I 'm racking my brain and scouring my pc trying to remember at what forum someone posted the link to a database (possibly in association with Stereophile) which compiled countless CD albums with one or more recorded defects. It may have been an online list of CDs with stereo tracks that are out of phase, those with a high number of intersample overs or other such anomalies. Please advise.
It gets very technical; more like beyond my current knowledge base than understanding. But it's got a lot to do with the "loudness wars": Deliberately making all sound levels (tracks) of a recording as loud as "pleasingly" possible (as a marketing tool) vs. recording the varied and natural levels of voices, acoustic and electronic instruments and other audible sounds present during the recorded event so that the listening hears a "dynamic range" of levels-rather than every voice and instrument sounding "loud". At least I think that's close to what describes the industry debate. These FAQs and the wiki report are probably the best sources for understanding it all. FAQ - Dynamic Range DB But I would think that most engineers (and probably most members of forums like this one) are squarely in the dynamic range camp, such as Post # 310 here https://gearspace.com/board/mastering-forum/1401406-intersample-clipping-audible-11.html
