Re: [ARSCLIST] fwd: Everything Louder Than Everything Else : Have the loudness wars reached their final battle?

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Here's a link to the actual article in case you want to print for the
files.
>
http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/xl/2006/09/28cover.html
> Thanks Dave, this is a good presentation of a vexing self-inflicted wound.
> I think we've run this issue around, but that might be the Ampex list. For
more perspective, see Bob
> Orban's excellent article:
>
http://www.orban.com/support/orban/techtopics/Appdx_Radio_Ready_The_Truth_1.3.pdf
> which shows that these over-loud CD's sound even worse after being put
through FM processing.
> It's just disgraceful how 50 years of progress in sound recording and
reproduction -- to where at
> least a few recordings each year were truly life-like -- is being erased
in less than a generation.
>
What is worse is the fact that this development has also influenced
live music (at least in rock-related guitar-driven genres, which
constitute both the majority of live performances and the total of
my experience, both as participant and...well, victim?!)

I suspect that these "younger set" (for the most part) musicians
(well, sort of, anyway...) are so used to hearing music at ear-
damaging levels, they assume that is the way it should be played
as well!

And all I'll say about home listening is to note that current
audio-supplier advertisements offer 300, 500 and even 1000-watt
(my guess is PEAK power, not RMS?) home systems, usually as part
of "home theatre" setups! Worse yet, I have seen advertised (and
think I may have overheard) multi-KW automobile sound systems!

The one flaw in the design of the human race is, that as soon as
anything has numbers defining it, our instinctive "Dominance
Hierarchy" (aka "pecking order" (I'll here refrain from any
comment on peckers...]) drives us to acquire the one with the
highest number(s)!

Steven C. Barr