Date:         Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:05:59 -0400
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         "Steven C. Barr(x)" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Why new CDs sound worse
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger and Allison Kulp" <[log in to unmask]>
> Why New Music Doesn't Sound As Good As It Did Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:17PM EDT
>  See Comments (21)
>  Never mind that today's factory-produced starlets and mini-clones just don't
have the practiced chops of the supergroups of yesteryear, pop in a new CD and
you might notice that the quality of the music itself-maybe something as simple
as a snare drum hit-just doesn't sound as crisp and as clear as you're used to.
Why is that?
> It's part of the music industry's quest to make music louder and louder, and
it's been going on for decades, at least since the birth of the compact disc.
Click the link for a nice little video, a mere 2 minutes long, which explains it
in detail, with audio cues that you'll be able to hear in crisp detail.
> The key to the problem is that, in making the soft parts of a track louder (in
the process making the entire track loud), you lose detail in the song: The
difference between what's supposed to be loud and what's supposed to be soft
becomes less and less. The result is that, sure, the soft parts of a song are
nice and loud, but big noises like drum beats become muffled and fuzzy. But
consumers often subconsciously equate loudness with quality, and thus, record
producers pump up the volume. Anything to make a buck.
> The bigger problem is that this is all unnecessary. Stereo equipment is more
powerful today than ever, and last time I checked, every piece of music hardware
had a volume knob.
> Don't take my word for it: Pop in the first CD you bought and play it at the
same volume level as the most recent one you bought. You might be shocked by
what you hear.
> Anyone still wondering why the music business is suffering?
>
Assume that the current "target buyer demographic" for sound recordings is
the set of listeners who have cheap but powerful (and LOTS of bass response!)
installed in their homes and/or auto-mobiles!

Their idea of "fidelity" is to FEEL the "thump" each time the electric (or
digital?) bass plays a "note"...

...steven
(and examples can be heard on almost EVERY city street...usually without
half trying...!)