Now, I know this subject has been mentioned many times before, but personally i think it needs to stop. What am i talking about? 'The Loudness War'
What is the Loudness War? Well for the past ten years or so mastered music has got louder & louder. Why? The Music Industry thought louder was better.
Nowadays 'The Loudness War' has got out of control. Some albums are 'Too Loud'. All dynamic range goes. A very good example of this is: 'Death Magnetic'-METALLICA. If you have ever heard that album or any songs from it you may notice that the music sounds very distorted & crushed. (Some fans even signed a petition to get the album remasterd). There are plenty of other albums that also compete in 'The Loudness Wars'.
Why don't i like 'The Loudness Wars' & want it to stop? To me the louder the music gets the more distorted & crushed it gets. It can be very unpleasant to listen to. Yours ears get fatigued quicker. I am not the only who wants the 'The Loudness War' to end, (Mix Engineers, producers, mastering engineers & fans also).
Does louder really mean better? I don't think so. If you want to listen to loud music that's fine. You can use a volume control. The music does NOT need to be mastered so loud.
Will 'The Loudness War' end? Maybe one day. Itunes have already started a new feature called 'Mastered for itunes. (which has a set of guidelines).
Anyway, until next time
Law