The loudness war was fought in vain

Author
Post
Essentials Only Full Version
mumpcake
Max Output Level: -59 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 1609
  • Joined: 2004/06/16 16:27:42
  • Status: offline
2011/02/17 21:47:41 (permalink)

The loudness war was fought in vain

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2011/02/16/does-louder-music-sell-better/

Along the way, Vickers makes some interesting points:
  • Loudness is not correlated with sales figures;
  • Loudness has almost no affect on listener’s preferences when comparing different songs;
  • Listeners tend to dislike the side-effects of hyper-compression, and prefer more dynamic music; and
  • Content trumps loudness, especially on the radio

Don't forget to tip the guy at the piano.
https://mumpfucious.wordpress.com/
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/3/mumpcake.htm

#1

7 Replies Related Threads
    The Maillard Reaction
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 31918
    • Joined: 2004/07/09 20:02:20
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/17 22:16:06 (permalink)
    I'd like to point that his "facts" about dynamic range and billboard rankings show that all the music that was included in the graph has LESS dynamic range than the 15dB range found in the antique cylinder recording.

    None of the music surveyed has a greater dynamic range than that produced in 1909... so what does that tell you?

    Further more he says "in real life when you are changing stations you don't hear the same song"... when in fact this is quite common in densely populated markets where a hit song is played on many stations simultaneously... that's why Orban is in business... to make one station sounded louder than another.

    ;-)

    best regards,
    mike






    #2
    Imago Dei
    Max Output Level: -90 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 14
    • Joined: 2011/02/07 10:02:55
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 15:24:12 (permalink)
    Okay here's the scoop.

    Like the video suggested, the Eagles Greatest Hits CD had the some of the best mixing/dynamics of any CD of the last century.  Fortunately, I had a copy.

    Here's the results:  
    -----------------------------------------------
                      left              right

     Peak value:     -1.99 dB   ---    -1.50 dB
     Avg RMS:       -16.11 dB   ---   -15.59 dB
     DR channel:     11.81 dB   ---    11.82 dB
    -----------------------------------------------
     Official DR value:  Dynamic Range 12
    ===============================================



    post edited by Imago Dei - 2011/02/19 17:28:12
    #3
    The Maillard Reaction
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 31918
    • Joined: 2004/07/09 20:02:20
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 16:20:29 (permalink)
    I don't think the dynamic range tells the whole story of that comparison.

    The average RMS gets an extra 2dB by bringing up the peaks.

    I wonder how the squashed dynamic version would compare when the peaks are the same?


    #4
    The Maillard Reaction
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 31918
    • Joined: 2004/07/09 20:02:20
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 16:28:04 (permalink)
    I just took your squashed version and normalized it to -5dBFS peaks.

    It makes for a closer comparison where you are listening more to the change in dynamics rather than a noticeable change in volume.

    I found the exercise interesting... and I leave my opinion to myself... :-)


    #5
    Jonbouy
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 22562
    • Joined: 2008/04/14 13:47:39
    • Location: England's Sunshine South Coast
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 17:28:35 (permalink)
    and I leave my opinion to myself... :-)


    Tease.

    "We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles.
    In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves" - Banksy
    #6
    Karyn
    Ma-Ma
    • Total Posts : 9200
    • Joined: 2009/01/30 08:03:10
    • Location: Lincoln, England.
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 17:36:31 (permalink)
    Jonbouy



    and I leave my opinion to myself... :-)


    Tease.


    Hey the forum has a 'search' function ya know. Does he have to type everything for ya???   Huh?    Huh?   

    Mekashi Futo. 
    Get 10% off all Waves plugins.
    Current DAW.  i7-950, Gigabyte EX58-UD5, 12Gb RAM, 1Tb SSD, 2x2Tb HDD, nVidia GTX 260, Antec 1000W psu, Win7 64bit, Studio 192, Digimax FS, KRK RP8G2, Sonar Platinum

    #7
    The Maillard Reaction
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 31918
    • Joined: 2004/07/09 20:02:20
    • Status: offline
    Re:The loudness war was fought in vain 2011/02/18 17:38:33 (permalink)

    I've been told I am also a good tickler.


    #8
    Jump to:
    © 2024 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1