SH Spotlight Compression & limiting in recording, mixing & mastering process: What is it? The good, bad, the ugly

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Patrick M, Jan 30, 2002.

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  1. Lyle_JP

    Lyle_JP Forum Curmudgeon

    Location:
    Danville, CA, US
    If you've ever seen her perform, you'll notice that she puts a large foam cover on the mic, and then basically puts her mouth on it and sings. Her lips stay in physical contact with the foam the whole time. Don't have a clue who taught her how to sing like that, but it's become her "style" now.
     
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  2. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Well, I even heard some anecdote that if you're mastering engineer and mastered an album quieter than tooth paste advert you're out of the business ;-) It is something what is SO AWEFUL for me nowadays.
     
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  3. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    One thing to reply Steve's comment about nr of posts in the thread and suggestion that people don't care - they do, but what they can do to change the things? Don't buy records? I care very much about sound quality and I am sick hearing mass market CD versions of the recent records or even worst the older ones as well remastered in "so called" high resolution! Of course never recorded in high resolution, but transferred from analogue and mastered LOUD. Sick!
     
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  4. Omnio

    Omnio _ _ _ ____ ____ _ _ _

    Location:
    El Lay
    The international dynamic range day was a few days ago and it's getting bigger every year. Google it!
     
  5. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Um...I think you have a gross misunderstanding of what high resolution is.
     
  6. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    It came and went unnoticed. I would say that if it has to be Googled, not that many people know about it, even on this forum!
     
  7. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    You mean? I perfectly know what HR is and what is not for sure.
     
  8. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    High resolution is either recording at high bit-depths and/or sampling rates, or digitally encoding existing recordings at higher bit-depths and/or sampling rates. OK, You know that part. But, you gain a benefit from processing a recording at that level. Just because they remaster in high-res does not mean they will compress it. So, assuming that all CDs remastered in high resolution are brickwalled is wrong and misleading.
     
  9. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Sure, not all, but many unfortunately. Also, some high res titles available on the Internet time to time are very bad sounding - again, not all, but some and you need to do kind of research on your own to make sure what it is.
     
    Grant likes this.
  10. Done A Ton

    Done A Ton Birdbrain

    Location:
    Rural Kansas
    Count me as one who is following this thread with great interest, but has nothing of value to add to the discussion. Keep it coming.
     
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  11. JWolf

    JWolf Member

    Location:
    Dundee, Scotland
    Why is it that most hi-res remasters are taking perfect good recordings and taking the life out of them? They are victims of the loudness wars. Customers are charged more for less. That means we get less dynamic range and less enjoyment for more money. Why do record companies think this is a good idea? I've heard some really good music just sound awful because it's too flat. There's no life left. The life that was given this music in the original recordings was take away. And new recordings of pop/rock are just silly. They sound so unnatural. It doesn't make any sense why we have to have music that's pushed to the limits. Heck, a lot of music these days is pushed so far, it actually distorts and there's no need for that with digital. Why decided that limiting and running hot was a good idea?

    I keep saying that if a recording has been remastered to become a soldier of the loudness wars, don't buy that version If a recording start off life as a soldier int he loudness wars, don't buy it. We need to vote with our wallets. We have to stop this any way we can.
     
  12. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    I'm afraid this is a derail ... the thread isn't about Loudness Wars, it's about how music is recorded and mixed: not so much about compression being used in the remastering process to squash the entire mix.
     
  13. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Indeed, but it's related IMHO.
     
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  14. mikaal

    mikaal Sociopathic Nice Guy

    Not a derail at all. In fact it's (mastering madness) unfortunately where the "train" is heading.
     
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  15. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    That's one of the reason why we should support such initiatives like: ORG, APO, MM, Mobile Fidelity etc.
     
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  16. Dino

    Dino Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City - USA
    Let's not forget Audio Fidelity.:)
     
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  17. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Of course!
     
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  18. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    ....and Speakers Corner.
     
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  19. Doug Sclar

    Doug Sclar Forum Legend

    Location:
    The OC
    Analog tape is capable of being a high resolution medium compared to 16 bit digital. I have many analog tape sourced hi-res recordings from the 50s, 60s and 70s that sound absolutely amazing in hi-res.

    Of course not all hi-res products are of the same quality but it's not because of limitations of the format as much as decisions made in production and/or mastering.
     
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2016
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  20. Krzysztof Maj

    Krzysztof Maj Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    That's true. I have compared one of the album between vinyl 24/96 rip to the same album available in high resolution and vinyl sourced files won. Much pleasant sound, not heavy and bright. Just pleasant listening over my headphones and speakers.
     
  21. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    The reason it persists is because the (average) consumer likes loud, compressed music. they like hearing every ounce of sound upfront.

    I recently had a discussion about this with a person on another forum. For all of my reasoning, he is still dead set in favor of the compressed remaster of a loved because he likes to hear every drop of sound loud and...well, uh...clear.:sigh: He doesn't care if it doesn't sound natural or true to the source tape.

    This is the sad reality of what we have to deal with. The record labels pay more attention to these non-audiophiles than us, probably because the people in the industry are like that guy.
     
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  22. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    No, this is all on-topic. It's the ugly part of it.
     
  23. Mr_Vinyl

    Mr_Vinyl Forum Resident

    As some people have already pointed out, there are already signs of change - albeit at a very slow pace. So voting with our wallets is working. There's a lot of rot in the music industry (Marketing), and it's very hard to eradicate, but those in the know, know:nyah:, and can. Take Steven Wilson for one. Engineers that have worked on the Pink Floyd and Beatles remasters all have a deep respect not only for the music, but for the period in which they were recorded. Even some Prog/Metal bands have have more DR than...Adele!
     
  24. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    You say it is changing, but, until it happens to new hit product on a larger scale, i'd say nothing has changed. Compression is business as usual.
     
  25. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Grant is right... the Loudness War is still alive. On the most new recordings and still on the most reissues! For example the just released Traveling Wilburys. The Steven Wilson remixes are a rare exception and a few others by the major labels.
     
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