Well, it is. I am not passing any sort of judgement on that style of music, lord knows music has constantly been changing and going through styles. That said, the current style, if that is your choice, is typically not best played on revealing systems which were designed to reveal different and greater detail. Thank you for your comment and please do subscribe. Tell others about our other 223 videos. There's something for everyone.
Ive been watching the videos on your channel, and have subscribed. Your videos cover very interesting topics and you provide good insights. Your knowledge is a huge asset to the community. It’s too bad I’m North of the border and cant easily visit your store.
At age 70, it is time to share what I know with those who care to learn or, at least, consider. I am somewhat of a prophet in my own land in Cincinnati so it is quite enjoyable to have folks from around the globe simply say thank you. I have a great deal more to give and many videos to do. I am having a good time doing them. We do them like live TV of the 50s. No script, spontaneous, complete with mistakes, and fun.
It's not just 'dynamic range' but dynamics that have suffered - we now have to put up with floor-toms that sound like someone beating a damp cushion and kick-drums like analogue tape drop-outs.
I think the problem started with legislation (beginning in Europe in the late 1990's) limiting first the voltage and later current delivery of portable devices after ear-buds became popular. The higher the RMS value the higher the SPL's these devices will produce and unfortunately the 'music industry' decided their users ('casual listeners') were the ones to be catered for (or pandered to depending on your point of view). Sales fell relentlessly anyway (at a rate correlating to 'loudness', whether in spite or because of it is impossible to know) and you might have thought that the dummies in charge would have been given pause and halted the destructive rampage, but no.
Fascinating video. I'd never thought about it that way. I was raised by a father who was a classically trained musician and was as well. He would criticize 'popular music' - rock because of it's lack of creativity not in the melody or harmony but rather the lack of dynamics - changes in the volume. However, that doesn't mean I don't like well performed and well recorded rock music or its reproduction. A great dance tune can be fortissimo from start to finish and I can love it. But I am with you when it comes to the preproduction of music as it pertains to audio playback equipment. Yes, I will like ZZ Top "la Grange" on a better system. It's got limited changes in dynamics. But that's not dynamic range. And I don't believe that's got much to do with compression. That's an indictment of the music itself, one I don't agree with. Where changes in dynamics have relevance for me is within other varied genre's which I enjoy immensely. Whether that's a solo vocalist, singing acapella, jazz with mostly acoustic instruments, folk, bluegrass up to and including orchestral music. In all of those well performed and recorded styles, the reproduction does become qualitatively better with better, more resolving equipment. I want to hear the wood of the drumstick strike a high hat cymbal, the crack of a snare or tom-tom, the actual tone of the notes in a set of timpani, the sound of a pick plucking a string, the richness of horns - be they brass or woodwinds, or just a simple triangle in a symphony performing Mahler's 5th symphony. I'm not sure about your critique - whether it's musical style/type or compression. Musical taste is in the ear of the beholder. Now when you say compression, that reminds me of a number of CD reproductions particularly in rock/popular music and it is just "loud".
I enjoy all sorts of music too, much to the dismay of my wife who principally only likes old country music and bluegrass. Oh, then there's John Denver for her. Some music is, by it's very nature, best when loud. But compression and limiters are today's nightmare as one cannot tell if there is talent there or not. Maybe. The most fun I've had with music was in Chicago at a blues club in a nasty part of the city at one end then at the other listening to Conservatory graduates, about 10 I think, all playing xylophones for different pieces of classical music. Each unique and equally enjoyable. Even classical music has its "loud" runs like the Berlioz Te Deum and it's quite effective.
@@audibleeleganceinc Well, that's another reason I'm stuck in my own nirvana of "mid-Fi" stereo components. I budget funds to attend the symphony, locally via season tickets, road trips to Pittsburgh for the PSO (famously recorded by Reference Recordings) and to visit great friends. One day that road trip will extend further to visit your shop! I also attend current artists' concerts. Because there's really nothing like a great live performance at a great venue. Loud requires a proper sound system for most 4th movements and too, Bruckner!
After upgrading to a much higher resolution system, I heard everything differently. The good recordings sounded better, while many of the mediocre-to-bad recordings sounded unlistenable. The pity was in music I really liked being a nuisance to hear. I only listen to those records in the car or over iTunes on my computer.
There you go. That's exactly the right approach. The pursuit is enjoyment. But the reason the poor recordings become insufferable is that you have heard what can be done. It's like having a great piece of chocolate and then being handed a Hershey bar. TV dinners are not bad until you have had a real meal of the same. Your reference point has shifted. It's a good quality to have but it does have its price.
I might add that it's not just recent pop recordings that are guilty of high compression. One should also be careful about what remastering of old recordings they are listening to. It is very common for recordings made in the 70s or 80s to have fallen victim in reissues that have been remastered with high compression. Very often the older masterings are far superior sonically to their reissues that have succumbed to the loudness wars. The examples are numerous.
What a wonderful addition to the video and channel. You are absolutely right. I can remember when I listened to a Segovia recording that sounded like a guitar stuffed with toilet paper. They hit a brick wall filter at 10K. So, yep, they were fooling around with recordings them. I did a video on reissues and I go back to the original pressings nearly 99% of the time.
@michaelhughes1504 There are also some great re-releases and re-masters if one takes the time to do a little "research". More recently Deutsche Grammaphon has put out The Original Source re-masters and they're excellent!
@@zizendorf oh I am well aware of that. In fact, I have collected several of the DG OSS series recordings! In that case, quite often the original pressings suffered as a result of marketing decisions or inferior pressings or pressings off of later generation tapes. What I am referring to is the practice in post-production of applying compression to simply raise the overall level of the recorded program..... all at the expense of impact, punch, and contrast. With analog tape you can saturate the signal a bit which can create a bit of a pleasing compressive effect, but in the digital world there is no forgiveness once you hit 0 dB. So when compression is mindlessly applied in that context, things get truly smashed. (And I am a location recording engineer of acoustic music, so I am one that largely loathes compression)
@@michaelhughes1504 Thanks for sharing that. These are new topics for me. I'm also quite curious to learn. I understand the creation of music whether it be by voice or instrument. I'm not so familiar with the science - engineering - technical spectrum. But my ears like the better stuff and those better recordings and pressings make my investment more worthwhile.
Yep, and before such levels of compression/limiting can be applied to these recordings they have to be aggressively de-noised which destroys a lot of 'ambience' and HF detail generally.
Especially broadband compression of the overall signal kills all the musically in music. In the end today you have mastered material on CDs being heavily compressed then being compressed in the studio of FM stations and finally being compressed in the actual transmitter. Result: dead music. I am also very cautious about "remaster"s - very often also compressing otherwise really good recordings. Buying today a high end system is practically wasted money as the majority of the source material available today is far too inferior to justify the expense.
Thank you for your contribution to the channel and video. Most appreciated. I think bringing up this subject is to remind people to consider what ultimately controls what they hear which is the source. Just like food, ultra-processed is not necessarily the right thing. One has to be both aware and, if one cares, selective. This is true in many things and for audio, better sources means better music, regardless of the investment in the system. However, if you are going to own a Ferrari, don't expect to get good performance (or for long) buying your fuel from Costco, Kroger's or Sam's Club. There are plenty of places, both local and on the internet that sell wonderful original pressings of older material. As for some of the new, well, that's why I said what I did and on that point, we completely agree.
Back in college I use to be the front man for band called "Crowbar". I tried to go back and listen to some of our older albums and they sound like sh!t so I suspect it's due to compression.
Oh, there is so much more to recordings than that. Microphones, cables, mixers, and on and on can do all sorts of mischief. But, regardless, sorry old memories will have to stay in black and white.
You are doing a fine job sir! Keep making your videos!
Interesting to think about for sure.
Well, it is. I am not passing any sort of judgement on that style of music, lord knows music has constantly been changing and going through styles. That said, the current style, if that is your choice, is typically not best played on revealing systems which were designed to reveal different and greater detail.
Thank you for your comment and please do subscribe. Tell others about our other 223 videos. There's something for everyone.
Ive been watching the videos on your channel, and have subscribed. Your videos cover very interesting topics and you provide good insights. Your knowledge is a huge asset to the community. It’s too bad I’m North of the border and cant easily visit your store.
At age 70, it is time to share what I know with those who care to learn or, at least, consider. I am somewhat of a prophet in my own land in Cincinnati so it is quite enjoyable to have folks from around the globe simply say thank you.
I have a great deal more to give and many videos to do. I am having a good time doing them. We do them like live TV of the 50s. No script, spontaneous, complete with mistakes, and fun.
It's not just 'dynamic range' but dynamics that have suffered - we now have to put up with floor-toms that sound like someone beating a damp cushion and kick-drums like analogue tape drop-outs.
I think the problem started with legislation (beginning in Europe in the late 1990's) limiting first the voltage and later current delivery of portable devices after ear-buds became popular. The higher the RMS value the higher the SPL's these devices will produce and unfortunately the 'music industry' decided their users ('casual listeners') were the ones to be catered for (or pandered to depending on your point of view). Sales fell relentlessly anyway (at a rate correlating to 'loudness', whether in spite or because of it is impossible to know) and you might have thought that the dummies in charge would have been given pause and halted the destructive rampage, but no.
Fascinating video. I'd never thought about it that way. I was raised by a father who was a classically trained musician and was as well. He would criticize 'popular music' - rock because of it's lack of creativity not in the melody or harmony but rather the lack of dynamics - changes in the volume. However, that doesn't mean I don't like well performed and well recorded rock music or its reproduction. A great dance tune can be fortissimo from start to finish and I can love it. But I am with you when it comes to the preproduction of music as it pertains to audio playback equipment. Yes, I will like ZZ Top "la Grange" on a better system. It's got limited changes in dynamics. But that's not dynamic range. And I don't believe that's got much to do with compression. That's an indictment of the music itself, one I don't agree with. Where changes in dynamics have relevance for me is within other varied genre's which I enjoy immensely. Whether that's a solo vocalist, singing acapella, jazz with mostly acoustic instruments, folk, bluegrass up to and including orchestral music. In all of those well performed and recorded styles, the reproduction does become qualitatively better with better, more resolving equipment. I want to hear the wood of the drumstick strike a high hat cymbal, the crack of a snare or tom-tom, the actual tone of the notes in a set of timpani, the sound of a pick plucking a string, the richness of horns - be they brass or woodwinds, or just a simple triangle in a symphony performing Mahler's 5th symphony. I'm not sure about your critique - whether it's musical style/type or compression. Musical taste is in the ear of the beholder. Now when you say compression, that reminds me of a number of CD reproductions particularly in rock/popular music and it is just "loud".
I enjoy all sorts of music too, much to the dismay of my wife who principally only likes old country music and bluegrass. Oh, then there's John Denver for her. Some music is, by it's very nature, best when loud. But compression and limiters are today's nightmare as one cannot tell if there is talent there or not. Maybe. The most fun I've had with music was in Chicago at a blues club in a nasty part of the city at one end then at the other listening to Conservatory graduates, about 10 I think, all playing xylophones for different pieces of classical music. Each unique and equally enjoyable. Even classical music has its "loud" runs like the Berlioz Te Deum and it's quite effective.
@@audibleeleganceinc Well, that's another reason I'm stuck in my own nirvana of "mid-Fi" stereo components. I budget funds to attend the symphony, locally via season tickets, road trips to Pittsburgh for the PSO (famously recorded by Reference Recordings) and to visit great friends. One day that road trip will extend further to visit your shop! I also attend current artists' concerts. Because there's really nothing like a great live performance at a great venue. Loud requires a proper sound system for most 4th movements and too, Bruckner!
After upgrading to a much higher resolution system, I heard everything differently. The good recordings sounded better, while many of the mediocre-to-bad recordings sounded unlistenable. The pity was in music I really liked being a nuisance to hear. I only listen to those records in the car or over iTunes on my computer.
There you go. That's exactly the right approach. The pursuit is enjoyment. But the reason the poor recordings become insufferable is that you have heard what can be done. It's like having a great piece of chocolate and then being handed a Hershey bar. TV dinners are not bad until you have had a real meal of the same. Your reference point has shifted. It's a good quality to have but it does have its price.
I might add that it's not just recent pop recordings that are guilty of high compression. One should also be careful about what remastering of old recordings they are listening to. It is very common for recordings made in the 70s or 80s to have fallen victim in reissues that have been remastered with high compression. Very often the older masterings are far superior sonically to their reissues that have succumbed to the loudness wars. The examples are numerous.
What a wonderful addition to the video and channel. You are absolutely right. I can remember when I listened to a Segovia recording that sounded like a guitar stuffed with toilet paper. They hit a brick wall filter at 10K. So, yep, they were fooling around with recordings them. I did a video on reissues and I go back to the original pressings nearly 99% of the time.
@michaelhughes1504 There are also some great re-releases and re-masters if one takes the time to do a little "research". More recently Deutsche Grammaphon has put out The Original Source re-masters and they're excellent!
@@zizendorf oh I am well aware of that. In fact, I have collected several of the DG OSS series recordings! In that case, quite often the original pressings suffered as a result of marketing decisions or inferior pressings or pressings off of later generation tapes. What I am referring to is the practice in post-production of applying compression to simply raise the overall level of the recorded program..... all at the expense of impact, punch, and contrast. With analog tape you can saturate the signal a bit which can create a bit of a pleasing compressive effect, but in the digital world there is no forgiveness once you hit 0 dB. So when compression is mindlessly applied in that context, things get truly smashed. (And I am a location recording engineer of acoustic music, so I am one that largely loathes compression)
@@michaelhughes1504 Thanks for sharing that. These are new topics for me. I'm also quite curious to learn. I understand the creation of music whether it be by voice or instrument. I'm not so familiar with the science - engineering - technical spectrum. But my ears like the better stuff and those better recordings and pressings make my investment more worthwhile.
Yep, and before such levels of compression/limiting can be applied to these recordings they have to be aggressively de-noised which destroys a lot of 'ambience' and HF detail generally.
Especially broadband compression of the overall signal kills all the musically in music. In the end today you have mastered material on CDs being heavily compressed then being compressed in the studio of FM stations and finally being compressed in the actual transmitter. Result: dead music.
I am also very cautious about "remaster"s - very often also compressing otherwise really good recordings.
Buying today a high end system is practically wasted money as the majority of the source material available today is far too inferior to justify the expense.
Thank you for your contribution to the channel and video. Most appreciated.
I think bringing up this subject is to remind people to consider what ultimately controls what they hear which is the source. Just like food, ultra-processed is not necessarily the right thing. One has to be both aware and, if one cares, selective. This is true in many things and for audio, better sources means better music, regardless of the investment in the system. However, if you are going to own a Ferrari, don't expect to get good performance (or for long) buying your fuel from Costco, Kroger's or Sam's Club.
There are plenty of places, both local and on the internet that sell wonderful original pressings of older material. As for some of the new, well, that's why I said what I did and on that point, we completely agree.
Back in college I use to be the front man for band called "Crowbar". I tried to go back and listen to some of our older albums and they sound like sh!t so I suspect it's due to compression.
Oh, there is so much more to recordings than that. Microphones, cables, mixers, and on and on can do all sorts of mischief. But, regardless, sorry old memories will have to stay in black and white.