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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "Billy G. Spradlin" <bgspradlin@cablelynx.com> |
| Subject | Re: cds too loud |
| Date | Sat, 01 Mar 2003 16:48:15 -0600 |
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>I've seen this on some punk CDs, but I figured this was due to cheap mixing.
>Is this a Rap production technique, or simply incompetence?
I think you could go back to Reggae records in the 70's - I heard that
Island records used to remix or remaster Bob Marley records for the USA
because they thought they had too much bass. Rap's main format is/was the
12' inch single where they can cut thick grooves for the low bass - I think
that maxxed out bass on CD is an attempt to create the "phat" sound that
rappers love so much on vinyl.
Like his webpage said record company bozos demand that everything should be
loud. Not only trashed out audio sounds horrible and is hell on the ears, I
think its one of the reasons why a lot of people think "all music sounds
the same today" because everything is mastered at the same volume. It seems
every singer on CHR or Country radio sounds like they/he/she is using the
same recording studio, processing and microphone.
>Do people think that more volume is better?
I think we have a whole generation of listeners who fried their ears out in
the 70's and 80's with high power stereo equipment. Todays teenagers who
drive around in boom trucks and cars with 500 watt systems with huge
subwoofers in the trunk will be even worse.
>Btw, some day listen closely to Springsteen's
>Born to Run, and listen to the loud kick drum. I never noticed the
>problem that
>much on the LP until I bought the CD and listened to it on portable player.
>None of the other songs on that album have that problem. Some day I'm going
>to smooth out each of those drum beats (I've done this without other songs).
That record was mixed to death, - I heard it was recorded on 16 tracks and
they did a lot of bouncing tracks while overdubbing to create that huge
sound. My guess the kick drum was de-emphasized in the vinyl mastering (to
keep the needle from skipping), when it was mastered for CD, they left the
kick drum alone.
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