess I can understand if they compress songs on radio and/or spotify etc. But they could at least leave some dynamic range on CDs or if you buy in album in general. They should at least offer a well mixed versions for people who want the full quality. But I guess we'll see what the future brings. Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to explain the topic "correctly". Oddly many people seem to make videos about this topic without fully understanding what they are actually talking about and exactly what compression does or just not explaining it very well and I think this is one of these cases where you kinda need to understand how it works in order to really understand the effect it has on the music.

@zyzyx4157 6 лет назад

Somehow, people in the EDM industry have been able to make super loud tracks while preserving the dynamic range and the quality

@Hritik1803 4 года назад

Hey I really liked the songs you played would like to listen to them If you tell me where..😀😀😀😀

@mvyper 6 лет назад

Point to retain : get the vinyl. Compare Hardwired by Metallica, retail vs vinyl. And enjoy. :)

@OnurTanriverdiOfficial 7 лет назад

You are amazing man :)

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

So are you! :D

@EminoMeneko 7 лет назад

Nice video. I roughly F*** the loudness war. I do my best to have the most dynamic possible and maintain my track under -16 LUFS integrated. That said when I consider I should put a compressor somewhere I have not much hesitation. Compressors are tools and they are meant to be used. Just nothing should force you to compress like a hog. Back in the days Jean-Michel Jarre had a ton of dynamic on his album Oxygène and the other two are over compressed. That said I read that streaming services try to make dynamic track benefit in loudness over compressed tracks. I don't know if it's true or then I think I messed up somewhere because my tracks sound quieter than other people even though I tried to have a lot of dynamic. People will argue that you have no choice now than cope with loudness war because we're used to it. Then let us transition to a non loudness war music.

@FireWalkMusic 7 лет назад

Exactly. It's been going on for so long now that this is how people have come to expect music to sound like. :\

@mikecassell8953 5 месяцев назад

I love this video and have watched it many times. I agree with your sentiments completely, but I have to disagree when you said that the loudness war is letting up. Newer music for the most part is still very compressed here in 2024. You’d think that because streaming services play their songs at a fixed volume, it would end the demand for overly compressed songs. But unfortunately, at this point people are so used to that loud, flat sound that it’s what many of them have grown to like. Especially the younger generation. I’m sad to say that I don’t see music generally becoming dynamic again.